E.D. Baker - The Perfect Princess: Tales of Dragon Magic and Royal Romance

Bloomsbury Publishing, London, New Delhi, New York and Sydney

This omnibus edition first published in Great Britain in January 2014

This electronic edition published in January 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc,
50 Bedford Square,
London WC1B 3DP
www.bloomsbury.com

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Dragon Kiss first published in the USA
by Bloomsbury Childrens Books in 2009
Text copyright E.D. Baker 2009

A Prince among Frogs first published in the USA
by Bloomsbury Childrens Books in 2010
Text copyright E.D. Baker 2010

Illustration of dragon and title page art by Carrie Gifford

All rights reserved
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

eISBN: 978-1-4088-4694-0

www.bloomsbury.com
www.edbakerbooks.com

To find out more about our authors and their books please visit www.bloomsbury.com where you will find extracts, author interviews and details of forthcoming events, and to be the first to hear about latest releases and special offers, sign up for our newsletters here

This book is dedicated to Ellie, my first reader and a marvelous author in her own right; to Kim, my horse expert and the one who makes my Web site possible; to Victoria, from whom Ive learned so much; and to my wonderful fans, who are so encouraging.

What do you mean, youre going after that girl? demanded Auduns grandmother. She set the sack shed been carrying beside the pile of the familys belongings waiting at the mouth of the cave and turned to look at the fifteen-year-old dragon. You know shes really a human!

Audun looked at her in surprise. After everything that Millie had done for them, he hadnt expected anyone to object to his plans.

I thought all of you liked her, he said, glancing from his grandmother to the rest of his family.

We do, said his mother while his father nodded. His grandfather just shrugged and looked apologetic.

Liking her has nothing to do with this, his grandmother, Song of the Glacier, replied.

You cant have forgotten that she saved our lives! protested Audun.

We know what she did, said his grandmother. And we appreciate it, but that doesnt change the fact that she isnt a dragon. Just because she has magic doesnt make her one of us.

Audun shook his head. I dont understand why thats a problem. I mean, Ive heard about dragons that can change into humans. Whats wrong with a human who can turn into a dragon?

Im not arguing with you about this, Audun, said the elderly dragoness, and Im not giving you my permission to run after that girl like some lovesick albatross. Now go help your grandfather gather the rest of the sacks. Well be leaving in a few minutes.

Then youll be going without me, Audun declared. I love Millie and I dont want to live my life without her!

Auduns mother, Moon Dancer, gasped and gave her son a horrified look. In the dragon world the elderly were revered, especially the dragonesses; no one ever talked back to them.

I cant believe you spoke to your grandmother that way! exclaimed Auduns father, Speedwell. Please accept his apology, Mother. Hes young and foolish.

Dragons were honest at heart and found it nearly impossible to lie. Once in a while, however, Audun wished that he could lie, just a little. I didnt mean to be disrespectful, Grandmother, said Audun, but I cant apologize when I dont mean it. He stepped to the ledge that fronted the cave they called home and turned to look at her once more. I just wanted to tell you where I was going before I left. I thought you would understand, but I guess I was wrong. Safe travels. When Song didnt respond with a similar farewell, Audun spread his wings and leaped into the frigid mountain air.

He tried not to look back, but he couldnt help himself. Swooping one last time around the mountain-ringed valley, Audun glanced down at the ledge as he worked to gain altitude. Only his parents had remained outside to watch him go. Seeing the sad curve of their necks even from a distance made him wonder, for just a moment, if he was doing the right thing. But then he thought of Millie and how much she meant to him. She had left only the day before, yet it already seemed like an eternity. His parents would understand with time; it was Millie he had to go see now.

Since the hour he was hatched, the only time Audun had been separated from his family for longer than a few days was when they were trapped in the walls of a witchs ice castle. It was Millie who had set them free. Audun had been fascinated by the lovely green dragon from the moment he first saw her, and had fallen in love when he discovered how sweet and good and brave she was, despite the fact that she was really a human. Dragons often fell in love at first sight. His parents had done it and so had the parents of some of his friends. It was usually with someone the dragon king had chosen for them, but it was true love, regardless. However it happened, once dragons fell in love, it was for the rest of their lives.

Auduns grandmother often accused him of acting without thinking first. He admitted to himself that he might have been hasty in leaving his family the way he had, but he already knew that Millie was right for him. It was true that she was a human part of the time and a dragon only when her magic changed her, but she was the most beautiful human Audun had ever seen and she wasnt at all what hed expected of a creature with only two feet. Brought up to believe that humans lied, cheated, stole, and thought only of themselves, hed been delighted to meet Millie, who was as honest as a dragon and even more caring.

Audun was certain that all he had to do was encourage Millie and his grandmother to spend some time together and the two of them would get along. Two such wonderful females would have to like each other, wouldnt they?

Dragons have an unerring sense of direction, and more acute senses than humans, especially their vision and sense of smell, so it wasnt hard for Audun to locate Millies trail. Every dragons scent was unique, but Millies was more unusual than most. Part smoky musk of a dragon and part flavorful undertones of a human, her scent varied according to whatever form she was in. Because shed been a dragon when she flew south, Audun smelled more of her dragon than of her human scent.

Starting out the day before would have been better for tracking her scent on the air currents between the mountains, but he hadnt wanted to leave without spending some time with his family after their experience in the witchs castle. Auduns long neck wove from side to side as he followed Millies scent between the mountains and over the pass leading to the foothills beyond. He circled above a large outcropping of rock where he thought he detected the smell shed given off when she was a human, but the scent was old and the storm that had scoured the mountains the day after Millie arrived had nearly erased it. A short distance away he spotted a snow leopard, which ran in fear at Auduns approaching shadow.

Picking up her dragon odor again, he followed it above the foothills and across the lush forests and rolling grasslands that made up much of the Kingdom of Bullrush. The countryside was lovely, although Audun preferred the glittering ice and pristine snow of the Icy North. The air was warmer here, too, and uncomfortable for a dragon from a land where the ice never thawed and the snow never melted. When Audun noticed a river flowing beneath him, he didnt think twice about landing at the waters edge.