by H. L. Burke
Oh Ambrosia, queen of naught,
She’s lost the crown she’s always sought.
She won’t be queen; she can’t be king.
Ambrosia won’t be anything.
Ambrosia’s face turned bright red. She grabbed a crystal goblet and hurled it at the kitten. Thaddeus ducked to avoid the shards.
“Is that the best you can do? I’ve defeated rats who put up a better fight,” the kitten taunted.
Ambrosia lobbed a carving knife at him, but her aim was off, and the blade sank into the far wall.
Smoke tickled Thaddeus’s nose. He couldn’t stop, though. Snickersnout had almost reached her.
“If I were as bad at being a cat as you are at being you, I’d give up and become a goldfish!”
Ambrosia grabbed a platter large enough to hold a suckling pig and tossed it towards him. It sheared off all the candles and sent Thaddeus tumbling onto the tablecloth.
His fur smoldered. Ambrosia grabbed a steak knife, but before she could stab the kitten, Snickersnout pounced. Ambrosia yelped as the rat latched onto her ankle. She hopped about, shaking her leg.
Thaddeus leaped from the table. He landed on the back of the king-poodle who yapped in a most unkingly way.
Thaddeus skidded into the crystal ball and sent it rolling across the floor. It crashed against the wall and broke in half.
Grandious shot out of it like a jack in the box. His body swelled to fill the room. Ambrosia screamed, and the angry dragon swiped with his front claw, knocking her against the wall. She gave one loud moan, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slumped over like a rag doll.
Immediately Clarice, Hermes, and King Victor shot back to their normal sizes and shapes. The two men gaped at the dragon, but Clarice’s eyes sought out Thaddeus. Her jaw dropped.
“Thaddeus!” she gasped. “You’re on fire!”
Chapter Thirty
Happily Ever After
Thaddeus had purposefully put the smell of singed fur out of his mind. Now, however, he glanced back and found flames tickling down his tail.
“Meow!” he yelped.
Too panicked to remember that running is the last thing you should do when on fire, Thaddeus bolted across the room. The flames raced up his spine. Hot. Oh, so hot! With all his might, he sprang onto the table and landed with a splash in the punch bowl. He came up spluttering.
Clarice quickly fished him out and wrapped him in a napkin, but the damage was done. Thaddeus’s perfectly puffy orange fur had been charred clear off. Only sparse, blackened patches remained on his reddened skin.
Thaddeus hung his head in shame, but Clarice kissed his tiny forehead with as much love as ever.
“Oh, dear.” Hermes came to stand over them. He waved his hands over the cat. “That will stop the pain, but the fur . . . Well, it will grow back. The good news is, I don’t hear anyone sneezing.”
Thaddeus’s ears twitched. The wizard was right. Not a sneeze in earshot, even from the sensitive king.
King Victor still stared at Grandious.
The dragon twisted about until his tail touched his nose, turned in a circle, knocking over the table, then sat. He pointed with a talon at the too small door. “How,” he asked, “do I get out of here?”
The king cleared his throat. “Well, now that is a very good question.”
“Little friend!” Grandious’s eyes fell on Thaddeus. “Are you all right?” He nuzzled the kitten, ignoring the princess’s full moon stare as the dragon brought his nose inches from her face.
“You know Thaddeus?” she stammered.
“Why, yes. Thaddeus is my pet,” Grandious said.
“No, Thaddeus is my pet!” Clarice exclaimed, not realizing how unwise it is to argue with a dragon.
“I’m not a pet,” Thaddeus said. “I’m a companion.”
But neither the princess nor the dragon understood. Snickersnout and Hermes did. Both of them chuckled.
A troop of guards rushed in, swords drawn, but the king called halt.
“This dragon saved our lives. He is welcome in my court.”
“Besides,” Grandious frowned, “I’m quite stuck.”
Thaddeus put out a paw and lovingly patted the dragon’s snout.
“Since you're here,” Hermes said to the guards, “you should probably see to my niece. It looks as if she is waking up.”
If Thaddeus had any fur left, it would've stood on end. He cringed into Clarice as all eyes turned towards the defeated Ambrosia.
She moaned and put her hand to her head.
Hermes tensed and held out his hand. “Ambrosia, do not try anything. I will turn you into a toad if I have to!”
“A fate too good for her,” the king growled.
Snickersnout skittered forward. He stood on his hind legs and clenched his front paws together. “She is impressively ambitious. It is a shame she is a human. Such deviousness would take her far in the rat world, but humans are so picky about such things.”
Thaddeus's ears perked up. “Hey, Snickersnout,” he hissed. “You get a kiss from her.”
Snickersnout's tail quivered. “Indeed, she is quite kissable.”
“Go for it!” Thaddeus urged.
“I'm not sure that is a good idea . . .” Hermes began, but Snickersnout didn't listen.
The rat rushed forward and climbed into Ambrosia's lap. Ambrosia shrieked.
“Just one kiss?” Snickersnout said. He then pushed his whiskery snout right up against Ambrosia's lips.
Ambrosia stiffened and turned gray as a mouse, no, as a rat.
“Oh,” sighed Snickersnout. “I am not a prince.”
“Of all the indignity, just arrest me already. Squeak!” Ambrosia covered her mouth, her eyes widening. She opened her lips again and another, “Squeak!” slipped out. She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late. The magic in Snickersnout's kiss had her in its grasp. In a whirl of fur and a flash of whiskers, Ambrosia shrank and twisted, landing on the floor in the form of a large white rat.
Everyone's jaws dropped, but the jaw that dropped furthest of all belonged to Snickersnout.
The rat king fell to one knee. “You perfect creature! You shall be queen! My queen! Queen of all the rodents in the kingdom. Whatever you desire, the finest cheese, the best holes, all that is mine, shall be yours!”
Ambrosia shrieked and fled the room.
“The poor thing is overwhelmed by her glorious new form,” Snickersnout said. “I will pursue and comfort her.” He ran after Ambrosia.
The king turned to Hermes. “Did you do that?”
“No.” The wizard shook his head. “True love's kiss works in mysterious ways. Apparently the rat loves her now. She is understandably upset, but she might like it if she gives it half a chance. He seems quite a good fellow, for a rat.”
“Snickersnout deserves better,” Thaddeus sniffed. He nestled into Clarice.
IN THE END, TO GET Grandious out of the dining room, the palace staff had to cut a hole in the roof. By that time Thaddeus’s fur had begun to grow back, soft and orange, but not perfectly fluffy. The spell had been burned away. Thankfully, no one sneezed in his presence any longer.
Also, after a week in the dragon’s company, all the castle’s inhabitants grew accustomed to him, especially the princess.
“We can’t send him away, Father,” she begged. “We must make room for him at court.”
And so Grandious became the Much Esteemed, Official Royal Dragon, with a certificate and everything. He sometimes would spend a few days in his cave, but he would always return to visit with Thaddeus and Clarice, of whom he became quite fond.
Snickersnout and Ambrosia didn't return to the palace. Eventually Hermes sought them out and found them nesting with a brood of hairless young. Ambrosia had become accustomed to her new skin and ruled the rats with an iron hand, ordering them to obey her every whim. Snickersnout absolutely adored her.
Thaddeus settled back into his rightful place of honor, beloved by the princess and the dragon. Hermes staye
d on at the palace and worked his magic. Never again, however, did he suggest a spell to improve Thaddeus. No, Thaddeus was perfect, just the way he was.
The End
ABOUT H. L. Burke
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.
Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.
For information about H. L. Burke's latest novels, author news and events, or to contact the writer, go to
www.hlburkeauthor.com
Also by H. L. Burke
For Middle Grade Readers
Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon
Cora and the Nurse Dragon
For Young Adult Readers
An Ordinary Knight
Beggar Magic
Coiled
Spice Bringer
The Heart of the Curiosity
The Nyssa Glass Steampunk Series:
Nyssa Glass and the Caper Crisis
Nyssa Glass and the House of Mirrors
Nyssa Glass and the Juliet Dilemma
Nyssa Glass and the Cutpurse Kid
Nyssa Glass’s Clockwork Christmas
Nyssa Glass and the Electric Heart
The Elemental Realms Series
Book One: Lands of Ash
Book Two: Call of the Waters
The Dragon and the Scholar Saga (1-4)
A Fantasy Romance Series
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Debt
Dragon’s Rival
Dragon’s Bride
The Green Princess: A Fantasy Romance Trilogy
Book One: Flower
Book Two: Fallow
Book Three: Flourish
Ice and Fate Duology
Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice
Prince of Stars, Son of Fate
To Court a Queen
Spellsmith and Carver Series
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Rivalry
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Trial
Spellsmith & Carver: Magicians’ Reckoning
Fellowship of Fantasy Anthologies
Fantastic Creatures
Hall of Heroes
Mythical Doorways
Tales of Ever After
Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales
Match Cats: Three Tails of Love