Ever get the feeling, when you read about all the "classic" categories of submissive, that there must be one missing? You know which one we're talking about. The missing submissive is the one that is the wicked-smart, strong-willed, uber-competent, ultra-competitive, synergistic, switchy, crusader. She's no one's doormat, never a victim. She is a kick-ass submissive for the 21st century. Think: Xena, the Warrior Princess, kneeling at the feet of Hercules. This definitely isn't a woman in a precarious predicament waiting helplessly for her White Knight to arrive and slay a dragon for her. This was a woman who, as she is kicking the dragon's ass, smiles at the White Knight standing on the sidelines and says, "Hey, buddy Feel free to jump right in and lend your sword to this fight. Otherwise, stay the hell out of my way " The Warrior Princess doesn't need or want a rescuer. The Warrior Princess needs an ally that she can rely upon in the chaos of battle. She seeks a warrior equal to the tasks that she has already chosen for herself, and is demonstrably capable of accomplishing with, or without, his help. She is willing and able to fight the good fight alone, but welcomes the notion of having a worthy partner, fighting by her side. And yet, when the day's fighting is done, she is perfectly at ease with considering herself entirely His - heart, might, mind, body, and soul. Why is she important? She is important because she just may be the hope and salvation of this lifestyle. There will come a day, in the not too distant future, when the Warrior Princess Submissive will be forced to become a combatant in a highly politicized war on the BDSM lifestyle. It will be a propaganda war that characterizes all Dominants as abusers and all submissives as victims of abusive and exploitative relationships. When she comes out of the shadows and chooses to fight for this lifestyle instead of against it - as many of her contemporaries will expect her to do - her strong moral compass will reassure those on the sidelines that she is doing what is right and just. Michael Makai is the author of the Amazon best-seller, Domination & Submission: The BDSM Relationship Handbook.