Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia Wrede
A princess, who doesn’t want to be the type of princess that gets rescued by a knight in shining armor, chooses her own path in life. That path leads her, first, to a dragon king and, then, to the king of an enchanted forest who struggles to keep the forest’s magic safe from scheming wizards.
Book 1: Dealing with Dragons
Princess Cimerone comes from a very proper royal family, but Cimerone is anything but proper. Very strong-minded, she prefers fencing, magic, and Latin over drawing, embroidery, dancing, and etiquette. When her parents try to marry her off, she rebels and runs away. Cimorene begs a female dragon named Kazul to take her in and, promptly, settles down to cooking for Kazul and organizing her treasury and library. Cimerone enjoys her new life free of knightly visitors. Then, she uncovers a plot between the dragon Woraug and the wizards; a plot that threatens the great contest to find the next dragon king.
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Book 2: Searching for Dragons
One day, King Mendanbar finds burnt trees and undergrowth in part of the Enchanted Forest. Mendanbar finds dragon scales spread throughout the devastation, but Morwen the witch believes that they were planted as a decoy. She tells the king to talk with Kazul, the dragon king. At Kazul’s cave, Mendanbar meets Cimorene and discovers that Kazul is missing. Together, Cimorene and Mendenbar search for the dragon king. During their journey, they meet Herman, a dwarf, whose magic window shows Kazul trapped in an Enchanted Forest cave surrounded by wizards. Telemain, a magician, Mendanbar, Cimorene, Morwen arm themselves with buckets of soapy lemon water and set off to save Kazul. As a result of their adventure, Mendanbar asks for Cimorene’s hand in marriage.
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Book 3: Calling on Dragons
Killer the rabbit eats some enchanted clover near Morwen’s house and grows to be six feet tall. Morwen and Telemain examine the area and find burned-out places where wizard staffs have stolen the forest’s magic. Very concerned about the Enchanted Forest’s security, Morwen and Telemain return to the castle and discover that someone has stolen the king’s enchanted sword. Telemain, Morwen, Cimorene, and Kazul set off to bring back the sword while King Mendenbar stays behind to maintain what little power the forest has left. As Morwen and Telemain combine their magic to rescue the sword, wizards imprison the king behind a hidden door that can only be penetrated by the enchanted sword in the hands of the king’s heir. Cimorene hides the sword and moves to a secluded spot outside the forest to wait for the heir to grow up.
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Book 4: Talking to Dragons
When Daystar, son of Princess Cimorene and King Mendenbar, turns sixteen, his mother gives him the enchanted sword and sends him into the Enchanted Forest. She doesn’t tell him about his imprisoned father, but simply tells Daystar that the sword will show him what he needs to do. He rescues Shiara, a fire witch, from a wizard’s trap. Then, a young dragon rescues Daystar and Shiara from a wizard who tries to steal the sword. The dragon agrees to help Daystar on his quest. Daystar, Shiara, and the dragon discover an invisible castle and find another fire witch who turns Shiara into a statue. The sword dispatches the witch, and Daystar restores Shiara to her true form with a kiss. When Daystar, Shiara, and the dragon arrive at the castle in the Enchanted Forest, they find Kazul and many dragons waiting for them. While the dragons fight the wizards outside the castle, Daystar and Shiara attempt to free Daystar’s father.
