The Princess and the Dragon <ci> <si> <ti>

Once upon a time, there was a princess that lived in a castle. The princess loved to sing. Every night her song would float down from her tower and across to the nearby town. The people of the town loved the princess' singing. She was quite the musician.

But there is a sad part to the tale. The princess was being held captive by a vicious dragon. All those who tried to rescue the princess met a grizzly death by one of its heads. This put horrifying thoughts in the heads of the townsfolk, and no more of them could bring themselves to try to save her.

The townsfolk were filled with sorrow. If only there was a way that they could help their fair princess. But those who remained were too young or old to attempt to rescue her. They would be little more than a sacrificial offering to the dragon.

One day, a brave knight came to town. His armour was strong and his horse was fast. He heard the story of the princess and the dragon from the townsfolk and felt the need to help. He said that he was the best with a sword in all the land! Most of the time the knight would want a reward for such a task, but he was willing to undertake this one for free. The gratitude of the town would be enough.

The knight rode out to the tower. He found the beast sleeping at its base. The two heads were as fearsome as those in the town had said. He drew his sword and got ready to slay the beast. 'Oi!' somebody yelled from the top of the tower. 'Just what do you think you're doing?' The knight looked up. It was the princess. 'Saving you from this beast,' he said.

The dragon awoke and rose to the top of the tower. The princess jumped out of the window and landed on the dragon's back. She was glowering down at the knight. He could not put any of it together. 'This "beast" is the only thing that keeps those horrid townsfolk away,' said the princess. 'They tell very tall tales and spend all of their time on nonsense gossip.'

The knight watched as the princess and the dragon flew around the field. She had trained it very well. They did tight turns around the trees and pulled up out of a dive just before the surface of the water. The knight was very impressed.

The dragon landed. It puffed smoke out of its noses and threatened the knight with its jaws. The knight soon realised that he was no match for the dragon. He got off his horse and put down his sword. He felt awful. He wanted to do something for the princess and the dragon as a form of apology.

The princess thought for a moment before smirking. 'If you are willing to trade your sword for a shovel, there is a huge pile of poop at the base of the tower that is getting a bit smelly.' The knight took off his shining armour and let his horse off to graze in the field. Then he got to his task.

As the knight worked, the princess played with her dragon. When the heads did what she wanted, she praised them. She had taught the dragon to do a new trick while the knight was at work.

The knight ended up staying on with the princess and the dragon. He took on a lot of duties, like scratching the dragon's belly as it fell asleep. He was like a magician when the dragon had an upset tummy. Soon the dragon loved him as much as it loved the princess.

Now the people in the town tell the story of the weak knight that went off to save the princess and failed. They shake their heads about how slow his horse was and how he lacked in bravery. But over by the tower, the knight, the princess and the dragon live happily away from the townsfolk and their tall tales.