The Fire Prince

~Prologue~

A pristine, white blanket had been delicately draped over the tiny cottage with the thatched roof, barring everything in sight except for the moon. The round, luminous orb which hung low in the sky had begun to gleam iridescently, rivalling Heaven's Golden Lamp itself. It would gaze down silently and observe the peaceful planet and its inhabitants every night. However, on this night it sensed a great disturbance - not the kind that was alarming - but strange, peculiar, an oddity. As it drew closer to the source, it had found that it was a girl who lived in the tiny cottage with the now thick, snowy thatched roof that had stolen its attention away from the rest of the world.

"Go on now, Aurora, its past your bed time," the woman said and placed her hands on her hips as if to emphasise her point.

The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, perhaps bordering in the early thirties. Her heart shaped face was framed by a wavy crimson curtain that fell passed her slender shoulders and stopped at the lower half of her back. And although there were dark circles beginning to form under her soft doe-like eyes, there was without a shadow of a doubt that she was a beauty in her youth.

"Hmph! But I am not tired yet mother," the little girl exclaimed, her crystal blue eyes shimmering with defiance.

Aurora's mother raised an elegant eyebrow and clucked her tongue, pretending to be angry at her daughter's rebelliousness.

After some thought she finally answered with, "I know. How about I read you story?"

At once the little girl's disobedient attitude had vanished, and was quickly replaced with her auburn hair bobbing up and down as she nodded eagerly, and gave her mother a toothy grin. It wasn't long before Aurora had kicked off her woollen socks and clambered into bed. The pink duvet was tucked up to her chin as she desperately awaited her mother to return with a book from one of the shelves downstairs.

Soon, the door creaked open to reveal her mother standing on the other side, a leather bound book that read, 'Fairy Tales From The Seven Realms,' was clutched tightly to her chest. Aurora, wanting to hear better, propped herself up on her elbows and snuggled comfortably into the pillows. Her mother grabbed a wooden stool and placed it near the bedside, and as she exhaled one deep breath she finally begun the story.

"Once upon a time, in a magical kingdom there lived a beautiful princess. Her father, who was the king, arranged many balls, in the hopes that one suitor would finally be pleasing to his daughter. But alas, the princess was not content with any of those who asked for her hand, and with the flick of her wrist she bid them farewell.

Her father soon grew exhausted and angry, wishing that she had never been born. As though hearing the King's plea, dark clouds gathered across the sky and settled over the castle, ominous sounds roaring from above.

Suddenly, a large gale force threw the castle door off its hinges, knocking everyone off their feet. A tall, scaly creature entered the castle; its four razor sharp talons scraping hideously against the polished marble floor. It lifted its ginormous head, amber eyes searching for something until finally its fiery gaze locked with the princess's.

Then, everything happened so frantically. A loud and frightening scream tore through the palace walls as the beast grabbed its treasure, and with a single beat of its mighty wings it plummeted into the chilly air. All that was left of the stolen treasure was the silver tiara that had once graced her highness, standing stiff upon the cold, stony floor. Silence enveloped the throne room. Nobody dared to utter a word, for their princess was gone."

"What's wrong, Aurora?" Her mother asked, her features flitting with concern to the little girl who had started to twiddle her thumbs and chew her lip nervously.

"Did the beast eat her, mother? I hope he didn't," Aurora's voice squeaked. The innocent question seemed to prompt her mother to respond with a chuckle and she leaned down to place a soft kiss on her daughter's temple.

"Well, shall we read on and find out?" Her mother enquired with a gentle smile. The little girl nodded her head once again and pulled, 'Mr Fluffles,' her toy bunny over and cuddled it to her small, warm breast.

"The king was overcome with grief and sorrow, but refused to believe that his daughter was lost to them, so he set forth a challenge. Anyone who would venture to retrieve the princess and slay the dragon would inherit the throne and all its riches. Time passed and nobody seemed brave enough to accept the challenge, for they believed their princess was dead and that they would meet the same fate.

However, on one such day, a foreign prince from a distant land came forth and accepted the King's proposal. Whilst embarking on his journey across the world, the prince realised that he had no idea where to find the dragon or the princess.

Frustrated and weary, he lay down in a meadow. The scent of wild dandelions and poppies wafted into his nostrils as he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wonder. His thoughts were soon answered as an angel descended from heaven, and told him in his dream that he would only find that which he so desperately sought if he endured blistering storms, scorching deserts and frozen glaciers.

The prince listened to the angel and suffered all the harsh conditions, and as promised he encountered the sleeping dragon and the princess. With precision and stealth, he quietly unsheathed his sword and slew the beast. The prince and princess fell in love and soon returned to the kingdom where everyone rejoiced. The king announced their wedding and they got married, and it was said that the two of them lived happily ever after. The End."

Aurora shifted uncomfortably under the sheets and held Mr Fluffles tighter to her body. She couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the dragon's death; after all, it hadn't killed or harmed the princess.

"Sleep now sweetheart," her mother whispered and nuzzled their noses, causing Aurora to giggle.

However, that was cut short when the little girl's round blue eyes burned with curiosity, and she decided to ask her mother a question that had been on her mind for several days now.

"Mother?"

"Mmm,"

"In all these stories the prince and princess always end up together. Why is that? Why doesn't she end up with the dwarf or the fawn instead?"

Her mother gave her a hearty laugh before replying, "Oh, Aurora. I don't know sweetie. That's the way it has always been. Get some rest now."

Aurora's eyebrows knitted together and her bottom lip jutted outwards, appearing to be less than satisfied with her mother's answer.

But before she could question her any further, her mother pressed one final kiss to Aurora's forehead before switching off the light, and softly padding down the corridor and to her own bedroom, taking the leather bound book with her.

Aurora mumbled something under her breath and stole a glance through the frosty window to the shining moon outside. One last thought plagued her little head before she finally drifted into a deep slumber.

What if the prince and princess had never fallen in love? What if...the beast and the princess fell in love?