Saving Rose

Chapter 10

Andrew and Rose made their way back to the dragon. It lay there on the grass, pearly tears falling from its eyes as it struggled to stand. Rose felt her heart squeeze, sadness filling her bones as she watched the poor creature. It had been a formidable foe, but it deserved far better than this.

"We can't leave it this way," she muttered, swallowing back tears. "It doesn't deserve to suffer just for being what it is."

"I agree," Andrew said with a nod. "No harm, no foul I say. I'm still here, and soon the rest of the soldiers will return too. But what can we do?"

Rose thought on it for a moment, chewing her lip. She stared at the dust of the gemstones, wondering how she could help the dragon. Then an idea struck her.

Lifting her hands into the air, she gathered the bits of gemstone dust around her. She worked quickly, forming dozens of new silvery scales from the gemstones, and one by one she affixed them to the dragon's stomach. As the gemstone scales locked into place, the dragon seemed to grow stronger and stronger. No longer wounded and beaten, the dragon waited mere moments for the rest of the scales to attach. They glistened in the red rays of the evening sun, and Rose smiled. They looked almost the same as the dragon's other scales. Almost identical, save for the small shimmering bits of blue and green that remained of the gemstones' original form.

With a last glance back at the Prince and Princess, the dragon turned its tail toward them, and leapt into the sky. Moments later it was soaring high overhead, disappearing into the fluffy white clouds.

"That dragon will probably come back you know," Andrew murmured as they watched its shadow fade away.

Rose nodded. "I know. But that's a problem for another day. Today, let's just be happy that we won."

Filled with exhaustion, Rose dropped to her knees and sat on the grass. She was weary right down to her bones, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

"What do we do now?" Andrew asked, lips pursed in a thin line.

"Grab a sword," Rose said, nodding towards some of the discarded weapons. He stared at her with an expression of mild concern, brow furrowed at her words.

"For what?"

Rose smiled. "Because you're going to tell them that you defeated the dragon."

The Prince cocked his head to the side as if in thought. "But I didn't defeat the dragon. You did. Don't you want everyone to know you can fight as well as any man?"

For the first time, Rose felt that she truly understood. It didn't matter if anyone else knew what she could do. It only mattered that she did. And she would never let rules, or society, or her own sense of self doubt stop her ever again.

She shook her head, motioning for him to grab a sword. "No," she replied, still grinning. "If we want our partnership to be successful, they need to know you can kill a dragon. Not me."

Still dubious, the little Prince grabbed up a sword and held it aloft before him. "These things are terribly heavy," he remarked, swinging it from side to side.

"They are," Rose agreed with a giggle.

"Once we have our own palace, maybe you can teach me how to move gemstones, and I can teach you how to fight with a sword," Andrew suggested.

"I'd like that," she smiled. "I'd like that a lot."

Over the horizon, the silhouette of the King, and the Prince, and their many soldiers appeared. They cheered at the sight of Prince Andrew, his hands firmly fixed on the sword's hilt, and as they raced forward, Rose breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in her life, she had taken control of her future.