Writer? -- The Dragon turned to look at me now, a big smile lit up his face. -- I thought you’d never come back.

Here I am, just as I promised the Princess I would be.

You promised you would be back in ten years... it’s been fifteen!

I know. I thought it would be good to let a few extra years go by. Last time I came she was so busy!

There was a long silence.

What’s going on? What happened? Why do you live so far away now? What about Prince Charming? What about the children?

The children aren’t children anymore -- said the Dragon in a very serious tone. -- Yara is married now and living with her husband in another land. Bono is traveling far away looking for adventure and Gotz is studying abroad.

What about Prince Charming?

They separated.

Why?

The Prince changed... he didn’t treat the Princess well and they grew apart. She wasn’t happy living with him anymore.

When did all this happen?

They were already having problems the first time you came to visit.

What? Why didn’t the Princess mention any of this?

I don’t know. She was trying to save her marriage, hoping that everything would change and things would be just like before. She didn’t want to say anything until she tried everything.

How long ago did they separate?

Five years.

What? She waited ten years? Ten years trying to make things work? Ten years waiting for things to change?

It was my fault, Writer -- he moaned. -- I would tell her that she had to give it a try. How would we survive if we left the Prince? I told her we didn’t have anything, that we couldn’t live without him.

I’m not surprised about you saying those things. You are the Dragon of Fear after all.... but the fact that she actually listened to you?

The Prince also did his part; he would always say that without him we were nothing, that if he wasn’t around we wouldn’t make it. He made the Princess feel useless... and I would tell her that if she left the Prince, her children would never forgive her.

And why would you say that to her?

The Prince used me, Writer. He used the Princess’ fear. I wasn’t only thinking about my own fears, but I was also carrying the fear that the Prince passed on to me. I started thinking things that would never have occurred to me before.

And you spent ten years like that?

Yes, ten whole years! But one day, the Princess was cleaning the Prince’s bedroom and she found a small chest with a big padlock. She didn’t know what it was but when she was about to put it away, a bee flew in through the window and stung her.

The Bee of Desire and Curiosity!