Not as well as you would have liked, but not as badly as you feared, either.

The cavalry troupe stops a several hundred paces away and the King and his bodyguard ride forward alone.

"I see you have my daughter with you Dragon, what are your demands for her safe return?" The king asks, and you launch into your speech.

"Hail and well met King Ravnos of the Royal House of Fantoni, rulers of Thadreal by Divine Right; my Liege. I, Kreshneglaggath, Lord by Right of Conquest, (or, perhaps the Right of Settlement would be the more accurate custom...? It was wholly empty and abandoned by all sapients when I took residence...), of the former dwarf-hold of Mount Drugar, which lies in the west of your kingdom, present myself before you to announce my betrothal to your daughter Princess Boadicea Mariana Hermione Belle of the Royal House of Fantoni, Heir Presumptive to the throne, by the Rights of the Rescuer," you begin.

"I have saved her from her kidnapper, the Necromancer Bart the Younger and his undead minions. I ask for clemency for Bart the Younger as this unprovoked attack upon the princess and her guards was not truly his doing. He was being controlled by the undead spirit of his father, the Necromancer 'Bart the Elder', whom in the course of the rescue I have sent to its final punishment in the afterlife. Bart the Younger, when freed of this shade's malign influence, promised to reform and fled the area of his necromantic workings as though pursued by the full horror of all his actions thus far, and I have little doubt he will trouble your kingdom no more," you continue, having asked how to beg for clemency for Bart during the flight, as he did do you a solid, and does owe you a favor, which you obviously could not collect on if he's been executed. Besides, his dad's fully dead now, you're pretty sure he's going to go become a Pastry Chef like he always dreamed of. "If you wish to have the area more thoroughly examined and purged of taint, I can take up to two hand-picked representatives there once my betrothal to your daughter and heir is announced to the populous, perhaps a priest to deal with any lingering undead and a wizard who can study the area then teleport in reinforcements and other specialists. The location is deep in the Murkwood and is not easily found except when observing from above, nor have I ever approached on foot, thus why I could only bring two," you explain.

"Moving on, I am aware of the three trials that await me to prove myself suitable as your daughter's betrothed, and I further know that a Dragon claiming the Rights if the Rescuer is unheard of, therefore I now cede the floor to your daughter Princess Boadicea Mariana Hermione Belle of the Royal House of Fantoni, who will attest to the truth of what I have said,"

King Ravnos looks skeptical but turns to his daughter: "Is he coercing you in any way?" The king asks.

"Nae father, I am under no compulsion nor has he treated me at all ill or untoward, save making me ride astride his back instead of side saddle, which as you know is my preference in any case. He may be exaggerating the amount of control Bart the Elder exerted on his son, but he saw the old man for only a minute or so before destroying the shade's fetter to the material plane and Bart the Younger did swiftly gather a traveling bundle and flee the area, so I doubt he will remain a threat. In point of fact, I would be rather surprised if he made it out of the Murkwood alive without his undead guards," Princess Mariana explains. You note she has started blinking very rapidly while she talks and her father is staring at her eyes intently.

"Are you truly willing to be betrothed to this Dragon?" The king asks.

Mariana nods vigorously then replies: "Yes father, he has been nothing but courteous to me." You note she's rapidly blinking again, and there seems to be some kind of pattern to it...

"You could never have children: one of your sister's sons would have to be named Heir Designate once I died and you were Queen," King Ravnos cautions.

"Actually, that's not true," You pipe up, "half-dragon children are rare, because dragons may choose if they will allow their seed to cause pregnancy when mating or if they will release an egg to be fertilized, but they can and do happen." You inform the king.

"So you are willing to attest under truth spell that you can and will give my daughter heirs?" The king asks.

"No, your majesty," you say sadly, "not because I have said anything untrue, but either I or your daughter could possibly be infertile. I have never tried to sire children and your daughter is a virgin, thus neither of us can know if we will have children easily, let alone with each other," You explain.

"I am not infertile!" Princess Mariana rebuffs you, "My courses have come as regular as the rising and setting of the sun for a year and a half and I am a priestess of the Goddess of Pregnancy and Childbirth Herself: Most-Fruitful Yuki, blessed be her name!" She exclaims in fury; incensed by your blasphemy.

"Begging a thousand pardon's of the goddess, my dear-one; I did not mean to blaspheme. However, having done so, even if unintentionally; could she not, as sperate from you, curse me with impotence in retaliation for that act? I unable to sire children, while you remain blessed with greatly enhanced fertility as is your goddess's way...?"

Princess Mariana looks like she is about to reply angrily, but then turns thoughtful. "Yes, that might happen, though tis unlikely; especially since your repentance appears genuine and she would typically not curse the spouse of one of her own clergy that was willingly wedded, since such a curse would tarnish her priest or priestess as well in her eyes by proxy..." She allows. "However, we are nae married YET so that might not apply; but such a thing typically would clear upon the wedding as a present FROM the goddess to the bride and groom anyway, so since she would be the one that levied the curse, naturally, she would also remove it." She continues, then nods once, firmly, satisfied with the soundness of her reasoning.

Her father the king cuts-in at that moment, however, apparently NOT equally satisfied with her logic. "Then, Sir Dragon, this will be your first test!" King Ravnos declares. "You must take my daughter Princess Boadicea Mariana Hermione Belle as the High Priestess of Yuki, as well as any others who divinations tell are needed for the journey, to the lost city of Mendent Muskawoun in the Glitterflame Desert, and escort them through those haunted ruins to The Beacon of Prophecy. Upon that spire and before the eternal silver flames that burn there, the high priest or priestess of any god or goddess for any nation may ask their god or goddess seven simple questions about that deity's sphere of influence and receive a truthful and complete answer once in their lifetime. One of those questions for this journey will be 'If Lord Kreshneglaggath and myself marry, what must we do to be blessed with children of my own body?' The putative betrothal will be announced while the rest of the seven questions are devised, and that core question examined by the kingdom's finest minds and foremost clergy beyond my daughter for any possible flaws and/or refinements to correct any such flaws. Until that is done, you are welcome in Tyr’vahlen at my citadel of Brightspire, which you will be pleased to learn has a guest hall designed for Dragons and other flying guests which is presently unoccupied," King Ravnos declares.

"I am most pleased your majesty, lead the way and I will follow!" You reply, and you lift the princess onto your back with your tail once more, though it feels different this time, she is calm, serine, and relaxed instead of squirming and surprised; in spite of the fact that she glares furious daggers at her father's back the entire way for his obvious but unspoken doubts about Yuki's kindness and mercy... (For his part, the King appears to either not notice her anger, or not care.)