The vast chamber stretched before them, a glittering expanse of wealth that seemed to defy imagination. Treasure chests overflowed with gleaming gold coins, jewels of every hue sparkled, and statues crafted from pure gold stood sentinel among the riches. Briar couldn't help but be awestruck by the wealth that surrounded them. It was a sight beyond anything she had ever seen, even in the grandest halls of her kingdom.

"This chamber has enough gold to make a few kingdoms rich," Theodore remarked, his eyes wide with wonder as he surveyed the room.

Briar nodded in agreement, her gaze lingering on the golden statues of kings and knights that lined the chamber walls. "It's... breathtaking," she whispered. She was a princess, but she had never seen so many treasures in her life before.

Leon looked around with a frown. "Where is the dragon?" he asked. "I thought he would be waiting for us, ready to attack."

"Maybe the dragon left the cave," Briar suggested hopefully, though her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of facing the fearsome creature.

"Is that a dragon?" Theodore asked, pointing to a small golden castle tucked away in a corner of the chamber. A miniature figure perched atop one of the castle towers.

Leon strode over to the castle and plucked the golden dragon from its perch. "A real one would have been much better," he remarked, turning the figurine over in his hand.

"Leon!" Briar exclaimed. "Your habit of picking up everything is going to get us into trouble someday."

The prince rolled his eyes. "And I hate your habit of snatching everything I find," he retorted.

"Stop finding problems," Briar said. "We need to stay focused."

Suddenly, the figurine shuddered in Briar's hand. With a loud clatter, she tossed it away, watching in horror as it began to shake and tremble on the floor. Then, to their astonishment, the dragon statue began to grow, its form shifting and expanding until it towered over them like a colossal titan.

"I'm free!" the dragon roared, its voice reverberating through the chamber like thunder. Flames danced in its eyes as it basked in its newfound freedom, and Briar's heart sank as she realized the danger they were in.

Leon drew his sword, his face set in determination. "I'll kill—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Theodore clamped a hand over his mouth. Briar and Theodore quickly pulled Leon behind the statues of the golden kings and knights, their hearts pounding in their chests as they crouched in the shadows.

The dragon was one of the most beautiful creatures Briar had ever seen. His golden body was covered in shiny scales that looked like emeralds and rubies, sparkling with green and red colors. Down the length of his graceful tail were sharp, polished spikes. From his broad shoulders grew huge, bat-like wings, their leathery surfaces reflecting the light like liquid gold. As he moved, his wings opened smoothly, casting shadows around the room.

"I'm free!" the dragon continued to roar, its voice echoing off the chamber walls. Flames licked at the air as the creature unleashed its fiery breath, the temperature in the chamber rising to unbearable levels.

"Let me go." Leon's voice came out muffled. The prince struggled to throw Briar and Theodore off of him.

"Don't get us killed," Briar hissed in Leon's ear and gripped him.

"Where are you humans?" the dragon said.

Briar exchanged a terrified glance with Theodore. Was the dragon searching for them? Would it hunt them down and destroy them?

Then, to their astonishment, the dragon's voice softened, filled with gratitude and wonder. "Where are you, my savior?" it called, its tone almost pleading. "Please come out and let me thank you."

"Savior," Briar mouthed the word, her heart pounding in her chest.

"The dragon wants to thank us," Theodore whispered.

"He wants to kill us," Leon hissed back, as he struggled to free himself from Theodore's grasp.

Briar peeked from behind the enormous statue of a king, her face half-hidden in the shadows. "Are you talking to us?" she called out.

The dragon's head snapped toward her with a sudden, piercing gaze. His eyes, the color of burning embers, squinted slightly. "Yes," he rumbled. "Are there any other humans here?"

Briar shook her head vigorously, her hair swaying in the faint, scorching breeze that flowed through the cavern. "Only us," she replied.

"Please, come out," the dragon requested.

Briar shook her head again, clutching her cloak tightly around her. "What if you burn us?" she asked.

The dragon laughed, a deep, resonant sound that bounced off the cavern walls, sending small rocks and dust raining down from the ceiling. "I'll never hurt you. I promise," he said, his laughter dying away into a series of gentle rumbles.

Briar knew that magical creatures took their promises very seriously. Besides, she needed his gold. She glanced at Theodore, who gave a small, encouraging nod. Reluctantly, they both turned to Leon, forcing him to lower his sword back into its sheath.

The three of them emerged from their hiding place. They stood a safe distance from the dragon, their hearts racing.

The dragon stared at them for a long, contemplative moment. "Welcome to the golden chamber of mighty dragon Donovan, young humans," he said. He stepped forward with surprising grace for his size and bowed his massive head low. "Thank you for freeing me."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You saved me," the dragon answered.

"How?" Briar asked.

"By breaking the curse," the dragon explained, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice.

"Which curse?" Briar asked.

"A painful curse that had trapped me in this cave for years," said the dragon, his eyes darkening with the memory. "Many years ago, I was a greedy dragon. Full of hunger for treasure and gold. I didn't care about anything. You know, I was a bad boy. I was selfish. I was obsessed with gold. And in my greed, I made a great mistake. I killed two fairies because they refused to give me the golden castle they were guarding." He nodded sadly toward the gleaming castle at the back of the cavern. "I stole the castle and brought it to my cave. Later, an angry fairy, who was the mother of the two fairies I had killed, followed me into my cave and cursed me to turn into a golden statue forever." The dragon's breath came in heavy, sorrowful sighs, and sparks flew out of his nostrils with each exhale. "Then I realized what had happened. Yes, I love gold, but being trapped here for an eternity? That sounded bad. So, I begged the fairy for mercy. Thankfully, she was kind. She said the curse would only be broken when a human would come into my cave, not inspired by greed but with goodwill in their heart. And the human's touch would break my curse."

He looked up at the ceiling, his gaze distant and filled with sorrow. "A lot of humans came into my cave over the years, but they were all greedy. They would jump into the treasures the moment they entered the chamber. Some came in groups and they would fight among themselves, killing each other in their greed. I saw in them a reflection of my past and was disgusted with myself for ever being like that." The dragon sobbed, and huge, glistening droplets of tears rolled down his scaly cheeks, splashing onto the ground below. Briar stared in astonishment, more so because the dragon's tears were made of water, not fire as she had imagined. She never thought such a majestic creature could cry at all.

"I felt so lonely," the dragon sniffed. "Yes, there are the ghosts of the people who died in the cave, but they were too depressing to talk to."

"There are ghosts?" Theodore exclaimed, his face pale with fear.

"Yes, the tunnel is haunted by them," the dragon said. "They are nasty."

"I don't like ghosts," Theodore said, clutching his hands tightly together as if trying to ward off some invisible threat. "And I don't have any roots or magical herbs to chase them away."

"At last," the dragon said, a deep huff escaping his nostrils, sending a warm breeze across the room. "My wait is over. You three came into this cave with goodwill in your heart and broke my curse. Now I can finally escape this cave and leave behind the gold that once ensnared me."

The dragon's eyes softened as he gazed at them, the once imposing figure now seeming almost gentle.

"You should thank Leon," Briar said, pointing toward the prince. "Technically, he touched you first."

The dragon's massive head swung slowly toward Leon, and he lowered himself into a respectful bow. "Thank you, handsome boy, for breaking my curse," the dragon rumbled.

Leon's eyes twinkled with a mix of pride and amusement as he winked at the dragon. "I'm good at breaking curses," he said with a roguish grin. "I'm Prince Leon, at your service."

"I'm Princess Briar Rose," Briar added.

"And I'm Theodore the Healer," Theodore said, giving a polite smile.

"It's a blessing to meet you all," the dragon said. "But what brings you to my cave?"

"Well," Briar said. She was pleased that the dragon's curse was broken, but her curse still needed to be broken. "My kingdom is cursed and I'm on my way to break it, and that's why we are in your cave."

"A curse?" The dragon shuddered as if the mere mention of a curse brought back unpleasant memories.

"Yes," Briar continued. "The Wicked Fairy cursed my kingdom not because we did anything to her. She's evil. The people of my kingdom are turning into monsters."

"Sometimes, I wish I could snatch the fairies' wands and burn them to ashes," the dragon growled, a fierce burst of flame escaping his mouth. Briar ducked swiftly, feeling the searing warmth pass overhead.

"To break the curse, I need to complete a ritual," Briar said.

"Breaking a curse is so difficult. I can feel your pain," the dragon said sympathetically. "How can I help you?"

Briar blinked in surprise, hardly daring to believe her ears. The dragon was offering his help. "You want to help me?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, as if afraid she was imagining the words.

"Yes," the dragon answered. "It will be a great start to my new life. Then I'll go in search of my ultimate peace."

"Can I take a small piece of your gold?" Briar asked hesitantly, as she glanced around the cavern, filled with piles of glittering treasure.

"Take as much gold as you want," the dragon said. "The whole chamber is yours."

"What?" Leon asked, his eyes widening in astonishment. "You want to give us the gold? Don't you want to duel or anything?"

The dragon exhaled deeply, a gust of hot air washing over them like a furnace. "I have no desire to fight, nor for gold or anything else," he said wistfully, his gaze distant, as if looking at some unseen horizon. "Now, all I seek is peace."

"Is he truly a dragon?" Leon whispered to Briar.

"Take the gold," the dragon urged. "We don't have much time."

Briar took a tentative step forward, her heart pounding as she approached a chest overflowing with glittering chunks of gold. Each piece gleamed with an almost magical light, casting flickering reflections on the cavern walls.

"Wait," Leon said sharply, yanking Briar back by the arm. "What if he's playing a game? He could pretend to be nice and then, when we least expect it, he'll attack us."

"I'm not planning anything," the dragon said. "I truly want to help you, young humans, as you helped me. I know it's hard to trust a creature like me, but please, believe me."

"If he attacks me," Briar said, turning to Leon with a determined look in her eyes, "you can kill him."

Briar took a deep breath and walked cautiously toward the chest. She picked up a small chunk of gold, feeling the warm metal against her skin. She clutched the gold tightly, a smile of victory spreading across her face as she turned to her friends.

Suddenly, the golden chamber began to rumble. The ground beneath their feet shook violently, sending ripples through the piles of treasure.

___