'The Dragon Prince, and the Princess who saved Him'

This isn’t the story of how the Princess was saved by the Prince.

This is the story of how the Princess saved the Prince.

Once upon a time there was a Prince who was cursed. By day, he was a strong, handsome young man who was loved by his people, but by night he became a fire breathing, winged creature that despite all his efforts, struck fear into the hearts of those who loved him. He came to dread the nights, where he locked himself away and feared for the day when his people decided they would not live in fear of the dragon getting loose. The things that used to bring him joy, only saddened him, his moods changing, and the thoughts in his head became dark.

 So he became lonely, isolated, even in his human body when people found out that he was the dragon, so much so that he felt that it would be better if he were to leave. So one night, he left, taking only a few things with him. He flew as fast as he could, as far away from his kingdom that he could go before the light of day rose above the horizon. 

By day, he was a tired, humble traveller, a curious young man who asked about the dragon 

everywhere he went. “The Dragon that flies by Night” and “The Night Dragon” were the names that he heard the most. The further away he flew from his home, the less afraid the people were of his dragon. One day, he heard a tale that he had not heard before. It was one of a Princess, trapped in a tower by the sea, and the Dragon, he long lost lover finally returning to her.

He stayed in that place for a few days, longer than he had ever dared stay in one place before, asking about the Princess, and learning about her. After four days, he left just before dark, transforming into the Dragon and racing towards the coast, the whisperings of the magic the Princess was said to possess fresh in his mind.He flew all night, and he could just see the tower in the distance, looking out over the ocean, when first light came. He pushed on, beating his wings hard as he felt himself starting to change. Gliding low over the ground, he felt his wings start to shrink, his legs and arms shifting back into their normal positions, and his eyesight dulling. One thing he had begun to truly enjoyed about transforming was the ability to fly and how well he was able to see. Even when there was no light from the moon, he could still see each leaf on each tree, even from high above the ground. The feeling of flying through the clouds at night, was calming to him, and while he was alone he did not quite feel lonely when he was flying. 

He stumbled slightly, and lost his footing as he touched the ground, and rolled to a stop. He lay dazed, gazing at the lightening sky as he waited for the world to stop spinning. As soon as it did, he was up, sprinting for the castle, which was a lot farther away now that he was running. He only stopped running twice, to catch his breath, and he reached the castle just as the sun was beginning to sink down in the sky. 

He paused, just before the doors of the castle, wondering if he really was in the right place, but pushed all his doubts aside and went in. He thought of the girl who had been locked away, wondering what she could have done to be hidden like this, and if she was like him, cursed to change as night changed to day, and day changed to night. He climbed the winding stairs, searching for her, when he heard footsteps from the hall above him. He had made it halfway up the next staircase when he heard her.
“Who are you?” Her voice echoing through the empty halls from her position at the top of the staircase.

“That depends on who you ask.” He replied, climbing the stairs, never taking his eyes off her. “To some, I am your long lost lover, finally returning. To you, I am probably a stranger. To me, I am a lonely person, who changes just as the day changes into the night.” 

“You are no stranger to me.” She said, as he reached the top and stood only an arms length from her. “I have seen you in my dreams, just as I saw us meeting here. I have waited for you, my lonely prince, for a long time.” She touched his face, gently, softly, as though she feared he would disappear at any moment. He brought his hand up to hers, and squeezed it gently, a question in his eyes as their fingers locked.

“We are the same, you and I. We change at night, into creatures that others are afraid of. I was lucky, my people did not fear what I became, but they did not trust me in that form, so I came here. I can fly without worry here, without having to be afraid of hurting another in this form. Stay, stay here with me, I can help you learn to love who you truly are, for this is not a curse, but a blessing.” Her words struck him, confused him, and somewhere, he felt a glimmer of hope that maybe he could truly learn to enjoy what he became in the night. 

They watched as the sun dipped down beneath the waves, and felt the familiar shift and change in their bodies. He watched, as red scales formed and brilliant, strong wings stretched out from her body. She marvelled at the deep blue of his scales, and the hidden purples and blacks that shifted in the twilight when he moved. They watched each other in their dragon forms, taking in the sight of another like them, and instead of fearing his transformation, for the first time, he marvelled in the beauty that came with it. 

1/1/2017 - Word Count - 1,028

In part I was inspired by this post: http://fioren-nights.tumblr.com/post/128616392320 but I wanted to write something where the Prince doesn't save the Princess, but goes to her in the hope that maybe she can help him. It was an fun piece to write, a magical fairytale where the Princess saves herself and the Prince.

Enjoy! Meg