The Dragon Princess

Alone in the Woods

It was because the child wasn’t crying, that Lady Aranott took pity on it. It, a small human girl with curly, flaming hair, was frail and tiny. Yet, when the dragon chieftain landed her huge and imposing body next to the human, it did not cry or run, nor even flinch. It looked defiantly at her with sharp blue eyes, and climbed atop her blackened skin. Lady Aranott was not used to such boldness from a human, or really anything other than cowering and screaming from them.

I’ll search the woods and see where her tribe is… thought she.

But though she searched low and high, no other human could be detected for miles. In fact, thought the dragon, it was quite unusual but no other form of life at all could she sense in this dark and forsaken part of the woods near Ballaurel Mountain.

What to do? Thought the ancient dragon warrior.. For surely, her clan would not accept a human in their midst nor did she want or care to take after one… and yet, something about this young child felt.. Different. As though she could almost hear her thoughts. Of course that was impossible. Only the Great Dragon Clans of the West were telepathic, and could communicate their thoughts without sound. Not a human, never a human.

But then, that’s when Lady Aranott heard something, or more so, felt it in her mind..

“...hungry… cold… hungry..”

It couldn’t be! But she was sure she hadn’t heard a sound. Was the human communicating with her? The way only dragonkind should?

This was not to be ignored. As gently as she could, for the golden-black Dragon was taller than most trees and this child was not more than two or three years old for a human, and small even by their standards, Lady Aranott gathered the child further into her broad chest and took flight.

The small child finally made the first sound the dragon leader had heard it make all day… it sounded suspiciously like a giggle.

Thirteen Years Later

It was the absolute worst day for Beatrix, since she’d been brought to the Western Catacombs where her Dragon family’s lair was hidden. Absolutely, the worst.

She tried once more to escape the clutches of her nursemaid, Grindalyn.

But I do NOT want to bathe! None of the others are forced to clean themselves this way!! She shouted her thoughts to the medium sized muddy-brown dragon she’d known ever since she could remember.

Aye, but that’s because the rest of the clan are ALL dragons whose scales repel dirt and grime, and use flame to cleanse anything else! However, PRINCESS, you are NOT a Dragon, as you well know, and your human stink is bothering the other members of the court. Go get in the hot springs NOW. Grindalyn forcefully anger-thought back. Or shall I get Master Crindagon to assist you instead?

Well, thought Beatrix, that won’t do. Fine! I shall go bathe, but I will speak with my mother about this when she returns, Nurse, and you’d better not go get that old curmudgeon or I’ll not help you clean the tops of the caverns where you can’t reach!

BEATRIX, Don’t you threaten me!! I shall flame- But the rest of whatever Grindalyn was saying was lost to her as she’d taken off down the closest corridor which led to the hot spring that had been especially transformed into a bathing chamber for her, with a smirk on her delicate face.

Sometimes, it was difficult living with all dragons. Most of the time it was wonderful, just not on bath days. Not that she’d ever known anything different, but she did know baths made little to no sense.

Beatrix made it through her bathing ritual and was re-clothed with clean fabric pieces she’d been forced to make for herself. Dragons were genius inventors and their technology was extremely advanced, but their thick skin made clothing unnecessary and being human she was cold, especially in the bowels of the catacombs, much more often than she’d like. So, clothes were another ‘special’ Beatrix-only modification the dragons had made when they’d taken her in all those years ago.

When lady Aranott found her and rescued her from the dark woods. Why was she alone? Who had brought and left her there? These were questions that Beatrix only sometimes allowed herself to think upon, for on the whole she saw herself as simply a dragon trapped in an inferior human body, and she trained harder than all the others to prove her worth to the clan.

A loud commotion erupted down the hall which led to the main corridor and Beatrix made haste to find out it’s source.

As she was hoping, Lady Aranott had finally returned from her latest quest and brought with her a dragon that Beatrix had never seen before. He was solid gold from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail with emerald green eyes that immediately snapped to stare directly at her as she arrived at a run in the great hall and prepared to launch herself at her mother, Lady Aranott.

The golden dragon reared back and snapped menacingly at her with smoke starting to seep from his nostrils.

All of the court was instantly on alert, but Lady Aranott, several meters taller still than the golden newcomer, simply stepped back to allow room for Beatrix who was just then taking her opponent by surprise with an attack. Beatrix may not have had wings or breathed fire, but she was arguably one of the best warriors the clan had ever had.

Her training had started the second day she arrived and even now her dragon mother would constantly teach and correct. Her skill with a spear was unrivaled by any human the dragons of her clan had ever seen but she had also a remarkable sense of balance and agility and could, when really trying, out manuever most dragons with little effort.

How DARE you disrespect my mother’s court with this behavior! She roared into the head of the offending and yet beautiful golden dragon. No dragon ever expected a human to have their telepathic communication abilities and it had it’s desired effect.

The golden dragon stopped in it’s tracks and stared in disbelief and the red-headed human before it. Did that vermin just speak to me?

She can do much more than that. Lady Aranott spoke to the entire assembly. As I’d clearly mentioned to you before, Sir Deegan, my human daughter is not like any other human and you’d do well to remember that. She spoke calmly but her tone was clear, and though the golden dragon, Sir Deegan, still looked mad he bowed his long neck respectfully and back away from the tiny human who was glaring daggers at him and not at all acting as a worthless human ought to.

Princess, this is my grand-nephew, Sir Deegan of the Southern Clans of Lagonia. This was spoken only to Beatrix’s mind as the other dragons were making their introductions to Deegan and then getting back to their normal day and whatever they’d been doing before the excitement of a newcomer and potential chance to see their princess battle had occured.

He will be staying with us and has graciously offered to help with our problem to the North. You will be working with him on your next scouting mission. I want you to help him learn our ways.

SHE, help ME? Roared Deegan to the minds of both, unable to control his anger and incredulity at being told a human was not only considered and member of the courts of the Western clan but one who held military power. The rumors that his great aunt Lady Aranott had lost her mind, after 500 years of being one of the most powerful and revered dragon clan leaders must be true. How inconceivable this was! How absurd!

Steam was starting to rise from his head once more.

The human with a wild mane of red hair slowly approached him, with her small bright blue eyes staring directly at his large emerald green ones.

You’ll not take that tone with Lady Aranott again. A human voice in his head! How could it be? I shall never disrespect my great mother by disobeying any direct order from her. We WILL be working together on this mission. But know this, Goldie, I’ll slit your belly and feed your innards to the crows who live on the top of these catacombs if you should ever raise your inner voice to her or myself again. You may be some distant relative, but I AM her daughter and though I look different, I am more fearsome than any other DRAGON you’ve ever met. Tempt me only once to end your life and I shall gladly oblige.

Fear was not something Sir Deegan felt often, maybe ever. But a cold strength in the inner voice of this human left a feeling in his soul, that the (young by Dragon Standards but well over 100 years old) dragon felt deeply. He bowed low once and thought, yes m’lady.

The unlikely duo set off the next day. Their journey was made awkward by the fact that in order to reach their destination in good time, Beatrix had to been carried atop the back leg of Deegan. A fact which he resented and she took little delight in, although when riding with her dragon mother she found it to be extremely enjoyable and freeing. However, it had been some months since she’d been on Patrol and the reports of happenings in the North had her concerned and eager to get there by any means necessary.

And something that Grindalyn had said as she was packing her small pack of clothes and weaponry this morning, had Beatrix more on edge than usual.

Princess, I know you’ve been hearing the reports, of humans organizing and slaying rogue dragons… but there’s something else I heard, I’d not dare mention it to Lady Aranott, I by no means wish to offend her family.

Just spit it out, Grin, I’ve got to leave with Goldie in just a moment.. She’d thought with exasperation.

It’s just that, Dragonkind no longer practices magic, as you well know, since the peace treaty with the other 4 clans, there’s been no need and indeed, would break the treaty for any dragon to practice magic.. But there’s magic up north where Lady Aranott’s sister reigns. Be careful, young one. If the whisperings are true perhaps the treaty has already been dissolved without our knowings. And though ye be a sprite and unusual human (this was said with what can only be described as a dragon’s fondest look of affection) even still, the Dragon Magic of old is nothing to be trifled with, M’lady.

Beatrix looked down from her perch on the golden dragon. Could they really have broken the treaty? But surely her esteemed mother would have known or sensed something was wrong with the situation in the North and not sent her into the fire without warning. What would she find in the woods around Ballaurel Mountain and could she trust her scouting partner? All these questions and more were swirling around her head, as Deegan slowly landed into what turned out to be a direct attack from the humans of the North.