Author:  pulsar (pulsar03@juno.com)
Title:  The Princess and the Dragon
Category:  AU, Fairy tale, Romance
Warnings: AU.  I like to consider it a modern fairy tale.  Contains yaoi
and het.  Sappy.
Archive:  If anyone wants it, I'm more than happy to let you have it,
just drop me a line and let me know where you're putting it.  I am
currently being archived at The Yaoi Collection (www.yaoicollection.com), 
Black Ice (www.fortunecity.com/athena/nightingale/236 ),Yummy Yummy Yaoi!  
A Buffet of Bishounen! (http://simon_the_duck.tripod.com/Yaoi ), and 
Shinigami's Faithful's site (http://gboytoys.stormpages.com)
Disclaimer:  GW is not mine.
Author's notes:  This stemmed from some conversations I had with my
friends on how fairy tales aren't real, and how anyone as utterly perfect
as Prince Charming is probably gay.  I kept dwelling on those thoughts,
and this emerged.  And though some may argue that Relena is horribly OOC
since she's not screaming for Heero and stalking him, this is an AU. 
It's not possible to be OOC, so I ask that people don't get on my case
about it.  I don't use any names, but I'm sure you can all tell who's
who!  And like all my fics, this was betad by Raya.  *showers her with
pocky*
Feedback:  I would LOVE to hear what you thought of my fic!
 
_blah blah blah_ = italicized
//blah blah blah// = thoughts
 


 
        Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom known as Sanq, there was a
king. This king had a wife as fair as any wife has ever been. They were
very happy together and were very much in love. The king and queen had a
daughter, and, though the king would have preferred a male heir to carry
on the monarchy, he was quite happy with his lovely little princess.
 
        The princess was a sweet, charming girl, polite and giving. Even
on their worst days, no one could frown when she was around, because she
knew just the way to bring a smile to everyone’s face. She befriended
everyone, even her father’s grumpy head advisor. Everyone loved the
princess, and the princess loved everyone.
 
        When the princess turned sixteen, suitors began arriving. They
were all handsome and kind and rich, but she would have none of them. She
smiled politely and accepted their flowers and sonnets, but would not
consent to be wooed by any of them.
 
        The king was troubled. He and the queen were older now, and
therefore there was no possibility of the queen bearing another heir, and
the king refused to take another woman to bed, even for the sake of the
monarchy. But no matter how much he pleaded with his daughter to accept a
suitor, she would not consent. She knew how much her parents loved each
other, and she saw how happy they were together. Though she wanted to be
a good daughter and do as her parents desired, she wanted to have the
same happiness they had found together, and would therefore only marry
for love.
 
        Finally, the king resorted to arranging a marriage behind the
princess’s back. He did not want to deceive his daughter, but she had to
marry someone, and she would not choose. The king spoke to a baron in a
faraway land, who agreed to the union of the princess and his son. The
baron’s son was none too pleased with the arrangement, but, being an
obedient son, took his bodyguard with him and traveled to Sanq kingdom to
meet his future bride.
 
        The princess was delighted with her suitor. He had a wild look
about him, unruly hair and fierce, piercing eyes that seemed to see
straight into her soul. He was very quiet, preferring to leave the
talking to his long-haired bodyguard, whom the princess found to be a bit
tiresome at times. He was polite and refined, but never seemed to know
when others wished for him to be quiet. Nevertheless, she treated him
with the utmost respect, as she had been taught to do.
 
        The baron’s son was polite to the princess, but did not desire
her at all. His interests lied elsewhere, but to spare her feelings, he
devised a plan. He knew of someone in the mountains who might be willing
to help him out. In the dead of night, he sneaked out of the castle and
went to visit the recluse of the mountain.
 
        At dawn, the princess was strolling in the gardens, as was her
custom, when something swooped down from above and carried her off. Her
screams of terror woke nearly half the kingdom, but alas, no one awoke in
time to rescue her from the grasp of the coal-black dragon.
 
        The dragon flew her to his cave and placed her gently on the
ground inside. She shook with fright and backed away from him, all the
while searching for something to fend him off with. However, there was
nothing in the cave to throw at him except some books scattered about,
and she doubted that she could stun him with a book. She backed into the
wall and closed her eyes, preparing to be devoured. When she had not been
eaten after a few seconds, she gingerly peered at the dragon. He was
staring at her with a sad look in his eyes.
 
        "You do not need to fear me," he whispered in a deep, rumbling
voice. Though he spoke softly, the cave echoed to the point where it
almost seemed he was shouting. "I do not eat humans."
 
        "Then why did you capture me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
 
        The dragon turned away, not answering her question. "Are you
hungry? I can find you some food if you would like that."
 
        "No, but thank you," she replied. //Why is he being so nice to
me?// she thought. //Not that I object to his hospitality, but I thought
dragons were supposed to be horrible and fearsome.//
 
        "I am afraid I haven’t a fine enough home for one of your
stature, Princess, but I will do the best that I can to make sure the
arrangements are pleasing. Do you require any sort of special bed or
clothing or foods?"
 
        She regarded him solemnly. "Just how long are you planning to
keep me here, Dragon?"
 
        "I do not know, Princess. I am only doing what I must do."
 
        "But why? Why ‘must’ you abduct me and keep me prisoner?"
 
        "Princess, I do not mean to make you my prisoner. You are free to
roam about the mountains." He gestured with his tail to the front of the
cave.
 
        "But what about my _home_?"
 
        "_This_ is your home now, Princess."
 
        "This is not my home, Dragon!" she exclaimed, spitting out the
word ‘dragon’ as if it put an offensive taste in her mouth. "My home is
in the castle, where my suitor awaits!" The dragon looked at her in
silence. She grew uncomfortable under his relentless gaze. "Stop staring
at me, Dragon. It isn’t polite."
 
        "Neither is instructing your host, Princess." He curled up by the
doorway and went to sleep. She tried to sneak past him, but he was a
light sleeper, and caught her by the hem of her gown. "Where are you
going, princess?"
 
        "Nowhere, with your claw caught in my dress. You’re ruining the
embroidery!"
 
        "Why are you yelling at someone who could devour you in less than
a minute?"
 
        "Why are you contemplating eating someone who would do her best
to give you indigestion?"
 
        The dragon smiled. The sharp, glistening teeth were a bit
unnerving, but his chortles of laughter helped the princess realize that
it was a kind smile and not a threatening one. "You are rather spirited…
for a princess."
 
        She smiled slightly and replied, "You are rather polite… for a
dragon."
 
        His smile faded at her words. "Perhaps that is because I was not
always a dragon, my lady."
 
        A bit taken aback, she inquired, "Have you been enchanted?"
 
        The dragon nodded. "Yes, by a powerful and evil sorcerer."
 
        "What happened?" she asked, interested.
 
        "I beg your pardon, Princess, but it is not something I deem
suitable for the ears of a lady."
 
        "Come now, I am certain I have heard worse from the gossips at
court."
 
        Shaking his head, he replied, "Perhaps you have, but still I will
not tell you. I would rather not speak of it. Please do not ask me to."
 
        "Very well, Dragon, I will not bother you about it any longer."
 
        "Do you desire anything, Princess? Since I am awake, I could get
you breakfast or perhaps a pillow if you would like to rest." He began to
rise to do her bidding.
 
        "No, I’m quite fine, thank you."
 
        "Very well, Princess, then if you have no objections, I will
sleep." The dragon curled up into a ball, tucking his head under one
large black wing.
 
        "Are you nocturnal?"
 
        "No, I have merely had a long night," he responded, his voice
muffled by the leathery wing.
 
        The princess nodded. "Then rest well, Dragon."
 
        "Thank you, Princess."
 
        Since she could not sneak out, she picked up one of the books
lying on the floor. It was a book about philosophy. She picked up
another, this one a volume on history. Another was a book of poetry, and
yet another was a dry novel by an author favored by the intellectuals in
the Sanq kingdom. She began traveling through his massive cave, picking
the books up from wherever they lay strewn about and putting them in a
semblance of order. She was still alphabetizing the novels when she felt
the hot breath of a dragon on her back. Startled, she turned quickly,
dropping the book. The dragon caught it between two claws.
 
        "I’m sorry, Princess, did I frighten you?"
 
        "A bit," she replied, taking the book from him and putting it
with the others.
 
        "Organizing my collection?"
 
        "Yes, I thought it would make it easier for you to find the book
you wanted if they were more organized." She looked up at him meekly.
"Would you have preferred that I left them where they were?"
 
        He smiled kindly. "No, I’m very grateful that you took it upon
yourself to straighten up in here. The place is always a frightful mess."
 
        She turned to face the books. "Have you read all of them?" she
asked, running her fingers along the sides of the books.
 
        "Yes, many times." He noticed that a volume of poetry had caught
her eye. "Do you like poetry?"
 
        "Oh yes, very much."
 
        He tapped the book with a claw. "Perhaps sometime you could read
it and then we could discuss it."
 
        A smile lit her face. "That would be wonderful! No one at the
castle ever has time to discuss poetry with me!"
 
        "I would enjoy discussing poetry with you, Princess. Most of my
visitors are too busy trying to slay me or asking me for favors to
discuss something as frivolous as poetry."
 
        She pulled the book out of its place and took it into her arms.
"You must get very lonely."
 
        He nodded. "Not many people are willing to spend time with a
dragon."
 
        Not knowing what to say to comfort him, she settled for patting
him gently on the nose. He twitched his nose when she touched it, and she
laughed. He looked at her questioningly.
 
        "I’m sorry to laugh, but…" she giggled again. "…but you looked
like a rabbit twitching your nose like that."
 
        He snorted with laughter. Two small puffs of smoke emerged from
his nostrils. "Not many have ever compared me to a rabbit."
 
        "Well I don’t see why not. You look small and fuzzy to me," she
replied, grinning. They both laughed.
        Over the next two weeks, they slowly became friends. The
princess, who had always gotten along perfectly with everyone (mostly
because she was pleasant but partly because no one was willing to argue
with a princess), was delighted to find that the dragon had a sharp wit
and loved to debate political issues, if only someone would listen. Now
that he had a listener, he cracked jokes left and right and amused her to
no end with his impressions of stuffy dignitaries arguing over moot
points and meaningless drivel.
 
        The dragon was also delighted because for the first time in
years, he had an audience for his thoughts and comments, someone to talk
with. The princess was very intelligent and rather insightful on certain
issues, especially the subject of women’s rights. They had stayed up long
into the night debating that issue, and though they had dissented,
neither carried resentment toward the other for believing differently. In
fact, it was their different opinions that balanced them and made them
such good friends.
 
        One night after a long debate over the fairness of a monarchy,
they curled up together in front of the cave entrance to sleep. He tucked
her under a wing and pulled her close, warming her with the heat of his
body. One might expect a dragon to be cold, being a type of lizard, but a
dragon is basically a living furnace, so the princess was plenty warm.
She snuggled up to him and laid her head upon his chest, letting his
heartbeat soothe her to sleep. He smiled to himself.
 
        She awoke later because his heat was overwhelming her. She
crawled out from under his wing and noticed a light in the castle in the
kingdom below. "Why is there a candle lit at this time of night?" she
thought. Taking a quick glance back at the dragon to assure he was
asleep, she started down the mountain.
 
        She sneaked down the mountain and crept silently through the
empty garden behind the palace and climbed the trellis to peer in the
lighted window. It was her betrothed’s room. He and his bodyguard were
sitting on the bed discussing something. The bodyguard moved closer to
him and brushed the unruly hair from his eyes, much as the princess had
desired to do since she first laid eyes on the baron’s son. She watched
in disbelief as her husband-to-be lifted his face and pressed his lips to
those of his bodyguard. Her eyes welled up with tears and her mouth moved
in unspoken nonsense syllables. She could nearly feel her heart shatter.
The kiss intensified, and she turned away, unable to look any longer. A
small cry escaped her lips and she climbed down from the trellis. She
collapsed on the lawn, shedding bitter tears.
 
        A shadow fell, and the dragon landed next to her. He nudged her
gently with his nose. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her
face. "That was why… That was why you took me," she whispered. "So I
wouldn’t find out…"
 
        "Yes Princess."
 
        She choked back her sobs. "Take me home." The dragon looked at
the castle behind her and then back at her. "No," she said, "take me
home." He nodded and gently grasped her in his talons. He flew her to the
cave. Her tears splattered on the streets below.
 
        Once in the cave, he gently placed her on the ground. She curled
up in a ball and wept. He lay his head upon her, wishing he had arms to
hold her instead of stumpy forelegs with razor sharp claws. "I am sorry,
Princess," he whispered. After a few minutes, her tears subsided and she
sat up, wiping her eyes. "Princess…" he began, "you asked me once why I
am now a dragon…"
 
        She looked up at him expectantly. "Yes…"
 
        The dragon sat back on his haunches and stared off into the
distance as he remembered his past. "I came from a wealthy family, and
there was an evil sorcerer who lived nearby who wished to possess our
riches. He decided that I should marry his daughter. She did not care for
me, nor I for her. My parents did not want to force me into a marriage I
did not desire, but we feared retribution from the sorcerer should I
refuse to marry his daughter. We were wed, and we were miserable. I tried
to be a good husband, but she did not try at all to make our marriage
work. One day I went to market, and when I returned, I found her in the
arms of another man. I became enraged. She may not have chosen to marry
me, but we had promised before the Lord that we would honor each other.
In my fury, I killed her lover and when she attacked me, I struck her.
She hit her head on the corner of our bedside table and died. I was not
harshly punished for my actions, since I had caught her committing
adultery, but her father harbored resentment toward me and changed me to
this form."
 
        "I’m so sorry," she whispered.
 
        "Your betrothed came to and told me that he could not marry you
because he realized that he was in love with his bodyguard. I agreed to
help him by kidnapping you. The day of your abduction, he came up into
the mountains for two days and went back down to Sanq, telling them that
when he found me, I had already been killed and you had gone with whoever
it was who had defeated me. I am sorry for kidnapping you, Princess, but
I did not want others to be trapped in marriages they did not desire."
 
        She nodded. "Thank you for trying to keep me from finding out."
Her tears began to flow again, but less swiftly than before. "I think
there was a better way to protect me than kidnapping me, but your heart
was in the right place."
 
        "I am truly sorry, Princess. If I had arms, I would offer you a
hug."
 
        "If you had arms, I would throw myself into them," she replied,
wiping her tears away.
 
        The dragon looked down at his claws. "You have arms, Princess."
 
        She smiled faintly. "So I do." With those words, she threw her
arms around the dragon’s head, pressing her cheek to his. She turned her
face in towards his cheek and kissed it briefly, then placed her cheek
back against it. "Oh, Dragon…" she whispered.
 
        Suddenly, there were arms around her, human arms, and the face
next to hers was no longer scaly and coal black but smooth and caramel
colored. She pulled back. "Dragon?" she whispered incredulously.
 
        He looked at his arms wrapped around her and noticed that they
were once again arms. He smiled and nodded to her. "Yes, it is I,
Princess."
 
        She stared at him. She blinked and stared again, convinced her
eyes were playing tricks. The princess ran her fingertips over his newly
human face and stared into his deep onyx eyes. "How could anyone not fall
in love with you?"
 
        He let out a tiny chuckle and gently touched her face. "I take it
that the princess is pleased with her dragon?"
 
        "Yes, my dragon," she whispered softly, leaning forward and
letting her eyes drift shut. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
 

~fin~
 
-pulsar