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"Perhaps we were" the Imperial Chancellor paused for effect "too hasty with our judgement."  The gallery was filled, faces peering over the balcony at the strangely clad man sitting on his trophy.  For as impressive a dragon head was, it was such bad manners bringing it into the audience hall, the maids would take hours scrubbing the stench and gore off of the tiled floor after this.  Still, it was impressive, and that is the predicament that the Imperial Chancellor found himself in.

"We did, in fact, promise to have the head of the notorious outlaw Kaphile mounted on a pike outside the city walls, and yet here you are."

He found himself pacing before the empty throne, all too aware that the king should be making this speech were he not away at war.

"The fact that you also came in with the head of the dragon, whom we also promised to mount on a pike outside the city walls is good fortune."

The crowd of courtiers left behind, mostly women and young children muttered from the balcony.

"The fact that the princesses hand in marriage was also promised for any who would bring in the drake's head complicates things a bit."

The Imperial Chancellor stopped his pacing to observe the man.  He had crossed his arms, leaning back against the horns that curled around the base of the neck.  Instead of actually looking at the Imperial Chancellor, he was scanning the balconies, looking for who knows what.

Hearing the pause, he turned his head back, brown eyes, brown hair, brown beard.  All of him matched in that same woodland brown that let him fade back into the trees when the guards searched the area.

"Aye, we do have a 'complication' as ye calls it.  Y'see the way I see it, the sun be settin' and here we are talking about things we both know are for the show of all these" he waved a hand at the courtiers "instead of eating supper like normal folk should."

"You would put off the decision of what we would do for your. . . accomplishments?" The Imperial Chancellor's face eased a bit, brow raising.

"Well, normal folk would talk it out without an audience, but normal folk don't have princesses to bargain over.  Might as well draw out some excitement for the crowd and give you a chance to write a letter or two." Kaphile grinned and let out a chuckle at the end, but of course that was drowned out in the chattering the balconies erupted in.

"So kind of you, I'm sure.  I'll have the palace chefs prepare a meal, a prize bull in celebration I should think."

"Now don't go wastin' a bull t'night, yeh don't think I only brought the head, do ye?"