carefully neutral. “What’s your Castle like, Rupert?”
“Old,” said Rupert, and smiled. “You’ll like it.”
“Will I?”
“Of course. Everyone’ll make you very welcome.”
“Why should they?” said Julia softly, staring into the fire. “I’m just another Princess without a dowry. Seven sisters stand between me and the throne, even assuming the elders would have me back. And they won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because …” Julia looked at him sternly. “You won’t laugh?”
“I promise.”
“I ran away. They wanted me to marry some Prince I’d never met, for political reasons. You know.”
“I know,” said Rupert. “Bloodlines.”
“So I ran away. I didn’t even reach the frontier. They already had seven Princesses, and they didn’t need an eighth, so they sent me to the dragon’s cave.” Julia glared into the fire. “My father signed the warrant. My own father.”
Rupert put a comforting hand on her arm, but she jerked away.
“Don’t worry,” he said lamely. “Everything’ll work out. I’ll find a way to get you home again.”
“I don’t want to go home; as far as they’re concerned I’m dead! And sometimes I wish I was!”
She jumped up and ran off into the darkness. Rupert got up to go after her.
“Don’t.”
Rupert looked round to find the dragon watching from the shadows. “Why not?”
“She doesn’t want you to see her crying,” said the dragon.
“Oh.” Rupert shuffled uncertainly, and then sat down again.
“She’ll be back in a while,” said the dragon, moving forward to squat beside him.
“Yes. I’d help her if I could.”
“Of course you would. Julia’s not a bad sort. For a human.”
Rupert almost smiled. “We all have our problems.”
“You, too?”
“Of course; why do you think I came on this damn quest?”
“Honor, glory, love of adventure?”
Rupert just looked at him.
“Sorry,” said the dragon.
“I’m a second son,” said Rupert. “I can’t inherit as long as my brother’s alive.”
“And you didn’t want to kill your own brother.” The dragon nodded understandingly.
Rupert snorted. “Can’t stand the fellow. But if I declare against him, the Forest Land would be split by civil war. That’s why my father sent me on this quest. You were supposed to kill me and rid him of a vexing problem.”
“Your own father sent you out to die?”
“Yes,” said Rupert softly. “My own father. Officially, it was a quest to prove me worthy to the throne, but everyone knew. Including me.”
“But then, why did you go through with it? You didn’t have to face me.”
“I’m a Prince of the Forest Kingdom,” said Rupert. “I’d given my word. Besides …”
“Yes?”
Rupert shrugged. “My family’s other major problem is money. We’re broke.”
“Broke? But you rule the country! How can you be broke?”
“The Land’s just had its second famine in a row, the Barons are refusing to pay taxes, and if our currency was any more debased you could use it as bottle caps.”
“Oh,” said the dragon.
“Right. Oh.”
“So bringing me back alive isn’t going to help you much.”
“Not really,” admitted the Prince. “Apart from the hoard you were supposed to have, dragon’s hide is worth a lot of money, you know. So are dragon’s teeth. And as for dragon’s …”
“I know what they’re worth, thank you,” said the dragon huffily. “I value them myself, rather.”
Rupert blushed and looked away. “Well, you see my problem.”
“I’ll think about it,” said the dragon.
“Will you two shut up and let me sleep,” muttered the unicorn blearily.
The Princess came back out of the darkness with slightly puffy eyes that nobody commented on, and settled herself by the fire.
“What were you two talking about?” she asked.
“It seems the Prince’s family is financially embarassed,” said the dragon.
“Broke,” said the unicorn.
“Maybe when this is over I should go on another
“Old,” said Rupert, and smiled. “You’ll like it.”
“Will I?”
“Of course. Everyone’ll make you very welcome.”
“Why should they?” said Julia softly, staring into the fire. “I’m just another Princess without a dowry. Seven sisters stand between me and the throne, even assuming the elders would have me back. And they won’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because …” Julia looked at him sternly. “You won’t laugh?”
“I promise.”
“I ran away. They wanted me to marry some Prince I’d never met, for political reasons. You know.”
“I know,” said Rupert. “Bloodlines.”
“So I ran away. I didn’t even reach the frontier. They already had seven Princesses, and they didn’t need an eighth, so they sent me to the dragon’s cave.” Julia glared into the fire. “My father signed the warrant. My own father.”
Rupert put a comforting hand on her arm, but she jerked away.
“Don’t worry,” he said lamely. “Everything’ll work out. I’ll find a way to get you home again.”
“I don’t want to go home; as far as they’re concerned I’m dead! And sometimes I wish I was!”
She jumped up and ran off into the darkness. Rupert got up to go after her.
“Don’t.”
Rupert looked round to find the dragon watching from the shadows. “Why not?”
“She doesn’t want you to see her crying,” said the dragon.
“Oh.” Rupert shuffled uncertainly, and then sat down again.
“She’ll be back in a while,” said the dragon, moving forward to squat beside him.
“Yes. I’d help her if I could.”
“Of course you would. Julia’s not a bad sort. For a human.”
Rupert almost smiled. “We all have our problems.”
“You, too?”
“Of course; why do you think I came on this damn quest?”
“Honor, glory, love of adventure?”
Rupert just looked at him.
“Sorry,” said the dragon.
“I’m a second son,” said Rupert. “I can’t inherit as long as my brother’s alive.”
“And you didn’t want to kill your own brother.” The dragon nodded understandingly.
Rupert snorted. “Can’t stand the fellow. But if I declare against him, the Forest Land would be split by civil war. That’s why my father sent me on this quest. You were supposed to kill me and rid him of a vexing problem.”
“Your own father sent you out to die?”
“Yes,” said Rupert softly. “My own father. Officially, it was a quest to prove me worthy to the throne, but everyone knew. Including me.”
“But then, why did you go through with it? You didn’t have to face me.”
“I’m a Prince of the Forest Kingdom,” said Rupert. “I’d given my word. Besides …”
“Yes?”
Rupert shrugged. “My family’s other major problem is money. We’re broke.”
“Broke? But you rule the country! How can you be broke?”
“The Land’s just had its second famine in a row, the Barons are refusing to pay taxes, and if our currency was any more debased you could use it as bottle caps.”
“Oh,” said the dragon.
“Right. Oh.”
“So bringing me back alive isn’t going to help you much.”
“Not really,” admitted the Prince. “Apart from the hoard you were supposed to have, dragon’s hide is worth a lot of money, you know. So are dragon’s teeth. And as for dragon’s …”
“I know what they’re worth, thank you,” said the dragon huffily. “I value them myself, rather.”
Rupert blushed and looked away. “Well, you see my problem.”
“I’ll think about it,” said the dragon.
“Will you two shut up and let me sleep,” muttered the unicorn blearily.
The Princess came back out of the darkness with slightly puffy eyes that nobody commented on, and settled herself by the fire.
“What were you two talking about?” she asked.
“It seems the Prince’s family is financially embarassed,” said the dragon.
“Broke,” said the unicorn.
“Maybe when this is over I should go on another
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