As Kris felt the sharp-tipped spears bounce harmlessly off his tough dragon hide, the knights running between his legs in an attempt to overrun him, he stared sadly at the curtain where Jang-mii had disappeared. He was unsure just why he had decided to raid the wedding upon hearing news that Jang-mii was engaged once more; perhaps some part of him thought that she still loved him, and once he revealed the truth to her she would fall into his arms and everything would finally be right again in the world. He had realized that was a bit harder to than he had initially thought, considering he was still suffering from the curse that had been placed on him ten years ago.

The witch had not killed him like many believed, but in fact made him her personal slave by placing him under the bitter curse. For only two hours a day, starting at noon and midnight, he was indeed human, able to mingle among the many villages of the wilds; for the rest, he was the terrifying dragon, strong and fierce. For many years, Kris had resided in the dank caves of the wilds, bent to the witch’s will and controlled by her strong magic, until she finally passed away, leaving Kris alone in the massive, lonely expanse of the wilds. Of course, under his curse, he could never return to the realm of men, and so he had been wandering ever since, attempting to end his affliction and finally return home to his throne and his wife-to-be. That is, until he had discovered that she had been engaged to Prince Baekhyun.

Hurt upon hearing the news, Kris had descended upon the castle with fiery wrath, eager to reclaim his love and keep her from falling into another’s hands. Despite his encroaching regret, Kris was not going to stop until he had found her.

“Find its weak point! We must slay it!” Kris was distracted by the shouting of a general, pointing emphatically at the dragon’s underside. The soldiers were running underneath him, poking at his tough scales with sword and spears in an attempt to find an opening. Kris growled savagely, his large tail sweeping away rows of pews; he wanted to try to avoid too much destruction, as his goal was not to ravage the kingdom but to reclaim his love, but this was a difficult task for a massive dragon up against small men. He ignored them as he sniffed around, attempting to catch Jang-mii’s scent. It finally wafted into his nostrils, the smell of fresh flowers and sweet honey, trailing from the wall. Kris began clawing at the bricks, his sharp claws easily dislodging the stones, slowly revealing the small hallway that passed alongside the throne room. He his horned head through, roaring as knights immediately descended upon his face.

Kris’ eyes landed on the dark-haired youth with the glimmering sword, standing protectively in front of the terrified Jang-mii and her family. He snarled and continued to crawl through the hole he had made, crumbling the wall around it and tossing his head to dislodge the knights clambering on him. His eyes, flaming with rage, were set on the young groom. He finally forced himself into the hall, towering above them with his head held high.

I am Prince Kris, he reminded himself as his draconic instincts threatened to take over. There had been several instances where he had lost control and his dragon half had taken over, leaving rage and ruin behind. As he struggled to keep his wits about him, Baekhyun shoved the princess towards the opposite end of the hall, and the family took off in a feverish run with a legion of knights behind them. They disappeared around the corner, heading for the courtyard, and so Kris threw his body into the next wall. It crashed under his weight, spilling stones into the garden and crushing the delicate flowers beneath. His reptilian eyes spotted the family piling into an ornate carriage. The attendant snapped the whips and the horses took off over the cobblestones, and Kris could spot Jang-mii peering out of the curtained windows. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and he thought he saw the fear fade from her eyes and become replaced by a mild wonder. She glanced at her side, where he could only assume Baekhyun was sitting, then threw the carriage door open and flung herself onto the street. She rolled a few times, covering herself in dirt and dust, while the carriage screeched to a stop.

By the time Baekhyun had clambered out of the carriage, Kris had already lunged forward, and was standing protectively over the princess. She gazed up at him, a complicated expression on her face as her eyes traced over his monstrous features.

“Jang-mii! Get back here!” Baekhyun hissed at her. Kris growled in response, his spiked tail sweeping around his side to block the prince’s path. Jang-mii looked over her shoulder at him, her expression dreadfully sad. Her wedding dress had become torn, and was stained brown with dirt, but Kris spotted a gleaming silver locket around her neck that seemed to shine in the bright sunlight, illuminating her face like a beacon.

“It’s after me,” Jang-mii realized. She turned her back to Kris, still staring sadly at Baekhyun. “If I do not go, then it will destroy my kingdom, and I cannot allow that. I’m sorry, but I must do this for my people, Baekhyun.” Kris continued to gaze down at the beautiful princess, entranced by her. She had changed much in the ten years that he had last seen her, growing more gorgeous than he had ever thought, and unbelievably brave. Kris was unsure just why she had decided to sacrifice herself, but he wrapped his paws gently around her nonetheless, spreading his massive wings wide. Baekhyun attempted to charge him, but one flap of the dragon’s wings sent him face-first into the ground, crushed to the ground by the massive winds they generated. Kris rose into the sky, clutching the princess close to his chest as he flew over the wrecked castle, leaving the princess’ kingdom far behind.

His shadow danced over the treetops as he soared over the wilds, heading for the large chain of mountains separated Jang-mii’s country from his own. He spiraled down from the clouds, wings beating the air and pushing the trees down as he landed heavily on the lush green grass. One paw raised to his chest, holding Jang-mii tightly but gently, he lumbered into the cavernous crack that split the mountainside. This was his home, and had been in the years since the accursed witch’s death. It was modest, with nothing but a gigantic straw bed for him to lay. It was here that he set Jang-mii, lowering her onto the straw and sitting back on his hind legs as she observed the dank cave.

“This is where you live? I would have imagined that you had piles of treasure,” she wondered aloud, then looked up into the dragon’s eyes. “Well, are you going to eat me, dragon? I can’t imagine any other reason for you abducting me.” The princess seemed pleasantly surprised when he shook his head at her. “So you understand the Common Tongue? I’m impressed. Can you speak yourself?” she inquired, and her face fell in disappointment when he shook his head once more. “I see, so you can’t tell me why you took me.” With a heavy sigh, the princess sat down in the straw, gazing down at her dirtied wedding dress.

Kris lowered himself onto all fours, causing the mountainside to shake as his weight slammed down onto the sandy floor. Dust rained down from above, and he shook himself to clear off the dirt as he cautiously edged closer to the princess. She was running her fingers over the white fabric, still clutching a small velvet bag in her hand. “I was supposed to get married today, but I refused him,” she murmured. Kris’ heart leapt, but he could show no expression on his scaled face as he settled himself in front of her, his head inches from her own. “Everyone keeps telling me to let go of the past, but how can I, when I receive so many signs from the world to hang on?” The princess looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes as she regarded him. She then snorted and crossed her arms, looking away angrily. Kris straightened up, surprised by her reaction. “Whatever your reasons are, dragon, it was very rude of you to attack my kingdom. It was convenient, but I still cannot look past the destruction you caused. I demand that you return me to my home this instant.”

Kris snorted and turned his back to her, lumbering over to the entrance of the cave to plop down in the sand and curl himself up to go to sleep. “Did you hear me?” she cried, standing up in the giant straw bed to climb unsteadily over the side and walk over to him. He flicked his tail, spraying dust all over her. “You are a rude creature! I had always heard that dragons are majestic and wise, but that is clearly not the case!” she shouted angrily as she wiped sand from her face. She stood in front of him, arms crossed, for his bulk blocked the exit and she would not be able to climb over him without Kris dislodging her unceremoniously.

Learning that Jang-mii had reservations about marrying Baekhyun had only steeled his resolve. The only way for the prince to reclaim her would involve him marching upon the wilds and taking her back himself, and even then, he would have to kill Kris to do it. He was still unsure of just how he was going to reveal to Jang-mii who he truly was, as he had no idea how the princess would react. He pondered the predicament for a long while, carefully keeping an eye on the princess as she wandered about the cave. She picked up a stray stick and began drawing a particularly unflattering portrait of him in the sand, and he was unsure whether this was a testament to her lack of artistic ability or a way of expressing her discontent. The light slowly faded from the cave as the sun sunk below the treetops, and Kris only rose once to breath fire onto a pile of wood in the corner, igniting them with flames and resulting in a warm, crackling fire.

Jang-mii crawled over to it, rubbing her eyes sleepily as the moon rose higher above the forest, bathing the entrance of the cave in soft white light. She curled up in the sand, drawing her train around her like a blanket before drifting off to sleep. Kris simply stared at her sleeping form for a while, having doubts. What had he hoped to accomplish by bringing the princess into the wilds, away from her comfortable life? He could not escape this bitter reality that he had acted on his own selfishness, and the princess was suffering from it.

Kris began to feel a familiar sensation, a humming in his bones and an itching of his skin, and he glanced out into the sky to find that the moon was nearly at his highest. He quietly rose to his feet, not wishing to wake the princess in her peaceful slumber, and slunk out into the night. He walked under the cover of the trees as the sensation grew stronger, making it hard for him to walk. Finally, he simply collapsed into the grass, steam rising from his throat as he gulped at the air. Everything hurt. His bones felt like they were being crushed, compressing as the curse worked its black magic. A whine rose from inside him as his form began to shrink, his body glowing with a dull light that gradually grew brighter and brighter. The trees danced with light brighter than the sun as he continued to shrink, his form cracking and morphing before the light was suddenly snuffed out.

Kris lay on his back in the grass, drenched in sweat and his eyes squeezed tight as the sensation slowly ebbed away. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and dark brown pants, with a pair of boots and a smallsword strapped to his waist. Kris wasn’t sure why, but his clothes seemed to be worked into the magic, simply disappearing when he changed into a dragon and reappearing upon returning to his human form. He supposed he was grateful for it, rather than being every time he changed back. After the strength returned to his muscles, he slowly rose to a sitting position, slowly regaining control of his breathing. Starlight glittered down between the gaps in the leaves, and the moon continued to creep along the night sky. He had to hurry, before he changed back. He rose to his feet, heading back for the cave.

Kris paused at the edge of the trees, staring into the cavernous cave as apprehension claimed him. He couldn’t just wander into the cave and announce that he was Jang-mii’s long-lost fiancé, under a curse that forced him to live most of the day as a dragon. As he pondered how to approach the problem, his hand flew to the hilt of his sword as he heard a twig snap. His eyes narrowed as he watched Jang-mii slip out from the cave, looking around nervously as she crept into the woods. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed after her, his footsteps making no sound as he expertly tracked her through the woods.

She wandered determinedly through the wilderness, holding up her dress as she climbed over fallen logs and maneuvered around brambles. Kris was struck once more with how brave the young woman had become, a far cry from the sobbing eight-year-old girl who had fled from the witch’s cabin. After all, very few would willingly throw themselves into a dragon’s clutches, let alone attempt to escape from it in the middle of the night by traversing through treacherous woods filled with all manner of beasts and unsavory folk. Jang-mii walked on, oblivious to the danger she had placed herself in. Kris followed her to the edge of the clearing, watching as the princess walked out onto the shore of a sizeable lake.

He crouched down beside a bush, eclipsed by darkness as he watched her pause by the waterside. An expression of pleased curiosity was on her face as she tottered over to the lakes edge, drawing on of the bright pink lilies that floated on its surface. The sound of singing frogs and crickets smothered the air, and fireflies danced over the water’s surface, bobbing lights that fluttered around the girl and sent lights playing over her dress. She laughed happily, swirling her dress as the small bugs gathered around her. Kris found a smile forming on his face as he watched her, for she looked genuinely happy, and that was all he wanted.

The girl removed her shoes and raised her dress to wade into the water, recoiling slightly as the cold liquid splashed against her bare skin. Kris edged closer while her back was turned, traveling underneath the security of the leaves as she continued to push forward into the water. She stared down into the lake, no doubt observing the small minnows that swept effortlessly beneath the surface. Ripples spread from where she walked, catching the light from the heavens and making the lake glimmer with soft light. As the moonlight fell over her soft features, Kris was enchanted by the girl’s unfathomable beauty, and he found himself falling all the more in love with her.

Her chestnut hair seemed to shine white with the moonlight, and her skin absorbed it and glowed with its own ethereal quality. Her eyes glittered like stars as her gaze swept over the dark lake, and with her white dress, she seemed like a goddess who had descended upon the earth. Kris became even more aware of his lowly status, feeling like a peasant before the sublime girl, and cowered in the shadows as her gaze fell upon him. He felt as if she were peering into his soul, observing his cowardice and weakness, but soon her eyes swept along, having not taken notice of his presence. He released a deep breath and ran a hand through his dark hair, shaking his head.

Eventually Jang-mii returned to the sandy shore, having felt the need to return to her mission. She sat down in the sand, murmuring to herself as she attempted to regain her bearings but to no avail. Kris wandered closer, watching as she flipped open the locket and gazed at the mysterious articles contained within.

“What do I do, my love?” she whispered and glanced up at the sky. “I know you are trying to tell me something, but what? The dragon was no coincidence, but what could you possibly have wanted me to discover by bringing me out here?” Silence hung in the air, and with a sigh she flipped the locket closed. She continued to remain there, seated in the sand while she mulled over her hopeless condition, and Kris finally closed his eyes to gather his courage. He stood, unseen in the shadows, and prepared to reveal his presence to the girl.

He had waited ten years for this moment, but somehow, he found it impossible to take that step. After all, he was unsure of whether the girl thought him dead or alive, and whether or not she had discarded him from her heart to make room for Baekhyun. Would she be angry at him for taking her?

Just do it, Kris. He told himself, stepping out into the light. Jang-mii was looking in the other direction, unaware of his presence. Before he could call for her, however, a twig snapped on the other side of the lake, and as the bushes rustled, Jang-mii’s scream was all he could hear.