A new kind of princess
When the king awoke and opened his eyes, he saw: a blur of colors. Finally, when he got his eyes to focus, he realized were he was and why he was there. The beautiful creature bending at her slender waist over him and staring at him with concerned ocean-blue eyes, was Princess Arabella Silver Moon. Conrad gazed up at her for a while, and then said, "I'm sorry I can't bow to you, your majesty, but my legs won't work at the moment." "I understand entirely-what was your name, sir? "Conrad, King Conrad of Shara by the Great Mountains at your service, Princess." "Oh! Your highness! I did not know of you but through my father's talking," Arabella said falling to the floor. Conrad finally knew that his legs would hold him, got up stiffly and pulled Arabella to her feet. They gazed into each other's eyes. Something happened to them as blue met green. They sat down on the rock ledge that served as a bed, and Conrad told her why he had come and the plan that he had concocted. The talk was interrupted by pale spurt of light that Conrad took to be flames and a scratch of claws on rock from the passageway that connected to the room that they were in. The princess Silver Moon glared. "The dragon! I had no idea that he was coming back so quickly. I have a sword hidden in my room, but Talonblaze is in between my quarters and the exit to the cave right now. We can't get out that way. But I-"
"The plan will work without a sword. Now, before the dragon, Talonblaze, you called him, comes in here and finds you, hide between these two ledges and stay there until I come to get you. I'll go and alert my brother who is waiting outside to begin the plan I told you." "Why do I have to stay here? It is me he wants, anyway, and I will not be left behind like some useless child! I should be the bait. He barely knows you exist." "Well, you don't really have to stay here, but how do you plan to get out of this cave? Didn't you say that the exit to the caves are being guarded by Talonblaze?" "I know of a better way. I was planning to escape out it today. I was about to tell you, but I was interrupted. Follow me," she said with confidence. Conrad blushed as she pulled on a rock in the wall. It came loose and a rumbling filled the small cavern. Then, a doorway appeared out of the stone and swung open.
As Arabella led him through the door, Conrad couldn't help thinking that she was smarter than your average princess. Most princesses would simply scream at the mention of being caught by a dragon, or faint dead away at the mere hinting at being a dragon's bait. On the other side of the doorway Conrad saw his camp and Jeff waiting for him there. Conrad gave a blow to the ivory, sapphire inlaid whistle that was magically spelled so that only Jeff could hear it. Jeff had one that was identical, except that the stones in the whistle were rubies of the purist blood red instead of sapphire, around his neck held by a worn leather thong. His brother heard it. Jeff then proceeded to put out the campfire, which signaled that all was in place. "Come on, princess. That was the signal." Arabella looked confused. "What was all that with the whistle?" she asked, examining the expensive thing carefully. "Well," said Conrad, rolling the cylinder-shaped whistle between his thumb and forefinger. "It was a present from the court magician, Tzirincara, on our sixteenth birthday. It is enchanted so that no one else can hear it when it is blown. I think that it only works with twins, or triplets, mostly. Maybe with husband and wife," Conrad said with a meaningful glance at Arabella, who, if she saw the look, ignored it. "Yes, I know about the link between twins. So," she said, glancing at Jeff, who was waiting. "When do we get on with the plan?" "After dark," Conrad said with a wicked glint in his eye. "When Talonblaze sleeps."
When the king awoke and opened his eyes, he saw: a blur of colors. Finally, when he got his eyes to focus, he realized were he was and why he was there. The beautiful creature bending at her slender waist over him and staring at him with concerned ocean-blue eyes, was Princess Arabella Silver Moon. Conrad gazed up at her for a while, and then said, "I'm sorry I can't bow to you, your majesty, but my legs won't work at the moment." "I understand entirely-what was your name, sir? "Conrad, King Conrad of Shara by the Great Mountains at your service, Princess." "Oh! Your highness! I did not know of you but through my father's talking," Arabella said falling to the floor. Conrad finally knew that his legs would hold him, got up stiffly and pulled Arabella to her feet. They gazed into each other's eyes. Something happened to them as blue met green. They sat down on the rock ledge that served as a bed, and Conrad told her why he had come and the plan that he had concocted. The talk was interrupted by pale spurt of light that Conrad took to be flames and a scratch of claws on rock from the passageway that connected to the room that they were in. The princess Silver Moon glared. "The dragon! I had no idea that he was coming back so quickly. I have a sword hidden in my room, but Talonblaze is in between my quarters and the exit to the cave right now. We can't get out that way. But I-"
"The plan will work without a sword. Now, before the dragon, Talonblaze, you called him, comes in here and finds you, hide between these two ledges and stay there until I come to get you. I'll go and alert my brother who is waiting outside to begin the plan I told you." "Why do I have to stay here? It is me he wants, anyway, and I will not be left behind like some useless child! I should be the bait. He barely knows you exist." "Well, you don't really have to stay here, but how do you plan to get out of this cave? Didn't you say that the exit to the caves are being guarded by Talonblaze?" "I know of a better way. I was planning to escape out it today. I was about to tell you, but I was interrupted. Follow me," she said with confidence. Conrad blushed as she pulled on a rock in the wall. It came loose and a rumbling filled the small cavern. Then, a doorway appeared out of the stone and swung open.
As Arabella led him through the door, Conrad couldn't help thinking that she was smarter than your average princess. Most princesses would simply scream at the mention of being caught by a dragon, or faint dead away at the mere hinting at being a dragon's bait. On the other side of the doorway Conrad saw his camp and Jeff waiting for him there. Conrad gave a blow to the ivory, sapphire inlaid whistle that was magically spelled so that only Jeff could hear it. Jeff had one that was identical, except that the stones in the whistle were rubies of the purist blood red instead of sapphire, around his neck held by a worn leather thong. His brother heard it. Jeff then proceeded to put out the campfire, which signaled that all was in place. "Come on, princess. That was the signal." Arabella looked confused. "What was all that with the whistle?" she asked, examining the expensive thing carefully. "Well," said Conrad, rolling the cylinder-shaped whistle between his thumb and forefinger. "It was a present from the court magician, Tzirincara, on our sixteenth birthday. It is enchanted so that no one else can hear it when it is blown. I think that it only works with twins, or triplets, mostly. Maybe with husband and wife," Conrad said with a meaningful glance at Arabella, who, if she saw the look, ignored it. "Yes, I know about the link between twins. So," she said, glancing at Jeff, who was waiting. "When do we get on with the plan?" "After dark," Conrad said with a wicked glint in his eye. "When Talonblaze sleeps."