By Crown and Claw

In a land cradled by mountains lay a people whose Kingdom was safe from their enemies' swords and arrows. Nestled in a large valley surrounded by the highest of peaks, the kingdom of Nidorei stood proud. Its castle walls were made of dark stone, making the kingdom appear as a mountain in its own right.

Inside one of the tallest towers of the castle, a middle-aged woman was sweating profusely, wrestling with a handful of thick black hair. She stabbed handfuls of the thick, silky black hair with a decorated wooden comb.

"These flower-picking excursions of yours are going to have to end!" the middle-aged woman said in an exasperated tone. Hearing no response from the young lady she was rebuking, the woman continued, "I'm sorry to raise my voice, Princess, but a lot depends on today."

A bored voice coldly responded. "What spoiled brat has father chosen to try and give me off to this time?"

The middle-aged woman looked in the mirror to see the sleep-deprived face of the young princess.

"Today, you will meet with a royal nephew of the King from Gustous. And King Aster only has your best interest in mind. Please try and show some respect, Princess Oleandra," the woman explained.

Oleandra sighed. The last thing on her mind was the thought of being married off to some foreign kingdom.

Oleandra stared at the mirror, admiring the beautiful dress her maid had fitted her into. Patterns of intricate white roses against a red backdrop decorated her outer gown. Despite having slept only a few hours, she made her dress glow from her beauty.

Her room was decorated in a similar style to her gown and dress. It created a calming aura, like a tranquil sea of roses, but in Oleandra's mind, everything was far from calm.

"The season is almost done, and I'm so close; all I need are a few blue morning peaches." She thought, her mind racing with possible ways in which she might be able to obtain the flowers to the only thing that mattered to her. She had a passion for perfumery, making her a thorn in her father's side. 

She looked at her gown again, and her eyes sparkled as she spoke up: "Lady Amanda, now that I have taken a second look at my gown, I think I would like to try a different one."

Amanda slowed down, combing Oleandra's black hair before saying, "I'm glad you said it first, Princess. I didn't want to say anything, but the roses are a bit much. I'll check to see if I can find you some different gowns."

Oleandra nodded before saying, "Look for the white gown with lavender flowers."

Amanda paused for a second. "That gown is in your lower closet. I'll be back in a few minutes."

After Amanda exited the room, Princess Oleandra stood up and looked at herself in the mirror as she modeled her outfit.

"Nice to know what she thinks. Too bad I like this gown on this dress," she whispered with a slight grin before walking out of the room. She exited and walked in the opposite direction Amanda had gone through.

The castle halls were empty except for the occasional night guard who greeted Oleandra with the utmost respect. However, she could only give a mumbled greeting. Her mind was focused singularly on the craft that had so deeply marked her entire life. "All I need is a dozen blue morning peaches that should provide enough oil to finish my peachy morning fragrance."

Her mind flashed with images of her distilling the blue morning peach flowers. She had tried so many times to obtain the damn flowers. She had even sent patrols of guards into the fields to search for them.

"How can I waste my time eating fat cakes with some sheltered royal butt wipe? Why can't my father see that there's an entire world for me to smell?" Oleandra mumbled as she passed an old guard near the castle's back door.

The guard, unable to decipher Oleandra's mumblings, hesitated to let her open a small gate that led outside the castle walls. The gate was used for linen and food. "Wait, Princess, your father has prohibited us from letting you out of the castle before noon, " the soldier said gently, raising his hand and urging Oleandra to stop.

Oleandra recognized the voice and snapped out of her headspace. She turned towards the guard with anguish in her eyes, and her voice trembled as she spoke: "Please, Sir Roderick, the dry air of fall is approaching, and I have yet to gather any blue morning peaches. I've tried having your men obtain some, but they know too little, and the flower is only visible in the early hours."

Sir Roderick looked at the Princess's visible distress and paused briefly before shaking his head and saying, "I'm sorry, Princess, but my orders are clear. I have to fulfill them."

Oleandra paused, her eyes shifting from Sir Roderick's armor to the wedding ring hanging from his necklace. "Please, Roderick, think about your wife. How happy did you make her when she received my Mellow Daisy fragrance? These blue morning peaches will expand my world of fragrances." Oleandra pleaded, praying for a change of heart in Roderick.

Sir Roderick rubbed his temple before giving Oleandra a reminiscent smile. "If I can be honest, my wife is not the only one who's enjoyed your gift. The smell you created is sweet and relaxing. I can't help but smile when I come home now." Sir Roderick paused, thinking about the comfort of his home largely influenced by Oleandrea's perfumes. "If I let you pass, promise you will return before noon," Oleandra promised the old guard and dashed out of the back of the castle.

As Oleandra sneaked out of the gate, she was greeted by the night sky dotted with stars. The moon played its last notes, and the sky's violet edges melded into a light blue.

Princess Oleandra followed a small trail and avoided the patrolling guards' light easily. "Blue morning peaches release a faint smell resembling a freshly cut peach in the morning hours. All I have to do is focus on my nose," Oleandra reminded herself.

In little time, she found herself deep within the nearby forest. Oleandra's eyes were closed as she smelled the air around her.

"The dew from the grass. The fresh soil. The frigid bark of the trees. The morning moisture in the air makes the smells heavy..."

Thinking momentarily, Oleandra squatted and began walking with her head close to the ground. Her dress and gown became wet and dirty from the forest grounds as she bear crawled. Oleandra was unaffected by the mess. She was like a truffle pig searching for a hidden patch of truffles.

The morning sun shimmered between the slopes of neighboring mountains. Oleandra's legs began to tire as sweat dripped down her brow; despite her exhaustion, she continued. Just when she felt like collapsing, a distinct odor entered her nostrils. "This is..." she said in a hushed tone and began moving to her right.

After a few steps, Oleandra was staring at a blue flower between blades of grass. "8 petals, the blue coloring, its smell... I found it!" Oleandra shouted as she took out a small leather pouch, plucked the blue morning peach, and tossed it into her leather pouch.

With a wide grin, Oleandra stood up and cracked her back, stretching from the uncomfortable position she had maintained for almost an hour.

She noticed a large patch of blue morning peaches and began collecting them. Oleandra looked up and noticed the sun was reaching its crescendo. To her surprise, a large, messy bird was quietly staring at her.

"What an ugly bird!" Oleandra said out loud before continuing to collect more blue morning peaches. While plucking a flower out, Oleandra felt something shove her from the back. She was thrown forward, planting her face into the ground.

"Who are you calling ugly, you stupid ape?" a high-pitched voice shouted as Oleandra picked herself up from the ground. To her shock, the source of the voice was the disheveled bird. It was perched on a different branch now.

"You can talk?" Oleandra asked as she wiped the dirt off her face. "I could ask a dumb ape like you the same thing." the bird retorted.

Her heart stumbled as the bird's words sank in. A talking bird? Had she inhaled too much pollen? But as the bird continued its lecture, she felt a thrill rise in her chest, chased by a prickling unease.

Oleandra frowned at the bird's response. "Its tongue is as ugly as it looks," she noted and uneasily continued to collect the blue morning peach flowers.

The bird kept staring at Oleandra, "Why are you collecting those smelly flowers?" it asked.

Oleandra looked up at the bird but didn't answer. The bird added, "Most apes know little about the science of flowers."

Oleandra finished collecting her blue morning peaches and responded with a dry voice. "I'm not an ape. I also don't care much for science."

The bird's eye twinkled as it listened to Oleandra and quickly identified her. "You're a perfumist?" Seeing that she didn't correct him, the bird added, "I know a place that has fragrances no man has ever smelled." Its tone carried a sense of pride.

Oleandra put her leather purse away and contemplated the words of the strange bird. "A talking bird trying to lead me to hidden treasure. Am I about to be kidnapped?" Oleandra's lips quivered before a slight smile settled as she agreed to the bird's proposal. "Sure bird, show me this hidden place of yours."

The ugly bird's eyes widened as it stretched its wings and began flying slowly. Oleandra followed behind it. Along the way, Oleandra thought about turning back and returning some other time, but she looked at the blue pendant around her neck and continued.

After thirty minutes, Oleandra approached a giant entrance to old ruins she had never seen before. The bird flew directly into the dark entrance.

Oleandra walked over to the entrance and began studying the writings of the stone building. The rest of the ruins appeared to be buried beneath a giant hill.

"Where only a few miles away from the castle. How has no one come across these ancient ruins before?" She questioned, hesitating to follow the bird inside. While Oleandra made up her mind, the bird flew back out, grasping a glass vial with a clear liquid in its talons.

The bird tossed the vial to Oleandra. "Open it and smell it, " it instructed.

Oleandra caught the vial and inspected it before opening it. An aroma quickly filled the air around her, "This smell! Hints of wine with slightly roasted starry tree nuts. I've never smelled such a mix before." Oleandra whispered.

The bird saw Oleandra's reaction and flew near her, "Cabinets filled with vials like that are inside." the bird informed her. Oleandra looked down at the vial she had just opened.

"I'll give it a quick look, then return some other time with some personal guards," Oleandra decided as she grasped the blue pendant her father had given her. The pendant was said to be an ancient relic capable of unleashing powerful magic. After a few steps, the light from outside became dim.

Oleandra quickly spotted a case of vials close to the entrance. "Did you drag this case out for me?" Oleandra asked out loud, but the bird continued to fly into the depths of the ruins.

"Oh well, I'll just take as many as I can." she mused while grabbing vials and stuffing them into her dress.

Oleandra paid no further mind to the bird, and she filled the loose space in her dress with a vial. As she dragged the case out of the ancient ruins, the stone walls vibrated, followed by an ear-piercing low voice. "A little ant dares to steal from Lord Seventh?"

Every small hair on Oleandra stood on point as she covered her ears from the stone-shaking voice.

She slowly looked towards the darkness of the ruins and froze mid-movement. In the dark, glowing red eyes as large as herself were staring back at her.

"Those are the eyes of a snake. A huge snake!" Oleandra clenched her jaw and, in a panic, stumbled to run towards the exit. The sound of a loud exhale filled the cave. Oleandra was stopped in her tracks by the sucking winds.

The wind was so strong that she began being dragged backward. Without a second thought, Oleandra rotated 180 degrees with her back leaning toward the exit. She opened two perfume vials and let the liquid rush out with the wind.

The wind immediately paused, followed by loud coughs that shook the ruins. Oleandra turned around and began sprinting towards the exit before powerful wind bursts pushed her to run faster.

The stone trembling coughing seized. The air behind Oleandra grew hot, but she refused to look back. Oleandra leaped outside the entrance with all her strength, landing on the ground and rolling to the side.

Oleandra's eyes were wide in awe as she saw a pillar of flame shoot out from the ruins' entrance. Oleandra didn't waste a second and started running.

Right after the pillar of flame had shot out, a familiar figure flew out of the entrance. It was the bird that had tricked her into going into the ancient ruins.

"Who's ugly now? My master is about to turn your hairy monkey butt to ashes." The bird laughed in amusement as it flew above her.

Oleandra ignored the gloating bird and continued her desperate sprint.

The bird looked back at the entrance to the ruins expectantly. However, nothing came out. Seeing Oleandra get farther away, the bird took a nosedive, hitting Oleandra on her back with all of its might.

Oleandra fell, rolling forward into a struggling crawl. She could feel the ground shaking as something made the surrounding wildlife tremble. Oleandra tried to get up, but she was forced back down. Her dress had gotten stuck to something.

Oleandra finally looked back. Her blood drained from her face as she saw a giant ivory talon stabbing her dress into the ground.

The talon holding her came from a hand that could fit three full-size humans in its fist. The hand belonged to a slender dragon whose colors matched her dress.

Powerful hues of rose red mixed with white shimmered across the scales of the dragon's body.

"You made me taste that awful stench. That tongue of yours will be the first to go as payment." The dragon's mighty voice shook the trees around the area, scaring away whatever wildlife hadn't already run away.

"A dragon, a real-life dragon." Oleandra's mind raced as she grasped her blue pendant one last time. A bright flash of light covered the entire area. After Oleandra opened her eyes again, the dragon and the bird were gone. The only thing that remained was a small ugly boulder.

Oleandra's eyes remained bloodshot and wide open as she stared at her ripped dress. She was seconds away from certain death, and now she was free. She had forgotten all about the vials of ancient perfumes.

Without pondering what had occurred, Oleandra got back up and ran as fast as she could.

Near the entrance to the ruins, behind a tree, was a shivering naked man. His hair was white as snow with rose-red tips, resembling the dragon's colors. The dragon itself was nowhere to be seen.

The man's eyes were piercing and cold like a snake. A deep shock was etched on his face. The man watched as Princess Oleandra ran towards the castle of Nidorei.