Princess Carina stacked her book onto her leaning pile that now stood a head taller than her seated self. She reached over to another book and looked over the index with studious intent. Her eyes narrowed in on a chapter and flipped through the pages to the correct section. She tore through the illustrations and notes, yet she her teeth began to grind all the more as her eyes welled with hot, salty tears.

The royal launched the book out the window that fell next to a sleeping cat that ran full force into the fence. She crossed her arms under her chest and growled lowly before the tower of tomes came crashing down on her.

The door to her room opened slowly as the grandfather of the knight who rescued her lushed his way into the room. “Princess, are you alright?”

“Leave me be!” she roared with as much fury as the dragon that formerly held her hostage.

The old man picked two of the books revealing that they were in fact volumes.

Types of Rescuers Vol. 5 Types of Rescuers Vol. 13

He took a seat near him and thumbed through the books. It detailed the many scenarios of people that could one day be the lady’s rescuer.

“I’mma guessing yer not to fond of ma grandson savin’ ya, huh?”

The princess rose to her seat. A drape of hair overtook her left eye. “I’m just disappointed is all.” she huffed.

“Been there plenty o’ times.” the old man said with a knowing chuckle. “What thorn pokes ya the most though?” He stroked his cloud of a beard as he spoke.

The lady tossed her hand over the room of books. “I thought I had it all figured out. I even thought of what would happen if another dragon freed me. However, I never thought of how to react to someone who already . . . I just don’t know why he would go through the trouble if he . . . “

“Try to think on my question.” he said while pumping his hand. “What thorn hurts the most?”

The princess thought on the question for a longer than usual moment. She curled her knees in and rested her chin on them. “I think it’s the fact that I kind of feel useless. Rescuing me was supposed to be a great feast for knight. Yet, I feel cheated. Like what happened didn’t count.”

“I see.” the old man sighed in revelation. “You walked to be the reason someone was elevated in status.”

“I sound like I’m whining, don’t I?”

“You actually sound like you’re confused.” he responded. “Come. I’ll show you something.”

The old man brought the royal outside the manor and took a spot on the porch. He let a grunt escape as he rocked back in his rocker.

“Why don’t ya take a look-see out here.” he pointed out to the fields where the hired hands were hard at work. “Ya see them? Them’s criminals turned farmers. Weren’t good fer nothing till Shamus gotta hold off ‘em.”

He pointed out to the grassy field where the knight’s lady was playing with her children. “That woman right there was the meanest, nastiest, most drunkest harlot in the kingdoms.”

“Ya see the pattern yet?”

Princess Carina digested the words for a bit. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in realization. “He didn’t save me because he wanted to increase his value. He saved me because I needed saving.”

The princess smiled as she turned to see the ear to ear grin on the elder’s face. He took off a piece of an apple with his pocket knife and handed it to the lady.

“Some people’s, like ma grandsonny, are just more noble than noble.”