The princess wound downwards around the curving stair, deep and deeper below the castle. The air grew dense and heavy and old as she descended. Down and down she climbed, until at last her feet stuck the flat stone floor of a tunnel leading off into the darkness. Though the floor was smooth stones laid in a geometric pattern, the walls and ceiling were rough and gouged, as if a great hand and nails had torn it from the living rock. The tunnel extended back past the staircase, but a massive rock-fall had sealed the passage in that direction. Her lantern guttered as a slight breath of air breathed out of the tunnel.
Holding her lantern before her, she carefully picked her way down the tunnel, sidestepping fallen stone and debris from the ceiling above. At last she came upon an ornate golden torch held by an equally adorned sconce. The torch and sconce had been beautifully carved to resemble a coiled dragon. Using another bit of cloth, she put flame to the torch, which at last crackled to life.
What she beheld took her breath away with a gasp. Before her was a massive arched doorway of sturdy oak and mahogany. Three times higher than a man it soared above her. The door was deeply carved with strange runes encircling an incredibly realistic dragon. It's scales gleamed in gold leaf; its sharp snarling teeth the smoothest ivory. It's eyes shone with fiery rubies, and its talons were forged steel, sharp and terrible.
In the torchlight, the princess found a small keyhole. Without much hope, she tried her little iron key, and was surprised to hear a resounding click through the mechanism. With her heart in her throat, she pulled back on it's massive handle with all her might. The old hinges budged but only a fraction. Again and again she strained at the giant door, until at last it loosed it's hold and swung wide on hidden counterweights. Beyond was only deep blackness.
Regaining her lantern, she crept slowly inside. The old man had mentioned nothing of a great adorned door, nor any dragon within. All the same, the princess could imagine stumbling headlong against scaly skin and razor sharp teeth. The feeble light from her lantern could not penetrate the darkness more than a few measures all around, but her footfalls echoed hollow, as if the chamber was terribly immense.
After a while of tiptoeing about, she came upon a large golden brazier, held high upon intricately carved golden claw feet. She noticed a small stone-lined trench running from it's base off into the gloom filled with some sort of dark liquid. Using her last bit of fabric, she caught a tongue of flame and lit the golden cauldron.
With a whoosh, flame leapt up within the brazier, and below, a stripe of fire raced down the trench below. It reached another brazier and caught it alight. The princess gasped as the fire raced along, lighting cauldron after cauldron until the entire chamber was bathed in firelight.
She stood agape as her eyes began to take in the mammoth hall. Spaced at intervals around the space were the flaming beacons, arranged in long rows down both sides of a very long hall. Between the rows of fire were shelf after massive shelf of leather bound books and tightly wrapped scrolls. There were long stone tables between the middle shelves, with cleverly decorated stone benches beside. At the far end of the great hall, a massive carving of a beautiful dragon dominated the high stone wall, mirroring the ornate design of the entrance.
Along the outer walls, beyond the fire trails lay an immeasurable treasure horde. Heaps of golden coins and doubloons, stacks of golden bars, all stamped with the same insignia of a dragon emblazoned so terribly on the entranceway. Among the great piles of gold stood large barrels and chests, spilling over with precious gems and stones, glowing with power. Racks of weapons stood amidst the gold, swords embued with powerful stones and runes, spears and jeweled pikes, heavy armored reflecting the dancing flames. Long strands of black pearls flowed out of a barrel near her. The lustrous spheres shone with eerie life in the firelight.
Her eyes grew wider and wider still, each direction bringing new wonders to her gaze. Turning slowly round, she tried to grapple with the immense horde of wealth before her. All at once she stood stock-still, as she turned to look behind.
Just behind her lay the very dragon's teeth she'd imagined in the dark. Only now in the dancing light, they were all the more fearsome. Shrieking she jumped back from them, only to find they lay still. Slowly she composed herself as she discovered that she now looked upon the long-dead skull of a tremendous dragon, it's gargantuan skeleton stretching behind it. Only a few steps more in the dark would have found her against the great teeth.
As a child, she had heard the tales of fearsome dragons laying waste to the realms, gathering their treasures and burning towns. All the while she had disbelieved them, but now, here lay the awful truth before her. She shuddered as she imagined it in life, its jeweled scales flashing in the sun, it's thick muscles and claws, it's horrible roar seemed to sound in her mind. Long ago this terrible worm had been vanquished, but even as bones, it cast a frightful image.
She backed slowly away from its hideous toothy maw, as if it might spring to life and gobble her whole. Indeed it was the span of many moments before she fully trusted its lifelessness enough to turn once again to face the great hall.
Extinguishing her lantern, she made her way down a few low steps and walked slow amongst the many shelves. They held volume after volume, scroll after scroll, and she despaired of finding anything of use in time.
