"You remember the plan, right? When he falls asleep, you get the key from my cage and set me free," Zora uttered, working quickly.
"Of course, and then we will tie this to the fence and escape," Anna said.
Once they hid the rope under a collection of furs, the two girls glanced at each other nervous.
"This is it?" Anna gulped.
"You will be able to get the key from his keychain, right?" Zora addressed Anna. Her friend looked around, antsy. "Yes. And what about your fear of heights? Will you be able to climb down, right?"
The blond princess faked a smile, promptly shaking her head up and down. She was not fooling anyone.
The heavy doors opened and slammed right after. The dragon threw a net filled with shiny metal armors.
"She wolf! Human princess!" he roared, seemingly in a good mood.
The two girls quickly came to the entrance to greet him.
"Is my meal ready?"
"Yes, my Dragoness," Zora said softly.
"Did you polish those golden trays like I told you?" he shouted.
The princesses nodded. "We have, my dragon lord," Anna said.
The dragon hummed, unconvinced. "I will check. Meanwhile, I brought you a new treasure to clean," he ordered.
"All right," they whispered obediently.
"Do well, and maybe I won't roast you. For now at least," he announced and laughed out loud, with spark coming out of his open mouth. The dragon stepped awkwardly towards another room, the entrance of which was adorned with a multitude of jeweled goblets that hung from gold swings. His clawed legs stomped across the stone floor as his wings trailed behind him. As soon as the dragon left the room, the princesses let out a long frustrated moan.
"I cannot wait to get out of here," Anna mumbled. "This manual labor will be the death of me." Zora shushed her. The dragon was already at the other side of the large construction, enjoying his meal.
They turned to the net with the precious items.
"This should not be that difficult. Most of it is nicely polished knight's armor," Anna said, taking a better look.
Sounds of fallen goblets came from the hallway, startling them both.
"Maidens! Maidens! Pick up these cups. I knocked them down again," shouted the dragon.
Anna rolled her eyes. "I swear, he is doing this on purpose, just so that we have more work to do." Zora exhaled, equally frustrated. "I know, but please try not to antagonize him now. Not when we are so close," she whispered into her ear. Her friend nodded. Glancing at each other for support, they took a deep breath and hurried out of the room. Shortly afterwards, the net moved as metal clang to metal. Aidan emerged from the pile, wearing a full armor.
The prince looked around, relived. "Everything went as planned. Who would have thought that someone would hide in the equipment of fallen warriors. The dragon did not suspect a thing," Aidan whispered, boastful.
Chirp squeezed his way out of the gap in the prince's collar. "Chirp! Chirp! You bet. Didn't I tell you birds are smart?" the little creature bragged.
"I apologize for ever doubting you" Aidan said, bowing graciously. The young man pointed to the hallway, "The girls we heard a while ago were the princesses, one of which was my Zora."
"I see. Chirp! But how did you know they were still alive?" the small bird said, flapping his wings.
"I didn't. But I knew she would make an effort to stay alive as long as possible. She is also very smart. This is not the first predicament she found herself in."
"Oh," Chirp uttered, tilting his head.
"I cannot wait to tell her about you and your power of speech," the prince said excited.
The little bird chirped, flying around hysterically, "No! You cannot tell anyone! Chirp, chirp! "
"Why?" The prince was confused.
"That is how the spell works. Only the person I am connected to can understand me."
Aidan raised his eyebrow. "Alright... Is that why you pecked my ear? To plant the spell? But why cannot I tell others that I understand you?"
"Chirp! Because if you do, I will die instantly and your ears will explode, leaving you deaf and bloody," the bird declared.
The prince gulped, touching his still sore white lobes. "In that case, it's better that she doesn't even know about you. It will be suspicious why I am suddenly walking around with a bird by my side."
"Chirp! Fair enough," Chirp declared.
In the other room, Zora raised her head and stopped. Anna looked at her confused.
"What's wrong?" she said.
Zora shushed her, leaning towards the entrance. "I think I heard someone."
Anna scoffed. "Oh that's just the dragon. He is a very sloppy eater," she added disgusted. Still, Zora was not convinced. She tiptoed to the room with the gold and took a peak. Her heart pounded, hearing a familiar voice. She clapped from joy, running back to Anna. Her friend blinked in shock as the princess pulled her without explaining why.
Meanwhile, Aidan heard light female footsteps echoing from the hallway, moving in their direction.
"That's her. Hide quickly. I'll surprise her," the prince said with a happy grin. The bird chirped obediently and went into his shirt. Aidan, hid behind the door. The princess entered, searching for him. Confused, she looked at the net a little better.
"Anything I can help you with, my lady," his voice was heard as his shiny hair peered behind the tapestry.
The princess squeaked, covering her mouth. They ran into each other's arms. He held her up, spinning her in the air before they kissed.
"Darling, how did you end up here?" she could barely keep herself from crying.
"What do you mean? I am your prince. It is my duty to save you," he replied with a debonair smile.
Anna quickly arrived. Her eyes widened in shock, seeing the sight of the prince in armor.
"Unbelievable. You were right Zora. He did come?" she uttered in shock.
"Told you," Zora smiled, holding her husband tight.
"How? How did you manage to get here in one piece?" Anna asked.
"Almost effortlessly, my Lady. I simply outsmarted the monster," the prince boasted.
"You do not know how glad I am to see you. I cannot believe you managed to climb all the way here. You are truly special!" she told him pressing her face on his chest, almost crying from joy.
Aidan gently stroked her hair, finding her words puzzling.
Anna crossed her arms, looking away awkwardly.
The princess's radiant face turned pale, hearing the dragon approach the room. As they hurried to the entrance, Aidan hid in the net again.
The winged reptile entered, sniffing the air. His nostrils widened, with smoke coming out of his mouth. "I thought I heard a man's voice!" he said, looking around suspicious.