The Princess and the Dragon! <le> <al> <el> <il>

Once upon a time, there was a princess. She had long, brown hair and lived in a tower that touched the sky. Every night, nearby towns would hear her sweet singing carry on the breeze.

The people of the town could not talk to the princess as she was held in her tower dragon. The beast had two heads, each as terrible as the other. It gobbled men up for sport.

None of the townsfolk felt like being the next dragon fodder, so the princess remained in the tower with the creature keeping watch. The townsfolk would hear her singing and think on how frightened and alone she must feel.

One day a brave and handsome knight came riding by. He was tall, strong, and had a sword with a sharp blade. He heard about the dragon and the princess, and knew that he must slay the beast and rescue her. That night, he heard her song on the breeze. 'Do not fear,' he said back to the song as he got ready for the battle. 'Soon you will be free of that terror.'

The knight woke with the sun and put on his shining armour. He rode out to the tower, and saw the sleeping dragon coiled around it. He held out his sword and rode forth. 'Oi!' somebody yelled from the top of the tower. The knight pulled on the straps of his horse. He looked up and saw the princess scowling down at him. 'Just what do you think you are doing?' the princess yelled. 'Saving you from this foul beast,' the knight said.

The princess whistled down at the dragon. It put its tail up to her window. She slid down its spine with ease and sat at the base of its neck. Its two heads looked at her with grins, and she gave them a scratch. 'What is it about knights and always having to rescue or kill something?' the princess said with a frown. 'This "foul beast" keeps me safe from all the awful gawking townsfolk. I would not get a moment’s peace if he did not gobble them up.'

The knight was not sure what to say. He sat there on his horse looking quite baffled. He watched as the princess flew up into the sky and did loops on the back of her dragon. They flew low over the land, making trees bend and rivers curl up under the dragon’s belly.

When she was done, she landed the dragon at the knights feet. The dragon snarled at him. One of its heads had curls of smoke coming outs of its nostrils, and the other bore its long, jagged teeth. He put away his sword and the dragon closed its mouths.

'You see?' the princess said. The knight nodded. 'If you do not need saving from this… peaceful creature,' the knight said with a frown, 'there must be some way that I can help. Some way to make it up to you.' 'As a matter of fact, there is,' the princess said, smiling down at the knight. He got off his horse and knelt down at the princess’s feet. 'Just say the task and it will be done,' he said. The princess tilted her head to the side. He looked over and saw a huge pile of dung at the bottom of her tower.

The knight took off his armour and started to shovel. All the while the princess played with her dragon, getting him to sit and fetch, and telling the heads that they were very good boys indeed.

The princess and the dragon were pleased with the knight's work, and the he stayed on to help the princess with her pet. He took the dragon for walks every day, and scratched its belly when it was sleepy.

Now the townsfolk tell the story of the weak knight that was tricked by the dragon in his attempt to rescue the princess. They say that he is a slave to the dragon, but nobody much feels like taking a closer look and being the next dragon fodder. And so, the princess, the knight, and the dragon live a happy life free from the horrible townsfolk and their tall tales.