The Dragon Prince, evidently disturbed by this spectacle, abruptly made up his mind. He wheeled and came directly in on a strafing run. He sent out a blast of flame that singed the Princess's lovely tresses as it passed over her, but bathed the standing mercenaries in fire. In a moment they were roasted, as it were, in the shells of their armor.

The Princess, perturbed by the smell, got up and tried to leave the scene. But the smoking bodies were all around her. So she leaped off the escarpment. "Catch me, O my beloved!" she cried as she fell toward the churning sea below. "My hair is burnt, but my flesh is not; I remain excellent eating, I'm sure, and if not, then you can drop me in the heaving sea and seek another princess."

The dragon maneuvered expertly and swooped down to catch her in his great jaws. But he did not crunch her in half, perhaps because at least one of the pieces would have fallen into the water. He carried her unharmed into the sky. There was a small dark cloud present, but the wind was wrong and the storm was unable to present any difficulties. The cloud seemed oddly perturbed at that. He bore her away to a distant isle, and there he landed and set her gently down.

"I am glad they did not get you," she said. "For I love you, whatever your form, and would not have you suffer."

"I cannot eat you now," the Dragon Prince said with a certain regret.

"But why not, O my love?" she inquired.

"Because you have lost your innocence. I must consume an innocent maiden princess to complete my rite of passage."

"But what did I do?" she cried, distraught.

"You betrayed your father's ambush."

"But they would have hurt you!" she protested.

"Undoubtedly. But a true innocent would not have betrayed them to an enemy."

She hung her head, ashamed. "You must be right, for I feel dirtied. Yet I fear I would do it again, given opportunity, for my love for you will not be denied. I am sorry I failed you in this; I had wanted so much to be pristine for you."

"Perhaps it is for the best," he said philosophically. "For I had already come to the conclusion that I could not eat you, and in that I betrayed my own trust."

"You could not? Why?"

"Because I love you as you love me. Now I dare not show my snoot back in Dragonland, for I have shown myself to be unworthy of my calling."

"I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically. "Now we both are in trouble, for surely I can not return to my kingdom after this. Whatever shall we do?"

"I think there is no help for it but that we marry and settle down to live happily ever after," he said with regret.