You woke up in bed to the sound of falling rocks, the cracked stone walls groaning around you. As you stepped closer to the window, you saw the shape of a castle—old, ruined, and broken. With the outside world deadly and unforgiving, you had no choice but to remain inside, knowing well that countless hidden traps waited beyond, each one capable of killing you in an instant.

Days passed in silence until, at last, a knock came at the door. It was followed by a sudden kick, the wood breaking open to reveal a towering dragon wielding a massive axe. The scent of pine and smoke clung to him as sunlight streamed through the broken doorway behind him, highlighting the shimmer of scales along his forearms.

"You must be Prince," he said, bowing with the grace of a gentleman despite his fearsome appearance. Then, resting his axe casually on his shoulder, he leaned forward, muscles coiled like springs beneath his leather armor.

"Shall we get out of here? If you've got anything to say, now's the time," he added, his voice steady as mountain stone while dust motes danced in the sunbeams between you.