To Be King
by Selena Thomason

Prince Michael knew he had to do something to take the crown from his usurper of an uncle. For a decade Roth had ruled the land of Vallis with greed and cruelty. Michael had been too young to challenge him, but now, with the advent of his eighteenth birthday, there was hope. Only a dragon stood in his way.

Roth's lip curled as he spoke. "There is a dragon in the mountains. If you can rid the kingdom of that threat to its safety, then you are ready to take your place as king."

Michael gathered his weapons and armor, and headed into the hills. He soon found the dragon sleeping in a cave. The prince announced his presence, as honor dictated, and drew his sword to fight. But the dragon would have none of it.

"I am not a fighting dragon," he insisted.

"Well, then what sort of dragon are you?"

"Can't you tell?"

Michael shook his head.

"Don't they teach you princes anything anymore? Really? What sort of parents do you have anyway?"

"My parents died when I was quite young."

"Oh. I'm terribly sorry. Who has raised you then?"

"My uncle. He is regent now, but once I prove myself by killing you, then I will become king."

As the dragon considered this, he inched further back into his cave. "There must be another way for you to prove yourself. Perhaps you could battle the town's sorcerer. He's a fierce adversary. If you best him, they'd surely make you king."

"It seems much more dangerous than slaying a dragon."

"Perhaps. But I can help you. I have a potion that renders magic inert. Temporarily, of course. It isn't strong enough to take his magic away forever, just long enough for you to claim the throne."

"But won't he want revenge and come after me when the potion wears off?"

"He would, but I also have a forgetfulness potion. You can use it to erase his memory of the whole episode."

"How is it that you have so many potions?"

The dragon scratched his paw in the dirt before proceeding. "Well, you see, there's a witch who lives in the woods. We're best friends. I give her rides around the kingdom and she gives me potions and such. She's a lovely lady. Just a bit misunderstood. Like me."

"My plan will work. You can claim the throne without harming anyone. Most especially, without harming me. I think it quite unfair that people keep coming here, to my home, with their swords and murderous intentions. What did I ever do to any of you?"

"Nothing as far as I know. Dragon-killing just has always been the way things are done."

"Well, I think it is time for things to change."

"Alright. We will try your approach."

The dragon led Michael to the sorcerer's home. The magician was asleep in a rocking chair on his front porch.  Prince Michael crept quietly in the sleeping man's direction. The dragon swatted Michael gently with his tail.

"Don't you know anything?" he whispered.

"What now?"

"A magician will have traps set, magical spells to catch intruders and alert him to their presence. You must sprinkle some of the magic-canceling potion before you as you go."

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you." He retrieved the potions from his bag. The box contained two bottles—one potion against magic and another against memory. He withdrew the first bottle carefully and again began walking in the direction of the sleeping sorcerer.

Prince Michael moved silently and swiftly toward the magician, dropping bits of the potion before each step. Finally he was on the porch. He leaned over the sorcerer. In a flash, the man was awake and leaping out of his chair. Both men screamed. Michael was so surprised that he jumped back and stumbled on the steps. The box fell from his hands. Both bottles crashed to the porch. Strange mists rose from the wreckage and swirled around the startled men.

"Oh dear," the dragon said from a safe distance.

The men soon passed out and fell to the porch themselves.

The dragon didn't know what else to do. He waited for the sun to set. Then, under cover of darkness, he dragged the incapacitated prince back to the castle through the secret underground passages known only to a select few.

Unfortunately the prince's uncle happened upon them there.

"What is this?" the regent barked.

"The prince has taken ill. But he will be fine by morning. Perhaps you could take him the rest of the way. It is really past my bedtime. I am a sleeping dragon after all. Today's exertions have been a bit more than I can take, certainly well more than I am used to."

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

A corner of the regent's mouth twisted up suspiciously, but the dragon was too tired and trusting to notice. He had no idea that the prince's uncle would put him in the dungeon instead of his room.

"Well, thank you very much, kind sir." He set Michael down carefully at his uncle's feet. "I really must be going now."

Poor Prince Michael woke the next morning to find himself in a dungeon with no memory of how he had gotten there or who he was.

###

Witch Hazel stormed into the dragon's cave early in the morning. Much too early for the dragon's taste.

"Leroy, what have you done?"

"What?" he mumbled. "It's too early." He looked up at her briefly, then nestled his head under an arm and tried to go back to sleep.

Hazel pounded on his shoulder. "Wake up, you loaf! Tell me it isn't true."

"What isn't true?"

"Did you really kill the prince and eat him?"

"Don't be silly. You know I'm a vegetarian. Besides, that boy is too scrawny for even a carnivorous dragon to bother with. He would barely whet one's appetite."

"So, you have seen him!"

"Yes. He came here yesterday, trying to prove himself like all the rest. Really, we must get someone to rewrite the rules. I can't keep having my slumber interrupted by people trying to kill me."

"What happened to Prince Michael, then? The regent says he is dead, that he was slain by the dragon in the mountains, by you ."

Now Leroy was completely awake. He raised his head and propped himself up on his front paws. "He was fine when I left him. Drugged a bit, but fine." Leroy saw concern flare across Hazel's face. "It was an accident," he assured her. "Just a bit of spell casting gone wrong. The clumsy boy dropped the potions and got the forgetfulness spell all over himself."

"I see." She sat on the floor next to Leroy. "What did you do with him?"

"I took him back to the castle. Through the old tunnels. I didn't want to embarrass the boy."

"Of course." She patted Leroy's back. "That was very thoughtful."

Leroy smiled. "I knew you'd appreciate that part. Anyway, I ran into his uncle and I turned him over to his safe keeping."

"Oh, my dear innocent Leroy. That man is not to be trusted. I could have told you that. Goodness, the stories they tell about him at witches' conferences!"

"I didn't know." Leroy's face was grave.

Hazel rubbed his back. "Don't worry. We'll make this right. I know just what to do."

###

Hazel threw on her invisibility cloak and crept unnoticed through the tunnels into the castle. Once in the dungeon she peeked into each cell in turn, and soon found the prince. She placed an enchanted key in the lock and opened the door.

"Prince Michael," she called to the figure huddled at the far end of the room.

"Who's there?" Michael looked around wildly. "Hello?"

Hazel was momentarily confused, then she remembered the cloak. "Oh, sorry." She removed her cloak and flung it over one arm. "There, is that better?"

Michael's eyes focused on her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hazel, a friend of Leroy's. The dragon in the mountains. Do you remember him?"

"Maybe a little. He likes to sleep."

"That's the one. We have to get you out of here. It's no place for a prince. Come with me." She moved to help him up.

"Prince?"

"Yes, you don't remember right now, but you're the prince of this castle. In fact, you're its rightful king."

"I dropped something. There was the shatter of glass then colored mist everywhere."

"I know." She reached in her pocket and withdrew a small spray bottle. "This will help." She spritzed the potion on his face.

"What was that?"

"Don't worry."

He looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. "What am I doing down here?"

"It's a rather long story. It will come back to you though, piece by piece. In the meantime, let's get you out of the dungeon and back into the castle proper. We have a tyrant to overthrow."

###

It took a full day before Michael's strength and memory returned enough for him to confront his uncle.

The regent was holding court in the town square. Michael appeared at the entrance with a dragon and a witch by his side.

"Uncle Roth," he called to the surprise of all assembled. "You have deceived these people and I cannot allow it to continue."

The townspeople gasped as they recognized the prince they had been mourning.

"You must step down, Uncle, or I will take my rightful place by force."

"What could you possibly do?" Roth answered with perhaps some doubt already showing in his voice. "I have the castle guard to fight for me."

"And I have a dragon who will fight for me. One sweep of his tail could knock you from your high place to the ground where you belong."

Leroy roared for added effect.

"Prince Michael is alive," someone called from the crowd. "He has returned, and he has proven himself. We must now swear allegiance to our new king."

The call was taken up by others in the crowd. "All hail, King Michael. Long live, King Michael."

By the time Michael reached the platform, the crowd was chanting his name. He towered over his uncle, who sat cowering on the throne.

"Uncle, don't make this any worse for yourself than it must be. If you go quietly, I will offer you banishment or a nice room in the dungeon. Your choice."

The bested regent rose slowly from his chair. "Well," he said through clenched teeth, "I have always wanted to see the far lands to the east."

"Go then. As long as you don't come back or sow treason against my kingdom, no one will harm you."

Roth removed the crown and handed it to his nephew. "Good luck, little one. You don't realize what you have gotten yourself into. Kingship is not just granting favors and attending parties, you know."

"I know. I will figure it out as I go. And I have friends to help me." He motioned to Leroy and Hazel.

Roth grumbled and walked away.

Michael placed the crown on his head and sat on his throne. Leroy settled himself on the ground next to the platform. Hazel eschewed the chairs on the dais in favor of a spot on the floor where she could reach a hand over the edge and stroke her friend's scaly back.

King Michael looked out over his subjects. "Who has a petition to bring before the crown today?"

So began the reign of King Michael the Kind. He was long remembered not just for his good works and wise rule, but for his highly unusual advisors. He was the only king in all of Vallis' history to have a cabinet consisting of a dragon and a witch.