Chapter 25: Southbound
News travelled fast.
The story of the dragon in the south spread across the kingdom in whispers and shouts, carried by fleeing adventurers and traumatised warriors. With each telling, the details shifted more and more until the truth of the dragon in the rolling mountains became more terrifying than, perhaps, it ever really was.
Having survived or not, the twin-saintess princesses' catastrophic defeat became legend before the week ended.
But further away from such an even very far-away place as the Black Mountain was a grand palace. It was the royal house of the very same nation in which the fearsome and terrible dragon, said to have come to end the world, Barjuchne, resided.
The grand palace throne room stretched vast and ostentatious, every surface gleaming with polish and gold leaf. Expensive perfumes hung in the air, mixing with the scent of fresh flowers arranged in elaborate displays. Courtiers murmured among themselves in their finest clothes. Servants hurried past on silent feet, well-trained in invisibility.
Her Royal Majesty, princess of the nation and heiress to everything within the crown lands, lounged on a smaller throne beside her father's seat, examining her nails with affected boredom. Her body was petite and light, delicate in the way of someone who'd never done physical labour. Proportioned for her small frame, dressed in silk that cost more than most families earned in a lifetime. Everything about her screamed wealth and privilege and complete disconnection from normal life. Her clothes were one thing, but her attitude was something else entirely.
She was a brat, essentially.
"The dragon situation in the south," an advisor was saying, his voice properly deferential. "We must approach with caution. The twin-saintess princesses' forces were decimated. The church is acting cagey and is closing channels of communication with us regarding the matter. This creature is extremely dangerous."
"I want it," the princess said abruptly from the side.
The court fell silent. Her father, the king of the nation of nations, turned to look at her, confusion crossing his features. "What?"
"The dragon." She inspected another nail, picking at invisible imperfections. "I want it."
"Darling, we're discussing how to deal with a threat to the kingdom –"
"And I'm telling you I want a dragon." She looked up, meeting her father's gaze with casual authority. "Every great queen in history had something unique." She lifted her nose, her eyes closed, but her smile was practically glistening. "Something that proved their superiority over their lesser rivals. Marwin had her ivory towers. Lady Eliza had the great fleet. Empress Acacia had the Black Knight and I deserve a dragon."
The advisors exchanged nervous glances. One brave soul spoke up. "Your Highness, the dragon is incredibly dangerous. It's killed dozens of -"
"- Then those people were useless." She waved her small hand dismissively. "I am the princess of the greatest kingdom in the land. Obviously the dragon should be honoured to serve me."
"Darling. It's not that simple," her father began.
"It is exactly that simple." She stood from her throne, her light frame making the movement graceful and deliberate. "I am the heir to this throne. I deserve to have whatever I want. And I want the dragon."
Silence filled the enormous room. Courtiers stared at their shoes. Advisors tried to formulate arguments they knew would be ignored. The king looked at his daughter with the weary expression of someone who'd lost this battle a thousand times before.
"Send word that I'm coming," the princess commanded. "The dragon should prepare to receive me properly. I expect appropriate accommodations and immediate submission to my authority."
"And if the dragon refuses?" an advisor asked quietly.
The princess smiled, cold and certain. "Dragons are intelligent creatures. It will understand that serving me is in its best interest. Or I’ll chain it up below the castle and keep it here instead."
She settled back onto her throne, already mentally designing the black obsidian crown she'd wear once she had her dragon to prove her supremacy over the annoying princesses of the neighbouring kingdoms as she lost herself to her daydreams.
The court remained silent.
Nobody was willing to tell the spoilt heiress that dragons didn't typically respond well to demands.
Night fell across the kingdoms. At this point, in four different places, four different princesses of royal blood of varying strengths made preparations for journeys to the lair of a remarkable beast or were closing in on it already.
But none of them, except for two other princesses who were already there below the dragon's shadow, knew what truly waited for their arrival in the mountains.
However, in common with all of them was a strange obsession about the dragon.
Barjuchne sneezed.
“Blessings,” said Veliah, studying her for a moment. The elf tilted her head. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sneeze before,” she muttered, pondering the situation. A moment later she came over and checked the dragon’s forehead with her wrist. “...I can’t tell if you have a fever or not. You always glow like this,” she mused.
“I’m not sick,” replied the dragon girl, her core rumbling as her voice came out hard and cruel. But knowing that she always sounds worse than she means, Barjuchne grabbed Veliah and simply set the elf down on her lap, holding her against herself with one arm, and then returned to counting her gold.
Counting it every day took much longer than it used to. It would be bothersome if it weren't her absolute favourite thing in the whole world.
“Someone was probably just talking about me,” muttered the dragon.
“Is that a thing?” asked Veliah, blushing. “I don’t think that’s a thing.”
“It is!” barked Barjuchne.
Veliah leaned back against her shoulder. "Well, because we talk about you all the time and I never hear you sneezing.”
“Only good things, I hope,” replied the dragon girl, narrowing her eyes as she clacked one coin down onto the next.
“Good things? I suppose... now and then,” replied Veliah coyly. “Right?” she said, looking at Rou-ya.
“Now and then,” agreed Rou-ya, nodding with a smug smile.
The two of them exchanged a knowing glance. But their expressions faltered as a looming shadow fell over them both. The two of them let out a series of yelps as the dragon snatched them both in her claws. “What happens the rest of the time?” she asked, sounding very threatening as she dragged them off.
“- Now and then!” agreed Blibli, suddenly popping up from inside of the pile of gold that she oozed out from. The slime princess didn’t even know what this was all about; she was just happy to be there. “Me too!” she said, seeing the two others being taken away and latched onto the dragon’s tail, happily swishing along back into the depths.
Left behind, F.P. shook her head. “...Such time-wasting nonsense,” she sighed, shaking her head. “As if anyone ever had anything positive to say about such a fool,” she mused, sounding mockingly smug as she talked to herself, swiping a strand of her long bangs out of the side of her face for a moment, only for them to fall right back into place.
It was quiet.
“You should hear what they say about you, then,” chimed in a voice from the side. Ei, the ant princess.
F.P., surprised that anyone was still around, looked at the head that had popped up out of a tunnel nearby. “What are you saying? As if anyone would dare speak ill of someone of my station!” snapped the fairy, quickly standing up in agitation.
Ei stared at her for a time, and then, without a word, simply slowly receded back into the tunnel.
“Hello!” snapped F.P., but no response came back.
She crossed her arms, agitated, and closed her eyes. Her lips were pursed and she was biting on her tongue in annoyance. By birthright, she was the most powerful and influential person in this hole, and here she was, left behind. She had lost the battle of hearts to a commoner, a goblin, a slime, and, most insultingly of all, a literal ant.
This could not stand. It was too degrading.
Her methods weren’t working. She would have to beat them at their own twisted little mind games if she wanted to win the dragon’s heart to get her to do what needed to be done in order to create a great new kingdom. But it would be… detestable.
She would have to say something kind to someone here.
F.P. stood there, her finger tapping her arm in ever-increasing agitation and then it boiled over and she snapped. “I think you’re kind of nice sometimes. I guess!” shouted the fairy into the darkness, as if she were scowling at her worst enemy.
No response.
“Hey!” yelled F.P. and then, in indignation, flew after them.
Ei, from her tunnel, watched the fairy leave and then shook her head.
"A gaggle of fools," said the ant princess to herself.
No matter what games they all played at, it didn’t matter. At the end of the day, she herself was and always will be the first and most important princess here. The others, they were all quaint side attractions for Barjuchne, merely members of a cute harem, while she herself was the only bride of note.
After all, in royal succession, the first princess in line is the only one of them all to become the queen.
Proudly lifting her head, the ant princess continued her work on expanding the dungeon. All around her, a hundred thousand tiny soldier ants were working, carrying away pebbles and dirt as they dug with her.