Well, I got bored and this happened. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and chapter two should be up soon! This won't be a very long story, just a break between projects. Don't really know what inspired this, other than the fact that I used to love fairytales as a kid, and thought that these characters would totally fit! Anyway, that's it from me! Review if you liked it, favourite if you loved it!

The tower, in Rose's opinion, was the absolute WORST part of the whole arrangement. She knew that the dragon should be the thing that bothered her, but she couldn't care less about the fire-breathing beast. Something about being alone and secluded just made her skin crawl. Her friends were her usual escape from that feeling, but she couldn't just sneak out and see them like usual due to the dragon. It was also considered tradition for the princess of the realm to be rescued by a knight or another brave soul, but she found the whole idea quite stupid. For one, she would hardly even KNOW her rescuer. What if he hated her? Or even worse? What if she hated him? Those were the arguments she presented to her mother, but she just sighed.

"Rose, sweetheart, I'm afraid I don't get a say in what gets done around here."

"I know..." She scuffed her shoes on the cold stone as she walked toward certain doom. Martha, Donna, Clara, and Amy were gathered outside, none of them speaking as she entered the courtyard. She was immediately bombarded with a group hug, along with their condolences. None of them were royals, but she was grateful for their support.

"We'll write to you every week, promise! But you have to write back!" Rose giggled and agreed.

"You bet! You're what I'm going to miss most, believe me." She spoke the latter part quietly, so her mother wouldn't hear. Rose managed to give her friends a weak smile as she boarded the carriage, more than a little bit frightened, but trying her best to stay hopeful. She was to be dropped at the tower roughly a half-hour before the dragon was due to be there, just to get herself settled. The horse was a beautiful chestnut brown, the carriage it was pulling equally dainty and pristine. The man driving shot her a pitying glance before spurring the creature onward without looking back. Rose tried to distract herself by looking out the window, watching the villages pass by and the landscape slowly turn to nothing more than trees. The carriage gave a sudden lurch to the left, ducking off the main road entirely, rocking side-to-side as it carried her farther and farther away from all she knew. Closer and closer to where she could very well spend the rest of her natural life. Her mother had been rescued after two months! Two bloody months alone in a tower with a ferocious beast! What if nobody came to save her at all? What if she was left to rot? What if the dragon decided it needed a snack? The last thought sent a shiver down her spine, as dragons had been known to revolt before... What if it killed her? A whinny from the horse brought her back to the present, along with a sharp cry of:

"We're here!" Rose craned her neck to try and get a glimpse of her new home, but due to the angle of the carriage, all she could see was the surrounding forest. She swung the door open, her foot sinking ankle-deep into the Earth. She pulled it out with a squelch and walked to the front of the carriage, trying to stay positive. The sight that met her eyes looked like it had sprung from the pages of a picture book, right down to the cone-shaped top and gray brick exterior. There didn't seem to be a door, which she pointed out to the carriage driver. "Well, I do suppose that would be a problem..." He mused, his eyes thoughtful. He brushed his short brown hair back slightly as he looked up. "You could climb..." Rose cocked her head.

"What's your name?" Her sudden question caught him off-guard, but he answered with a grin.

"Adam." She returned the smile.

"Well Adam, I did sneak out often enough. I know how to climb a wall." She asked him to stick around to make sure she made it up, an offer that he gladly accepted. She rubbed her hands together, looking up the side of the tower, contemplating the best way to get into the arched window. She finally hauled herself onto a loose stone, slowly working her way up the wall, her frilly dress proving to be an irritation. She had told her mother that she didn't need it, but it was the same dress that she had worn in the tower when her father came. She supposed it was fitting in a way. She finally managed to get her arm over the windowsill, using it as leverage to get the rest of her body through. She gave Adam a friendly wave and watched him turn and leave, the carriage swallowed up by the trees. She then returned her attention to the room she was in, noting at once just how... Cozy it was. The room was relatively large, with a comfortable looking bed set up in the corner. She already knew all the charms that were in place in the room, to keep her occupied and alive while she waited. She sauntered into the kitchen area, swinging open the cupboard with a flourish. Sure enough, it was stocked with all of her favourites. She shut it again, pacing over to the bookshelf to see what it contained. A well-worn leatherbound book was the only title it contained, and she found herself leafing through the pages. She immediately recognized it as one of the few she had at home, and smiled as she read through it. She held it to her chest and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. She noticed intricate stars painted above her, like they were really there. She sat up and felt the individual brush-strokes. There was one thing she had yet to check out, namely the wardrobe across from the pantry. Rose popped open the door and was greeted with a bundle of paint supplies, a canvas, a sketchpad, and an outfit that included pants, much to her amusement. She turned on a heel. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad... Her mood was shattered when she tripped on a loose stone, giving a yelp as gravity flung her to the floor. She slowly rose to her feet, groaning slightly as she got her bearings. Her heart froze in her chest when she looked out the window and she struggled to form words. A huge brown eye was staring back at her, scales outlining the edge of it. It blinked slowly before pulling away, revealing the rest of the creature. Its head was huge, and Rose was quick to see just how sharp its teeth were. It opened its mouth and Rose closed her eyes, hoping it would kill her quickly. Its voice was a low hum as it spoke, much to her surprise.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were alright... Which you are so I guess I didn't really need to frighten you but it just sort of happened..." Rose stifled a gasp, but managed to hold her ground. Its ears were rather big and horselike, and it had a furred mane running down the length of its back, sticking up between the ears in a messy tuft. The underbelly of the beast was white, and blue stripes decorated its neck. It seemed to notice that she was giving it a once-over and sighed, its ears drooping. "I can just... Go back down if you'd li-" Rose shook her head, not wanting to be alone.

"No, you can stay I just didn't expect you to talk... Or really care... At all..." Its eyes lit up, its ears shooting back upright.

"Thanks! And here I was thinking that I'd be bored..."

"Me too, to be honest, I just want to get out of here." The dragon hesitated before answering.

"Yeah, but for you to have a happy ending, I have to be slain." It quickly changed the topic after that, but it got Rose thinking. It really was unfair... "I don't think we've formally met. I'm The Doctor." It stuck a paw through the window, resting it on the windowsill. Rose gulped when she saw the razor-sharp talons, but smiled bravely.

"Rose, Rose Tyler." He nodded, baring his teeth in what Rose decided was a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Rose!" Conversation was pretty much unavoidable after that, and she was pleasantly surprised by just how... Human he acted. She found herself laughing at many of his jokes and stories, and he was never unkind while addressing her. She had expected him to be nothing short of ferocious, a terrifying beast, and she was chatting with him! The day came and went, and she soon found herself struggling to stay awake. The Doctor cocked his head. "Tired?" She nodded sleepily.

"Very." He curled around the base of the tower with the parting words of:

"See you tomorrow." She watched him rest his head in his paws and heard his breathing resonate around the tower. His tail twitched slightly, the furry tuft at the end whipping through the air as he tried to get some sleep. She crawled under the blankets and closed her eyes, letting sleep pull her under. She awoke in a bit of a daze, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. She groggily sat up, squinting at the light filtering through the window. The events of last night surfaced in her memory and she quickly changed into the outfit in the wardrobe. Her mother never would have approved, she could practically hear her saying how it was too boyish. Satisfied, she stuck her head out of the window, surveying the landscape. It really was beautiful, rolling hills and a multicoloured sunrise, huge trees surrounding her small clearing. But that wasn't what she was looking for. Her eyes slowly drifted downward until she could see The Doctor, curled around the base of the tower and snoring slightly. She fixed herself some breakfast, and was pleased to discover that the cabinet had changed to suit her needs. She decided on pancakes, pulling out a hot plate stacked full of them. Her mother had told her of all the enchantments in place to keep her occupied. The book that was whatever you wanted, the cupboard that always had food, and the wardrobe that contained whatever you needed. She hadn't thought that the spells would be that effective, but the pancakes were delicious. She pulled the sketchpad out from the wardrobe and began to write her first letter.

To Donna, Amy, Clara, and Martha.

The tower, surprisingly, isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The enchantments all seem to be working fine and the dragon is rather nice. I know, I know, it's weird to be friends with the dragon.

She hesitated before continuing.

Is is weird? I don't know exactly... Anyway, the dragon has introduced himself as 'The Doctor', if you could do some research regarding him, that would be great! He seems nice, and I don't think he will do me harm, but it pays to be prepared. The room is cozy, big bed, nice mural on the ceiling, brilliant view from the window... I could really get used to this actually! Miss you lots, here's hoping my prince will come!

-Rose

She neatly folded the paper, tucking it into her pocket for now. She stood up and gave a stretch, discarding the plate in the cabinet for now. She turned to face the window and was greeted with the same brown eye that had startled her yesterday.

"You're up early!" He mumbled, giving a slight yawn as he did so, a few wayward sparks jumping from his mouth. She shrugged.

"Is it really all that early?" They began talking again, covering everything from books to her life back home.

"Do you have any friends back home?" He asked. Rose smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I used to sneak out and see them every night. I think my mother caught on actually, though she didn't speak up. There's Amy, Scottish, redhead, rather strong personality. Donna's a redhead too, and she always has something to say. Clara and Martha are both incredibly smart, Clara wants to be a schoolteacher."

"An excellent choice." Rose was suddenly flooded with a wave of homesickness.

"I miss them..." She whispered. The Doctor shot her a sympathetic look.

"Oh cheer up, you may be seeing them sooner than you think!" Rose shook her head.

"Yeah, but then you'll be dead..." The Doctor sighed.

"I suppose that's true. Don't worry yourself about it, I accepted that a while ago." He suddenly was struck with a thought, and brought his head closer to the window, his nose practically touching the cobble. "Do you trust me Rose?" She was confused by his question, unsure as to where exactly he was going.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. That's good." She could feel his hot breath and she couldn't help but be a little afraid. "What if you could give them a visit?" She furrowed her brow, thinking it over carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I were to say... Give you a ride, would you decline?"

"Are you offering?" His head bobbed up and down.

"We'd be fast, nobody would notice that you were gone..."

"A-Alright." The Doctor drew away from the tower.

"It's settled then." The rest of the day was spent concocting a plan to get away. Rose told him of their meeting spot, just a little away from the castle wall, out of sight of all the guards. The group of friends always met there at nightfall, and The Doctor could easily blend in with the surroundings due to his brown scales. She knew for a fact that they would meet without her, she had asked them to write the letters for her together, so they all got a say. Nightfall couldn't come quickly enough. The Doctor held his paw out to her. "We should probably do a test flight..." Rose felt her insides turn to water at the sight of the huge claws.

"Okay, just be gentle..." She slowly extended her leg and stepped into the palm of his hand, scenarios involving how he was going to eat her whirring through her head. He delicately moved her close to his face, and she found herself using his snout for support. His scales resonated with a warmth akin to a fire, and she realized his eyes were fixated on her, not leaving her for a second.

"How are we going to do this?" He wondered aloud, his gaze not drifting. "Back maybe? Or head?"

"Good thing we're doing a test-flight then." Rose mumbled, deciding on the latter option. "Could you lower your head?" He obeyed without hesitation. Rose tentatively stepped from his paw onto his nose, using his mess of fur to steady herself. She finally made it to the top of his head, sitting quite comfortably between his ears.

"You alright?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, this should work." She watched his huge wings unfurl from his back, also striped with the same light blue as his neck. His ear swiveled slightly, now facing more in her direction.

"Ready?" Rose hesitated. Was she really doing this? Running away with the dragon? Was that even allowed? She pushed those thoughts away, now was not the time for second-guessing herself. She had decided.

"Yeah." His wings snapped to attention and he forced them downward, the wind he was creating causing autumn leaves to swirl at his feet. He stood on his hind legs and leapt into the sky, wingbeats echoing in the air. Rose gripped tightly at his mane, terrified that she would fall. He seemed to pick up on her fear, gliding like an oversize kite, skimming the clouds with a talon.

"Everything okay?" The wind whistled in her ears, and she was surprised that she could still hear him.

"I think so..." She shouted over the noise. He started to descend in lazy circles back toward the tower, making sure to land softly as not to jostle his companion. He lowered his head to the ground and she slid off, landing gracefully on the marshy ground.

"Think we can do that later tonight?" He asked. Rose tried not to focus on his teeth. This was the closest he had ever been to her.

"Definitely." The Doctor arched his neck in the direction of the tower, looking between it and his princess. Rose noticed this with a smile. "I don't think I have to go back in just yet..." He tucked his claws under his body, wrapping his tail around himself.

"That's true." She sat beside him, leaning into his side for heat. He brought his head close to her, flames building in the back of his throat. He exhaled deeply, breathing a stream of fire and setting a patch of grass alight. Seemingly satisfied, he shuffled his wings a little before beginning another conversation. He seemed to have seen everything under the sun, and his endless stories of adventure were much more interesting than the book on her bed. The fire was nice and warm and Rose knew he didn't do it for himself. All of the stories and her mother had said never to trust a dragon... But he didn't seem like the beast she had imagined...