"Is that a dragon egg?" Asked Alice.
She was staring at a large red egg.
"I don't think so," said Renny, "It's a little too small. And the shell is a different color."
"Yeah," said William, "besides, the only dragon I know of is the one Ratty summoned. That dragon's dead."
"Maybe it's a giant eagle egg." Said Tara.
"No," said Alice, "it's too big. But it is a bird egg."
There was a small crack on the side of the egg.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise was heard.
"Something's breaking the shell!" Yelled Brian.
The shell began to crack, and a tiny figure was trying to break through.
A tiny baby dragon hatched from the egg and cried.
"What the hell is that?" Yelled Alice.
"I thought the dragon was dead," said Renny.
"It is," said William, "but it must have laid this egg."
"It's a baby dragon," said Alice, "he's so adorable. What should we do?"
"I don't know," said Marie, "should we keep him?"
"Maybe," said William, "there's a good chance he would starve to death, he was just born after all."
"We could raise him." Said Alice.
"That's a bad idea," said Brian, "dragons grow up fast, and this guy will get pretty big pretty soon. It could kill us."
"You can't say that about this little guy," said Marie, "he's a baby. He doesn't even have teeth."
"Dragons are dangerous," said Renny, "they're wild animals. He could hurt someone. It would be safer to kill him now while he's still small. We could eat him."
"What?!" Yelled Marie, "No way, I won't let you."
William picked up the little dragon, it stared at him with its bright red eyes.
"Let's keep him," he said, "I'll raise him. Edgar used to say dragons are really smart, and they can be trained to do a lot of things. I've never had a pet before."
The dragon rubbed its head against William's neck like a kitten.
"See, he likes you." Said Alice.
"Fine," said Brian, "but when he starts destroying stuff and burning the things down, don't come crying to me."
"I'm not gonna let that happen," said William, "don't worry."
After traveling for an hour, the group finally reached the mountains of Krakatos.
While climbing the first mountain, the baby dragon wrapped its long body around William's shoulders, the tip of its tail wrapped around his neck.
"What are you going to call him?" Asked Marie.
"I don't know," said William as he petted the dragon's head, "maybe something simple like Spike."
"Spike? That's an odd name for a dragon. But it suits him. I think he likes it."
"Good, now let's go."
William began climbing up the mountain, walking up hill.
After a few hours, they reached the top of the first mountain.
"I'm glad we're finally out of the canyon." Said Renny.
"Me too," said Tara, "It's nice and cool up here. The sun is starting to set, we can camp here tonight."
"Good idea," said William, "let's rest for a while. We'll start climbing the second mountain tomorrow."
"Hey guys!" Yelled Pretta, "Come look at this. I can see the ark from here."
The group gathered around Pretta and looked down at the ground below.
"Wow," said Alice, "we're almost home. It looks so beautiful."
"You're right," said William, "the ark does look nice from up here. But we've still got a long ways to go. We've got to keep moving. Remember we've got to warm everyone about Ratty's curse on this land."
"Right," said Alice, "come on, let's get some sleep."
Later that night, everyone was asleep.
William was awake, sitting next to the campfire.
The baby dragon was sleeping on his lap.
"William," said Marie, "can I sit with you?"
"Sure," said William, "you can join me."
Marie sat down next to William.
"You okay? Usually you don't spent time outside once the shrinkage cabin is set up."
"I'm fine," said William, "just thinking."
"About the colonel?"
"Yeah," said William, "He was a great man. He taught me a lot, and now he's gone. He sacrificed himself to save you. I wish I could have done something."
"You did your best," said Marie, "you can't save everyone. Even the strongest fighters make mistakes. The Colonel was a brave man, and he died a hero."
"Yeah," said William, "and now, Ratty is still out there. We can't let him get away. We've got to find him, and make him pay."
"William, I've been meaning to tell you something. You're a good fighter, and a very brave warrior. Edgar always said you were a natural born fighter. He always said you had potential."
"I do my best. But it's not enough, it will never be enough."
"William, Edgar adopted you as his heir. When the kingdom is his, you will become Prince William. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a great leader."
"Marie, I've always cared about you. We've been through a lot together, and we've always had each other's back. You've always been there for me, and I've always been there for you. I'm sure your brother will want me to marry you someday, but I won't do that unless you love me as much as I love you. You're not a princess to me, you're my best friend. You're a great cleric, and a wonderful person."
"Oh, William," said Marie, "I've always loved you. Ever since the first time we met. And I've always admired you. You're such a kind and caring person, and you always stand up for the people you care about. Edgar would want you to marry me, then you will be King someday."
"Maybe, but I can't think about that right now. I'm not sure if I'm ready. Right now, I just want to enjoy the time I have left with you. Once we get back to the ark, everything will change. But I will always be your friend, and I will always care about you."
"I care about you too. Let's make a promise. Once we get back to the ark, and after all this is over, we will marry each other."
"Really?"
"Yes, and we will have a big wedding."
"I'm sure your parents would like that. But are you sure you want to marry me? I'm not a prince, and I'm not rich. I'm just a peasant. I'm a nobody."
"That's not true," said Marie, "You're not a peasant, you're a noble. When my brother took you in, you became one of us. You're a prince now. And I would marry you even if you were a pauper."
William smiled.
"Thanks, Marie."
"No problem."
The two sat together and watched the fire burn.
"Sorry to interrupt," said Brian as she ran out of the cabin, "but we have a small problem."
"What is it?" Asked William.
"Well, Wyndham has a bit of a drinking problem, and he's gotten into the alcohol."
"Crap," said Marie, "is everyone else still sleeping?"
"Yeah," said Brian, "they're still knocked out."
"Okay, I'll take care of it."
"I'll come with you." Said William.
Marie and William went into the shrinkage cabin, Wyndham was standing in the middle of the room, he was very drunk.
"Wyndham? Where did you get that wine?" Asked Marie.
"I found it in one of the cabinets, and this is the last bottle." Said Wyndham.
"Okay, give it to me."
"No! I need this wine. I miss my home, my wife and kids. I want to go home! Please let me go home!"
"We're all homesick," said William, "we're in a strange place, and we're surrounded by monsters. But we have to be strong and make it back. It's not safe to drink here, there's no telling what is outside that could attack us. Besides, you're not supposed to drink alcohol."
"You're not the boss of me."
"Just give me the wine," said Marie, "please, Wyndham."
"No," said Wyndham as he opened the bottle and started drinking the wine.
"Wyndham? You're making so much noise," said Alice as she came out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes, "What's going on?"
"Alice, get back to bed. It's nothing. Everything's fine."
"No, I heard Wyndham shouting. He woke me up."
"He's drunk, that's all. Go back to sleep."
"No, I'm not leaving."
"Please, Alice, go back to sleep."
"Not until Wyndham stops shouting. He woke everyone up."
Wyndham groaned.
"Go away! Leave me alone!"
Suddenly there was the sound of giant footsteps approaching the cabin.
"Oh, shit!" Said William.
"What was that?" Asked Marie.
There was a voice outside.
"Hey, it's one of those little houses, who's in there? Do you think we can eat them?"
"You've got to be kidding?" William whispered, "Is that the sound of a mountain troll?"
Spoke flew away from William's shoulders and hid under one of the beds.
"I can't believe this. A troll is outside, and now it's going to break the house." said Brian.
"I'm so hungry," said another voice, a female troll, "and I haven't had a human to eat in a long time. This should be fun."
"Damn," said Marie, "a male and female mountain troll. We're trapped."
"I don't know if they found us because of Wyndham's yelling or because of the campfire. But it doesn't matter, we have to fight them." Said William.
"Bring them on," said Wyndham, "I can handle a couple of trolls. I'll show you what a gnome can do."
"Don't be stupid." Said Brian, "You're in no condition to fight. You're drunk."
"I'm fine," said Wyndham, "I can handle this. Now, get back."
Wyndham pointed his want at the front door.
"Come and get it troll scum!"
"Damn," said Marie, "He's lost it."
Suddenly, the front door burst open and a huge ugly hand grabbed Wyndham.
"Magic missile!" Yelled Wyndham.
A beam of magical energy shot out of his wand and hit the mountain troll, causing it to let go of him.
"Now, you'll die! Fireball!"
Another beam of magic came out of his wand, but it missed the troll and hit the wall of the house.
"Whoops," said Wyndham, "guess I drank a little too much.
"Idiot," said Brian.
"Get out here, you puny creatures," said the male mountain troll, "or we'll tear down this house and eat you."
William unseathed his sword and went to the front door.
"No," said Marie, "what are you doing?"
"I'm not going to hide in here and let those trolls tear this house apart!" Said William, "And if Wyndham can't do anything, then I will."
"But, William, you can't. They'll kill you!"
With one huge scream, William slashed at the troll's hand.
The mountain troll yelped in pain and backed off.
"Nice hit," said Brian.
William jumped outside through the front door and slashed at the male troll again.
"William Underhill doesn't back down from man nor beast!"
The female mountain troll swung her club at William, but he dodged.
"You're a feisty little human," said the female troll, "I like that. This is going to be fun."
"You'll die, monster," said William.
"Bring it on, human."
"Magic Missile!"
Wyndham fired another beam of energy from his wand, but missed the mountain trolls again.
"I'll help too," said Brian, "acid splash!"
A ball of acid hit the female mountain troll, causing her to cry in pain.
"That burns!" Yelled the female mountain troll.
"Fireball!"
A fireball came out of Wyndham's wand and hit the female mountain troll, setting her on fire.
"Ahh!" She screamed, "Put me out, put me out!"
"Acid Splash!"
Brian hit the male mountain troll, causing it to roar in pain.
William slashed at the male mountain troll, cutting off its left arm.
"Ahh! You will die, human!"
The male mountain troll charged towards William, but he dodged.
"Take this," said William as he cut the male mountain troll in the stomach, causing it to fall over.
For a moment, William saw Ratty instead of the mountain troll, it sent him into a rage.
"This is for the Colonel! Die you bastard!"
William stabbed the mountain troll in the chest and killed it.
The female mountain troll screamed, "You will die, human! No one has ever hurt my mate before!"
She tried to grab William, but he stepped aside and stabbed her in the heart.
The female mountain troll collapsed and died.
"It's done," said Brian, "They're dead."
William screamed in anger.
"I killed Ratty! He's finally dead!"
"Ratty?" Asked Marie, "No William, these were trolls. It wasn't Ratty. He's still alive. You killed these trolls."
"But..."
"Don't worry," said Brian, "you did the right thing. Those trolls were going to tear down the cabin and eat us."
Tears began to run down William's face and his hands began to shake uncontrollably. He had never felt so much anger.
"Easy William," said Marie, "it's okay, calm down."
"What's wrong with him?" Asked Brian.
"I'm not sure," said Marie, "but I think he's having some sort of anxiety attack."
William fell to his knees, holding his head.
"He needs a rest. Let's put him to bed." Said Marie.
"Right." Said Brian, "Come on William, let's get you inside."
William was shaking.
"Ratty..." He said.
"Ratty isn't here," said Marie, "it's just us."