The Cursed Prince

"What does a dragon eat? Harlow asked herself. Then she turned to Louis, the much older boy and asked for his opinion. "Do you know?"

"I think dragons eat meat," Louis replied. 

Uf.. But some animals eat plants, like horses…" Harlow bit her lip, feeling distraught.

. Her father had finally allowed her to keep her dragon if Harlow promised to care for it, including, getting its food. If a dragon ate grass, like horses or cows, it would be so much easier for Harlow. She would just bring her dragon to a green pasture and let it graze on the grass.

However, if the dragon did eat meat…. then, how much meat must she prepare every day for the dragon?

She would feel so full if she ate a plate of meat, but her body was much smaller than her dragon. So… how much meat must she prepare for the majestic animal?

"Well... I think you can hunt for animals in the forest to feed your dragon," Louis gave a suggestion. "One deer should be enough."

"Deer?"

Harlow furrowed her brows. She knew Louis was right, but how would she get a deer by herself? Should she hunt? How?

***

"There we go, Your Highness. Steady, I'm sure you'll do great." Gewen proudly watched the young princess hold a hunting bow and took out an arrow from her quiver. Princess Harlow looked adorable in her coat with the bag of arrows strapped on her shoulder.

The two of them were currently in the forest and had already gone through the step-by-step process of taking an arrow and then striking against and then killing a moving animal. 

When they did it in the castle, Harlow had a lot of fun. There were target practices for her, but right now, Harlow's heart started pounding. Her gaze searched through the thick and lush forest as she searched for her prey. 

"Are we really going to have to kill a deer, Uncle Gewen?"

"Well, you do need to feed your dragon just like you promised your father, didn't you, Your Highness?" Gewen told the child as patiently as he could. He could understand the visible hesitation on her face.

"And a princess always keeps her words," Princess Harlow added with a grim determination on her face. 

She promised to do something and now she was expected to live up to it. Finally, Gewen lifted a finger and gestured out to the woods.

The greatest archer in Draec had already seen the young female doe already, but he now motioned to Harlow so she could see it. The princess gulped nervously for a moment, pulling the strings on her bow, and then finally released her arrow.

It shot through the air and hit the deer in its stomach. Harlow's eyes widened in shock but then the deer started to dart away, even with an arrow in its stomach. She watched for a moment in surprise, but after noticing her hesitation, Gewen finally hit the deer in the head and watched it fall over.

"Phew, glad we didn't lose it, right, Your Highness," Gewen said and then looked down to check on the princess.

Harlow looked a bit teary-eyed but then nodded her head. "Yes…"

"Ahhh, I know it's a bit difficult killing something for the first time," Gewen gently said. "However, that is how the world works, Princess. The people and creatures who are on top of the food chain will always have to use their strength and overpower those weaker than them."

"What about my father, though?" Princess Harlow pointed out. "If the king is the most powerful person in Draec then why is he taking care of his people? It means that even someone in power must do something that'll benefit everyone, right?"

Gewen batted his eyes, but nodded at the wise words of the young child. She was really mature for her age and it made him smile.

"You are also correct, Your Highness. When a person is at the top, it is true that they can also extend their help to others… but usually, they only help those who they consider a part of their group. Whether it's your family, relatives, or even something bigger like a kingdom," he said.

"Isn't there a lot of people who'll do good just because it's good?" Princess Harlow batted her eyes.

"Hmmm… that's actually really rare. It means that this person is upstanding." Gewen rubbed his chin. "Well, I may be wrong. Usually, a person can do good as long as it doesn't affect him or her negatively. But if doing something good would mean they have to suffer for it, I don't think people would want to do it."

"I think you are wrong, Uncle Gewen. I read about a nice story about someone who did good things even though it would cost him dearly," Harlow insisted. "It's the story about the 7th Prince of Cretea who brought the gift of magic to everyone here in our world. He didn't have to do it, but he still did. And he was even punished for it."

"Well, a lot of the actions that we do tend to have consequences, Your Highness," Gewen said. "It's best that we always keep that in mind whenever we do something."

Harlow eventually glanced at the fallen deer with a sad look in her eyes. "Like how I need to learn how to hunt? Because I know that I have to feed Icecube since I wanted to keep him…"

"Ah, your father expects a lot from you," Gewen laughed a little. 

Normally, Gewen wouldn't have let his daughters actually take up a bow and string because he usually saw them as his delicate little fairies, but Mars wanted his daughter to be strong and fiercely independent.

"I just have to prove that I can take care of my dragon," Harlow said as she and Gewen walked towards the fallen deer. Luckily, Gewen ended its suffering fast after a direct hit against the head.

"He wants to teach you how to be responsible," Gewen commented.

"I know…"

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This is the 3rd chapter of the mass release ^^