Lady Rose and the Black Dragon

Once in a time in a far, far away land. A young lady was in a castle pacing in her room. She had heard the village people yelling outside her window, but couldn't hear what they were saying. Her father, the lord of the land, had requested for her to be in her room, before he saw the people. From what she could hear, he was not having any luck.

As she paced her mother rushed into her room. She had flowing tears on her face. “Oh my sweet girl, it's awful down there!”

“Mother, what's going on? I can't hear anything from here,” she explained to her mother.

Her mother found a chair and collapsed in it. “Be grateful that you can't, Rose. The villagers speak of a black dragon coming at night. Burning their houses and fields. The dragon has one request, that the land’s owner either can hand over the weight of the dragon in gold. Or the lord’s daughter.”

Rose closed her eyes. She knew father didn't have that money. They had just bought the crop for the farmers to plant that year and they were nearly half gone. They almost got half of their earnings back from the last crop. Their market was bad this year.

‘The dragon really came at the wrong time.’ Rose knew what she must do for the people of her land. “I have to see the dragon.”

“NO,” her mother yelled in pain. It sounded like she was heartbroken to see her go.

“If I don't go, mother, it won't be the land that could be burned.” Rose tried to sound wise.

“Why do you have to be selfless,” her mother whined.

Rose just gave her a kind smile and then turned on her heel. She left her room. As she walked the halls, none of the knights or warriors had tried to stop her. They seemed to know what she was doing. As she reached the great hall, where the villagers were still yelling at her father. Who was slumped down in his chair, looking defeated.

Once she was in the great hall and everyone had taken notice. All the yelling had stopped and her father glanced up to look at her. His eyes plead for her to leave. But she kept walking towards him. Once she was next to him, it was then the people talked at once, but she raised her hand calmly and they stopped. It was the first time she ever demanded anything from anyone.

“I know about the dragon and what he has done,” she explained to them. Letting them know that she was told about the situation. “Along with his demands.” Her eyes were on her father's face then. She saw the tiredness and the pain.

One villager seemed to be impatient as he growled. “Well, what are you going to do?”

She turned to the man with harsh eyes. She was always kind to people. Which only made them step back. “You think this is easy on my family for what I am about to say? Look at my father, put yourself in his place, would you want to be him?” Her tone was a little harsh, but she needed them to understand.

The man glanced down and shook his head. “No Lady Rose, I wouldn't want that for my children.”

She nodded her head and looked at her father. She pleaded with him to understand. She saw a tear in his eye and a small nod. She then turned towards the villagers once more. “I will face the dragon tonight,” she spoke softly.

When the people tried to come to her. She raised her hand. They stopped. “I have until dusk to be with my family. Give us that,” she glared.

“But,” the man that tried to run things from before.

“Imagine that I am your daughter. Would you want some last hours with her,” she asked him. “Besides with knights and warriors around, I doubt they would hide me. They want the dragon gone too.”

The man huffed, “You're very insightful for a woman.” He turned and waved for everything to leave.

Within moments, she was alone with her father. Except for a few knights in the great hall.

Her father turned to her with open tears in his eyes. “This is one time I wished I was never the lord.” He took off the ring that was given from the king, indicating that he was the lord. Then threw the ring far across the room. Only to a ding.

“Father, you did more for these people than anyone else had.” She walked over and hugged him, as he cried heavily. “You do have Jarvis.”

Her father groaned, “He is far away, fighting the Crusades with the king.” He let out a sigh. “I should send word for your brother to come home, he would know what to do.”

She shook her head. “By then things would have gotten worse and people would have gotten killed. Sorry father, this is the only option we have.” She kissed his forehead. “Let’s have a special dinner before I go,” she smiled at him.

Her father nodded his head. He called for many people and things were put into motion, she would leave at dusk. After a couple of hours, the cook had made an outstanding small meal for the family to enjoy. Sometime during the day, one of the knights had given her father the ring back. After her father had calmed down some.

After dinner, the villagers had come back for Rose. She had given her parents a hug each. Her mother had cried openly, while her father just had his head down. Hiding his tears from view. Rose held her head high, followed the villagers out into the cool air of dusk.

Out into the open air, it was the first time she had been outside of the stone fortress in many months. It was spring, normally her parents would have her start coming out. But since the seasons had just changed. Her parents had barely allowed her. Winter was not a good season for a young lady to be out, as her parents had reminded her. Saying something about wild creatures would be dangerous the most during the winter months.

‘They had no idea about a dragon apparently,’ she thought, as she followed the villagers.

It didn’t take long before she started to see the burned lands. She gasped at the damage, she nearly cried at how much the dragon had taken from these people. They had nothing left. No crop to grow, no house for shelter for them or their families. It was too much.

The man who had been the voice for the villagers had turned to her. “Now you see why we are angry.”

“Sir, I didn’t say you were lying,” her voice was gentle. Causing the man to stutter to a stop. She looked him into the eyes. “I just didn’t realize how much was taken away.”

The man looked like he was in pain as he looked at a burnt up house in the distance. “I lost more than just a house, Lady Rose. I lost my wife and daughter too…” Tears finally left his eyes. “The dragon’s fire took so much from us, not just me.”

She walked up to him and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry, I hope you find some peace, sir.” After a moment, she pulled away from him and kept on walking. The more she walked, she ended up giving more people a hug for their lost. She found the edge of the land that her father owned at nightfall. She stood alone and tall, as the villagers were many feet behind her, watching what would happen to her, once the dragon showed up.

She felt the chill of the small breeze in the air. A distant sound of wings in the air. It was the only warning she had, before she heard the sound of something big hitting the ground before her. She tried to look, but all she saw was a mass of darkness. Until a huff of fire came out of nowhere, she didn’t make a sound, even though she should have.

Before her was a massive darkness of a dragon. Enough for her father’s stone castle to stake up against itself again to fit the dragon. It was tall, as it laid on its stomach, as it looked at her. Its gold eyes annoyed her, she was angry for her people. “Did you really have to burn the field and my people’s homes, just to see me,” she growled at him.

This caused the dragon to sit up to look at her with a question a look. “Are you the daughter of the lord,” he asked gently, from the tone of voice.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Yes, I am Lady Rose, my father is Lord Samson. He owns everything that you have burnt down.” She felt sad as words left her lips.

“You don’t know why I set fire to these fields or to the homes,” he told her. His golden eyes fixed towards the forest that she knew at a distance. “They came to my home, not so long ago. They came hunting, I don’t mind. But they came and found my cave, where my little one was resting with its mother while I was out hunting. When I came back, they were killed by their spears,” he roared darkly.

This caused her to feel sadness for the dragon. She heard the villagers arguing in the distance, blaming each other for their bad luck with the dragon. She faced them with a glare in her eyes. They stopped their fighting. “You have yourself to blame that much is true. But you must tell my father the truth when I’m gone and why this happened.”

She turned to the dragon, who looked like he didn’t know what choice was being made for him. She walked beside him and then climbed up his arm, until she was up on his back. She laid on his back and held onto him.

“What are you doing,” he asked in a bewildered tone.

“You wanted a daughter of the lord as payment, I’m here,” she said another way.

The black dragon just shook his head. “I was hoping for a little more fight than this to be honest,” he huffed. He started to flap his wings, which caused her to close her eyes. Feeling his muscles move under her, just as he pushed himself into the air. It made her shiver, as the rush of cold air moved past her.

She felt the air around warm up, as she heard his fire expelled from his mouth. “I can’t allow you to freeze to death,” she heard his deep voice. She was only too grateful for his kindness he was showing to her. When he didn’t really need to, not after her people had treated him. She could only imagine her parents were going to yell at the villagers for their pain of losing her.

She just prayed that was all they did. It didn’t take long, before she felt the dragon was on the ground again. She slid off of him, once she moved to one side of him. Once she was on the ground again. She looked around, only to see that she was in front of a massive opening of a cave.

“Why are we here,” she asked in a small voice.

The black dragon huffed out a bit of smoke. “As much as this place saddens me, it's still my home.” He walked into the massive opening of the cave. “It's up to you if you should follow. But I must warn, there are dangerous creatures out there.”

That made her pick up the skirts of her dress and rushed inside. She nearly stumbled, as she felt the decline and her shoes held no support. She felt the dragon’s hand holding her up and she was being guided down. Once she was on solid level once more, she glanced up to the dragon and gave him a smile in thanks. It was then she noticed the rest of the cave.

“This is a cave,” she gasped in disbelief. She couldn't believe her eyes. She was expecting something dark and gloomy. But not something big and airy, with a massive waterfall. Along with books and bookshelves, stakes of gold, silver and gems in chests. Along with other chests of silk gowns and robes.

She turned to him with bewonder in her eyes. “A dragon with so much riches,” she gasped.

He looked uncomfortable, he raised a claw and pointed to an area behind her. “Through there you will find what I think you will call a bedroom of sorts,” his tone had softened.

Her eyebrow rose in a question but didn't push. Instead she turned towards where he had indicated and went there. Only to find what looked like a set of stairs leading up. She followed them up, she gasped at the top steps. She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't it.

There was a window that looked out into the cave, but still gave her privacy. There was a very large bed, a cupboard for her clothes if she had any, and a desk. It was a very large room, larger than she had back home. A smile graced her lips, she could see herself happy there. She then walked towards the window and found that he came up to her chest, it made her feel safe.

The dragon tilted his head slightly. “Is everything to your liking, my lady?”

She nodded her head, “Yes.” She smiled softly. “My name is Rose.”

The dragon nodded his head. “Blacrak.”

She blinked at him in bewilderment, “Sorry, I don't think I can remember that. “Blacky,” she asked softly. “Can I call you that?”

The dragon sighed softly, “Yes, Lady Rose. I will allow you to call me that.”

As time had gone by and the more they had gone to know each other. Only to find that Lady Rose loved animals and helped heal them, when they came calling for help. The dragon was known as the protector for those animals. And while they got to know each other, they had started to fall in love but knew it was impossible. Until the Spirit of the Wood came.

She looked like the fae that Rose had been told in stories long ago. With leaves weaved in her hair. The Spirit smiled at them, “I have only but one gift. To turn one of you to a dragon or human, but once you choose, there is no turning back. To live as a human, is cutting your life in half or a dragon, and you extend your life even more. The choice is yours…”

“Then I will be a dragon,” Rose answered with a confident smile.

“Rose,” gasped the black dragon.

“No, I will never ask you to give up your life. We don't even know how much life you will have, if you become human.”

The Spirit smiled, “She is wise.”

The dragon sighed, “She usually is.” He nodded his head. “Do as she wishes,” he sounded defeated.

The Spirit with a wave of her hand gathered the magic of the land and surrounded Rose with that magic. Before her size and form had changed. It didn't feel like it took too long, before the magic moved away from Rose. Instead of the human lady that she was, now stood a very tall white dragon.

Blacky came to her and nudge his nose along her neck. “It's you, my Rose.”

She smiled, “Yes, Blacky. I'm me.”

It was then that the Spirit had left them alone. They were just happy, knowing that they could be together. With that they gave each other a hug and kiss.

They lived happily ever after.