The Princess and the Dragon

Tiffany stood in the mouth of the cave, satchel slung over her shoulder.

As princesses go, she wasn’t the most typical. With her boyish haircut, too large for her frame shirts, and pants, she was often mistaken for someone just working in the castle. Not to mention the fact that she has a pet dragon. That is completely unheard of in her kingdom.

She entered deeper into the cave, her fingers gliding over the familiar indentions in the wall as they have hundreds of times before.

Oswald snorted smoke out of his large nostrils as he registered her familiar face.

“Hey big boy, hope you didn’t miss me too much on my trip. I brought you a treat,” she spoke in a soothing tone, reaching into her bag. Out she drew a large slender bone, which she tossed towards him. He snatched it out of the air and started gnawing on it, much like a dog would.

Tiffany climbed up Oswald’s massive body, coming to a stop on top of his head.

“Want to hear a story?” She asked. Her dragon snorted in response.
“Well I have a good one, the time I found you. You weren’t even born yet, but I saw your mom.” She leaned forward to look in on of his eyes and he tossed his head, causing her to tumble forward and come to a rest on his snout. “And this is how it went.”

-5 years ago, on Tiffany’s 13th birthday-

“Mom! I’m going for a walk into town,” Tiffany called out, pulling on a leather jacket. She quickly stepped out of the castle, heading down the cobble road.

Near the entrance to the town, she veered right, heading towards the forest that bordered the entire western side of the kingdom. She ignored all the ‘keep out’ and ‘danger’ signs. She’s been there multiple times, and never has she found anything threatening.

She entered into the dark foliage, letting the shadows enclose around her. Even though most people found this place terrifying, it was so peaceful to her. Just being able to see the wildlife roam free, the flowers she can never find in town, the trees so tall, it was almost magical.

She let her feet lead her across the unmarked floor, going farther into the unknown. For half an hour she walked, taking in the sights, the sounds, and the smells. Suddenly, some beast not so far off roared, practically shaking the floor. Unlike most, who would run, she was curious, wanting to know what could make such a noise.

A few yards in front of her was a small clearing, and what was sitting in the middle would make any grown man run. Sitting about a yard away was a massive red dragon, bellowing out. At first, she assumed it was angry, like how dragons were made out to be, but after a little bit of observation, she noticed a huge gash in the side of the dragon’s body. Blood dripped out of it, blending in with the red scales.

The dragon roared out in pain again, snorting flames out of its nose. She took a step closer, wanting to help it. She couldn’t stand seeing animals in pain, and a dragon was no exception. The dragon didn’t notice her yet. She took a few more steps, but the dragon noticed and blew flames at her. She dodged out of the way, rolling through the dirt.

“Wait! I want to help!” She held up her hands in surrender, pausing where she was. The dragon stopped, studying her, then put its head on the ground. Tiffany took that as her cue, walking slowly towards the dragon, and up to the wound. She gently touched it and the beast let out a moan.

“Sorry.” It was a deep gash, caused by something strong. “I want to help you, but it’s bad. Beyond repair. I’m sorry,” she said to the dragon, rubbing its scales. It snorted, and she could only assume it was a sigh. It moved over to the side some, revealing an egg it had been guarding.

“Is that yours?” She asked. The dragon snorted in response. “And you want me to take it?” She swore the dragon smiled at her. “If that is want you want. I will protect your child with my life.” She picked up the massive egg, hugging it. She gave the dragon one last look before retreating into the forest.