Sylvie couldn’t believe her eyes when she realized what it was she had discovered. She’d been camping out in the forest for almost a week, and was on the verge of abandoning Valdan to his fate, and going back to her home. Every day seemed colder and more unpleasant than the one before, and the supplies she’d brought along were running very low. Also, she hadn’t had a bath in ages, which made her present discovery the most welcome sight she’d seen since leaving Vandan.

Tucked away between the high peaks of the mountains was a large pool, almost a lake, fed by a hot water spring. Clouds of steam were rising from its calm surface, and Sylvie could only imagine how nice it must feel to lie down in that water. Taking a quick glance around to make sure she was alone, she began to undress. Soon she was standing naked and shivering in the snow, but once she’d climbed over the rocks and into the pool she felt pure, unbridled bliss.

“It’s wonderful!” she said aloud. “I can warm up and get clean at the same time, and there’s no-one here to hurry me along…”

The pool was just deep enough to cover her body completely while lying down, and the water, while uncomfortably hot by human standards, was just right by hers. She rolled around, soaked her hair in the pure water, and generally just enjoyed herself for the first time in what seemed like forever. Eventually she decided to finish her bath, so she reluctantly climbed out. Not having brought any towel, she simply lay down on a large, warm, flat rock by the pool’s edge, and let the sun dry her.

“I’m getting thinner,” she thought, running her hands across her naked chest and waist. “No wonder – I haven’t had something decent to eat since leaving home. Oh well, at least I’ll be able to do that when I get back. Valdan can stay here and eat raw fish and tree bark, see if I care.”

She went and fetched her clothes, wincing as the cold air of the mountains hit her once again, and hurriedly got dressed. Once more in her by-now quite dirty garments, she went off to find some wild animal for dinner, having firmly decided that tonight’s camping site would be right next to the hot spring, and that tomorrow she would begin the journey back home.

All of a sudden she heard what sounded like a hoarse roar coming from somewhere above her. She looked up, but could see only the mountain’s steep, rocky cliffs, towering above her. Then she heard it again, and this time she did see something. What looked like a large, fast-flying bird was flying down the mountainside, almost touching the cliffs. But, as it flew closer and closer, and appeared larger and larger, Sylvie realized it was no bird. She watched the beast curiously, until she saw that it was heading straight towards her, and that it was almost as big as she was. She ducked down in fright, and the enormous winged reptile flew overhead, without pausing. Sylvie caught only a quick glimpse, but she knew what type of creature it was: a dragon, or something very like a dragon.

“Whoa, it’s big!” she thought, as the monster flew down into the valley. “Thank goodness it didn’t attack me. But I wonder where it’s going? There’s nothing down there, except…oh no! It must be going towards the village!”

She got up at once and began making her way down the mountainside, but then stopped and reconsidered.

“Why should I go and help them? They’ve been nothing but mean to me, and it’s their own fault if they decided to live near a dragon’s den. Besides, they were all boasting about what great warriors they were…and Valdan was always going on and on about how he wasn’t afraid of anything. They don’t deserve my help, and that’s that! That dragon…thing is too big for me to kill anyway.”

So she headed back, but once more her conscience was uneasy. She remembered when, many years ago, her mother, the queen, had risked her own life to fight off a giant-sized wolf that was attacking the villages of Vandan. Sure, Queen Valerie had been armed with a bow and arrows, and was wearing protective armour, but what she did was still very dangerous, and she hadn’t for a moment thought about leaving the little humans to their fate. And if Sylvie went home, and her mother found out that she’d left her brother and an entire village at the mercy of a ravenous dragon…

“Ugh, why does it have to be me?” she said to herself. “Of course I can’t leave them alone…they wouldn’t stand a chance. And there are children and…and little girls, and babies too. I can’t leave them to be eaten! But what can I do? I’m not a warrior, and I’ve only got this little dagger…”

She drew it from its sheath, and once more set off in pursuit of the winged beast. Every step she took made her more afraid, but she couldn’t turn back. She was going to prove to everyone, Valdan included, that she was a Princess of Vandan, in deed as well as in blood. If anyone could have a hope of slaying that monster, it was her – little Sylvie. But, if she could somehow succeed…

“Then Valdan will have to respect me – and he will come back with me. And no-one will ever treat me like a child again!”

Valdan was watching from the safety of the chief’s hut as the monster the villagers called a wyvern was wreaking destruction throughout the town. It had come out of nowhere, bearing down upon them with terrible ferocity, and not even the bravest among had dared to stand up to it. The flying serpent had gone straight for the easiest prey – the villagers’ cattle – and was gorging itself, while everyone tried to remain hidden in their homes.

Valdan had never seen anything quite like it. It looked a lot like the dragons in the storybooks his mother had read to him long ago, but it seemed much more terrifying than those in the pictures. It only had two legs, but they bore vicious-looking claws, and from its head sprouted a myriad of horns. That head alone was over fifteen feet long, held aloft by an endless serpentine neck, and its colossal wingspan must have been two hundred feet. It looked quite ungainly as it stalked about on land, and it didn’t breathe any fire like the storybook dragons, but it was horrifying to behold nonetheless.

“Can’t we do anything?” Valdan asked the chief, who was cowering in a far corner of the room. “I mean, what if it decides to break into one of the houses? Hasn’t anyone ever tried to, you know…kill it?”

“Of course!” Grun answered. “We are not cowards, Prince Valdan! I myself tried a few years ago, but, even though it was smaller then, I could not defeat it. I lost two of my best men, good friends, and the wyvern suffered nary a scratch. Its hide cannot be pierced by swords or spears, or anything at all!”

“But there must be a way…”

“Oh, shut up, you foolish boy!” Dara yelled, becoming exasperated with Valdan’s attempts to prove himself braver than them. “Come back here, away from the windows, or it’ll smell you. Do you want to end up like them unfortunates who thought they were heroes, and ended up in the beast’s belly?”

“Yes, Valdan, get back here!” Knut added. ‘There’s nothing you can do, really! Yes, it’ll probably…probably k-kill someone…but then it’ll leave!”

“But we have to do…something!” the prince exclaimed. “I mean, if it comes back every year like you said…then very soon there won’t be a village left!”

“I know, lad,” the chief said, his voice heavy with regret. “But what can we…hey! Hey, hold on now! Don’t go…”

But it was too late, and Valdan, in a fit of courage (or perhaps it was insanity), had climbed through the window, and he drew his sword as he stared up at the enormous wyvern. His heart nearly gave way in fear, but he couldn’t bear to think of that creature devouring a helpless person, while he remained safe and sound in the biggest, strongest hut in the village.

“It must have a weak spot!” he thought desperately. “All the dragons in Mother’s stories did – but then, those were only stories, and they always had happy endings.”

The wyvern was busy scratching itself with one leg, but as soon as it was done it turned its attention to a nearby thatched hut. With one snap of its jaws it bit a gaping hole in the roof, and a woman’s screams could be heard coming from inside. It was too much for Valdan to bear, and he screamed loudly as well, hoping the thing would notice him.

“Come and get me, you devil!” he shouted. “Come on! Let’s see if you can face me, you big stupid worm!”

With an ear-splitting snarl the monster whipped its head in the boy’s direction. Valdan tried to duck for cover, but he’d underestimated the wyvern’s speed, and he stopped in his tracks as its head lashed out at him, its jaws snapping shut mere feet from where he’d been standing. He swung his sword wildly against the creature’s snout, but its scales were immensely strong, and he only succeeded in blunting his blade. Then came another attack, and he dodged backwards. As he did so he stumbled over a stone and fell on his back. Lifting his sword, he waited for another lunge.

Suddenly, he heard someone cry his name, and looked back across his shoulder. There, standing with her hands pressed to her face, was his little sister. She was watching in horror, but he still felt relieved – now that Sylvie was here, they had a real chance of defeating the wyvern. But, in his relief, he’d lowered his guard, and, quick as a bolt of lightning, the giant wyvern’s jaws descended from above and engulfed him. When the beast lifted his head, only Valdan’s sword remained lying on the ground: he had vanished into its mouth.

Sylvie screamed, as the enormous serpent spread its wings and leapt in her direction.