He didn’t answer my question, just turned around and walked away. It gave me some time to study the enormous cave I stumbled into. I never knew there was this much space underneath the castle. There was so much I didn’t know about this country and the people in it. I just knew that my hand had been given to the crown prince the moment I was born.
I met him once when I was five days old, when we had our portrait painted together. Since then, I received yearly portraits of the growing prince as he did of me. Until suddenly, at the age of twenty, the portraits stopped coming. I was fifteen andtoo young to go search for my missing prince. Every messenger we sent vanished, and even the team of my father's most trusted soldiers never returned.
The Dragon said he didn’t eat them, but I wasn’t so sure since I encountered no one while traveling across the country. No bodies, bones, or remains either, which was strange. My travel companions had gotten quieter and quieter the closer we got to the castle, as if silenced by some kind of spell surrounding the walls. They had refused to follow me inside, but I had to go. The moment I had stepped over the threshold, I had dropped down a trap, falling right into the Dragon’s lap.
His hoard, containing so much gold that it glittered like the sun with just a single candle burning, surrounded me. I knew the neighboring country was wealthy, but I’ve never seen this much wealth with my own eyes. Where were all the people, though?
I understood why my parents married me off to the crown prince as soon as I was born. I knew I was destined to marry him from the moment I could speak, so it was never an issue. My people needed me, and I would do my best to help them in any way that I could, even if it meant helping this big Dragon.
He turned, pacing, hopping on three of his paws while carrying something in his claws. He put it just in front of the bars so I could reach it. I blinked at the golden chalice filled with water.
“For your hair,” he said, nodding to the burned lock of my blond hair.
It was sweet and not at all what I was expecting him to do or say.
“Thank you,” I said as I grabbed it and dunked my burned hair in it.
He just stood there watching me as I worked on my hair. The lock itself was lost, but maybe I could cut it shorter, and it wouldget lost in the rest of my hair. I didn’t really care, but I needed to be presentable as a princess always.
Even if no one saw me, I always needed to keep my composure, keep a straight face, and maintain impeccable hair. Being in this cage was freeing in a way, knowing no one else was here besides this Dragon.
“Could I get some more water to drink?” I asked as I was done with my hair.
“Of course,” he said and jumped up, creating a gush of wind that almost knocked me down with his massive wings.
It was crazy how big he was. He could squash me like a bug, but he was gentle, careful of his massive body and how he moved. There was something about this monster that made my heart jump a little. It was probably my imagination, but I felt some sort of recognition as he watched me with those big red eyes.
I needed to figure out a plan to get out of here, and seeing as he was the only one around, he would need to be part of that plan, whether he liked it or not. I accepted the drink gracefully, taking a small sip while he watched me. I wanted to chug the whole chalice, but that wasn’t princess-like behavior.
“I can get you more water. You do not need to be frugal with it,” he murmured.
The heat in the cave was getting to me, and even though he was watching me with those big red eyes, I decided it didn’t matter. He didn’t think I was a princess anyway, so why not act like someone else?
I tipped the chalice and drank in big gulps. My throat was parched, and it felt like my entire body was on fire. The lands we traveled through were cold, but the cave was stifling hot, probably due to his body heat.
“Thank you,” I said as the chalice was empty again.
He nodded as he went to refill it. I studied him, no longer overcome by fear of dying. He wouldn’t give me water if he was going to kill me soon, right?
His form was impressive, and if I weren’t scared of him, I might even admire him. The dark red was a gorgeous color, reminding me of a ruby bracelet I had once gotten as a birthday gift. Sharp spikes covered his head, gleaming almost gold in the dim light. His wings were a darker color, similar to velvet, although I didn’t think they would be as soft.
He turned towards me again with a full chalice, and I accepted it gratefully. I drank it more graciously, savoring the cool water instead of chugging it down. His eyes never left me, studying me as if trying to figure out who I was. I wondered the same about him.
Chapter 2
The night came, shrouding the cave in darkness. The Dragon looked at me as if trying to decide what to do with me for the night, but turned away. He curled his massive body on top of his hoard, tucking his head on top of his tail, similar to how the court cat slept. If he weren’t so freaking huge with sharp claws, spikes, and fangs, I might even think it was cute.
His breathing evened out as I kept watching him. I waited for hours to make sure he was really asleep before standing up and starting to climb. The gold bars were slippery, but with a piece of fabric ripped from my dress and bound around my hands, I could get some grip. It took me ages, but slowly and surely I made my way to the gaping hole at the top of the cage.
Just a little more and I would be free. I needed to get out of here and call for help. I knew the Dragon wouldn’t eat me, but I didn’t think he was going to help me either. I wish I could help him somehow, but as a princess, I needed to put my people first. I would be of no use to them locked up in a golden cage.
As I swung my leg over the top of the cage, I could take a small break. I could almost see the entire cave from this high, and I immediately noticed the Dragon blocking my exit. I wouldhave to climb over him as well to get to the exit, but that was a problem I would face when it happened.
When I felt like I could move my fingers again and had taken a sufficient break, I grabbed onto the bars to let myself slide down. I had to tighten my grip so I wouldn’t fall, while not holding it too tight so I could slide. My arms ached from the effort as I wasn’t used to hard labor.
A deep rumbling breath made me freeze. If the Dragon woke up now, as I was halfway out of the cage, he would be angry and might just kill me. Just breathe, take a moment, and keep going I told myself as his breathing evened out.
With a lot of effort, I reached the bottom of the cage, relieved to give my arms a moment to rest. I stalked towards the Dragon, hoping I might be able to squeeze past him to the exit, but his big body stretched across the entire length of the cave.