Queen Ellen replied, “Send her in.” She looked up to observe me enter. I wondered what she thought of me. Most people regard me as a helpless weakling. Now was most likely now different as I struggled not to show my cowardice. The queen bore scars on her neck. I was able to see they were lettering. 

I don’t know what she expects, but I’ve been looking forward to this meeting. 

I should just be straightforward with her. “I’m sorry my queen. I know that it looks bad for me, but it was an accident. I didn’t know these things belonged to the kingdom. I merely thought it was sea junk. But I need your help. I know that this chest plate is cursed and I want to know if you can get rid of it.”

She answered, “Yes I can do that but first I have a task for you. If you can succeed, I will remove the curse. I will also require that sword. And you can have whatever you’d like. Dragons are immortal and that causes them to be even more dangerous. The older they get the less they make sense of the world. This dragon slayed my father.”

“But aren’t dragons extinct?” I say. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I truly believed it was a dream.

“Sadly no, it lives in the forbidden mountain. Have you ever pondered why it was forbidden?” 

“I just assumed it was dangerous, and I was right about that.” 

“There’s one more dragon, and I can’t do a thing about it. Not without that sword and armor. I can’t remove your armor’s curse. 

I can’t surrender the sword. She says it’s fine for now as long as I do something for her. I first have to get the rest of the armor at the shipwreck. Before I leave she does something to the sword. It’s to get rid of the magic that was concealing its exact identity. Great now I won’t look so ridiculous fighting with a harpoon. Although I guess it was pretty good at confounding my enemies. The knights can escort me if I want but they won’t aid me. 

I decide to go on my own. I get to be a hero to my village and give supplies the village anything we require. I get to be trained and then I’ll be capable to leave the village whenever I want and be strong enough to do so. At long last, I'll be able to see what the world really looks like. And she will accept the sword whenever I am willing. I ask if she can get rid of Rachel's curse and says she can.

I waited in the hall as I listened to the messenger talks to the queen.

Confused I nodded and said, “I’ll do it. But it’s not only this curse I am troubled about. I have this friend who has also been cursed. She’s been cursed to have the head of a wolf, and her memory has been wiped out.”

By Cristina Collazo