Robert (not his actual name – that’s four words and multiple syllables long, so he prefers Robert), has inherited his father’s dragon extermination business. He’d rather be doing anything else, but he has to put food on the table for his mother, brothers and sisters. These aren’t your large dragons of lore – more like house pet sized, and Robert’s family has kept a few at the house in secret, because they’re actually quite charming.
Princess Cerise is the princess of Bellemontagne, and has taken her job of managing the staggering numbers of princes that come through to court her quite seriously. Bellemontagne is actually a bit of a backwater, and the palace is infested with dragons. When Crown Prince Reginald of Corvinia shows up, every inch the prince that she’s been looking for, she calls in Robert to make sure the palace is in the best shape possible.
Prince Reginald isn’t actually there for courting. He’s on a serious mission to prove himself worthy to his father, and there are larger dragons rumored to be about in Bellemontagne, perfect for a princely quest.
Naturally, things go quite pear shaped, and we learn that no one is really who they seem, and everyone has a chance to make themselves better, though that might not be in the way you thought it should be. This was as charming as I expect a Peter Beagle book to be.