"Captain!" Dad ordered. "Escort the prince and princesses to their rooms, and don't let them leave. We cannot risk their safety."
"Yes, sir," the captain of the guards said, then called to his men, "You heard the king! I want a guard at each of their doors. Anyone that can be spared should report to General Bloodfang and wait for further instruction." The guards led my siblings to their rooms, but I refused to go.
"Dad, let me go to Bloodfang," I pleaded. "I'll be fine!"
"No, you won't! This is a war, Miriel," Dad said very sternly. "Countless lives will be lost, and it's no place for a princess."
"Neither is a locked room!" I protested.
"It is if it's for your safety!" Dad insisted.
"You can't keep me locked in my room for the entire war!"
"I can and I will! The captain will have someone hunt for you and your siblings so you'll have plenty of food and water, so there is nothing to worry about, I assure you."
"I'm not going to just sit in my room for who knows how long while I have my food hunted for me like I'm a dragonet!" I lashed my tail irritably.
"You are a dragonet!" Dad yelled. "You're only 800!"
"But I still hunt for myself! I can hunt, fly, fight; I have every right to be fighting!" I yelled back.
"You have no right to fight in this war! It is not your fight!"
"It is my fight! Do you think Mom would want us to hide in our rooms like cowards?" I challenged, my wings half-open.
"Your mother would want you safe!"
"Mom would want to protect our kingdom!" I stood up on my hind legs and flared my wings.
"And we are! That's why we have an army!"
"Just let me fight!" I insisted.
"No! You will do as I say!" Dad bellowed, standing on his hind legs and flaring his wings. He was so much bigger than me, it was hard not to be intimidated. I set myself down on all fours and tucked in my wings again.
"Come, Your Highness," a guard said, and I reluctantly let him lead me to my room.
"I want two guards at Miriel's door," I heard Dad tell the captain as I left. "She'll no doubt try to sneak out."
"Yes sir," the captain said, and soon another guard was walking beside me. The two guards didn't leave when I reached my room; instead they stood outside my door like they were told to.
"You sure made Dad angry, didn't you," Marina smirked.
"He made me angry!" I retaliated. "You can't be honestly fine with this."
"No, I don't want to be locked in here as much as you do, but there's nothing we can do about it," she answered.
"Of course there's something we can do about it."
"No there's nothing we can do," Marina said. I glowered at the door. The guards had an enhanced sense of magic, so they could sense any spells or anything that had traces of magic. Getting out wouldn't be easy.
"Trust me, I'll get out of here," I assured.
"Get your boyfriend to help you," Marina said dismissively. Of course, she was referring to Nahym, the prince of the Ice Dragons. Dad had arranged us to be betrothed. I couldn't see any way out of betrothal, but it honestly wasn't all that bad. Nahym was nice enough and I did like him. Of course, it would be a while until we would actually be betrothed; the war had caused some complications.
"Maybe I will," I said, curling up to go to sleep. "But not tonight."