Jang-mii sat outside the cragged entrance to the mountain cavern, her delicate hands meticulously ripping blades of grass from the lush ground to twirl the fronds about her fingers until they grew too ragged to continue. With a heavy, bored sigh, she glanced over her shoulder into the darkness of the cave, staring at the sleeping red form of the dragon, before she plucked another blade of green grass from the ground and began the process anew. For the last four days, the dragon had been gone, scouring the wilderness for what she surmised to be some sort of news, leaving Jang-mii to waste away in boredom in the loneliness of the cavern, only entertained by the chance arrival of some adorable forest creature or another. The previous night, however, he had given Jang-mii quite a fright when he had suddenly descended from the sky in a rush of wind before promptly stomping into the cave and curling up in his nest without even a single glance at the princess.

More unbearable was the fact that the red-haired knight had been absent as well, and she was quite terrified that her forwardness had frightened him off, that he had been unsettled by her sudden projection of feelings for her old fiancé onto him. It was true, the man did remind her sorely of her lost love, but after much thought, she had come to the conclusion that she did harbor romantic feelings that belonged to the dashing knight exclusively, and she very much desired to grow to know him more in the hopes that he would accompany her when she finally returned to her kingdom. With another heavy sigh, she abandoned her attempt to uproot every blade of grass in the clearing to flop backward onto the ground, staring up at the blue sky shining between the rich green leaves. My heart is a mess… she thought glumly. How silly of me, to fall head-over-heels for a man I barely know. With a wry smile, she thought, Ah, but there’s no going back now, is there? Visions of Kris danced in the leaves, with his kind smile and shining red hair. I wish he would come see me soon. I do miss him so.

She glanced back into the cave, frowning lightly. I wish the dragon would awaken as well… Despite the circumstances, I have missed his company as well. As if able to read her thoughts, the creature’s bulky form abruptly stirred, and shining, intelligent eyes blinked open to gaze out at her from the murky depths of the cave. As he unwound his serpentine body and came slinking out into the light, the ground trembled with his footsteps, bouncing Jang-mii lightly up into the air with every fall of his clawed feet. He came to rest just behind her, his massive head eclipsing the sun as he stared quietly down at the princess; joyfully, she raised her arms to gently and affectionately rub his scaly snout.

“My, you must have been busy these last few days to have warranted such a long sleep,” she giggled as he lowered his horned head to nuzzle her belly. She squirmed and wriggled, laughing at the tickling sensation. After a minute of happily cuddling the elated princess, he raised his head once more to gaze down at her, and Jang-mii was sure that she saw her own happiness reflected in his reptilian eyes. “I missed you,” she remarked as she sat up, turning herself around to crane her neck and look up at him. “It’s dreadfully boring without you around, you know. Next time, will you at least take me with you?” she asked pleadingly. The dragon snorted as he pondered the request, then made a purring noise and nodded with a happy blink. She respectfully curtsied and replied, “Why, thank you, my noble beast,” before rising to her feet and stretching her arms high above her head, feeling her vertebrae crack with a series of satisfying pops.

Meanwhile, the dragon’s maw split into a long yawn before he shook the remnants of his nest from his sides, stretching open his wings slightly to allow the sun to warm the leathery span. After a moment, he ruffled his wings back into place before nudging Jang-mii in the behind to get her attention; as she whipped around to scold him for poking her in such a scandalous area, she found that he had stretched out onto his belly in the grass and was looking at her expectantly, gesturing to his back with the tip of his thorny tail. “Oh? Are we going for a flight?” she asked as she walked over to his scaly body and boosted herself up onto his foot to climb slowly up his arm and plant herself on his back, right at the base of his neck. As the dragon slowly rose to its feet and beat its wings experimentally, she gasped lightly and wrapped her arms around his neck as far as they could reach, lurching precariously; up until now, she had only been carried in the beast’s paws, and though she was rather decent at horseback riding, she realized with slight discomfort that a dragon was in an entirely different league.

“You won’t drop me, will you?” she frowned anxiously. With a snort of what she presumed to be laughter, then dragon shook his head before crouching down for take-off. The princess could feel the beast’s powerful muscles flexing beneath the hard, red scales, and as she squeezed her eyes shut, she braced herself for the impact. She could not help but release a slight scream as he abruptly sprang into the air, beating his wings to carry them high into the blue sky. As the rushing wind died down, Jang-mii found the courage to eyes open, and was amazed.

She had seen the spectacular view before- the sprawling mass of green wilderness accented by the endless expanse of blue sky, but it was miraculously different perched upon the dragon’s back. She felt as if she were soaring on horseback, galloping through the clouds with immeasurable speed. As she loosened up, lightly holding onto the dragon’s neck with only her hands, she leaned slowly over his side to glance down at the wilds below. They were at a much higher altitude than their previous excursions, and the trees blended together in a smudge of greens. Here and there, Jang-mii could spot curvy white lines of rivers and streams snaking across the ground, joining with massive lakes that seemed like mere puddles at such a height. In the distance behind her, the mountains protruded against the horizon, mere spikes poking up against the blueness of the sky. They shrank away as they flew toward the southeast, where the border of Jang-mii’s country to Baekhyun’s existed.

If Jang-mii would have seen the border then, perhaps much of the heartache and despair that was to come could have been avoided. Oblivious to the villainy of her current betrothed, she laughed lightly and reached above her head to dip her fingertips into the fluffy whiteness of a sprawling cloud, amazed when her hand sank into it and came away glittering with small drops of water.

For a solid hour, they sailed along the wind, coasting the high-speed streams thousands of feet above the ground headed to whatever destination the dragon desired; Jang-mii’s gaze swept along the ground, attempting to discern interesting landmarks. As the dragon slowly began to descend, the princess surmised that they would be landing soon, and glanced around at the rapidly approaching scenery; it seemed no different than the rest of the wilds, really, just patchwork expanses of green forests and large open fields. However, a pair of mountains jutted out of the ground to the north- spiky, treacherous looking peaks surrounded on all sides by deeply rolling hills. I wonder what kind of dangerous creatures live in there, Jang-mii thought with a shudder.

Thankfully, they ventured no closer to the hazardous pair of peaks, but spiraled into landing several miles away into a gigantic meadow sprawling across gently rolling ground. The beast’s shadow danced upon the ground as he slowly soared close to the ground while slowing himself down enough to deftly land, sending flower petals dancing into the air as his he crushed them underfoot. Shaking away the yellow clouds of pollen that shifted around him, he flopped down on his stomach to allow Jang-mii to hop down onto the ground and gaze in wonder at the magnificent scenery around her.

Flowers of all shapes, colors, and sizes surrounded her, swaying in the breeze in an amazing display of yellows, pinks, reds, whites, purples, and blues; yellow-green grass grew in patches between the flowerbeds, making the area look like a patchwork of rainbow upon the ground. Honeybees hummed as they bobbed from flower to flower collecting nectar and spreading pollen, while gorgeous butterflies fluttered and metallic dragonflies flitted just above the flowers’ petals. A small stream cut through the landscape, bringing fresh, clean water to the meadow and all its inhabitants; a few deer had ventured out of the safety of the trees to partake, but darted back in fright when the dragon landed. A single, massive oak tree towered nearby, its sprawling branches twisting in all directions and blooming with bright green leaves that seemed to eclipse the entire sky, casting the ground beneath in deep shadow. To Jang-mii, it felt like a purely magical place.

“This is incredible!” she laughed as she threw her arms around the dragon’s neck in gratitude, thanking him profusely for bringing her to such a beautiful place. Giddily, she took off into the meadow, dashing through the flowers and grasses that rose up to her knees. As she ran about, looking for both woodland and fantastical creatures alike, the dragon calmly followed behind, keeping his distance as the princess dashed around the magical landscape. She clambered up a sizeable hill, laughing with glee as she abruptly plopped herself down and rolled roughly all the way to the bottom; teasingly, she pretended to be unconscious, laying still as the concerned dragon lumbered over and sniffed her with worry. With a cry, she suddenly grabbed him by the snout, clinging tightly as he raised his head quickly in shock. She squealed with delight as she swung from his nose, while he gently attempted to shake her off, stomping around and tossing his head. Unable to hang on after about a minute, she sailed through the air and landed with a light plop in a patch of wild daisies, sending a cloud of yellow pollen into the air. As the dragon peered into the flower patch, she smiled blissfully and patted his snout.

“I used to think the palace gardens was the most beautiful place in the world,” she remarked wryly as she gently ran her fingers over a daisy’s smooth white petals. “I have to say, after some consideration, that I was quite wrong. This must be the most beautiful place in the world,” she sighed happily and sat up, shaking her head to clear the yellow pollen from her hair, scratching the dragon under the chin as he nudged her. His tail thumped rhythmically against the ground in delight, making her laugh, and then he rolled onto his back and stuck his legs into the air like a dog, begging for his belly to be scratched. “You know, you may look intimidating and all, but you really are just a big softie, aren’t you?” Jang-mii giggled as she climbed onto his scaled belly and scratched all over his chest.

He wriggled with delight, tongue lolling out of his fanged mouth as he closed his eyes and flopped his head into the grass. After her arms grew tired, she flopped face-down onto the beast’s massive torso, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the warmth radiating from the creature’s body. She cracked an eye open and smiled as he wrapped his front paws around her in a hug. “You must have been so lonely,” she sighed sadly as she lifted her head to look down his neck towards his head; the dragon lifted his face, staring at her curiously. “All by yourself out here, before I came along.” A low growling rumbled in his chest, causing the scales beneath the princess to vibrate gently. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be lonely anymore,” she smiled sweetly. “You can come back with me, too. We’ll build you a nice, spacious house to live in, and bring you the best cattle in all the land. I’ll take good care of you,” she beamed happily, and the dragon lifted his head to gently press his spacious forehead against her own. They both closed their eyes, and the princess felt as if an unsaid understanding passed between them. Then, the moment passed as quickly as it came, and the dragon rolled onto its side to gently place the princess back into the grass.

Ah, it’s nearly noon. Perhaps he has some kind of appointment? Jang-mii thought with a forlorn smile as he rolled onto his paws and shook lingering pollen from his scales, flicking the princess with his tail before he began marching determinedly across the meadow toward the trees. Jang-mii had realized that the dragon left specific times during the day, like clockwork, always disappearing for an hour or so. Perhaps that was just how his hunger schedule worked, or when he decided to meet with his various informants to hear the news. Jang-mii wandered over to the base of the lone tree and plopped down among its massive roots. If he wanted me to know his business, he would surely bring me along rather than leave me here defenseless, she reasoned. He must have his reasons. I’ll leave him to them.

As the red dragon disappeared into the green, Jang-mii began gathering fallen twigs and weaving them together into a small, elegant crown. She descended back into the meadow, gathering the most beautiful flowers she could find to weave into her crown before plopping the completed accessory on her head and twirling about. She paused mid-spin, putting a finger to her lips. Hmm… I wonder how funny the dragon would look in a flower crown? She thought with a giggle, returning to the base of the tree to begin constructing the massive circular headpiece. She worked dutifully, oblivious to her surroundings as she continuously weaved the small sticks together. She twitched as she heard a rush of wind, and glanced up, expecting to see the dragon returned from his errand. “Ah, you’re back so so-“ she froze in the middle of her sentence, terrified to see that it was not her dragon keeper, but a gigantic, utterly massive bird of prey, a falcon-like creature sweeping across the meadow. It was a roc, a bird of legend that was believed to hunt elephants in the jungle regions far, far to the north beyond the mountains where the dragon called home.

During her construction of the crown, a herd of deer had wandered into the meadow to drink at the stream; in her negligence, Jang-mii had failed to notice the enormous bird emerge from its nest at the peak of one of the twin mountains to descend upon the herd for its meal, scattering the herd in all directions. Compared to the rest of its species, this one was quite small, only as large as the gray beasts it was believed to hunt in the thick jungles to the far north; still, to the herd of deer, it was a frighteningly massive creature, and sent them reeling in terror. A massive buck with sharp, sprawling horns, galloped in fright toward the oak tree with his head down, spiked antlers poised to strike the princess and gore her to death. Screaming in pure terror, Jang-mii scrambled into tree just as the deer slammed into it, its antlers spearing the bark where she had been only moments ago. Its antlers jammed, it thrashed and writhed in an attempt to free itself, shaking the oak tree and jarring Jang-mii around. She clung to the branches for dear life as the tree trembled beneath the assault of the massive bird’s wings and the deer’s frantic beating.

As the bird devoured its catch while the rest of the herd scattered into the trees, it became aware of the stranded buck and immediately began prowling closer, its massive talons scoring the earth with each step of its clawed feet. The buck released a terrifying squeal unlike anything Jang-mii had ever heard as the bird grabbed it and ripped it from the tree to snap it up in its gigantic beak, snapping as it swallowed the creature whole. Jang-mii held her breath as she crouched in the branches, praying beyond hope that the bird would fail to sense her presence and return to its home in the absence of prey. It hopped around the tree, snapping its beak with sharp eyes searching for any more of the deer cowering beneath the oak, before ruffling the feathers of its massive wings and cawing to the sky.

Jang-mii screamed and pressed herself against the trunk of the tree as the bird abruptly plunged its head into the tree, its beak snapping away the thick, twisting branches as it attempted to reach the princess. Its claws scraped at the tree trunk, leaving scores in the bark the seeped reddish-gold sap. Screeching in terror and shielded her face as wooden debris flew everywhere, there was little the princess could do as the bird ripped away at the tree, its pointed beak drawing closer with each passing second. What can I do? If I don’t act quickly, the bird will eat me! she thought frantically, her eyes darting around for any means to defend herself. She spotted a broken branch, hanging by a thread from where the bird hand snapped it in its frenzied attempt to reach the princess; its end was sharpened to a deadly point. Jang-mii lunged for it, snapping it from the rest of the branch before ducking the bird’s beak and driving the point deep into its feathered chest. It released an angered screech and staggered backwards, flapping its giant wings while it attempted to recover. Jang-mii half-fell, half-clambered out of the tree, landing roughly on the ground before hurrying to her feet and taking off in a feverish run for the forest.

I have to get under the cover of the trees! Otherwise, I’m a goner! She thought and she rushed through the grass and flowers. As she glanced backward, she was terrified to find that the bird had regained its composure and had launched itself into the air, flying fast toward her. She dove face-first into the ground as it swooped down over her, the edge of one of its spear-like talons ripping through her shoulder and leaving it red with blood; angered at not retrieving its prey, it surged around and came soaring back in the princess’ direction, screeching with claws poised for a killing strike. Feverishly, Jang-mii crawled backward, panting as her shoulder burned and throbbed with pain.

“No! I can’t die here!” she wailed as she lost her hold and flopped down onto her back, staring with wide eyes as the massive bird loomed closer.

Kris! she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the end.