The Cursed Prince

The nights in the elven realm were exceptionally cold. Fortunately, both Harlow and Julian managed to collect dry branches, leaves, and other items for firewood.

The princess was also fortunate to have a lot of supplies. On Icecube's back, she had a big bag filled with stuff she needed on her journey. She brought some from home and bought the rest on the way.

Yes, she could hunt for food, but she needed to have some stuff in case she cannot eat the animals hunted by Icecube. So, she had dried meat, hard bread, spices and flint for cooking, a knife and a sword, in addition to her bow and arrows.

The money she may have taken from her castle when she left Draec only lasted her all the way to Mount Tempest. By the time she reached the kingdom of Myreen she barely had money left.

King Alexander was so generous and understanding when Harlow came to visit. He provided her with extra gold coins when she left, but her funds were dwindling faster than ever.

The truth of the situation was that Harlow wasn't that well-versed in languages. She knew her mother's language but the marketplaces she encountered weren't usually too willing to haggle with foreigners.

"I may have been charged too exorbitantly by the merchants," Harlow muttered to herself in a complaint when she checked her bag of supplies. Icecube was nestled against the fireplace and kept the fire from blowing out with his big body. If she didn't have Icecube with her, the wind might have already snuffed out the bonfire she created.

However, Icecube wasn't actually the perfect one to sleep with at all because the ice dragon was naturally cold. It was a struggle before when Harlow flew off. So, one of the first things that Harlow bought was a sleeping bag.

The princess arranged the sleeping bag near the fireplace and then hooked her items close to Icecube. Harlow gave the dragon a stern look and warned him. 

"Icecube, I know that you like the man, but if he comes here trying to steal anything from my bag… blast him with ice and turn him into a statue okay?" Harlow said.

Icecube looked attentively at Harlow and blew a couple of snowflakes at her when he snorted. The ice dragon seemed to have a completely different perspective than Harlow about the adventurer and it grated slightly on her nerves.

"Oh come on, what did he do to you? What leg did he rub? Tell me!" Harlow pouted and gently touched Icecube's snout. "You wouldn't replace me for him, would you? Who was the one who took care of you? Who have learned hunting so she could feed you good food from many years ago?"

If dragons could laugh, perhaps Icecube would have already laughed at the silly question, but the ice dragon gently nodded its head and nudged Harlow happily.

Of course, he didn't forget that it was the princess who strove hard every day to feed him delicious meat. Yummy.

"Yes, remember the one who takes care of you." Harlow smugly said, satisfied about her dragon's loyalty sticking with her and not that stupid Julian.

The princess was unaware that even while inside its egg before they hatched, a dragon tended to have a good memory. So, Icecube actually still vividly remembered his life before he had met Harlow.

Someone else also had cared for him since he was still an egg and raised him until he was ten years old and was sent to Draec.

Well… not that the dragon could effectively communicate that. Icecube just snuffed another snowflake and rubbed his cold snout on Harlow's shoulder.

The princess was happy with the affection shown by her dragon.

"Speaking of Julian…" Harlow flushed slightly in anger when she remembered the presumptuous man speaking about sharing a camp with him. Tsk.

In Draec, all of their citizens and people loved and adored their Crown Princess. They respected her and treated her with reverence on the occasions that she mingled with the common folk.

The people that got on Harlow's nerves were foreigners, those who came after her because they heard rumors about her beauty, personality, or wits that attracted them to take her on as a wife. 

Not to mention the associated wealth of Draec naturally. It was common knowledge that any man who could marry the crown princess would become entitled to the kingdom's wealth and power.

Those kinds of people did not look at Harlow as a person or individual, but what the Crown Princess of Draec, the Adventuring Princess, could offer to them.

It was so annoying because Harlow knew that those men could not give her the kind of love that she longed for. Something like the fairytale between her mother and father.

She idolized her parents, especially her father and she wished to only marry a man who could be comparable to King  Mars Strongmoor. However, her father was so great.  Any man couldn't hold a candle to him.

Harlow looked around in the darkness and couldn't see the adventurer. The night was especially dark because the moon was hidden behind the clouds and her only source of light was the campfire that Julian helped her make earlier.

But now he was gone. Even his shadow was nowhere to be found.

"Did he actually find a place far away from me? I can't even see his camp fire," Harlow muttered to herself and noticed Icecube looking at her with a pointed stare. 

'You're looking for him?' That was what Icecube seemed to be saying based on his look.

The princess huffed at her ice dragon and crossed her arms. "What? I'm only on guard because he might appear out of nowhere. I don't trust him at all, Icecube. So, we better be wary."

Icecube didn't believe any excuses that Harlow was giving.

Beneath all of the tough exterior and the adventurous spirit of the princess, Harlow was actually a very kind person. She would never admit it aloud for herself but she was worried about Julian.

This place was in the middle of nowhere, a barren wasteland. What if something dangerous was lurking in the dark? Did something happen to the man?

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From Missrealitybites:

Of course, Icecube remember the person who hatched him and raised him before he was sent to Draec ^^