I flew into the sky and banked. I watched as Richard studied his surroundings. I could see him looking at the bushes and decided he had seen enough. I swooped low over the maze, wind whistling over my wings, and flew over him. I trailed my talons over his head, knocking him to the ground. Finally got him back for all those times he had scared me. I laughed smoke and pirouetted and dove at him again. I roared loudly and he scrambled ungracefully to his feet and, seeing that he couldn't run just yet, threw himself into the outward passage. I followed him above the maze and would dive at him when he made a wrong turn. I herded him until I felt he had been sufficiently guided and left him, turning away towards my cave.
I landed heavily. I sniffed the air and at once was on guard. The wizard was here, undoubtedly with a task for me. He walked out of the cave, holding the scale. I blew smoke at him in displeasure and watched as it revealed the shape of his shield against fire. I was pleased that he jumped though.

"Dragon," He said imperiously, "You are to abduct the Princess Diane and bring her to me in the tower."

"Which tower, you sniveling little magician?" I growled out.

He sulked at being called a magician, "The one to the north."

"No," I hissed, "You never said I was going to abduct people. I won't do it!"

"Then face your punishment," he sneered. He said a spell and I started writhing in pain. Me a dragon writhing under this weak little man's torture. When it stopped he asked, "Now, what are you going to do?"

"Capture the princess," I sighed in defeat. I meekly got to my feet, made a lazy snap at him and launched into the sky back towards the castle.

Sir Richard's P.O.V.

I was in the stable, conveniently, when the hew and cry went up that the dragon had stolen the princess. I mounted my horse and galloped out of the barn looking to the sky. There it was! It was flying westerly. I checked to make sure I had my weapons and a shield. Good; sword on hip, shield on horse and lance as well. I kicked the horse and we almost flew into the night.

Elanor's P.O.V.

I was not going to follow all of the wizards' orders even if I was going to hurt for it. I would not let this girl go unknowingly into the hands of a man who only wished to marry her against her will. Oh yes, I had figured it out. He was going to marry her and over throw the true King and Queen. I quickly found a new cave and set her limp faint form on the ground. I made the cave as comfortable as possible; lit a fire and gathered some food for her until she woke up and screamed.

"Please! Stop screaming! I am not going to eat you! I swear," I rumbled as she screamed. This made her stop.

"You're not," she gulped in fear, "not going to eat me?"

"No. That would be like cannibalism," I said in disgust, "I was ordered to capture you."

"By who?" She asked. Now that she had stopped screaming she was handling this rather well for someone who had been abducted by a dragon.

"The Court Wizard," I said untheatricly, "He wished to marry you and overthrow your parents. To bad I like your parents."

"How do you know my parents?" She asked obviously wondering how a dragon would know the King and Queen.

"You'll see in a moment," I said quietly as the sun peeked over the hills and sunlight streamed into the cave forcing me once again to become human. I stood there in front of her as Elanor. "I am Elanor."

"But, are you then not the wizard's niece and want his plan to succeed?"

"That is a lie," I snarled, very lady-like of me. "I was born in the mountains north of here and am in no way a relative of that worm," I spat out the last word. "After my mother's death he somehow got a hold of one of my scales and now forces me to do his dirty work. Like kidnapping you."

She nodded in understanding and sat across from me.

The day passed slowly, neither one of us talking or doing much more then sitting there. When night fell again I changed back and asked her to stay in the cave until I came back for her. I said, "I am going to find a way to kill that damnable wizard so that you don't have to marry him and I can go home. I beg your forgiveness for leaving you here." She said she would stay and I went out to hunt for her.

After I brought her food I flew to a close by lake to drink. I stared down at my reflection. My dragon self looked back. I hissed and splashed the water in shame. I had to find a way to break the curse the wizard held over me. I caught a whiff of something and I froze sniffing the wind. I smelled a man. I spun hissing and there stood none other then the dragon slaying Sir Richard in his armor holding his horse in check.

"I had not thought it would be so easy to find you, dragon," he said. "But, since I have—" He broke of as he spurred his horse onward and only to late did I realize he had a spear tipped lance. The lance buried deep into my right forearm and I roared in pain and it was ripped out again by his momentum. I swatted at him too slow.

I was inexperienced to actual fighting and I knew it. My greatest advantage was to get sky born. He must have realized my intent when I flung my wings up. He threw the lance like a spear and it lodged into my wing arm at the shoulder joint. I roared again and inhaled to shoot fire at him, when I remembered who I was fighting and changed my aim in mid scorch. I missed him thankfully but I still needed to get into the sky.

Wincing at the white hot pain in my wing joint, the lance was still there, I flung myself awkwardly into the air. I flew northward, in my pain, choosing the direction of my home. He followed and I knew he was able to keep up only because I flew so slowly and painfully. Every time my wings beat down the pain got worse. I could feel blood streaming down my side. My forearm wound was bleeding badly as I clutched it to my chest. I flew for hours and I began to get light head and thought I was seeing things until I realized that, yes, the sky was indeed lighting up. The sun would rise soon. But, I didn't care anymore.

I finally allowed myself the luxury of realizing my love for Sir Richard even after this. I knew I was going to die, I could feel it, my strength seeped away from me and my wings locked in weariness. I was done. Then, as the sun peeked above the horizon, I changed back into a human and plummeted like a rock down through the trees. I crashed into branches, breaking ribs and landed in a bush. I stared through the hole in the canopy above me at the sky and wondered when he would find me.