The Unlikely Prince

The Kiss

She was up in the dreadful tower. Prince Hunter sat upon his faithful steed, staring up at a tower that was covered in sickly gray thorns so large they could impale a man. Dark clouds set the background, giving the white stones and blackened shingles an ominous feel.

But Princess Emerald of Lockheart was in the tower, fast asleep. And she would remain asleep if he did not go to rescue her himself.

Giving a determined "hmph!", he readied his steel blade and ornate shield, then spurred his horse into action.

The ride through the narrow cliffside and dusty roads was dangerous, and soon the way became so choked with thorns Hunter was forced to abandon his horse and continue his journey on his own two legs.

He had known Emerald since their childhood, back when she had been known to him as the mysterious girl who lived in the forests of Mackshire with no parents and only a trio of fairies to watch over her. He had visited her as often as he could, and when his father, the king of Mackshire, found out about this mysterious girl, he had tried to find out exactly where she had come from.

The answer came as a surprise to Hunter. An evil witch had cast a spell on her to make her fall into a deep sleep at the age of eighteen, and she had been spirited away into the forests, far from her own kingdom, so that she would remain safe. Alas, it was all for naught. Emerald had been without her parents for all those years for nothing, as the curse had found its way to her.

But he would set things right. Courage rose in his chest, puffing him up with pride. He would see the princess safely back to Mackshire, where they would certainly wed and live happily ever after.

He neared the tower, his sword gripped firm in his right hand and his shield strapped onto his left arm, and he marched forward, ready to do what was needed to awaken his future bride. He was stopped by a terrible roar that shook the ground, and had to cover his ears to block out the sound.

When the roar had dissipated, he looked up to find himself face to face with a large beast as black as night. No, blacker than that! Green tendrils of smoke coiled around the dragon like a halo meant for demons, and the smell of fire burned through Hunter's nostrils. Though the dragon's giant claws scraped the ground as it came close, Hunter called upon his courage and raised his sword.

"Fight me then, evil one!" he called to the beast. "I know you to be the one who set this curse upon Her Highness, and I will see to it that you are properly defeated!" With a gallant battle cry erupting from his lungs, he lunged with his sword poised to strike.

The dragon was ready for him, however, and swept it's clawed hand in a wide arc to swat the prince away like an insect. He landed back on the ground, grunting with the impact of falling onto the rocks, which were luckily not so sharp that he could easily be injured. He was quick to roll to the side when a blast of green fire poured forth from the beast's maw, blasting the ground where Hunter had just been a second before.

He leapt back on his feet. The intense heat from the fire still filled the air like an oven. Covered in sweat and feeling his cheeks burn from the heat, he rushed forward again.

The dragon's tail whipped around and knocked into a part of the mountain, crumbling it to bits and sending rocks flying towards him. The prince raised his shield to protect himself from the rocks, pressing forward to land a strike on the dragon.

With another shout, he jumped high and slammed his sword down on the dragon's side. The thick scales proved difficult to cut through. Hunter forced the sword down with all of his strength, and managed to wound the beast before it flung him off of it's back.