«Still, don’t forget to bring at least one luxurious dress.»
В«What do IВ need it for when IВ go toВ battle? Do you want me toВ seduce the dragon?В»
The skeleton chuckled slyly.
В«You never know who you will meet on the road. Is it an elf, perhaps? Or is it aВ sylph? Or is it even an elf king?В»
В«AВ dragon-king is it more likely,В» said Graymore jokingly. В«The dragon inВ the Southern woods is aВ peculiar one, IВ can senseВ it.В»
В«Do you sense it alone or inВ flocks?В»
«Alone, but it’s as if he’s stronger than the whole flock. Isn’t that strange?»
В«Yes, it is,В» Graymore said. The skeleton gladly accepted another ofВ the royal treasury rings that Graymore had brought him as aВ gift. The skeleton liked the large carbuncle set with small diamonds.
В«Good luck, madam.В» he said, wishing the princess good luck.
В«Am IВ madam?В» Graymore felt more like aВ dependant viceroy ofВ aВ state, but the skeleton let her displeasure pass his ears, ofВ which only knuckles remained.
В«Take it for the road! It will come inВ handy!В»
The skeleton gave her aВ hand mirror ornamented with silver runes toВ communicate with it. Graymore was already familiar with such magical objects. Through them one could talk and even see someone who was far away. All you have toВ do is look inВ the mirror and call out his name.
В«Next time bring me aВ sharp scythe as aВ gift,В» wished the skeleton.
В«Like the mower inВ the fields?В»
В«It is exactly!В»
В«What do you need it for? The scythe is not made ofВ precious metals, but ofВ iron.В»
В«IВ know, but IВ want it anyway. It makes me look like death with aВ scythe.В»
Well, a scythe is cheaper than jewels. Graymore said a courteous goodbye to the skeleton. After her conversation with him, the usual drowsiness struck her. The princess fall asleep right on the sofa near the old tower. She dreamed that the ballroom was full of dragons. They hadn’t come to dance at all, but to tear her apart, but one was on her side. Or is it just what it seems?
Forbidden Forest
Early inВ the morning, Graymore set out on her journey. The laurel fairies flew inВ aВ flock over the towers ofВ the castle, whispering animatedly about something. She wondered if they were cheering the princess on her journey toВ fight the dragon, or laughing atВ her.
The townsfolk cheered, tossing their caps in honor of the heroine. It never occurred to the petty thieves and bandits, who made it dangerous to ride outside the city walls, that the princess could be attacked. After all, if she could handle dragons easily, what’s worth tearing apart a whole gang of outlaws?
Graymore could ride alone without aВ retinue or bodyguards. The bandits feared her. No one would dare fight aВ girl who could defeat aВ dragon all byВ herself.
The fame of Graymore’s exploits flew ahead of her. Dragons were angry and trembling, and knights and bandits took note that it was better not to mess with the reckless princess. After all, in a battle with her you might lose.
All inВ all, aВ safe journey through the forest was assured for Graymore. Her reputation as aВ dragon-hunter worked wonders. All manner ofВ shady characters would flee at the first sign ofВ her. Well done! Greymore enjoyed the solitude, the peace, the quiet.
The squirrel who threw an empty nut shell at the back of her head didn’t count. Graymore wasn’t going to shoot an arrow at her. Let her go ahead and play around.
В«IВ could have killed you!В» She shushed the squirrel, but it was already running away, clinging nimbly toВ the branches ofВ aВ sprawling oak tree. All that was visible was its fluffy red tail.
В«Squirrels had grown braver than dragons!В» Graymore looked around. No golden statues could be seen inВ the thicket. Perhaps the skeleton had frightened her for nothing. This is aВ forbidden forest, after all. Where else would statues ofВ the ominous deity be found if not here?
Graymore had long since crossed the line that separated the normal forests from the forbidden forest. Even the most daredevil cutthroats were afraid toВ enter this forest. But she came here, and nothing happened toВ her. Well, aВ cheeky squirrel threw aВ nutshell at her, but no demons surrounded her. And they say demons are like that inВ the forbidden forest.
Who would have thought that the forbidden forest is actually the most peaceful and picturesque corner ofВ the wilderness?
According toВ legends, the forest was inhabited byВ evil spirits, so people tried not toВ go there. The forests, left byВ loggers, struck with beauty and fresh air. There are neither poachers, nor pickers ofВ berries and mushrooms here. It was idyllic!
A creature called out to her from a branch. Was it a leprechaun or a dwarf? Graymore couldn’t see exactly what kind of creature it was. Its size was tiny, its skin green and leafy, and its body unusual, like a reanimated bough.
«You’re a lady knight, just like Brunhilde!» The woodland creature whistled.
В«IВ know no such lady,В» Grahamor admitted frankly. В«None ofВ my court ladies have such aВ name.В»
В«She comes from the realms ofВ the Nibelungs,В» the creature readily clarified. В«Everyone there knows ofВ two famous ladies, Brunhilde, the mightiest ofВ the knights, and Kremhilde, the most cunning ofВ all the witches who cast spells.В»
«And I don’t know any such lands either.»
В«What an ignoramus you are!В»
AВ lump flew into Graymore. Inside the cone were small emeralds instead ofВ nuts. Well, well, well! Graymore hid it behind her bosom. She might need it, inВ case it came inВ handy.
Anything heavy on the trail could be aВ hindrance, but Graymore had amassed so many weapons that the horse could barely move. Perhaps she should dismount and walk beside it. Long walks on foot were not something Graymore was afraid of. Unlike other ladies, she adored walking. It was such aВ pleasure just toВ step along the road and walk mile after mile! What would it be like toВ fly?
Suddenly Graymore was jealous of dragons. They have wings, don’t they?
«Don’t you think it would be wonderful to dance in flight over the forest path and breathe fire at anyone who dares to attack me?» The princess asked the horse. «Eh, Maverin?»
Meverin, the thoroughbred snow-white horse, was silently pinching the grass and did not respond to its mistress’s chatter. It was a lousy conversationalist, and does not know the human language. But the skeleton in the tower knew the languages of birds and animals. He could translate what tits and skylarks were twittering about, and he could interpret a dog’s bark. He was an excellent interpreter, except that his attempts to teach Graymore the language of animals had failed. Perhaps it takes a magical talent to learn the speech of animals. Diligence alone is not enough.
В«You could fly,В» someone suddenly answered, В«and breathe fire, like aВ fire fairy. And even grow scales like jewels. Dragon ladies can be found, too.В»
Graymore looked back inВ horror. Had someone said dragon ladies, or did she just hear them? AВ woodpecker was tapping behind her, and aВ gazelle had jogged through the thicket and turned onto the path beyond which something dazzlingly golden glittered. Could it be the statue the skeleton had mentioned? Graymore was frightened.
She was frightened. She wasn’t afraid of dragons, but she was afraid of some statue.
«Let’s get out of here, Maverin!» She gave the horse a jerk, and it galloped forward strangely enough. Even a heavy load of rapiers, maces, and short axes did not deter him.
Ashamed to admit it, but Graymore followed the skeleton’s advice and took her luxurious ball gown with her. It might come in handy! The dress was rolled up in a knot, along with a pearl hairnet and elegant slippers.
«Was this a ball or a hunt?» reproached she herself, noticing that the knot attached to the saddle was untied and there was a bright emerald cloth glittering inside. She wanted to take off her armor and put on her dress right now. After all, it wasn’t the armor that protected her from the dragons, but her inner strength.
The farther the horse rode, the narrower the path became. Behind the tree cover was something rough and flat, like aВ monument.
«I think we’ve reached the mountains, Maverin,» Graymore held the horse back.
No one was chasing them. Just inВ case, Graymore listened. There was no sound ofВ hoof stomping or footsteps behind them. She could restВ now.
The Southern woods were near. The thicket was beginning toВ look more like aВ tropical jungle. It was as it should be on the southern frontier where it was always warm. Vines ofВ lush flowers stretched across the mountains.
Graymore dismounted, took off her heavy cuirass, and tightened her disheveled braid. The small mountain lake was like aВ smooth mirror. The princess was reflected inВ it toВ her full height.
«It is no dragons nearby,» Graymore concluded, because she felt no internal heat at the moment. «Then we can play dress-up. Not that I want to go to the ball… But you’d know how hot those armors are, Maverin.»
The horse roared monotonously inВ response and looked for grass toВ pluck. Graymore found wild berries, too. They are raspberries and physalis. They are enough toВ satisfy hunger, and there is fresh water, too. Graymore scooped it up from the lake.
Skeleton would not advise her to drink water from oncoming springs. What if the water was bewitched by deep-sea mermaids? But Graymore had no choice. She could not carry a barrel of water with her. You can’t go far with such a burden, and the water would run out quickly anyway. If you want to travel without an escort, you must travel light.
Graymore preferred to manage everything herself. She even chose a dress with lacing in the front to do without the help of a lady’s maid. It was easy to put on.
«Now we can go to an elves ball,» Graymore joked. Or was it a dragon’s ball? The woods are more likely to be inhabited by elves.
Strangely enough, there was music in the distance. A breeze carried it. Graymore wanted to go to the sounds, but changed her mind. She didn’t feel like dancing with the elves right now. Besides, there was a rumor that those who fell into the circle of elves could not go back to humans afterwards. And she needed to get back to Livellin for her own coronation. So you can’t meet elves. It’s not like she wants to be an elves concubine, she wants to be queen of Livellin. Such a lofty goal requires self-concentration. No elves!
Graymore covered her ears, and when she uncovered them, the music had stopped. This is it! If there had been an elves procession here, it had already passed.
But the flowers were still there, and they had grown bigger. Graymore snipped one ofВ the vines and wove aВ wreath ofВ lush pink and white flowers.
It made her look like aВ May queen, and Maverin munched blissfully on the grass byВ the lake.
The idyll did not last long. AВ tight fiery spring ofВ pain twisted inside Graymore. AВ dragon was somewhere near.
Is it aВ young man or aВ lizard?
Graymore crouched in pain and grabbed her crossbow. As long as she wore a tight corset dress, she couldn’t swing a sword, but she could shoot. The bouffant sleeves and broad flared sleeves didn’t hinder an archer’s marksmanship. Graymore aimed for the thicket, expecting to see the dragon’s enormous snout emerge, but the beast never did. Perhaps it was flying high over the mountains, and she felt it. The fiery ache inside usually heralded the fact that the dragon was somewhere nearby, but not that it was planning to attack her at all.
В«So dainty and frail aВ lady like you is going toВ hunt bears?В» AВ mocking voice came through the thicket.
It was the sound ofВ the velvety tenor that sent Graymore over the edge ofВ her insides. Surely it must be an elf! No matter how hard she tried toВ avoid dealing with elves seducers, one ofВ them seemed toВ have gotten on her trail on purpose.
A slender young man appeared beside the lake. His face seemed to be covered in golden scales. Graymore tried to get a better look. No, it was just a mask. It must have fallen off, because now the mask was gone. The stranger was so handsome. It took Graymore’s breath away. She had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life, and at her court had visited many foreign princes, sheikhs, shahs, caliphs, princes and all kinds of ambassadors.
В«Do you want toВ kill me?В» The handsome man arched his eyebrows mockingly.
Her cheeks flashed with shame as she realized she was aiming for his chest.
«I’m not a bear.»
В«Are there bears around here?В» She mumbled.
В«There are centaurs, elves and dragons.В»
«Well, that’s what I hunt!»
«You do?» He moved closer, throwing the vines aside with his hands. «A dragon hunted by such a little thing? Isn’t that funny?»
«You’ve got to be kidding me.» Graymore jammed the tip of her crossbow into the stranger’s chest. «You’ll see me catch a dragon.»
В«Catch me,В» the stranger jerked his arm across her throat.
«You’re the elf who wants the girl to catch him? Usually it’s the other way around. Elves catch and seduce girls.»
В«It is not always! IВ once saw aВ beautiful, greedy queen come into the forest toВ perform aВ rite herself, inВ order toВ trap aВ rich elf or dragon as her husband.В»
В«Was she lucky?В»
В«Yes andВ no.В»
В«Why is that? Explain.В»
«She caught a rich man in scales, but after her wedding night with him she turned into a dragon herself. You should have seen how she woke up in a witch’s circle and howled when she found scales sprouting in her delicate skin.»
В«IВ have never heard the legend ofВ such aВ queen.В»
«It is not a legend, but the plain truth. The queen’s name was Ligeia. She ruled over an empty kingdom that used to be called the Marids.»
«There hasn’t been such a kingdom for over three hundred years. It was swept away by a flood. Allegedly the watermen appropriated the Marids for themselves.»
«And so it was. Queen Ligeia first robbed the lake’s king and then seduced the dragon. And then she turned into a dragon herself and scorched all the water in her sunken kingdom. Now instead of a lake there is a burnt-out swamp.»
«I’ve never heard of people turning into dragons.»
«Then you don’t know anything about dragons.»
В«What do you mean, IВ know nothing?В» Graymore was nearly taken aback. Does he know how many captive dragons there are inВ her dungeons? Was the stranger deliberately sassing her, or was it accidental? He should be prosecuted for insulting aВ noble! But what eyes he had! Graymore could not tear her eyes from his. She drowned inВ them.
В«You look like Cupid aiming for my heart,В» he remarked.
В«IВ am not Cupid!В»
«You’re right, you’re a dragon-hunter,» he said, his voice mirroring another sneer.
В«Do you doubtВ me?В»
В«IВ am not!В» He lifted her chin with his fingers and placed aВ long kiss on her lips.
She should have been outraged, she supposed, but Graymore was ecstatic. The kiss was as sweet as it had been in her dream. This stranger was as if he had come out of her dream. Only he wasn’t fiery, yet his proximity made everything erupt inside.
Graymore slid her fingers down his back. His back turned out to be too oblong. The handsome stranger’s body curved like a crooked mirror.
