No, then you will get my treasury, and what will I get? Is it the absence of sincere love?
Reason reeled as the king began to swear to her the sincerity of his feelings.
Tell him about the secret of the kings treasury. He will understand. Whisper one word.
But its witchcraft, Estella recoiled from Reasons whisper, which burned her ear.
And so what is it?
What if I whisper it myself and turn into a frog?
Would I give you a bad advice? He took offense.
Who knows?
Dont be too smart! Remember I am your reason. Take my advice!
The king was worried when he caught the princess muttering something to her. Perhaps he thought he had been too quick to deem her clever.
She leaned so that her lips were close to the kings ear.
Demonikum! Obediently she whispered, repeating after Reason almost letter for letter. Probably not exactly accurate, but the word worked.
The king seemed frightened.
Demonology of the Aluars treasures, she obediently repeated after Reason. The spirits are locked away! Hungry demons! Angry angels! The bestiary beside them! A devourer of gold in the treasury! All this waits at home!
The king recoiled from her as if her breath burned his ear like a dragons.
Estella herself was frightened. She could not have had a dragon inside her.
I was in a hurry to fight you. But if you wish to flee from Aluar, my marriage proposal still stands. Will you leave with me now?
How men are captivated by beauty! Reason snorted. Estella almost repeated after him, but Reasons claws hastily clamped her mouth shut.
Thats not for other peoples ears!
Then dont say it! Estella was furious with him.
Tell him theyll break free and fly after you if you leave! And they will tear his kingdom to shreds, and they will ride on the wreckage with a coven.
The words, prompted by Reason, were frightened as they would not be frightened of a dragon. By the way, the dragon he had summoned never showed up. But he was no longer needed. King Ravelins armies retreated like beaten dogs. They suffered casualties and surrendered. Thanks to Reason for everything. With such a counselor, theres no need for a fighting dragon in war. Its not without reason that they say the mind is the most important thing for a man. With intelligence will never be lost!
A dragon from the dungeons
The warriors had already fled, but the king was still reluctant to leave her side. He waited for her to decide in his favor. The thought of taking just one princess from an entire enchanted kingdom did not frighten him.
By the way, Reason on her shoulder was very nervous and unraveled his claws.
Chase him away! He insisted, squinting unkindly at the king.
How is it?
I dont care if you shoot him out of cannon!
Easy to say, hard to do! The king of Ravelin was somehow convinced that Estella had to be rescued. He even said hed be willing to take her without a kingdom, and leave the kingdom to the evil spirits who inhabited it.
A bargain can be struck with the demons, he explained, pointing to his own burnt face. You just have to give them something, like a piece of your own skin, or a pint of blood, or in your case, your whole country. You are sweet to me even without a power. Come with me!
He held out his hand in an expensive gauntlet. How thoughtful! Not long ago he wanted to take her kingdom from her, but he would never dream of marrying her. How the mind changes everything! Or is it beauty? The King said he liked her for both.
Estella would have said yes, but Reason would not allow it. Reason was worth listening to. Shed learned by now that he never promised anything for nothing. He had indeed helped her in the war. It was dangerous to marry a foreign king without his approval. What if she is being lured into a trap? She must find the delicate words to refuse Again Reason bailed her out, whispering:
Say your mother is the star fairy Arabellina. For the daughter of a fairy spouse with a physical defect is unacceptable, or else there will be misfortune for both kingdoms: yours and his.
Estella stupidly repeated after Reason, whom the king did not see, and felt like a puppet, clawed by the strings. Reason clung to her like a tame monkey.
Hearing of the fairy mothers obstacle, even the King of Ravelin chickened out and turned his horse away.
So get out of here! Reason spat fire on the ground. Dont go molesting someone elses property!
The fiery spit scorched the retreating marshals and the counselor. But they didnt even dare complain.
Whats the matter with you? Estella yanked Reason by the tail. We have won!
We will win when there are no one left in the world but only you and I, he hissed, his tail around Estellas neck.
Estella didnt understand him. It was probably just another sorcerers formulation to keep her enemies from returning, but she would not repeat it.
As the enemy army retreated, Reason chuckled angrily for some reason.
The waking dragon appeared after the battle. It suddenly appeared in the sky above the battlefield, where only Estellas knights remained. Its emerald scales gleamed with the lightest of shades, reflecting the suns rays. Its powerful wings raised a hurricane wind. Estella would have marveled at the sight of a real dragon had it not blasted indiscriminately at her own troops. This is what real war is like! Estella felt as if she were in a rain of fire. Not a cannon can compare to an attack by a dragon. Flames rained down from the sky, scorching the earth, the grass, and the people.
He will burn all the knights! Call it off!
It is too late! Grimly Reason reacted, but muttered another magic word, and the fire immediately ceased.
The dragon, which for some reason reeked not only of fire but also of beer, swooped down, clawed at a dozen warriors, and was gone. He glowed like the dawn and stole people like a fox stealing chickens from the henhouse.
He didnt care about goats, sheep, or knights. He might as well choke on his armor! Reason hissed resentfully.
But that would leave us without a protector.
Who needs a protector who will attack us!
Then why did you summon him?
I was a fool!
So the mind can be a little foolish?
It is very much in our case! Reason was staring dejectedly at the dragon feeding on the knights on the high mountain near the scorched field. No one dared to shoot it. The damage he had done was ignored.
Is he a drunkard, by any chance?
You figured that out all by yourself?
He stinks. Or is he just sleeping on beer kegs?
Is he just sleeping? Hell even start to drink moonshine if you put a keg next to him. He started out with fine Aluars wine. Hes gone downhill.
But he flies high, she traced the dragons flight with a rapt look.
I mean his moral character. Theyve gone from bad to worse. I went down to his cellar once, and he tried to burn me. He didnt recognize an old friend. But if Id brought him some ale and pie, hed have changed his mind. A glutton and a drinker! Thats what he is. And hes lazy, too! Get him out of here!
Hes a real dragon.
So what is it?
Ive always wanted to see a real dragon!
There are plenty of dragons! Only we got the worst one!
Well, not the worst Estella couldnt take her eyes off the glittering scales, but the dragon ate his food and flew away too quickly.
Hell be asleep for another year, Reason complained. Oh, I used to think it was only the Princess who was defective, but now the dragon-keeper is defective, too. But you seem to be making amends. Well done for blowing off the king!
Maybe you shouldnt have! When he keeps his mask on, hes handsome.
Hes a womanizer and a flatterer! With him you could cry!
But you could cry your whole life without him. Hes the first and only fiancé Ive ever had to chase away. The others ran away.