On a day like any other day Princess Elainia snuck out of the castle. She did not like to be watched over so as soon as her nurses were not paying attention she would escape. She would go exploring in places where she was not usually allowed.

This disobedience did not bother her in the least because after all she was going to be six in a few days and knew what she wanted. Today she planned on escaping the castle all together. She wanted to see what it was like outside the castle walls in the foothills of the forest near her home. Furthermore she wanted to find where the tunnel she saw from her window led.

Elainia tottered out of the servants exit and walked as quickly as her little legs would carry her. She hurried down the dirt path that she had often seen from her room. She walked and walked and walked almost forever it seemed. In actuality it was only about five minutes.

Meanwhile back at the castle there was a frantic search going on her nurse just realized that her charge was not in view. She set up quite a squawk when she was accused of incompetence in her work, "I just dressed Elainia and was making her bed while she was plying with her toys in the corner. When I finished I turned and saw that she was nowhere to be found."

Elainia, oblivious to the worry she was causing, just continued walking. "It's around here I'm sure," she said, "I am sure I saw that hole near here." She began to search the bushes around her trying to find the entrance to something that she had seen from in her room. Spying something that looked familiar she ventured closer. She began to smile and was about to squeal for joy at having found what she was looking for when she was suddenly picked up by one of the guardsmen that had been sent out to find her.

"There you are," a deep voiced guardsman said, "I am glad I found you. Do you know the trouble you have caused young lady?"

Elainia was opening her mouth to complain vehemently when she realized that she did not want to share what she found with anyone. If she told the guard what she was looking for, he would know and soon her older brothers and sisters would also know. She did not want that so she said, "Stephanos, put me down! I know how to walk." She thought, 'How is it that he always finds me when I leave like this?'

Upon arriving back at the castle she sat fuming while her nurses fussed over her and told her not to do that again because their hearts couldn't take it. She was extremely bored. If only her brother Mikial had not been fostered off and left home. He had always been willing to play with her. Since he was only five years older than her he did not find it babyish to play with her. Most of Elainia's older sisters and brothers were not willing to play with her since not only was she the youngest but she was their half-sister. They always accused their father of betraying their mother's memory when he remarried. They were extremely critical of her and anything she did. When she died in childbirth a few of the older children thought, 'Served her right the interloper.'

There was another sister, Reamial, who had been willing to spend time with Elainia. That was her oldest half-sister. But she had since married and moved away. Reamial had been like a mother to Elainia. She took care of her and while she was living at home few of the other half-sibs dared to make fun of her. Now that Reamial had moved out the others were free to make fun of her.

"Na na na na na. You can't catch me!" Elainia tore through the castle. Quickly she ducked into a small alcove just around a corner. Her nurse ran past her hiding spot with out noticing her. Elainia breathed a sigh of relief, she thought, 'It was becoming harder to evade her nurses now that she was eight. "They" had plans for what she was supposed to do for the entire day.' She smiled, 'Well I have outsmarted this nurse. I am free.'

She went quickly down some unused back stairs to the servant's exit. Elainia headed towards that cave that she kept seeing from her room but never was able to get to again. After she had got outside the castle when she was five, the guards had cracked down on who was watching her when. She had not been able to escape from the castle until now. She waited in a hidden alcove until none of the servants were in sight. Elainia darted to the door and outside. She hurried down the path towards where she knew was the location of the entrance to the cave.

This time she was not going to let anyone stop her from getting into the cave. Hurrying Elainia arrived at the entrance and ducked inside. It was dark and she paused to let her eyes adjust. As soon as she could see, Elainia looked around. The floor of the cave was smooth packed dirt and the walls of the cave were smooth. Right in front of her there was a four-foot drop and in the center there was a large white stone. She climbed down off of the ledge at the entrance and began walking around inside the cave.

As Elainia walked, her feet kicked up just a little cloud of dust. She was enjoying looking around and noticing new things. Halfway around the cave, near the back, she heard a noise behind her. It was between her and the exit of the cave. She turned but could see nothing or no one. She was about to dismiss the noise as her imagination when she noticed that the rock was shaking. Curious she walked nearer. As Elainia watched, the "rock" began cracking and she realized that it was not a rock but an egg. Wondering what type of animal it was she sat down to watch.

The egg was rocking violently now and it seemed as though the creature would not be able to hatch. Finally, the creature's head broke through. It paused as if too exhausted to continue. Elainia reached forward to help but then she remembered hearing someone say that the worst thing one can do is help any creature out of its shell. She sat back and continued to just watch and not interfere.

The lizard type creature began to struggle out of its shell. Finally the creature broke out of its shell. It looked at Elainia and she looked at it. She noticed that it had blue green scales on its sides, yellowish scales on its stomach, and it had wings. The sunlight was coming in through the entrance of the cave and reflected prettily off the dragon's scales. Elainia remembered hearing stories about dragons when she was a child but she had been told they were extinct now.

As she was watching she heard a creening. She realized that it was coming from the dragon. Go Home