Speaker: Prunia Lea

  They say the clouds above the Castle Of Kraith never turn white and forever cry rain. The castle lies between the cold north of Lea and the warmer south of Crisea it rarely snows there and never stops storming. The weather is so harsh in fact that humanoids from outside rarely go there.

  The castle is surrounded by swampland and dark jungle and is inhabited by many creatures: dark carnivorous fish, light black kobolds, dark acidic slimes, and other horrific monsters. All surrounding the young beast in the castle.

  The origin of the castle itself is enigmatic; it appears to be quite ancient, older than the endless rain at least. Maybe the prize of some ancient empire or capital of a kingdom. It is clear a town once surrounded it but that is long gone and only the cold hard stone remains.

  The castle was once a yellow color but somehow it turned black and sharp. Maybe the kobolds painted it, maybe it was all the work of the magic of the beast. But it doesn’t really matter to me as I look across the swamp to the castle.

  I’m Prunia Lea and I’m from the northern land of Lea. In fact, I am its princess. A point of privilege to be sure but it did really privilege me in the end because I am now a sacrifice to the beast in the castle of Kraith.

  The beast, after making its home there for thirty years without trouble, suddenly demanded a sacrifice from the royal family. Our family was given the demand by a kobold messenger.

  The messenger said “the great dragon of the Kraith castle demands you give him a sacrifice of the highest nobility.”

  Despite the option of sending adventurers to thwart the dragons scheme they opted to oblige because to put it simply I’m not a big loss I was meant to be sent off to be married anyway. This is not much different. Also having a dragon who are in good relation too is a great advantage to the kingdom.

  It is unknown to me or any other being in Lea what type of dragon it is. It’s extremely likely a chromatic dragon meaning a dragon that has taken her for nefarious purposes. A metallic dragon wouldn’t do this as they tend to be good people.

  I hope it will kill me quickly so I hope it’s color is one that will kill me without any torture or complex scheme a red or a white would be the best option. But I hope it’s not a green with it’s inhuman schemes or worse the color that would famously torture and pickle it’s victoms. Gods, I hope my death will be quick.

  But it is likely it’s one of those two as I’m headed to a swamp and a ruined castle it could be either. I’ve read about dragons quite a bit as they are powerful and fascinating. And I know what type of dragon lives in those parts. It doesn’t look good for me. But I still pray that it’s not.

  Me and my escorts stop at a hill not because we want to stop but because the horses stop in fear of what lies beyond. The knight commander who has come as the lead of the party says, “this is as far as the horses are willing to go.”

  “Alright, I can walk from here,” I say, it’s a long trek but it’s unlikely I’ll have to repeat it again, or ever walk again really. Still, it's a long and dangerous trek that I may not survive and I have to survive long enough for the dragon to kill me itself.

  It’s simple math really. One princess killed by a dragon vs an entire kingdom laid to waste. Despite the teachings my life is not more precious than any peasant. While the role of the sacrifice was put on me and not chosen I still believe it’s the best outcome. It’s simple math. This is the best option. I cannot be scared at this moment

  “We can take her from here.” says a voice from the bottom of the hill.

  “By god kobolds.” says a human rider.

  Looking at their coloring my heart sank black all of them. The color of the kobold tends to match that of the dragon so this doesn’t look good. But I cannot let my heart sink for long. I must be logical, this is the best option.

  So I walked down the hill towards the kobolds, Scaly and dragon-like in and of themselves with predatory jaws, scales, and those eyes.

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  Despite myself, I say “Hello.”

  “Right, you must be the sacrifice,” says a kobold with wings and some kind of ceremonial garb clearly the leader. “What is your noble status?”

  “I am the third princess of the kingdom of Lea, Prunia Lea.”

  “What! Wait really?” asks the winged kobold. “The kingdom really must not want trouble. Come with us princess.”

  The kobolds servants of dragons lead me away from my escorts towards the dragon’s lair. On the way I look shocked at the kobold's settlement. Many kobolds are black but many are also silver and they talk and play with each other. Though they all stop to look at the princess.

  “Is that human, the sacrifice?”

  “But she’s so pretty.

  “It’s a little sad that she’s got to go.”

  “It’s for our lord.”

  “It’s Like she's from another world,”

  “what our lord deserves for the first.”

  I know I’m an otherworldly beauty. In fact it’s said that my dynasty hails from another world. We are set apart by our silver hair that seems to almost blend into the snow other than its bluish tint. My entire family looks like this.

  The kobolds play and eat like they are in the city she's from but they seem to be happy. The settlement is not unlike a city itself. It has many kobolds living their lives helping each other and building structures that are tall and sturdy. Though the structures are dwarfed under the castle itself.

  They enter the castle and the kobolds whisper more. “It’s finally happening.”

  “The lord will make his mark on the world.”

  “Long live our lord.”

  They walk down a long hall toward the ancient throne room and soon they see it massive and menacing the black dragon. Though it doesn’t seem perfectly black it’s a little silver.

  It has two sets of horns, one set pointed back and one set pointed forward. The beast’s scales seem to be made of metal but its wings seem to be flesh.

  And oh, it is cold, I was blessed with resistance to cold but so this is the first time I’ve ever been cold. And it is so cold. I shiver in the dragon’s mysterious power this mysterious mist

  The kobolds bow to their draconic lord and I do the same; I’ve been well trained, I’m ready for the likely slow and painful end. I’m content but not happy. I could have been so much more if I only had time.

  It’s a bit sad actually I had plans, many plans. To bring up the poor from poverty as other kingdoms did. To stop the freezing deaths on the streets with free shelters. Manym, many, more all based on what other kingdoms did. But that is all gone now.

  I just wanted to free them from their monotonous life. To make the world a better place if only a little. But I was sent here instead.

  Is this why my family sent me here? Because I spoke of this. It’s to late for these thoughts the dragon approaches

  A cold, quivering, rich, and most of all dark voice says “your hair, it is silver.”

  I look up, my curiosity overwhelming my fear. It surely cannot be the dragon. A dragon's voice is deep and booming. No way a dragon can have such a rich voice.

  “Just like my fathers scales were.”

  The scales under the dragon's eyes begin to become moistened and it’s so cold that the wetness becomes icy.

  “Are you crying?” I ask, looking up at the dragon's face. He looks back.

  “No, no,” says the dragon, gaining volume. “You dare mock me human.”

  “No,” I say “I would never, you just looked so sad.”

  The dragon roared “you shall not mock me human!” shaking the ground and causing the temperature to drop. A mysterious liquid drops out of the dragon's mouth and freezes the ground and turns into mist. It’s getting ready for a breath attack.

  The ground stabilizes and the dragon looks down. I hold my hand up to the dragon's face and feel the cold tears. It looks back.

  “Are you alright?” I say warming the cold dragon with my hands.

  “Get away from me.” it says before roaring “get away from me!”

  A mist envelopes the room and it becomes incredibly cold. Before it returns to normal once again and the dragon says. “That’s enough, leave me. Take her back to her kingdom.”

  “Really?” I say.

  “Yes, I no longer care.” says the dragon.

  I am returned to my kingdom, by the kobolds, to applause and joy. Though I never tell anyone of the dragon's tears as those are its private emotions.