Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "Ralf was right about one thing," Lucas said later that day as he and the princess walked past a long line near the juggler's stage. "People will pay to see a real unicorn." Princess Pulverizer didn't—couldn't— answer. The lump in her throat was too big. Just the thought of that poor unicorn being stuck in a cage on display made her want to cry. And knights never cried. At least she didn't think they did. "What's that long line for?" Lucas asked her, pointing to a second, even longer line. A wave of fear came over the princess. What other helpless creature might Ralf have captured?

"What is this line for?" she asked a woman standing near the end. "The public bathroom," the woman answered. "And these people are all taking too long. My stomach is killing me." "You're not the only one," the man in front of her chimed in. "We all have bellyaches today. It's been going on for a couple of weeks actually." "But it seems a lot worse lately," the woman added. "Some sort of flu, I fear." Princess Pulverizer jumped back. If there was a stomach bug going around, she certainly didn't want to catch it.

"Come on, Lucas," she said. "We can't wait around here. We have to find Dribble." "Can we wait a minute?" Lucas asked. "My stomach's not feeling so great, either." "We'll find you another bathroom somewhere," Princess Pulverizer assured him. "Right now, we have work to do." "What's that stink?" Lucas wondered as he and Princess Pulverizer walked toward the woods. "It smells like old socks." "It is," the princess agreed. "There's a pair floating in the river over there." "Oh yeah," Lucas said. "Over by that half- eaten turkey drumstick. Hey, are those underpants floating by the rocks?" "Come on, Lucas," Princess Pulverizer urged. "We don't have time to watch the river flow. We have to find Dribble." "I don't know how we can find him," Lucas said sadly. "He could be anywhere. I wish he'd

left some sort of sign. Anything to point us in his direction." Princess Pulverizer's eyes brightened. "I know something that will point us to him!" The princess reached into her bag and pulled out a long arrow. "How will that help?" Lucas asked. "Don't you remember?" the princess exclaimed. "It was a gift from the mayor of Ire-Mire-Briar-Shire. He told us, 'If ever the holder of the arrow finds themselves lost, it will always point them toward home.'" "But we're not lost," Lucas insisted. "Dribble is. Or at least we lost him. And I don't want to go home until we find him." "My father told me that home is where your family is," Princess Pulverizer said. "As long as we're on this Quest of Kindness together, Dribble is part of our family. So the arrow will point us to where he is." "I don't think it works that way," Lucas argued.

"It does," Princess Pulverizer assured him. "How do you think I found you and Dribble that time you were held prisoner in Sir Surly's cottage?" The arrow began twisting toward the left in her hands. "See? We have to go this way. Now hurry!" "I think the arrow's broken," Lucas complained some time later. "We've been walking for quite a while. I haven't seen one sign of Dribble." Princess Pulverizer hated to admit it, but Lucas was right. This time the arrow didn't seem to be of any help. "I know," she said. "Let's take a break and—" Splash! Princess Pulverizer stepped right into a giant puddle. A blast of purple water splattered all around her. "Those are dragon tears!" Lucas shouted out excitedly. "Dribble's got to be around here somewhere. The arrow is taking us to him.

You were right!" "Of course I was," Princess Pulverizer responded. "I never doubted it for a second." The sword of truth began to quiver at the princess's side. Okay, so maybe she'd doubted it for a second. "Here's another puddle," Lucas said as he followed the path of purple puddles. "And another... And anoth—" Bonk! Lucas ran right into Dribble. "I found him!" Lucas shouted, hugging the big green dragon with joy. "Hello, little buddy. Hello, Princess," Dribble greeted them sadly. "I was hoping you two wouldn't find me." "Why would you say that?" Princess Pulverizer asked him. "We're here to clear your name."