The princess said, “I will marry you without complaint if you accept my conditions. I have no one waiting for me so I am ready to marry anyone as long as they accept my deal.”

 

He said, “That works well for me, what are your demands?” 

 

He said it worked well for him and he was glad for a resourceful queen but her demands had to be achievable and the fact that it might not be so, made him anxious. After all he felt like she was the perfect queen for him and he didn't want to lose this chance

 

She said confidently, “I only have one demand and it's non-negotiable. I will accept anything you put forward as long as you accept my singular demand.”

 

Yet again the princess had shocked him. How could she only have one demand? Then it hit him. Maybe the demand was so huge that it made no sense to ask for more. This filled him with anxiety so he tried to buy time.

 

He asked, trying to keep calm, “Are you sure you only have one demand and that you don’t need time to think. I am in no hurry to get back so we can work out a contract that benefits both parties.” 

 

She said determinedly, “No, I don’t have any demands except this one.”

 

He could sense her stubbornness and realised that his pleas wouldn’t work. He just hoped that the demand would be achievable. He couldn’t lose such a confident queen.

 

He said resignedly, “Alright then, go on. What do you want?”

 

In response her face lit up with childish joy and she clapped her hands gleefully. 

 

He didn’t know what to make of this gesture. On the one hand it radiated innocence and made it feel like her demand would be just as childish but on the other hand looks could be deceiving and so far she had been completely unlike the rumours. After all she had tamed a dragon and no one would expect a princess said to be as gentle as her to have achieved that. With that he steadied himself for some grand demand only to be taken by surprise again.

 

She said, “The only thing I want is that we take Franky with us.”

 

He said, relieved, “Is that all?” until he realised just how wild her demand was and looked up at her to refuse when he saw how ecstatic the princess was. 

 

The sweet girl was running around with childish joy and the dragon was flying laps around the table, both of them overjoyed and he didn’t have it in his heart to rain on the parade.

 

He was aware of how unconventional this decision would be but in contrast, he could also see the advantages of having a dragon on his side. Boasting about having a dragon would inspire fear in the other kingdoms and the dragon with the right training could make a great mount for him. It was actually an amazing oppurtunity for him now that he thought about it.

 

In fact it was more beneficial for him than it would be for her and he felt like it was unfair to her so he decided to encourage her to add more conditions. In addition there was no guarantee that her conditions wouldn't change and that she was only saying yes due to desperation.

 

He asked, “Are you sure that's all you want? I think you should take some more time to think. For instance what you expect from me and vice versa. It prevents any problems arising in the future from lack of clarity.”

 

She said, “I don’t have any more demands and that won’t change. I just want my best friend with me. I don’t like the idea of leaving him here alone even if he promised not to kidnap other girls if I left.”

 

He asked in disbelief, “The dragon is your best friend?”

 

She nodded enthusiastically and he sighed. 

 

He explained, “I didn’t say that I would reject your deal. It just makes me uncomfortable that you don’t have any other demands and I fear that after spending some time with me you might change your mind and feel mistreated. Just think about it tonight, alright?”

 

She insisted, “I really won’t ask for anything else. I promise”

 

He said, “I still feel uncomfortable so just please take some time to think this through.”

 

She sighed, “Alright fine but you have to stay the night in the meantime.”

 

He said, “I was planning to, where would my room be?”

 

She said, “Franky will lead you to the room but why not eat something before resting.”

 

He asked, “Eat?”

 

She responded, “Yes, me and Franky made something in the kitchens this morning.”

 

He asked, “You know how to cook?”

 

She said brightly, “Yes, I love to cook! I am not that great but it is edible. Do you want to eat something before resting?”

 

He was amazed to see a princess that could cook and wanted to try her meals.

 

He said, “That would be interesting.”

 

With that the dragon flew off to get the dishes even thought the princess tried to fetch the meal instead but was forced into the chair by Franky.