a/n: another AU Covert Affairs story?! I know, I'm shocked with myself too! It's a fairytale story like Honor, but won't be as many chapters. Hope you all enjoy it! Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Covert Affairs.

The Secret of the Mountains

Chapter One:

Annie glanced quickly around the corner, ears alert for any telltale noise that might indicate someone approaching. Absolute silence. Annie smiled; it was all too perfect.

Today the village was putting on its yearly festival to celebrate the coming of spring. Because of the importance of the festival, all of the servants except for the necessary castle staff had been given the day off.

"Stupid spoiled brat princess," Annie muttered under her breath, "She doesn't need me to stay, she just doesn't want to have to amuse herself. Well, I'm not playing her stupid games. I'm getting out of here!"

Annie sprinted down the hall. Her heart was racing in her chest. She paused to look around the next corner. When she realized no one was in sight, she sprinted down the hallway and out the wooden door. She entered the large courtyard. Beyond the courtyard, the main gate was in sight.

"How stupid," she observed, "They just left it wide open."

The drawbridge was down, and the maidservant could see out into the sunlit fields of the village beyond. She brushed her fingertips across her necklace gently. It was a silver pendant of a dragon, given to her by her father as a good luck charm before he had died in combat.

Annie crept forward cautiously. She kept her eyes alert to look for the guards. She gave a disdainful snort upon realizing that they were nowhere to be found.

"Even the guards have left their posts. They better hope we don't get randomly attacked or something," she chuckled to herself wryly, "Well, that makes it easier for me, in any case."

Annie slipped out into the sunlight and ran swiftly down the packed dirt road towards the nearby village. She picked up her skirt up slightly to avoid tripping and to try to keep it at least partially dust-free.

The village was packed with happy citizens, with maidens dancing and laughing and weaving flowers into each other's hair, and everything was decorated with pale greens and blues and bright pinks and yellows, the colors of spring. Annie had always loved the spring festival, but wasn't supposed to attend this year because she had moved up in the pecking order to the princess's personal maid. It was a nice job with a substantial amount of perks, but she was supposed to stay with the princess at all times. But endless rounds of embroidery, dancing lessons, and the company of the spoiled brat princess nullified the affects of the perks.

So today, Annie had freed herself for the afternoon to enjoy the festival. She had worn some of her older clothes to appear more like a village maiden, but she still feared that she would look out of place among the rest of the village maidens.

Three children ran by suddenly. They all squealed with laughter at some game and chased a ball. Annie smiled at them, and one smiled back shyly. Annie had reached the town center now, and began to be jostled around, lost in the crowd of joyous people. She felt content here; it was much nicer than being cooped up in that stuffy old palace all the time.

Through the crowd, she spotted the popular tavern. It was so full that men were standing outside, and she recognized some of them to be palace guards. They were still dressed in their uniforms and everything.

Annie laughed at the sight, "Hmph. No wonder nobody is guarding the gates. They're all out here getting drunk."

Still, she hurried past them for fear of being recognized. Under normal circumstances she would have reported them, but nothing bad could possibly happen during the festival. Right?

Annie broke free of the oppressive crowd and paused to catch her breath between two tiny houses. Her hair was tousled from the fight to get through the masses of dancing, laughing people. Annie was grateful for the chance to collect herself. Looking out from where she was standing, Annie wasn't too eager to head back out into the crowd. She spent all day in the castle getting jostled around by nobles and other servants, the last thing she wanted was to put herself back into that mob.

The maidservant looked around to try and see what was behind the houses. In the distance, she could make out a large river, the same one where the village got its water supply. Making her decision quickly, Annie cut through the peasant's properties and raced towards the river, enjoying the feeling of the wind rushing through her long, golden hair.

The river was making small rippling noises as Annie approached. She smiled and plopped herself down in the grass on the small slope leading down to the river. From where she sat, she could see the snow-topped mountains in the distance, an eerie dark shadow against the light blue of the sky. The sun was warm on her skin, which was unusually pale from all that time in the palace. Annie yawned and allowed herself to lay back on the soft grass and letting the sun warm her. It felt so good that Annie soon felt herself begin to drift off to sleep.

Annie awoke suddenly. Her light brown eyes flickered around for the source of her alarm. She didn't have to wait long to figure out what had awoken her, for another scream soon shattered the peaceful silence, followed by one of the most fearsome sounds Annie had ever heard; a deep-throated roar that seemed to shake the very earth and air around her.

Annie's gave settled back on the village, which she soon realized was the source of the screams. A dark green dragon, scales glistening in the now-setting sun, was perched atop a roof near the village center. The dragon glared down at the helpless, scrambling citizens.

Annie leapt up. One thought rang clear in her mind: She had to get back to the palace. Now.

Taking off at a dead run, blind with fear, Annie ran as hard as she could towards the high towers of the castle.

The sound of wings revealed that the dragon had spotted her and lifted up to give chase. It's large shadow fell over her and dust blew up all around as it's wings beat air violently against the earth. Annie was forced to shut her eyes against the dust and fall to her knees coughing as the dirt penetrating into her lungs. Instinct screamed at her to run, but Annie knew that it was a pointless effort at this stage in the game. She couldn't outrun a dragon.

The dragon landed next to Annie and bent his neck to lower his head down to her.

"Princess," the dragon growled deeply. He sounding satisfied with itself. He sniffed Annie expertly as though it did this all the time. She threw her arms over her head to try to block it, but the dragon scooped her up in it's claws and suddenly lifted off the ground. He quickly rose up into the air and soared off towards the dark mountains with its prize clutched tightly.

Annie screamed over and over as loud as she could, more for her own personal comfort than for hope that anyone would save her. Even if the village men were sober enough to fetch their bows and arrows, she highly doubted that the sharpened sticks would penetrate the dragon's thick scales. She was certainly in for it this time; the dragon was no doubt swiping her away to be its dinner or lunch or snack, or something equally as horrible.

The maidservant tried to ignore the sharp claws that dug painfully into her side. They hadn't broken the skin, but it was still rather uncomfortable. She did find herself grateful that she was still alive to feel anything though.

"Please, just let me live through the night," she whispered softly to herself. Her soft voice was carried away on the wind as they sped towards the ever-looming, snow-topped mountains.