(This is my first time posting a story on the Internet. I have a lot of other stories, but I'm gonna use the characters in a webcomic someday. I may not be the best at writing, especially with punctuation and detail, but I've seen "professional" writers use fragments cough-KingdomKeepers-cough! I should be okay. Anyways, hope you enjoy.)

Chapter 1: Denial

Clouds were overhead. Princess Abitha kept on running in the forest until she found a cave. She had been running all day and was muddy, exhausted, and starving. Once she went inside, it started to rain.
As Abtha looked down, she saw her once beautiful dress filled with mud from the bottom to her knee's height. Oh, well, she thought. This and an empty stomach is a small price to pay for freedom.
Suddenly, she heard something, or someone, stir in its sleep. "Who are you?" it asked, growling. "Are you after my treasure too?"
Abitha gasped. A princess, of all people, went to a dragon's cave. She knew this because all dragons had lots of treasure, most of it being heirlooms. She also knew it is never wise to mess with a dragon's treasure. No way, she thought.
She turned around and attempted to do a curtsy. "I'm sorry," she said. "I ran away from home and ended up here because of rain. I'll try not to cause any trouble, but please don't hurt me,"
Abitha thought she heard a little gasp from the dragon. "Who are you, runaway human?" it asked.
She gulped. "I'm princess Abitha. My father wanted me to marry a snotboy knight. As soon as the rain stops, I'll keep going."
"My name is Arith," said the dragon.
"Nice to meet you, Arith," Abitha said with another curtsy.
Her stomach grumbled. She grabbed a piece of dark chocolate from her pocket and started to nibble on it while watching the rain fall a few feet away from her.
"That may be good now," Arith said. "But it won't fill you through the night." He lit up some fire with his breath. "I have some chicken and fish if you want some."
She frowned. "Did you get the chicken from the village?" she asked.
Arith chuckled. "Actually, wild chickens come here often, especially in the rainy season because of all the mosquitoes. There are tons of mosquitoes so far this year, so I caught some extra chickens in preparation for the rain."
She thought about it for a moment. "I've never tried fish, but I'll have some chicken."
Abitha turned around to see Arith. He was half the height of the cave, and he had green eyes and red scales that shined from the light of the fire. Abitha had seen dragons in pictures all over the castle and in books, but she had never seen one before. She looked for a moment to adjust to the light of the fire and slowly inched towards the fire, hoping she wouldn't be scorched by Arith.
The two ate in silence. Arith respected her kingdom's traditions; kids had to be seen, not heard. Abitha simply wanted out of the cave and farther away from the castle.
That night, Abitha lied down away from Arith. She heard the drip, drip, drip from the rain and see the drops fall on puddles until she went to sleep, dreaming of a life away from the castle.

Chapter 2: Anger

The impatient princess paced back and forth in the cave. She couldn't believe it has been four days since it started raining. She groaned.
"My dress is a mess, it is still raining, and who knows if my father has someone finding me now or if it's raining in the castle too! I want to keep going, and I want to keep going now!" She stomped her foot in impatience.
Arith looked at how much food he had left. Dragons had an instinct of knowing when anything was coming, so he stocked extra in case wild chickens weren't a few feet outside of his cave.
"Have you heard of a word called 'patience?'" he asked. "It's a virtue you should have learned a long time ago."
"My father always said, 'Patience is for peasants. If you want something, demand that you want it now.'"
"Oh, yeah. You're a princess."
"I have no idea how my little brother is my father's favorite. He is fine when a maid does something wrong," Abitha said, remembering the times at the castle. "He would always say, 'Oh, it's all right. Accidents happen,' and go on his merry way. He also laughs at me when I get in trouble and gets away with it."
"That must have been a tough childhood, huh?" Arith asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "He was the one who told dad to marry 'Sir Snotboy.' That's ny nickname for him since he's allergic to everything and gets stuffy noses all the time. My brother makes me mad for setting up a bad marriage, I'm mad a father for doing what my brother says, and I'm mad at Snotboy being Stontboy!" Abitha lied on the ground, tears in her eyes, and dirt all over her hair.
Abitha continued on. "I need my sunshine. I need it badly. I've been so gloomy because of a lack of it."
"I know how you feel," Arith replied. "I need to stretch my legs and wings."
"Can you not go outside in the rain or something?" she asked.
"I guess you can say that," he replied. "Wings are very fragile in the rain. When water gets them, they can't move until they dry off. I learned the hard way."
Interesting, she thought.
"Anyway," Arith said. "If you don't want to marry this 'Snotboy' fellow, who do you want to marry?"
"It doesn't matter as long as it's not him," she answered. "Actually, as I think about it, Sir James is kinda cute."
"What's he like?"
"He's not the strongest knight, but he is the most humble. He came from a faraway land hoping to become a knight. His home country prioritizes honesty and humility more than strength and looks."
"Well, if you want to have a happy marriage with Sir James someday, you need to learn some virtues," Arith said. "And the rain is your ultimate test of patience." He grabbed some chicken and fish. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed. "I'm hungry! When will the food be ready, 'cause I don't think my stomach can wait any longer!"
"Nuh-uh-uh," he said, waving his index finger in the air. "You have eaten in the last three days, so your stomach can wait."
She lowered her head. "I never thought of it that way."
"That's a good start," he said. He handed her some chicken on a stick. "How about you help with dinner?"
"H-How do I help?"
"Just hold your chicken near the fire and turn every so often. I'll let you know when you can eat it."
They had small talk during their dinner.
"Have you ever thought of chatting during dinner?" Arith asked.
"Yeah. I want to become part of the conversation, but my father always wants me to be quiet during dinner, even though my brother is always talking more than he eats and never gets away with it."
"I hope that after today, that will change."
Abitha and Arith became better friends as time moved on.

. . .

"Found her yet?" the king asked as he ate a bowl of mashed potatoes.
"No, sir," the servant answered. "She must have gone off the road while in the rain, sir."
The king pondered the possibility of his little girl going off to the forest while nibbling on a drumstick. "Connor!" he cried.
A kid who looked like a stable boy rushed to the long dining room. He bowed. "Yes, your Majesty?"
He pointed to the kid using another drumstick. "Send some spies to the Middle of Nowhere."
Connor stepped back. "But that place is out in the middle of nowhere!"
"Exactly!" said the king, chuckling. "Now hop to it! And while you're at it, I'm almost out of wine."
Connor bowed again. "As you wish, your Majesty," he said before he left the dining room.

Chapter 3: Bargaining
"Brussel sprouts?! Are you kidding me?!" asked Abitha as she looked at her plate one night.
"Nope," Arith replied. "Just brussel sprouts and spam. I thought you humans like those?"
"Did a troll tell you that? Brussel sprouts and spam are disgusting! I would do anything to avoid it!"
"Okay," Arith said. "I'll admit it. A troll told me that. However, that's all I have at the moment. Hopefully, the rain will clear up tomorrow."
Abitha sighed. "Okay. I'll eat this for one day."
After dinner, she yawned and lied down next to Arith.
"Before you woke up," said Arith, "I saw someone in the rain look at you and glare at me. What do you think that person is?"
Abitha groaned. "It's probably one of my father's spies. He must know where I am now."
"Hopefully no one will come here while it's still raining."
Abitha nodded, yawning. "Good night, Arith."
"Good night, Abitha." The two of them then drifted off to a deep sleep.
...
"Your Majesty," said one of the hired spies, "I have found Princess Abitha!"
"Why did you not bring her with you?!" the king asked between bites of a new food called pizza.
"She's in a dragon's cave, sire. I apologize. I failed you."
"Don't apologize. Only the bravest and most stubborn of knights can go after dragons."
One of the said brave and stubborn knights raised his hand. "I could defeat the dragon and bring her back, sire!"
"Ah, Sir Humphrey!" said the king. "Thank you. If you defeat that dragon, I'll give you her hand in marriage."
The knight saluted to the king, sneezing. "I won't let you down, sire." He turned to the spy. "Lead the way to this dragon."

Chapter 4: Depression
Abitha woke up to see the sun shining in the grass and tree trunks. She smiled. She can finally go farther away from her castle after twelve days of rain.
Arith woke up a minute after Abitha did. "Good morning," he said, yawning. "Finally some sunshine, huh? I guess that means it's time for you to leave."
Abitha stood up, turned to Arith, and curtsied. "Thank you for your hospitality, Arith."
"Actually, I should be thanking you for your company. Being far away from other dragons gets pretty lonely sometimes."
A sneeze interrupted their goodbyes. Abitha turned around to see Sir Humphrey on a horse, strolling up to them with a big box of tissues.
The knight raised his sword to Arith. "So, dragon, you decided to capture my wife-to-be, huh?"
The princess stood in front of him. "It was not his fault, Humphrey! I came here on my own!"
"One, that is SIR Humphrey to you. Two, first the dragon kidnapped Princess Abitha, but he also hypnotized her to thinking she came here on her own! Pathetic little beast!"
"Little?!" Now Arith was really mad. "I'm an average-sized dragon for my species. YOU on the other hand are as weak-looking as a stick, but then again, I'd have a hard time breaking some sticks."
Humphrey sneezed on a tissue. "Just because I sneeze a lot doesn't mean I'm weak, dumbo."
Abitha could see smoke coming out of Arith's nostrils. "How dare you call me dumbo, snotboy!"
The knight gasped. "Snotboy?!" He stood in a ready-for-battle position. "It is ON!"
...
The fighting lasted for fifteen long minutes. The fighters, although exhausted, never gave up. However, the battle ended with Arith's days numbered.
Abitha ran toward the dragon, tears falling down her cheeks. "Arith," she cried. "Arith, speak to me."
"I'm sorry, Abitha," said Arith. "I thought that I would get to see you get the freedom you desired. However, if my instincts are right, your father is handing to the knight your hand in marriage for killing me."
"This means... goodbye forever, right?"
He nodded. "Goodbye, Abitha." He gave out his last breath.
Abitha wrapped her arms around the Arith's neck one last time before heading back to the castle she ran away from.
...
Abitha had tears in her eyes throughout the whole journey, and Sir Humphrey didn't like it one bit. "I thought after the dragon died, you wouldn't be hypnotized anymore. I guess after de-"
Abitha slapped him. "I was not hypnotized! I came on my own, and we became really good friends. And you killed him! He was my only friend! Everyone else hates me!"
Sir Humphrey was stunned. "But Abitha-"
"You hate me too! You're just a greedy snotboy. That was why you wanted to 'rescue' me instead of letting Sir James do it!" She sat down on the grass with her knees up and burying her face. "No one understands my pain. No one understands what it's like having your best and only friend killed before your very eyes."
Sir Humphrey held his hand out. "You can't just sit there all day."
Abitha stared at him. "Well, make me move!"
After some time, the princess was forced to get up and keep walking back home.

Chapter 5: Acceptance
The knight and the princess did not talk much. A gloomy atmosphere weighed heavily for both of them for different reasons. Abitha's was because she lost her only friend and was still grieving. Humphrey just felt a little tense and uncomfortable.
The king greeted both of them with Abitha's brother. "We need to talk, young lady."
Abitha ignored him and walked to her room to try to cry herself to sleep. Her brother stuck his tongue out at her as she walked away. She cried even harder.
"Should I get the ice cream?" Humphrey asked.
"Sure, two bowls, please," answered the king.
...
Abitha was about to pass out on her bed until a knock was heard from the door. "Go away!" she cried. "I'm not in the mood!"
The person on the other side opened despite her plea. He had two bowls of ice cream in his hands. "I have not seen you this upset in a long time. Did Humphrey tell you of your consequences?"
She shook her head.
"What's wrong, then?" he asked.
"My only friend died earlier today."
"When's the funeral? Should I take you there to attend it?"
"There is no funeral!" she said before she buried her face to the pillows.
"That's unfortunate."
Abitha nodded.
"Would you like some ice cream to help you with the loss?"
Abitha nodded. "Thank you," she said as she ate.
The two ate in silence. Abitha, afterwards, broke the silence. "He might have had an unfortunate death, but he was a good friend."
"He must have been since you quickly went to your room. Anyways, your consequences."
Abitha buried her face in the pillows again. "Aw, man!"
"Your wedding with Humphrey will be in five days instead of the month that I originally hoped. And I hired more guards for the entire castle. And you're grounded from candy for three days. I've noticed you've been eating too much of it. It's not good for you."
Abitha didn't hear a word he said. She simply fell asleep.
"Fine. Be that way," he said as he took the bowls and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

(That's the end of this story. I hope you liked it. :))

It's pretty good but there were a few things I noticed.

One, the dragon raised it's index finger? I didn't realize dragons had hands. Just wanted to point that out.

And in the last chapter, when she's in her room, it doesn't specify who walked into the room. At first I thought it was Sir James, then he mentioned 'hiring guards' and I assumed it was the King.

Other than that, I very good short story. Kind of depressing though. One of those I-didn't-see-that-coming stories. I can't help but wonder how Snotboy killed a dragon. Isn't he a wimp?

1. I guess dragons have hands-like toes and thumbs on their forelegs, or something.
2. Although the king asked for two bowls of ice cream, I probably should have made it more obvious.
3. Yes. He's a wimp. I don't know who trained him to fight dragons. Maybe Sir James tried training Sir Humphrey but then gave up because of Humphrey's stubborn wimp-ness or something.