A/N: This story was written for a friend, who loved it, then sent to a publisher, who didn't. I've had their opinions on the matter, now I'd like yours. :)

Jimli

The Princess of Dragon's Castle

Chapter 1

He had stopped in any town, burg, village, or hamlet with a public space, found the gossips, the oldest folks, the chatty children, anyone with the time of day to give, and asked about captured princesses.

Prince Dex was very patient, listening to long-winded tales with little bearing on his question, tales so old and familiar that they could not be true, and clumsy, rambling flights of fancy. Most of his attempts at information landed him little, but he always thanked whomever it was kindly, said he'd look into it, and ride into the next town.

Dex did ask about previous stories in the next place, trying to distill truth from the various reports he'd received, but mostly, he would either get blank looks, or guffaws for having been 'taken in by that ol' nugget!' Again, he would ask around, often hearing new takes on the same tales, but one thing a venerable figure of an old man had told him earned some glimmer of hope.

"Aye, lad, the ol' fella had tha' right. Heard tha' tale m'self, once't upon a time. Fair princess offered to yon great red dragon in his keep. Several leagues from here, though. And tisn't likely to be th' same fair princess. Th' great red eats 'em, gets new ones from other places. Mayn't e'en be a true princess by now. Heard th' great red's not fussed 'bout royalty."

Dex nodded politely, encouraged by some repeated information, and bought the older man another pint. He got no other information from him, except a vague direction in which to find the great red's keep.

He took off the next morning, headed in the direction the gaffer had instructed.

Through the next few hamlets and villages, he got more and more definite information about the red dragon's castle, as well as a constant confirmation that this dragon did indeed hold to the seemingly time-honored tradition of having young maidens, often princesses. Some of these girls were offered as sacrifices, some were captured by the dragon, although the manner in which the dragon was able to find these maidens and princesses available to be snatched was too-often vague in Dex's opinion. Still, it seemed as though he may finally be on the right track towards finding a princess, or at least a maiden, that he might rescue, which would not only give him opportunity of winning over the young lady in question, but would also allow him to fulfill his quest.

In Dex's kingdom, anyone, regardless of birth or even gender, might become a knight of the realm. All he needed to do was go through the rigorous knight's training to the satisfaction of the instructors and the Captain of the Guard, and then successfully complete a quest. A knight-to-be could be assigned a quest by the Captain, a decision by the instructors, or by his own father. Dex, who had thought long and hard about that very thing since deciding to become a knight, chose to find and rescue a princess. He had read many stories of the exploits of other knights, as well as the handed down tales of his own bloodline, and put in his decision to the council of instructors.

Before receiving approval, Dex had been advised that this quest, while certainly fulfilling the requirements of chivalry, honor, bravery, and all other qualities of a knight, was by its own nature, a difficult one to achieve. It relied heavily on opportunity, and could therefore be very time-consuming. The last fellow who had taken on a quest such as this had been Dex's grandmother's brother, Thionan, and he had been on the quest still when his father had died, leaving Dex's grandmother, Pernia, to ascend the throne. Prince Thionan had actually succeeded, bringing home a lovely and witty maiden named Sybil - three years after Queen Pernia began her reign. It had been a very difficult situation, remedied only by the quick wit of the new princess and the instant bond that she and Pernia had made upon Thionan's return. A small portion of the kingdom had been given over to the prince and princess, and the hereditary title of 'Thionan Prince' was given to the family. The current Captain of the Guard was, in fact, the Thionan Prince, Vari, by name.

"My esteemed teachers," Dex had said, "I understand your concerns, but as I am third prince, with my eldest brother to be crowned at Midsummer, I see no reason this quest may interfere. As third prince, I have resources and time." And nothing better to do. Dex kept that thought to himself, but the council was surely smart enough to see it for themselves. They had agreed, and Dex had left on his quest a week after his brother's coronation, with both his and their aging father's blessings.

That had been four years ago. Now twenty, Prince Dex finally had a viable lead on the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

Before leaving the last town several leagues back, he had been on high enough ground to see the dragon's castle in the distance. He even caught sight of a flying speck that was no doubt the great red dragon himself.

As dark fell, he knew he wouldn't reach the castle, so he resigned to make camp in the woods between the road he'd left earlier and the keep. He fell asleep dreaming about the beautiful princess he'd rescue.

He started early and reached the castle slightly after lunch. That morning, as he'd cleared the last of the trees, he'd seen a beautiful girl at one of the windows, briefly. He'd spurred his horse forward, invigorated by the sight. A fair maiden at the dragon's castle!

He brought the horse up short in the courtyard of the castle, and drew his sword, rushing recklessly into the entrance.

The proportions of the castle weren't terribly different from the ones of his own home, meaning the dragon couldn't be the hundred-foot-tall creature that the denizens of the last village had claimed, but he could still be quite large and easily manage the halls, doors, and rooms that Dex saw and searched.

He arrived at a large staircase, bypassed it temporarily to check the rest of the ground floor, then raced up the steps.

At the stair to the third floor, Dex was quite worn out from all the searching, and made a decision to hide out in the first room for a quick nap.

Dex heard something and rose quietly from the floor. He'd slept on the far side of a bed to be hidden from the view of anyone standing in the doorway. Birds were chirping cheerfully outside the window. Dex cursed in a knightly, but not princely, manner. He'd slept the night away in the red dragon's castle! Straightening his clothes, Dex began his search of the castle's third floor.

In a lushly and lavishly decorated room at the end of the hall, he found her: the princess stood facing out the window, the morning light framing her form in a beautiful golden glow.

"Princess?" Dex called softly. She started, turning.

"Where did you come from, young man?"

Prince Dex blinked. It had surely been a female voice, and had just as surely come from the figure before him, but she sounded like his mother. She'd even called him 'young man'. He tried shielding his eyes, to get a better look at her face. She laughed softly and stepped forward. Dex blinked again, his shoulders undeniably sagging: beautiful she was, but she was also a mature woman, not a young maiden. She laughed again.

"I'm not sure what is wrong, but you certainly look as though you've suffered a dreadful disappointment. Here," she gestured to a soft chair, "why don't you sit, and tell me how it is you came here, and what your troubles are, dear."

Dex flopped dejectedly into the chair, and the woman pulled another from a nearby vanity to join him. She patiently waited until Dex looked up and sighed.

"I came here to slay the great red dragon."

She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry to tell you, but he was slain a few years back. But why were you going to slay him?"

Dex smiled, irony in his voice. "I wanted to slay the dragon and rescue the fair maiden."

"I see," she replied, smiling, "and I am hardly a fair maiden." Dex blushed and started sputtering, but she only laughed again. "It's quite all right, good knight."

"I'm not a knight yet, this was going to be my quest to earn my knighthood."

"Oh, how efficient! Rescue a fair maiden and become a knight all at once!"

Dex frowned. "Madam, there is no need to make fun of me."

"Of course not, young sir. I am sorry. I don't get much company here, and I'm afraid it has somewhat warped my sense of humor. Would you like to hear how I came here and about the great red dragon?"

Prince Dex nodded; he was always eager for a good tale, one of the reasons he had allowed the gaffers and gammers to carry on in those small taverns. She nodded, falling quiet for only a moment before beginning her tale…