by Laird Long –
Princess Suzy awoke, as she did every morning, with her pet dragon, Ollie, snuggled into her side next to her in bed. Ollie liked to burrow under the warm blankets of the large bed, pretending like he was in a cave. He softly snored, just a wisp of smoke trickling out of his mouth now and then, as the Princess contentedly sighed.
Suzy was a small girl for her age. Ollie was a small dragon for his age. They were always together; running and rolling about on the vast, lush, green lawns of the Royal Palace; dashing and jumping around in the huge, flower-perfumed gardens at the rear of the palace; splashing in and rowing on the large, lily pad-dappled lake that lay to the east of the palace; or romping through the towering green trees that spread out to the west in the Royal Forest.
This morning, like previous mornings, Princess Suzy blinked her big blue eyes and stared up at the high, oak-beamed ceiling of her bedroom. Then she yawned, stretched out her arms and legs, as she felt the warm little body of Ollie stir next to her. She raised her golden-blonde head up off the fluffy white pillow and threw back the royal red blankets on her bed, revealing the dozing green dragon.
“Rise and shine, Ollie!” she exclaimed as she always did.
The dragon’s eyes popped open, then narrowed into yellow slits with green hoods. He smacked his thin lips and coughed a little bit of smoke. Then he unfurled his neck and gazed up at Suzy, grinning as baby dragons grin. Finally, he rose unsteadily on his little legs and arched his green-scaled back, his tiny, membraned wings quivering.
Girl and dragon leapt out of bed and scampered over to the large dining and play table at the other end of the room. Suzy pulled out a chair and sat down. Ollie jumped into her lap, then onto the table and sat up.
“Good morning, my dears!” Nanny Katherine greeted the pair, right on schedule. She entered the bedroom carrying a silver tray. She set the tray down on the table and then placed a china bowl full of oatmeal in front of Suzy along with a gold goblet of orange juice and plunked down a silver dish of dragon food in front of Ollie. Breakfast was served.
“So, what are you two planning to get up to today?” Katherine asked, part of the daily ritual. She watched the girl and the dragon happily dig into their food. Nanny Katherine had been with the Royal Family for years. She’d even raised Queen Millicent, Suzy’s mother, from a child.
“We’re going to catch butterflies in the garden this morning!” Suzy responded, gleefully gulping a spoonful of oatmeal. “Aren’t we, Ollie?”
Ollie lifted his head out of his bowl and eagerly nodded. Then he licked his lips with a long, pink, forked tongue.
“That sounds like fun,” Nanny Katherine agreed. “But didn’t you two just do that a few days ago?”
Suzy giggled and shrugged. Ollie grinned and burped smoke, then ducked his head back down into his bowl.
After breakfast Princess Suzy had changed into her favorite white summer dress with the broad blue sash around her waist, and was skipping down the red-carpeted hallway that led to the Royal Terrace and gardens, when she heard someone crying. She hopped to a stop, jumped backwards, and peeked around the oaken doorway of one of the opulent rooms that lined the hallway.
“But I’m afraid she’ll…never grow up!” Queen Millicent lamented to a man in black, standing uneasily in front of her.
Suzy recognized the man with her mother as the Royal Physician, Doctor Leopold.
“She hasn’t gotten any bigger at all. She’s still such a small child,” the Queen said, tears glittering in her large blue eyes. “Why won’t she grow up!?”
Doctor Leopold grimaced, both at the heartfelt anguish of his Monarch and at his own inability to properly and professionally address it. “I’m afraid I just don’t know, your Majesty,” he said. “Nor do the best medical minds in the Kingdom. I’ve consulted them all.” He wrung his long, slender hands in frustration. “She should be a young lady by now. But obviously isn’t. Perhaps…more time-”
“More time?” Queen Millicent wailed. “I’m an ill woman, doctor, as you know! I don’t have much more time!” She looked down at her own pale, delicate hands writhing in despair in her lap, and the jewel-encrusted crown atop her blonde head slipped slightly. “Suzy should be experiencing all of the joys of young womanhood by now – learning, loving…growing!”
The Queen covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “Becoming a queen herself!”
Suzy gripped the edge of the doorway, her eyes gone wide, startled to hear her own name mentioned.
Doctor Leopold hung his head. Queen Millicent wept.
Princess Suzy walked slowly down the hallway, out onto the gleaming marble terrace of the palace, and down into the sprawling gardens where her little pet dragon, Ollie, was already frolicking about amongst the brightly-colored flowers and lush green plants, under a warm yellow sun.
The pair caught many beautiful butterflies. Suzy chased them with her white lace butterfly net, Ollie running along at her heels. As she swooped around with the net, he would jump up into the air, his tiny wings beating like he meant to fly. But, unlike the butterflies, he could never stay airborne for long.
Then they examined the winged insects they’d captured up-close; studying the intricate polka-dot and diamond and triangular patterns on the butterflies’ wings, marveling at the brilliant blue and orange and purple hues before setting the butterflies free again and watching them flutter away.
It was when they were watching a large Monarch butterfly spread its bright orange and black wings and fly away that they spotted the four dragons up in the air not far off. They were young dragons, but bigger than Ollie. And they were obviously just learning to fly, flapping their wings furiously to stay in the air.
But as they quickly gained confidence and spread their wings, they began soaring and swooping, playfully sailing through the soft blue sky, the flares of flame from their open mouths revealing their joy.
Suzy glanced down at Ollie on the ground. The little dragon’s eyes were wide and shining, darting about with the exhilarating movements of the other dragons flying in the sky. His small green body twitched with excitement, his limbs trembling, his tiny wings beating frantically and futilely. He just didn’t have the size and strength to get off the ground, though he obviously wanted to.
It was in a dragon’s nature to fly, after all. Just as it was in a princess’ nature to grow up to become a Queen.
Princess Suzy confronted Nanny Katherine that afternoon as they shared tea and sandwiches at a small wicker table down by the lake. Ollie was flopped out flat on his green belly on the green grass next to Suzy’s chair, snoozing and soaking up the sun.
“I want you to let Ollie grow bigger,” Suzy stated, setting down her Royal Crest-emblazoned china teacup. “I don’t think it’s right to keep him so small anymore.”
Katherine briefly choked on her tomato and lettuce sandwich. “But that’s what you wanted me to do! Ordered me to do!” she protested.
Suzy looked down at the dozing little dragon. “I know. I didn’t want Ollie to grow up into a big, flying, fire-breathing dragon that would have to be put out of the palace one day and leave me. I wanted him to stay small and cute and always be my companion.”
She blinked her big blue eyes and her dimpled chin quivered. “But that was wrong. I know that now. Getting you to use your magical powers to change…nature.”
Princess Suzy lifted her golden-blonde head and looked firmly at Nanny Katherine. “And I want you to let me grow up, as well. I’ve been a little girl, someone for you to play with and look after too long.”
Katherine desperately shook her head. “Oh no, Princess Suzy! I would never do that!”
Suzy reached out her little hand across the table and grasped one of Katherine’s weathered hands. She spoke with a compassion and confidence beyond her size. “I heard Mother talking to Doctor Leopold – about me. I know you did it, Nanny. And…I don’t blame you. I put the idea into your head, after all, with Ollie.”
Katherine gazed lovingly at the Princess. “You’re such a beautiful little girl. Just like your mother was. And she grew up and left my care, and now she’s ill. I didn’t want the same thing to happen you.” She smiled, tears trickling down her wrinkled cheeks.
Suzy smiled back, squeezing Katherine’s hand. “We all have to grow up.” She looked down at the sleeping dragon. “Otherwise we’ll never be able to spread our wings and fly.”
Nanny Katherine ended up living long enough to attend the Royal Wedding. She and the other hundreds of guests watched in awe as a giant green dragon flapped its tremendous wings and swooped down out of a soft blue sky with Queen Susan upon its back.
Susan’s golden-blonde hair shone under the warm yellow sun as the young woman slid off Oliver’s back, radiant in the white lace wedding dress her mother had once worn. She smiled at Nanny Katherine and patted Oliver on the head.
And then the old woman wept with joy, and the young dragon tilted its head up and breathed out a celebratory stream of fire as the Queen took the hand of her beloved, and a firm grasp on her future.
the end.
Question Time:
1. What was different about Princess Suzy and Ollie?
2. What did Princess Suzy discover?
3. Why did she want Ollie and her to grow?
4. Why did the Nanny keep them small?
