Previous to Ever After

Twelve

We barged in, both of us breathing heavily. As the dragon turned around and bellowed a roar loud enough to shake the walls, I realized that intruding without warning wasn't the best attack strategy.

The dragon was huge, almost as big as a tower. He was as red as fire and had black scales running all the way down his back to the tip of his long tail. He had long, sharp claws on the edge of his hands and feet and a scaly, pink belly that bulged out as he roared.

Scorching, hot fire emerged from his mouth and flew in swirls of heat towards the ceiling. It burned off the chains to a huge chandelier and the ring of gold and diamonds came plummeting towards us.

"Look out!" William said as he hurled himself on me. We moved just in time for the chandelier not to crush us to bits.

"Thanks," I said as he pulled me up and we dodged another fire ball.

"Anytime," he said as the dragon glared at us. "Shit, split up!" he screamed as a blast of fire blew right between us.

I screamed and rolled towards the left while William jumped to the right, clashing into a bunch of swords.

The dragon turned towards me and glared down. I was shocked into place, not being able to move, fear rising up in my stomach.

William screamed, trying to get the dragon's attention but he just stared down at me. I looked up into his dark blue eyes, terrified.

Wait. Dark blue eyes?

Just as the dragon blew a gust of fire in my direction William jumped over me, grabbing my hand and rushing me behind a huge, red curtain that hung down from one of the big wall-sized windows. In an enormous puff of smoke, we we're out of sight.

"You know when I said anytime, I didn't mean that you could freeze in place again!" he whisper–yelled at me.

I shook my head, looking at the ground as the dragon roared, frustrated it couldn't find us.

"William," I started. "It's not the prince."

"What?" he asked running his fingers through his hair. He was obviously aggravated with me.

"Its eyes, they were blue. In the portrait in the hall, the baby's eyes were green."

"So?" he asked, confused.

"So? So, it's not him! The dragon isn't the prince."

"Okay," he started, peeking out from behind the curtain. The dragon was still looking around the room for us. "Then who is it?"

I tried remembering the other parts of the legend. Particularly, about the witch.

I looked out from behind the curtain, and saw the dragon was standing by something. It almost resembled something like a nest of swords, knives and other weapons. There was a red cloth piled on top, and in that red cloth, were three eggs.

The dragon wasn't a he at all; it was a she.

That she being the witch.

"William!" I said turning to him. "She's the witch! The dragon's the witch!"

He turned back to me and lifted an eyebrow. "You think?"

"Yes, she is, I'm sure of it. But the question is, why is she like this?"

I looked back outside of the curtain and looked around the room. Then my eye caught on another portrait of the ancient king and queen. This one, like the one in the hallway, had the queen burned out of the picture, leaving the king untouched. Why did the witch burn the queen and baby's portraits, but left the king untouched? I looked back towards the eggs and then up at the dragon.