Princess Tishna Lumedienne Charlgiana was seventeen years old. She possessed the stunningly fair skin and golden hair of her mother, a Lumede national, and was by far the most beautiful among her six sisters. Once, she was known as the Snow-White Tranquility, but it was a long time since anyone used that name. Nowadays, people were more likely to call her the Wicked Princess instead.
Tishna stood at the window, overlooking the gorge below. She was in a fortress at the top of a mountain, adjacent to a natural feature known as the Gradage Canyon. This canyon was important for two reasons: First, it was considered far and wide to be one of the several natural wonders of Danakil. Second, it was the only thing separating Charlgia from the lands beyond, where dangerous fiends roamed.
Tishna had come here with a squadron of mercenaries, to a place with nothing to offer but nature, untouched and unspoiled.
“What scheme are you plotting this time, Your Highness?” asked an aging man behind her.
His name was Girrith Tegnail, otherwise known as Count Tegnail, a subject of the Charlgia Kingdom and one of Princess Tishna’s most trusted and important allies.
He came from a long line of military men, and on this occasion, he had found himself accompanying the princess on her selfish whim to visit the canyon, escorted also by his son and other members of the royal army.
Tishna looked over her shoulder at the man and beamed a flowery smile.
“Oh my, Girrith. You make it sound like I’m always up to no good.”
“Are you not?”
Girrith heaved a deep sigh. He understood better than anyone else that the princess was not as innocent as she looked.
“What possible reason could bring a princess of Charlgia all the way to the Gradage Canyon, so close to the international summit? And why hire mercenaries on your own coin?”
After a pause, Tishna replied, “I wanted some Hilica fruit,” she said.
This caused Girrith to blink in surprise. “H-Hilica fruit, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Gradage is famous for it. But the fruit bruises easily, so it has to be dried before being sent to Barlama.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true,” Girrith muttered.
Hilica was a fruit-bearing tree native to the regions around the canyon. Its fruit had a soft flesh and was the perfect mix of sweet and sour, which made it a popular delicacy. That said, bringing a dozen or so Chasseurs on the journey was undoubtedly overkill.
“At the royal banquet last month, Princess Adelyssa was boasting about a shipment of frozen Hilica, cooled with auramancy, that the Grand Duchy of Agarte sent to her. It’s only fair I should get to taste that, too, is it not?”
“You mean to say, Princess, that you brought a small army here just to pick fruit?”
“Why, of course,” Tishna replied sweetly. “I didn’t want to take any chances. Besides, I can always find more money. I wonder if Marquis Peterka will be interested in an agreement. He’s made quite the sum off this little gold smuggling operation of his.”
“Your Highness, you wouldn’t…”
A sudden chill ran down Girrith’s spine.
Public opinion painted Tishna as selfish, malicious, scheming, but never a fool. Girrith and the other aged nobles were constantly surprised by how the princess seemed to have access to information even they didn’t know, and she never failed to put that information to good use.
And yet, quite unlike her power-hungry mother, Tishna had no interest in building up money or influence. Girrith had known her since the princess was quite young, but he could never tell what she was thinking, even now. The only thing he could say about her for sure was that she truly cared for the well-being of her subjects.
While her actions seemed selfish at first glance, they always ended up benefiting her people. Girrith could only thank his lucky stars the princess seemed to be on his side.
And so she had to have some reason for this sudden journey. Just as Girrith swore to find out what it was, a loud alarm echoed throughout the fortress. The mercenaries Tishna had brought with her leaped into action, as did Girrith’s men, one of whom ran up to him, out of breath.
“My lord!”
There was little that could faze such a competent aura knight, but Girrith’s subordinate looked utterly terrified.
“Compose yourself, man,” said Girrith. “You are in the presence of Her Highness.”
“A-apologies, sir,” said the soldier, kneeling reverently, “but we’ve just received a shocking report!”
Girrith narrowed his eyes. “What is it?” he asked.
“A dragon, sir.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“An aquatic dragon has been sighted by the shores of Lake Voss,” the man explained. “Length measures over fifteen meters, sir. Its mere presence is causing stampedes among the nearby fiend population. It’s only a matter of time before the chaos reaches us here. We must evacuate at once!”
“A dragon? Preposterous,” said Girrith, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “Why now, of all times?”
It wasn’t unusual for dragons to appear in fiend territory, but it was a huge problem if any of them crossed the Gradage Canyon and entered the kingdom. Never in recorded history had a dragon been spotted on this side of the gorge, and as a result, the local garrison was light.
And yet a dragon had seen fit to show up right when the princess was visiting. The timing couldn’t have been any worse.
No, wait…, thought Girrith as he turned toward Princess Tishna, who was standing by the window, staring out at the lands beyond.
It wasn’t that the dragon had coincidentally turned up at the same time as the princess. It was the princess who had turned up at the same time as the dragon.
“Here it is,” she said, without losing her composure in the slightest. “Count Tegnail, round up all the mercenaries I employed. Tell them if they have a Chasseur, they are to engage the rampaging fiends immediately. Thin the herds as much as possible before they reach civilization.”
Humans weren’t the only creatures afraid of dragons. Fiends living in the vicinity fled in terror at its approach. Some of those would flee in the direction of the kingdom, toward human settlements. It was that which Tishna wanted to avoid.
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“Any who do not,” the princess went on, “tell them they are to defend the people. They may take any measures required to prevent looting and chaos, with the express permission of Princess Tishna Lumedienne Charlgiana.”
“Y-you heard her,” said Girrith. “Go tell the mercenaries.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
A little bewildered, the subordinate rushed off. Felling a dragon was a tall order for any mercenary, but they could handle ordinary fiends just fine. It looked like Tishna’s own private army was going to see action after all.
“What about the Tegnail house’s Chasseurs?” she asked.
“We have one custom model, Your Highness, as well as three standard issues,” said Girrith through gritted teeth. “I fear it will not be enough to even slow down a dragon.”
In times of peace, four Chasseurs were more than enough to provide a royal escort, but that number fell woefully short against such a powerful fiend.
However, Tishna smiled and shook her head.
“That will serve well,” she said. “Order them to target the wyrms and lesser wyverns serving the beast. Have them try not to interfere in the battle with the dragon. Can you do that?”
“Y-yes, if that is all you require,” said Girrith, still confused. “But what do you mean? Who will be fighting the dragon?”
Princess Tishna had no aptitude for auramancy. She couldn’t even ride a Chasseur. And none of the older models stationed at this fortress would stand a chance against a dragon. Even if the royal capital sent reinforcements, they would take at least half a day to arrive, and there were no other armies or garrisons nearby. In a word, it was hopeless.
And yet Tishna smiled, as though she were enjoying herself.
“My Prince Charming,” she said. “Who better to slay a dragon and rescue a princess?”