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lawchicky819Once upon a time, in the rustic kingdom of Garizia, there lived two beautiful princesses. Helena, the eldest, was fair of hair and spirit, the most agreeable child that the king and queen had ever known. Seraphina, on the other hand, was fiercely independent and far less prone to do as her parents asked. When the girls became marrying age, Helena was quickly engaged to a local nobleman. He was the first to truly court her, and was kind and loyal, and anything Helena could have asked for. They married and lived on the estate nearest the royal castle in the type of blissful existence one would expect for a regal heir.
Seraphina, on the other hand, saw her fill of suitors, and none of them met her expectations or desires. She had been courted conceited princes and boring knights, making small talk over their jousts. Seraphina was tired of the endless search for a husband, and wished her parents would stop inviting all these men to the castle. She was much more interested in exploring the kingdom, riding her horse through the fields and forests. Oftentimes, Seraphina would sneak away from the pomp and circumstance and slip into the stables to ride away. In the stable was a boy just older than she, Max, and he cared for her horse, cleaned and fed and saddled the speckled Appaloosa. As time went by, Seraphina found herself confiding in the stable boy. He was so much more knowledgeable about life outside the castle walls. Max knew yarns and off-color limericks, and he shared her curiosity about traveling the world.
As Seraphina spent more time in the stables than she did in court, her parents became concerned. Surely, she did not belong being romanced by a stable boy. One afternoon, the Queen snuck down to the stable herself to spy on her daughter, and the giddy look in each of their eyes was unmistakable. Max had to go. So, on Wednesday morning, the stable boy was fired, and an old man filled into his place. When Seraphina discovered her parents’ betrayal, she was incensed. As soon as Max was gone, she realized that she’d fallen deeply in love with him and did not want to live without him at her side. Knowing that she needed some strong magic to outsmart her parents, the princess slipped into the east wing of the castle to beg the royal apothecary for assistance.
She explained to the apothecary that he must assist her, because it was a matter of true love. Unfortunately, she did not realize that the wizard had his own agenda that fateful day, as he had just finished a potion meant to bring dragons back to the kingdom. The wizard was sure that he could raise and train young dragons to protect the realm, and that he would be a hero to all, but he needed someone to take his potion first. He took out the vial of dragon elixir and explained that Seraphina would benefit from becoming a dragon. Once she was huge and breathed fire, her parents would have no choice but to abide by her wishes, and just one kiss by her beloved would turn him, too, into a grand and miraculous beast. Seraphina imagined she and Max flying across the world on their dragon wings, able to do whatever they wished, whenever they wished. She grabbed the vial and ran out into the courtyard, swallowing its contents in one gulp.
As promised, the potion transformed the princess from her slender raven haired self into a green scaled dragon. She choked a little at the fire steaming in her belly and carefully examined all of her new parts. Seraphina was now the most intimidating figure in Garizia. At once, she set out into the village to find Max, her giant dragon feet feeling like heavy weights. The villagers who saw her gasped and hid for cover, whispering from their shadowy hiding spaces about their fear and wonder of this strange creature. Seraphina barely noticed their shock, as she was determined to find her love.
Outside of the local blacksmith, she spotted Max and ran (as quickly as she could with her awkward dragon legs) to his side. Max screamed and recoiled behind a nearby water barrel. Seraphina began to explain herself, but all that emerged from her mouth were awful growling noises and screeches. As hard as she tried to speak words to him, she couldn’t. Realizing that she was only scaring Max further with her advances, Seraphina flew away from the town heartbroken. She felt as though she’d made a horrible mistake and that Max would never be able to love her as a beast.
Seraphina perched herself in the tallest tree of the forest and began to cry. She cried for weeks, and then months, and then a full year. She cried giant, heaping dragon tears, which gathered at the bottom of the forest until they started to pool into a puddle, and then a pond, and then a whole sea. After some time, Seraphina realized that her tree was about to float away in what was literally a sea or her own tears, and so the dragon began to swim. She swam as far away as she could, wondering what she might find on the other side of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Max was perplexed. He had noticed that the dragon that approached him wore the locket of the Princess Seraphina. Max was completely smitten with the princess, and his heart had broken when the King fired him from the royal stables. After his visit from the dragon, he ran to the castle to see what had become of the princess, but by all accounts, Seraphina had disappeared. Max begged for an audience with the King, to explain that he believed the dragon had eaten the princess, but the King would not see him, as he was grieving for the loss of his daughter. So, the stable boy set out on his own to find the beast. When he realized that the dragon was flooding the forest, he began to build a boat. Plank by plank, stick by stick, Max built himself a ship that would withstand the waves of the growing sea. It took him months of work to create the vessel, working late into the night after a full day at the blacksmith shop, but finally, the boat was completed.
Max asked around the village to see if anyone else was willing to seek out the dragon, but the villagers were too afraid. Each of them gave him a tale about how the dragon had transformed into a sea monster, known for eating everything alive, and warned him that if he were unlucky enough to see its fiery eyes in the black of night, that he should sail away as quickly as possible or he would meet his master. So, Max sailed off on his own, far into the sea of tears. He sailed until he no longer saw land in any direction, and then kept on sailing. He couldn’t help thinking that Seraphina would have enjoyed this adventure with him, a thought that made him even more determined to avenge her death.
After a month at sea, Max began to lose hope. The sea was bewitching. He felt as though he’d sailed in every direction and could no longer find his way back to land, even if he wanted to. He was beginning to run out of food and supplies, and was so lost and tired, that he wondered if he had made a mistake sailing off to find the dragon.
Just as he lay lethargically across the deck of the ship, he noticed a terrible storm rolling in. Max found the energy to roll up his sails and prepare for the worst, but as the sky grew darker he became more afraid. His ship was not built to sustain a major storm. The waves began thrashing the ship in every direction, with the wind causing him to roll violently from side to side. Max feared that this was a fate far worse than the dragon could have been. In desperation and feeling they may be his final words, Max cried out for his true love. “Seraphina,” he screamed over and over.
Seraphina was coasting along the top of the sea, like a giant scaled duck. She didn’t mind the storm, because at least it made her feel something, and she let it bob her back and forth across the water like an adventure ride at an amusement park. Only, she could swear that she heard a man in the distance, and his voice sounded both familiar and fearful. She paddled closer, in order to hear him better through the wind and rain. As she neared him, Seraphina became more and more aware that the voice belonged to Max, and that he was probably in trouble in this weather. She tried to fly to him, knowing that would be fastest, but the wind was too strong. So she dove deep under the current, as quickly as she could, popping up near the distressed boat. On the boat, she found Max, clinging to the mast and shouting out her name.
Max was in awe of the giant dragon once again. He was sure this was the same beast that approached him in the village, though it was too dark and rainy to notice if she were still wearing the princess’s necklace. Initially, he grabbed for the knife in his boot, thinking that he may be able to take just one stab at it before the waves would take him down. That’s when the strangest thing happened. The dragon used its nose to gently lift him onto its back, and then sheltered him with one wing while it used the other to guide them to shore. This creature didn’t want to eat him, it was trying to save him.
They coasted to safety upon a rocky beach, as the storm passed in the opposite direction. Max wondered why this dragon would harm his princess, and yet spare his life. The dragon dropped Max at the shoreline and collapsed, resting its head against a boulder in exhaustion. Max, no longer fearing for his life, climbed on top of the boulder to get a better look at his rescuer. It was then, looking into the dragon’s eyes, that he realized his mistake. The dragon had not eaten Seraphina; Seraphina was the dragon.
Seraphina had used all of her energy to save Max. It had been a burst of adrenaline, particularly because she thought she’d never see him again. As he climbed the rocks to look at her more closely, she gazed lovingly at the future she’d never have. It was a complete surprise when Max took a moment and returned that loving gaze, and an even bigger surprise as he kneeled down and kissed her snout. At once, she saw the young man transform, much in the way she must have done herself the year prior. Max had no idea that his kiss would transform him into a dragon, but once he was over his shock, he leaned in his own long neck and wrapped it around Seraphina.
In the most unlikely of ways, Max and Seraphina had found a way to make their dreams come true. They spent the next two hundred years flying around the kingdom and beyond, often with a baby dragon or two in tow. At last, they were free.
Seraphina, on the other hand, saw her fill of suitors, and none of them met her expectations or desires. She had been courted conceited princes and boring knights, making small talk over their jousts. Seraphina was tired of the endless search for a husband, and wished her parents would stop inviting all these men to the castle. She was much more interested in exploring the kingdom, riding her horse through the fields and forests. Oftentimes, Seraphina would sneak away from the pomp and circumstance and slip into the stables to ride away. In the stable was a boy just older than she, Max, and he cared for her horse, cleaned and fed and saddled the speckled Appaloosa. As time went by, Seraphina found herself confiding in the stable boy. He was so much more knowledgeable about life outside the castle walls. Max knew yarns and off-color limericks, and he shared her curiosity about traveling the world.
As Seraphina spent more time in the stables than she did in court, her parents became concerned. Surely, she did not belong being romanced by a stable boy. One afternoon, the Queen snuck down to the stable herself to spy on her daughter, and the giddy look in each of their eyes was unmistakable. Max had to go. So, on Wednesday morning, the stable boy was fired, and an old man filled into his place. When Seraphina discovered her parents’ betrayal, she was incensed. As soon as Max was gone, she realized that she’d fallen deeply in love with him and did not want to live without him at her side. Knowing that she needed some strong magic to outsmart her parents, the princess slipped into the east wing of the castle to beg the royal apothecary for assistance.
She explained to the apothecary that he must assist her, because it was a matter of true love. Unfortunately, she did not realize that the wizard had his own agenda that fateful day, as he had just finished a potion meant to bring dragons back to the kingdom. The wizard was sure that he could raise and train young dragons to protect the realm, and that he would be a hero to all, but he needed someone to take his potion first. He took out the vial of dragon elixir and explained that Seraphina would benefit from becoming a dragon. Once she was huge and breathed fire, her parents would have no choice but to abide by her wishes, and just one kiss by her beloved would turn him, too, into a grand and miraculous beast. Seraphina imagined she and Max flying across the world on their dragon wings, able to do whatever they wished, whenever they wished. She grabbed the vial and ran out into the courtyard, swallowing its contents in one gulp.
As promised, the potion transformed the princess from her slender raven haired self into a green scaled dragon. She choked a little at the fire steaming in her belly and carefully examined all of her new parts. Seraphina was now the most intimidating figure in Garizia. At once, she set out into the village to find Max, her giant dragon feet feeling like heavy weights. The villagers who saw her gasped and hid for cover, whispering from their shadowy hiding spaces about their fear and wonder of this strange creature. Seraphina barely noticed their shock, as she was determined to find her love.
Outside of the local blacksmith, she spotted Max and ran (as quickly as she could with her awkward dragon legs) to his side. Max screamed and recoiled behind a nearby water barrel. Seraphina began to explain herself, but all that emerged from her mouth were awful growling noises and screeches. As hard as she tried to speak words to him, she couldn’t. Realizing that she was only scaring Max further with her advances, Seraphina flew away from the town heartbroken. She felt as though she’d made a horrible mistake and that Max would never be able to love her as a beast.
Seraphina perched herself in the tallest tree of the forest and began to cry. She cried for weeks, and then months, and then a full year. She cried giant, heaping dragon tears, which gathered at the bottom of the forest until they started to pool into a puddle, and then a pond, and then a whole sea. After some time, Seraphina realized that her tree was about to float away in what was literally a sea or her own tears, and so the dragon began to swim. She swam as far away as she could, wondering what she might find on the other side of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Max was perplexed. He had noticed that the dragon that approached him wore the locket of the Princess Seraphina. Max was completely smitten with the princess, and his heart had broken when the King fired him from the royal stables. After his visit from the dragon, he ran to the castle to see what had become of the princess, but by all accounts, Seraphina had disappeared. Max begged for an audience with the King, to explain that he believed the dragon had eaten the princess, but the King would not see him, as he was grieving for the loss of his daughter. So, the stable boy set out on his own to find the beast. When he realized that the dragon was flooding the forest, he began to build a boat. Plank by plank, stick by stick, Max built himself a ship that would withstand the waves of the growing sea. It took him months of work to create the vessel, working late into the night after a full day at the blacksmith shop, but finally, the boat was completed.
Max asked around the village to see if anyone else was willing to seek out the dragon, but the villagers were too afraid. Each of them gave him a tale about how the dragon had transformed into a sea monster, known for eating everything alive, and warned him that if he were unlucky enough to see its fiery eyes in the black of night, that he should sail away as quickly as possible or he would meet his master. So, Max sailed off on his own, far into the sea of tears. He sailed until he no longer saw land in any direction, and then kept on sailing. He couldn’t help thinking that Seraphina would have enjoyed this adventure with him, a thought that made him even more determined to avenge her death.
After a month at sea, Max began to lose hope. The sea was bewitching. He felt as though he’d sailed in every direction and could no longer find his way back to land, even if he wanted to. He was beginning to run out of food and supplies, and was so lost and tired, that he wondered if he had made a mistake sailing off to find the dragon.
Just as he lay lethargically across the deck of the ship, he noticed a terrible storm rolling in. Max found the energy to roll up his sails and prepare for the worst, but as the sky grew darker he became more afraid. His ship was not built to sustain a major storm. The waves began thrashing the ship in every direction, with the wind causing him to roll violently from side to side. Max feared that this was a fate far worse than the dragon could have been. In desperation and feeling they may be his final words, Max cried out for his true love. “Seraphina,” he screamed over and over.
Seraphina was coasting along the top of the sea, like a giant scaled duck. She didn’t mind the storm, because at least it made her feel something, and she let it bob her back and forth across the water like an adventure ride at an amusement park. Only, she could swear that she heard a man in the distance, and his voice sounded both familiar and fearful. She paddled closer, in order to hear him better through the wind and rain. As she neared him, Seraphina became more and more aware that the voice belonged to Max, and that he was probably in trouble in this weather. She tried to fly to him, knowing that would be fastest, but the wind was too strong. So she dove deep under the current, as quickly as she could, popping up near the distressed boat. On the boat, she found Max, clinging to the mast and shouting out her name.
Max was in awe of the giant dragon once again. He was sure this was the same beast that approached him in the village, though it was too dark and rainy to notice if she were still wearing the princess’s necklace. Initially, he grabbed for the knife in his boot, thinking that he may be able to take just one stab at it before the waves would take him down. That’s when the strangest thing happened. The dragon used its nose to gently lift him onto its back, and then sheltered him with one wing while it used the other to guide them to shore. This creature didn’t want to eat him, it was trying to save him.
They coasted to safety upon a rocky beach, as the storm passed in the opposite direction. Max wondered why this dragon would harm his princess, and yet spare his life. The dragon dropped Max at the shoreline and collapsed, resting its head against a boulder in exhaustion. Max, no longer fearing for his life, climbed on top of the boulder to get a better look at his rescuer. It was then, looking into the dragon’s eyes, that he realized his mistake. The dragon had not eaten Seraphina; Seraphina was the dragon.
Seraphina had used all of her energy to save Max. It had been a burst of adrenaline, particularly because she thought she’d never see him again. As he climbed the rocks to look at her more closely, she gazed lovingly at the future she’d never have. It was a complete surprise when Max took a moment and returned that loving gaze, and an even bigger surprise as he kneeled down and kissed her snout. At once, she saw the young man transform, much in the way she must have done herself the year prior. Max had no idea that his kiss would transform him into a dragon, but once he was over his shock, he leaned in his own long neck and wrapped it around Seraphina.
In the most unlikely of ways, Max and Seraphina had found a way to make their dreams come true. They spent the next two hundred years flying around the kingdom and beyond, often with a baby dragon or two in tow. At last, they were free.
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Date: 2020-12-21 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-22 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-23 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-24 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-27 12:57 am (UTC)I was glad they got a happy ending. :)
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Date: 2020-12-27 01:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-27 11:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-27 06:39 pm (UTC)Well done! Brava!
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Date: 2020-12-27 10:17 pm (UTC)