There you are, welcome! Please, come in. I suspect you are weary from your travels. You've heard about my tales, have you? Yes, I thought so... Have you come to hear about the fairies that travelled over the misty moor, or the pirates who came upon a lost treasure? Neither? Ah, of course, you've come to hear about The Princes and the Dragon. Please sit, this tale may be long. Our story begins in the ashes of chaos…

The earth rumbled and the walls of the great palace shook. Debris fell from the ceiling, and the cobblestone panels that made the floor began to be uprooted. The screams of the panicked people could be heard for many a mile. The dragons came wielding their fiery breaths clad in the scales that stayed the blades and arrows of mortal men. Knights donning armour so valiant marched hopelessly to meet their winged oppressors knowing they would face their demise. The night sky was burnt orange from the flames that engulfed the kingdom below. Black smoke impaired the vision of the brave knights who aimed to shoot the demons down who circled all like an eagle would its prey; for that was what the people were to these dragons. A simple meal to be had.

'Quickly this way!' Sir Borin lead the queen and prince through the catacombs of the castle. The king had been burnt to a crisp in his attempt to face their foes so that his wife and son might live. When Prince Jarin turned to see what became of his lord father all that was left was a shadow upon the wall, scorched in like a memory. Through the winding ways they went, dust drifting from the shaking earth coated their fine clothing.

Finally, they came upon a tomb which opened a secret way that would lead them far into the heart of the forest high upon the mountains. Sir Borin quickly ushered them through, his torch nearly burned out. They couldn’t waste any more time. The prince, who was merely a boy at the time, wanted to cry. His tiny feet padded so hard against the old damp floor as he tried his best to keep up. He could only run so hard and so fast. He reached his limit then stopping so suddenly his queen mother almost tipped over.

'Sir Borin!' She cried, 'pray, a moment.' She was tired as well. You see, to be queen carries many responsibilities, most of which required her to sit. Her bosom heaved as she strained to catch her breath, her little prince clung desperately to her skirts.

'Mummy,' said he, 'why do the dragons attack us?' The queen stroked his head in a soothing manner, trying to disguise the shake of her hand.

'They are soulless creatures, sweet prince.' Sir Borin watched his torch warily. The last of the flames licked away the darkness around them. Should that had happened they would have a longer trip ahead of them. This did not bode well with Sir Borin, especially when the roof of the cave was threatening to fall straight down on their heads.

'We must make haste.' He pressured with little to no manners in his tone. For there was none to spare at the time. The queen gave him a harsh look before agreeing.

'Come, sweetling, onward.' Jarin wanted to protest, but he sensed even if he had they’d fall on deaf ears. By the by, he figured the sooner they left that stinky old cavern the sooner he’d be able to sleep. Perhaps when he awoke his king father would no longer be scorched upon the wall. Perhaps he would awake to him smiling that big smile he had; the one where tiny lines would form at the corner of his eyes, and around his large mouth. Yes, Jarin enjoyed that thought. And so, ignoring the aching protests of his little feet, he pressed on.

Once they made it to the forest, they could hear the battle cries of the demons that ravaged their kingdom. They looked on in horror as the dragons flew expelling large flames of orange. Sometimes they would come out so hot they'd turn blue. The prince wondered at that why was it that the hotter flames turned blue? He wanted to ask his mother, but her heart wrenching sobs told him to stay his curiosity. He learned long ago that when his mother cried there was no getting coherent words to spill from her. So, he squeezed her hand tightly still not quite understanding why she wept. He was still young you see and could not fully grasp the meaning of death and other sad things. Through her tears the queen could only offer her son a not-so-sincere smile.

Once he, his mother, and Sir Borin fled to the Kingdom of his uncle, his mother remarried. With the consummation of their joining came the birth of his younger brother, Merrick. He was four years Jarin's junior and much more brazen in character.

That was long ago. If one were to keep count, it would be roughly ten years to the day Jarin awoke on his fourteenth birthday. His mother had long since perished, catching a deathly flu in her sleep. She found she could no longer fight to breathe. And so, she stopped. Just like that.

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With his mother gone, and his uncle (now stepfather), Jarin found he did not settle well in his new life in a different kingdom. His father never stopped being a shadow, and Sir Borin was oft times too busy training new knights. With no one left to keep him company but his half-brother, and a serving girl named Thea, who he didn't like very much for she cried far too often, Jarin felt very lonely. Merrick wasn't terrible company; he was louder than Jarin often getting into fights with children from the village. Whereas Jarin much preferred the confines of the castle library, or the highest branch of a tree.

On Jarin's fourteenth birthday, when Merrick had enough of the library, he coaxed his elder brother and the serving girl into exploring a cave he’d found. Though it was after much whining. With a sigh Jarin put away his favourite book agreeing to follow the boy. After all the feast wasn't until later that night so they’d time-a-plenty to play.

Along the way it was explained to Thea and Jarin that he found the cave while accompanying the king on a hunting trip, though he was much too frightened to explore it alone, Jarin concluded. They took two horses to ride out not asking the stable boy knowing he’d go tell someone what they were up to. After some arguing it was decided Thea would ride along Merrick's horse to the cave and on the way back Jarin would bear her hence. Off they galloped through tree and brush finally coming upon it; the mouth of a mountain hidden behind vines that scaled down, covering the entrance like a curtain.

'Come on then!' Merrick held apart the vines inviting them to enter first. Both Jarin and Thea looked in and saw how dark it was and right then the poor girl began to cry.

'Come on, Thea. It's not so bad.' Jarin softly spoke. His more boisterous little brother merely scoffed pushing by Thea who looked very tiny and fragile in that moment.

'If she doesn't want to come, just leave her!' Merrick said harshly. With one last look Jarin reassured her they’d return in time to make it for dinner. The cavern was dark, so much so they could barely see a foot ahead of them. Merrick’s fear clearly hastened, and he held tight to his brother’s hand. Jarin didn’t mind for it made him feel a little braver too. It wasn't often he got to do something big brothers would do for their little ones.  

'I don't think this leads anywhere.' Jarin concluded after a long and testing while. His brother didn’t reply only urging them both onward. Jarin knew Merrick believed some treasure laid ahead and perhaps in a way the boy was right for as they made their way deeper into the cavern, they saw a distant glowing light.

'See!' Prince Merrick yelled excitedly. A newfound energy pulled out of them, and they both sprinted forward until they came to an abrupt stop, nearly tumbling over into a large and gaping whole.

'Look!' They gasped becoming breathless at their near fall. The walls of the cave were something to gape at, for they sparkled and glittered like the stars that made up the night sky. That, however, was not what the Prince had been pointing too. Instead, resting at the bottom was an orb of sorts; an orb that looked like a crystal that fogged in a bluish hue. Within they could just barely make out the form of a person.

Quickly, they began to climb down. Both nearly lost their footing on several occasions. Once securely at the bottom they made their way to the crystal. They had their mouths dropped open in a very less than princely way that was unbecoming of them.

'What is it?’ The younger prince asked. Jarin inched closer, wanting very much to touch it. It looked so smooth to him, so unearthly as if it had fallen from the heavens and lost itself in that very cave. 'Be careful!' Merrick lost his courage.

My dear weary traveller, I'd like to stop there and say Jarin had stayed his curiosity and simply returned to the castle of his stepfather. Perhaps then he would have gone off and been married to a princess chosen just for him and lived quietly ever after. Unfortunately, it was not so.

Jarin did not turn back and was not careful. Instead, he tentatively stepped forward with his arm outstretched ready to touch the beautiful casing. He didn’t watch his step and stumbled upon the uneven flooring. His face became bloody upon crashing onto the orb. He was quick to grip at his injury and felt the hot blood make his hands slippery. Merrick, who witnessed the entire thing, began to laugh so loud the cavern shook just a bit. He soon stopped in shock of what was to come.

The blood that sullied the crystal had seemingly been absorbed, the casing began to crack and chip away. The same you'd see when throwing a rock straight into a frozen lake. Jarin stepped back standing at his brother’s side watching the events unfold. They were uncertain if they were to run far away from the scene or to stay and witness what would happen. You can only guess on which they decided.

Soon, the crystal burst open with a bright flash of light, the remnants came to resemble a lily fully bloomed. At its center a girl curled, sitting there. She’d short dark hair and eyebrows that looked much too thick and short to be normal. Once her sharp eyes opened, they could see that they were stark white with tiny black beads that made her pupils.

Both Princes stood there stunned. With the quickening of their beating hearts, they both yelled. Their fear had been stalled by shock but then it freely poured from them. Yes, not all Princes are always courageous especially when they are still boys.

The girl stood her clothes resembled something a court jester would wear, with a tunic with strange woven patterns, and tights underneath. Even her shoes had points which swirled back. And even stranger yet, she laughed.