Another fairy tale

Once upon a time…

This is probably how a fairy tale should begin, isn't it?
And it does, but I warn you: it is not your typical for-kids fairy tale where everything's clear. I am not responsible for headaches or tears.

………………………………….

Once upon a time there was quite a normal kingdom which you can find at every corner. They had some witches, a few fairies, probably a few dragons, normal people and of course they had a royal family, it being a kingdom.
In this land they had a princess too.
And here the traditional ends.
The king and queen didn't have time for their daughter's raising, at least not as much so it would end up well, so from half the little one was self-taught and from half a babysitter raised her.
This babysitter was also un-traditionality itself; she was from far away and she studied to be a shaman, when she was still young (so let's say, when she was 50 years old)
It ended up so from the little one grew something that resembled more a forest fairy than a princess.
It had good sides; she could cook, wash, clean up, take care of animals and mostly run and climb very well, which made her parents quite some wrinkles, because in the morning she got up before her teachers, climbed out the window and went to take care of her own business.
Today, it wasn't different.
It was still dark out when a raccoon got into her bed and poked her with a paw.
,,Hej! Up and exercise! You promised we'd go swim today."
,,Who? Me?" something was heard from under the covers, amusedly.
,,Yeees. Or there is another princess around that's named Rosalinda?"
,,You cannot know… and just Rose." The raccoon poked her again, at what she straightened and threw him on back beside her.
,,HA! Gotcha!"
,,As every morning," he mumbled.
A falcon landed on the window and shook head in displeasure.
,,You shouldn't climb into the princess's bed, it's highly inappropriate."
,,And why? It's my friend. Do you have to be such a puritan?"
,,I am not puritan, I simply know some manners. Were it not for me, you know nothing!"
,,Oh come on, you're no fun," the raccoon scorned and got under covers.
,,There isn't supposed to be fun with a royal falcon, I am supposed to bring you two up."
,,Enough, you two! We're going out."
,,SWIMMING! Swimming!" the raccoon started to giddily jump on the pillow.
The falcon rolled eyes.
The door moved, at which all three frozed. The raccoon then jumped under the covers again and the falcon hid behind a wall, outside the window.
,,Yes?"
A maid sticked a head in, carrying also clothes.
,,I'm sorry, princess, but your parents are calling you to the breakfast. They want to announce something."
,,Well, breakfast sounds good," the falcon girl at the window constated.
,,Can I go to the breakfast with you?" the raccoon snuffled. ,,I am neat enough, you know!"
……………
While at the table it looked civilized, under the table a fight broke out between a greyhound and raccoon for pieces of thrown or randomly dropped human breakfast.
,,So, what did you want?" Rosa chewed on bread and cheese, wondering, what the hell could have happened to be called after a month to breakfast.
,,Well," the queen began, putting aside her dish. ,,as you know, you're going to be eighteen soon."
,,Yes?" Nice reminder it was, though. She looked forward to being adult.
,,You're going to be adult, so it's time to start acting that way."
,,Yes?" This time the raccoon under the table said and pushed aside a dog nose.
,,And it means…?" Rosa raised a eyebrow. She didn't like this tone of voice in her mother. It meant trouble.
,,That you should run wild outside with animals…"
,,I'm a friend, not a animal," the raccoon mumbled, at what he received a kick.
,,…and take responsibility for your life…"
,,-To not beat around the bush, we want you to get married," the king ended up.
Rose started to choke on her food so much that three maids had to smack her back to at least catch breath again.
,,There's gonna be a wedding? I love weddings!" again something said from under the table, this time it was the greyhound.
,,And who are you marrying?" the raccoon asked.
,,Isn't it a bit early for that?!" the princess piped up.
,,As I said before, you're almost eighteen."
,,Exactly."
,,You don't mean to stay a princess your whole life, do you?" the queen shrugged.
,,You will have to rule one day, what-"
,,-is a very responsible and important thing not to be messed up," Rosa said along her mother. ,,I get it, but how does a MARRIAGE go with it?!"
,,Well you can't exactly rule alone, besides you'll need a heir too."
,,I wouldn't be as bothered by that, it can be… err… someone else from the family, can't it?" Rosa laughed nervously, remembering she's a single child.
,,Oh please, come on, it won't kill you.!" Her mother rolled eyes, a bit more impatient now.
,,Maybe there even will be more life in you," the raccoon chuckled, for what he got another kick.
,,Be quiet already," Rosa hissed. She said out loud:
,,But I want to pick alone!"
,,Oh of course," parents mumbled more contently.
Well, this will be my death, Rosa sighed in mind.
…………….
,,Well, what neck-breaking stunt your parents wanted you to do again?" a rabbit asked in a forest nearby, another old friend of the princess.
,,They want me to marry," Rosa groaned.
,,And who?"
,,I don't know yet! The good thing is they let me pick, and bad – I won't push it much further like this. What am I gonna do?!"
,,Well, I don't know, I never married."
,,No, rabbits don't have weddings anyway," the falcon said.
,,But kids yes, which reminds me I should go to them. Where are you three going?"
,,To the waterfall, calm head a bit," Rosa sighed.
,,To wash!" the raccoon added.
,,Of course, it is logical that when you are going to water you are not going to play into the sand," the falcon screeched, annoyed.
The raccoon and falcon started to argue, which wasn't something Rosa wanted to listen to, so she turned her back to them leaned against a tree and closed eyes for a while.
Something like a tornado moved the forest, at what all four (and from a burrow under them five more) jumped, scared
,,What- what was it?" the raccoon piped up.
Above them a shadow appeared; big stomach, green skinny wings (which made the wind), a spiked tail and scaly head.
,,DRAGON!!!" the falcon screeched.
All of them frozed while he was above them, but as the shadow moved away Rosa immediately jumped on a tree.
,,What are you doing?!" the rabbit piped up too.
,,I want to see him!"
,,Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea," the raccoon shook head. ,,A dragon can eat you…"
,,Oh please, that's just a rumor," Rosa rolled eyes.
On the last thick branches of a pine she sat and looked out between the needles.
The dragon was setting down somewhere in the distance, but it could be seen how the first rays of sunlight that day reflected from his head. It made green light all around him.
,,Well that's…" the falcon began.
,,Beautiful," Rosa ended up with mouth hanging open. The falcon looked at her for a while, then stated:
,,Here in the mountains he has a cave. Until now nobody got in, you an get there only by flying. But I diid," she ended up smugly.
,,Really? Really??? How does it look like there?!"
,,Stone, burned from his breath, I didn't go inside, but I heard he has a lot of passages there and places ten times bigger than him. And rumors say he also has a treasure there, but nobody knows that for certain."
,,And him? How does he look like whole?"
,,Oh, well, as a dragon. Head, body, wings, tail, scales, stings, teeth and mainly FIRE.
Really, he'd make a meat bun out of you and even cook you himself."
,,I mean DETAILS."
,,My dear, I am a falcon, not a poet… I only know he's green. He looks like a emerald."
For a while there was silence.
,,Where have he landed?"
,,At the waterfall, why? From today's swimming it is down to nothing, it seems, after a dragon it smells by brimstone so much your eyes water."
,,Oh you bet there will be a trip," Rosa grinned. ,,and straight to the waterfalls!"
,,WHAAT?!"
………………………
,,I can't believe I've let myself be talked into this," the falcon shook head, when her, Rosa, raccoon and rabbit the fastest they could ran to the waterfall and hid behind one of the rocks from which there was a lot.
,,QUIET! So he won't hear us," the bunny girl hissed.
At the waterfall there also was a huge lake, where you could swim at least when nobody was around.
The scent of brimstone was everywhere, when the green lizard stretched like a cat and yawned along – and he breathed out a bit of fire. After he straightened wings, flicked tail and with a almighty jump, at which water went out to all sides, jumped into the lake.
Rosa sticked out head from behind the rock so she'd see underwater.
,,Sit down, you psycho!" the raccoon yelled and hitched onto her leg.
,,But-" She didn't have time to finish, because the water again splashed almost to them and the dragon flied out, where he shook for a change like a dog.
This time she could see him from the front, too.
While he wiped water from his eyes with a front paw Rosa eyed him, although the animals tried to tooth and nail, paws and beaks pull her back behind the rock.
From nose to the end of his tail there were stings, although at the nose smaller. Yep, he looked dangerous.
His head was like a dogs, but instead of fur he had scales. And the ears were like a lynx, green too.
Then he opened both eyes for a while – they were strange, as if half-human half-snake and they were all emerald. A thing to stare at the whole day.
Then he looked exactly to where her head was; she got frisson.
But it seemed her wasn't interested in whether there was someone or not. He leaned down and started to bite at something that looked like a fish.
Big as me, Rosa gulped.
,,Well, enough he's seen you!" the raccoon spat, scared. ,,Us three shrimps he'd gulp down as a dessert!"
,,And you as the main dish!" the falcon added.
,,Do you really want to end up in a dragon's stomach?!" the rabbit piped.
,,That would for sure be better than getting married!" Rosa snapped quietly.
,,Trust me, getting into Smarg's mouth is-" the falcon began.
,,In who's?"
,,Smarg. It's his name. I mean the dragon. He goes here for lunch every day, I know it."
,,For Smaragd?"
,,Something like that," the rabbit testified. ,,everyone calls him that in the forest."
,,And what's it, really?"
,,Nobody knows, but he has such a name… on that animals break their tongues," the raccoon sighed.
,,And that your dragon also won't say his name for long now, rumors say we have dragon slayers in the kingdom…"
,,Whaat? How come I don't know about it?!"
,,It's just RUMORS," the falcon rolled eyes. ,,Maybe it is just a rumor, but in my opinion it is just a matter of time."
,,Poor dragon," Rosa shook head. ,, I'd be really sorry if they got him."
She sticked out head. The named finished eating and now drank water from the lake.
,,You'd be sorry for a dragon? Now that's good!" the falcon screeched, for what she got a smack across her back.