E. D. Baker - The Dragon Princess

Books by E. D. Baker

THE TALES OF THE FROG PRINCESS:

THE FROG PRINCESS

DRAGONS BREATH

ONCE UPON A CURSE

NO PLACE FOR MAGIC

THE SALAMANDER SPELL

THE DRAGON PRINCESS

WINGS

Book Six in the Tales of the Frog Princess

E. D. BAKER

Copyright 2008 by E. D. Baker
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Childrens Books
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baker, E. D.

The dragon princess / by E. D. Baker.1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.(Tales of the frog princess ; bk. 6)

Summary: Although a princess, Millie cannot keep herself from turning
unexpectedly into a dragon, so she ventures off to the Icy North to find the Blue
Witch, who she hopes will help her learn to control her dragon magic.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-194-7 ISBN-10: 1-59990-194-3
[1. PrincessesFiction. 2. DragonsFiction. 3. MagicFiction. 4. Humorous stories.]
I. Title.
PZ8.B173Dp 2008 [Fic]dc22 2008008016

First U.S. Edition 2008
Typeset by Westchester Book Composition
Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

All papers used by Bloomsbury U.S.A. are natural, recyclable products
made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes
conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

This book is dedicated to Ellie, who likes my crazy ideas
and knows when to say no. Dont worry, there arent
any pie fights in this story either. To Kim, who helps
me with my Web site and has great ideas of her own.
To Pudgy Grumpkinsbecause. To my fans,
for their encouragement and kind words.
To Victoria Wells Arms, for believing in me.

Though she was just a few minutes old, everyone agreed that the baby was beautiful. She had eyes like those of her mother, Princess Emma, and a shock of blond hair much like that of her grandmother, Queen Chartreuse. Emma swore that her daughter had Eadrics smile, but her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother all claimed that the baby was too young and wouldnt really smile for some time yet.

When she was only three months pregnant, Emma had dreamed that the baby was going to be a girl. After that, she and her husband, Prince Eadric, had never worried about a boys name. The baby would be named Millie, after the second Green Witch, Emmas long-ago ancestor.

Although Emma wanted to show Millie to Eadric right away, the midwife and all the other women in the room insisted that they wash the baby first. Unfortunately, an over-eager lady-in-waiting hadnt bothered to warm the water before bringing it to the midwife. The midwife, rattled in the presence of so much royalty, most of whom were witches, splashed the cold water on the baby. With a startled cry, the baby turned red as a strawberry, and her thin wail broke the calm of her parents bedchamber. Emma sat up to see what was wrong. At that instant, the air seemed to sizzle and the baby turned from a beautiful human newborn with honey-blond hair into a baby dragon with scales of the palest green. Queen Chartreuse screamed. Two ladies-in-waiting fled the room. The midwife fainted.

Emma sighed and reached for her baby. I was afraid of this, she murmured, gazing down at the squalling infant. Turning to her aunt Grassina, she added, This is what comes of spending half my life as a dragon.

Princess Emma, the Green Witch of Greater Greensward, was sitting at her worktable copying spells onto fresh parchment when a slender green dragon darted through her window and landed on the floor behind her.

Millies home! squawked the green-and-yellow parrot perched on the edge of a precariously balanced stack of books. The bird flapped its wings, making the whole stack sway. Emma gestured at the books as they started to fall, and they shivered back into place.

I know, You-too, said Emma. You dont need to tell me when shes standing right here. And as for you, Millie, she said, turning to the dragon, what upset you this time?

The dragon sat down and wrapped her long, spiked tail around her. The scullery maid dropped a pail of muddy water at the top of the stairs just as I was coming up. Id already put on my new gown for Prince Atworths visit and the water ruined it. I changed into a dragon before I could help it. Yes, I know you can fix the gown, but I didnt think of that until later. Anyway, the girl started screaming, so I flew out the window. She was terrifiedas if she thought I was about to bite off her head. I dont understand. After all these years, why are some people still so afraid of me? Ive never hurt anyone while I was a dragon, at least, not since I was a little girl and didnt know any better. Youd think everyone here at the castle would remember that.

Im sorry, darling. Its human nature to be afraid of dragons. Im sure you handled it very well.

Light shimmered around the dragon and a lovely young girl appeared. Her honey-gold hair framed her face in soft curls and cascaded down her back. Except for her dainty nose, her face was much like her mothers and her eyes were the same shade of deep green.

What a mess! screeched the parrot.

Millie glanced down at her gown and sighed. The pale green skirt was splattered with mud and the real blossoms sewn onto the bodice were broken and wilted. She touched one of the stems, wishing she could fix it herself. Although Millie had a magic of her own, she was unable to perform the simplest kind of spells that most witches found easy. Would you mind fixing it for me, Mother?

Not at all. Ill just

Zos here! shrieked You-too, and both mother and daughter turned to the window where a little bat had landed on the ledge. I dont know why we have a door if everyone comes through the window, the parrot grumbled.

I dont mean to intrude, said the bat. I was on my way over when I saw Millie come through the window, so I thought Id look for her here.

We were just talking, said Emma. Come right in.

Zo fluttered into the room and settled on the floor beside Millie. A shadow passed over the bat and a puff of cool, dank air made Millie sneeze. When she looked at her friend again, Zo was no longer a bat, but a slender girl whose head came up just past Millies shoulder. Her hair was such a pale blond that it looked almost white; her eyes were blue-gray and shining.

The parrot flapped its wings and squawked, Watch your necks! Vampire in the room!

You have to be the rudest bird Ive ever met, said Millie. I dont know why you keep him, Mother.

He was a wedding gift from Olefat Wizard to your father and me. Ive heard that Me-too, You-toos father, still lives with Olefat and gets more obnoxious every year. Sometimes I wonder if that wizard didnt give us the bird for revenge. The old wizard hasnt gotten his hands on any new spells since the day I helped your great-aunt Grassina make him stop stealing witches memories.

If You-too gets too obnoxious, just let me know, said Zo. Ive never bitten a parrot before. What do you suppose their blood tastes like?