Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful Princess, a fair King, his lovely Queen, a brave Knight, and a mighty Dragon.

Now, as most Fairy Tales go, the young and beautiful Princess was captured by the fearsome and mighty Dragon. Worried about the young Princess, the King of the land summoned his best Knight. The King Promised that if the Knight went and rescued his heir, that the Knight could have her hand in marriage, and become the next King.

Valiantly, the Knight rode to the high mountains far in the distance, where the Dragon was rumored to nest. It took him a full month to reach th high mountains, but it was quite simple once he reached the higher parts where barely any trees grew, since the path was littered with rotten meat and skeletons.

Finally, he arrived at the cave, which had billowing smoke coming from the cave mouth, and the scent of both cooked and rotten meat coming from within. The brave knight dismounted his trusty white horse, who was very nervous, and drew his sword before creeping inside.

However, once inside, the Knight was surprised to find the beautiful brown haired Princess in peasant clothes, hacking apart a dead cow with an extravagantly decorated Axe that was probably meant for decoration and not real use. Though, that was far from stopping her as she took another swing.

As for the Dragon, it was peacefully sleeping at the back of the cave, a small puff of smoke joining the smoke from the fire that lit the cave every once in a while.

“Princess?” The Knight asked in a quiet tone, hoping to not wake the sleeping Dragon, but it was too quiet because she didn't even pause in her work. “Princess.” He said, commanding her attention, carefully watching the glittering scales of the Dragon's eyelids to make sure they didn't open.

The Dragon didn't wake, but the Princess had noticed the intruding Knight. She sighed as she hefted the bloody axe over her shoulder and turned to look at him.

“What do you want.” She said in an exasperated tone.

He was shocked momentarily by her brashness but cleared his throat and stated, “ I came here to save you, fair Princess.”

“Oh.” She said, dropping the axe from her shoulder and turning away. “Thank you, but I have no need of being saved.” She said in a dismissive tone as she went back to butchering the cow.

The Knight stared at her, shocked beyond imaging. Had she really said that? Maybe he hadn't heard her right. “Excuse me,” He said politely, taking a few steps towards her. “But I'm here to take you back to your home, where the King and Queen wait your safe return.”

“Oh, Father sent you, did he?” She said. She sighed once more as she stuck the axe deep within the cow's carcass and went back to where the Dragon was sleeping. She picked up two things before returning to the befuddled Knight.

“This,” she said as she placed a medium sized skull in his hands, “Is to show father, tell him you were to late or something. And this,” She said, placing a good sized ruby in his hands along with the skull, “Is to make sure you stick to that story.”

She turned once more to her work, but was interrupted before her hands could even touch the carved wooden handle.

“Princess, surely you must be kidding.” He said in a jesting voice. “Come now, and let us leave before that demon awakens.”

Giving a small growl, the Princess turned and glared at him. “No, I am not jesting sir Knight. And if you Ever call Dragon that again I will force you to leave. So, while you still can, I suggest you take your horse and collect what you can from my father for your attempt.”

“But, fair lady, my prize was for you to be my wife.”

The Princess stared at him, wide eyed. “My father.. promised...” She whispered before her eyes blazed and she became Enraged. “DRAGON!” She Yelled, turning around and stomping to where the Dragon laid sleeping. “DRAGON! WAKE UP!”

Lazily, Emerald eyes opened and focused on the enraged Princess. “What troubles you?” He asked, before he spotted the terrified Knight. “Knight...” the Dragon growled as it stood protectively in front of the Princess. “What have you done to upset her?”

“He didn't upset...” The princess interrupted, laying a hand on the Dragon's giant foreleg, effectively getting his attention. “Well, yes, I suppose he did, but that's not the point.” she said as she looked up at the dragon. “The point is, My father is trying to promise me to the Knight as his wife.”

The Dragon looked as if he wished to rip the Knight apart right then and there, but the gentle hand on his foreleg reminded him that the Princess did not like him ripping things apart. She preferred a cleaner kill, one where she did not have to hear a scream.

“What is it you wish to be done?” He asked, turning his attention back to the Princess.

“I wish to pay my father a visit.” She said in such a voice that neither male, human and dragon, dared to challenge. Not that the Dragon would ever convince her otherwise.