Chapter 8

Chapter 8 THUMP. THUMP. The ogre's footsteps were closer now. Princess Pulverizer needed a plan. What would a knight do in a case like this? He would probably use his sword and stab the ogre in the chest. But the princess didn't have a sword. All she had was her brains, her arms, and her legs. Whoosh! At just that moment, the door to the tower flew open. The ogre was standing there, glowering at his prisoners.

"SMELLY!" he bellowed. "STINKY..." Slam! Princess Pulverizer kicked the ogre in his knee—hard. Bam! She kicked him in the other knee— even harder. And when the ogre bent down to grab his injured knees...

Wham! The princess grabbed a wooden chair and smashed the ogre right in the stomach. The ogre tilted backward, grabbing his middle. "OOO. OOO. OW!" He banged his head on the doorpost. Princess Pulverizer leaped out of the way, and over to the far window near her friends, just before... Thud! The ogre fell to the ground in a heap right in the middle of the room. "Wow!" Lucas said. "I had no idea you were that strong."

"I'm not," Princess Pulverizer admitted. "I just caught him by surprise." "Is he dead?" Lucas wondered nervously. "Nah," Princess Pulverizer said. "I can still smell his awful breath. He's just knocked out. But he won't be for long. We have to get out of here." "How are we going to do that?" Dribble asked her. "He's blocking the doorway." "Maybe we could climb over him," Lucas suggested. "He would feel us and wake up," Princess Pulverizer said. "Especially you, big guy," she added, pointing to Dribble. "It's not my fault I'm big," Dribble told her. "That's how dragons are supposed to be." "We're trapped!" Lucas cried out. "Don't worry, I'll think of something," Princess Pulverizer said. "I always do. I thought of a way to get myself into the castle, didn't I?"

"I wish you had thought of a way out," Dribble muttered under his dragon breath. He stared longingly out the window. "We're going to be stuck in here forever. I'm never going to feel the grass under my feet again. And I'm never going to get to open my own restaurant." Sob. Lucas began to cry again. The princess covered her ears. It was hard to think with the sound of crying. BURP! Dribble let out another loud belch. The powerful wind was so strong, it shook the ogre's giant mountain of stolen treasures. Princess Pulverizer was absolutely miserable. Being stuck in a tower with a gassy dragon was really the worst. She'd never met anyone who let out so much smelly air. Or who cried as much as Lucas did. How on earth was she going to get them all out of this mess?

She looked over at Dribble. He was batting his wings up and down, trying to get rid of the smell from his latest belch. A broad smile formed on Princess Pulverizer's face. "That's it!" she shouted excitedly. "Dribble is going to save us all!"