Damsel

Azulon
The cobblestones made my feet ache even through my sturdy boots. The market was quiet and few people were there. I made my way to a meat stand and selected a bag of sweet meats, a few quail breasts, a few hard boiled eggs, and some lamb chops. As I paid for the merchandise, the man selling the goods leaned forward and whispered, “Have you heard? It has been said that Princess Liliana (may the Lord bless her) was stolen by a dragon!! Can you imagine?” I shook my head grimly and he continued, “Some say that Sir Kenneth, her betrothed, only pretends to love her for the crown. Can you imagine!! Her poor mother is literally worried sick. Queen Therese always did have a special bond with the princess though.” I couldn’t hear anymore. This news made my stomach feel queasy. I snatched my meat and stomped away. As I left I heard the butcher mutter, “A stranger not looking for gossip. Humph. Can you imagine?” I approached a small hut which I knew sold quality fruits and vegetables. The old woman greeted me and waved a hand over the fruits. The red raspberries and moist blueberries gave color to her brown hut and the gray mist. I gestured at the blueberries and she grabbed some for me and put them in a glass jar. She also took out a bottle of watered down wine and I dropped a few coins in her outstretched hand. I left her small hut and couldn’t resist stopping at a small building which sold books, parchment, old scrolls and writing utensils. The air inside was warm and smelled of ink and the musty smell of old paper. The man greeted me with a small nod and I paroozed the shelves. I picked out a stack of parchment paper embellished with purple accents, a plainer stack, a few quills and bottles of ink, and a scroll about the royal family. These were much more expensive than the food but I had a cave full of gems that I could sell if I ever ran out of money.
The castle looked grim and ominous in the distance as I flew away, my “groceries” in my talons. The sky was a strange blue-green color and it made me uneasy. My wings beat at the air faster and I felt a strange sense of foreboding. I thought of Liliana, cowering, powerless, in front of the Elders, her blue flecked violet eyes wide with disbelief and fear. I roared and I thought I could hear distant shouts from the far off kingdom. I paid them no mind. I had to get back to Liliana. I had been gone for three days hiding out in the kingdom taking note of the situations there. Something about the way her name sounded in my mind made my heart beat faster and my talons clench. I brushed that thought away and landed in my cave in no time.
Everything was as it should’ve been. No scorch marks on the wall or bones littering the ground, just the whisper of pages being turned. I changed into a human barely noticing the burning sensations that ripped through my body for once. “I’m back!” I called out. I heard a soft thud and then I heard her hands scraping the rough rock coming down. She manifested from behind the waterfall and walked over to take a look at my bounty. I set the merchandise down though I kept the scroll about the royals in my pocket. She made sounds of appreciation at the blueberries and then announced, “I would like to try my hand at cooking.” I studied her carefully but her face was dead serious. “I don’t have any cauldrons or pans or anything that might be very useful for cooking, you must realize. Besides, what do you know about cooking?” she looked mildly insulted and shrugged. I didn’t object though. I wanted to see what this princess could come up with. I chuckled quietly and then started to build her a fire.

Liliana
I don’t think you suspected anything. You certainly didn’t look like it. You probably hadn’t even known that I had found a recipe for a sleeping drug in the dragon book. This would be my chance to escape from you. My stomach churned and I felt even worse, knowing how kind you had been to me. Well, as kind as a kidnapper could be I suppose. I set to roasting two quail breasts over the fire and making a sauce of blueberries and the wine you had gotten. I also added some honey, a few drops of swamp water I had found secretly placed in the hollow front cover of the book, some tree bark that I had found stuck to one of the old dresses, and a bit of finely crushed ore. It was an unlikely sleeping powder, but the book said it would work. As soon as the quail looked cooked, I put it on some fine silver plates and embellished yours with the poisoned sauce. I had made a small bowl of sauce with no powder in it and this I poured on my own quail. I handed you your dish and you dug in. You sighed with content when you were done and I still picked at my food. “Liliana? What did you…?” He trailed off and his eyes closed. He leaned back and hit the floor of the cave with a resounding smack which I knew would hurt tremendously when he woke up. I hurriedly ate the rest of my meal and searched for shoes. I found some light slippers and warm, leather riding boots. I put on the boots and also tied a sturdy looking apron around my waist and put my leather gloves in the pocket. You slept through this all. Then, I filled the perfume bottle with water again and put salt on the sweet meats. Hopefully, it would keep them from spoiling too quickly. I wrapped these in a lacy handkerchief. I grabbed the dragon book and put my beautiful white cloak on. Then, I made a bundle from my green cloak and I walked towards the mouth of the cave. Before I left though, I grabbed a few pieces of stationary, an ink bottle, and a quill. On one of these I wrote a quick note which read:
Dear Azulon,
I’m so sorry it had to be like this. I think that under better circumstances, you and I might’ve been good friends. But, that can not be the case. You have stolen me away from my home and everything I’ve known. I don’t think I can live with you for the rest of my life. I feel terrible about this. You have taken care of me and fed me and protected me for however long I was with you for. I will be grateful to you for that much. Please do not be too angry with me. I know that is an idiotic thing to say but I truly do think I will come to miss you. This is a difficult choice I have made. It was either going back to what I knew and hated, or living in a cave for the rest of my life. I will tell of your kindness all throughout the kingdom. Fare thee well.
-Liliana
I left the note by your head and then smoothed your floppy hair from your face. For a moment, I almost turned around and unpacked my things. But, I knew that I had to try to escape one more time. I turned back to the mouth of the cave and made the long, strenuous way down to the foothills. They were a little bit warmer than they had been four days ago. Still, I shivered and put my gloves on my bloodied hands. I walked with more determination although I didn’t feel what the speed of my walk portrayed. After what seemed like only a few minutes, I stood in the desert. The orange sand blew around in stinging clouds and it was deathly quiet. I walked forward, the sand whipping my cheeks. I narrowed my eyes against the high sun and I quickly changed into my thin slippers. Again, although the desert was huge, it felt like I had only spent maybe fifteen minutes in it before I arrived at a desolate black land. It seemed that I had skirted the swamps completely. There were a few charred, bone white trees and I could hear eerie howls coming from the depths of the Dead Land. Did I really want to risk wandering through the Dead Land as it was getting dark? I decided I didn’t and gave myself some distance between where I would sleep and that cursed land. Then, I popped two sweet meats into my mouth and took a sip of water. Then, I lay down on the sand and watched as the desert turned indigo at twilight. Then, I closed my eyes.