The Great Blue Dragon Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of year-round warmth, rich soil, and the cleanest of water. Where they grew fruit and raised cattle and where the elderly would come to live out their twilight years in the warm sun. It was a humble existence, not one that would make the kingdom especially rich, but one that sustained them. One day, a great dragon arrived in the kingdom, bringing with him a massive hoard of riches. His blue scales shined in the sun, his wings massive enough to be mistaken for storm clouds when he flew overhead, his claws were as sharp as daggers, his teeth as white as pearls, and his fiery breath hotter than even the hottest forge. At first, the people were afraid, for dragons only ever brought devastation. However, instead of razing their kingdom to the ground or devouring their princess, he demanded to speak to the king and the knights of the realm. Having little choice, the king and his knights ventured into the dragon's lair. They armed themselves with swords, lances, and maces, seeing not only the dragon when they arrived but his hoard of riches, which he took no effort to hide. Seeing their greedy gazes, the dragon gave a smug smile and told the knights and king, "I have come not to harm you, but to help you. For I need you and you need me. I have been to many places and seen many things. With all I have witnessed and experienced, I can tell stories like no other creature can. And I could do it in your land without ever needing to hibernate. With these tales, I could make additions to my hoard from people who will come from near and far. They would especially come to hear them from a gentle dragon." The king, growing impatient, asked the dragon, "How exactly does that help us? All you've told us is how you plan to enrich yourself." The dragon chuckled at the king's outburst and told him, "Why, I'll need servants of course. To shine my scales and clean my teeth and be my scribes. And I shall need the consent of His Majesty and his knights to ensure that I am not harassed. You and my servants will, of course, be richly rewarded. The knights of the realm most handsomely of all." The king's eyes widened, and his knights murmured. A payment from a dragon's hoard, even just a handful, was a fine catch. But though the king desired the dragon's treasure, he was also no fool. He asked the great beast, "And what if we reject you? What will happen if some future king wants none of your riches and demands you take your leave?" The dragon rumbled and got up from his reclining position, standing at his full height. "If you refuse me, I shall simply devour the nearest cattle herd, from the mightiest bull to the smallest newborn calf, and take my leave. If I am, in the future, betrayed by the king, then I shall devour him and any knights he brings with him before making the kingdom beg for forgiveness, is that clear?" Thus, the king agreed to these terms. The kingdom welcomed the dragon. Peasants came to earn their living with him, to shine his scales and clean his teeth and be his scribes, being sure to fill those books of his tales with beautiful drawings. And just as the dragon predicted, when people heard of a gentle beast who told tales of righteous princesses, fair maidens who overcame turmoil, brave heroes, and beasts of a most amusing sort, they flocked to see him. Little children climbed up onto his wings and back and their parents would gladly take his tomes home. All of this for a fee of course. In this way, the kingdom grew rich and prosperous as the dragon expanded his hoard. The king and his knights especially grew rich, the peasants still living a humble existence. As the years passed, the kingdom became known for the great blue dragon just as it was known for its fruit and warm weather. Kings came and went, but the dragon only grew richer and stronger as he became older. However, just because a kingdom is prosperous does not make it a happy place, no matter what a dragon says. For in this time, the knights of the realm were not chivalrous gentlemen, but cruel tyrants. To make themselves more popular among the cruel and clueless, they declared a witch hunt. They wrecked herb gardens, made young lovers hide themselves away, and declared that those who chose a destiny different from their birth were dangerous demons. It was a disgrace, and the kingdom became an embarrassment. One day, however, things became worse. The king, who, like all the kings of this land before him, had been a knight, made a decree. No longer would the knights of the realm be beholden to chivalry and need to answer for their actions, they could do whatever they pleased in order to maintain "order" And this enraged the peasants. How dare the king do this to them when they already dealt with such brutish knights?! Something had to be done, and there was only one thing they could think of that would actually work. Thus, on a day that was terribly busy, the dragon's servants stopped their work. Stories were half finished, art left only as sketches, scales cleaned but not shined, his teeth brushed but not rinsed. And he became angry, demanding of them as they walked out of his cave, "Why do you leave me, the one who puts food in your bellies and coin in your pockets? Tell me why you walk away from me!" The leader of this walkout, an artist and scribe of great skill and renown, told him, "It was the only way to get your attention, Great Dragon. Our quarrel is not with you, but with the knights you share your hoard with. A knight should be chivalrous and just, but I have been harassed and my garden trampled, accused of being a witch. The story I told of the virtuous little sorceress in love with the sad little princess claimed to be corrupting the youth and used to slander me. Those are not knights worthy of a dragon's hoard." "And what do you expect me to do about it? They are not my knights." "Yes, they are. They depend on your hoard to maintain their fine armor and gleaming swords. So long as you enrich those brutes, we will not lift a finger to enrich you." The dragon snarled but did not attack his servants. For he knew that, though he was much stronger and more powerful than them, he needed them more than they needed him. Without him, they would go back to farming fruit, ranching, and caring for elders. But without them, he would never get the word out with books, he'd run out of tales sooner rather than later and no one would believe that he was tame if he looked like a feral beast. His hoard would never grow. Thus, with little choice, the dragon called forth the knights of the realm. With spread wings and a booming voice, he spoke. "Hear me and listen! You have grown lazy and cruel in my time here. You have taken my generosity and harassed my servants. Thus, I have a new decree. My gifts will only go to those knights who are chivalrous gentlemen, none of this behavior I have seen from you lately. No attacks, no accusations, no slander. If you cannot behave, you will receive nothing from my hoard." There was a great cry from the knights then, but they could do only that. For they knew that the dragon had a right to alter his terms. One knight, however, was much angrier than the others. He gripped his sword and yelled at the dragon, "You foul beast! How dare you steal food from the mouths of these good knights' children! Are you conspiring with the witches and demons who seek to corrupt the youth?" The dragon rolled his eyes and said to the knight, "Don't tell me you believe your own lies, sir knight. Besides, I know what the king gives his knights. Just behave yourself lest you find yourself moderately wealthy instead of fabulously wealthy." This prompted the knight to let go of his sword. It seemed he would have to fake good behavior for the time being. However, he didn't have to wait very long, for soon the king made an announcement. He was growing old, his sword arm weak, his energy draining. As tradition dictated, there would be a tourney held in order to find a new king. This made the knight very happy indeed, for he had always wanted to be king. As the kingdom prepared for the tourney, so did the knight. He, of course, trained, but also begged people to cheer for him. On the day of the tourney, hiding his disdain for the peasants, he called out from atop his horse. "My good people! For too long we have lived under the tyranny of the dragon! He eats our beef, collects his hoard, and now he helps the witches and demons that corrupt our youth! If I become king, I shall slay the dragon! And when that is done, I shall rise even higher, become high king of all the realms and rid them of this blight." While most people didn't cheer for the knight, those who did were so thunderous that it seemed that the whole kingdom was cheering, and boos drowned out. And that gave the knight great encouragement. He rode to his position in the joust and, once called, seemed to push his horse to fly. He carried his lance with such certainty that it was like a battering ram against his opponent, the other knight falling to the ground in defeat. The other events went much the same way, the knight feeling such confidence that his victories were won so easily. Thus, he won the tourney, was crowned king at the end of it, and moved into the castle that very night. The peasants did not celebrate but grew afraid, for this knight had been exceptionally cruel to them. He had been among the most aggressive in destroying gardens, harassing lovers, to lie and say the unique were demons. And now he was to do away with them! Their only hope was that he wouldn't go through with his threats. Unfortunately, while he didn't immediately come after the dragon, he did keep his other terrible promises. His knights trampled ladies' gardens on the off chance their herbs may be used for witchery. He declared that those who loved the same gender must hide themselves away. And he decreed that the people who wore clothes that defied their fates from birth should be locked in the dungeon with the murderers and thieves for the crime of being themselves in public. Now, to say that the dragon cared for these people would be a lie. Dragons only care for two things, expanding their hoards and keeping their bellies full, this dragon was simply more diplomatic about it. If he were to continue growing his horde and ensure that he was fed, he needed to ensure that he had servants and permission to be here. So, he did something quite unexpected indeed. He left his lair, perched himself atop the tallest tower, and called out for all to hear, "Arrogant king, I hear your challenge, and accept it! Come face me in combat and I shall give you the fight of a lifetime! Meet me in my lair in three days and you shall have the slaying you desire!" The king's advisors grew afraid of this, for they knew that a fight with such a dragon was a massive undertaking at the best of times, only three days to prepare was a joke. They begged him to ignore the dragon and to think of his kingdom, to at least surprise the dragon. But the king refused. "The dragon went back on his part of the agreement! He owes every good knight a king's ransom! Besides, he's a dragon who submitted to a mob, it will be easy to defeat such a docile beast." And so, the king was prepared to go to the dragon's lair after three days. He took with him his sharpest sword and hardest armor, paid for long ago from his hoard-share. He gathered up his strongest and most loyal knights to help him in his quest. His horse was brushed and when it was time to go, it was as swift as it was on the day of the tourney. When he arrived at the lair with witnesses, he jumped off his horse and told his knights, "I will give you all a chance here, my good sirs! You are to help me slay the dragon. Weaken his resolve. We will then split his hoard amongst ourselves, as is our right." The men cheered and, with a great commotion, jumped off their horses and ran into the dragon's lair, the dragon's servants running from them to not be trampled. The dragon, who had been napping, opened his eerie glowing silver eyes at the yelling. He snarled at these knights and roared. However, this was not a roar of fear, but in anger at this insolence. Those who dared get close enough to his legs to try and hack at, he stomped on. Those who tried to attack from behind he promptly slammed into the wall by his tail. The witnesses watched in horror as the knights were slaughtered in their foolishness. The king then went in himself, stepping over the mangled bodies at his comrades. The dragon then spoke to him, telling him, "Finally. It was you who I challenged to a fight, not these morsels." "Morsels? You foul beast! You murdered my knights! What shall I tell their wives and children?" "If they behaved at home as they do with the peasants, Imm sure their wives will be better off. As for killing them, hardly. You sent them in, Your Majesty. You knew my quarrel was with you and, knowing full well how deadly I was, you sent them in anyways to make this easier on yourself. Now, do your worst, Good King." The knight gave another yell and rushed at the dragon, slashing his leg with his sword, and found that he could not penetrate his thick scales. He stabbed him in the belly and found that all it did was put a tiny cut on the thick skin. The dragon laughed, "You had no blessing on your little sword and expected it to hurt me? You are a fool." The dragon took a deep breath, and the king heard a spark in the dragon's throat. The dragon blew fire at the king, ate the charred king in one bite, and devoured the previously defeated knights with the same swiftness. It was finished. Once that had been done, the dragon had his servants return the knight's melted and solidified sword to the witnesses. And he flew to the tallest tower once more. The people grew fearful once more, for if the dragon was here, then the king had died, and the dragon had the right to ravage the land. But instead of burning everything down, the dragon spoke. "Do not think that I care about you, your nonsensical method of choosing a king, or your so-called chivalry! Your king had forgotten his place, that I rule over him and not him over me! For your last king's insolence, I shall choose the next one for you, one who will not scare away visitors or terrorize my servants into rising up against me or be so foolish as to try and slay me! Do I make myself clear?" The dragon had made himself more than clear. The castle advisors canceled the next tourney, the people accepted the new king appointed by the dragon, a man fearful of the beast but who also knew to undo the last king's disaster for his own sake. And thus, the kingdom knew a fearful peace for many years.
Copyright Sam Garcia 2024 |