«It’s really interesting to find out if dragons exist.»
«I’m curious, too,» Dandy admitted. «I’ve never seen one up close. Besides, if our plan succeeds, you’ll make me chief minister.»
«I didn’t promise that!»
«If you ride the dragon, you’ll probably want to thank me.»
«I’m a little scared.»
«Don’t be. You’re the ruler of an entire country, not a pussycat. It is for the good of your people, you must always be prepared to sacrifice yourself to dragons and burn alive.»
«That’s not in the king’s oath!»
«But just in case, say it to the people and you will be loved and respected. And when the time comes to burn in the dragon’s flames, you can either be scared and run away, or conspire with the dragon.»
Dandy proved to be a shrewd politician. And what misfortune would come of consorting with him? But she really wanted to see a real dragon from afar. Besides, a trip to the mountains costs nothing. It’s only half a day’s journey. No one at the castle would notice her absence. After all, the queen is unsociable. And when she comes to the council, disasters happen. So it’s best for everyone to assume she never leaves her chambers.
A trip to the mountains
It is quite unusual to steal a carriage from yourself. Rosamunda felt like a stranger in her own carriage. Dandy chose the most luxurious carriage, drawn by six horses, and drove it along an unremarkable bumpy road. The wheels stuck in the mud. The gilded walls with coats of arms were scratched by boulders and iron-sharp branches. The path was very narrow. It was a wonder how the carriage had not yet gotten stuck or crashed on it. There was a cliff below the mountain path on which they had turned. Behind them, the chase was already under way.
Rosamunda turned to the rear window of the carriage and glared at her own guards like a thief. They did not know, of course, that the stolen carriage was carrying the queen herself. So far, Dandy had easily managed to evade the guards. But his luck might change one day.
Rosamunda regretted again that she had not befriended the winged lizard on the column, but the cunning weasel who now sat in the coachman’s seat. How had he ever managed to convince her that she alone could cope with a dragon by the power of her feminine charms? What if he was leading her into a trap? There could be bands of bandits hiding in the mountains besides the dragon. Shouldn’t she call the guards? But something was holding her back. It was a curiosity, perhaps.
«Something tells me that the dragon is not so easy to negotiate with,» Rosamunda thought aloud. Dandy, strangely enough, heard her, despite the rumble of the wheels, and answered:
«And you don’t listen to the promptings of reason! You must be lucky!»
Well said! No speaker of the council could have convinced her of such absurdities as Dandy had already convinced her of. There’s a reason he’s a supernatural being and not a man. His intelligence and cunning are of the highest order! Humans are far from him. They don’t know how to compel others to do whatever they want. But Dandy did. No matter how silly his assurances sounded, she wanted to give in to them.
«How did you persuade the guards to let you into the king’s castle?» Rosamunda wondered.
«I didn’t,» Dandy chuckled softly.
«Then where did you come from? From a secret underground passage that no one knows about.»
«Easier! It was right from under your feet. There was a crevice in the floor. Remember?»
«But it must lead straight down into the earth.»
«I see you’ve never heard of the Underworld and its inhabitants.»
He’s got a point. No one had ever told her anything like that before. Dandy swerved so sharply around corners that Rosamunda was thrown from side to side. It was a blessing that inside the carriage was covered with soft velvet and plenty of cushions. Otherwise the queen would have been bruised. She should have been more careful in choosing a coachman. Or better yet, she should have stayed out of adventures, so she wouldn’t need a coachman today.
«Did that lizard on the column crawl into the castle with you?»
«No,» Dandy’s voice echoed hoarsely from the goat. You could barely make out the words. «The little dragon had crawled out of Rhiannon’s jewelry box. All of her former jewels eventually turn into such creatures.»
«Who’s Rhiannon?»
«Don’t you know?» Dandy was surprised.
«There is no such name among my ladies of the court. Is it the name of some new maid of honor who came from the provinces?»
A snide laugh came from the goat.
«You are a fool, my queen.»
«I don’t understand you!»
What does he think of himself! Or she didn’t hear him well over the clattering of wheels on stones.
«Rhiannon is lady of all demons, fairies and dark forces. She is Queen of Hell. Her consort is the chief of the evil spirits. So she’s allowed to do anything.
«She could bring a box of strange creatures into my castle?»
«It was a box of jewelry that could probably come to life and turn into something like what you saw,» Dandy corrected her.
«And how did that box get into my castle? I didn’t even see it, by the way.»
There was a scratching sound. Dandy wanted to scratch the back of his head with his claw, but accidentally scratched the edge of the roof of the carriage, and scratched the metal jewelry.
Rosamunda’s question first perplexed him.
«Probably, the box was accidentally brought by someone who passed into your castle through magical portals, or some magical creature who stole it and under the guise of a guest took refuge in your castle. But in this case, angry demons would have already come for the stolen goods and torn the whole kingdom to pieces. So most likely the box came to you with some unusual message.»
Rosamunda bit her tongue, remembering the letters from an unknown and nameless admirer who jokingly called himself a dragon.
Dandy swerved so many times that he managed to confuse the guards who were catching up with them. The defenders of the king’s property had to break into small groups to cordon off the surrounding roads. Some fell into ravines and gullies that happened to be on the way. But a number of guards pursued the carriage relentlessly.
«We’re being chased!» Dandy warned. As if she hadn’t seen it herself? The square rear window gave a good view of the road behind. There were seven pursuers. They all were from the royal guard. How did Dandy manage to get the carriage out from under their noses!
«You can stop them.»
«Is it me?!» Rosamunda almost fell off her seat. On the one hand she was astonished, on the other the carriage jumped over a bump.
«Of course you are! I’m not! You’re the witch.»
«Don’t call me names!» Rosamunda clenched her fists in frustration. No one had ever called her that before, even in a fit of rage. But Dandy is probably not familiar with court etiquette.
«All you have to do is get mad at them to hold them off,» the clawed coachman admonished.
«I don’t think that’s likely. Otherwise, my anger would have broken the enemy troops and burned the dragon. And I wouldn’t have to go anywhere now,» Rosamunda decided judiciously.
«Turn around and get angry!» Dandy insisted.
«Like this! Is it on order?»
