A Modern Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a princess.  She wasn't the "fairest in the land", nor was she beset by Evil Stepmothers and Stepsisters, nor was she a fairy princess.  She didn't live in a castle, surrounded by a moat, or fire, or guarded by a dragon.  She wasn't cursed.  But she was a princess all the same.  And she dreamed of the day her prince would come, and carry her off on his white horse, and they would live
Happily Ever After.

Because that's how all the fairy tales end.  All princesses eventually marry princes, who carry them away on their white horse, and they live
Happily Ever After.

As the princess grew, she learned about things other than just "waiting for a prince".  She learned about how her world worked, and about other worlds.  She read about space ships, and stars, and adventures, and tragedy, and triumph. About elves, and war, and rings.  And for a little while, she thought maybe she wouldn't want a prince after all.

But...the princess didn't really believe it.  She knew, deep down, that princesses need princes to live
Happily Ever After.

And so eventually the princess left home, and met her prince.  Her prince promised her they would live Happily Ever After. She was so completely entranced, she didn't notice that her prince was gradually drawing her away from her family and friends.  But it was OK, because they had each other, and they loved each other, and that's all you need to live
Happily Ever After.
So the princess slowly drew away from her family, and talked to them less and less.  She eventually refused to listen to the sage advice of the King and Queen at all...because they were not her Prince.  And her Prince was all she needed.  The King and Queen were frantic.  They thought they'd lose their Princess forever to the Prince, but they did not know how to change things.

And then....and then, the Prince made an error.  The Prince...left, assuming his hold over the princess was secure.  Without the Prince there every day, the princess wilted.  Her Happily Ever After really wasn't that happy.  Her friends, that she'd tried to ignore earlier in favor of the prince, came back.  The King and Queen welcomed her back with cries of joy when she called, throwing the castle doors wide, proclaiming a kingdom-wide celebration for their daughter. The princess knew it was for her birthday, but it was the thought that this ... this is what she'd scorned.  People who loved her no matter what.  No matter who she became, no matter what she did.  So the princess begged for their forgiveness.  And the King, the Queen, and all her friends told her there was nothing to forgive...but perhaps don't be quite so foolish next time.  And the princess vowed to learn from her mistake.

So the princess called the Prince and told him she no longer thought he was her prince, and she really wasn't the princess he was looking for.  The prince tried to draw her back with honeyed words, but it was too late.  He'd been gone for too long, and his spells had grown too weak.  He returned to cast more spells in person, but...she now had protection from his spells, in the form of her friends and family.  For the prince was really a Sorcerer in disguise.  After several failed attempts to recapture her, he finally gave up, and left for good.  While the princess (and the King and Queen) thought "good riddance", the princess did wonder sadly if she would ever find a prince.

A while later, the princess met...a prince. At least she thought he was a prince.  She was rather surprised by his appearance, though.  Not that one should place a LOT of stock in appearance, but...well...princes usually ...

"Aren't you a little short for a prince?" she said.
"What's it to you?  Why are you just sitting around here waiting for someone to 'rescue' you?  I don't see you with a broken arm or leg." he retorted.
"Well, it's just that princes are usually taller."
"Hmph. Tough. I also don't rescue people that aren't willing to help out. Deal with it, Toots."

WELL.  That was NOT how princes should act!

"You're quite rude.", she said.
"Look who's talking.  You're the one who started it.  'Aren't you a little short for a prince', indeed." he shot back.
"Um.  You have a point."
"Are we going to stand here and just chit-chat all day?  I have things to do, lady."
"I...what?  Why did you come here then if not to rescue me and be my prince?"
"OH MY GOSH.  You have got to be kidding.  First off, as I said, rescue yourself.  I don't see anything broken, you're not helpless.  Second, I'm not some brainless prize to be awarded out just because I happen to be in the right neighborhood when a princess is around."

You know...he's different...I think I like him.

And so the princess and the prince became friends.  And eventually, they did get married.
The princess learned how to rescue herself from a LOT of situations, and how to plan so that she NEVER needed to rely on someone else to rescue her.  She also learned that princesses and princes come in lots of shapes and sizes.  For her prince wasn't really a completely human prince at all.  He was also part Ogre. (It's complicated.)  And when the princess stopped looking to be rescued, and started rescuing herself, and standing up to her prince when he was being particularly grumpy and Ogre-like, she liked herself a lot more.  And when she did that, she started growing.
"EEP!  What is happening?" she cried.
Her prince came running. "Oh, you're growing into your real self."
"What do you mean" she squeaked "MY REAL SELF" she growled.
Her prince watched in delight.  "Yup, what I thought. Mind the ceiling."
For the princess had turned into a dragon.  The beautiful dragon she always was, and he always knew she could be.  Together they went on adventures of flying, bonfires, and other Dragonish - Ogreish adventures.

They lived happily this way for a while, and then tragedy struck.  The prince was struck down by an evil spell, and died.
The King, the Queen, the princess, the Queen of Cats (who had by now become the princess' very best friend), and all the land mourned for the prince.  But for quite some time, the princess refused to fly.  Refused to breathe fire.  Refused to believe that anyone could love a dragon.  That the only prince that would ever love a dragon would be a very special prince, and if he was very special, why wouldn't he already have a princess?  She mourned the human-seeming princess she had been, once.  At least, she thought, I looked normal then.  At least I could sort of pass for pretty.

Over the years, even though the dragon still missed her prince, she did more things that she used to do.  She spruced up her home.  She started trying to breathe fire again.  She got some cats with some advice from the Queen of Cats.  She did really good things at work. She spent time with friends, did things with the King and Queen, and quiet time reading. (e-books.  Tough to turn pages with those claws.)
And...she flew.
She flew skies that she hadn't known before.  She jumped off cliffs that terrified her and hoped she could open her wings in time.  She flew storms, and she flew peaceful skies.  She flew at night, over sea, and sand, and mountains.  And every time she flew, her wings grew a little stronger, and she flew a little higher, and a little farther, and flying was easier.
And so even though
Happily Ever After
didn't turn out to be all that long after all, the Dragon was happy to have the time she had with her prince.  Because he taught her to FLY.

Twenty-five years ago today, the Dragon Princess married her Ogre Prince.  I love you, Kevin. I miss you.  But I'm doing really good, and I'm still trying to be the best damn Dragon I can be.  And I'm flying.

(Metaphorically.  Leaving the ground sucks.)