As much as Bartlett wanted to avoid having to consult the witch, he found he had no alternatives. The topic of cursed objects alone was already sensitive enough as it was. There was also the fact that nobody would believe that the pink-scaled dragon he was trying to save was a cursed princess of Wyrith. Her striking appearance was already difficult enough to explain as it was. There was also the fact that her presence could put Aldimar in danger.

  If any Wyrithian spies reported their findings, Aldimar would be plunged into a war it was not equipped for.

  So, knowing that they had no other choice, Bartlett decided to find the witch of Carlesian mountain and hear what she had to say. Noting that it was better to rest up for the long journey ahead, they did so, deciding to set off as the sun rose. Bartlett used the time to check on his provisions, all of which he put in the satchel on Henrietta's saddle. By sunrise, after informing Rodvar that they would be gone for a while, Bartlett and Henrietta set off into a journey to the Carlesian mountain range to the north.

  For Henrietta, this was the furthest she had ever been from her own kingdom. Once they departed Aldimar, the princess-turned-dragon looked towards the direction of Wyrith. She found that she could no longer see the border, and that lift her mood somewhat. Then there was the sea to her right. She had never seen the sea before. Bartlett deliberately traveled along the seafront just so Henrietta could appreciate the flat, sandy beaches and the blue sea.

  Bartlett could easily tell how happy she was. Her draconic face had more expressions than he thought a reptilian would have. Granted, calling her a 'reptile' was not right, either, considering the mane covering parts of her head and the ears at the base of her horns. Perhaps those were what remained of her humanity, and the most obvious indication that she was not a true dragon, but a human cursed into one. That still did not explain the coral-like horns, though.

  Yet, he was happier to the fact that she looked at the sea in awe.

  "Is this the first time you have ever seen the sea, princess?" asked Bartlett.

  "I lived near a lake and some mountains," she said after shaking her head. "The city is surrounded by trees, making it rather cold in winter."

  "We are far from inland, after all. Do you want to stop and enjoy the beach?"

  "I rather not. I much prefer we deal with this collar first before I can enjoy anything. Anyway, are we going through your capital?"

  "We are not following the road to Camarth . We are going north, towards the mountains. Why?"

  "My mother...." She hesitated to continue before she accepted the harsh truth. "Was...a Manarithian noble. I had relatives. But...I don't know them well. When my mother became the queen of Wyrith, she...hardly returned home. They would not recognize me, even when I'm human."

  "It...must have been hard," sympathized Bartlett.

  "No, don't be," said Henrietta, swallowing her sorrow. "This doesn't concern you, Bartlett. I'm just wondering if I can see the crown prince for myself."

  "Why the crown prince specifically?"

  "I was betrothed to him. And before you ask, no. It's not out of love. It's nothing more than politics."

  Bartlett immediately became intrigued by her claim. The reason the war started was because the Wyrithian side accused the crown prince for slandering her. Nobody believed that was the case, but the Wyrithians would not listen to reason. The rest was history.

  "Maybe someday I'll take you there," said Bartlett. "Not to meet the crown prince, unfortunately."

  Henrietta chuckled. "I doubt I'd even been allowed to enter the castle."

  "When we unseal your fire, we'll find a way to return you back to human," assured Bartlett. "This is a big world. There's bound to be someone out there who knows how to return you back."

  "Don't rush for my sake, Bartlett. Also, why do you keep calling me princess? I thought I said Henrietta's alright."

  "I like calling you princess. You don't see a lot of pink-scaled dragons around with translucent wings, or any at all. You look like the princess of all dragons with that appearance."

  Henrietta laughed. "Are you trying to court me?"

  "Not intentionally. Do you prefer that I call you by your name instead?"

  "No, no, it's fine. I still prefer Henrietta, but you can call me whatever you want."

  "If that's what you want, then okay," said Bartlett. "Still...meeting a witch, huh? This sounds like a bad idea."

  "Better than spending years scouring this vast land for someone with a specific knowledge," said Henrietta. "I'm fine being a dragon for a little longer, but I want do some dragon-y stuffs. Dragon breathes fire, so why can't I?"

  "Breathing fire's not a joke, princess. Just because you can, doesn't mean you must."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Yes, I know that. I was taught those exact words by father. I only realized what it really meant when I grew up. But come on, Bartlett. Don't you feel like something is missing when it should be? Like, what if you suddenly can't fight with your sword, or maybe you forgot that nifty spell you used to counter that man?"

  "You...have a point, actually."

  "That's why I want to have my fire back, just so I can be useful. Say, where is the Carlesian mountain range?" said Henrietta as she looked around. "Is it that one, straight ahead?"

  "That's the one," said Bartlett. "We could cut our journey short, but alas, we can't just fly there, can we?"

  Henrietta rolled her eyes. If the sarcastic tone wasn't obvious enough, it was Bartlett's smug face.

  "You know you're this close to my claws, right," she said, growling. She emphasized the distance with her claws.

  "Sorry, sorry. It's just, the mountains are still a distance away. You have a pair of wings you can't use. It's frustrating if you think about it."

  "Well, since this is your idea, maybe you should be the one guiding me. Come on. Teach me how to fly, then."

  Disregarding her snarky, sarcastic tone, Bartlett climbed on her back, but then became reluctant when she opened her wings. Still, if he wanted to get it over with, he might as well learn how to be a dragon rider while his dragon was also learning how to fly.

  He would soon regret suggesting it when Henrietta took flight. As he expected, the princess-turned-dragon was completely unfamiliar with how her wings worked. She beat her wings furiously and even hopped in place, attempting to lift off the ground. She couldn't even take flight.

  Her attempts, unsurprisingly, made Bartlett sick. After Henrietta's fifth attempt of gaining flight, Bartlett shouted for her to stop, to which she did. He then climbed down her back, feeling disoriented, sick, and was trying not to throw up.

  Henrietta could say something witty, but instead, she felt sorry for unintentionally causing the sickness. All she could do was to try and comfort the man by nudging him and said, "Take some rest. Good thing my leaps and bounds does cut our journey considerably."

  Bartlett, upon recovering, found that she was right. A journey that would take hours were done in half an hour, all because she leaped forward while attempting to gain flight. Still, he did not wish to do that any time soon, not until Henrietta learned how to properly fly as a dragon.

  Due to this, and due to Henrietta's reluctance to cause further discomfort for her unlikely partner, they decided to walk the rest of the way, only doing flight lessons when they made camp, though it did not matter much. The adventurer did not expect that he would meet a dragon who needed to learn how to fly, given that, in his knowledge, dragons learned how to fly just as they learned how to walk. He was aware that Henrietta was a special case, but still.

  These early blunders, however, gave Henrietta an idea. She urged Bartlett to climb on her back after he recovered enough, not wanting to leave him behind.

  "I don't know if this will work," she warned. "So, hold on tight."

  Bartlett was already holding on for dear life due to her bounding and leaping, but soon realized that Henrietta was trying something different when she started to run on all fours. Unlike flying, Henrietta learned how to run on all fours in just days. Somehow, it came out as naturally as running, even though she had never run on all fours like an animal her whole life. She paid it no mind, just feeling glad that she could still run.

  She gained speed as she ran like a cat would, helped by her lithe body, while keeping her wings outstretched. Bartlett kept his grip on the saddle as tightly as he could.

  He then felt himself pressed to his saddle, unable to lift his head without effort. Bartlett kept his eyes straight, focusing on the back of Henrietta's neck and her blonde mane. He was immediately drawn to Henrietta's ecstatic scream.

  "Oh my god!" she said while laughing. "I'm flying!"

  Bartlett looked down. It was a big mistake. The land kept getting further and further. Bartlett quickly looked away, not wishing to imagine himself falling to the ground.

  Like Henrietta, he couldn't contain his excitement.

  "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Henrietta, you did it!"

  "This is the best day of my bloody life!" she exclaimed.

  Her flight was not long. In fact, when she left the ground, she only traveled at least ten feet further before she stopped gaining altitude and slowly descending. Henrietta thought fast, trying not to be overwhelmed by emotions. She kept her wings outstretched and her legs straight. When they touched the ground, she started running until she slowed down with considerable effort. She looked back to where she started. She was a little disappointed that it wasn't as far as she hoped. But, at least this was an improvement.

  "H-how did you think of that?" asked Bartlett. "I never saw a dragon do that."

  "I'm not a dragon, remember?" said Henrietta. "I was never taught how to fly. But I remember seeing children playing with kites."

  Bartlett, amazed that she based the basics of fly from seeing children playing with kites, said, "You're one hell of a dragon, you know that? Or princess? Dragon princess?"

  Henrietta simply chuckled, taking in the compliment.

  She then did the run and glide several more times, each time maintaining more airtime as she stabilized her flight. While it was far from true flight (she barely beat her wings), it was good enough to shorten their trip through the plains. By the time they reached the forest, they had cut a day's worth of journey.

  The achievement helped give Henrietta a peace of mind, knowing that she was not useless. She was no longer human, yes, but the least she could do was learn how to be a dragon her own way. She was glad to have quite a creative mind, and also observant enough to get an idea of flight from kite alone.

  This even prompted Bartlett to comment, "I never thought you of all people would get the idea to fly from a kite."

  Henrietta chuckled. "Being a princess is not all dressing up and be presentable in royal balls, you know."

  "Then forgive this commoner for thinking that the castle is nothing but gossip and hearsays."

  "You're not too far off. In fact, I'm surprised you're not calling it a place to find a prince to court to."

  "I'm just sparing you the harsher words, princess."

  Henrietta sighed. "I know. The common folks have all the privilege to criticize us for what we do. But we kept reminding them that this was their idea, too. If they hated this display, they would already let us know already, and not in a good way. The balls did not strike me as important, but my siblings considered it important for the future of our kingdom."

  "So...if things go wrong, it's easier to blame the commoners?"

  Henrietta scoffed. "It goes both ways, you know. Just...let it be, okay, Bartlett? I'm just a dragon now. I don't have to attend balls and hear nasty gossips that ruined my trust on people."

  "I thought you want to be rid of this curse."

  "I'm a realist, Bartlett. There is no way I'm going back to human any time soon."

  Bartlett let out an approving grunt. There were still so many things he wanted to know about the former princess, but for now, he was glad that she managed to learn how to glide.

  And so their journey continued....