How to Bribe Your Dragon

By Rachel Dib

I saw the dismay in Princess Auvora’s eyes as soon as I removed my helmet; I’d probably have felt the same in her situation. But she recovered quickly. Smoothing her skirts, she lifted her chin and extended her hands in a welcoming, gracious gesture.

“Brave…” She faltered, her brow wrinkling. “Knight-ess? Sorry, I didn’t know any of our neighboring kingdoms had female warriors.”

Because they don’t. Rather than correct her, I did my best to curtsy in my armor—not an easy task—and she nodded.

“I thank you for your…” Again she paused, her gaze trailing out the window. In the distance, her dragon jailer lumbered off across the countryside, his purple scales glittering in the sun’s fading beams.

Auvora threw up her hands. “I’m supposed to say prowess and fortitude and a bunch of other heroic words to sing your praises after your battle with the dragon.” She snorted. “I spent the last fifteen years preparing this speech. And you simply bartered with the beast.”

She blew out her cheeks and shook her head before meeting my eye. “How did you pay off the dragon? I don’t understand.”

I shrugged. “Frankly, he’d grown bored with guarding you. The number of princes willing to risk life and limb to gain your hand had dwindled to maybe one every few years. But more importantly, he’d met someone.”

Auvora tilted her head. “Met someone?”

“Apparently dragons gain a telepathic connection with any other dragons who enter their domain,” I explained. “A way to ward each other off before a physical altercation arises.”

“Practical.”

“Yeah. So about a year ago, a pretty scarlet dragon named Gyra wandered this way, and she and Hector hit it off.”

“Hector?”

“The dragon guarding you.”

“I didn’t know he had a name.”

I lifted a brow.

Auvora glanced away sheepishly. “We didn’t talk much.”

“Right.” Of course you couldn’t find time to converse with the creature guarding your door for over a decade. Spoiled much? I held back an eyeroll. “Anyway, it didn’t take much to persuade Hector to leave his post. We chatted about it a few weeks back. Gyra loves flowers, especially daisies, but Hector’s claws prevent him from picking them. So, I wove a garland from the most beautiful ones in the kingdom—since it’s May, they’re in abundance—and offered it to him. He loved it. He’s bringing it to his lady friend now.”

Auvora’s face fell. “Oh.”

“In truth, I didn’t know my plan would work.” Chuckling at the magnitude of what I’d accomplished, I exhaled and flicked my gaze to the sinking sun. Two problems down, one to go. “We only have a few hours before he returns, so…”

Auvora sank down on the edge of her bed. “Why did you do it?” She motioned out the window where the scorched remains of previous would-be heroes lay scattered around her tower. “If you knew of the risks, why try to rescue me?”

“Why not? Women are just as capable of facing danger and coming out victorious. Why should men receive all the glory?”

“True. But you won’t reap any reward from your feat.” She glanced me over. “I’m sorry, but if my father won’t allow me to rule on my own, there’s no way he’ll let you do it. Are you even of royal blood?”

Yeah, about that… Holding up my hands, I tried to redirect the conversation. “That’s not why I did it. Much has changed in the kingdom. No offense, but you’ve been imprisoned for fifteen years. It’s a mess.”

Auvora tensed. “What do you mean? Is my father all right?”

“He’s…” I bit my lip and shifted my feet, feigning concern. “His… health is good.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Healthy is not the same as all right.”

I pressed my palms together. “Okay, so there’s this woman—”

“Ugh.” Auvora flopped backward onto the bed. “Please don’t tell me my father fell under the spell of some temptress and that I have an evil stepmother awaiting me at home. It’s just too cliché.”

“On the contrary,” I assured her. “He ignored her seduction attempts. So she cast him under a real spell.”

“Tricked by a sorceress.” She sat up slightly, leaning back on her elbows. “Still cliché, but a tad more acceptable. What do you propose I do about it?”

I blinked, unsure whether the princess was truly clueless, or just that selfish. “Um, rescue your father. Save the kingdom.”

Auvora sat up fully. “Why don’t you do it?”

“Me?”

“You’re the one who wants glory and honor. Go prove women can hold their own. Save the kingdom yourself.”

I stared at her.

“Or… don’t.” Auvora placed a finger to her lips. “Actually, it’s better if you let the sorceress be.”

“I don’t understand.”

Sighing, she leveled her gaze at me. “Do you think I would’ve dwelled in this tower for fifteen years if I hadn’t wanted some noble prince to save me?” She twisted a golden curl around her finger. “I’m perfectly content here. Let the sorceress rule for now. I’ll wait until a true knight rescues me from the dragon’s clutches. Then he can prove himself twice when he slays the sorceress and frees my father from her spell.

“In fact, a second test is perfect. He should have to do more than merely save me from a dragon. After all,”—Auvora pointed at me—“you managed that with some daisies. Yes, let the sorceress rule. Someone worthy of defeating her will come eventually.”

“But—”

She cut me off with a wave. “You should leave before the dragon returns.”

I turned away, my shoulders sagging—until I rounded the corner leading to the stairway. Then my lips curled into a smirk. Foolish girl. Content to stay imprisoned, was she? Well, that made things easy. With the king under my control and his only heir too lazy to help, my conquest was complete.

Who knew it’d be so easy to conquer a kingdom?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Dib is a stay-at-home mom of three small children. After marrying a soldier, she left her home state of South Carolina to live in random places across the United States. Her short fiction appears in anthologies published by Havok, Ye Olde Dragon Books, Iron Faerie Publishing, Brigids Gate Press, and The Last Line literary journal.

---

More Stories | Facebook | Instagram