To Her Royal Highness, the Princess Anna Svetlina Vasilrova of Anhalt,

 

We trust this missive finds thee in good health, and that the enchantments protecting it have not unduly alarmed thee and thine. Its contents are for thine eyes and thine eyes only, and it would not do for them to be leaked.

We shall come directly to Our purpose, for We hold thy time in great esteem and thou most surely hast other demands on it: it is Our earnest hope that thou wilt consent to be carried off and kept within Our den for a span of time yet to be determined. We are aware how this proposal must read upon first acquaintance, and We beg thee not to recoil. Permit Us to set thy mind at ease on the particulars that matter most.

Thou shalt want for nothing. Our halls are warm, and We are in possession of fruits, meats, and grains many and varied that thou mayest want not for sustenance. We have numerous rooms and chambers fit for humans, richly appointed and as fine as any thou mayest find in thy palace. Our library is small and humble but contains tomes that thou wouldst hardly find elsewhere. No harm shall come to thee whilst thou art under Our roof and Our wing; this We pledge upon Our name and Our Hoard.

As to Our reasons, here We must beg thy patience and thy pardon both. They are difficult to convey, and concern thee less than thou mightest fear, but thou shalt come to no grief by it. But We must try, lest this plea fall on deaf ears.

We know that the knights will come. They always come. And We do so wish to fight them. Our motives are not shared by humans, but this would be a great boon thine acquiescence would buy Us. And should a knight prove their valour, they shall of course be able to rescue thee and return thee to thy normal life.

Shouldst thou consent, or have inquiries regarding this most peculiar of requests, thou mayest pen thy response and hold it out thy window. A golden-eyed owl shall fetch it and bring it to Us, that we may hear thy thoughts. Shouldst thou refuse, no response will be necessary, though We shall be sorry for it.

 

We remain, with sincerest regard and no small measure of hope, thy most devoted and patient abductor,
The Violet Dragon of the West

The letter was addressed to her personally, and clearly enchanted. No one was able to read its contents, but as soon as she laid eyes on it, the letters appeared on the paper in dark purple ink. When she looks away, they're gone as if they had never been there, but they're back as soon as she looks at it again.