Picking herself up and dusting herself off, Princess Fiona turned to look into the dim setting of her new home. The winged woman had mysteriously left without a word.
Grabbing her suitcases, Princess Fiona pulled them along as she trudged into the tower with a heavy heart. Reaching the center of the room, she stopped when she heard an odd flapping noise behind her. She turned to see a crow sitting on the stone floor. Its caw echoed throughout the room.
"Begone, wretched bird!" Princess Fiona shouted. "I'm already upset, I don't need your diseases! Shoo!"
When the bird wouldn't shoo, she grabbed onto a chunk of charcoal the size of her fist and chucked it at the bird. Satisfied when it flew away, she turned and continued to drag her suitcases through the eerie stone room.
She hadn't gotten much further when there was another flapping noise behind her. She turned in exasperation, but saw nothing. Hearing it again, she looked up. Still nothing. Nothing but a missing roof. What a creepy place. Why couldn't they have put her in a secret underground tunnel, with hidden treasure and a stream?
She turned back and jumped in shock at the dragon before her. It was a little smaller than herself, but no less frightening. "Who are you supposed to be, my bodyguard?" Princess Fiona asked. She had only intended to speak sarcastically, as she had done with the crow; so when the dragon nodded its head, it was quite a surprise. "Oh," she said, completely flustered. "You breathe fire, right?"
Again, the dragon nodded.
"Good. Maybe you can roast us some dinner. I'm starving."
The dragon snorted in response.
"Hello, you'll be protecting me for many years. You might as well be nice."
The dragon made a different noise, which sounded suspiciously like a groan; then turned and stomped away a few feet before opening its wings and flying out of the castle.
Turning, Princess Fiona noticed a tunnel sloping upwards. It turned a corner, hiding the rest of the hallway behind a large, circular wall. Pulling her suitcases into the hallway, she was stopped when one of the suitcases hit the wall, and would not fit past it. She turned her fist sideways so that the suitcase also turned sideways; and without further problems she ascended the sloping tunnel. It was like a hall, she realized, but creepy and quiet.
It took awhile, but she finally reached the top. The door she found was closed, but not all the way; and upon pushing it open she found a room that was both big and cozy; both beautiful and creepy. There was a cot pushed underneath a window, which had no glass and overlooked the scary lava pit. She could still hear it from how high up she was.
Shuddering, she sat on the cot. It was hard, and there were no blankets; but at least the pillow was soft. Well, sort of. It was sort of like a rock, covered in an inch of feathers.
She swung her luggage up onto the bed and began taking stuff out. Her crown, which she placed on her head; Felicia the feline, which she placed on her pillow, and her clothes, which would go...
There was no closet, she realized. She leaned it against the cot and lay back on the bed; cold, hungry, tired, and above all, lonely. Without taking her eyes from the round stone roof, she let her hand trail up to unpin the curtains. They fell to conceal the dismal room, and she felt her spirits lift.
How long did she have to stay up here? She should have asked. Or...was it better to not know?
Angry and crushed, she closed her eyes and thought of her parents; of every memory she had of them, up until tonight, of course. She listened to the faint noise of the lava and the screeching wails of the birds.