Short Stories and poems

A Dragon's Princess

A Princess makes a pretty bold statement near a Dragon.

Dormaz glided onto the ridge overlooking the water pools. He then curled himself up, and instinctively used his scale camouflage, to make himself look like a collection of boulders, in the general shape of a curled up dragon. It was a favorite spot of his to rest and digest his meals, like the two deer currently in his second stomach. It was also a favorite spot for another reason.

Princess Alecia road her horse, cautiously picking her route along the path. There’d been heavy rain, and she didn’t want to risk her mount by stepping in a hole that had appeared. Soon, she came upon the collection of water holes. Dismounting, she tied her horse to a tree, not that she needed to. She then removed her clothes, placed them in a sack on her horse, walked over to one of the warmer pools, stepped into the warm water, sat down, and began to relax, as she looked at a collection of rocks that looked like a dragon. There was something about them, as if they were watching over her, protectively.

Dormaz watched the princess in silence. He wanted to talk to her, but what does one say to a princess, especially one that they’d been watching using the pools over the last few months. It had been an accident at first, with him taking a nap after a hunt, when she’d showed up to indulge in the hot spring she’d heard of. From what he could read, there was plenty on her mind, especially the one known as Prince Robert. From what he could read, and from his own searches on the prince in question, Prince Robert was a conqueror that took over various towns and such – he wasn’t even a prince, more of a bandit lord. Still, he had quite the large army, and was threatening, basically, war with the area ruled by Princess Alecia’s father, who was a decent king, all things considered, unless Alecia was wedded to Robert, which would all but legitimize his power. Worse than that, due to Robert’s stranglehold on the area, the king was considering it, out of desperation for his peoples’ safety. Even worse, so was she.

Alecia sat in the warm pool, trying to calm her mind. Her father had told her what he was faced with – either watch many innocent people suffer, or for the two of them to suffer. It was a hard choice – either Robert would continue to terrorize the people, or she’d be his bride. They had no money to raise an army, and while there were those willing to fight, they were either too few, or inexperience. She looked up at the stones. “It’s too bad that you are a pile of stones in the shape of a dragon, and not a real one. I’d gladly offer myself as a sacrifice, if you’d get rid of Robert for me.”

Dormaz almost opened up both sets of eyelids at this, and not just his inner ones. It was rather clear that Alecia was desperate if she was willing to make such an offer. Internally, he frowned. He had a horde of gold and gems. He didn’t know what it would equal in terms of money, as he didn’t have anything he could use to compare the weight of the gold and such, but maybe it could help the king get his army. Maybe he could use it to –

That was when he heard another sound, that of several horses. At least a dozen, if not more, coming along the same path that Alecia had used. That was when he sensed the presence of another dragon, but something felt wrong about it. He then noticed that Alecia seemed to hear something, as she got out of the pool, and dashed to her horse, just as a group of men showed up.

“Well, what do we have here?” the leader asked, with a certain tone in his voice, that set Dormaz on edge. “Looks like one of the finest treasures in all the land – a naked princess, all ready to be mine.”

“I’d rather be eaten by a dragon than marry you,” said Alecia.

There was a certain chuckle, one that was rather predatory, that escaped the man’s throat. “That can be arranged.”

It was then that Dormaz knew what was going on, in a number of ways. “Indeed it can!” he said, as he stood up, scales reverting to their more normal green color, startling most of the men below.

Alecia looked up at the once-stone dragon.

“I accept your offer,” the dragon said, as it swooped down. It then snatched her, and sent her down its throat, into its stomach.

Alecia tried to struggle, as she felt movement around her. There was another sound, that of a horse. Was she but an appetizer?

“No, you are not,” the dragon’s voice said, in her head. “I’m rescuing you.”

“And the horse?”

“That’s yours. One moment.” There was some muttering. “There.”

“What did you do?” Alecia asked.

“A calming spell, fogs the mind up enough for them to not feel fear,” the dragon said.

“Why aren’t you using it on me?” Alecia asked.

“Because I don’t want to cast the spell on you while you’re in my holding stomach,” the dragon said. “I’ve done it to a deer before, one that was just thrashing around in my holding stomach, but unfortunately, my holding stomach instead opened to my digesting stomach –the deer did a whole lot of thrashing then!”

“So, you’re not planning on turning me into your meal?” Alecia asked.

“I’d rather not,” said the dragon. “There are consequences for dragons that just eat people without a good reason. If you were dead or mortally injured, that might be one thing, but I don’t plan on intentionally harming you.”

“So, this was a rescue, right?” Alecia asked.

“Yes,” the dragon said. “I know what the one you know as Prince Robert actually is, although I’ve never seen one myself.”

“What do you mean?” Alecia asked.

“You’ve heard the phrase, ‘You are what you eat’?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a dragon, that was forced to take on the race of the last person he unlawfully ate,” the dragon said. “A human.”

“What do you mean?” Alecia asked.

“Never seen it for myself, but if a dragon is eating other sapient beings for reasons beyond mere survival, or self-defense, or to punish those under a death sentence, and they get caught by other dragons, that dragon is punished by being turned into the race of the last person that they ate,” the dragon said. “They are called The Punished. They keep their memories, but they are restricted to being in that form, unable to shift out of it. Every dragon knows what they are.”

“So, why did you go after me, and not him?” Alecia asked.

The dragon sighed. “There’s a curse, if you will. The First Punished managed to cast a spell that would protect them, and their ilk, from being harmed by other dragons, in any shape or form. I could tie a heavy boulder to him, drop him in the deepest part of the ocean, only for them to float to the surface and make their way to shore. I could do whatever I wanted – even send him into my digestive stomach – and he’d survive. So, for me to kill him, I would need someone else to wield the blade to slit his throat, for while under that punishment, he’s just as human as you.”

“So, why was he after me?” Alecia asked.

“The first Punished put in an escape clause – if they could mate with a pure offspring of a tribe’s leader, one of the same race as the form they’d been turned into, and put their seed in them, or have the pure one put their seed in them, they’d become a dragon again,” the dragon said. “As for the meaning of pure, the chieftain’s offspring must not have had sex before.”

Alecia’s eyes widened at this. “I see. He wants to use me to regain his true form.”

“That’s correct,” the dragon said. “I’m Dormaz, by the way.”

“Alecia.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Dormaz. “I would of preferred working up the courage to talk to you normally, but I’m just not that used to talking to humans, especially those that strip naked in front of me.”

“I thought that you were a pile of rocks,” said Alecia, as she found a more comfortable position to lay in. “I probably would have picked a different spot if I’d known.”

“Well, it’s nice to sense that you’re becoming more relaxed inside of me,” said Dormaz. “I’m heading to my cave – some of my servants can clean you off and such, while others send out messages to others that Robert has terrorized. I have plenty of gold and gems – might be able to get you that army you need.”

“So, what are you planning to do with me?” Alecia asked, as a number of thoughts went through her mind. Some were less than innocent.

Dormaz chuckled. “I’d only take your virginity if you really wanted me to, or if it was the only way to make sure that Robert doesn’t escape his punishment.”

“So, you can read my mind?” Alecia asked.

“I can,” said Dormaz. “Impolite, but you were doing enough heavy thinking these last few months, it was hard to hard to ignore. I like looking over your more pleasant thoughts, like when you were learning how to ride a horse, with your father beside you.”

Alecia smiled, as she thought about those easier times.

“Yes, those are the thoughts that I enjoy the most,” said Dormaz. “Good thoughts make hard times easier to bare.”

Alecia chuckled nervously. “So, what all do you know about me?”

“Your mind is like a book to me, and I know all the good times, the funny times, the sad times, and the bad times,” said Dormaz. “I enjoy looking through it as you think. Normally, I don’t delve too deep, unless I want to learn the context behind certain things, as that’s really rude to do to those who can’t protect their minds from such intrusions. For that, you have my apologies, and I’ll see to it that you are compensated.”

“So, you’re going to help me,” said Alecia. “I don’t know how to pay you.”

“You made an offer – that you’d sacrifice yourself to me, to get rid of Robert,” said Dormaz.

Alecia gulped, as she thought about those words. She’d been willing to give herself over to a dragon, if that could get rid of Robert. The dragon had accepted the offer when he swallowed her.

“That being said, I’m willing to negotiate the terms of said sacrifice,” said Dormaz. “As I’ve told you, I have plenty of gold and gems – I can afford to pay a bride-price, and claim you as my mate.”

“You, want to marry me?” Alecia asked.

“If it makes you feel better, I do hold a title among dragons, a pair of them,” said Dormaz. “They equate to Protector of the Virgin and of Marriage in your language. Not as impressive as prince, king, or emperor, but they have been passed down for generations, ever since my one ancestor saved a chieftain’s daughter from being deflowered by a Punished one.”

“How did he do that?” Alecia asked.

“It’s a long story, but as you can imagine, it’s hard to deflower one that’s no longer a virgin,” said Dormaz. “There was a warrior of another tribe, a chieftain’s son, who was promised to this woman. My ancestor was a friend of both of their fathers, and had supported the union. A Punished tried to crash the ceremony, to get at the woman, to become a dragon once again. However, despite being stuck in the body of a human, they were formidable in terms of strength, and magic. Few could stand before them. My ancestor took the pair, placed them in a room with a bed, and told them to get to having sex right away, while he finished the rest of the ceremony, as he knew the ritual. He then reverted to his dragon form, and he spoke the words that would lawfully bind the pair as husband and wife, while keeping the Punished out of the room. Mind you, he couldn’t harm the Punished, but he was big enough to block the hallway to keep the Punished from getting to the pair as they consummated the union. Well, the warrior must have been in a state of readiness, because soon, the Punished released a roar of anger when the scent of the woman changed from that of a virgin, to that of one that has had sex at least once. The warrior then told my ancestor to unblock the door, so my ancestor shifted into their human form, the warrior came out, and managed to slay the Punished while they were still distracted at this upset. After that, my ancestor, whose body was so badly disfigured, by such means that his injuries carried over between forms, was given the titles by the now married pair. Family lore claims that he said that he’d willingly pay such a price again, if it meant that it would keep those he loved safe.”

“What sort of injuries did he sustain?” Alecia asked.

“He lost his eyes, wings, front right limb, and a few others, like the ability to reproduce,” said Dormaz. “Luckily, he’d already had a number of offspring by then. The titles were the only thing that the pair could give him as any form of payment at the moment, but they were given freely, so they are treasured more than gold or gems.”

“So, you’re protecting my virginity,” said Alecia. “That’s nice to know.”

Dormaz chuckled. “Well, saving it for myself, but you did make the offer, and I’ve altered it to be less of a life sacrifice, and more of a marriage proposal. “

“So, can you change forms?” Alecia asked.

“I can make myself look like a human for when we mate,” said Dormaz. “I’m also willing to wait, until you are ready. That being said, us dragons are very open in our relationships – if there’s a human that you’d prefer over myself, I’ll let you be with them.”

“You’re saying that I could be with another male, instead of you?” Alecia asked.

“After you and I mate first, you can,” said Dormaz. “Is that more to your liking?”

“I suppose so,” said Alecia.

“Good, now be careful,” said Dormaz. “My cave is ahead, and I’ll be landing soon, after I set your horse down.”



Dormaz glided down, slightly awkwardly, due to the multiple cargos he had. Carefully, he set the horse down near the cave, before he landed himself. Immediately, smaller lizard creatures came out of the cave.

“Home a little earlier than normal, Master,” the one said. “What’s with the horse? Is that dinner? You know that we’re not fans of horsemeat.”

“It belongs to a Guest,” said Dormaz. “Said Guest will need to be cleaned up.”

The lizard creature nodded. “Understood, Master.”

“Good,” said Dormaz. “I’m going to bring her up now.”



Alecia had heard the conversation between Dormaz and whomever he was speaking to. Next thing she knew, there was a certain amount of pressure around her, as she was pushed upwards, and along the same passage she’d entered the dragon. She soon saw the outside world, and was carefully held and helped out of the throat by a bunch of smaller lizard creatures. She realized that these were kobolds. Soon enough, they gently laid her on the ground, and stepped a few paces away, so that she could stand up. She then watched as Dormaz entered the cave, leaving her with the smaller reptilians.

“Please, come with us, so that you can get cleaned up,” the one said. “I’m Groz, leader of the Master’s servants.”

Alecia followed after him, the others following after, some taking care to try to bring her horse in, which seemed to be nervous now. She gave a whistle, which made up the horse’s mind, to follow after her.

Groz led her to a pool, one that was of the sort she’d been enjoying. “You might want to rid yourself of Master’s belly smell,” they said. “We have a cool one as well.”

“Um, thank you,” Alecia said, as she got into the warm water.

Groz then said something in a language she didn’t understand to the other kobolds. They ran off.

“What’s going on?” she asked, looking at the small lizard creature.

“I’ve instructed the others to get you clothing, and a towel,” said Groz. “Going by the horse, you seem to be fairly well-off, so I’ve told them to get our finest dress in your size, or at least one that could be easily altered without too much trouble to either cloth or to you.”

“Um, thank you,” said Alecia.

“You are a Guest, and are to be treated accordingly,” said Groz. “You are a Noble, yes?”

“Princess.”

Groz’s eyes widened. “So, how did you end up meeting the Master?”

“Well, seems he was napping in the same place I was bathing, when these brigands led by one known as Prince Robert showed up,” said Alecia. “Their intentions were not going to be nice ones.”

“So, the Master saved you from them?” Groz asked.

Alecia nodded. “Something like that, anyways. Seems Robert isn’t the human he appears to be – something about being a Punished.”

Groz let out a sound that was a mix of fear and astonishment. “That explains a few things.” He made a loud noise, and several of the other kobolds came over. He spoke to them rapidly. They spoke back, just as fast. They then ran off.

“What’s going on?” Alecia asked.

“I’m anticipating that Master will want me to send out messengers to get a hold of others that Prince Robert has wronged,” said Groz. “We’re talking elves, dwarves, orcs, catfolk, lizardfolk, and a bunch of others to the point it’s easier to say whom he hasn’t wronged, and that would be, come to think of it, no one.”

“So, he’s wronged a lot of folk?” Alecia asked.

“We are talking about a bandit lord that’s been hard to stop, especially since most tend to try fighting him alone,” said Groz. “However, a Punished dragon ends up changing things, especially since most know that the only way to lift the spell is for them to have sex with a virgin princess, or prince, of that same species. In short, you’re about to have a whole lot of folks either protecting your virginity, or, worst case scenario, they’ll deflower you first.”

“Sounds like my first time having sex is a matter of life and death,” said Alecia.

“There are stories about what happens if a Punished does deflower a princess or prince,” said Groz. “If you’re lucky, they’ll just eat and digest you. If you’re not lucky, you’d be their sex slave, for a long, long time.”

“So, to defeat him, I’ll have to have sex with someone else,” Alecia asked.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” said Groz. “That being said, it seems that you’ve already made an offer to the Master to be his mate, which is wonderful.”

“To be fair, I thought that he was a pile of rocks in the shape of a dragon at this series of water holes I like going to, when I stated that I’d offer up myself as a sacrifice if he’d help me deal with Robert,” said Alecia. “I didn’t know that he was a real live dragon. He chose to alter the details from being a sacrifice to being his wife instead.”

Groz chuckled. “Explains why he liked going there. Not that I’d blame him too much. You are reasonably attractive for a female human. I prefer my own kind, but I can appreciate beauty in any form.”

Alecia blushed at this. Then, she thought of something. “I’m worried about my father – I have a feeling that Robert has sent him a message, stating that I’m dead, or something.”

Groz nodded. “We can send him a message. We have ink and paper, so that you can write one in your own hand.”

“How do I explain Dormaz, and our marriage deal?” Alecia asked.

“Might simply be best that you claim to have found one willing to face Robert, that they have their own forces that they will soon bring, and that you’ve made certain arrangements, as part of his payment,” said Groz.

“Hard to believe that this is all happening,” said Alecia.

Groz gave a gentle smile. “Let me help you relax by scrubbing you down. I’ll tell some of the others to get some food ready. Got any preferences on meat? We have beef, venison, pork, chicken, lamb, and other things.”

“I’d thought that dragons preferred raw meat?” Alecia asked.

Groz chuckled. “True, but some Guests cannot eat raw meat.” He then got some items, and soon, was helping Alecia to enjoy the warm pool, as the princess stated her preference for meat.



A little while later, Alecia was clean. She wrote a letter, explaining that she was safe and sound, that she’d met a noble who was in the process of gathering an army to help them get rid of the one known as Robert, but his help came with a steep price, one she was willing to pay.

She handed the letter to Groz. “You’ll be able to send this to my father, right?”

“Yes, I know of the castle, and I know of the people there,” the kobold said. “I got a cousin that lives near the place.” He looked at Alecia. “Take care, and have a good mating, if you decide to do so.” He hurried away.

“He’s a good servant,” said Dormaz. “All of them are. You’d be surprised at what they’d do for me.”

“How did you get the loyalty of such servants?” Alecia asked.

“Their prior master was exceptionally cruel,” said Dormaz. “He thought that he was a god. He wasn’t.”

“What happened?” Alecia asked.

“They were the slaves of an evil lizardman shaman,” said Dormaz. “He served certain ones not worth naming.” He looked up at something.

Alecia looked, and saw a bunch of demon heads. Their mouths were sealed shut with some sort of stone, but their eyes were watching in anger. “Are they still alive?”

“Separate the body, and they can’t reform,” said Dormaz. “Rest of the pieces were scattered to different points all across the world. Mind you, this isn’t my work, as I simply drew the duty of Head Watcher.”

“That’s pretty impressive,” said Alecia.

Dormaz chuckled. “Hardly – someone else removed the heads. I merely make sure than no one tries to take them in an attempt to reassemble the bodies.”

“What if Robert decides to come here, and decides to take them?” Alecia asked.

“He’s welcome to try,” said Dormaz. “He removes one of the heads, the whole place collapses. Kobolds are very good when it comes to building traps underground.”

“So, what can you tell me about the spell that Robert is under?” Alesia asked.

“While under the Punishment spell, he’s as human as you are,” said Dormaz. “Problem is, if he knew magic, he still knows it. He’s also obviously skilled at talking to others, comes somewhat natural to us, seeing as how he’s managed to gain the power he has.”

Alecia sighed. “Not many of our nobles are willing to oppose him.”

Dormaz frowned. “It will take about three days for the rest to gather their forces. Many are not humans, but given what Robert’s been doing, they’ll be willing to help. Now, have something to eat. There’s a bed that you can use, in my chamber.”

“Thank you,” said Alecia, as the Kobolds that were still in the place began to put food on the table.

“It’s the least I can do, for my mate-to-be,” said Dormaz.

With that, Alecia started to eat her meal, which was more than just the venison she’d asked for. Dormaz took a few polite bites before starting to walk away.

“Dormaz, thank you,” said Alecia.

Dormaz looked at her. “Thank me after we’ve saved your kingdom.”

“Don’t you mean, Our Kingdom?” Alecia asked.

“Politics and deals are one thing,” said Dormaz. “Love is another. As much as I’m willing to protect you, I do wish that we’d gotten to know each other first before coming to such a decision.”

“Well, you’ve read my mind a lot,” said Alecia. “Could you share your mind with me?”

Dormaz smiled. “I can do that, but it must be done slowly, much like a book.”

“Tell me, can you make yourself more human-like?” Alecia asked.

Dormaz nodded. “I can even make myself pass as a human, but the clothes for such a form are not the sort to wear in the company of a princess, especially since they were recently ruined in a scrape with some of those brigands when I was trying to learn about Robert while I was in one of your cities.”

“Well, to be fair, you’ve seen me naked plenty of times,” said Alecia. “So, wouldn’t it be fair if I saw your human form, while you’re naked?”

Dormaz chuckled. “Very well.”

Alecia watched as the dragon became smaller, then stood on two legs, their wings retracting, along with their tail and claws, while their maleness became more obvious, as everything else became more human-like. Soon, their scales vanished, and a few seconds later, Alecia found herself looking at the sort of person that she’d pass by without a second glance, unless of course they dressed like they were someone important, as he was rather plain looking. However, when she looked at his eyes, a shudder came to her. There’s was something predatory about them, the same as Robert’s eyes – they made her feel like a mouse before a snake, or a cat, or a raptor bird.

Dormaz looked away. “The eyes are the one thing that can give us away, especially by those that know what they are looking for. Thus, to reduce the chances of recognition, or even the amount of fear, most dragons learn and utilize calming spells.”

“What about Robert?” Alecia asked. “I never felt calm around him.”

“Maybe he just likes the feeling of fear,” Dormaz suggested.

“Does he have a name besides ‘Robert’?” Alecia asked.

Dormaz nodded. “I don’t know it though. Depending on how skilled he is, he’ll have a barrier around his mind, preventing me from reading his thoughts. Also, he’d know if I was trying to read his mind, which would give him a chance to read mine. That, and normally dragons ask each other before looking into the other’s mind.” He turned away, and started walking, changing back into his dragon form. “I’ll see you in my chamber.”



Later on, Alecia was in Dormaz’s chamber. She looked at the dragon, all curled up, like a green stone. She walked up to him, and carefully placed her hand upon his snout, feeling the scales under her hand. It felt interesting.

“There are other parts you could feel besides my nose,” said Dormaz.

“You felt that?” Alecia asked.

“Yes, and I saw you do it,” said Dormaz.

“But, your eyes are closed,” said Alecia.

Dormaz chuckled. “Dragons have two sets of eyelids – outer and inner. The outer eyelid acts as a shield from sand, snow, rain, and such, even change colors to blend in with the surroundings. That being said, the inner eyelid is open during such times, so as to keep watch over things when we can’t have the outer eyelid open.”

“I’m guessing that’s how you kept an eye on my while I bathed,” said Alecia.

Dormaz chuckled, and opened his eyelids. “You would be correct. As I’ve said, it’s not every day that a princess comes up to you, and strips before you. To be fair, it wasn’t my intention to be a voyeur when I started resting there after my hunts, but given that it was your first time there when I’d picked that spot, and you saw me, thinking that I was just a collection of stones in the form of a dragon, I knew then that you’d get suspicious if that pile of rocks suddenly vanished. After a while though, I started enjoying seeing you come, and listening to you talk. It was rather soothing to hear your voice as I rested. It was like something out of the old stories, where dragons would watch over the sons and daughters of nobility, even educating them about certain things.” He frowned. “Also, as I’ve said, I do wish that our introductions were under better circumstances. I would have liked for you to get to know me, and not needed a rescue.”

“If nothing else, you’ve effectively put out a call for help to I’m guessing a lot of folks,” said Alecia. “I was listening – elves, dwarves, orcs, different animalfolk, werewolves, vampires, independent undead – I have the feeling that I’m going to have to explain to my father that we’re going to need to come up with a treaty or something.”

“Sounds likely,” said Dormaz.

“That being said, we need to have a backup plan, and for that, I need for you to do something very important,” said Alecia.

Dormaz looked at her, having read her mind. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

“I need some kind of victory over him, if only to show that he isn’t going to get what he wants,” said Alecia.

Dormaz sighed. “Left me shift into a smaller form – the bed can hold two human-sized occupants.”



Over the next few days, messages were being sent back and forth between Dormaz and the other leaders. Many already had representatives showing up at the cave. During this time, he and Alecia got to know each other better. The idea of marriage to one another shifted, in part, from being out of a sense of duty, to that of mutual affection, perhaps even the start of actual love. Still, Dormaz allowed Alecia to have the lead in such things, not wanting to pressure her.

Alecia was able to write to her father, letting him know that she was alright, and that help was on the way. He in turn told her to stay where she was, because it seemed that Robert was plotting something big. He seemed to think that her being with this hereto unknown noble was safer than coming back home.


It was as Alecia was rereading her father’s latest message, with Dormaz watching nearby, that Groz ran into the cave. The small reptilian was panting from a lack of breath.

“Master, I bring really bad news,” they said.

“How bad?” Dormaz asked.

“The Punished One has besieged the Princess’s city,” said Groz. “It doesn’t look good.”

A growl came out of Dormaz’s throat. “I hoped that we’d have a few more days, and perhaps send someone to just kill Robert,” the dragon said. He looked at the kobolds and the representatives. “Change of plans. We march to relieve the city. That’s the main goal – if you get the chance to kill Robert, do so. Send that to the leaders. Meanwhile, Alecia and I will fly into the city, so that the king knows that he’s not alone.”

At this, the representatives and messengers left.

“Do you mean that?” Alecia asked.

Dormaz nodded.

“Sounds risky,” said Alecia.

“On the plus side, we’ve already won the big victory,” said Dormaz. “Now to make it physical.”

“So, how do we get there?” Alecia asked. “You might be able to carry me, but I don’t want to accidently, or intentionally, get a bunch of arrows in me.”

“Well, if you’re up for it, I could carry you inside of me,” said Dormaz. “I can carry your clothes in a sack – you do have the means to clean up at the castle, right?”

Alecia nodded nervously. “We do. Covered in your smell isn’t how I want to greet my father.”

“Alright,” said Dormaz.



A few hours later, Alecia was once again in Dormaz’s first stomach, although willingly this time. She could feel him flying around, finding the right air currents or something. Idly, she wondered if there would be a more pleasant time to do this. It was kind of soothing, if she was being honest with herself. Then, the pattern changed, as if Dormaz was dodging something.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Arrows and bolts, not to mention other things,” said Dormaz.

“Had a feeling that I should of mentioned that the one who rescued me was on good terms with a dragon,” said Alecia. “Can you tell who is making the attempt on us?”

“To be fair, both, although your father’s forces aren’t targeting us as much as Robert’s, but they are more accurate,” said Dormaz. “I’m busy catching their ammunition for sure.”

“Father always did prefer to train what we have really well,” said Alecia.

“Well, hang onto something, if you can,” said Dormaz.

The flight was a bit bumpy, but soon enough, Dormaz landed.

“Whose arrows and bolts are these?” he called out. “You might want them, in order to use them upon an actual enemy, instead of a friend!”

Someone started talking to Dormaz.

“Your enemy is my enemy, and your enemy has a lot of enemies that are willing to assist you,” said Dormaz. “I also happen to have your daughter, and I’d advise you to get a bath ready for her, as I don’t have a saddle, and I didn’t fancy carrying her in my claws. Also, unless you got a pile of straw nearby, might help if a couple of your men-at-arms came over to help get her out of me without her just ending up on the cold, hard, and dirty pavement.”

A minute later, Alecia found herself being brought up, and ended up in the arms of a few others, one of which was her father. Regardless of the slime covering her, he held Alecia close to him, crying openly.

“I was afraid that I’d never see you again in this life,” he said. “Then that little lizardman showed up with your letter, talking about things only you would know, and I was still worried.” He looked at her. “You mentioned a noble that was willing to help for a price – who is this noble, and what is his price?”

Alecia looked back at Dormaz, before looking back at her father. “He’s the noble, and his price is me.”

The king looked at her. “No, I will not sacrifice you to one such as him.”

“You almost did,” said Alecia. “Robert’s a dragon trapped in the form of a human as punishment for eating other humans. In order to escape it, he intends to have sex with an unsullied human royal.”

“And this one?” the king asked.

“Let’s just say that the price was reduced to us being husband and wife,” said Alecia. “I too was despite for a way to save the people.”

Dormaz removed a human-sized sack, and placed it beside them. “Will this do for a Bride Price?”

The king looked at his captain of the guards.

The man walked up to the sack, and opened it. He pulled out a chunk of gold the size of his hand. “There’s more like this, sire, and gems as well. Ruby, sapphire, emerald, and others – and that’s just what I can see.”

“If you wish for more, I can pay much more, and we’ll just call this a down-payment,” said Dormaz. “Your daughter has seen what I have, and can tell you that I have plenty of means to care for her after the wedding.”

The king looked at his daughter. “Are you sure about this?”

Alecia gave a solemn nod. “I am. My initial offer to get him to help was much too high for his liking, and thus talked me down to marriage instead.”

“I won’t ask what the higher offer was, but I can guess, given what the price of marriage is for you,” the king said. He looked at Dormaz. “You said that you brought help – are other dragons coming?”

“A few, but mostly other races – dwarves, elves, lycanthropes, animalfolk, orcs, goblinoids, and others that you might otherwise call monsters,” said Dormaz. “You’re going to need to rewrite some rules and decrees, and make a few treaties, but they’ll be here within a day or so.”

“So, how do we stop Robert?” the king asked. “What sort of weaknesses does he have that you can tell us?”

“Due to the spell he’s under, Robert is as human as you are, Your Highness,” said Dormaz. “An assassin in the dead of night could slit his throat. An arrow loosed straight to his heart. He could choke on a chunk of food. Drown him in a puddle of water. Bash his head in with a rock. Any of these could do the job.”

“What about you?” the king asked. “What can you do to him?”

“Personally, I can’t do a thing to him,” said Dormaz. “The spell that makes him human also protects him from other dragons. That being said, now that Alecia is out of my stomach, I can set some fires around the fields surrounding the city, and keep their forces at bay. With your permission, that is.”

“Sire, he’s talking about burning unharvested grain, which we’ll need for the winter,” the captain of the guards said. “People won’t be happy if we do that.”

The king looked into the sack, and saw the gold and gems. “I think he’s brought more than enough to pay for the damages to the fields, and buy us the food needed for the winter.” He looked at Dormaz. “Do it.”

Dormaz nodded, set down a smaller sack, and took off.

The king looked at his daughter. “Is the price worth it?”

Alecia nodded. “It is.”

“And if his plan fails, how do we stop Robert?” the king asked.

“Well, there is a backup plan,” said Alecia. “If I’m no longer a virgin, I’m of no use to Robert’s plan to release himself from his punishment.”

“What do you mean?” the king asked. “Someone is to deflower you?”

Alecia nodded.

“Who gets to do that?” the king asked.

Alecia looked at Dormaz, who had started the fires, the yelling of the besiegers being heard over the crackle of the flames. “He does, and more importantly, he already has. Anything Robert does will be for nothing.”

The king sighed. “At least you picked someone who could take care of you and the children. Not what I would have picked, but at this point, we can’t be too choosy about our allies.”

“By the way, father, I need to take a bath, and change my clothes,” said Alecia.

The king looked at her outfit, which was something a peasant woman might wear while working in the fields. “I hope that you don’t plan on keeping that?”

“It was this or be naked, and I didn’t want to be naked in front of you, father,” said Alecia. “Especially while covered in saliva and other things.”

“Fair point,” said the king. “Go get cleaned off.”

Alecia walked away towards the castle. Dormaz’s pools had been nice but she was looking forward to a hot bath at her own home at any rate, for once. Soon enough, she was surrounded by familiar human faces, and eventually her servants. It was good to be home.



Dormaz flew around, burning the fields. It wasn’t something he liked doing, as folks would understandably be upset, but the gold and jewels he offered should make up for it. As he flew, Dormaz got a calculation of the forces attacking the town – easily several thousand. Robert clearly knew how to get people to follow him. Most lords had a hard time gathering a group that large to serve them directly. The large amount worried him, but he hoped that the force coming would have enough power to frighten them away, or beat them in a fight.

He soon saw the one known as Robert. The Punished One looked at him, a smirk upon his face. Dormaz cursed the memory of the first Punished One that had placed that condition upon the enchantment. No dragon had been able to harm a Punished One as a result. Still, Dormaz could at least enjoy the fact that Robert’s men were weary of his presence, as to what it might spell for them – they could easily be set on fire after all. Dormaz blew a carefully controlled stream of fire in front of the force.

“Know this!” he bellowed. “Those who leave now will not be harmed. Those who stay will die!”

Robert laughed. “You can’t harm me!”

“I can kill your men!” Dormaz bellowed. “After that, the locals can kill you!”

“There’s only one of you!” Robert shouted. “You can’t kill all of them!”

“True, but I got allies!” Dormaz bellowed, with a grin upon his face.

Robert turned to see a large force approaching from the woods nearby, including a pair of giants armed with special scythes – the sort that resemble typical grass scythes, but were for dealing with humans. There was also the animalfolk, elves, dwarves, orcs, and many other so-called monsters. The men were starting to panic at this relief force.

Robert looked back at Dormaz, as a dragon-like growl escaped his throat. “Another day! I’ll get what’s mine!” He looked at his captains. “Tell the men to withdrawal.” With that, Robert’s force quickly packed up and left.



After the enemy force left, Dormaz flew towards the relief force, specifically to the giants and a pair of elves near them.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” the dragon said.

“Thuof and Rouf were able to carry us,” the one elf said, as the relief force dissipated into mist. “The rest are still a day away.”

Dormaz nodded. “At least Robert’s men were too frightened to investigate too closely, or they would have seen that it was an illusion.” His eyes then widened. “Groz, what are you doing here?”

The small lizard being chuckled. “I’m here to serve my Master.”

“Myself or Alecia?” Dormaz asked, with a grin.

“I’ll tell you after the wedding,” said Groz.

Dormaz chuckled. “Very well.” He looked at the small group. “Let’s head into the town.”



The group entered the town, where the King looked at Dormaz. “What happened? I heard that a relief force arrived, only to vanish after Robert’s force left.”

“An illusion, and I doubt Robert’s force has gone too far,” said Dormaz, as he shifted into a more human-sized form. He pointed at the giants and elves. “They came to provide both a distraction and a message – the real relief will be here in a day.”

“And the little lizardman running towards my castle?” the King asked.

Dormaz looked, a grin upon his face. “Kobolds will willingly serve under those they see as a Worthy Master, or Mistress. I’m guessing that Groz sees your daughter as slightly more Worthy than me.”

“And you’re going to allow him to serve my daughter instead of yourself?” the King asked.

“Trying to force a Kobold to serve you when they don’t want to is a great way to wake up with a mountain collapsing upon you,” said Dormaz. “Besides, once Princess Alecia is my wife, he’d be serving me, indirectly. Then there’s the long term to think on – he might end up serving me directly again, if not our children.”

“How long do Kobolds live?” the King asked.

“He has another century, maybe two,” said Dormaz.

“And you?” the King asked, as he looked at the dragon.

Dormaz looked at him. “Long enough that hopefully we’ll look back on this situation and laugh. Despite our agreement that she’s to be my wife, I’d prefer that we take our time before we do marry. I want her to do so out of love, and not duty.”

“She told me that you and she…..” The King was unable to finish the sentence.

Dormaz nodded. “She asked me, and I made sure she meant it before we did. Robert cannot be allowed to escape his punishment.”

“You just take good care of my daughter, or I’ll have your head mounted upon a wall,” the King said.

Dormaz nodded. “Good to know that you care about her.”

“She’s my only child,” the King said. “My most precious treasure. She’ll be a good Queen, when the time comes.”

Dormaz smiled. “You have my word – she’ll be well cared for.” He then became serious. “Expect Robert to come back, once he gets word that the relief force has left.”

The King nodded. “I’ll have my men be ready.”



Later that night, Groz was busy getting Mistress’s clothes ready for the next day. Something nice and practical for anything. Mistress Alecia was Worth serving.

He then noticed that the guard at the end of the hall was taking one of those standing naps. That wouldn’t do, so he walked up to the guard, perhaps to pinch his cloth-covered leg to wake him up, when he noticed the crossbow bolt in their neck. A shiver when down Groz’s spine, his senses telling him that he was about to die. Quickly, he hid behind the guard’s body, and let out a cry of alarm, as several bolts flew towards him. Hopefully it would be enough to warn his Mistress.

The kobold felt the shiver of Death upon him. He noticed the boot knife that the guard had. It wouldn’t do much against a human with a sword or some such thing, but it was better than nothing, so Groz drew it. Maybe he could buy Mistress the time she needed to get ready, either to fight or run.

The footsteps came. “Well, if it isn’t one of the little slaves?” the voice asked, in a condescending tone. “Why don’t you serve a Master that’s Worthy?”

“I already am!” Groz called out, trying to sound braver than he felt. “They are much more Worthy than you, you Punished One! Your head will be mounted upon my Master’s wall!”

“Dragons can’t harm me, Slave,” the owner of the voice said, as they stepped in front of Groz. “One such as yourself should know.”

The chill was stronger this time, as Groz looked into Robert’s Predatory eyes. He was going to die now – well, not quite yet! The kobold rushed past the human-turned dragon, and stabbed at the back of his leg with the knife, slicing something in the calf that caused Robert to howl in pain. Groz turned, and saw the dragon-in-human-form painfully turn, drawing their sword at the same time.

“I’ll have you stuffed!” they roared. They stepped towards the kobold.

Groz charged once more, stabbing Robert in the other leg, at the same time Robert swung his sword, severing the back of the kobold’s neck. Groz’s last thoughts as he collapsed were that he hoped that he went to a Worthy afterlife.



The sound of the kobold’s cry had awakened Alecia from her slumber. She heard Robert’s voice, and the little kobold’s own boast. As she reached for a sword, she heard the sounds of fighting, yells and screams of pain, and then a soft thud. Pulling the sword out of the sheath, she rushed into the hallway, seeing an injured Robert, his men, the still standing, yet dead, guard, and the prone Groz, either dead or dying.

Robert looked at her, with a painful chuckle. “The little slave was loyal to his Master, I’ll give him that, not to mention brave, but foolish regardless,” Robert said, as he hobbled towards her. “He should of switched his loyalty to me, especially since I’m about to claim my prize.”

“You can’t take what I don’t have,” said Alecia, as she readied her sword.

“What?” Robert asked.

“I already took it,” yelled Dormaz’s voice from the other end of the hall.

There, in human form, Dormaz stood, naked but for a mace he held.

“Kill him,” said Robert.

Those with Robert fired their reloaded crossbows, the bolts flying towards Dormaz. Dormaz held up his off-hand, and the bolts stopped. Then, they reversed, flying backwards before turning over, and pierced the necks of Robert’s men, killing them.

Dormaz stepped forward, looking at the fallen Groz. For a moment, there was sadness in his eyes, but then there was hate as he looked at Robert, which became a bit of amusement as he looked at the injuries that had been inflicted upon him.

“So, Groz did that to you, before you finally killed him,” Dormaz said. “I’m going to give him a proper Dragon’s Funeral for this. As for you, you’ll be torn to pieces, after you’ve been killed.”

“You can’t harm me, for your Slave’s boasting,” said Robert. “After all, the conditions placed upon my enchantment prevent you from doing so.”

“I never said that I’d be the one to kill you,” said Dormaz.

Robert turned his head, just in time to see Alecia swing a sword at him. He blinked in surprise, before his head fell off his shoulders, and his body collapsed.

“I killed him,” said Alecia.

“You did what I could not,” said Dormaz, as he carefully came to her. He carefully held her hand, helping her let go of the sword. “Now, let’s see about getting someone to clean up the trash, as well as plan a funeral for both the guard and Groz. I hope that the gate guards of the Dragon Heaven let him in, as a dragon, because he took on a Punished One for you, injuring them. He died for you. If we have a son, his name is going to contain Groz in it, somewhere.”

“Yes,” said Alecia, as Dormaz led her back to her room. “A name worth keeping around. I hope my father is alright.”

“I’ll go look,” said Dormaz. “Don’t open this door unless it’s me or someone you can trust.” He closed the room’s door. He then began his search.



Thankfully, aside from Groz and the guard, the only deaths had been the members of Robert’s infiltration forces. They’d gotten in through a side window. As for the rest of Robert’s forces, somewhere between seeing a dragon drop Robert’s head in the middle of them, panicking as a result, and the approach of the real relief force, most fled. Those that stayed were dealt with.

Morning came, as did the kobolds, all of them in mourning for Groz. Dormaz himself placed the cloth covered body on a pyre, lighting it himself. He walked away, with a heavy heart, so that all could watch the burning. Then, a bright light came from the pyre, forcing Dormaz to close both sets of eyelids. When he was able to comfortably open them, he gasped in shock as he saw the golden spirit of Groz change from a small kobold, into that of a power dragon, which flew towards the Dragons’ Heaven.

“Have you ever seen anything like that?” Alecia asked.

“Never,” said Dormaz. A smile came to his lips. “I hope he’s happy.”

“Looked like it to me,” said Alecia.

“So, what do you want to do?” Dormaz asked.

Alecia grinned. “How about you enjoy this Princess properly? I’m sure that the bed is big enough for two. After that, a flight would be nice.”

Dormaz chuckled, as he walked away, with the princess, changing into his human-sized form, as the funeral became more of a festival.