The Youngest - Part One

And from January 2007! 

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a king, his loving queen, and his three lovely daughters. And the strange thing about these daughters was this: they had learned that the youngest of three sisters is bound to be the fairest, sweetest, wisest, and most fortunate, in turn binding her elder sisters to a life of jealous ill-nature and an unhappy end. The sisters thought this unfair, and so took it in turns to be the youngest, each in her turn becoming the jewel of the family while the other two contentedly awaited their turns and enjoyed being fair enough, sweet enough, wise enough, and fortunate enough. But their secret they told no one, for fear that the charm would break.

Now it came to pass that the kingdom was threatened by a dragon of terrible aspect and worse disposition. Each day more beasts were devoured, more defenders broiled. The princesses could not bear this and sought to beguile the beast to its end in its cave; unfortunately, however brave, good, wise and intelligent they might be, their education was sorely lacking in the ambush department. The dragon discerned their plot immediately, and fortunate they were that it also observed their royal birth, or they might have been made hors d'oeurves instead of mere hostages.

When the king learned of his daughters' captivity, he was greatly distressed; when the queen learned of it, she made sure he was even more greatly distressed. Soon they sent out messengers advertising that half a kingdom and the hand of a princess in marriage were available for the low, low price of one dragonslaying (dragonslaying equipment not included). Rumors flew that the hand of a queen might also be available upon request, but these rumors abated when the king announced that women would now be permitted a martial education provided they signed a document swearing never to use it in vengeance against their loving if imperfect spouses.

The offer tempted a number of adventurers of varying kinds. Unfortunately, the dragon had in its way grown very fond of its princesses and had developed a most paternal interest in the quality of their suitors. Rescuer after rescuer discovered the real reason why dragons rarely mate, and added a nice morbid touch of charred bone to the cave's decor. Soon the supply of disposable characters was exhausted, leaving the kingdom breathlessly awaiting the entry of its hero.

The neighboring kingdom had been waiting for just such a moment. The young king wanted to help his old friends and allies, but not until it would do some good. The king could not, sadly, risk himself; nor could his next brother help, being already married and unable to support an additional bride (especially since his wife began investigating the martial education opportunities across the border). The youngest prince, however, was free to go, and as soon as he had the protection of being singled out by the narrator, the king was inclined to let him go.

(Part 2 here!)