"There," Pine breathed, wiping off the crimson droplets of blood running down Eagleclaw's blade with the edge of his sleeve. The others were speechless, until Eleanor exploded in a harsh muttered tone.
"Piney! What in the world did you do that for? I was waiting for the perfect moment, but you just had to swoop in and be the hero! Now look at what you've done. The dragon's up and he's angry!"
Embarrassed, Pine handed Eagleclaw back to Eleanor, who made sure to grip it tightly.
"Now what do we do?" Gill asked fearfully.
"Since Pine woke him up by stabbing his side, you three can distract him while I go for the heart," Eleanor replied.
"But, sister, it is too dangerous to go by yourself," South persuaded.
"We've been dealing with His Royal Highness and his loyal puppets for too long. It's time we take this into our own hands."
Looking at each other, South, Gill and Pine agreed and began spreading out.
While Eleanor moved towards the front of the dragon, the other three distracted it by moving towards its flanks and making as much noise as possible. Eventually, Eleanor made her way forward to near the beast's chest, where its heart was beating rapidly. At first, she hesitated, wondering if she could really go through with it. Then, she noticed the dragon getting close to breathing fire on her friends, and took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and plunged Eagleclaw directly into the monster's chest, piercing his heart. The stunned dragon roared and began to topple over, its massive bulk coming down upon Eleanor's armor. Eleanor quickly ditched the armor, yanked Eagleclaw from the dragon's chest, and hurried to where the others stood.
With a deafening roar and the slam of a body, the dragon had been slain. Eleanor looked at Eagleclaw in her hand and threw it down, shaking, with blood covering her hands and clothing. Then, a golden glow began to illuminate the room, the blood being cleared from the entire place. The glow hovered over the dragon's corpse, and shimmering dust settled upon it. A bright light flashed, and when the group's eyes adjusted again, the dragon was gone. In its place, a young man stood dressed in royal robes, a glittering crown, and the same deep amber eyes. He came closer to them, took Eleanor's hand, and bent down on one knee. Before Eleanor could reply, the young man spoke.
"Thank you, my friends. You have broken the spell placed upon me by a wicked warlock many years ago. He transformed me into the hideous beast and charged me with guarding the treasure. If you had not killed me, I would have never been set free from my prison. Do not be afraid."
"Who… who are you?" Eleanor stammered.
The young man rose from his knee and swept into an elegant bow. "I am King Jonathan the Fifth." The group was taken aback by this news.
"But- but King Thomas claimed you were slain many years ago," Pine stated in disbelief. "How are you alive?"
"Unfortunately, surviving on human flesh is not the most enjoyable pastime, but it sustained me."
South walked towards King Jonathan and examined him. There were no marks on his body from Pine or Eleanor's attacks. "No permanent damage, thank the Lord. And here I thought magic was simply parlor tricks. Seems like anything can happen."
Gill looked outside of the cave, noting the sky.
"This is no time to celebrate. I believe that ruthless jackal King Thomas believes we are very much dead, or worse. I think we should head back to the palace and give him a taste of his own medicine," Pine suggested.
The others agreed, then started walking back down the mountain from the cave, mounting their horses once again.
King Jonathan rode behind Pine as to not be noticed.
"What about the treasure?" Gill asked. "We didn't take any of it with us when we left."
"That will be determined," King Jonathan replied calmly. "My brother will be taught a lesson for his unsatiated greed once and for all. It is a lesson he will never forget."
"You aren't going to kill him, are you, Your Majesty? I may not trust him, but he was generous enough to provide me with armor and a sword for our quest," Eleanor mentioned.
"His punishment will not be that extreme," King Jonathan reassured her.
As night began to fall, they emerged near the gates of the castle. Lambert noticed them approaching and ran from a window, calling to the guards.
"Lower the drawbridge! They've returned!"
After the drawbridge was lowered, the group entered the courtyard and began to dismount. As Eleanor dismounted from Spitfire, King Thomas approached her.
"I must say, I didn't expect you to return in one piece. I had thought you were a dragon's meal. You've all survived without a scratch. How did you do it?"
Eleanor and her friends stood in a row as King Jonathan appeared from behind them. "They had a little help," he responded with a wry smile.
King Thomas shuddered with amazement and fear.
"Brother?! I – I thought you were dead! That worthless warlock didn't kill you?! He owes me quite a large sum…"
King Jonathan came closer, making King Thomas shrink smaller into his chair. "Listen here, brother. For the crimes you have committed against me, this young woman and her friends, and the whole of your kingdom, you, that warlock, and your followers are sentenced to exile. As for the treasure, I believe it would be a suitable reward for your quest. The rest of it will be spread near and far to help your subjects pay off their debts. Guards! Take my brother and his followers away!"
The guards took King Thomas, Lambert, and his followers roughly by the shoulders, leading them away with protests. As soon as they were gone, the group filed into the throne room. King Jonathan settled onto his rightful throne as everyone filled the room.
"What do we do now?" Gill asked.
With a smile, King Jonathan waved his hand. "Now we celebrate!" Everyone rejoiced and cheered as loud as they could for their true King.