Between the lines is written in fire
Natalie Yacobson

Translator Natalia Lilienthal

© Natalie Yacobson, 2024

© Natalia Lilienthal, translation, 2024

ISBN 978-5-0064-6859-7

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Letters of fire

A letter from a secret admirer to Queen Rosamunda

«I breathe fire. One line in this letter is inscribed with my breath. Be careful not to burn yourself on it. I treasure your lovely fingers, though this time they are not cut from the hands of an artist, and your present body is not as beautiful as a succession of previous ones.

Will you say that I’m crazy and that you don’t know what I’m writing about? Think about it, do madmen come out with fiery lines in their letters?

I burned down a whole town for you today. I just breathed on it as I flew over it. Towers and spires and roofs went up like matchboxes. Orange fire snaked across the rooftops and consumed the whole city. This fire is my breath. So watch out for me! Someday I’ll remember all betrayals!

You lock yourself in the palace and think I can’t get to you, but you are sorely mistaken. There is no crevice that my breath cannot penetrate. For it is fire. And I am the fire!

You should not have taunted me for centuries, or our confrontation would not have lasted to this day. You’re responsible for more than one city I’ve burned. You drove me to it! I’ve been able to keep my fire under control myself. When you read this, don’t look innocent and blame fate for sending you a suitor like me. You’re the one who started driving me crazy. You are forgetting that I’m a dragon. Now blame yourself! Someday the whole world will burst into flames with my breath, and you’ll be the only one to blame. But I also have fond memories of you. You have many bodies, you have many faces, you have many names, but you are one to me. No matter how you hide from me, no matter what form you take, I can still smell you even behind stone walls. Because of you, I am rampant, tearing travelers alive and demanding tribute from the surrounding kingdoms. One day it will be your turn. Until then, I hope you have nightmares of dragon claws tearing your tender flesh. You deserve it. It’s foolish to hope you’ll have a conscience about the fire monster you’ve worn down with your beauty and scandalous temper. But I still feel like I’ll forgive you for everything if you ever come to your senses.

In the meantime, I’ll fly to scorch new towns, villages and even flotillas on the high seas. I need to let the anger and the fire out. If you don’t love me, I have no one to pity. Next time the ambassadors bring you news of my atrocities, think hard about the fact that you’re the cause of it all. If you hadn’t hardened the beast, he wouldn’t have been so vicious. By the time you read this, I will be flying in the sky, and the world below will be lying before me like the palm of my hand. So defenseless! It asks for my fire. And I will shower it with fire. I do it in name of love and of hate.

With eternal devotion to you,

Your dragon.»

The last line was written with fire. The letter burst into flames right in her hands as she finished it. Rosamunda was amazed as she was the first time. The letter was no longer the first time. But she hoped each time that the flaming orange line at the bottom would turn out to be just innocent magic. The line glowed and wriggled under her fingers like a fiery snake, burning slightly, hissing, multiplying and crawling between all the lines. As soon as she read the letter to the end, the flames spread to the whole text. The paper was burning. Why didn’t it burn at the very beginning, if the fire had actually been applied to the letter? Doesn’t the dragon’s breath make everything burn instantly? Is that magic? Rosamunda knew magic intimately, but she did not know it.

The letter burned once again. And who delivered it? Rosamunda had found these letters in the most unexpected places. And there’s no way of proving they were there. Only the ashes remain.

It’s a threat! Someone is pretending to be a dragon to get something from the Queen.

He is in her inner circle. He knows she writes poetry and they keep it from her subjects. A poet queen is no good. She should be in politics. But politics is boring. The letter plays up this problem as well. The author hints that all tragedies are caused by her inattention. True, the hints are in the form of allegories. So what! It’s still understandable. Someone, who is close by, is watching her and judging her. That someone must be at court.

We need to check everyone. Find out who’s delivering the letters.

Where do they even come from? It’s like they come from a void in a closed room when no one’s around. For example, when Rosamunda entered her chambers, the place was empty, but when she looked around, there was a letter on the table, and the fiery line in it had a rich orange color.

It would hardly occur to any of the courtiers to play with fire. It would be the same as setting up a fire right on the carpet in her bedroom. It is too risky. A prank like that could set the whole place ablaze. That kind of fire play can only come from someone who’s in control of the fire. The letter’s already burned, but the line «you have many bodies and many faces» came to mind. Is that an allegory, too? Is it a metaphor? She herself was strong in poetic expressions, but this was more like a riddle. What could the lines possibly mean? Many bodies and many faces! Does one have such a thing? There’s only one body. Even werewolves only have one, they just change when they transform.

And what does it mean, «You have many names»? Her name is Rosamunda. There’s only one name! And it is one title. She is Queen Rosamunda of the Dolian family. And she is currently the sole ruler of the thriving kingdom of Dauran.

«Your Majesty!» The worried young page ran in without knocking and immediately blushed with embarrassment, remembering that he had violated court etiquette. But the situation must have been extreme, and that’s what pushed him to do it. He was out of breath and even scared.

«What’s wrong? Did a dragon chase you too?» Rosamunda joked to cheer the boy up, but he was even more frightened by her joke. He even shuddered.

«Oh, you already know!» The page stared at her with such admiration and fear as if the queen had become clairvoyant. Just a little more and he put her palm up to predict his own fate. Rosamunda could hardly keep from scolding him.

«Know about what?»

«There are fires!» The page was again greatly embarrassed. «There are grand fires!»

«Is it in the alchemists’ lab again? I shouldn’t have let them experiment here.»

«No, it’s in the northern provinces.»

«What do you say?» Rosamunda shuddered this time. How much it resembled the text from the letter.

«By the way, you are expected in the council chamber to discuss the situation. I was told to tell you that it is urgent. And your presence is required, Your Majesty.»

The page stuttered and blushed. He had already made many blunders, but Rosamunda paid no attention.

«Tell them I’ll be there soon,» she waved her hand in glittering ringlets only to send the annoying page away. It was a good thing he hadn’t noticed that her fingertips were burned. People usually look at the jewelry rings, not the fingers themselves. It is unlikely that the page who left was an exception and will now gossip that the queen was burned just as her northern lands burned. There must be no gossip. No one should suspect her secret fascination with the basics of magic.

She didn’t want to attend the council, but she would have to. After all, she is the queen. Even if no one is interested in her opinion, according to etiquette she should sit at the head of the table. What’s a council without a queen? And what kind of queen is a queen who doubts her own abilities?

Rosamunda looked at the ashes on the carpet. The sight of it somehow made her fearful.

How to slay a dragon

«It must be a nomadic raid!»

«Or maybe they are warriors from Fallot. There’s a warlike and ambitious queen there.»

«And I hear she’s the one who gets attacked a lot. More likely it’s the king of Sultanit. They say he thinks he’s an all-powerful warrior-sorcerer.»

«Most likely, those tribes that make fires and rock inscriptions are savages from the caves.»

The councilors argued among themselves, and Rosamunda yawned. Only one of them spoke up to the letter she had received.

«And I think it’s a dragon raid.»

Rosamunda looked at the old minister with great interest.

«Why do you think so?»

«Only a dragon can burn down large villages and towns with a single breath. An entire army would not be able to do it so quickly. It would take them at least a day. But here, it all burned down in seconds. There weren’t even any witnesses, except for those who saw the ashes and the toxic smoke billowing above them.»

«If there were no witnesses to the fire, how do we know there was a fire?» Rosamunda misunderstood.

«The poisonous fumes remain only where the area is scorched by dragon fire,» the same old minister patiently explained to her. «The witnesses who inhaled the smoke died of poisoning. And their corpses look strange. The dead bodies are covered in a gray rash, like magical writing.»

«I don’t believe in magic,» Rosamunda hastened to object, remembering that the queen of Fallot had been repeatedly mobbed for being a sorceress.

«But the dragon believes.»

«Show me one living dragon!» Rosamunda had hoped that such a demand would make everyone laugh and lighten the mood. But the old minister’s statement seemed weighty to those around her. A tense silence hung over the council chamber.

«You are young, your majesty…»

Here we go again! Rosamunda felt like slamming her fist on the table so that everyone in the room would go deaf. It’s a pity she’s not a man, a knight in a gauntlet. He’d clean up the mess with a single shout. She could only snap her fingers against the tabletop with all the anger she had built up, and suddenly the tabletop cracked from her light knock. And the table was solid marble! Was she imagining it? But everyone around her saw it too. Suddenly the ministers fell silent. Judging by the expression on their faces, it was not for the first time that they had to observe such miracles on the part of their queen. She did not remember having done such a thing before.

Rosamunda stared at the deep cracks that littered the table. It was going to crumble. The ministers who had been arguing recently were already looking for a place to escape, and the queen was pondering nervously. Where did her graceful hand suddenly have so much strength, and why were the advisors not surprised at what she had done?

«I’m sorry,» one of them mumbled guiltily, then another, and now it was a chorus of apologetic voices.

Are they afraid of her?! It was a surprise to Rosamunda. What could she do to frighten them so? She is not a knight, not a warrior, not a sorceress. But it was hard to be sure of the latter, seeing the work of her hands. Couldn’t a sorceress shatter a large block of marble with a single touch?

It was a pity about the magnificent table. It was an ancient relic of the entire Dolian family that had ruled in Dauran for centuries. A border of ornate symbols stretched along the edges. They meant something, according to the legends. But she couldn’t remember what. Someone, a royal jester it seemed, claimed that the table had been brought back from a military campaign by her ancestor on the shoulders of a captured giant, that it had supposedly been taken from the cave of some ancient serpent goddess, and that the symbols had been engraved on it by industrious Zwergs. Rosamunda did not believe in all these fables. Legends always arise out of bluster and lies to glorify some kings and conquerors. Besides, jesters are not to be trusted. And her jester played often with fire and autumn leaves. He behaved very foolishly and suspiciously. Yes, and about her the troubadours wrote long ballads that were mostly fiction. If she was beautiful, it didn’t mean she had the magic to command the elements. Troubadours make things up to be thanked.

They didn’t make up the table breaking. Well, he’s not such a loss. Rosamunda stood up, pulling back the brocade hem with the ermine trim, and suddenly found that the floor beneath her train was cracked too. They curled under her feet like snakes. Not as deep as in the table, but they could make the whole castle collapse. That’s why the counselors were so scared.

«I don’t feel well today,» Rosamunda felt the ermine’s fur came to life on her collar. The counselors obviously felt the same way, so they backed away.

«Anyone would feel bad when a tenth of his state burned down,» the youngest of the counselors supported the queen. He had just arrived here in place of his father, who had died hunting some strange creature. «You are understandable, my queen. But it’s no trouble. Nine-tenths survived.»

«What is about the poisonous smoke? What if it seeps into the areas untouched by the fires and we all suffocate from it?» An old minister said. «We could all die that way.»

«First of all, I suggest that we eliminate the cause of all this, and then we can think about how to pay for the damage,» Rosamunda said. She was surprised at how attentively she was being listened to. She had often been interrupted before. She even began to pant with the realization of her own weight. Her words were suddenly more important to the council than all other people’s assumptions! And all because the floor beneath her feet is cracking like an earthquake, and the columns are tilting dangerously.

«Let’s say the dragon did attack us. Then think of a way to drive it away. Consult the alchemists, the astrologers. Why do we keep them in the castle? They must know how to deal with this. And if they don’t, legends say that in the old days, knights defeated dragons. And there are plenty of knights here.»

«But your majesty,» the oldest and wisest minister took the liberty of speaking up. «A dragon is not a crow. A scarecrow is not enough to drive it away. I remember we were all very encouraged by your suggestion last year to put up an enchanted net against locusts that were destroying crops in the fields. It doesn’t matter how many maidens died weaving the net. The important thing is that we got rid of the locusts. You probably know some way to kill the dragon, too. It could sleep with your marvelous songs or poems.»

Rosamunda frowned. She didn’t remember anything about any kind of locust net, much less an enchanted one. But she would not make a complete fool of herself and ask the ministers about last year’s events.

«I must think before I give you all an answer,» she said. «In the meantime, gather the militia. If there is a strong enemy, it is worth marshaling troops against him.»

Dangerous advice

Rosamunda lifted the hem of her ermine-trimmed dress and walked past the thoughtful councilors.

There were indeed cracks in the columns around the council chamber. And there was a funny-looking animal, like a miniature dragon, crawling on top of one of the columns. It must have been brought back by her warlord from his distant campaigns.

It was bright green, like a sparkling emerald. Its claws deftly clung to the cracks in the column, sliding down. Its amber eyes glittered slyly. There were three of them at once, not two. The thorns on the head were growing, forming something like a crown.

What a marvel! You wouldn’t even see such a thing in the royal menagerie. It wasn’t a lizard or a dragon, but something in between.

«Whose are you? And where did you come from?»

Rosamunda reached out her hand to the marvelous animal. She wanted to touch its patterned wings, but she couldn’t. The dragon crawled away into a deep crevice in the column, as if after a great earthquake. Just watch, the whole castle will fall apart! There are probably really strong earthquakes in the country.

«What if you’re the cause?» The annoying voice of reason whispered.

Nonsense! She can’t be the cause of natural disasters. She’s not a witch! It is likely that somewhere in the kingdom a huge volcano has awakened and is bubbling with lava, which from afar can be mistaken for an angry dragon. Even if the whole kingdom is gone, the queen, who has never witched in her life, has nothing to do with it. So why is her conscience whispering to her that she caused all the disasters? How can that be?

The condemning looks of the ministers say the same thing. Can Rosamunda really hear their thoughts as others hear words? Or does she think she can? There’s a reason she has a bad memory. There must be something wrong with her head. She could have been badly traumatized if she had accompanied armies to war in the past. The problem was that Rosamunda really couldn’t remember much about herself. It is except for the recent past. The most vivid of memories were the most fantastic – letters written by fire. Could they be nothing but dreams? But the ashes on the carpet in her chambers were definitely real. True, it could have come there by some more ordinary method. It could be a fireplace that hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. Or a maid could have scattered the debris she’d cleaned out of the fireplace mantel and then not cleaned it up.

Rosamunda looked back at the council chamber. None of the ministers dared follow her. It was as if they had all conspired. So be it! She was more interested in spending her leisure hours in the company of the unusual dragon-like beast that had slipped through the gap.

«I wonder whose it is?» She thought aloud. «Could it be the pet of Warlord Aran?»

The empty hall would not answer her, of course. But there was a voice nearby.

«It could be yours, if you wished it sincerely. But you are shy and modest, fearing that you cannot afford such a wonderful toy. And yet you are the richest queen in the world. Why be shy?»

The voice came from below, as if from a deep pit. But there’s no such thing as a pit in a great hall. Was there a gap in the floor? Rosamunda looked at her feet and gasped in surprise. A creature that looked like a small troll or dwarf, but dressed like a court dandy, was standing in front of her. It barely reached her knee. Skinny clawed hands, like a harpy’s, were the largest organ of its body. They greedily reached for Rosamunda’s hem, groped the ermine and inhaled the exquisite perfume with pleasure.

«Who are you?» The queen was stunned.

«What would you call me?»

Any windy court lady would have laughed at such a question. He’s not a newborn baby to be named after all. But Rosamunda thought hard.

«Dandy,» she finally thought of it, stopping her gaze on the smart green-red velvet he was wearing. It was the most dignified thing she could think of in connection with him. Not to call him a scarecrow in a caftan.

«It is not bad,» the monster praised. «It sounds like a court position.»

Rosamunda still could not believe that the fairy animal was speaking to her in human language.

«Do you want a position at court?» She stammered. Wasn’t he planning to become the overseer of the menagerie?

«I could be your best advisor,» he said, his horned head held high.

«What do you mean?» The queen backed away, but claws clung to her ermine hem.

«Just think, all your ministers are as stupid as corks. What was the last good advice they gave you? Nothing! I could give you a lot of good advice.»

«But if I try to get you on the King’s Council, it’ll be difficult, given your unusual appearance.»

«We’d be in the public eye,» Dandy squinted at Rosamunda. He had to hold his head up high to see her face. «What beautiful earrings you have! With rubies! I would have them for myself as a token of your favor and in payment for my services.»

Rosamunda frowned.

«Well, it is all right,» conceded Dandy. «I was joking.»

«I don’t think my counselors will accept you into their circle.»

They’ll probably throw a sack over him after the first council, with the intention of drowning him in the sea and thus getting rid of all his advice. As it is, there is often great competition between ministers, fierce disputes are carried on, and treacherous intrigues are plotted. With a female queen, the cronies vie for power. And here comes some dwarf-sized scarecrow to assert his rights.

Rosamunda herself would never offend anyone, especially funny animals of any kind, even fairy-tale ones. But here were her ministers who were sometimes cruel to petitioners and even to each other. Maybe that’s why things weren’t going too well in the kingdom.

«You can’t do without my advice,» Dandy insisted.

Why not? She has a whole company of adult and experienced advisers, so what good is a dwarf?

«I’m the only one who can climb into every hole in the world and find out exactly what danger awaits you. I can climb into the council of your enemies who are planning to make war on you and find out all their plans. No one would even notice me.»

«Then you should be a spy, not a counselor.»

«It is reasonable, but not quite,» Dandy began to groom her like a cavalier in love, stroking the ermine on her dress with his claws. «You are beautiful, but quite naive. I’m creepy, you don’t have to hold up a mirror to me, I know I’m no match for you. But you can’t do it without my cunning. And here’s my first piece of advice: you want to know if a real dragon is really attacking your domain, so go and check for yourself. Don’t listen to anyone else! They can all lie. Take a carriage and I’ll be your coachman, so that none of your servants will say anything to anyone. We’ll ride together to the mountains where the dragon is rumored to nest. And you can see for yourself if it’s true or fairy tale.»

Sounds like a good idea! Rosamunda thought for a moment. Maybe she should pay attention to what he said.

«I’d rather send my warlord.»

«How do you know you can trust him? What if he wants to usurp power? Then he’ll only tell you what’s good for him. Either he’ll make up a pack of dragons that doesn’t exist to scare you, or he’ll claim he hasn’t found any to put you off your guard.»

«Is everyone that deceitful?»

«People want power,» Dandy said admonishingly. «And only you should have power. To keep it in your hands, you have to sniff it out yourself. Otherwise you will be given in marriage to some old man or your bully warlord by force. If you want to remain sole queen, you’ll not only have to see the dragon, but even tame it.»

«But how is it?» Rosamunda felt sick at the thought of dragon fire.

«How do you do this?» Dandy pointed with his claw at the cracks in the floor and columns. They weren’t here yesterday. And today she’s angry and they’re here.

«It’s the earthquake, not me.»

«Earthquakes are always caused by someone. Trust me, I know from experience. If it’s not you, there’s a powerful sorcerer living in the cellars of your castle. Or he could hide among your courtiers.»

«Don’t scare me like that!»

«A queen should not be frightened of anything,» Dandy shook his index claw instructively. «Especially it is a dragon that could serve you profitably.»

«What fairy tales!»

«I knew a queen who tamed a dragon. True, they had so many scandals that everything went up in flames. But when the dragon got drunk, he served her like a faithful dog.»

«What are you talking about?» Rosamunda exclaimed judgmentally, but Dandy didn’t seem to hear her.

«By the way, the dragon was gold, and the queen was greedy, but she knew perfectly well that it was not worth skinning it for the treasury, when in a live form it could get more profit for her than the precious scales alone were worth.»

«Surely you were her advisor,» Rosamunda quipped.

«Alas, I was not. Unlike you, she was cunning without me. She managed to wrest that dragon from an entire royal clan from an enemy power. She didn’t hesitate to poach him. What a clever little beast!»

«Where does that queen live?»

«It is in Fallot.»

«That’s not that far. We could send her a message and see if you can verify what you say.

«Don’t! She won’t answer you honestly anyway. Her Majesty, the red-haired Queen Seraphina has always been devilishly cunning.»

«Does the dragon still serve her?»

«Not anymore! Now is your chance to lure him into her service. It won’t be difficult with your outward abilities.»

«You speak of the dragon as if he were a young man.»

Dandy laughed softly. An unpleasant rumbling echo traveled through the hall, flying into every crevice. Rosamunda looked around cautiously. Had any of the counselors heard the laughter? Or else they would think that it was the devil himself laughing, and she, the queen, who had called him, and who should be declared a witch and sent to the stake.

«Listen! Only a witch can control a dragon, right?»

«I thought of it myself!» Dandy grinned slyly.

«Well, I’m not a witch! Then I shouldn’t even look at it. It’s too dangerous.»

She wanted to run away, but the insolent clawed counselor clutched at her hem. He’s so intrusive! He can’t be moved by force! He looks small, but he’s as strong as a giant.

«Stop it! You must go to the mountains and see if the dragon is real. If you don’t check it yourself, everyone will fool you with fairy tales.»

«But you said yourself he’s not fictional.»

«It is not in Fallot! But in the mountains of your kingdom, who knows? I haven’t climbed there and I haven’t checked. I leave that privilege to the ruler of the land, which is you.»

This could be some kind of trap! He’s been luring her into the mountains with too much persistence. On the other hand, what does she have to lose by sneaking up there? And if her hunch is correct, and her anger can make the earth shake and crack, sucking in an entire enemy army, then she has nothing to fear from the conspirators or even the dragon.

«It is all right, you got it!»

Dandy scraped the already cracked marble floor with the claws of his lower paws in joy.

«I’ll go steal a carriage!»

«It’s easier to just borrow one from the stables.»

«No, then everyone will know who’s riding it. And we need to maintain our incognito. I’d rather they think the carriage was stolen.»

«But then we’ll be chased by the guards.»

«With your skills, it wouldn’t be hard for them to fall into the first ravine that cracks in the road.»

«Why should I go to such lengths for a dragon?»

«It is for you first and foremost! You need a fire-breathing protector or you’ll die.»

It was a fire-breathing problem! But Rosamunda remained silent. It would be useless to argue with Dandy, and if she called the guards, he would dash into the first crevice and disappear there, and then appear in her bedroom at night like a bogeyman from a nightmare. It’s better to make a deal with him.

«It’s really interesting to find out if dragons exist.»

«I’m curious, too,» Dandy admitted. «I’ve never seen one up close. Besides, if our plan succeeds, you’ll make me chief minister.»

«I didn’t promise that!»

«If you ride the dragon, you’ll probably want to thank me.»

«I’m a little scared.»

«Don’t be. You’re the ruler of an entire country, not a pussycat. It is for the good of your people, you must always be prepared to sacrifice yourself to dragons and burn alive.»

«That’s not in the king’s oath!»

«But just in case, say it to the people and you will be loved and respected. And when the time comes to burn in the dragon’s flames, you can either be scared and run away, or conspire with the dragon.»

Dandy proved to be a shrewd politician. And what misfortune would come of consorting with him? But she really wanted to see a real dragon from afar. Besides, a trip to the mountains costs nothing. It’s only half a day’s journey. No one at the castle would notice her absence. After all, the queen is unsociable. And when she comes to the council, disasters happen. So it’s best for everyone to assume she never leaves her chambers.

A trip to the mountains

It is quite unusual to steal a carriage from yourself. Rosamunda felt like a stranger in her own carriage. Dandy chose the most luxurious carriage, drawn by six horses, and drove it along an unremarkable bumpy road. The wheels stuck in the mud. The gilded walls with coats of arms were scratched by boulders and iron-sharp branches. The path was very narrow. It was a wonder how the carriage had not yet gotten stuck or crashed on it. There was a cliff below the mountain path on which they had turned. Behind them, the chase was already under way.

Rosamunda turned to the rear window of the carriage and glared at her own guards like a thief. They did not know, of course, that the stolen carriage was carrying the queen herself. So far, Dandy had easily managed to evade the guards. But his luck might change one day.

Rosamunda regretted again that she had not befriended the winged lizard on the column, but the cunning weasel who now sat in the coachman’s seat. How had he ever managed to convince her that she alone could cope with a dragon by the power of her feminine charms? What if he was leading her into a trap? There could be bands of bandits hiding in the mountains besides the dragon. Shouldn’t she call the guards? But something was holding her back. It was a curiosity, perhaps.

«Something tells me that the dragon is not so easy to negotiate with,» Rosamunda thought aloud. Dandy, strangely enough, heard her, despite the rumble of the wheels, and answered:

«And you don’t listen to the promptings of reason! You must be lucky!»

Well said! No speaker of the council could have convinced her of such absurdities as Dandy had already convinced her of. There’s a reason he’s a supernatural being and not a man. His intelligence and cunning are of the highest order! Humans are far from him. They don’t know how to compel others to do whatever they want. But Dandy did. No matter how silly his assurances sounded, she wanted to give in to them.

«How did you persuade the guards to let you into the king’s castle?» Rosamunda wondered.

«I didn’t,» Dandy chuckled softly.

«Then where did you come from? From a secret underground passage that no one knows about.»

«Easier! It was right from under your feet. There was a crevice in the floor. Remember?»

«But it must lead straight down into the earth.»

«I see you’ve never heard of the Underworld and its inhabitants.»

He’s got a point. No one had ever told her anything like that before. Dandy swerved so sharply around corners that Rosamunda was thrown from side to side. It was a blessing that inside the carriage was covered with soft velvet and plenty of cushions. Otherwise the queen would have been bruised. She should have been more careful in choosing a coachman. Or better yet, she should have stayed out of adventures, so she wouldn’t need a coachman today.

«Did that lizard on the column crawl into the castle with you?»

«No,» Dandy’s voice echoed hoarsely from the goat. You could barely make out the words. «The little dragon had crawled out of Rhiannon’s jewelry box. All of her former jewels eventually turn into such creatures.»

«Who’s Rhiannon?»

«Don’t you know?» Dandy was surprised.

«There is no such name among my ladies of the court. Is it the name of some new maid of honor who came from the provinces?»

A snide laugh came from the goat.

«You are a fool, my queen.»

«I don’t understand you!»

What does he think of himself! Or she didn’t hear him well over the clattering of wheels on stones.

«Rhiannon is lady of all demons, fairies and dark forces. She is Queen of Hell. Her consort is the chief of the evil spirits. So she’s allowed to do anything.

«She could bring a box of strange creatures into my castle?»

«It was a box of jewelry that could probably come to life and turn into something like what you saw,» Dandy corrected her.

«And how did that box get into my castle? I didn’t even see it, by the way.»

There was a scratching sound. Dandy wanted to scratch the back of his head with his claw, but accidentally scratched the edge of the roof of the carriage, and scratched the metal jewelry.

Rosamunda’s question first perplexed him.

«Probably, the box was accidentally brought by someone who passed into your castle through magical portals, or some magical creature who stole it and under the guise of a guest took refuge in your castle. But in this case, angry demons would have already come for the stolen goods and torn the whole kingdom to pieces. So most likely the box came to you with some unusual message.»

Rosamunda bit her tongue, remembering the letters from an unknown and nameless admirer who jokingly called himself a dragon.

Dandy swerved so many times that he managed to confuse the guards who were catching up with them. The defenders of the king’s property had to break into small groups to cordon off the surrounding roads. Some fell into ravines and gullies that happened to be on the way. But a number of guards pursued the carriage relentlessly.

«We’re being chased!» Dandy warned. As if she hadn’t seen it herself? The square rear window gave a good view of the road behind. There were seven pursuers. They all were from the royal guard. How did Dandy manage to get the carriage out from under their noses!

«You can stop them.»

«Is it me?!» Rosamunda almost fell off her seat. On the one hand she was astonished, on the other the carriage jumped over a bump.

«Of course you are! I’m not! You’re the witch.»

«Don’t call me names!» Rosamunda clenched her fists in frustration. No one had ever called her that before, even in a fit of rage. But Dandy is probably not familiar with court etiquette.

«All you have to do is get mad at them to hold them off,» the clawed coachman admonished.

«I don’t think that’s likely. Otherwise, my anger would have broken the enemy troops and burned the dragon. And I wouldn’t have to go anywhere now,» Rosamunda decided judiciously.

«Turn around and get angry!» Dandy insisted.

«Like this! Is it on order?»

The arrow hit the rear window. And the chase was not as easy as she had first thought. Rosamunda clenched her fists. Anger arose. If the arrow had broken the back window, it might have hit her in the face. Anger boiled up inside, and something began to happen to the soil beneath the carriage wheels. The ground they were traveling over shook. It was a blessing that Dandy knew how to push his horses to extreme speed. The road that had been left behind had split into a gully-sized crack, from which something monstrous and swamp-colored was bursting forth. Had the guardsmen who had caught up with the carriage fallen through the holes, or had the mire inside sucked them in? The swamp looked like a living beast.

«What kind of vermin live in the bowels of the earth,» came Dandy’s careless shout. He began to whistle some song about the underground kingdom and its creepy inhabitants.

The ride into the mountains proved unpleasant. Dandy dropped her off, mumbled something unintelligible, and pulled the carriage aside. Rosamunda was not embarrassed. She remembered the stories about the Zwergs and Leprehuns who lived in the mountains and kept fabulous treasures. There was a cave just then. And from it was singing.

Rosamunda followed the sounds, sneaked into the cave and saw a tiny people at the spinning wheel. The cave dwellers didn’t look like zwergs or leprechauns. Rather, they were pixies – tiny fairies the size of moths. They were entirely golden in color, as if tiny statuettes made of gold had come to life and fluttered about. And these cuties were doing magic here! Wow! Everything that was happening was like a charming dream. Mirrors were placed around the spinning wheel. They reflected what was not happening. Inside the mirrors, the pixies were doing round dances, while in the cave they were doing something else. The figures, surrounded by a golden halo, were flying toward the spinning wheel, or bouncing off it, pulling a thread of pure gold.

Barely noticing Rosamunda, the glittering creatures fluttered toward her face.

«Do you want to tell the future?» The magicians offered.

«I’d rather know the past. I don’t remember it.»

«You don’t remember your past!» The chorus of surprised voices sounded like bells ringing.

«I know it sounds strange, but it’s true.»

«Aren’t you just pretending to test us?» The one from them asked. «We usually have beggars from the village come to us to have us predict their future. And once even a noble lady came and brought us gifts. She called us oracles.»

«I brought no gifts,» Rosamunda said, embarrassed.

«We can’t charge a pretty girl like you. It’s nice to look at you,» one little thing fluttered onto her shoulder. «I’d like to keep your lock of hair as a memento. It’s like black gold! It’s easy to cast a spell with such a curl.»

«First tell her fate,» insisted the envious people, who had not had time to set the fee.

«Tell me what I don’t remember. What happened to me in the past? And why have I forgotten everything except the recent past?»

The pixie stared in amazement with tiny eyes.

«My childhood, my adolescence, my youth,» Rosamunda began to recount. «My parents. My friends, if I had any. And I also want to know if I have forgotten some lover who now wants to take revenge on me for something.»

«Girls usually remember their lovers. Even the ones they’ve fallen out of love with.»

«But I don’t.»

«Wouldn’t it be better to find out who will be your companion in the future?» The pixie squinted slyly.

«I’m more interested in the past,» Rosamunda insisted. «And the man I supposedly seduced and abandoned in the past. I don’t remember him now for some reason.»

The crumbs could have lied to her, but because of the magical light that came from their flock, any woman would have believed them. Magical creatures are supposed to see things.

«Who you’ve had in the past, you’ll have in the future. You can’t get rid of him,» said the brightest fairy who sat on Rosamunda’s ring. «Only besides the pleasures of love, he will bring with him a long-standing curse. And you won’t be happy anymore.»

«She is inexperienced. We can see better,» the others chorused. Though the tiny fairy gave the impression of being more judicious, they were more combative.

The pixies all clung to Rosamunda’s palm, drew shining strings of yarn along the lines of fate, and were suddenly so frightened that they all ran away at once, throwing away both the mirrors and the spinning wheel. It continued spinning on her own.

Is there something so terrible in her fate that even a pixie is frightened? And it must concern both the past and the future. Rosamunda felt fear. She wished they’d explain what this was all about. What did they see?

There was a deafening roar over the mountains that seemed to make the mountains themselves shake. So that’s why the Pixies might have been frightened! Not because of her fate, but because of the awakened monster.

Rosamunda was relieved at first, until she looked up at the heavens.

«It’s time to run!» She called out to Dandy as she saw the huge, glittering reptile rushing out of its hiding place, smashing the mountain tops in the process. So that’s what dragons are like! That’s why so many frightening and enticing legends are written about them! On the one hand is splendor, on the other is destructive evil.

The golden dragon zigzagged in the gloomy sky above the mountains. Its breath sent a wave of fire through the surrounding forests.

Rosamunda rushed back to the carriage. It was still possible to leave. The road had not yet gone up in flames. But both the carriage and Dandy were gone.

You had to believe a frivolous person who’d abandoned his queen in danger. He took all six horses with him. Should she walk home or call for help?

There was an armed troop coming down the road. It was a pity that it was approaching not from the side that led back to the castle, but from the opposite side, where the border with the enemy kingdom was.

Someone in the cavalcade pointed at her with a hand. Rosamunda didn’t know where to go. But suddenly a dragon intervened. Its claws caught the head of the troop. It was a moment, and the fragile little man in the dragon’s claws was left without a bone. Rosamunda watched in horror as the dragon devoured several more guards. The arrows and spears flying at it didn’t even scratch its scales, but boomeranged back at those who threw them.

Apparently, having had enough, the dragon decided to play a bad joke on the invading party. It opened its mouth and exhaled such a powerful jet of fire onto the road that it resembled volcanic lava. The rest of the squad was burned alive.

The road was on fire. The dragon spread its wings and flew over the conflagration. How graceful it is in flight! It looked like a monster, but it was as beautiful as a jewel that had come to life. He was gold and glittering. But with one paw it can crush an entire army.

«Look, there’s the queen!» Someone shouted from behind. «Get her! Get her now!»

Why didn’t she take off the crown? And why did she believe Dandy? How naive she was! And how despicable those who said they wanted to help could be! Rosamunda felt so furious at the sight of the guards running towards her from behind that she could no longer control herself. If she had had a sword or a dagger with her, she would not have hesitated to attack them, even though the forces were unequal.

Her anger made the ground beneath her feet shake again. Or was it the dragon’s fire that was to blame? Its roar could bring down mountains, let alone a mild earthquake. Only it was gaining strength. The ground beneath her feet cracked and vibrated. Rosamunda fell. She should have run, but getting to her feet proved too difficult. The guards behind her were stumbling and falling and cursing too. Their curses rang in her ears, diluted by the dragon’s roar. Cracks spread across the ground like the claw marks of a giant. The pursuers were falling through them! There was a whole regiment of them. The cracked earth greedily swallowed them all. These are not enemy soldiers. They’re wearing her insignia. Someone sent her own soldiers to kill her. It’s a plot against the queen! And there’s only the dragon. He is neither friend nor foe.

Rosamunda herself was lucky not to fall through any of the deep cracks.

«Magic will keep you safe, but it may not be for long,» Dandy’s voice whispered above her head. But where was he? Did Rosamunda look around for her counselor and coachman? Perhaps he had been swallowed by a dragon. She hated to believe that Dandy had left her to the mercy of her enemies.

The foes themselves, however, were gone. Some were burned by the dragon. Some had fallen underground. There were no screams from the crevices. So the guards didn’t survive.

The dragon’s gone too. Poisonous smoke swirled over the flaming road, making her skin red and her eyes watery. It was urgent to take cover. It was worth going back to the cave. Rosamunda crawled there. She tore her dress. She hurt her shoulders and arms.

Inside, it was cozy and warm. Instead of a glowing spinning wheel, the whole interior of the caves now glowed. Someone had brought a whole pile of gold in here. What a surprise!

Rosamunda approached the gold pile and almost jumped with fear. The pile of gold was alive. It had a tail and wings that she hadn’t noticed at first. It was a dragon! It was satiated, exhausted, and sleeping. It was a good thing its spike-topped head was turned to the other side of the cave. The queen in her sumptuous dress with train was only a tiny biped to him, impossible to see under a magnifying glass. So there’s probably nothing to fear. He won’t even notice her, but Rosamunda felt a shiver in her knees.

It’s a dragon! It’s alive! It’s real! He’s burned an entire troop, and he hasn’t touched her. Why? Probably just didn’t pay attention to her.

Outside, everything’s burning and collapsing. Still, we’d better get out of here. Just because a dragon is asleep doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. It could wake up at any moment and crush her with a single claw.

When Rosamunda got out of the cave and managed to get past the cracks to the narrow mountain path, she noticed that her carriage was hanging there over the cliff. Another moment and it would fall. But Dandy, drinking something from a flask, didn’t even think of panicking. He was perched on the rump, clearly waiting for her.

«Hurry up, or we’ll burn,» he nodded at the blazing road below, when he saw Rosamunda.

«You don’t think we have a flying crew, do you? How are we going to turn around and get away?»

The clawed coachman laughed wildly again. He laughed so often that he resembled a madman. Rosamunda’s heart trembled. Who is more dangerous: him or the dragon?

The carriage turned as if it were supported by wings. And so they drove off, with Rosamunda barely managing to climb in. Partly the carriage hung over the cliff, as if carried by invisible wings, partly slid with its wheels along the narrow path. It all resembled a ridiculous dream, but sometimes it seemed that the wings growing straight out of the walls of the carriage were really rustling above them.

A commotion at court

The dragon swooped down in the morning. Barely awake, Rosamunda learned that several villages and hamlets in the south of her kingdom had burned to the ground. If this continues, she will be left without a kingdom at all.

«Are you sure it was the dragon and not the neighbors who came to war without warning?» She asked hypocritically to her omnipresent advisors.

«Knights from the forts on the borders and sentries from the lighthouse saw the dragon in the spyglass.»

The answer was frightening. If the only survivors were those who were so far away from the fires that they had to use a spyglass, then everyone in the villages had burned.

«Any survivors?» The queen inquired.

«No one is from the burned areas.»

«That means we are left without the best grape growers and plowmen,» Rosamunda sighed.

Dandy was hiding somewhere. Probably he was hiding under her bed. Or maybe he was in her jewelry chests. He was frightened. When people saw him, he’d hide immediately. They must have teased him more than once for his ridiculous appearance. For Dandy, except for his scholarship, could pass for a little monster. It might have occurred to someone to catch him and show him in a circus. Maybe it would be for the best. Because of Dandy’s advice, she had inadvertently awakened the dragon.

Rosamunda climbed to the highest tower of the castle to survey the damage with her own eyes. The damage done to her domain by the dragon’s fiery breath was colossal. All the lands to the south resembled a scorched wasteland.

Rosamunda almost fainted. One of the loyal knights supported her. Otherwise she would have fallen into the castle moat, or worse, crashed into the sharp stone blocks below.

The sky was still bright and calm. No dragon was traveling across it. Rosamunde would have found it hard to believe there was one if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes last night. She had no business going for a walk in the mountains. It was all Dandy’s advice.

The scorched earth may have been a consequence of the war, but there’s no enemy army marching towards the capital. So the dragon raider is the most likely possibility. It is the duty of the queen, whose country has suffered from dragon fire, to send her best knights to fight the monster.

Rosamunda didn’t really know the best knights in battle, so she would have ordered the lot to be cast. But luckily for her, many had volunteered.

«Now we need to find a wizards to determine where the dragon’s lair is,» one of the advisors suggested.

«That’s easier said than done,» said another, «because all magicians, prophets, and astrologers flee the kingdom as soon as they cross its borders.»

«They probably sensed the dragon in absentia, and that’s why they fled.»

«But where is a single wizard now?»

The councilors looked at Rosamund as if she were the wizard.

«I know a fool who can lead you to the dragon’s lair without magic. I’ll call him right away,» Rosamunda promised, and went to find Dandy. There was no sign of him under the king’s bed, and she was sure he was hiding there because she had been trying to sleep all night to the accompaniment of his nasty snoring.

Dandy was not hiding in chests and closets either. Could it be that he had decided to flee in fear of the awakened dragon? He had behaved boldly, even daringly, last night. Rosamunda decided to look for him in the stables and she was right. Dandy was huddled between the wine barrels and bales of provisions in the carriage in which they had traveled to the mountains yesterday.

The sides of the carriage were battered and scratched. The grooms and coachmen had escaped from the stable for some reason. Probably the drunken song of Dandy, who had touched the uncorked bottle of wine, had frightened everyone. No one would be happy that an evil spirit had taken up residence in their cellar or stables.

«You’re going to run away!» Rosamunda rebuked him.

«I’m just preparing a backup in case of an emergency,» Dandy stroked the wine barrels he’d stolen from the cellar.

«There’s no room for me in the carriage, so you’re the only one who can escape in an emergency,» Rosamunda said.

«There are plenty of other carriages,» said Dandy. «There’s enough room for ten queens, not just one.»

«By the way, why didn’t you return the carriage to the carriage barn? You said you’d take care of everything.»

Dandy nearly choked on his wine. And the horses in the stalls bellowed and banged their hooves in a frightened manner.

«These animals smell us like a thunderstorm,» complained Dandy. «They always want to get mad at the sight of me.»

«So why are you sitting in a stable with only animals? By the way, you look like an animal yourself. Take off your camisole and you could easily replace a caged monkey.»

«You’re just joking, Your Majesty.» Dandy smiled radiantly, showing his sharp fangs.

How quickly he was sobered by the veiled threat! Rosamunda hadn’t heard him say «Your Majesty» politely in a long time. It was worth frightening Dandy, and he became kind, even tried to sing dithyrambs to her beauty. But comparing her hair to black fire, her eyebrows to tar, and her lips to rose petals was unoriginal and quite ridiculous.

«Stop sucking up!» Rosamunda cut him off.

Dandy almost dropped the bottle, which he had almost finished. The rest of the wine spilled over the hay on the stable floor.

«All right, I’ll be honest with you, as a counselor should be,» Dandy grimaced, twitched his pointy ears and zigzagged his tail. «Your kingdom is on the verge of destruction.»

«Did the shimmering pixies bring us misfortune?» Rosamunda remembered the spinning wheel and the mysterious chants of the magical creatures. «I’ve heard that fairies, though beautiful, can be evil and bring misfortune upon the heads of people who dare to venture into their habitats.»

Dandy shrugged his narrow shoulders. «There are also good fairies, but very rarely. Mostly they are gamblers, swindlers and lechers. They try to seduce you to get something out of you, or they use cheating techniques mixed with magic. I’ve suffered so much with these fairies! And pixies are like annoying insects. If you leave a bottle of wine open, they’ll swoop down to rob me of my drink.»

Rosamunda watched as he took the cork out of the wine barrel and drank almost all of its contents. How much wine could fit in Dandy’s body? The barrel was almost twice the size of Dandy’s.

«I’m not a drunkard, it’s just an extreme situation,» Dandy excused himself, noticing that the queen was looking at him with great judgment. «Who wouldn’t be frightened into a nervous breakdown by a dragon raid? And when I have a nervous breakdown, I drink without counting bottles.»

«Actually, the dragon raided my land, not yours. I’m the one having a nervous breakdown, but I haven’t had a drop of booze all day.»

«I can only applaud your fortitude. You are the queen for a reason, not me,» Dandy saluted her with a newly uncorked bottle. A man would have been so intoxicated that he would have fallen under the carriage, but Dandy had not lost his temper. His mind was not drunk at all, and he had a sly grin on his cunning face, which made him look like a demon.

«Many crevices, caves, and tracts lead to the Underworld,» he said. «And there it is easy to hide from the dragon’s flames.»

«But I’m not likely to slip down there. As you can see, I’m bigger than you.»

«It’s not a question of size. It’s whether the lords of the Underworld will accept you. There’s already a queen there. The sight of your beauty will make her think you’ve come to take her husband away from her. Even underground, they’ve heard how easily you break hearts.»

«I haven’t broken any, except yours,» said Rosamunda. «You are the most annoying of all my admirers. You’re the one who’s attracted to the counselor’s position, not me.»

«But the dragon was seduced by you! Dragons love a pretty girl!»

«Don’t talk to me about dragons anymore. Since this morning, I’ve become very afraid of them. I had a prosperous kingdom and one dragon swooped in and my country was reduced by a quarter. What happens if he strikes again? In two or three of his raids, I’d have no country at all.»

«You shouldn’t have woken him up!» Dandy said in a philosopher’s tone.

«But it was you who persuaded me to go to the mountains.»

«I didn’t know the dragon would react so violently to your presence.»

«What will happen now?»

«Now he will demand tribute! Or better yet, to sacrifice you to him. Dragons always demand beautiful maidens of noble birth. They have excellent taste in both treasure and maidens. You can’t give them something second-rate. Especially this one! Fool, you could have cope with him.»

He calls his queen a fool! He’s got a nerve! Rosamunda wanted to throw at him the first thing that came to hand, which was a heavy harness.

«I was joking,» Dandy jumped out of the carriage and into the stall. «It is about your foolishness, not about the dragon. He will surely come to demand tribute now, or worse, send someone.»

«Who would a dragon send?»

«It’s best not to scare you beforehand. I’d better get out of here. No advisor can survive long with a queen like you.»

What benefits did he want from her? She can’t be a dragon ruler! And she doesn’t need an advisor to lead her into the jaws of a predator. She should just dive back into the underground crevices. Without him, no one’s going to mess with her head anymore. But she might not be able to get rid of the awakened dragon now.

«Before you disappear, do your wine and escort my knights to the dragon’s lair,» Rosamunda commanded in a firm tone.

The Dandy stammered.

«What will you give me for it?»

«I’ll give you a few more barrels of wine.»

«I can get them myself.»

«And I can have the cellar locked from you.»

The freelancer scratched behind his pointy ear.

«It is all right! I’ll whisper to the head of the party where to go and slip away.»

He fulfilled his promise, deftly jumping on the shoulder of the most valiant knight. He didn’t even realize at first from whom the advice came, but obediently followed Dandy’s instructions. And Rosamunda’s ministers, who saw off the detachment with their eyes, looked in vain among the knights for that foolish guide whom the queen had promised to find.

An ultimatum

The knights did not return. But some junk dealer had brought back their scorched armor and helmets, and at the same time one roasted corpse, on which the letters of a message from the dragon had been burned as if on paper.

«The fire-breathing beast caught me on the mountain road and promised to pardon me if I delivered the message to the queen,» said the junk dealer, who was about to be executed as a sorcerer for aiding the dragon.

He was eventually pardoned but kept under surveillance. The corpse, covered with inscriptions, was not shown to the queen, lest she faint. For some reason, everyone thought that her female heart would break at the sight of a dragon mutilating the most handsome of her knights.

«They only do that out of jealousy!» The maids of honor were murmuring, covering their sly smiles with fans. «What if our queen has really fallen in love with a dragon?»

Rosamunda understood the meaning of their gossip as soon as they brought her the verbatim message read on the corpse’s skin. The dragon demands that the queen be given to him. Not as a sacrifice, but as a wife.

«It’s a joke!» Rosamunda jumped up so violently that she nearly toppled the throne. A nimble creature that looked like an emerald lizard was crawling on the canopy above the throne, but she didn’t even notice it. It looked like a spy.

«It’s an ultimatum, Your Majesty,» stammered the minister who read the message.

«An ultimatum can be given by a king at war with me, but not by a dragon. By the way, he burned one of the fields.»

«It is along with the plowmen and their families,» the First Minister corrected the dragon.

«He attacks like an animal, like a pack of wolves or a bear. Does an animal have the right to make demands? It should be caught and destroyed, so that it does not harm.»

«But that’s what the knights were sent for. They’re gone.»

«Then send others.»

«Others are less prepared to fight the beast,» the First Minister stammered and stuttered with excitement. He couldn’t wait to marry the queen to anyone, even a dragon. He was tired of a woman on the throne. Perhaps he wanted to take her place after the dragon had eaten her. Rosamunda has no living relatives left.

«It is except us,» whispered the strange creatures crawling along the column. Rosamunda quickly turned away from them. Would the others see them? Do they hear them? Everyone is so frightened by the dragon that they don’t pay attention to the little things.

«Does the dragon know that I am a young widow and not an innocent maiden?» Rosamunda asked an insidious question, for everyone knows that dragons prefer virgins. «Had he been warned of this?»

«His demand is clear! He wants you! Perhaps you should say yes.»

«I don’t think you envision a dragon as your king. You’re probably hoping I’ll disappear into his lair forever.»

«No! How could I?» The minister lowered his eyes to the floor in shame so she wouldn’t recognize him as a traitor. «We are all truly loyal to you.»

«It is especially all those who were burned. They could have fought the dragon, but they just gave up. They didn’t even try to run away.»

«If you knew what a dragon attack was, you wouldn’t be talking like this! It’s much worse than a forest fire.»

«I don’t believe the burned body of the knight was sent by the dragon itself. Dragons are animals. They have no intelligence. It’s more likely some evil joker carved the body in letters. Probably it is a savage or a fakir. There aren’t many fools that live in deserted places.»

«It’s definitely dragon fire. It makes the body rot in a peculiar way. The letters on the corpse’s skin turn black before you can read them.»

«And before they’re read, they’re fiery?» Rosamunda recalled with horror the letters from her secret admirer, but the minister ignored her question.

«The dragon gives you one day to think about it. Tomorrow night you will either accept his proposal or he will burn your country.»

That’s the literal message. The dragon is as generous as a king of noble blood. He gives her a full day’s head start. She’ll have time to sleep, and the next day she’ll devise some cunning plan to deceive the dragon.

During the night, Rosamunda dreamed of a girl with many faces. These faces were scattered on the floor like masks. Every single one of them was incredibly beautiful. All cut from living beauties because blood had caked on them. They were all alive. The girl measured them one by one, and was not satisfied with all of them. Until among the masks she found one that was not human. The face cut from the fairy was squirming and whispering something unhappily, but the sorceress put it on over her. This girl could not be anything but a sorceress, for she stole other people’s faces. And they suited her. Except that her hair changed color with them. Then they were light, then dark, then red, then golden, then greenish, like a mermaid. And what is this girl really: brunette, shade, blonde? Do sorceresses have a specific hair color? And what is her face like? Rosamunda saw only living masks.

There was a haunting feeling in the dream that she needed to see the true face of the many-faced girl, or the problem with the dragon would not be solved.

«Look in the mirror,» squeaked someone behind her. It seemed to be some kind of gnome or gnome-like creature. It was short and clawed.

Rosamunda woke up without realizing what the mirror had to do with it.

The dwarf sitting on her bedpost clapped his clawed hands together in joy. «I thought the indecent dragon had put you to sleep for good. But now it is twelve o’clock, and my queen has awakened from his spell. I’m so glad!»

«I wish you’d get out of here!» Rosamunda looked at him in disbelief. There’s trouble where Dandy is.

It’s light outside the window, but suddenly, right now, the red rain of dragon flame is raining down again, hitting the roofs, and the whole country turns into a hot inferno.

How to deal with a dragon? This was not the kind of politics she had counted on when she took over the reins of power. You can still negotiate with humans, but not with the dragon! You can’t even settle a dispute with a dragon with a war. He’ll just burn everyone. The whole army! So what do we do?

«What do you say, Counselor?» She squinted at Dandy.

«About what is it?»

«It is about the dragon, of course. That’s our biggest problem right now.»

«Well, you’re the queen. I’m just an advisor, and not an official one at that.»

«But you took me to the mountains, and we woke the dragon there.»

«It would have woken up anyway.»

Dandy sighed.

«How do you know?»

«We all know him well and have studied his lordly ways.»

«What do you mean? And who are all of us? You mean those sparkling pixies who sang in the cave?»

Dandy sighed again. He seemed about to burst into tears. Rosamunda had never seen him like this before. Usually, he was not discouraged.

«What’s the matter with you? Did one of the courtiers offend you? Well, I’ll punish them!»

«The dragon hurt me!» Dandy sobbed. «He took away all my savings. Said it was a tax on life. And he did the same to other magical creatures.»

«Can dragons speak?»

«Yes, they can! And they can breathe fire! They can roast even a magical creature with their breath!»

«They can write letters with fire, too, can’t they?»

«I never received any letters from them,» Dandy said judiciously. «But I have received threats mixed with sparks. I even got burns.»

He unbuttoned his camisole slightly, revealing orange marks like sparks lodged in greenish skin. He’s a freak! But he acts like a trained monkey. And in his camisole he looks like an aristocrat who’s been turned into a miniature monster by some magician. Dandy’s feet are webbed, and his claws are long. The toes themselves are seven or eight on each foot. A spiked tail curls in zigzags.

Yeah, she’s got herself a nice-looking pet. If he were to march into the parade hall behind the queen and kiss the hand of one of her ladies-in-waiting out of politeness, she would faint.

Ladies are afraid of monsters, even miniature ones. But Rosamunda was suddenly drawn to them. Dandy is a real exotic. A helper from a magical world volunteered to serve a mortal queen. She must be special to have such curiosities rushing to serve her. How else to tame a dragon!

Rosamunda’s mind was scattering. A dragon, of course, is not a man. He could not be seduced. He would probably eat or burn a beautiful woman who came close to him. But she needs to seduce him badly. That’s how we can save on military pay. One dragon is worth a whole army. He’s already proven that. When he raids, everyone runs away or burns. If she had such a gentleman, she could scare all the insolent advisors. She can’t get the ministers under control herself, but a dragon would help. They would all fall down at the sight of a queen with the support of a dragon bodyguard!

«Too bad the dragon is not a man!» Rosamunda voiced her thought. «I know how to seduce men, but I don’t know how to lure a dragon.»

«It is on a beauty!» Dandy said cheerfully. «Offer him the most beautiful lady in the kingdom.»

«I’m the most beautiful here.»

«That’s not good!»

«Why? Can the dragon burn me or eat me?»

«He can take you to his domain, and I can’t go there. I’ll stay here, and I’ll have to rule the country in your absence. Of course, being Viceroy is lucrative, but it would take all my meager charms.»

«You can run a country?» Rosamunda couldn’t imagine her snooty ministers obeying such a crumb. Even though Franth is monstrous, he is still a midget.

But when a minister entered the room, the tiny Dandy made passes with his green paws, waved his curled tail, and the minister bowed to him as if he were a real prince.

«Go away!» said Dandy.

The minister apologized and obediently left.

Wow! Rosamunda looked at her pet with unexpected respect.

«You’re a hypnotist?»

«Too bad you can’t fool a dragon that easily,» Dandy muttered to himself without hearing her. «You can’t give him just any girl. He will demand the most beautiful one, and the rejected one he will simply throw off the cliff and send back to us in dismembered form. And the relics will arrive in an expensive box with some charms.»

«I don’t believe it! The dragon will just eat it.»

«Dragons are not as simple as you think, my queen.»

Rosamunda sighed tiredly.

«I thought you were going to leave me yesterday and hide forever in the Underworld,» she said, recalling her quarrel with Dandy in the stables.

«I thought it would be black ingratitude to abandon my queen. You’d be lost without my advice!»

«It is on the contrary. I think either the Underworld didn’t welcome you, or they didn’t have the wine and hors d’oeuvres you’re addicted to, so you’re here again.»

«And you’re happy to see me. I’m not a dragon!» Dandy said slyly.

Why did he find the comparison to a dragon so amusing?

«Give the dragon the most beautiful lady among your maids of honor and see how loyal the dragon is to you? Maybe he’ll mistake her for a queen and be satisfied.»

The casket with the corpse of the maid of honor

«If only there was a magician here!» Rosamunda lamented. «There isn’t one at all!»

«They flee from a kingdom where the ruler is a wizard,» said Dandy, winking slyly as he chewed a peach from the king’s table. «And here is a witch queen.»

«Are you insulting me on purpose?»

«It’s true! Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I would never submit to an ordinary woman.»

«And you don’t obey me!»

«It is on the contrary, I please you in every way.»

Dandy has an original perception of obedience.

«You should be flogged for being stubborn.»

«Then I’d slip away to the Underworld and never come back.»

«And you give me ultimatums like a dragon!»

«I’m only defending myself.»

«I’m defending myself against you and your insolent advice.»

Rosamunda didn’t realize how used to him she was getting. Why are ladies so keen to keep mischievous animals with them? Her ladies of honor had their own monkeys and parrots, but hers was a little monster from the Underworld. That’s probably where Dandy comes from, since he’s threatening to go back there.

Instead of the queen, of course, the dragon was given a maid of honor, a noble lady named Winona. Pity her, of course. But the dragon needs a sacrifice. Winona’s father was in disgrace, so the ministers chose her. We can’t give the queen to the dragon. Then the country would be orphaned.

But Dandy slyly noted that the throne of the orphaned country will immediately run to the good guys who want to adopt the throne, and the scepter, and the orb.

In general, it was better not to talk to Dandy..

«Are you by any chance a scholar who escaped from some city university?» Rosamunda began to inquire the counselor.

«God forbid!» Dandy was even frightened. «You found yourself a scientist! I do not sit in laboratories for experiments, but in the throne room now your ministers are doing some experiments.»

Dandy was partly right. The maid of honor sacrificed to the dragon had already been brought back. In a coffin-like box! Rosamunda almost fainted when she saw the dismembered corpse inside the large open chest. It looked like a broken marionette. Deep animal scratches stretched across Winona’s deadly pale skin.

The dead head’s eyes opened instantly, barely Rosamunda had entered the hall. The eyelashes, stained at the tips with blood, made a ghastly impression. There were no pupils left in the empty whites of the eyes.

Dandy hastily hid behind Rosamunda’s hem.

«How could this be? She was given to the dragon,» she whispered.

Dandy did not answer. The ministers were also silent. But the dismembered corpse spoke and even sang.

«I’m back! I’m dead! But I’m a little alive inside to bring a message to you,» Winona sang in a sinister, playful tone. «You can’t fool the dragon, Rosamunda! Don’t even try!»

Rosamunda! While she was alive, Winona had never addressed her so familiarly. But apparently death equalizes everyone. The dead Winona had forgotten all about «Your Majesty». Apparently, since her head was separated from her torso, her mind was barely functioning. Or maybe the dragon had cut off her head with its claws to fill it with enchantments. Winona’s bloody lips laughed stupidly. She looked like a doll from hell in her dismembered state.

What a sorcerer that dragon was! Dandy had warned her for a reason. His advice should be heeded for the future.

There was something stuck in Winona’s hair. It was strange why the dragon didn’t remove her hair like a scalp or a fleece. They could have been sold or kept as a trophy. There were claw wounds on her forehead. So the dragon had first thought of the same idea. But for some reason he only scratched her. There were hieroglyphic inscriptions scratched on the skin of the severed arms and legs.

«Get the court astrologer to study them and translate them if he can.»

«I’ll translate them for you,» Dandy volunteered, and jumped into the casket.

«It says here! The dragon will not leave…»

«Get away, dwarf!» Winona hissed.

Dandy put a claw to her forehead, and she shut up, looking at the empty whites of her eyes in the void.

«It says: until you return my wife to me, I will destroy your body, beautiful woman who bears her name from the root of the rose flower.»

«What’s next?» Rosamunda nervously crumpled her lace handkerchief in her hands. «Read it! I want to know everything.»

But Winona’s body burst into flames, as did the paper letters. Sparks rained down on the terrified crowd of courtiers. Some were burned, some swallowed sparks and burned their tongues. Some of the ladies were disfigured by burns. The dead Winona didn’t care whether she burned or not. She was acting as a message. Apparently, parchment or letters on skin and bodies from a dragon burn just like paper.

The remains of the maid of honor were being shunned by everyone. The chest full of ashes was taken to the cemetery. That’s where it belongs.

«The sacrifice was in vain,» sighed the counselors and looked unkindly at the queen.

«So, what shall we do?» Rosamunda roused Dandy, who for some reason none of the ministers called an exotic animal and did not try to put him in a cage.

«Marry you to a dragon!» He muttered sullenly.

«What do you mean?» Rosamunda clenched her fists in anger. «You’re mocking me!»

«I am not! It’s what the dragon wants.»

«To burn me or eat me for dinner!»

«Suddenly he doesn’t want an appetizer, he wants a wife.»

Rosamunda swung her scepter at Dandy.

«Calm down! Where’s your sense of humor?» He squeaked, hiding behind the throne. «I’ll tell you a secret: monsters are really very attracted to beauties, and not at all to eat them.»

«That’s comforting!» Rosamunda said skeptically.

«Don’t you want to fool the dragon by promising him a marriage for the future?»

«That’s clever! But how do you negotiate with a dragon? Who dares approach him when he’s so vicious? Did you see what he did to Lady Winona? He dismembered her with his claws! What if he breathes fire on me as soon as I go to negotiate with him? Should I just send you? You’re agile! If there’s a risk, run away or hide in one of the pits in the Underworld.»

Dandy doesn’t like that idea.

«He won’t listen to me. He needs a lady.»

«He’s already been given one, and he hasn’t expressed much admiration.»

«He needs a lady of his own choosing. It is the chosen one!»

«It’s a shame he chose me! There are so many brides to be given away, and the dragon wants me! It’s the law of meanness!»

Fire raged through the kingdom here and there. The angry dragon was flying over the country and breathing on villages and cities. How could he be tamed? Not with love! Should we call the militia? But what could the militia do against the dragon? He’ll crush them all with one paw. The size difference gives him an advantage. And his fire breath makes him all-powerful.

«He’d enslave us all like that,» Rosamunda complained. «We’d have to get a strong wizard to fight him.»

«I’ve heard that the singing of fair maidens can put dragons to sleep. Sing to him!»

There’s nothing to lose. Rosamunda leaned out the window and sang a frivolous love song she’d heard from the seamstresses. Strangely enough, the dragon reacted. The fire that was about to fall on the castle towers was stopped.

Rosamunda continued to sing as the dragon flew over the castle. Only when it flew away did she close her mouth. Her tongue ached as if it were about to fall off. To contain the fire of the entire country, she had to sing for the dragon for over an hour.

«Love is a hard thing!» Dandy muttered. «It is especially dragon love!»

What’s love got to do with it? It was an enemy raid. She had a sore throat. She wished Dandy had brought wine instead of muttering about dragon love.

The dragon didn’t return for 24 hours. Is this a victory? Or is it the calm before another firestorm?

«I wish I had a strong wizard to deal with it,» Rosamunda continued to lament.

And as if by magic, a message arrived about the visit of ambassadors from the State of Wizards.

An elf in the ambassador’s entourage

Flames ran between the lines.

«I love you! I hate you! I wait for you! I am your dragon.»

It was no longer a letter, but a short note by fire. It did not burst into flames, but lay on the carpet, only the lines burning. Then they were extinguished. The note became ashes.

Rosamunda thought the note a mockery. The dragon didn’t belong to her.

It was said that Queen Seraphina of the northern state had her own dragon, but Queen Rosamunda had no dragon of her own. It is except for the dragon in the letters. Maybe someone got wind of her desire to have her own dragon and is playing a joke on her? But who would want to do that and why?

«You should have a dragon of your own,» said Dandy, sensing the threat of war. «Or tame one that already flies over the towers and shines like the dawn.»

Instead, Rosamunda wrote poems about the dragon, but the lines were in ink, not fire. Only once did something out of the ordinary happen: Rosamunda was summoned by the voice of a fairy from the bookshelves, the queen dripped blood on a line, and several fiery lines appeared, as if a dragon had breathed on the paper.

«I am here! I am near! In your palace! At your back! I am yours! And so is the fire.»

The lines of fire, alas, burned too quickly. There’s no way to prove the existence of letters of fire. They could never be reassembled from the ashes.

Rosamunda was nervous. She even felt a dragon’s claw touch her shoulder. It felt like the dragon was at court, but the heralds only trumpeted some afterthought from a magical state.

«Come quickly! Otherwise we’ll all be in big trouble,» Dandy is all shaken up. He’s about to faint.

Rosamunda hurried into the throne room. The courtiers had gathered in a crowd. They were all expecting special ambassadors.

«Was it true that their empire was populated only by wizards?» Rosamunda sat on the throne in a ceremonial gown of silver brocade trimmed with sable. Dandy sat on the back of the throne and whispered his advice to her.

«It is also called the Magic Empire, or in the lingo, simply the Empire of Magic,» he said. «The emperor is very powerful. You’d have to seduce him, and you’d be in business.»

«Does he specialize in taming dragons?» Rosamunda was keenly interested.

«It is something like that…» Dandy was embarrassed for some reason.

«But the ambassadors have come to see me, not the Emperor.»

«Arrange with them to visit him.»

«I mean a trip,» Rosamunda wrinkled her nose. «I dream that I have many faces! Imagine that! And they’re all mine. Isn’t that funny?»

Dandy, who usually liked to joke, remained silent.

«There are faces! There are all beauties! I don’t know if they’re dead or alive. But in my dreams I change their faces like masquerade masks. It’s funny and scary.»

«Magic is fun and scary,» said Dandy. «You have to learn how to use it properly, so you don’t get hurt.»

«Should I ask the wizards ambassadors for advice?»

«First, give them the impression of a wise ruler. They’re not going to help someone with a pouty demeanor. They need something to interest them.»

«Will that be difficult?»

«Of course it’s difficult! They’re magicians! You can’t bribe them with mere coquetry,» Dandy even shrieked. «Maybe you should marry a dragon. He loves you very fiercely, judging by the intensity of his matchmaking.»

«It is no hotter than that! He’s got half the kingdom burning or smoking!»

«We must take action before the kingdom burns to the ground,» Dandy leaned close to Rosamunda’s ear, tugged a long curl with his claw, and wanted to whisper some dangerous advice, but the heralds had already sounded the horn to announce the arrival of the guests. A procession of smartly dressed cavaliers entered the throne room. Not a single lady among them, Rosamunda noted to herself. It was as if they had come for marriage. Or was it? She felt suddenly sick.

«They are afraid that I will take away the face of any lady they bring with them,» Rosamunda thought, guided by her dreams.

«You’re imagining things!»

«No, I don’t. I feel as if they were trembling before me. Or maybe they’re setting traps for me, like I’m setting traps for the dragon. What if singing doesn’t scare him away next time?»

«That’s why you have to make friends with the wizards,» Dandy snuck behind her shoulder. He climbed the back of the throne as nimbly as a monkey.

Rosamunda did not know how to drive him off. She wanted to hear the ambassadors, but Dandy was hissing in one ear and out the other.

«You’re making me unable to hear anything!»

Rosamunda tried to shoo him away, but Dandy clutched at her hair, almost falling over, causing her to shriek. The ambassadors were just opening their chests of fancy gifts. One of the ambassadors was dressed like an eastern wizard. All the others were in camisoles or doublets. All dressed so luxuriously as if they were of the same rank. So which one is the leader? It is the one who read the speech.

«Dandy, why is the Magic Empire called the Dragon Empire?» Rosamunda caught on to the fragments of the ambassador’s speech. «Do dragons live there?»

«It is just a figure of speech,» Dandy muttered. «It is a metaphor.»

«What if the dragon came to us from them?»

«Come on! You have a unicorn on your coat of arms too, but that doesn’t mean there are unicorns grazing in your kingdom.»

«I have roses and gold coins. They are also in the coat of arms.»

Dandy snorted disdainfully.

Rosamunda straightened the folds of a lush purple dress, woven at the hem and on the chest coats of arms. The ambassadors came up to kiss the queen’s hand. Rosamunda was surprised that they were all young, about the same age. Usually ambassadors were bearded middle-aged men. These ones were all young and handsome. Probably they were the sons of some powerful person. Maybe they’ve invented the elixir of youth. They’re magicians!

Rosamunda was much more attracted by the glitter of the treasures in their chests than by their looks. She stared so intently that she didn’t notice the young man who came last. She almost fell off the throne at the sight of him. That’s what it means to get an arrow in the heart! The sight of the handsome golden-haired boy made her feel as if she was scorched.

He looks like a living elf! But he’s an ambassador, and his name is the same as the emperor of the Dragon Empire. Edwin!

He must be the emperor’s namesake. The Emperor himself wouldn’t show up unannounced and wouldn’t go behind ambassadors’ backs.

For some reason, at the sight of Edwin and the ambassadors, Dandy hastily ducked behind the throne. No one could get him out of there with a sap. Only his eyes glittered from beneath the legs of the throne.

Edwin bowed. The sight of him burned worse than the fire, and her hand burned from his kiss. Rosamunda watched the red stain spread across her palm. It must have appeared so. Some creepy winged shadow flashed quickly in Edwin’s eyes and disappeared.

What a pity this young man was not a dragon! She wished he had asked her to marry him!

How unpleasant to be the object of a dragon’s desire when there are such handsome men around!

Rosamunda wanted to start a conversation with Edwin, but she didn’t know where to begin. Any words spoken to him would sound like flirting. Edwin himself was silent for some reason and dared not speak to her first.

And Dandy had disappeared. He would tell her how to behave now. For some reason her knees shake at the sight of Edwin, and all her thoughts scatter from her mind. Is this what love at first sight is like?

«I must give you a gift from the Emperor,» Edwin suddenly pulled a rose out of the void like a magician. Rosamunda gasped in delight. The rose was unusual. There are no such roses in the royal garden. How could the Queen of Dauran be impressed by ordinary roses? A special magical flower was needed to surprise her. And that’s exactly what she’s been presented with. The bright orange rose was ablaze with yellow fire around the edges. In an instant, it was all fire. Only the stem remained green. The courtiers gasped in amazement, but Rosamunda did not dare to take it in her hands.

«Hold it by the stem, and it will not burn you,» Edwin advised. For some reason he avoided looking Rosamunda in the eye. Was he ashamed of her, or did he not like her? Or maybe the eerie shadow she saw in his eyes wasn’t a hallucination.

«Is that all you know how to do?» Rosamunda teased him. «A dragon could make me a rose like that with a single breath. I expected more from a wizard.»

In fact, she was delighted by the tortured flower, but it was unpleasant that Edwin paid her no compliments. Even the gift he gave her was not from himself, but from his emperor.

For some reason, at the mention of the dragon, Edwin flinched like a stung man. Had she insulted him? But what did he have to do with a dragon attacking Dauran? It was not he who had attacked.

Edwin shook his golden curls, whispered something, and a miniature rainbow appeared in the palm of his hand. A moment later, the rainbow flew out the window, stretched over the castle, and illuminated everything with a multi-tonal glow, leaving a handful of rainbow stones in the palm of Edwin’s hand.

Rosamunda knew that rainbow stones were considered the most valuable of all gems, for they could only be obtained from elves and fairies. And fairies and elves are notoriously difficult to bargain with. They will not want money in payment, but some magical condition. But Edwin got the rainbow stones instantly. Or rather, he conjured them. And he is an expert!

Rosamunda applauded and then realized that she might have insulted him. After all, he is not a magician, but a real wizard.

Edwin expressed no offense. He poured the stones into Rosamunda’s palm, and kept only one stone, shaped like a peach pit. He rubbed it in his fingers and then threw it into the center of the hall. The stone immediately embedded itself in the marble floor, and suddenly there was a cracking sound. It was the floorboards cracking. Roots that looked like dryad’s fingers sprouted from them. A tree sprouted from the roots. It instantly grew to the ceiling of the throne room, covered with twigs and leaves. Ripe fruit formed on its branches: either peaches or magic fruits with iridescent shiny peels.

«My throne room has been turned into a garden,» Rosamunda said whimsically.

«If you eat one peach, you will forget any sadness for a long time,» Edwin said.

Even the colorful birds flew away from the tree.

Rosamunda twirled a flaming rose in her fingers. Its petals were even hot.

«Would you like more gifts from my emperor?» Edwin asked.

«So all these miracles are gifts from your suzerain and not from you?» Rosamunda flared up.

Edwin silently unfolded a fan made of fire in front of her. All the plates, except the handle, were blazing.

«It is a blazing fan!»

He is mocking! Laughing at the queen who was attacked by a dragon! That’s why the gifts are all fire!

«It’s quite chilly in Dauran. A little fire wouldn’t hurt,» Edwin gave his gift.

«It is curious thing!» Rosamunda praised, accepting the fan. Maybe the ambassadors don’t know about the dragon, but just want to be helpful.

«How long will you stay?» She was more worried about whether Edwin would leave right away. Somehow she didn’t want to lose sight of him.

«We have been invited to participate in a tournament,» said one of the group of ambassadors.

«It is a tournament in honor of the solstice!» Rosamunda remembered. «It’s still a couple weeks away.»

«If we’re in the way, we can leave and be back by the day of the tournament,» Edwin said.

«You are joking! How can you get there and back so quickly? The borders of Dauran alone are over a week away.»

«Distance doesn’t matter to wizards,» Edwin replied cryptically. «You can fly around the world in one night.»

«Then teach me how to do it!»

«It is in any time, Your Majesty,» he stroked the signet ring on his little finger. «I can take you on a tour of the starry heavens, the clouds, the rainbow bridges.»

Now that was a bit like flirting! Rosamunda’s cheeks flushed. Curious, was it flirting a courtesy? Or did Edwin really like her?»

Edwin gave another shake of his unruly golden curls, which made Rosamunda faint. The ambassador was slender but strong, broad-shouldered, tall and handsome as a summer elf. Curious, who was he by title? Dressed sumptuously, like the son of a duke or marquis. His camisole glistens with precious stones, his sword has a gilded hilt, and the lace of his collar is like a frosty pattern.

«Put the ambassadors in the best quarters,» Rosamunda said.

If it were her will, she would have put Edwin in her bedroom. But stop! She’s not a libertine! Why were such perverse thoughts? Is he bewitching her? He’s a sorcerer! He can do anything. But Edwin did not impose his company on her, but hurried away. It was a pity he wasn’t as clingy as the dragon. You can’t get rid of a dragon that easily. Rosamunda looked warily up at the sky, where a magical rainbow was shining. She wondered if the dragon’s fire would shimmer across it again.

It was as if Dandy had been frightened by the ambassadors and now he wouldn’t come out from under his throne. Rosamunda tried to reach him, but he hid behind her skirts and clawed at them.

«What’s the matter with you?» She whispered.

«The ambassador’s name is Edwin.»

«What is of it?»

«I don’t like people with that name, especially wizards.»

«Is it because their emperor is also called Edwin?»

«It’s not a good name,» Dandy gritted his teeth in fear. «Bad people use it. They are dangerous people! They are treacherous…»

Dandy’s teeth chattered as if he were freezing to death, and all around him were fiery things.

«But Edwin is polite and very handsome.»

«The dragon is beautiful too, but when it dies by fire, you can’t escape it.»

That’s what he said. So the danger comes from beautifully dressed people and from dragons with beautiful golden scales. It is not without reason that they say beauty is dangerous.

Rosamunda sighed languidly after Edwin.

«It’s a pity he’s not a king and can’t ask me to marry him.»

But the dragon did. The dragon wasn’t a king either, but there was no escape from his matchmaking.

Fire-breathing suitor

Another letter was waiting in the king’s bedchamber. It wasn’t lying on the table or windowsill as usual, but hanging in the air. The scroll unfolded itself as Rosamunda approached it. The letter, of course, was from the same crazy suitor who signed himself «your dragon.» Except that his madness was now worth doubting. There was indeed a dragon over Dauran. And he was indeed a passionate admirer of the queen, dreaming of getting her either as a wife or as a dinner. She wondered what love means to a dragon? Suddenly to love in his mind is the same as to burn and eat. The dragon is probably a savage. But how can a savage write such abstruse letters? Did it have the help of wizards?

Rosamunda sighed:

«How tiresome is to have a dragon worshipper!»

The scroll flamed dangerously at the end. Sparks erupted, brightening the dark bedroom. There were several lines of fire in the letter this time. The letters were burning, but they didn’t lose their shape. How much magic do you have to have to make fiery letters on parchment? Or did it only require the breath of a dragon?

Rosamunda read:

«I await your decision! You are treacherous, but I can forgive you. Your appearance has changed, but I still see the same old you under your new face. You are still dear to me. Seeing you on the throne makes me feel as if a rare jewel has escaped from my treasury and I must bring it back to the dragon’s cave. You are like a valuable necklace or crown that I long to put back into my treasury. You are mine, but you are playing on your own. I give you a chance to continue the game. I wait. I have fiery breath and long claws. I am a predator. I’m used to stalking prey and attacking, but I wait you out like a cat waiting for a mouse. I like to play with you, but if I get angry, your perfect new body will be nothing but bloody scraps. Don’t make me angry! I’m out of control when I’m angry. I didn’t torch your entire kingdom, and I really wanted to. I could have taken you out of that blazing castle alone. And I need you alone. All your retinue and dowry can be sacrificed. Rose! Fleur! Bianca! Patricia! Giselle! Portia! Flora! Violet! Rosalinda and Rosabella! You have so many names! It’s hard not to get confused. You yourself remember all those whose faces you wore like masks. I recognize you by your eyes. Do you recognize yourself when you look in the mirror? What if one day you want to look like a handsome young man instead of a girl?

I often tear with my claws young men whom I suspect to be my rivals and drink their blood. One day for infidelity I will grab you too, carry you in my claws to the top of the highest mountain and maybe kill you. Orit is maybe not. It’s up to you. You have the advantage of beauty. Beauty makes women so forgiving. I’m a dragon, but I’m not blind. If you beg my forgiveness, I can spare you. Be my wife and no one else’s but mine. Is that so much to ask of you? All I need is your devotion.

A dragon is in love with you and is loyal to you.»

Rosamunda almost burned herself when she finished reading the letter, because the parchment began to burn right under her fingers. A few fiery lines instantly consumed the entire text.

How quickly dragon letters burned! If she’d had a chance to reread the letter a few times, she probably would have understood a little more. Everything in the letter was too convoluted and mysterious. It’s as if the dragon admirer is not addressing her, but some multifaceted sorceress. His revelations are too complicated. If only the wizards of the Magic Empire could look at the letter! Would Edwin be able to recover the letter from the ashes deposited on the carpet?

It’s worth asking him. It would be another chance to see it.

«I’ve given in to the dragon!» Rosamunda complained, tugging at a tourniquet of blue-black hair twisted with pearl threads. Maybe if she took off her jewelry, she wouldn’t attract the dragon so much. She’s wearing tons of gems! No wonder why the dragon would be attracted to her. The hem of her dress is embroidered with tiny rubies and emeralds, there’s a heavy crown on her head, and there are more bracelets, necklaces, and rings than one can count. We should take it all off and put it in a chest. But then she wouldn’t be considered an elegant queen. Only an old royal widow can dress modestly. One gold hoop in her hair is enough for her. A young queen without jewelry would be considered naked. That’s court etiquette. The more expensive your clothes are, the more powerful are you..

Rosamunda sighed again. She was a slave to convention. If the dragon hadn’t turned his watchful eye on her, she would never have thought about how hard it was to be queen.

«Hi! Dandy!» Rosamunda called out, hoping her supernatural advisor was hiding under the bed, but Dandy was nowhere to be found. Had he gotten so cold feet in front of a delegation of wizards from the Magic Empire that he had decided to sneak back to the Underworld? Though Dandy had a bad temper and a sharp tongue, Rosamunda had grown accustomed to him and was even beginning to long for him.

The colorful tapestry on the wall suddenly twitched. The figures of the fairies on it changed their poses and leaned toward each other. A whisper sounded from the threads of the tapestry:

«She is a poor thing! She doesn’t know what she’s in danger of!»

«And what threatens her?»

«He will punish her for her infidelity, and choose one of us for her throne.»

«Is it one of the fairies?»

«It is either a fairy or a peri or a nymph or a naiad. He has so many choices! And he has no use for a mortal girl!»

As Rosamunda moved closer to the tapestry, the voices fell silent. The figures of the fairies froze again. They were depicting the scene of a unicorn hunt. Rosamunda felt uneasy. After all, the unicorn is the symbol of Dauran. It is part of the coat of arms. To harm a unicorn is to defy the queen. The fairies not only hunted unicorns, but also tamed them by tying their horns with ribbons. Where could such a tapestry have come from in the castle? It was as if it hinted that Dauran was finished. The dragon would burn the place down and fairies would frolic in the ashes.

Dandy appeared suddenly, as if from under the floor. Rosamunda almost fell over in surprise. He suddenly jumped out from under her feet like a devil out of a snuffbox.

«Send the ambassadors away!» He demanded. «They’re no good here!»

«Are you crazy? If we send them away, who can protect us from the dragon?»

«They’re on his side.»

«I don’t believe it. You just didn’t like Edwin because I liked him.»

«I wouldn’t recommend falling for the first person you meet. You never know what’s behind their pretty face.»

Rosamunda let Dandy’s sneer pass over her ears. He would probably like to court her, but he’s not tall enough, so he’s angry with normal men.

«Say, could the dragon be attracted to my jewelry? Maybe if I took them off or replaced them with fake stones, the dragon would leave me alone. I’ve heard that dragons are attracted to gold and stones.»

«Try putting your jewelry on a lady who looks like you. Maybe the dragon will mistake her for you and drag her away,» Dandy smirked. «It’s mean, but there’s no choice. The country can’t exist without a queen, and it can do without one or two ladies. Besides, the dragon himself is already kidnapping and killing girls from the outskirts of Dauran. They’re all brunettes with curly hair, just like you. He’s got this obsession with girls who look like you.»

«Maybe he’s crazy.»

«It is a mad dragon!» Dandy whistled. «Well, then you’ll have to get smart and put him on a chain. That’s what you do with crazy people.»

«And how do I do that?»

«Lure him in and seduce him. He seems to respond to your singing. Sing him something beautiful and put a chain on him.»

«That’s a great idea! All I have to do is get a skilled blacksmith to forge a chain that the dragon won’t break, and then I can start seducing him with song,» Rosamunda fell asleep hopeful. She dreamed that she had put the dragon on the chain, and when she returned to it, she found a young man with the appearance of a golden-haired elf asleep on the chain. And where had the dragon gone? Why was the elf on the chain instead? The elf was asleep. Rosamunda laid his head in her lap and burned herself. His breath was fire.

Flames at the tournament

The tournament is to bring out the most skillful knights. It would be nice if Edwin turned out to be the kind of strong knight who could defeat a dragon. Why should he become a dragon slayer for Rosamunda? He doesn’t seem to like her.

As luck would have it, all the once rejected suitors for her hand or their valiant vassals showed up to try their luck in the competition. The kings of neighboring countries, and princes, and even an overseas sultan sent their representatives to the tournament. His knight came with rich gifts and sharp sabers. The only thing missing was the lord of the Magic Empire, but instead of him, his representative Edwin was here. He was the one who was supposed to participate in the tournament.

Rosamunda was nervous. For some reason, she really wanted Edwin to win. That was not patriotic. After all, Edwin is not her vassal. He is a foreigner. Any foreign subject could be an enemy, but Rosamunda somehow didn’t feel like a traitor to her homeland. When a dragon strikes, everyone is a victim, foreign and domestic. If there is a single knight who can defeat the dragon, he will be unanimously declared a hero.

Rosamunda’s maids of honor tried to keep their distance from her. No wonder! The rumor of Winona’s sad fate has already reached everyone’s ears. No maid of honor wants to be the next victim.

Only Dandy is her faithful companion. Even though he’s the size of a lynx, it’s still nice that his fear of the dragon keeps him a step away from the queen.

Rosamunda rejoiced early. Some rude man in a luxurious robe shouted at Dandy, and Dandy was as frightened as if he’d seen a whole pack of dragons.

«Get away from the queen, you little scoundrel!»

Frant hastily hid under the throne, and the boorish fellow spread his sable trim over his shoulders and settled down beside the throne. No one dared to send him away or at least reprimand him. The rude man was probably from a very noble family. But powerful parents didn’t educate their young son. Probably they spent all their time and energy on court intrigue. There’s no energy left for the children.

«Who are you?» Rosamunda did not like the fact that the strange young man attached himself to her like a shadow. His face was as pale as a dead man, but his eyes burned brighter than the ruby hoop on his forehead. It seemed to be the emblem of the Dukes of Dauran.

«I’m Vincent, your new counselor.»

«I don’t recall a council seat being vacant.»

«I’ve come to take my father’s place on the council.»

«And who is your father?»

«He is Duke Alonso of the northern provinces.»

«Can he himself confirm what you say?»

The handsome, pale as death young man did not inspire Rosamunda with confidence.

«He himself had recently been clawed by a dragon.»

At the mention of the dragon, Rosamunda felt confused. She thought she saw a dragon among the knights at the tournament. Or was it someone wearing a dragon helmet? There are not many daredevils who challenge mythical creatures by making shields, armor, and helmets that mimic the body of a dragon.

«You were in such a hurry to take your father’s place that you rushed here immediately?» Rosamunda snickered. «Yesterday Duke Alonso was still alive and arguing with me fiercely about taxes.»

«News of the dragon’s mischief travels the country at the speed of the wind,» Vincent said tactfully.

«Have you received fire letters, too?» Rosamunda was wary.

Vincent is so pale that it is impossible to suppose otherwise. Someone has frightened him to death! Only a dragon could have done that. A dragon’s letters have a magnetic effect on the will.

«So you’re in correspondence with the dragon, too?» She whispered to Vincent.

He was clearly embarrassed. Did he think she was crazy?

«Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I don’t correspond with anyone. It’s out of caution. Messengers are too often intercepted.»

Rosamunda was disappointed. She’d thought she’d found a companion with whom she could discuss her problems and devise some means of self-defense against the dragon tyrant.

«Even if you were able to instantly know the news of your father’s death, say you had a telepathic link with your father, how did you manage to travel to the capital in just a day? Do you have speeding boots or a flying horse?»

There was a moment’s hesitation.

«I didn’t live there.»

«Where did you live?»

«It is someplace else.»

«Where is it?»

«You don’t want to know. It was a bad place. Like I said, my father had me under his thumb.»

Vincent was twisting and turning. What exactly was he so afraid to confess?

«I hadn’t heard that Duke Alonso had a son.»

«I’m kind of a stepson.»

«And can you produce any evidence that you are his legitimate son and official heir to claim his position as counselor?»

«I’m wearing his coat of arms jewelry.»

«And what is beyond that?»

«You think I killed him and took his regalia?»

«I’m merely honoring tradition.»

«Oh, it is the red tape!»

«So how can you prove you’re not a foreign spy sent to the King’s Council?»

«Is there any suspicion of that?»

«You have a strange accent.»

«I’m a bit of a stutterer. My father frightened me as a child.»

«How can I make a stutterer my counselor?»

«You can’t go against tradition. The duke’s loyalists will tell you I’m the son he kept locked up for a long time.»

The Duke’s vassals and kin have indeed arrived at court. Very quickly! It was as if they had been flown here on wings. They all looked pale as if they were ghosts, their eyes were burning feverishly, and their hands were covered with a strange rash like scales. All of them came to Rosamunda’s throne and confirmed that they knew Vincent personally.

«Did you cast a spell on them?» She asked the young man as they stepped back. «They look like zombies.»

«A dragon raided the Duke’s castle in the night. Everyone was frightened,» Vincent explained.

«He can get to both you and me in one night,» Rosamunda said warily. «Do you have a beautiful girl living with you, too, whom he harasses and floods with flaming notes? Is it your sister, for instance?»

«I have no sister. I had a younger brother, but he died.»

«Probably it was during childbirth as a baby?»

«It was later.»

«Why didn’t the Duke say anything about his sons?»

«He was too busy with his career. We children became a burden to him.»

«And you’re about to become a burden to me! Can you imagine how angry all older, more powerful colleagues will be at a young counselor?»

«Then make me chief counselor, and I’ll control them all.»

«Why should I make you the one in charge?»

«I’m the only one who can help you deal with the dragon!»

Vincent said it in such a serious tone that the dazed Rosamunda almost fell off the throne.

«Are you joking?»

«The dragon has long since put me out of the mood for jokes,» Vincent said grimly. «But I’ve also found the dragon’s weakness.»

«What is it?»

Rosamunda suddenly believed Vincent. Only fear of the dragon could have made him look so dead. Apparently, the dragon had attacked Vincent personally. It wasn’t hard to imagine the heart-wrenching scene of Vincent hiding in the tower while the dragon’s claw shattered the windows and scrambled to get him like a mouse out of a mousetrap.

«So what is the dragon’s vulnerable place: tail, mouth, spine or belly?»

«It is metaphorically, not physically.»

«So you can’t defeat it directly?»

«But we can take a valuable hostage who will make the dragon cede everything to us.»

«I don’t believe you,» Rosamunda mumbled aloud, but she decided to keep Vincent close to the throne. He might be useful in the fight against the dragon. He knows something valuable, but his fear of the dragon has damaged his judgment, and he is behaving strangely. Now he stares at the fighting spearmen as if he saw a dragon among them. Someone in a horned helmet was indeed present in the ring and fighting quite successfully.

«King Alaric of Sultanit is said to be the most handsome and successful guy in the universe,» Vincent said thoughtfully, as if assessing a rival who could not possibly be there. The king of Sultanit didn’t come to the tournament.

«I don’t know. He’s never asked me to marry him,» Rosamunda said.

«It is no wonder. He’s a prisoner of the dragon.»

«Is he so weak that he’s surrendered? His armies seem to be the most numerous.»

«We’re talking about voluntary captivity.»

«So is he a dragon captive or a dragoness captive?»

He coughed meaningfully.

«It can happen. Sultanit is a powerful country, but ever since the handsome king befriended the dragon, it’s been a mess. The population has been slaughtered by griffins, the army has turned into zombies, and ghosts feast in the king’s castle at night.»

«It is more like fairy tales.»

«But these tales are retold by travelers who have seen everything with their own eyes. They also assure that the young king, since his friendship with the dragon, has become completely indifferent to earthly beauty.»

«The dragon probably bewitched him.»

«Sincere sympathy is not called witchcraft.»

«There are charms and magical attachments.»

«How do you know about that?»

Rosamunda didn’t remember how she knew about it.

«Probably I heard it from fortune-tellers.

She had just noticed the girls in the crowd wearing wreaths of wormwood and burdock. What’s a fortune-teller? Why else would they make such fancy wreaths? Even more unusual girls came wearing wreaths of sorrel, parsley, dill and basil. The green capes behind their backs looked like wings. Were they fairies?

«They are garden fairies!» Vincent spotted them too. «They are very useful creatures! If you’re hungry, they’ll give you free pumpkins or vegetable salad. I love their tomatoes and cucumbers. By the way, you can tell a vegetable garden fairy by the fancy decorations made of radishes, carrots or potato flowers. They are sure to pin something like that to their corsage, and dill and parsley grow right out of their skin.»

«Are you kidding me?»

«It is absolutely not. I borrowed food from them myself when I was starving.»

«You’re the son of a duke, and you starved!»

«My father kept me in a black body! He said I’d never grow up to be a real man.»

«How cruel is it!»

«But now I’m fully fit to serve you, and I have experience. For example, if the whole country goes hungry, I’ll get you food from the garden fairies.»

«Won’t they glamorize us with their vegetables?»

«It can happen. But that’s only if you forget to be friends with them. I once insulted them and got colic from their beets for a week. Since then, I’ve always been nice to the garden fairies.»

«Do you know any garden fairies? What if they live in my garden?»

«You don’t want to talk to garden fairies. They’re all arrogant upstarts, prickly as roses. Every one of them thinks she’s above the queen.»

«How am I supposed to tame them? Burn down all the gardens?»

«The dragon will do that for you.»

«Alas, the dragon does not serve me. He’s at odds with me.»

«Then bring him to your side.»

«It is easier said than done.»

«I’m a counselor. My weapon of choice is words. And you, by the way, have a woman’s charm. It can be a weapon, too.»

«You think it’ll work on a dragon?»

«Even King Alaric’s friendly charm worked like a lethal weapon on a dragon. And the result is the Sultanit is now the most powerful nation in the universe.»

What’s true is true! Rosamunda bit her lip until it bled. Everyone knows that to be in conflict with Sultanit is to sign one’s own death warrant. Is it really about the dragon?

«Do you know why they don’t allow visitors to Sultanit; no merchants, no ambassadors?»

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