'There's no other way, with my hiccups and your snoring, we have to sleep in separate caves.'

'That's no way to start a lifelong relationship,' he sighed gloomily.

'Well, if you can come up with an alternative, I'm all ears.' I remarked tartly.  After all, I didn't like the situation any more than he did.  We had appealed to our elders for help, but my mother, a famous healer, had told me there was no known cure for our problems.

Things had started out so well; when we met during the spring festival, we had clicked straight away, sharing a love of nature, travel and hunting.  I revelled in the gleam in his eye, while he told me that my legs were the best he had ever seen.  We travelled over the rolling hills for hours on end, pretending to hunt, but in reality merely enjoying each other's company.  We sheltered in the forest from the fierce midday sun, and swam in the lake.  Sometimes we would watch our reflections in the still waters and marvel at the grace and elegance with which we moved.

Our families approved the match, with my mother pressing the choicest morsels upon my beloved at mealtimes, while his father told me that if he were only a few years younger, his son would have a rival to fight.  They were happy to see our joy in each other, and put no obstacles in the way of our budding relationship, which worried me sometimes.  After all, isn't it the way of youth to suspect the object of parental approval?

'He's so handsome and so strong,' gushed my best friend.  'When you decide you don't want him, put in a good word for me!' 

She had no chance.  He had declared his eagerness to provide for me and for any youngsters we might have, and had proved his skill as a hunter.  This, combined with his stunning good looks, ensured my lifelong devotion.

It wasn't until we shared a cave for the first time that we became aware of a seemingly insurmountable problem.  You see, like many males, he snored, and for some reason unknown, when I lay down to sleep, I began to hiccup.  Plugging our ears with moss to cut out the noise would have made no difference to the danger associated with our problems, namely that my hiccups and his snores produced belches of flame that would have singed each other's hides badly. 

I HATE BEING A DRAGON!