A/N: This story is a bit of a re-write. When I was very young, I saw a short cartoon that was a basic fairy tale. It was kind of Repunzel in reverse. I've decided to mix this with some celtic origions, which I will explain at the end of the story. This story is short, so it is a one shot, but nevertheless, I hope is an enoyable story.

the Celtic Princess

'It is he who, blazing, seeks burial grounds,

He, the smooth, spiteful dragon that flies through the night,

Enveloped in flame; all men fear him greatly'

Beowolf

There was once upon a time a princess who lived in a castle with her father and mother, and her name was Diana. Now, unlike many princesses, Diana was very cunning and intelligent, as well as fair as any princess one could meet. She had long brown hair to her waist and always wore the nicest things.

Now Diana had a mass yerning to read and study, and in her life had learned a lot about magic. Some viewed her as a witch, but many reveered her as a powerful princess who helped those in need. In her possession were three artifacts she had found that were of celtic origin, and for this, she was known as the Celtic Princess to many. One of these items was the ring of truth she gained from a wise owl; a simple silver ring with woven bands. The second was a golden torc with a pearl set in a simple broach. This was known as the broach of communication, which allowed Diana to talk and listen to anyone or anything, be they human, animal, awake, asleep or even unconcious. This gift she had recieved upon a journey to the mountains of fire. The last was a comb that allowed the wearer to recall anything the wearer knew. This comb was given to her by a salmon whom she had recued from suffocation on the shores of a river.

Now it was coming upon the Princesses sixteenth birthday, and henceforth time for her to marry. But for the many suitors that came to woo her, she turned them all away. No gift they presented interested her, nor could they stimulate her intellect or sense of adventure. But one day, a slightly older man came to the palace in search of the princesses' hand.

"Greetings sir," said the Queen as the man approached the throne. "Who are you and where have you come from?" she asked.

"I am Claude of the Highlands, and I wish to ask for the Celtic Princess in marraige." Now Claude was a very pale man, but had hair and eyes as black as midnight. Diana, who was present, did not turn him away immediutely, but looked at him.

"What have you to offer me?" Diana asked.

"I offer the Princess whom knows so much a request, that she may ask for something and I shall grant it to her, whatever it may be, for my knowedge of magic shall see it done," Claude answered.

Diana, who was not surprised this man could perform spells, thought for a moment. "Travel to the far away Mountains of Fire, where dwells the fire dragons of sacred power. Bring to me a cloak of a dragon's hyde that will grant me advanced knowledge, and I shall be yours in wedlock." Diana looked at Claude, awaiting him to be stunned or cry in protest. But when he did not, Diana grew instantly distrustful of the man who had come a-courting.

"Very well my Princess, it shall be done," and with a bow of respect, Claude exited the palace and rode away.

"Diana," said he father, "what are you thinking sending a man to the Mountains of Fire," he dammanded.

"Claude claims to know magic, but even there, very little will protect him from the continuous flow of lava, nor is there any magic known that can slay a dragon of ancient knowledge. This is a true test for someone of his power and stature. And the Fire Dragons do not deal well with those who would try to harm them," Diana explained. Unable to change the situation, the King resigned himself to accept her explanation.

Diana returned to her studies of magic and politics, thinking she had seen the last of Claude, but a week later, he returned. Sure enough, he had the cloak and before the King and Queen presented it to Diana.

"My dear Princess Diana, here is the cloak of knowledge you so requested. I now ask for your hand in marraige as agreed," Claude said as he handed the cloak to Diana. Taking it, she examined it for a few moments and then grew angry. Storming over to the fire place, everyone watched her in wonder.

"Here's what I think of your cloak," she yelled, throwing it onto the fire. After a few moments, the flames caught and the claok burned to ash. Claude was mcuh outragged.

"My ring of truth told me from the beginning that you were false, so I tested you with an impossible task. You confirmed my suspicions when you said it shall be done. The instant you handed me the cloak I knew it was false, for I have felt true dragon hyde and you have made me a cloak of dead snakes," she explained in a fury.

"Insolent witch," Claude snapped. He held up a hand with a gold ring on it set with a yellow stone. There was a puff of smoke and both he and Diana were gone.

A few hours later, Diana awoke to find herself in a tower room. There was little there but a table, chair, bed and toilet. Going to the window, she looked out to see she was in the middle of no land she recognised.

"Princess," called Claude from below. looking down, Diana percieved Claude mounted upon his horse. "You are in the tower of many doors, where no man has escaped. I will not permit you to leave until you agree to marry me," he called.

"No, I will not allow a man so false to rule my kingodom." Diana called down.

"Very well, you shall stay up there until you agree to marry me," Claude called, and rode away swiftly. Diana, not to be dismayed by her present situation, went to the door to the tower room and tried it. to her surprise, it opened easily. Taking her hair comb, she brushed her hair and recalled what she knew about the tower of many doors. Sure enough, it was a bespelled place that sorcerers and witches used to trap people until they got their way. The passages would lead in circles or back on themselves to insure that no one could find their way out. Diana began walking through the many halls and corridors. Most of the rooms she tried were either empty, had skeletons sitting at tables or lying in bed, or were locked. After a few days of trying, Diana began to grow impatient. But every day, Claude would come to the tower and call to her until she answered. Each day he would ask if she would marry him and each day she told him that no trecherous snake would be her husband nor king of her land.

Thinking hard, Diana decided to use some of her magic to start mapping the tower. Every room that was empty, she placed a circle and a number upon the door with a simple spell that made whatever she traced on a surface appear in chalk. Each room that had a skeleton she marked with a cross and a number, and each door that was adorned with furniture she placed a square and a number. It did not surprise Diana to discover that the doors often changed on whether or not they were locked. After another day of wandering around, she finally found a flight of stairs that led to a lower level. she marked the doors at the top and bottom with an arrow pointing in the direction the stairs went, and started on the next floor.

After a few hours, Diana was surprised to open a door and find someone inside the room. Lying on the bed was what she for a moment thought was a large wooly animal. But on closer inspection she saw it was a man who had let hs beard and hair grow to extraordinary lengths. Listening, she heard the man was asleep and counting in between snores. How long he had been there she did not know, but he had reached numbers so high that she could not write them down.

Touching the mans forehead with one hand and her golden torc of communication with the other, she spoke to the mans mind.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Prince Tristan." he answered before listing another number.

"Why are you counting in your sleep?" she questioned.

"I have been cursed to count until I reach a number not thought of by man." Tristan answered.

"You must awaken from this curse," Diana explained, knowing that it would not be that long before he dreamed the cursed number.

"But I can't," he said. Diana sighed to herself.

"Just start counting backwards," she said. As she said, this, the snoring figure repeated the number he had just said, and then started counting backwards. Sighing with frustration, she spoke to him again. "Start from one hundred or you will never get there," she told him. The snoring figure of Tristan then started from one hundred after a few tries and then started counting backwards. Diana waited patiently until he reached zero. Stretching and yawning, Prince Tristan awoke.

"My goodness, how long have I been here, and how my hair and beard have grown," he looked down at his hands, and then went to a water basin to see his face. "Yet I don't seem to have aged a day."

"Who cursed you to this horrid life?" Diana asked.

"A man named Claude. He wished to learn of the location of my family's ring of power, but I would not tell him. Oh how my parents must be worried about me."

"Never mind, we need to escape the tower," Diana exclaimed.

"How will we do that?" Tristan asked.

"Follow me," Diana answered, leading him to the window. Picking up his long beard and hair, she tossed it out of the open window and it reached the ground. Rubbing his head and face, Diana made sure that there would be no pain to Tristan upon her decent. Taking hold of his bear and hair, she climbed down the outside of the tower. Just as she got to the ground, Claude came around the corner of the tower and was much surprised to see her.

"How is this possible?" he demanded.

"I simply called animals to me to donate their hair and bespelled it into a usefull climbing rope," Diana said, indicating what was really Tristans long hair and beard. Believing her trick, Claude grabbed it and gave a hard pull, wanting to take the hairs away for his magical spells. But as he pulled much too hard, Prince Tristan came tumbling down out of the tower right on top of Claude, who was crushed. Tristan, however, was unharmed.

"Let us go Tristan, for I think Claude's horse can help us get home," she said, taking Tristan and helping him into the saddle. Using her torc of communication, Diana spoke gently to the horse, who promised to take her back to her kingdom, for it knew all the lands it had travelled.

Upon arriving home, the King and Queen were overjoyed to see Diana again, and made welcome Prince Tristan, who had enetertained Diana upon their journey home and kept her interest.

"Mother, Father, I wish to marry Prince Tristan," Diana said, for she long ago offered.

Sending envoys to Tristan's country to see him safely home, it was quickly organised and agreed to marry them and form a union of their contries. After a much needed shave and haircut, Tristan took Diana to meet his parents where the marraige was made official and the ceremonies began, and the two of them lived happily together until the end of their days.

A/N: While the ring and comb Diana wears is fictional, the Dragon she sends Claude after is from the Celtic belief of the Fire Dragon (Draig-teine). The Fire Dragon was a vision of Uther (King Arthur's father) and it was foretold he would be king. The Fire Dragon since passed down to be a symbol of power.

However, the Fire Dragon is also translated as the guardian of the Druid location of Glastonbury Tor. This location was important for initiation, but was also said to be the home of ledgedary dragons, or the Fire Dragon. In this place it guarded its treasure from greedy theives and rewarded those who are worthy. In this instance, Diana recieved one of her torc from the dragon, which is why she knows of its nature, and because she would do good with her gift the dragon gave her. She also knew it would kill Claude for he was not worthy. This trick, which Claude fell for, is why she knew the cloak was a fake.

The Fire Dragon translates as a symbol of Transmutation, Mastery, Energy, Leader/Rulership, Power. It's symbol is the golden torc.

The poem at the beginning was written from tradition and in honour of the Fire Draogn.