Chapter 1

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"Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away...

"Seriously? You just kidnapped me so that I could read you this story?" Princess Olympia said closing the book in her lap and looking the green scaly dragon in the eye.

"Can you think of a better way to spend the next year?"  The dragon asked in his deep smoky voice.  

"You can always eat me." Olympia said.  "I've already said my goodbyes and everything."  

"You know I'm not going to eat you!" The dragon sighed, smoke escaping from his nostrils. They were on the bottom floor of a book lined tower and there was just enough space for the dragon and one small wooden chair for Olympia to sit. She just had enough room to stretch her elbows while reading but not more than that. The dragon expected her to sit like that for an hour or two for the next year just reading to him. No thank you!

"I'm sure I'm pretty tasty." Olympia said. "Just throw some salt and pepper on me and I'm good. Maybe a little hot sauce and you can go to town."

The dragon threw his head back and snorted towards the ceiling of the tower. A small torch of fire shot from his nostrils.  Fortunately, nothing caught fire.  "Princess, I've done everything I can think of to prove to you that you are in no danger here." The dragon said still looking at the ceiling.

The dragon spoke with honesty. When Princess Olympia first arrived at the dragon's tower she was a crying mess. She didn't want to be the dragon's next meal or live in a tower.  She wanted to be a princess.  She had a great life, living in the castle, wearing pretty dresses and having servants wait on her.  She threw herself on the bed kicking and screaming.  "Why me!"  She yelled. 

"Now, now, stop your crying." Another girl sat next to her on the soft bed until she calmed. Rosalie, was the girl from the Western nation taken in the four nations ceremony the year before, and she was still alive. She didn't look like a prisoner at all. Rosalie had a glow to her skin that suggested she spent an abundant amount of time outside and she had a light in her eyes that suggested she did not lack companionship.

"The mattress is good." Rosalie told her. "This room is catered to my preferences but I'm guessing that it looks like a hovel to a princess."

"I..." Olympia started to speak but a snot bubble came out of her nose.

Rosalie threw her hand up. "No, it's okay. You just tell the dragon what it is you need in your room and he'll provide it. Same thing for food."

"If I'm taking your room, where are you going to be?" Princess Olympia asked Rosalie. She grabbed Rosalie's hand, her eyes widened and her breath quickened.  "Oh no, he's going to eat you!" Olympia practically shouted.  

"No." Rosalie said. "Nobody is getting eaten, I'm going to the Middle nation to live."

"There is no such nation." Olympia assured her. "He's going to eat you." She hopped off the bed and went over to the tower window, trying to find a way for Rosalie to escape before she literally became toast.  

"The middle nation is where the four nations meet. It's small but protected, which is why you don't know of it. The people there are loyal to the dragon." Rosalie insisted.  

Olympia turned from the window not completely trusting Rosalie's judgement.  

To make Olympia feel better about living as his prisoner the dragon even flew Olympia to the middle nation with Rosalie where they threw a party in Rosalie's honor to welcome the newest maiden to the kingdom.

Several maidens who claimed to once be the dragon's prisoner attended the party, including a girl named Macy from the Northern nation.  Olympia hadn't seen Macy for four years.  She didn't know her very well but they had a short conversation the day before Macy was sacrificed to the dragon.  Olympia thought the girl was dead, ingested and digested long ago.  

Despite herself, Olympia had a good time at Rosalie's party.  When it was time to go she said her good byes to the maidens and kissed Rosalie on each cheek before climbing onto the dragon's back so he could fly her back to his tower.

Olympia spent the first week of her kidnapping, arranging her room.  The dragon brought her, her every heart's desire.  She supposed she must have ordered the dragon around more than his typical guest because he muttered, "princesses," under his breath more than a few times. 

A week into this abduction, the dragon informed Olympia that she was to spend an hour a night reading to him. None of the maidens at the party told her about this. Olympia responded to the dragon's outburst.  

"Yes Dragon, by taking me to a party full of women suffering from Stockholm syndrome you have proven that you have no intention of eating me. I'm just putting the offer on the table. I might taste good lathered up with some mayonnaise. You never know how good a maiden and mayo sandwich is until you try."

"I'll keep that in mind princess. Could you please read." The dragon answered.  

So, the princess opened the book on her lap and started over.

"Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away a dragon kidnapped a princess, who'd probably taste good with a bit of ketchup, and forced her to sit in a crappy little chair..."

But eventually the story changed. Princess Olympia found herself looking forward to reading to the dragon and listening to the stories he had to tell and instead of sitting on the crappy little chair she cuddled into the dragon's soft underside where she found herself tracing the purple diamond pattern she found there, with her fingers. The shape reminded her of the insignia of the Southern nation. She didn't even care about elbow room and as the end of the year approached, she found herself not wanting their time together to end.

Then one night the dragon didn't come back to the tower. At first Olympia thought he was bringing back a new maiden but she still had a month to try to break the dragon's curse.

Olympia stepped out of the tower and looked into the night sky for her beast. The moon was bright and full and no clouds could be seen. Her dragon was not flying overhead. In the distance, Olympia heard a sound that made her blood run cold.  

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