Of Fairytales and Happy Endings

Chapter 13. To Escape the Dragon.

But it is one thing to read about dragons and another thing to meet them.—Ursula K. Le Guin

Chapter 13.

To Escape the Dragon.

Beatrice was awakened by the pounding on her door. "Beatrice Morton!" The angry voice of her mother sounded on the other end. "You open the door this instant, you hear me?"

Argos lifted his head and growled a little. Beatrice moaned and turned over. She had known of course that her mother was going to come over and get angry at her. It was for this very reason she had made a habit of locking her door every night, just in case her mother should show up.

"Did you hear me?" Mrs. Llewelyn's voice continued to angrily demand. "I know you are in there, young lady. You are in serious trouble. Your uncle did not have words to say when he found out you had taken off without warning us. And to think you lied about the headache. How did you manage to make yourself so hot? Open this door. Open it or I shall have the servants break it down."

Beatrice took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She sat up and threw the covers back. She did not want to face her mother.

"There must be some way to get away from that woman," Beatrice thought as the pounding sounded out again. Her eyes drifted towards the window.

Of course!

She hurriedly went through her wardrobe and found a dark colored dress slipped into it. The buttons were hard to do on her own, but she managed. Slipping into her walking shoes, Beatrice opened the window. Argos followed her. Beatrice was about to shoo him back, when she suddenly though that if she left him here, he might be at the mercy of her mother, who would kidnap him and use him as bait to get her daughter.

"Alright boy," Beatrice said, taking the enormous dog by the front paws. "You're shall have to jump from this window. It's only the second floor, so it shouldn't be too hard."

The dog whimpered a little. Beatrice in the meantime had climbed out of the window and proceeded to scale down to the bottom. Argos, on seeing that Beatrice was leaving without him, took a giant leap and landed on the ground. He landed straight into the hedgerow, ruining it completely but it saved him from hurting himself.

"Good boy," Beatrice smiled. "Now come on!"

Beatrice didn't dare go to the stables to get her horse, she just crept away from the house and off to the manor. She needed to get someplace where her mother would not look for her.

It was raining outside and a foggy mist had settled over the entire manor. Beatrice pressed forward. She was wet and chilled, but that was better than facing the dragon back at home. Her mother had no doubt already gone to get someone to break down the door and when they discovered Beatrice was missing they would go searching for her.

On and on Beatrice walked. She knew in the end of course she would have to go back and face the dragon, yet Beatrice was going to try and prolong the meeting for as lng as possible. She got to the old hanging tree and pressed forward. Down the old road, past the haunted woods and before she knew it Beatrice found herself at the old castle.

"I don't know why I came here, Argos," she softly said to the dog, who had followed her every step. "I suppose I wish I could hide up there and be safe from Mamma and her suitors. Why must she constantly try to marry me off? Why can't she just leave me alone?"

The dog gave a little croon as if to say, "I wish I knew."

Beatrice laughed and kissed his furry head. "You are the dearest friend I have, Argos," she whispered. She sat down by a tree and let the dog put his head on her lap. "That man has no idea how lucky he is to have a castle to hide in," Beatrice told Argos. "I wish I had one too. It doesn't have to be a castle actually. All I want is somewhere safe from Mamma—and safe from the elements as well." Beatrice gave a sigh as she stroked the dog's damp fur. She was tired, she was hungry, she was wet and cold, but at least she was far, far away from her mother.