Chapter One
"BLOOOOOOOOOOM!"
The screaming that echoed off of every wall in the tower could be heard in even the furthest corners of the outlands. Everywhere that is, except up in the sky, which was where the Princess of Sparks soared high above the treetops. In the air, Princess Diaspro's words could not reach her ears, and Bloom could finally be free.
Bloom loved flying more than anything. There was a peace to it that she could not explain, a calm that washed over her as the sun warmed her scales and the ground spun beneath her. She was long overdue for a fly anyway, her bones aching as they extended and grew, the transformation from human to dragon a little more painful then it should have been. That happened when she was cooped up in the tower for too long, which for her standards, was usually longer than two days. Bloom couldn't stand spending much time with Diaspro, and the more she could abandon her prison, the better.
Of course, the view from up above – seeing where the rivers bent and the valleys dipped - was far worth the price of dealing with the spoiled princess. Bloom could have spent whole days in the sky if her body would let her. However, even as a dragon, her body could only take so much.
But she had hours to worry about that. She had only just taken off, jumped out the window as soon as Diaspro had noticed that Bloom had used her favorite gown as a pillow the night before. She didn't regret it though; if Diaspro would just share the bed instead of making her sleep on the stone floor, things like that wouldn't happen.
Bloom dipped to the right, skimming the edge of the border that separated her from the rest of the kingdom. Her hind claw burned slightly, but not enough to cause any real pain, which was a warning for her to turn around. She had not yet had the nerve to venture past the barriers set for her, but if the pain of getting near the edge was a substantial burn, she was not willing to test what pain awaited her should she attempt to cross.
For many years, she dared to dream of what the land beyond looked like. She had asked all her guards, her messengers, even wrote her parents when she was younger and they actually responded to her letters, but despite all their descriptions, the idea still evaded her. The land beyond was something unobtainable, something too great for her to be a part of, and so she eventually settled on resenting it. Bloom resigned herself to the idea that she would be trapped in the outskirts forever, so she might as well learn to love it.
And she did. Bloom appreciated the beauty of her land. More than anything she loved the solitude. Out here, no one questioned a giant dragon flying around the land. Well, no one that lived to tell the tale…That aspect of her character had garnered her quite a bit of infamy over the years, and also contributed to the solitude. See, no one wanted to venture to a land where a dragon would eat you whole, so no one ever came.
And Bloom liked it that way.
She flew and flew until her wings grew tired of carrying her and the sun hanging low on the horizon. She had been gone most of the day and hadn't even noticed it, not like Diaspro would mind at all. Bloom was confident that she enjoyed having the tower to herself just as much as Bloom enjoyed her afternoon flies.
Her regular changing site came into view, just across one of the rockier ravines, just before the mouth of the Great Forest. It would take her days to walk back from there, but not if she just stopped for a rest and flew her way back in a few hours. Her night vision wasn't the best, but it was better than coming back in the morning and greeting a very cranky Diaspro.
Her landing was heavy, and the surrounding trees shook at the impact. As she settled, she folded her wings down, initiating the change back to human. She curled into herself, her tail shrinking back into her body, her wings molding down to her back, and the spikes down her spine retreating into her skin. Her muscles bent and snapped back into place, her joints aching as everything was shoved back into place. There was always a pleasant burn that lingered after flying, like she had just run a mile or climbed a tall tree.
And, of course, she was completely naked.
Bloom learned early on, after shredding a few dresses, was that scales and spines did not agree with silk and velvet. But years of transformations had perfected her system. When she took off, she made sure not to wear anything she'd miss – or nothing at all – and she'd taken to leaving a basket full of spare clothes at her normal landing site, behind a nearby boulder to ensure her privacy.
She made her way to that same boulder and pulled out the basket from where she'd camouflaged it. Though there were very few people, there were animal scavengers around that could steal her things, and it never hurt to be careful. The tunic inside was simple cotton – she hadn't been wearing silk or velvet in a very long time – with a pair of her older boots and a cape. Nothing special, but she thanked past her for giving her something comfortable to change into. Her skin liked to chafe sometimes after being scaly for long periods of time, and there was nothing worse than the burn of coarse fabric.
She pulled up her wild mess of hair so it was out of the way while she changed. She pulled up the britches first, making sure that they were secure before reaching for the tunic. It was then when she heard the sound of twigs snapping, and the whinny of a horse if she was not mistaken. Her heart started racing, and she immediately started assessing the threat.
"Who's there!" Bloom shouted from behind the boulder. There was scuffling off in the distance, and her fury grew. How dare someone try to spy on her when she was changing! The nerve of some people! Well, she was not going to take it; no one was going to try and sneak up on her, so she clutched her tunic to her chest and came out of her hiding place to face her attacker head on. She knew how to be scary, and she had the power to attack should she need to.
"Go away!" she roared, startling the men who were standing not ten feet from where she was.
"Forgive me, milady, I did not know that there were any natives to these parts," one of the strangers said as he dipped into a bow.
This man wore fancy clothes stitched in silver and gold with a blue tunic covering his armor. His hair was blonde and his eyes a clear blue. The other man was shorter and stockier, with tanned skin, darker hair, and not nearly as much finery. They seemed genuinely harmless, but Bloom did not like strangers and had a deep distrust for them. Wayward travellers usually ended up becoming her afternoon snacks, though she had yet to attack these men.
"Well there are," Bloom snapped at him, pulling the tunic closer to her chest to cover her indecency. "What do you want?"
"I am Prince Sky of Eraklyon," he introduced himself, gesturing back behind him to the other man leading a white horse. "My squire and I have travelled a long way in search of a tower."
Ah, so this was the rumored Prince Sky who had come to rescue her and Diaspro. Well, one of them, at least. He certainly lived up to the romantic images she had been told by the guards who dropped off her monthly supplies, but he was still a man, and he had yet to do anything to impress her. By the looks of him, she would be surprised if he could even make it through the Great Forest before giving up his quest.
But still, she played along, pretending to be ignorant that what he searched after had been her home for the past years.
"A tower?"
"Yes, a tower that holds the most beautiful princess in all the lands. Tell me, kind lady, have you heard of such a tower?" Prince Sky asked, like he was recalling a wonder. Bloom felt badly for him; when he saw the tower with his own two eyes – and the 'beautiful princess' that dwelled inside…well, maybe he'd reconsider.
"I have," Bloom said with certainty, playing with the Prince. She watched as his face lit up with childlike enthusiasm, and she almost felt bad for goading him. Almost.
"Truly?" he asked, and Bloom nodded. "Then would you be willing to be our guide? It would mean the world to me."
"You'd be better off turning around and going back to your palace," Bloom sneered at his eagerness. If only the poor fool knew what Diaspro was really like. She had half a mind to eat the man now to put him out of his misery. "It's a treacherous journey. Not many make it back alive."
"Please, you must help me," the prince begged, reaching into his tunic. "I will make it worth your while."
He held out a silk coin purse that was nearly bursting at the seams. Bloom could practically smell the gold that lied inside, and her nose crumpled in offense.
"You think that is of any use to me?" she asked, her discontent clear, and the Prince looked dumbstruck. It was clear to Bloom that he was used to getting his way, and he was scrambling now to find a way to get it again.
"I will give you anything, anything at all," the Prince pleaded, and Bloom was certain that if she let the poor man go on any longer, he would fall to his knees and grovel at her feet. It was pitiful.
"You truly are desperate, aren't you?" she asked, amazed that he would go to such lengths to retrieve a woman he had never even laid eyes on before.
"Yes," the Prince replied sincerely, and Bloom believed him.
The poor man, he had no idea what was in store for him. Clearly she had to help him…
Or did she?
What was more important: helping the Prince find his 'one true love' or eating the pretty fool to spite Diaspro? After all the years being the girl's punching bag, Bloom found that her primal sense of revenge was winning over the concept of love. She wanted to make Diaspro miserable for the rest of her life. It was only fair. Besides, it wasn't like Bloom wasn't used to munching on a random passerby or two; they all looked the same…mistaking the Prince as another vagabond wouldn't be too far a stretch. And no one would miss him, not if the whole kingdom knew he was going on a dangerous journey through uncharted lands. He would die a hero. Everyone wins…except Diaspro.
Perfect.
"Then I will take you," Bloom told the Prince, and if he looked any more overjoyed, she swore he would burst from joy. "But send your squire back now; the more people that go on this journey, the less likely we are to return. And you must promise not to stray from the path I take, unless you want to meet a gruesome death."
"I will entrust you with my life, so that you can lead me to my love," the Prince responded, and for a moment Bloom thought that the man might actually embrace her out of gratitude. Thankfully for him, he did not, for if he had, she would have taken back her word and devoured him on the spot.
"Good," Bloom replied, and tried not to gag at his semantics. "Now go away so I can finish getting dressed."
"Oh, of course," the Prince replied, his face flushing in embarrassment. "My apologies."
Bloom shooed him off before she went back behind the boulder to finish dressing. She threw her tunic on over her head, tied up the strings at her bust, and pulled her cloak across her shoulders, putting on her boots and tying the laces up tight last. Her basket was now empty, and she hoped that the Prince didn't question why she carried it with her.
When she reappeared, the Prince was conversing with his squire. Clearly the squire did not like the idea of leaving his master alone with a stranger, but the Prince appeared to be winning the argument. There was lots of gesticulating, and at one point, the horse got worked up and appeared to protest as well. Bloom was growing impatient, but thankfully the squire turned around and started making his way back from where he came.
The Prince approached Bloom, a spring in his step that told her that he ready to begin questing.
"My squire has agreed to wait for us at the borderlands. Should we not return in a week's time, he shall send word to Eraklyon to send in troops to aid in our recovery."
Bloom tried to mask her distaste at the idea of strange men invading her territory. She had hoped that the squire would just leave like he was commanded to. However, one pesky traveller should not be a problem to take care of should things take a turn for the worst.
"You and your love should be united by the week's end, you have my word," Bloom said in the sweetest voice she could muster, and the Prince visibly relaxed. It was evident that he placed a great deal of trust in Bloom despite only knowing her for a few minutes, and that only made her job easier.
"You have no idea what kind of service you are doing me, my lady," the Prince said, the honesty in his voice disarming. It startled Bloom, but she did not let his pretty smile get to her. She had never shown travellers preference before; she would not start now.
She turned sharply on her heel and headed off towards the thick growth of forest. She would lead him through the forest, far enough in so that he could see the tower in detail, and then she would stray to the desert plains where she would feast on him for days. Even the idea alone was thrilling. More thrilling would be the rush of joy she would get when she told Diaspro that her one and only chance at escape was resting in the bottom of her belly.
Ah, yes, revenge would be sweet.
"Follow me, Your Highness," she instructed, and in the next moment the man was at her back, tracing her every step.
Together, they walked into the trees, starting off on a journey that neither one could predict.
