"Okay, Morgana. Just being an Elf doesn't make you good with a bow or accurate in anyway and frankly I find
that stereotype racist and offensive." Said Maedel passionately as the Gnome GearKnight and Dragon duelled,
pretty much ignoring us completely, "I'm an Elf Ranger but I'm a sword fighter! I can whittle spears and throw
them ok when hunting but I've never even touched a bow, much less own one! Maybe I could hit the Gnome if I
had a bow but I don't."
"Here's a bow!" said Queeny as she handed a bow to Maedel.
"Oh fantastic!" said Maedel, her voice brimming with sarcasm, "I suppose I'll just shoot the Gnome now then
with no training whatsoever! When I miss you can all drop your ridiculous preconceptions about elves."
"Well the one about them all being drama queens seems to hold water," Morgana whispered to me and I couldn't
help but giggle.
Maedel held the bow firmly, her eyes locked on the fight in front of us and said, "Well, give me a bloody
arrow then."
What Queeny handed her was most definitely not an arrow but Maedel was too busy concentrating and drew the bow
string with it. Her eyes drifted toward the "arrow" instinctively to check it was correctly positioned and
jerked her head back in shock at the unexpected sight. Her hand let loose the string and the erstwhile arrow
shot off anyway.
The Gnome would never have seen it coming. She was too busy dodging the blue flames the dragon was spewing
forth from its toothy snout. If she had seen it she might have dodged. She might have been puzzled. She might
have laughed.
The surprisingly stiff rubber chicken hit the Gnome square in the face as she bounced high in the air between
roof tops. It sent her off balance and the dragons breath hit her dead on. The blast of heat that preceded the
flames was like a wall and it knocked her higher into the air, up over rooftops and the local temples steeple
into a forest outside the city walls.
"What the hell did you hand me?" asked Maedel, she had turned away as soon as the rubber chicjen was loosed
from the bow, not witnessing her incredible feat of accuracy in favour of berating Queeny.
"A rubber chicken," Queeny said with pride.
"I know that but why?!!" Maedel asked before turning back to the fight, "Well, no matter. Hand me a real arrow
this time... Where's the Gnome?"
"It was funny," The Jester innocently shrugged.
Arn and myself were gobsmacked, as the peasants would say. We stared in total disbelief at the act of heroics
that just took place. Morgana stepped up to Maedel and gave her a congratulatory pat on the arm.
"Well done, indeed! That's another stereotype on my list that has been proved to be true. I didn't expect you
to take down the Gnome in one shot."
"What? The Gnome just fled or something." Maedel said as she looked for any signs of what might have happened.
The dragon did not stay still after seeing it's foe disappear in flames. Believing it to have been incinerated
it turned toward us. And thick gout of flame was snorted in our direction. Maedel and Arn reacted first.
Maedel shoved Morgana to the ground with one hand and bent as low as she could, a foot out to the side to keep
her balanced. As I stood frozen in terror, Arn dived into me, pulling us both to the ground. She'd already
drawn her sword. I'd told her earlier she looked even more ridiculous carrying a scabbard at her side whilst
wearing that frilly pink and yellow diamond baby-doll dress and diaper. I was glad now. It showed there was
still a bit of the warrior Andrew in her.
Petrov and the other guard weren't as lucky. They took the full brunt of the dragons flaming breath and were
on the ground burning. I saw Maedel and Morgana had managed to dodge but my heart sank as I caught site of
Queeny's legs still stood where she had been. My mouth went to cover my mouth reflexively in horror and my
eyes watered as I dared to lookup. Queeny stood apparently unharmed but covered in a thick black soot. She
blinked and meekly said "I'm okay," before collapsing to the ground.
We turned to look at the dragon. Arn and Maedel were poised for a fight. Morgana looked up from her hands and
kneed and said "That's not my daughter Ariadne. That's not my Dragon!"