Storytime Blog Hop July 2026 - Happily Ever After

Hello friends! Welcome to my newest blog hop, enjoy! And don't forget to read the other short stories linked at the bottom <3

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All her life, Princess Dulcinea had been told to take her position seriously. She was to learn the way of the courts, study enough to be a good conversationalist for her future husband, and act as a dignified and grateful queen when the time came. Learning to fight like a knight was not on the agenda, and yet, Dulcinea found herself more at home with a bow and arrow and the armory than flirting behind a pretty fan at the castle.

Unfortunately, the princess had been taken quite off guard during her afternoon ride that day and, caught without a weapon, was quickly whisked off to who-knew-where by a dragon.

She screamed the whole way, thrashing and kicking to try and loose herself from the dragon’s grasp. But the creature barely acknowledged her, and after about an hour, Dulcinea’s voice was raw, and she went limp in the dragon’s claws.

Eventually, the creature descended over the vast expanse of the mountains, and Dulcinea watched as a large waterfall, bigger than any she’d ever seen, came into view. She gasped as the dragon flew straight for the water and was surprised when the pair broke through the downpour into a large cave, naturally set into the rocks behind the waterfall.

The creature dropped to the ground, and released Dulcinea, who stumbled a bit as she tried to gather herself and turn to the monster who had kidnapped her.

Dulcinea screamed again or at least tried to. The noise that came out of her mouth was far from a mighty battle cry, and she clutched her throat as if a frog was trying to escape. She tried again, to say something, anything, but the squeaks that came out were less that intimidating.

The dragon, a large, green beast with purple eyes, a long swan’s neck and enormous, leathery wings, watched Dulcinea closely. It tilted its head as she tried to speak, as if it was regarding her closely, deciding something. But Dulcinea knew that dragons were nothing more than large predators, and there was no way it could be contemplating her fate so casually. That would mean it was intelligent, and Dulcinea knew dragons were not intelligent.

“I really can’t understand a word you’re saying,” the creature suddenly spoke, voice velvety and smooth, and Dulcinea felt her world slip away.

 

When the princess awoke, she shot straight up and looked around frantically. She was still in a cave, and there was still a dragon guarding the entrance to said cave, but at least she was alive for now.

However, as Dulcinea began to recall the events of the day, she landed on some fantastic dream in which the dragon had spoken to her. But… that was impossible, dragons didn’t speak.

“Ahhh, you’re awake,” the dragon picked its head up to look right at the princess.

Dulcinea almost felt as if she was going to faint again. But this time, she simply gulped and steeled herself to speak with the beast.

“What do you want with me?” she landed on.

The dragon tilted its large head again. “Right to the questions. I thought maybe you’d pass out again. Glad to see you didn’t,” it spoke, and Dulcinea was surprised to realize that the dragon was female.

“I’ll ask again, what do you want with me?” the princess repeated.

“Right to the point… look, I’m not some big and bad dragon like everyone thinks,” she explained. “I eat sheep and deer and pigs and, well… animals. I don’t eat people. I do know many of my kind do.”

Dulcinea blinked but gestured for the dragon to go on.

“So, I figured I’d make a proposition to the ruler of these lands: in exchange for my protection from other dragons, I want some sheep or oxen or cows or whatever is available brought to me from time to time. That’s all. I won’t kill any humans either.”

Dulcinea furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m not the ruler, I’m just a princess,” she remarked.

The dragon seemed to smile. “No, but your king will want you back in one piece. You’re my bargaining chip.”

The creature was smart; Dulcinea would give her that.

“What do I get out of this? Seems like I’m just a pawn at this point,” the princess raised a brow.

The dragon nodded. “What do you want?”

Dulcinea blinked. People very rarely asked what she wanted. The fact that this dragon, whom she had just met, had already handed the princess some autonomy was enough to seal the deal for Dulcinea. “I want to come back here, whenever I want.”

The dragon seemed to frown. “I mean, that’s not an issue but… why? If I may ask. What does a princess want with the world of dragons?”

Dulcinea sighed, staring at the cave floor for a moment. “I want adventure more than anything else, to not be locked in the castle forever. I want the freedom you have, though I know I’ll never get close. Still, this would be enough… I think.”

The dragon nodded. “Then it’s settled,” she remarked, then stood, moving towards Dulcinea. “I will take you home, and in exchange, you’ll help me speak with the king, right?”

The princess nodded and smiled. “Right.” Then, she paused. “By the way, do you have a name?”

The dragon titled her great again. “Felliz, and you?”

The princess smiled. “Dulcinea.”

While the reception of a dragon delivering the kidnapped princess sparked much debate in the kingdom, eventually, the royal council conceded to Felliz’s terms. Dragon attacks declined steadily, and trade routes that were once unusable were being maintained once more. The kingdom was grateful for the green dragon.

And Dulcinea, who was currently lounging in Felliz’s cave with a book some months after their first encounter while the dragon lounged nearby, was grateful for Felliz too.

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Other Blog Hop Stories:

Lost in Time Wearing an Invisible Cloak by Gina Fabio

Open Wide by Amy Keeley

Awakening (Part 1 of 3) by Barbara Lund

Happily Ever After by Angelica Medlin <<< YOU ARE HERE

The Willow Haunt by Ruth Sard

Aren't You Afraid by Katharina Gerlach

A Meeting in the Dark by James Husum

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