Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "This is not going to end well," Lucas said with a frown as he looked at Princess Pulverizer and Dribble. His voice sounded remarkably brave, all things considered. Princess Pulverizer was amazed at the power of the lion charm. But Dribble didn't have a charm to help him be brave. "Okay, Princess Pulverizer, what's

the plan?" he asked nervously. "Plan?" the princess repeated. "Don't you always have a plan?" the dragon asked. "Usually," she agreed glumly. "But this..." At just that moment, Cap'n Bobbie strode onto the deck. Unlike the princess and her friends, she was in a jolly mood. Parry the parrot was perched on her shoulder. "Yo-ho-ho, me hearties!" Cap'n Bobbie greeted her crew. "What a day. First I spot that island with the sunken treasure. Now I'm sending two prisoners into shark-infested waters." She rubbed her hands together gleefully. "I do love a good plank-walkin'." "Rawk. Walk the plank," Parry added. "Argh! Let's get this over with," Cap'n Bobbie announced. "Prisoners, to the plank with ye." Princess Pulverizer's heart began to race. She had to do something, quickly.

"No!" she shouted. The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Everyone on the ship stared at her. "What did you say?" The captain angrily raised her argument-ender. The sword glimmered in the sunlight. Suddenly, Princess Pulverizer had an idea. "I challenge you to a duel!" she exclaimed. Cap'n Bobbie started laughing. "Good joke." "I'm not joking." Princess Pulverizer's heart was really pounding now. But she stood her ground, remembering what her father's knights always said—never let your enemies see you sweat. "What's she doing?" Lucas whispered to Dribble. Dribble shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. The princess knew exactly what she was doing. Or at least she hoped she did. "I challenge you to a duel," she insisted. "If I

win, you let my friends go free. If you win, we all walk the plank." "She's finally cracked," Dribble said. The captain agreed. "Yer out of yer mind. I've made mincemeat out of much more skilled swordswomen than ye. Yer a nobody." How insulting! "I'm not a nobody!" Princess Pulverizer shouted back. "I've beaten my share of enemies, too!" "I take it back," Cap'n Bobbie replied. Princess Pulverizer smiled. "Yer a foolish nobody!" the captain corrected herself. "And yer about to see what happens to anyone who challenges Cap'n Bobbie!" Princess Pulverizer bit her lip nervously. Cap'n Bobbie could be possibly the meanest, most dangerous foe she'd ever faced. And that was saying something, considering she'd already defeated a giant monster made entirely of stinky cheese, an army of giant

underground moles, and an overgrown hairy ogre. But this was a gamble she had to take. Somebody had to defeat Cap'n Bobbie. And of all of them, Princess Pulverizer was the best one to do it. That wasn't bragging. It was just a fact. Lucas had learned how to duel in Knight School, but he hadn't been very successful. Not to mention that he was smaller than Princess Pulverizer, with short stubby legs. That put him at a disadvantage when it came to taking quick strides in a duel. Dribble was bigger than either of them. He could seem scary—especially when he opened his huge snout and flared his wings out to the sides. Those wings seemed to be getting bigger every day! But there was a difference between seeming scary and being able to single-handedly win a battle against a stronger enemy. That left only Princess Pulverizer.

"Argh!" Cap'n Bobbie exclaimed, slicing the air rapidly with her argument-ender. "Let's get this going." Gulp. Cap'n Bobbie obviously knew her way around a blade. And Princess Pulverizer had never had a single fencing lesson. So, just in case she didn't win, the princess had already cooked up a plan.