The Dragon and Princess Madeline

by Kirstin Pulioff

  He looked older than she remembered. His soft smile hid beneath a clenched jaw, and his eyes showed no hint of emotion or fear. Instinctively she ran toward him and stopped when he turned to face her. Her heart dropped. Staring back at her was the same look she had seen on her father so many times. A moment of hurt flickered on her face.

  “What are you doing here? You should be safe, up north, as planned.” His eyes demanded an answer.

  “Braden, you won’t believe it,” she said excitedly. The anger in his eyes wavered.

  Madeline turned and saw Sophia peeking out from behind the entrance to the cave, her pale face and wide eyes bright against the darkened tunnel.

  Braden’s eyes hardened as he looked back to Madeline. “You brought her? I thought she would be safe with you.” His voice caught slightly. He clenched his jaw and kicked the ground. “Why are you here? What do you expect to do?”

  “Braden, look, I didn’t mean to alarm you,” she said quietly, with a meaningful glance back toward Sophia, who was now huddled in Emmett’s arms. She looked him in the eyes. “I’m here to help. We found it. We know why the dragon is back.”

  At that moment, the dragon burst down through the canopied trees, sending branches flying around them and sparks of flame to the ground. Madeline screamed as the dragon roared behind them. Small embers struck her back.

  “You need to leave,” Braden said, brushing past her to engage the dragon.

  Branches swung at her as she turned around, watching in horror as Braden approached the dragon with his sword raised high. Reflecting their brilliant rainbows over the darkened trunks of the forest, its scales matched Madeline’s necklace perfectly. Its long neck twisted beneath the trees, awkwardly reacting to the swords as the men jumped on it from all angles, pinning its wings down.

  Madeline closed her eyes, wishing the scene would disappear from her mind. Opening them slowly, she gazed at the green bandage on her forearm.

  Taking a deep breath, she felt her heart slow and her mind focus. Stepping out from behind the tree, she pulled out her glowing necklace and looked at the men fighting. With slow steps, she walked among them, avoiding the dragon’s thrashing wings and the spreading fires, until she stood beside her brother. Their grunts echoed through the forest as they charged the dragon, grabbing her wings and pinning her down according to the king’s plan.

  Fear gripped her heart, forcing her to act. “Braden, stop!” she yelled, commanding all their attention. The clattering of swords and shields came to an abrupt stop. “Braden, I know how we can end this peacefully.”

  “Peacefully?” Braden scoffed, shaking the sword in his hand. “This isn’t a peace treaty we’re offering today. Today we are here to defend our kingdom.”

  The men behind him stomped the ground in agreement.

  “It doesn’t need to be this way. I have an answer, a more powerful weapon,” she said, watching the dragon writhe on the ground beneath the knights.

  “You have a more powerful weapon?” Braden asked, looking at her and the small group of people gathered at the cave entrance.

  “Yes,” she said, patting the harness protectively. “I have a much more powerful weapon.” She pulled open the top of the harness and carefully lifted out an egg.

  A gasp ran through the woods. Braden’s jaw dropped. The dragon bellowed a remorseful cry mixed with desperation and agony, twisting beneath their strong grip.

  Princess Madeline stood tall, holding the egg above her head, letting it illuminate the forest around her.

  Braden stepped forward, breaking the trance of the men around him, to take a closer look. “You said you had a weapon, but this is just an egg.”

  “Braden, this is more than an egg. This is what the dragon wants. This is how we end this.”

  “Then we destroy the dragon and her eggs!” Braden said, raising his arms to grab the egg from her grip.

  “No,” she said, pulling it to her chest.

  Daniel ran in behind her, holding the hilt of his sword. “These are not to be destroyed. We have to return them.”

  “Stand back, Sir Knight,” Braden warned.

  Princess Madeline stared between the two, the air crowded with their egos. Before either acted rashly, she stepped in the middle and pushed Daniel’s hand back down.

  “This is not helping. Braden,” she said, turning back to him. “Think about it. We need to give them back. These are the lost eggs from Dragon’s Gate. That dragon has been searching for these for centuries.”

  Silence spread as the knights heard her words. Everyone knew the history of Soron and the legend of Dragon’s Gate.

  “Braden, please.” The dragon squirmed beneath the knights. The dark pools of its eyes followed her movements with a sorrowful longing.

  “Fighting is not the answer. This is,” she said, lifting the egg higher. When he faltered, she continued. “Let our mother’s love and sacrifice show us the way. Remember what they told us about her death, how she died to give us her wisdom and strength? That in our hearts we would know what to do when the time came? Well, the time has come, and her words speak to me. We need to make a choice. Do you go forward and destroy this animal with brute force and anger or do we let love be the answer?”

  “You honestly think letting it have the eggs is the answer?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes, Braden, I do. I think it is our only answer. You know our history better than anyone. This dragon has been searching for its lost eggs. Can we really deny it?”

  “Yes we can! What about Father?” he asked.

  “I know the dragon hurt our family. But she’s done nothing that we haven’t done. We captured the red dragon. Right there on our banners,” she said, pointing to a fallen banner beside the trees. “We took the red dragon from her.”

  “Does that make it right?” His voice strained with emotion as his eyes held back tears. “Do we just let it win? Let Father lose?”

  “It’s not about winning or losing, Braden. It’s about doing what’s right.” She held her arms out, offering the egg.

  His sword dropped with a thud as he reached for it.

  Madeline gave him a small smile. “All I know is what I feel. And what I feel is that they need to be together. Think about it. As our king, you vowed to uphold righteousness in our kingdom, to see to peace and unity around us. Don’t let hate or stubbornness blind you to this bond. Don’t separate that which should be together.”

  Her tears stung as they flowed down her face. Her words hit every truth she knew, every truth her mother knew. There was no stronger weapon than love.

  “Destruction isn’t what will move us forward. The only way to do that is through love. I don’t think she means us harm; she just wants the eggs back.”

  Reaching down into the green robe, she pulled out another egg.

  “We can choose a future of peace or we can be destroyed by revenge. What would our mother have wanted? Braden, help me.”

  One of the tears that Braden had been holding in fell silently down his cheek. Madeline saw the struggle in his eyes, his pursed lips, and a scowl as he restrained his feelings. He looked at Madeline and the pile of eggs in her harness and nodded.

  With a quick wave, Sophia and Emmett ran forward with the remaining eggs, unloading them from their harnesses and retreating to the safety of the tunnel. Soft puffs of smoke trickled out from beneath the dragon’s snout as the knights backed away.

  The dragon staggered to its feet, throwing off the restraints that held its wings down.

  Madeline stood beside Braden, transfixed as the dragon turned toward them. Her grip on his hand tightened as it came closer. Twisting its long neck to the side, it lowered its head forward. Small steps brought it closer until she saw her own reflection staring back at her, her pale face and quivering chin beneath its glossy glare. A sulfuric stench rolled off the dragon in plumes of smoke. The warm cloud of ash and grime covered them in darkness.

  She squeezed her eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the smoke
on them, waiting for the blast of fire. Her fear dissolved into sadness as she released enough tears for them both. Madeline squeezed her brother’s hand tighter. “I am sorry. I thought it was the answer. I should have listened.”

  His arms pulled her close. “If you did, we would’ve been lost,” he said softly, lifting her chin.

  Around them, the smoke thinned. The green dragon backed away from them and crossed through the newly formed clearing toward the stack of eggs. Leaves continued to rain down from above as the wind shifted through the broken canopy. Small trails of steam rose from the ground. The fires were going out. Piles of ash grew at the base of burned trees. The knights’ faces relaxed weary and drained, as the dragon walked by.

  At the dragon’s approach, the eggs’ glow strengthened. Green light filled the clearing as the harnesses fell to the side, exposing the pile in its entirety. The dragon arched its neck and cried into the sky, thrashing with excitement. The men scattered further back, trampling bushes. The eggs pulsed in the presence of their mother.

  Braden caught her eyes and smiled. “You were right. Mom was right.”

  With a cry of happiness, the dragon swooped the eggs into one wing and flew away, bursting another hole in the forest.

  Madeline fell backwards from the force of the wings. The branches split where the dragon flew, and beyond the forest top, she saw a rainbow starting to form. She smiled as Daniel ran toward her, wrapping her in his arms.

  “It’s done,” she said, content in the warmth of his embrace.

  “It’s done,” he agreed with a smile, wiping the ash off her cheeks. “Now, we can go home.”

  Madeline smiled and leaned her head back, watching the sunset streak the sky.

  The rainbow stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. Tears filled King Theodore’s eyes as he watched the windowsill fill with beauty, the answer to his prayers of so many years. A silent tear dropped from the king’s eyelashes as he took his final breath.

  EPILOGUE—SIX MONTHS LATER

  The crowd held their breath as King Braden paced around the throne room. The newest of his knights knelt on the hard stone floor, their faces stoic as their eyes focused on the red banners behind the throne. The hall was quiet except for the booming echoes of his steps. Braden held his smile as they trembled under his gaze.

  The golden dragon emblem resting on top of the throne reflected the midday light, creating a spotlight where the king stood.

  “Men,” he began. “There are expectations that I have of you, there are expectations that the kingdom has of you, and there should be expectations to which you hold yourself. This is a time of change, and together, we will change history. Our history glorifies what we have obtained by greed. I charge us to see what type of legacy we can leave as we build with love. There will be trials, but there will also be joy and celebration. As our brave new knights, I charge you with defending this kingdom, its people, and its honor.”

  Braden walked forward and placed the tip of his sword on each man’s shoulders, completing the ceremony and welcoming the new knights to service. The crowd cheered as the first round of ceremony and tradition returned to their kingdom. Metal on metal rang out as the knights smacked forearms and hugged in congratulations. Their laughter reverberated off the stained glass windows. King Braden sat on the throne, letting the warmth of the noise fill him.

  After the tumultuous spring, Braden made it his first order of business to rebuild, bringing back the traditions of fun and festivities. The summer tournaments arrived without a hitch, and the fall festival reaped a bountiful harvest for their farmers and merchants. Under King Braden’s leadership, prosperity and peace reigned.

  Madeline leaned over the curved banister on the balcony, tightening her lips as a crisp breeze blew through her hair. Even with her thick velvet gown, small bumps rose on her arms and shivers ran down her spine. She was adjusting to the northern weather, but the extreme seasons still surprised her.

  Evenings were her favorite time at Dragon’s Gate. After the long day of studies, meeting with merchants and working with their builders, evenings allowed a break; a luxury limited by the duties of leadership. Each night as the sun set, Madeline watched the growing family of dragons swoop beneath the arch, their dark bodies silhouetted against the backdrop of the red mountains.

  From the edge of her balcony, she saw it all. On one side, just beyond the palace walls, the construction had begun on their tournament grounds. Tall stacks of lumber and joists leaned against the finished rock foundation. They didn’t need much but still wanted to offer local markets, seasonal fairs, and training facilities for their knights. The castle itself continued to be a work in progress. The lower halls and outer structures had already been finished, an artful combination of the red rocks from the region and specialty wood from the forest. But it was still just beginning.

  Below their balcony, in the center of the courtyard, stood the gardens, perfect copies of the ones in Soron. Tall walls of junipers lined the outer edge, bursting with small blue berries. A stone fountain splashed in the center, and along the edges, white roses and the jeweled wildflowers of the region bloomed.

  In every inch of her courtyard, the smell of flowers, the soft melody of flowing water, and the craftsmanship of the stone design work harmonized together. Princess Madeline and Prince Daniel had named their palace Hope, and hope was provided to any who walked the garden.

  At this time of evening, as the sun dipped below the Dragon’s Gate arch, small rainbows broke through the fountain mist. A content smile crossed her face. The wind blew, and the spicy scent of the junipers reached her.

  A deep voice interrupted her trance. “It’s not much yet, but it will be. You love this view, don’t you?” Daniel asked as he leaned onto the balcony next to her.

  Madeline smiled. “You know I do. My favorite part, though,” she pointed below, “is the fountain. My mother used to say, ‘All the answers you’ll ever need are in a rainbow.’ That somehow the magic of a rainbow will make your dreams come true.” She sighed and leaned back into his arms. “Daniel, I really think she was right. All my dreams have come true.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “I don’t need a rainbow to tell me that. I just need to look at you.” He pulled her close for a tender kiss.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in the foothills of Colorado. When she’s not writing an adventure, she’s busy living one.

  Website: www.kirstinpulioff.com

  Facebook: KirstinPulioffAuthor

  Twitter: @KirstinPulioff

  Amazon: Author & Book Page

  Goodreads: Kirstin Pulioff

  Published Works

  Middle Grade Fantasy

  The Escape of Princess Madeline

  The Battle for Princess Madeline

  The Dragon and Princess Madeline

  The Princess Madeline Trilogy (box set)

  YA Fantasy

  Dreamscape: Saving Alex

  Short Stories

  The Ivory Tower

  Boone’s Journey

  OTHER BOOKS IN THE PRINCESS MADELINE SERIES

  THE ESCAPE OF PRINCESS MADELINE

  (Book One of the Princess Madeline series)

  Madeline, princess of Soron, awakens on her sixteenth birthday to find that her father has already made preparations for her betrothal. When she disappears unexpectedly, her suitors and knight champion rush to the rescue. But all is not as it seems, and the errant princess’s flight has put the kingdom at stake…

  Can Madeline find freedom or does it come with too high a price?

  Purchase here

  THE BATTLE AND PRINCESS MADELINE

  (Book Two of the Princess Madeline series)

  Princess Madeline rejected Prince Paulsen’s advanc
es, but he’s not about to take it lying down. In the middle of Soron’s festival preparations, when his obsession jeopardizes the kingdom, mysterious figures from the past arrive. Can Madeline risk accepting their help or will their information about a family secret be too much for her to handle?

  Can Madeline trust anyone or will saving the kingdom come down to her own bravery?

  Purchase here