Prologue

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a princess in a castle on a hill overlooking a quiet little village. In the forest beyond the village lived a great and terrible dragon. The villagers lived in fear of this dragon. They all knew the dragon would not be satisfied until he had fed on virgin flesh...

That is how all the fairy tales begun…but not this one.

Crimson walked the path with determination. Out of the village, through the fields and into the forest. She knew the location of the dragon's grove, everyone did. The one shepherdess who foolishly entered the grove last month stumbled into town with her clothes in shreds and terror in her eyes. She had immediately entered the abbey, dedicating herself to God saying that only divine intervention had allowed her to escape with her life. Crimson thought the life of a nun to be almost as stultifying as the life of a princess. She knew the girl and thought that the veil would suit her well. However, it was too bad, she got away from the dragon. If he had taken her then at least her life would have served the village. As it was, Crimson was the only one who was willing to face him.

She loved her village. The people were honest, good and hard working. They were also uninspired, provincial and boring. All her excellent education was lost in the day-to-day routines of her life. Her skills wasted, her mind dull.

She reached the edge of the Labyrinth at sunset. Black trees towered above her. Once she entered the Labyrinth there was no turning back. Her family would be furious with her and frightened for her. But Crimson knew this was the right thing to do. She entered the Labyrinth. The path twisted and turned. This was no maze. There was no way she could get lost, no forks, no alternate paths; just one path that she walked further from her old life and towards the dragon.

By the time she got to the centre the moon was high. She could see in the middle of the clearing a massive black marble slab on a platform surrounded by four white pillars carved in the shapes of a lion, an eagle, an ox and a winged man. That foolish shepherdess had come this far "by accident"? Not by any road. She was curious and got in over her head. Crimson took a deep breath, wiped her palms on her skirt and entered the clearing.

As soon as she stepped out of the Labyrinth, and into the moonlight, the forest went completely quiet; not an owl, not a cricket. She shivered with the power of the place. Crimson made a conscious effort to breath as she peered into the trees hoping to get a bit of a warning as to the Dragon's approach. She heard a rustling of leaves off to the right. She whipped around to see... nothing there. She thought she saw a shadow pass between two trees, but perhaps it was only the wind moving the branches. Her fear was mounting. She thought of running, but realized that there really was no life to go back to. There! She was sure that was a sound. She spun around and there he was; right in front of her. She was frozen, hardly breathing, her eyes locked in his.

He was magnificent, gleaming, red gold with huge shimmering wings and a broad powerful chest. His eyes, an intriguing mix of green and gold, reached into her and made her feel like a butterfly caught on a pin. She was enraptured by his beauty and his power.

He licked his lips, his voice deep and full, "Hmm, what have we here?"