SHORT STORIES{collection]

DRAGON'S BRIDE

"Listen, dragon," began Princess Julia of the Kingdom of Vanarre. Her hands were on her hips, her right toe tapping. "This can't go on."

The Southern Dragon, bigger than a house and with a row of spear point spikes along his spine, looked bemused--as well he might. Julia often had that effect on people. Who else would open parley with a dragon by chiding him like a naughty puppy?

The dragon opened his mouth and sent a stream of flame to incinerate a nearby pine tree which flared like a torch before falling into powdery ash in the intensity of the maintained flame. The dragon blinked in a satisfied manner, then glanced sideways to see how Julia had taken the demonstration of power.

She brushed ash off her wine velvet skirt. "That was very thoughtless. This is a new dress." It laced tightly across her bosom, emphasising her full figure. Julia was a big girl.

An odd rusty sound emerged from the dragon.

Julia tilted her head, listening to the crr-crr-crr, then stared directly into the dragon's sapphire eyes. "You're laughing at me," she accused.

"Yes." The dragon curled its tail comfortably around its body and settled in for the parley. "You have courage, princess, but not a great deal of common sense."

"Rubbish," said Julia robustly. She gave up on her ash ruined velvet skirt and sat down on a chunk of rock. "I'm the practical one of the family."

"Heaven help Vanarre, if that's true." The tip of the dragon's tail twitched like a cat's.

"Humph." Julia snorted, but when she thought of her scatterbrained mum, her romantically minded sisters, her sailing mad and currently lost brother, not to mention her daft but lovable dad...the dragon had a point.

No one had expected her dad to become king. He'd been a younger son and the whole family was content to exist in a crumbling drafty castle, interfering in village affairs and pursuing their odd hobbies. But the unexpected death of both the king and his son--their uncle and cousin--in a coaching accident had propelled the charming but impractical family willy-nilly into court life.

The then royal steward--who had known Julia's dad when he was a boy--had retired on the spot. The remaining members of the royal household went around looking confused, but lately Julia had seen signs that they were being seduced into the madness of her family.