Nicolaos sauntered towards the back of his cave. As he walked, he spat out wisps of flame that curled about the torches and set them aflame. He continued on until he reached a worn down section of stone. Once more did he curl about in a circle like a cat, and waited patiently for Linnea to settle herself on a nearby stone.

“This forest was once full of fae. Father told me once that you asked for these woods so that they might be a sanctuary for them.”

The dragon’s tongue flicked out for a moment in thought. “I chose this place because it was far from human settlements and because there was a settlement of fae here already. Humans dare not approach me, and my presence was enough to grant the fae here the protection that they so desperately needed. I was once a welcome presence here.”

Linnea nodded with agreement. “I was frightened to come here as well, but have since quelled those emotions.” Aside from the dragon, a nymph, and singing ghosts, there was hardly anything unusual here at all. “What happened to them?”

“Ha!” Nicolaos’ abrupt laugh let out a puff of smoke from his maw. “Use your mind, milady, and you will understand.” He smiled in a coy manner. “I ate them. Every single one. They were all hunted down one by one before their hearts were carved out and devoured.”

“Why would you do that? Was it truly necessary?” Her whisper echoed quietly against the surrounding stones.

“I am addicted to power. Is not everyone?” His eyes glowed all the brighter as he could nearly taste it. “Magic grants me my desires, and I, in turn, use it to protect this realm. The fae here were a source ripe for harvest, and both you and your people have benefitted from my endless hunger.”

Linnea looked down at her hands and realized just how dirty her dress was. “And what would you do once you have eaten Oleander?”

“For one, I would not refer to it by its name. It is food.” His harsh words made Linnea worry that she could not remember if he had ever used her name. “And I do not know for certain. That is an old nymph, one that I and my servants have been grooming for decades, and my power would no doubt ascend to something majestic. I do not know what I would do with it all.” His tail twitched with anticipation.

Linnea stood up with her hands gripping tightly along the edges of her skirt. “Forgive me. I fear that I am more tired than I realized. I would like to go to bed, but we may continue this conversation on later?”

Nicolaos narrowed his eyes. “Do not fear me, child. I would never break the oath that I have made to your family. If I sought to war with humans, I would move past my barrier to do so. All of the boons I have asked have been in preparation to devour this one nymph. There is much more I desire, and your descendants are going to provide it for me.”

A shake of her head was given. Linnea realized at that moment that Nicolaos was not her ally. Humans were merely a different sort of prey for the dragon. The only reason they had not fought before was due to Nicolaos not wishing to feed directly upon them.

Linnea ate the food that had been left out for her and debated on what she should do next. She had trouble sleeping, plagued by nightmares about Oleander’s death and her place upon the throne. She didn’t awaken until the early afternoon. As she sat up, she stared at herself within the mirror and realized that she had dark circles beneath her eyes. Appearances were not something she should be concerned with, as she needed to concentrate on getting ready for the day.

Nicolaos was out again. There was another bowl of nuts and fruit left on the table for her. Once again, she shoved them in her mouth in an unladylike manner. She could help but to be starving. This was gulped down with a glass of water, which moved painfully down her throat.

She found her horse waiting for her and tended to him to see if he had any wounds, then scolded him for abandoning her the previous day. Strapping her sword to her back, Linnea then rode off to the rocks that Oleander had told her of. What she found instead was a stream where the dirt gave way to boulders flattened by time and weather. It was the sounds of a waterfall that made her slow her pace.

The dragon was bathing out in the sunlight. He looked like a black snake from this distance. Linnea dismounted and slowly stalked her way closer. She put a hand on the hilt of her blade and drew it out slowly as she watched the monster’s tail twitch.

A growl escaped his lips as he opened an eye. “What ill thought has crossed your mind?” The dragon croaked as he stood up.

“It may have been different before, but Orlean does not have the right to exist as long as we turn a blind eye to your vile actions. That is the decision I have made as its queen,” proclaimed Linnea from what she hoped to be a safe distance. She took the sword and held it firmly within both of her hands.

“How noble the children of your kind believe yourselves to be. Your people would be dead, and you would not have even had the opportunity to be born were it not for my graciousness,” hissed Nicolaos as his shriveled wings fluttering angrily behind him. “You act as though your ancestors were not murderers, and you believe yourself innocent and free from the suffering you would cause your people if you were to cast me out now.”

“Orlean is not as weak as you claim it to be! We are a proud and strong people!” Linnea called back. “What my ancestors did was out of desperation for keeping their people safe, but that is the past! We must move forward for us to grow! For that to happen, you must be defeated!”

Nicolaos’ tongue flicked about. “Are the hearts of young maidens truly that careless? I did not believe that nymph could sway you to his side so easily.”

“It has nothing to do with that flower!” Linnea cried out. Her mind was already made up. She charged in, seeking to end the dragon once and for all by her hand. Nicolaos sought to disarm her by tripping her up with his tail.

The princess jumped over the obstacle, but the soles of her shoes skidded along the damp stones. Her sword was brought down upon Nicolaos’ tail as she stumbled forward. It was partially severed, and Nicolaos spun about. His enraged shriek issues forth flame and smoke, which Linnea failed to avoid.

Her dress and the left side of her body was badly wounded. The grip she had on her weapon faltered as he arm fell useless by her side, yet she continued to defiantly stare down the dragon. Swing after swing was taken, and all Nicolaos could do was to spit fire at her. Time and time again she was burned, but she refused to back down or even die.

It was the look in her eyes that scared him the most. They were the same as a predator’s, staring down a weakened prey. As much as he fluttered his wings, they failed to lift him up in the air. Time had weakened him. His once glorious form had shriveled from both disuse and gluttony. Even if she was injured, Nicolaos had trouble keeping up with this girl’s movements.

Linnea’s opportunity came when he lunged at her. She somehow managed to slip her blade into the softer scales of Nicolaos’ throat, spilling a dark blue ichor over the both of them. He stumbled back and faltered just as the deer had the day before. Suddenly he was small and feeble, and his eyes widened with horror as he realized his time had come.

They had barely started to glaze over when Linnea raised her sword up once more. She brought it down repeatedly, each whack an attempt to splinter the spines and scales that laid along his neck. His head fell free of his body, but the horrified expression remained. With the last of her strength, she kicked it off the edge of the stones and watched as the river carried it away.

There wasn’t enough time. With Nicolaos gone, the barrier that protected Orlean would begin to fade. How long before those on the outside attempted to venture in once more? How long before their armies arrived to pillage these lands? Nicolaos was not the only who had been weakened by peace. Orlean’s military force was nonexistent.

Prying the scales free from his chest, Linnea began to cut into it. She scraped and sliced through flesh until she found his heart, and sought to cut it loose from its restraints. Nicolaos had taught her that power was important, but it needed to be within the hands of those who could wield it honorably. Her hand delved into his chest, and she yanked free his heart.

Linnea didn’t hesitate to bite down upon it. Nicolaos’ heart tasted like fire. It singed her throat and made her stomach boil. The pain was a thousand times worse than the burns upon her body, but she continued to devour all she could.

Her temples bled as horns burst out from them. As the blood trailed down the sides of her cheeks, it began to darken from a bright red to a dark blue. Shriveled wings burst out from her back, her nails grew into talons, and her spine screamed with agony as it stretched out and formed a tail.

This was the solution she gave herself. She would be the one to wield this power, no matter how much it had tainted her. Even if she could never return home, even if she would no longer be queen, this was the decision she had forced herself to take. May the gods damn her for her choice, and she, in turn, would damn them with her newfound power.