I ticked the points off on my fingers, giving my audience a visual image to reinforce my words.
“First, Queen Hemlock wants me to be her consort. Second, she’s given me a month to think it over before I reach my decision. Third …”
I tapped the appropriate finger for emphasis.
“If I decide not to marry her, she says she’ll abdicate, naming me her successor and sticking me with the whole mess. Got that?”
Despite my concern over my predicament, I was nonetheless proud of my ability to address the problem head on, summarizing and analyzing it as I sought a solution. There was a time in the not too distant past when I simply would have lapsed into blind panic. If nothing else, my adventures over the years had done wonders for my 2
confidence in my abilities to handle nearly any crisis.
“Gleep!” my audience responded.
Okay … so I wasn’t all that confident.
While I knew I could muddle through most crises, the one situation I dreaded the most was making a fool of myself in front of my friends and colleagues. While they had always been unswerv-ing in their loyalty and willingness to bail me out of whatever mess I blundered into, that didn’t mean I was particularly eager to tax our friendships yet another time, even if it was just for advice. At the very least, I figured that when I did approach them, I should be as level-headed and mature about it as possible, rather than babbling hysterically about my woes. Consequently, I decided to rehearse my appeal in front of the one member of our crew I felt truly comfortable with . . . my pet dragon.
