Balder’s great jaws, half the length of a man, creaked open with a lazy yawn. Gleaming teeth, white as his scales, rested in a maw of off-white and pink. A single curved claw swept the sleep from his eyes and he yawned a second time. The ivory dragon stood to his full height, rolling the stiffness from his joints, and stretched his wings as far as they could go.

“Another day of hiding in the shadows,” he muttered to himself. The ground shook as Balder bounded across the landscape, gracefully weaving in between titanic trees despite his great size. He exploded into the air, clearing the green expanse with a single, earth-shaking leap. Air bent and buckled under a few strong wing flaps before the limbs went at ease, holding him aloft.

Balder rose high on a thermal and his eyes caught on the distant capital. He soared over the fields at speeds that put most other creatures to shame and to many the trip would be pleasant, exhilarating. For Balder, it had been the same routine for the last fifteen years. Soon open plains turned into farmland, and as was his pattern, Balder rose up into the clouds and out of human sight. His pale scales weren’t of much use in the forest, but in the sky Balder was invisible.

He glided calmly through the clouds for a time until the king’s castle was right underneath him. Balder banked, softly at first and then steeper and steeper. His descent was swift and took him silently into the shadow of the castle. Hidden thus, Balder was safe to land without causing an uproar. It was his usual spot: an unused meadow not far from the walls. Beyond the human range of detection, Balder made his final preparations.

It was just like every other day for the past decade and a half. Balder would change his shape, as he was doing now, and sneak into the castle just in case today would finally be the day. Briefly, he felt guilt at the boredom threatening to swallow his mind. It was his hope, his plan, after all that these peaceful people would find themselves facing a dire threat. The kind a dragon could face and defeat—a chance to prove his worth, to prove dragons’ worth, to the kingdom.

People were terrified of dragons as terrible beasts, bringing knights and armies to bear whenever one was sighted in human lands. In his mere hundred and twenty something years of existence, Balder had seen terrible, wanton violence between his kin and human kind. It took a platoon of trained humans to slay a single healthy dragon, but the humans had the numbers to spare and the drive to keep trying. One heroic deed, Balder thought, And I can finally start to patch things up. His transformation into a common field mouse done, Balder bolted across the fields.

…

Sigrun hurried through the stone halls, cursing the first man to tailor a dress to the deepest pit of Hell. She had already tossed her heels but the princess still could not lose her pursuer. Lord Sigurd may have been a brute and fool but Sigrun had to give him points for determination. Or she would if he wasn’t currently trying to ‘woo’ her. Apparently the kick to the shins from earlier had only enticed the foreign warrior.

“Oh, to Hell with it!” Sigrun hissed before gripping her dress. The exquisite fabric, shining green and gold, tore easily underneath her fingernails. The sudden break in resistance was almost staggering without the dress dragging across the ground or catching the wind like an elaborate, emerald kite. Sigrun haphazardly tossed the shredded cloth behind her and grinned as she heard cursing from a familiar accent. Sounds like she had nailed Sigurd right in the face. A loud crash echoed from behind her as chain mail met stone floor.

“Come back here girl!” Sigurd roared. Sigrun raced through the nearest door instead.

She masterfully weaved around startled servants until finally reaching her haven. Sigrun burst into the garden with a flourish and dashed to the flower bushes, a pain-staking array of roses that pushed to and fro beneath her. She immediately collapsed in exhaustion, hidden among the vegetation. Curse you Father, she thought, Too desperate for an heir to heed your true flesh and blood! Absently, she stroked a nearby mouse to soother her temper, eliciting a small squeak of pleasant surprise from the little creature.

“Found you, you wily witch!” The princess started but a gloved hand shoved her to the ground. Then Sigrun was painfully hoisted back into the air by her crimson hair and came eye to eye with Sigurd’s harsh, square face.  She glared at his smug expression with dark eyes but it only seemed to amuse him. “I enjoy a good hunt, princess, But it’s been all but decided. You. Are. Mine.” She struggled but his grip was all steel. He leaned in close, body brushing hers when a sudden roar whipped cloth and jerkin alike, shaking the very earth beneath their feet, and the two broke apart. Sigrun caught sight of something large and white come between her and Sigurd before everything went black.

…

Balder couldn’t help but grin, an innocent flash of teeth that would rattle the hearts of lesser men. His chance had finally come! It was not quite the showdown he had imagined, just a flick of his tail he had sent the boorish human male flying, but Balder could live with that. He scooped the fallen princess into his talons with more care than he would show the youngest hatchling; it was far too dangerous for her here. He briefly considered placing her in his jaws—it would be secure—but he decided that might give any witnesses the wrong idea. He would take her to his home, explain the situation and dragons and humans would be one step closer to getting along! I just hope she’s okay, he thought, why one earth did she faint like that? A sudden alarm broke Balder from his reverie. “Oops,” he muttered in dragon-tongue. “Better get going before things get misunderstood.” In hindsight perhaps the triumphant roar had been a bad idea. Without further ado, Balder shot into the sky at a speed to color the wind green with envy.

Balder heard a symphony of angry shouts from below and a pang of worry struck his heart. He sure hoped the man hadn’t been anyone important. Of course not, he assured himself. A male of proper birth would never treat a female so foully. An early lesson from his pilfered collection of human books—the little creatures sure did like pictures. The young dragon pushed his wings to rise high into the sky but kept well below the clouds, lest the princess die from the thin air. Balder’s excitement carried him back to his humble forest abode in record time.

He executed a cautious, two-legged landing before beginning a clumsy trek to his home beyond the trees. Why on earth do humans walk like this? It’s so awkward! However no amount of complaining would move the princess from his forelegs. Were she awake, she could perhaps hold onto his back, but Balder had a feeling the humans wouldn’t accept, “But she slipped, honest!”

After much time and trouble, Balder finally navigated his way back to his cave and happily laid the princess on the soft grass. “I should have a blanket around here somewhere,” he mumbled under his breath. Balder slipped inside the cave for a moment, audibly searching through his horde with loud clanking sounds.