"So," she said. "What do you think?"

  Bartlett, appalled, said, "It's excessive."

  "For you, perhaps," she said coyly. "Me? I have been waiting for them to come for a long time."

  "I still...can't believe it," said Bartlett. "I always know there is a different side to any story, but I never thought of...this."

  "Believe what you want to believe," said the dragon. "But one thing is clear. You are now their enemy, so you better stay out of Wyrith."

  "That wouldn't be too hard," said Bartlett. "Wyrith and Manarithia are at war."

  The dragon looked at him with an expression of disbelief. "I see," she said. "The deception ran deep. We have always been allies with Manarithia on account of my parents' union, but to think he turned it into a conflict...."

  "He? Your father?" asked Bartlett.

  "No," replied the dragon with a sigh. She then changed the topic. "What are you going to do now? You got yourself involved with a dragon who happened to be a victim of a curse. The least I can do is to compensate you for a job well done. How much did they promise you?"

  "Fifty thousand gold pieces and a title from Wyrith," said Bartlett with a sigh. "Tough luck. I should've known that this is too good to be true. I shouldn't have trusted any Wyrithians claiming to be the king's guard, not when we're at war."

  "That's quite a lot of gold pieces. I can't pay you that much, but I still have to compensate you."

  The dragon then pointed at the pile of gold on the other side of the cave.

  "Take those as compensation. It might not worth fifty thousand, but it's better than being empty-handed. And while I am in no condition to give you a Wyrithian title, I can give you something better. You found an ally in me, and I'll happily come with you if it means getting away from those hunting me."

  "You...have planned all these through, haven't you?" surmised Bartlett.

  "Not really," said the dragon with a smirk.

  Bartlett shook his head and proceeded to gather the gold coins she pointed out. He should've bought a spatial magick spell scroll, knowing how much the gold would weigh. There was a wooden chest where he gathered the gold.

  "I'm surprised you even have a wooden chest," remarked Bartlett as he slowly put the scattered coins in it.

  "Got it from raiding a convoy," she said. "Part of my attempt to undermine them."

  "I see."

  Bartlett then introduced himself.

  "I'm Bartlett Evans. Bart for short," he said. "How about you?"

  "I'm Henrietta," said the dragon. "I could say 'of House Vesparte', but...that's no longer the case. But I still claim to be the princess of my kingdom, though. So, you still get the princess in the end, huh? Like a knight in shining armor?"

  "I'm not a knight, just a humble adventurer," said Bart. "Say, princess...."

  "Henrietta's fine."

  "Henrietta. How about the molten gold underneath you?"

  "Hmm." She looked down at the hoard she sat on. "Oh, this? It's fake."

  "Fake?!"

  "It's painted rock."

  "How the hell do you find the gold paint for it?!"

  "The convoy somehow had gold paint among the treasures. I don't know what their deal was, but it's certainly interesting enough for me to paint part of this lair with fake gold. Looks like a proper dragon's lair, don't you think? And painting was easy enough. The curse let me kept my dexterity."

  The dragon then showed her claws, which looked like a human hand, complete with opposable thumbs.

  Bartlett was shocked, but that soon changed to amusement as he formed a mental image of the dragon painting the rocks holding a tiny brush with her talon-like claws, leading him to chuckle. This was the first time he had ever met a dragon with quite a wit. Granted, she claimed to be a princess. Although Bartlett readily believed her situation, it would take a while for him to accept that the dragon was not really a dragon.

  Using a rope he had in his bag outside, he tied the chest onto Henrietta's back, who did not mind. He then climbed on top.

  "Ready to go?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  She slowly walked out of the cave through the dark tunnel, the one she did not collapse.

  Whatever happened that day changed a lot of Bartlett's perspective. He was convinced that Henrietta the dragon was once human, but only because she had a human name. He still had a hard time believing that she was a princess. What she did was clearly not something Bartlett would expect a princess to do.

  Yet, there was still a lingering question about her curse, and how she ended up that way. The world of magick was a mystery to him. He steered away from anything dark magick-related, so curses was beyond his expertise.

  "I don't know much about the nature of curses," said Bartlett. "But curses are dark magick, right? From what I gather, they tend to be unpredictable and were usually born out of malice. It's considered a dark magick for that reason."

  "You're correct on that regard," said Henrietta. "Someone I used to trust...well, at this point, I am still having a hard time understanding her words. What she did to me turned me to this. Ostensibly, it was to save me. I'm grateful, but this gave me quite a headache when I realized what happened."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Are you planning to reverse the curse, then?"

  "I don't know if anyone is capable of it. Besides, I kind of like being a dragon. Then again, a dragon who can't breathe fire is no dragon. Have you noticed the collar around my neck?"

  Bartlett glanced at the base of her neck. There was a black, metallic band covered in runes. He did not understand them, so he settled on the collar being a product of dark magick. However, he could surmise what it was for.

  "Is this the reason why you did not burn us all to crisps earlier?" asked Bartlett. Henrietta nodded.

  "I may not be able to become a human," said Henrietta. "But if I have to be a dragon, I need to unseal my fire first. Then, I might consider finding a way to be human again."

  "Isn't that supposed to be your primary goal? I mean, you claimed to have been usurped from your throne."

  Henrietta shook her head. "Even if I wanted to, I have no kingdom to rule. No one even know who I am beyond Wyrith. You clearly did not even react to my name."

  The two reached the exit to the cave where Bartlett noticed the crushed beacon. He also noticed Henrietta snuffing the flames out of the torch with her talons.

  "How did you manage that?" asked Bartlett. "The torch, I mean."

  "I took me a couple of tries and some trials and errors, but I managed to create a fire with some dried branches, leaves, and a pair of dry stones. I'm glad I still have hands. Sort of. Thankfully, I do not need to eat raw meat. They're disgusting. It took me a month before I mustered enough courage to hunt. The sight of a mangled buck was horrifying."

  "I suppose some of those human traits still remains," said Bartlett. "So, where do you want to go?"

  "It's your call," said Henrietta. "Do you know any place where we won't stand out?"

  Bartlett pondered about it for a moment. Manarithia was a relatively big kingdom that was open to the rest of the world, and dragons were common. There were privateers and dragon and wyvern riders belonging to the Dragon Riders of Manarithia, though privateers were not as common. An adventurer who happened to be riding a dragon with unusual scale color would surely turned heads, and with it, danger from beyond the border.

  He soon concluded that the best place they could go was a town with a military presence, one where dragon riders were common.

  "Aldimar's a good place to go," he said.

  "Aldimar?"

  "It's a port town, a week of travel from here," said Bartlett. "There is a lot of draconic presence there, so you won't stand out."

  "Are you sure?"

  Henrietta simply showed him her pink-colored body. It did not take long for Bartlett to understand what she meant.

  "Well, we can't help it," said Bartlett with a shrug. "But don't worry. Aldimar is far enough from Wyrith."

  Then Aldimar it is," said Henrietta. "Lead the way, Bartlett."

  He pointed at a direction prompting Henrietta to follow his direction. They exited the forested area and back to the main path, where Bartlett could see a signpost that would guide them to where they needed to go. Bartlett was familiar with some of the towns on the way to Aldimar, such as Fareworth and Afferin. He should reach the city as he expected it to.

  As they walked, however, Bartlett started to realize something missing, given the facts. Henrietta did not seem to notice it, but as they continued their walk, Bartlett realized what they were missing.

  "Uhmm, Henrietta...," he asked. "Can't we just...fly there?"

  Henrietta did not immediately answer. In fact, there was an awkward silence between them before Bartlett realized why.

  "Henrietta, is it because...you can't fly?"

  "N-Nonsense!" stammered Henrietta. "I...I'm just exhausted!"

  "Hey, come on, now. I won't judge. Humans don't have wings, so it makes sense that you can't fly."

  "That's the whole reason why!" She flexed her wings a couple of times. "I had a pair of limbs I can't even use properly! Being a dragon with wings that can't fly is embarrassing!"

  "You're the only one who think that." Bartlett sighed. "You know what? Let's just walk there instead. I'm not in a hurry, anyway."

  "Yes, because you're not being hunted by a kingdom that's no longer your ally! My pink scales stood out too much and we're walking on a public road!"

  "Hmm...you may have a point."

  Bartlett resorted to using a map of the region that he kept neatly folded in his bag. He was fortunate to have learned a bit about pathfinding. He immediately saw a less traveled road, away from the main route with less scrutinizing eyes. It cut through the forest, then through a farm, ending in Fareworth. He directed Henrietta to go through this road, which the dragon agreed. Even so, the awkwardness of the situation was still present.

  Henrietta, for one, never thought about the awkwardness of the situation until she realized that this was the first time she had ever spoken with someone for almost two years. She did not need to talk to a rock to amuse herself before realizing that she was going mad. This was a good opportunity to return to civilization. She should take it.

  "So, Bartlett," said Henrietta. "What brings you here? I doubt this is a place you would frequently go."

  "It's not. I usually hang around Aldimar," said Bartlett. "I got a house and friends there."

  "So, why here?"

  "I don't know. Looking for adventure, I suppose."

  "Adventure, huh? I once fancied that life," reminisced Henrietta. "I wanted to be a dashing adventurer ready to tackle danger and meet people from all sorts of life. But that's not what princesses are supposed to do, now, is it? We are expected to be courteous and fragile."

  "I disagree," said Bartlett. "The fact that you managed to survive out here as a dragon is proof that you're not fragile."

  "Only because I preferred swordsmanship than sitting pretty," said Henrietta. "But what good does that do?"

  Bartlett, sensing sadness in her voice, easily understood what she implied. There was no reason to believe that her family survived what happened to them when they lost the throne to the usurpers. Princess or not, losing loved ones were always hard.

  "I'm sorry," sympathized Bartlett.

  "It's fine," said Henrietta. "I do not wish to wallow in sadness. It's just...it's been two years since I have a proper conversation with someone other than myself. I'm just glad it happens to be someone like you."

  "If it's okay for me to ask...what happened?"

  "My family, the real royal family...was killed and replaced. This war you have with Wyrith...it's not supposed to happen."

  "Replaced? Now that I think about it, there was no big news at all from Wyrith leading to the war. You just declare a war with Manarithia without any good reason."

  "Because whoever is in the castle right now is not us. We were attacked by monsters that disguised themselves as humans. It was such a perfect disguise that when they revealed themselves, it was already too late."

  Bartlett listened in silence. Henrietta took this as a sign that he did not believe her.

  "I understand that you don't have any reason to believe me. I may just claim to be princess Henrietta of Wyrith and could be a commoner who pretended to be the princess. I stand by my words, so don't expect me to think otherwise."

  "I understand," said Bartlett. "But still...to think you survived all this time as a dragon in the wilds. That is a feat in itself."

  "It's not as impressive as you make it sounds, but I'll take it."

  "Any other plans?"

  "Nothing else but breaking this curse that sealed my fire. Though, I can't help but feel excited. I've never traveled to Manarithia before. I hardly left the castle, and all I ever knew of the neighboring nations are from the gifts the ambassadors gave us."

  "Then you will enjoy this second chance," said Bartlett with a smile. "But there is one simple thing I need to ask you. This is for your own safety, too."

  "What?"

  "Dragons are not supposed to be able to talk," said Bartlett. "Communicate, yes, but talk like people, no."

  "Not even with magick?"

  "They don't talk with their own tongues, or at least that's what the riders said, anyway. It's a complicated process of trust and understanding shared exclusively between them. Can't pretend I know much about that stuff. I didn't train to be a dragon rider."

  Henrietta silently acknowledged what Bartlett said. She was not a true dragon and her knowledge on dragons were limited to what people said about them, most of which in the tone of them being magnificent, yet dangerous, creatures. No one ever told her that they could talk, which could complicate matters for Bartlett.

  But it did not really matter much to her. She finally had someone she could talk to. She was glad it was someone reasonable like Bartlett. She would know if that person only wanted to profit out of her. Bartlett, however, proved himself trustworthy when he did not wish to slay her, preferring to talk instead.

  She wasn't sure if she would survive someone who saw her as a beast to be slain, and not a helpless princess unable to cope with her draconic form. In any case, she made a new friend, and it was enough for her.