Dragon Rescue
The knight glanced past the dragon. Sure enough, there was a princess there in the cave. She wore the typical princess outfit, with the long, stiff dress and the poofy shoulders. Even the tiara on her head was as usual as they got, a silver accessory decorated with tiny rubies and emeralds.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t think I—”
The dragon shushed the knight. “She can hear you.”
Again, he glanced at the princess. She seemed curious about what they were talking about, but made no attempt to move closer. She simply sat there with a precious smile on her face and gave a little wave of her hand.
“She’s a princess,” the knight muttered.
“And you’re a terrible knight,” the dragon hissed. “Aren’t you supposed to help people out? Isn’t that part of being a knight?”
The knight gave another glance at the princess. She was sitting on a rock, twirling a lock of her golden hair around her finger. She didn’t seem to be any sort of trouble, and he didn’t understand why the dragon was terrified. Dragons were meant to be some of the most fearsome creatures in the world, so surely one wouldn’t be brought so low by the presence of a mere princess.
“I … I don’t know how to—”
“Just go and …” The dragon looked around for a bit, scanning the cave for anything useful. Then, with a flash of inspiration, he pulled the knight’s sword from its sheath. “I forgot you carry these. Use this.”
The knight snatched it back. “Are you insane? I won’t hurt a princess. Especially for you, beast.”
The dragon leaned in closer. “Then don’t do it for me. Do it for the kingdom.”
The knight was about to retort when the princess’s voice reached his ears.
“What are you two talking about over there, my love?”
The knight took a step back. Why on earth would the princess use such a powerful word to describe him?
“See what I mean?” the dragon growled out. “How am I supposed to deal with that?”
Only then did the truth of the princess’s words sink in, and the knight’s cheeks went red. “I see.” There was only one thing he could think of doing with such knowledge, and as much as he despised it, he knew there was no other recourse.
He raised his sword high, turned it around in his grasp, and used it to cut the straps on his armor. “I can’t do it. I can’t be a knight knowing this kind of depraved love exists in the world.”
The dragon’s eyes went wide. “What? But you can’t— You’re a—”
“From this moment forth, I plan to move to Nepal, where I will live out the rest of my days as a goat.” The knight shed his armor and turned to the dragon. “If you will be so kind as to visit in the coming days and devour me, I would be very grateful.”
