"My father's kingdom was a peaceful one." "It was a land of prosperity, gentility and appreciation of freedom which my father valued above all else." "Had it not been such, I would not be who I am." "Instead of riding across open fields and hunting with my father," "I would be sitting with my mother, hands folded, knitting stockings and such andentertaining boring young men who would fulfill my mother's dreams to be the perfect princess in dresses and jewels and married off by the age of 1 8." "But my father didn't see the world that way." "As his only heir," "I was able to enjoy all the adventures life had to offer as if I've been born a prince, instead of a princess." "So my mother lovingly frowned on us both and hoped one day I would meet my match and come to my senses." "Are you enjoying yourself, Augustin?" "Ah, my lovely daughter, just in time for lunch." "How was your morning ride?" "Wonderful!" "She's the best horse I have ever ridden." "Good." "Just stay out of the lzma woods." "The Tree People won't care if you are a princess." "They'll rob and kill you either way." "I know, father." "Ah..." "I'm starving!" "Please, use your fork, Luisa!" "What would I do without you, mother?" "Luisa, have you been in touch with the Duke of Tugandore?" "His mother said he's quite interested in you." "We exchanged a few letters." "But he's such a bore." " Everyone bores you." " Father doesn't." "Flattery will get you everywhere." "Luisa, you have to start thinking about marriage." "It's not right for a young woman your age, not to be married." "Look at the way you dress and carry yourself," "like one of your father's stable hands." "That's no way for a princess to behave." "I'm not concerned with marriage, mother." "There are far more important and interesting things to put my efforts into." "Like what?" " Riding..." " Fencing..." "Hunting..." "All right, enough!" "Is marriage such a bad thing?" "Not always." "What was that?" "What was that?" "My King, Queen Remini, are you all right?" "Yes, we're fine, Paxian." "Send some man to the village to tend to the injured." "I'd like to go, too." "I'm sure they can handle it." "I'm sure they can, but I'd like to see for myself." "I think it's good for Luisa to be with her people." "Luisa!" "Inside!" "Inside, now!" "Come with me!" "Hold on!" "This way!" "Here, under here!" "Luisa is down there." "Send some men to find her!" "As you wish." "Cover your eyes!" "Don't look!" "We weren't prepared for this." "Let's go come on." "Your Highness, you should go back inside." "Man, get ready!" "Do not fire until he's almost upon us!" "Wait!" "Get ready!" "Aim for the head!" "Fire!" "Luisa, are you all right?" "Find her parents." " Thank God you're safe." " Where did the dragon come from?" "Paxian, we haven't had a dragon attack in over twenty years." " I don't know." " Find out!" "I don't think it will give up so easily next time." "That day was only the beginning..." "The Fire Dragon returned to Carpia every few weeks." "Sometimes to feed..." "Sometimes it seemed just to inflict destruction." "There was nothing my father could do." "Within 3 months, our kingdom was almost destroyed." "... for the children." "Come back here!" "The people are turning on each other." "They're starving to death." "May I suggest there may be other things more appropriate for a princess to concern herself with?" "Really?" "And what do you consider more appropriate than my kingdom?" " Luisa, that's enough!" " But father, he's not..." " Come, let them speak alone." " But mother..." "Luisa, please!" "You can't act that way in front of your father!" "I don't like Paxian." "He treats me with no respect." "Even if that were true, it doesn't mean you can behave in such a way." "He's your father's advisor, not yours." "Now, go to your room!" " But..." " Now!" "I just received word that King Quilok is requesting a meeting with you." "Quilok?" "What does he want?" "He is willing to open the doors of his kingdom to you and our people, but he wants you to surrender allegiance." "T o him." "That little snake!" "If I thought it were possible" "I'd believe he sent his dragon after us himself." "We've run out of options." "We may have to consider his offer." "Why hasn't the dragon attacked his kingdom?" "He must have something protecting him." "Perhaps it's just luck." "Your Highness, desperate citizens of Carpia have gathered outside the castle." "Should we allow them entry?" " Absolutely not!" " They're starving out there." "They're not our responsibility." "Until King Augustin surrenders to our Kingdom, his people will remain at the mercy of the elements." "Or the Fire Dragon, whichever comes first." "My father could never see beyond our little province." "It's all going to be so different, so soon..." "I want you to put more men around the Dracone." "Yes, Your Highness." "What about Knight Alodor?" "Oh, with all due respect, that is not something to consider." "Well, he is the only man to ever kill a dragon." "He's a traitor!" "The Knight Alodor was banished by King Quilok for treason." "It's no secret that King Quilok was envious of Alodor." "Nevertheless, Alodor's knighthood was taken from him." "The most serious of punishments that can befall a knight." "And it is in strict violation of our treaties, to employ a knight which has been banished." "I know what the treaties say, Paxian." "My father was part of the council that wrote them." "But the future of the kingdom is at stake." "Forgive me, Your Highness, but it's you who told me that when a king begins to choose which laws to follow to suit his own needs, he has been corrupted by his own power." "Mother, you scared me." "You were eavesdropping." "No, I just didn't want to disturb them." "Luisa, I already asked you once to go to your room." "Now please, do as I asked." "Who is the Knight Alodor?" "Luisa, stay out of it!" "If this is a man who can help, we have to find him" "Who cares what he did?" "Half of all soldiers are former thieves and criminals." "What's the difference?" "Are you saying you know how to rule a kingdom better than your father?" "No more than Paxian thinks he can." "Paxian is the King's Chief Advisor." "Well, then he's not a good advisor." "That's not your business." "Father doesn't want to see it, but you know I'm right." "Alodor defeated an ice Dragon for King Quilok the First." "After he died, King Quilok the Second claimed that Alodor turned against him." "I wouldn't believe anything Quilok said." "That's beside the point." "Alodor is banished." "Anyway, Luisa, go to bed." "And it will slip my mind to tell your father about you spying on him." "I don't want to hear anymore about this from you." "Good night." "I'll send in your maid." "What are you doing?" "You are supposed to be dressing for bed!" "I'm going to the lzma forest, to find this mysterious Knight Alodor everyone is talking about." "You should not be going anywhere at this hour." "Especially not to lzma." "I am going, and I can protect myself." "I know he must be in lzma." "If I were Alodor, that's were I'd be hiding." "And that's where I'm going to find him." "Don't move!" "A girl?" "A Princess." "I'm Princess Luisa of Carpia." "So you are.." "Do you know, we had the Queen of Persia here, only the other day." "Lovely woman." "Spoke well of you." "I am the Princess of Carpia." "Yes, yes..." "Well, our Princesses are wearing boys' clothes these days?" "Our cloak of arms." "Certainly looks like it." "I am looking for the Knight Alodor." "Alodor?" "Do you know him?" "What would you want with a man like that?" "I have a proposition for him." "Yes." "But it's not safe here, there is something coming." "Let's go!" "Could it be the Knight Alodor?" "I doubt that very much." "Now, come on!" "Tree People." " What should we do?" " Stand perfectly still." " Will they leave us alone?" " No, they'll probably kill us." "Do you have a weapon?" " A dagger." " A dagger?" "That's not a weapon, that's cutlery." "You took your time." "Who is this?" "I am Princess Luisa of Carpia." "I'm looking for the Knight Alodor." "And who, might I ask, are you?" "I'm the one who deserves a thank you before answering any of your questions." "Is this blindfold really necessary?" "I guess so..." "I want to speak to Alodor." "I know you know him." "Why are you stalling?" "Why would the King send his daughter to carry a message?" "I volunteered." "You're still stalling." " I don't believe you." " Because I'm a woman?" "Because as his only heir, you are indispensable." "A good king would send a messenger, or a soldier..." " Or a pigeon." " Right." "A Fire Dragon has been terrorizing our kingdom for the past few months." "It's brought destruction of a kind we've never seen before." "King Quilok says he will give our people shelter only if my father surrenders his kingdom to him." "If Quilock gains that much power, none of us is safe." "Which is why I need to speak to Alodor." "He's the only man who's ever killed a dragon." "We need him to do it again." "My father says he will reinstate his knighthood." " I'm afraid he could not accept." " Why not?" " Alodor is dead." " How do you know?" "Because he was my father." "You can sleep here tonight." "T omorrow you'll return to your castle." "Well, Gabriel, what are we going to do?" "What are we going to do?" "It's not our fight." "No." "It's not our fight" "Not." "But..." "The last time my father fought for a kingdom, he was betrayed and abandoned." "I won't let that happen to me." "Gabriel, don't let your family's experience with Quilok call out your attitude towards Augustin." "By all accounts, he's a good king and a decent man." "You're right." "Yes, I am." "But you're also a smug." "Yes I'm afraid that's true, too." "It's not our fight." "It's not our fight." "Bad dream?" " I was sure you've left me." " Leave you?" "Why would anyone want to leave this lovely place?" "Cup of tea?" "Why was Alodor expelled by Quilok?" "I think you wanna go and ask Gabriel that." "Where is he?" "He's outside." "I'm not a typical princess." "I see your weapons collection." "Not exactly for ordinary fighting men." "I also know that knights always pass down their knowledge to their sons." "Especially if that knight had such a particular skill." "Like hunting dragons." "So you're up." "We'll escort you back, it's not safe here to go alone." "Thank you." "Thank him." "It was his idea, not mine." "Now, before we go, I want to show you something." "I think you're going to find this rather impressive." "Are you watching?" "And that..." "that was just a mild mixture!" "With a concentrated mixture I can bring down a mountain." "That's always good to have as an option." "An option?" " Let's get going!" " You weren't impressed?" " Let's pack up." " T ell me you were impressed!" "You're taking everything?" "We are always on the move." " Do you think you can keep up?" " That's not a problem." "Don't wait for me." "Carry on!" "Because of your relationship to my late father," "I'm making you this offer." "If it was anyone else," "I would have simply let your kingdom wither away." "Don't patronize me!" "This is extortion, pure and simple." "You can qualify my offer anyway you want." "The simple fact remains." "I can save your people and you can not!" "You have two days to consider." "Don't bother seeing me out." "His father is rolling in his grave right now." "What would you like me to do?" "Find me a miracle." "Barring that, we may have to accept his offer." "Let's wait." "My father will be very grateful, if you help us fight off the Fire Dragon." "But I don't fight dragons, or favor kingdoms, or the men who rule them." "My father is a good man." "His people love and respect him." "He's willing to give up his throne for their sake." "Doesn't that say something about him?" "Why would I care about your father?" "We need your help." "Unfortunately, I don't need much from you." "My father can make you a knight." "How are things going down here?" "And I suppose you also don't need our large reward." "Money?" "Oh, we like money." "I remember what it looks like." " Money is good." " Great." "Perfect." "Nice girl." "Fish are rising." "How could you promise such a thing in my name?" "Do you know what the penalty is for falsely representing the King?" " Yes, father, I know." "But..." " Quiet!" " Where is he?" " They are in the waiting hall." " Should I send for them?" " No." "Just go." "Now." "What?" "Do not make me regret giving you free reign all these years." "Please, go!" "Augustin, at least speak with him." "This is ridiculous." "The son of a dragon slayer?" "The son of a banished knight?" "This is not a plan." "We have to consider all the options." "King Quilok is making an offer, no matter how unpleasant, that will save out people!" "And you are entertaining a fantasy." "His terms are extortion." "I have to think this through." "Nice place!" "Why am I being made to wait?" "Perhaps they're preparing appetizers." "You're a fool!" "Gabriel, last night we slept in a hole in the ground." "This is a palace." "I'm not too eager to leave." "Gentlemen, the King will see you now." "My daughter made you an offer on my behalf without my knowledge." "I knew she was a liar." "Careful!" "Can you do what my daughter says you can?" "Can you kill this dragon?" "It was my father who did that." "I'm not my father." "You didn't answer my question." "Do something!" "Well, dragon slayer, the dragon has returned." " That's too bad." " Do something!" "Do it yourself." "Gabriel, tell me now." "Can you destroy this beast?" "That doesn't really matter." "Yes, it does." "It matters to the people out there and that matters to me." "If you can kill this dragon, I will honor my daughter's promise." "The King's ransom for the dragon's head." " You can't possible consider..." " Be quiet!" "You have my word." "What say you?" "Come!" "Steady, there, steady..." "Go!" "Well done, my boy!" "Good shot!" "So..." "you finally got the smoke cloud to work." "When did you test it?" "I didn't." "It was far too dangerous." "I decided to let you test it for me." "Thank you!" "Let's have a talk with these two." "Your Majesties, judging by what I saw this afternoon," "I think we can say with certainty that neither I nor any other man can defeat this dragon" "You fought off the Fire Dragon today." "Can't be impossible." "No, he said he thought it impossible for any man to defeat this dragon." "Then why is Quilok's kingdom seemingly protected from the dragon?" "A dragon is the incarnation of malevolence." "It will attack and attempt to destroy anything and everything, except a Dracone." "The Dracone is the sphere we see between the dragon's eyes." "The Dracone is in fact a shell, the egg which holds the dragon's offspring." "Quilok must have a Dracone perched on top of his castle." "And how did Quilok come to get the Dracone?" "My father." "Gabriel's father killed an ice Dragon, cut the Dracone out of it." "He's the only man ever to have done so." "Every dragon is born female and carries with it a single Dracone for all of it's life." "Before a dragon dies, it will expel its Dracone, then the infant dragon emerges." "It learns quickly." "Within a few days, it can feed and fly." "Then it abandons its mother to die..." "Flies away." "The whole cycle begins again." "A fascinating lesson." "I'm sure the King would arrange a teaching position for you." "How do we kill it?" "As I said, we can't kill it." "But another dragon can." "Another dragon?" "!" "You can't trust Gabriel!" "We have no idea what he intends to do." "He will bring further destruction to us." "He's a liar, like his father!" "What do you mean by that?" "When his father was a knight to Quilok the First, it was no secret that he hated the prince." "Quilok the first held Alodor in very high regards, they were very close, having been through many difficult times together" "So, why was he banished?" "After the King died," "Alodor remained his head knight." "The young Quilok valued Alodor's experience, but the feeling was not mutual." "He questioned every decision the King made." "Alodor believed that he himself should be King." "Quilok had much patience with him, out of respect for the relationship he had with his father, but he was then told" "Alodor was going to attempt to overthrow the King." "Quilok then put a price on his head and Alodor fled, never to be heard from again." "He was a man without virtue, or morals." "Now, it seems, his son has able to sway you into trusting him the way his father swayed Quilok." "For your sake, I hope the apple falls miles from the tree." "You said what's on your mind, you can go now." "Wait, I'm coming with you." "I don't think so." "I order you to take me along." "I'm not a knight of your court just yet." "I don't take orders from you." "Sorry, Princess." "I think I should send both of you to charm school." "You know, my boy, if our plan doesn't work, we will only have put many more lives in peril." "Well, then let's hope there's a bit of my father's blood in me." "Wait for my signal." "When you're done, meet me back here." "Be careful, lad." "Good luck." "What do you want?" "I want you to stop treating me like I'm useless." "You again?" "What are you doing here?" "Helping you." "Now do you see I can keep up with you?" "I've tracked you down twice." "Helping me?" "You should stop telling me more lies." "Almost killing me isn't helping me." "I am as capable as any man..." "Please, I've heard it before." "But it seems nothing I could say would make you turn back." "At least you're learning." "Just stay close and try not to get yourself killed." "I'll try." "There, there, I'll be back soon." "Stay!" "Why are we stealing the Dracone now, instead of under the cover of night?" "There is a changing of the guards in the morning so it's when the Dracone is the least defended." "I'm going in alone." " I want to go with you." " I need you here." "It is the best place to spot you when I exit." "You'll then start the signal to Sangimel." "Inside is all you'll need for the signal." "How will you get inside?" "I grew up here." "I know this castle in all its shadows." "Be careful, there's Tree People everywhere!" "You know I can take care of myself." "Put down the Dracone and surrender your weapons!" "Paxian..." "Let go of me!" "You aren't in charge here, Princess." "I know you!" "You are the son of Alodor." "I recognize your amulet." "Does that mean you're gonna let me walk free?" "I'm afraid not." "I knew you couldn't be trusted." "How insightful of you." "You would have made a good queen." "Such a waste." "Why are you doing this?" "Augustin is weak." "His kingdom is run by laws, but no law can control the will of man." "All Quilok needed was a little help from a fiery friend." "You are responsible for the Fire Dragon?" "It wasn't hard to do." "The Fire Dragon was hibernating." "All I did was wake it from its sleep." "You are a murderer!" "Yes." "Finish her off." "No, no!" " What happened?" " Paxian." "He's been conspiring with Quilok to destroy my father, and they're using the dragon to help their cause." " Are you alright?" " I'm fine." "We need to get back to the castle, to warn my father." "That's one baby that doesn't give you motherly feeling inside." "What's that?" "Another one of Sangimel's inventions." "Given enough time, he can make almost anything." "What are you doing?" "Letting the ice Dragon know where to find us." "Are you sure about this?" "Perhaps we should take the Dracone back to Carpia." "If it protected Quilok, it will protect us." "Then the innocent people in his kingdom would be destroyed." "Is that what you want?" "You want to be like Quilok?" "As long as Sangimel's awoken it, this will bring it here." "Why?" "It senses one of its own kind in danger." "Once we endanger the Dracone, it sets changes and it sends out a distress signal." "The lce Dragon will follow it." "The dragons of different species can't abide one another." "When the ice Dragon sees the Fire Dragon, all hell will break loose." "But how can you be sure that the ice Dragon will defeat the Fire Dragon?" "Sangimel's seen them both." "He believes the ice Dragon to be more powerful." "Is he sure?" "That's not something you can measure." "But being more experienced," "I'd be more than happy to defer to him." "How did you allow this to happen?" "!" "We have lost our only protection!" "You have put our kingdom in jeopardy as well." "All right, this is very simple..." "Find Gabriel!" "Find him and kill him!" "Then bring me back the Dracone." "Do you think you can do that for me?" "Yes." "Or is the thought of killing your former Captain's son a difficult one?" "Yes." "Honesty." "I like that." "However, if you don't think that you can bring yourself to kill him, then kill yourself!" "It will make everything easier on the both of us." "Go!" "That should be enough." "Open the box." "The box is made of lead." "It should block any scent or sound the Dragon can pick up on." "Don't we want the Dragon to be able to find it?" "Not while we're holding it." "Right." "We just needed to draw the dragon to the general area." "Once here, she and the Fire Dragon will find each other." "Come, we have to move quickly." "Where are we going?" "There is an abandoned farm up ahead, where we can hide." "I can't find Luisa." "Did you ask her maid?" "She hasn't seen her since last night." "She wouldn't have gone out knowing the danger." "Wouldn't she?" "She's your daughter." "You are the one that told her she could behave like a man." "This is the price you are paying for letting her behave like a son, instead of the princess she should be!" "I would never tell her to risk her life." "No!" "She would do anything to prove to you that she's capable of being your heir!" "She must have followed Gabriel." "She's out there, in the midst of all this danger." "We'll have to wait." "They are too close." "What about the Dracone?" "They can't sense him in the lead box." "They will want to kill one another." "We are safer now." "T ry to get some rest." "You'll need it." "So your father always wanted a son?" "He wanted a child." "Your father?" "What did he want?" "He wanted his honour back." "My father changed after his dismissal." "Service to his kingdom was what defined him and without it he became more withdrawn." "He felt empty and ashamed, though he didn't need to." "He tried his best to keep it from me." "He still taught me everything he knew about being a knight." "But even without the title, I was the son of a knight, and I should behave as such." "May I ask how he died?" "I think he died for having no purpose." "He just sort of withered away" "He had you, I am sure that comforted him." "I guess that wasn't enough." "I think he would have been very proud to see you now." "We can go now." "Halt!" "We've been instructed to take you prisoners of King Quilok." "Lay down your weapons or we'll be forced to..." "You really want to take your shot?" "Good choice!" "Go back to your village." "Hello, Princess!" "We have to hurry back to the castle." "Oh, you're welcome!" "Princess!" "Princess!" "Princess?" "Princess?" "Your smartest move would be to turn round and ride home!" "You still have time to save your lives!" " Princess, are you all right?" " Yes." "Get out of here!" "That dragon will be back in a minute." " We're all going." " No, no, not without my horse." "No!" "Look!" "You go." "I'll hold them off for a while." "Go!" "Go!" "Bye, bye, my boy!" "My lord, if I may be blunt, I think we've made a terrible mistake." "Paxian, have you seen Luisa?" "I have no idea where she is." "Perhaps with her mother?" "It's not too late to accept King Quilok's offer." "Your Highness, wait!" "Stubborn oaf!" "Luisa!" "We've been worried sick!" "Are you all right?" "I see you found the Dracone." "Father, Paxian is a traitor." "He's been working with Quilok all along." "Paxian?" "Impossible!" "It's true." "He nearly killed your daughter." "Gabriel saved me." "He was just here, trying to convince me to give in to Quilock." "How could I've been so blind?" " I'll go and find him." " No." "You stay here, find a way to deal with these dragons." "I'll take care of him myself." "Send one of your sentries, don't go after him yourself." "He tried to kill my only child and he betrayed me." "No." "This is my battle." "Luisa, you cannot leave." "I cannot lie for you anymore." "Please, Luisa, don't put me in this position!" "It's my father." "I must go." "Please, don't tell my mother." "I must tell her." "I'll tell her, if you don't stop right now." "I have no choice." "And if you don't return?" "What it will happen to me?" "It will be on my head." "Please." "Don't tell my mother." "Things are bad enough already." "Do this for me!" "I trusted you!" "Spare me the 'how-could-you' monologue!" "Your routine became tiresome long ago." "How dare you?" "!" "You have always been a weak king." "How much strength does it takes to plan the murder of innocent people?" "You were bound to be destroyed at some point." "Why not by Quilok?" "I'm simply taking what I can." "It's been a while since I've killed a man, but this shouldn't be too hard." "You don't have the guts!" "I may sped hollo echo when I pierce your heart." "Finally!" "I'll meet you back at the palace to figure out how we'll get back the Dracone." "No!" "Father!" "Congratulations, Paxian, you've managed to destroy our entire plan." "Augustin may be dead, but the kingdom of Carpia is worth nothing with all the dragons attacking it." "Their kingdom will be destroyed and our kingdom will be next." "I promise you I will..." "Your promises are worthless." "I'll take care of it." "We made a deal: you were to get your share for getting me their kingdom." "Half of nothing is nothing." "It's nothing." "You have failed miserably." "You think you should be rewarded for that?" "Of course not." "But if Gabriel is able to defeat the ice Dragon, it will all be fine." "Who do you think you are, telling me what to worry about?" "!" "We need to get back the Dracone, that is your job." "And there is nothing in the world that will make me help Gabriel." " Nothing!" " Why do you hate him so much?" "On his death bed, my father told me that only by blood did I come by the throne." "If it were by merit, he would have given it to Alodor without hesitation." "You had a simple task:" "to conjure the Fire Dragon, so they would come to us for protection." "Where are we now?" "I can't believe that the son has turning up to be a bigger problem than the father." "How many Robin Hoods can one family produce?" "We don't even know if their plan will work." "Don't be so sure about that!" "Gabriel's father has killed an ice Dragon before and I'm sure that his son probably knows all of his little tricks." "I want you to go down there, kill him yourself and bring me back my Dracone!" "Myself?" "Pontiero!" "Yes, Your Highness." "T ake this... worm and track Gabriel." "Make no mistake." "You are worthless to me, if you fail again." "I will not leave until the King returns." "What is your plan?" "First we have to get the dragon away from the kingdom." "For her own safety, Luisa should stay here." "You should know by now that Luisa has a mind of her own." "She doesn't listen to anyone, but herself." "Mother?" "Where have you been?" "What happened?" "Where is your father?" "It took no time for the ice Dragon to sweep through our kingdom and drive a new fear into our people." "With Sangimel dead," "Gabriel had little chances succeeding on his own." "He had only a story told to him by his father of how to kill the beast." "With the pride of a true knight, he refused to show any fear or doubt as he began to put a plan into action." "I'm coming with you." "No, it's too dangerous." "I have to go." "My father is dead." "He's dead because I brought you here." "Because I convinced everyone to go along with this." "Because of me..." "Because your father is gone, is exactly why you and I must be strong." "Everybody is looking to us for decisions and guidance." "I want to go with him." "I need to." "Then, go!" "Let's go!" "We have to draw the dragon up to the mountain of salt." " What will you do?" " You'll see." "Come on!" "Stop right there!" "Hand over the Dracone and your lives will be spared." "How thoughtful!" "Pontiero, anytime you and your men are ready," "I'll be happy to watch our new friend die." "Pontiero, that was an order from King Quilok." "See, this man understands that if we don't defeat the dragon, we'll all die." "If we're gonna survive, we have to work together." "I think my position on that matter is pretty clear." "Yes, it is." "Just so you are clear on my position." "This is where I stand." "Return in side with your King." "Anyone who goes with them will be killed!" "T o hell with all of you." "You'll be dead in a few minutes,anyway!" "My apologies for not having lived up to the true spirit of a knight sooner." "I served under your father." "He was a good man." "And wrongly banished." "It was all a fabrication of Quilok." "I should have stood up for him then." "Thank you." "Do you know where we're going?" "To the salt mine." "Queen Remini, your kingdom is mine now!" "Really?" "I didn't hear that proclamation." "Do you think it was just bad luck that brought the Fire Dragon upon you?" "I'm not like my father, who was happy sitting around and keeping things the way they've been for hundreds of years." "A kingdom, if it's not growing, is dying." "You bastard!" "You did all this?" "!" "In moments, your last chance, your half knight will be dead!" "My kingdom will be the only safe haven for you and your people." "Do you really think we're just going to roll over and accept you as our king?" "Your naivety is only surpassed by your stupidity!" "Now get the hell out of here!" "I like a little bit of spirit in my queen, but everything within reason." "Make this easy on yourself." "Besides, you could have a younger man now." "Come to my..." "That was for my husband." "Stay with the soldiers." "They'll protect you." "And who will protect you?" "I'm going up there with you." "Just listen." "Stay here." "This will protect me." "If the dragon comes near, fire on it!" "Princess, our arrows do no good." "I don't care, we can't stand here and do nothing." "Is this what you're looking for?" "Of course." "The salt." "Salt melts ice." "Come and get it!" "Come and get it!" "What's happening?" "Go get him, quickly!" "I'm a representative of the King." "Let me pass and I promise you he will remember this favor." "No, no!" "How are you feeling?" "Alive." "You sound surprised." "I am." "Had I known you were so confident in your plan," "I don't think I would have been so eager to vouch for you." "Had I've known that any of us would survive," "I would have asked for more money." "I'm sorry about your father." " How's the Queen?" " She's a strong woman." "We've already begun rebuilding and joining the two kingdoms." "Both will be richer and more secure than ever before." "Good." "The doctor says it will take some time for you to heal completely." "Yes, but I should be able to ride within a couple of days." "I don't wish to overstay my welcome." "You're welcome has no limit here." "It's a beautiful kingdom." "Worth saving." "And its people." "Especially its people." "This is a sad day for our kingdom." "But it is also a hopeful one." "Gabriel, you are exactly the kind of knight" "I wish to have leading my court." "I hope you've decided to accept." "It would be my great honor." "And my first request as Head Knight would be to ask knight Pontiero to join us." "We could use a knight with some real experience." "It would be my honor." "Congratulations!" "If I may say so, you look different." "I hope that's a good thing." "I would say yes." "I guess I had a couple of these in my closet after all." "T oday they seemed more appropriate than my riding boots." "You look perfect." "That's not to say I won't be riding." "Of course not!" "And I suppose I would be taking orders from you from now on." "It's about time." "Once news of Gabriel's success spread," "life as we had known it slowly returned to Carpia, the dragons were gone," "Quilok was gone, and we began rebuilding both kingdoms into one land without fear of either kind of beast." "My mother filled my father's shoes with grace and dignity and ruled with the same fair hand that he had ruled with." "As for me, she never stopped trying to arrange every detail of my future the way she wanted it." "Only this time for once my mother and I agreed." "What do you think of those two?" " May I speak freely?" " Always." "I think they are both incredible stubborn and incredible brave." "Two qualities necessary to survive marriage." "I feel as like my mother is watching us." "Yes." "What does she expect to see?" "It's like every time I'm sitting with a young man she wants me to kiss him, right then and there." "Every time?" "How many men have you been inviting over?" "Don't start!" "I didn't." "You did." "T o the valiant men and women who've helped save our people, both those who are among us and those who now occupy our memories." "T o Sangimel, without whom we'd be truly not be here." "T o our King." "T o my King, who will always be our guiding light down the road we now travel upon, without him."