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The Princess and the Dragon Knight

Prologue

They say that all tales, no matter how strange, have some thread of truth to them. One would think that even in a land as peculiar as Vanagarm it would be easy to believe almost anything. But like many people, the inhabitants of the long forgotten kingdom were dulled to the oddities of their surroundings and went on as if there was nothing acutely strange about their land. The skies were blue, the grass green and the inhabitants as good and as abiding as most.

The birds sang and the animals did as animals do. However, these animals were of a generation that had never been bred with outside stock and were a continuing line from the times of ages passed. The people too never changed and never saw a new family enter their kingdom nor were there any treats of war in Vanagarm. These things made it a peculiar kingdom indeed but what made it even odder was the fact that it sat well above the ground surrounded by an unimaginable gulf of endless depth.

Cut off from the rest of the world, Vanagarm floated idle in the mist of ignorant oblivion and remained a timeless wonder to those below and a casual normality to those that lived upon its ancient, crumbling cliffs. Despite this one incredibly crippling abnormality, the denizens of the Kingdom lived peacefully and rather uneventfully. That is, until an uninvited guest from centuries past decided to pay the land and her livestock a visit.

Chapter 1

All but one of the good citizens of Vanagarm feared the unknown thing that came from below. Atop the lofty pristine tower of castle Vangard sat the raven haired watcher of the domain. Her cool, clear blue eyes searched the sprawling green landscape all the way to the end of the land and beyond into the sea of endless sky. Unlike the frightened farmers and ranchers whose animals suffered from the unseen beast, Saria wanted nothing more than to see it, just once.

The people that witnessed it said it was huge, and frightening beyond any animal they had ever seen. Saria could hardly believe this as she had watched and waited but had never see the creature once. Granted, her duties at the castle sometimes called her away and it is probable that the creature came during those times and while she slept. If that were so, however, then this beast somehow knew she was waiting to see it and if that was the case, then it could not be just some dumb beast.

It was said it had huge leathery green wings that cast a shadow over acres of land when it flew overhead and a long spiked tail that ripped the ground up as it passed. Some even said that it scorched the fields with its breath. Could it be that one of the fabled and most legendary of the hidden one’s still lived? Saria hoped so with all her heart. She sat idly waiting but meanwhile fed the small blue birds that came to visit with an ornately adorned pouch of seed.

They had become quite tame over the years and would even bring their hatchlings to visit. This made the days in the castle bearable for the only other thing that served to relieves the stress of her forthcoming future were visited from Old Sir Caspion. The old knight told the most amazing tales of adventures about Vanagarm before it was lifted above the world and locked away from the rest of time. Though the knight had never seen the lands below himself he memorized all the tales from the people in the past that had and relayed them in such a way that one could believe he was actually there.

"My lady, one can't spend all day atop this drafty old tower..." spoke an aged voice from behind Saria. The old woman started the girl from her ritualistic gazing. "Why...? For what does the rest of this prison hold for me but looking beyond its bars? Why shouldn't this place be as good as any?" The princess asked, sweeping a strand of dark hair from her bored continence with one hand and clasping a book in the other.

"His majesty worries, my lady. He worries for you being so high up here and with such terrible tales about dragons these days." The old maid said, watching the plain of sky as it loomed over the endless sea of clouds and mountain peaks. "The dragon... I have sat here for hours and days and have yet to see it. Do you think me wicked to wish to see such a beast?" The princess asked, smiling. "I think you may suffer from something, my lady, yet I have not once found you wicked. At any rate, I came here to tell you that Sir Caspion has come for a visit. He is already about his stories, so you best hurry down if you wish to catch one." Cally, the old maid, said and smiled warmly.

Cally was very much the vision of a plump old grandmother. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes lined with the stories of a life filled with much laughter and joy. Saria loved her very dearly, as if she were her very own grandmother. "Oh, Sir Caspion is here? Cally, you should have said so sooner!" The princess cried and hurried by the old woman, steadying her after nearly knocking her down. "Sorry!" The princess said and scurried like a mouse with a cat at its tail down the thin stone stairway behind them. "Old fables and myth will move her but never a suitor or feast." Cally said and shrugged her full shoulders.

Down below the great halls and great rooms, hidden in the knights’ quarters, was old Sir Caspion. Once a great knight now just a great story teller, Sir Caspion was the only person that could pull the princess from her tower vigil, books and her own dream world. His stories perhaps aided in her mind's wonderings but she knew that she could not live without his tales of dragons, unicorns and heroes. Sir Caspion was the only light in her guarded little world.

"Sir Caspion!" The princess beamed as she swung open the heavy wooden door that separated the knight's quarters from the kitchen's hall. A few men sat listening to the old knight but not many, mostly young squires who blushed as the princess rushed in. There was one other true knight listening, however, his name was Sir Thanis. He was a young and handsome knight though vain for it. He was a good warrior and regarded as brave amongst the people. He was one of a few prospective suitors who would compete for the chance at her hand at the ceremonial games of Thoren.

"Saria, do you not have words for me as well?" Thanis asked. His voice was deep and rough, a voice used to call orders and dominate. It seemed a contrast to his fair hair and complexion. "Good day to you, Sir Thanis." Saria said and curtsied low and exaggerated. Sir Caspion smiled and patted the bench he sat on, offering a place for her to join him. "Princess, please join us. I was worried that you wouldn't come." Sir Caspion said, his teeth showing in a grin behind his grey and black beard.

It was easy to imagine that Sir Caspion was a striking man in his younger days with his vibrant blue eyes and dark hair, large build and warm smile. Yes, Sir Caspion would have been the kind of man Saria would have liked to marry, one of good humor and good heart. Not at all like Thanis. "Cally just informed me of your arrival, you know I would have been here waiting had I known beforehand. So, what tales do you have today, Sir Caspion?" Saria asked with an excitement that few saw from her.

"Ah well, the story I was starting was about the old alliance between your family's line and the hidden ones of the lands below Vanagarm. I wasn't too far in as there were many questions from these young squires to answer." Sir Caspion chuckled. The Squires shifted uncomfortably and Thanis simply rolled his eyes. "Oh, Thanis, why not just go stab someone? You couldn't possibly comprehend anything beyond that." Saria said, irritated at his blatant mocking. "I came to see what my future wife finds so amazing about these stories. I am free to listen in, aren't I?" He asked, raising a brow.

"As you were saying, Sir Caspion?" Saria urged, ignoring Thanis. "Well, long ago, back before even I was a knight," Sir Caspion joked and received a chuckle from his listeners. "There was a pact between man and the hidden people of the lands. These people could change into beasts or they could be human. No one is sure if they used magic or if they were simply born with these gifts but we were at peace with them, especially King Vanagarm.

It is said that the hidden ones helped the people of the kingdom and the people helped the hidden ones with whatever it was they needed. Then one day a man came into the kingdom who no one had ever seen before. He was tall and lanky and he carried with him a magical pipe that played tunes that enchanted any who heard them. Well, the king simply had to see this for himself and he invited the man to this very castle and had him play his song. They say that there was a dragon in the court also and with her an egg which held her son. The dragon warned King Vanagarm that this man was not what he appeared, that he was a goblin in disguise.

The king didn't listen to the wise old dragon and he let the man play his pipe. Well, the king should have listened to the old dragon for after the man began to play, all the people in the court fell asleep. They woke to find all the noble's bodily riches were gone and worse, the dragon's egg too, was gone. Sadly, no one could quell the dragon's sorrow and thus there was now a divide between the two peoples. The dragons no longer trusted men and soon followed the other hidden ones." Sir Caspion scratched his salt and pepper beard then took a sip of ale that had been provided during his story telling.

"Did no one ever try to console the dragon further or find the man with the pipe?" Saria asked. "I know not, I only know what I have told you." Sir Caspion said and smiled. "I think it's nothing but hogwash...The dragon likely hired the goblin to start the war." Thanis chortled. "Oh, be quiet, Thanis. Sir Caspion, tell us the rest of the story, please." Saria chimed. "Well... Some years later, after King Vanagarm had died and his son took the throne, there was a time when it was thought best to value a man's strength by testing him against the hidden ones.

If a man could kill one and bring its head back then he was thought quite strong." Thanis began to clap at this. "Now, this is a story I can understand." He said, being a fine hunter himself. "Indeed." Sir Caspion murmured then continued. "As I was saying, the young men would go out and find the hidden ones and attempt to slay them. Some succeeded and some paid with their lives. A foolhardy practice in my opinion but as you might have noticed in the main hall, their heads still decorate the walls. Stags and steeds with golden horns and dragon skulls all from centuries passed.

Even goblins suffered from these trials despite all their cunning. In fact, it is a goblin that stars in this story. Good knight Galladon was the next to prove his strength in the wood beyond the kingdom's walls and so he rode out with sword and shield in hand, clad in the finest armor. He searched high and low, around every tree and rock but he found no hidden people. There was good reason for that, there were no more. The forest was empty of the magic once there, empty of the sounds of life for the birds and animals had lost their protectors and friends.

Sir Galladon did not stop his search however. No, he passed the woods and walked into the dark rocky, mountains far beyond the sprawling forest. Yes, he journeyed to the land of trolls and goblins, of ghosts and wraiths. He feared not their wrath for dishonor was much worse a fate for him. He traveled for many days and nights over that ugly land with little food and water but his efforts were rewarded. He came upon a thing, a troll, a goblin, whatever it was, it was ugly and foul.

Sir Galladon killed the creature, cut off its head and took it home." Sir Caspion said and made a great swiping motion to emphasize the task of the knight in his story. "Well, that goblin, troll, ghost, whatever have you, was the daughter of the troll king and who do you think the troll king sent out after the knight that slew his daughter? The piper goblin, of course. So, the piper, with his great magic, lifted the kingdom of Vanagarm up, up into the sky leaving nothing but a hole below. Sir Galladon never returned to Vanagarm but was captured by the trolls. Who knows what became of him.

If it were not for the good magic of Fenwen the fair, we would have surely perished long ago without her magic spring that gives us water. So, don't forget her in your thanks before bed." Sir Caspion said and smiled. "Exciting as always, Sir Caspion! Won't you tell just one more?" Saria pleaded. Sir Caspion shook his head gently. "Nay, I must start back home. My wife does not like me out at night and the walk home, even now, threatens to take longer than it takes for the sun to sleep. She is as nervous about all this dragon business as everyone else is." Sir Caspion said and chuckled.

"Dragon… its nonsense. Nothing more than one farmer stealing a goat from another, surely we would have seen the dragon if it existed. Are they not supposed to be huge?" Thanis remarked. "True, they are supposed to be very large but then, I have never seen one so I wouldn't know. Sometimes the truth is not as the story goes." Sir Caspion said. "If there is a dragon, be sure that I will be like those heroes of old and slay it. I'll bring you back the head, Saria, so you might live these stories you love so." Thanis said with a smug grin.

"I'd sooner see the dragon bring home your head, Thanis." Saria said and received a laugh from the room. Thanis was not pleased, the last thing a sane person did was insult or embarrass him but he chuckled in false good humor. "If Sir Caspion is done, would you allow me to escort you back to your room, princess?" Thanis asked and smiled but his angelic face hid something sinister behind it. "I suppose." Saria said hesitantly and kissed Sir Caspion on his scruffy cheek. "Come and see us again soon, Sir Caspion. Thank you for the stories." Saria said and begrudgingly took the arm that Thanis offered.

"With pleasure, my lady. Thank you for listening." Sir Caspion said as Saria and Thanis left the room. Thanis was quiet as they walked down the busy hallway, his face caught in a stoic stone perfection. Saria did not speak either, it was no secret she despised the man despite his efforts to change her mind. There was simply nothing redeeming about his spirit or character. He was an arrogant and cruel person and the idea of wedding him and bearing his children made her physically ill. It wasn't until he pulled her down another corridor that words were spoken between the two.

"Thanis, what are you doing? This is not the way to my chamber." Saria growled. His grip tightened on her arm as he roughly took her around a turn that she recognized as the old portal to the royal stables. This passage was rarely used anymore if at all since her father had constructed a new one some considerable ways down the corridor they were in. Saria's heart began to thump painfully in her chest. "Thanis...!" She whispered harshly this time. "How dare you talk like that to me in front of the quires and Sir Caspion?" Thanis spat, pushing her against the old crumbling stone wall.

The sharp edges of the broken stone cut into her back, causing her to cry out but Thanis quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Never speak that way again!" Thanis hissed and pressed her harder into the wall. She could not match his strength so forcing him away was impossible, she simply had to bear the pain and pray he would release her. "Are you sorry, Saria? Must I remind you of your manners further?" He asked, bringing his lips close to her face. The idea that he might touch her with them was too horrible a thing to comprehend so she began to fight him.

She wasn't as strong as he was but she wasn't going to let him do this to her, either. "Leave me alone, Thanis! You are hurting me!" She cried from beneath his hand. The rocks dug deeper into her back but she didn't care. "Am I so foul to you? Is it that even my touch is like a poison?" He laughed and touched her face softly so it made the pit of her stomach threaten to purge itself. "No!" She cried against his hand. "I'll teach you why you will speak more highly of me in the future, Saria." Thanis snarled and leaned forward, his lips grazing her skin, the foul heat of them threatening to press against her.

His face contorted into a wicked grin as he leaned in and pressed a sickeningly warm and wet kiss to her neck. Saria screamed despite his hand, fought and struggled despite his strength and finally, ignoring the flesh that tore, broke free of his grip. She ran out into the empty stable, not a soul was around, not one knight and Thanis was right behind her. Had he planned this? Had he told them all to leave? She couldn't bother wondering now.

Thanis was chasing after her and she wasn't about to let him catch her again, she wouldn't get away a second time. "Saria!" She heard him call but she didn't look back. She ran from the stables, her slippers hardly enough to keep her feet safe from the rocky ground. Beyond, there was a simple fence protecting the royal stable from a small wooded area. Because Vanagarm floated above the world without any way to come or go from the isle, there was not a threat of invasion so the Kingdom was really borderless and without defense.

Past the village were fields and farmland and that was where she would go, she would go as far as she could. The woods provided good cover and so she hid within a rotten tree that had long been felled. It was filled with many creeping things but better them than what chased her. She waited until she heard Thanis' footsteps passing and then waning into the distance. It was quite a few minutes before she dared to crawl from her hiding place, brushing the various insects and rotted debris from her hair and clothing. Quietly, she made her way through the woods, careful not to make a sound at first. She wasn't allowed out of the castle much but what she could see from the tower helped her to understand where she was.

Thanis had headed toward the village and if she went to the left and continued to walk, she would find the edge of the land. Where she would go from there she wasn't sure but no one would guess she would go there since that was where the dragon was sighted most. The branches and rocks cut and scraped her legs, the bark of the trees tore at her hands as she quickly made her way as fast as she could through the forest. She prayed not to run into any animals but prayed more that she would not run into Thanis.

The clustering of the trees began to thin and soon Sara could see the orange dusk sky and the sprawling green fields. Finally, she had made it to the edge. This field had yet to be cultivated and so it was nothing but a plane of grass dancing in the swirling wilds created by the deep gorge ahead. It was told to young children never to go near the edge as it was quite possible for the wind to sweep them off and take them into the seemingly bottomless abyss below. Saria had never seen the abyss and now that she was so close the temptation was too strong to deny. She began across the green and gold waves of grass, marveling in the beauty of it, taking in a slow and easy breath as she walked.

The warm sun and cool wind touched her sweaty, stinging skin and for a moment she was at peace. But, a sudden cracking behind her broke the momentary bliss. Saria turned and saw a furious Thanis at the edge of the woods. No thought came to her but 'run' and so she did. Thanis was screaming furiously as she ran for the edge, knowing that the embrace of the abyss was far better a fate than to suffer what Thanis had in mind for her, but as she hit the edge, she stopped.

She gazed into the darkness below then back to Thanis, her nerves wavering. Could she jump? "Saria! Don't be a fool!" Thanis snarled causing her to turn back to him. He was so close, the decision to jump or stay weighing down like a rock. A sudden and powerful gust of wind nearly made the choice for her but it blew her a few feet forward and she fell to her knees in the grass. Thanis recoiled in utter horror, stumbling backward and then breaking into a full run before stopping some hundred feet away. Saria turned and looked toward the edge, though not much of it could be seen now. Hanging from the crumbling earth was a creature, its massive claws sunk deep into the rock to hold its weight.

Saria's mouth hung open as if to scream yet not a sound escaped. She struggled to her feet and started to run but the creature's mouth opened wide and snatched her up.

Thanis was silent in his terror as he watched the beast swallow the princess whole and then push off from the crumbling earth and vanish into the darkness and mist below. "...A...dragon...!" He uttered before consciousness evaded him and he fell back into the windswept grass.

Description
The Princess and the Dragon Knight

Prologue

They say that all tales, no matter how strange, have some thread of truth to them. One would think that even in a land as peculiar as Vanagarm it would be easy to believe almost anything. But like many people, the inhabitants of the long forgotten kingdom were dulled to the oddities of their surroundings and went on as if there was nothing acutely strange about their land. The skies were blue, the grass green and the inhabitants as good and as abiding as most.

The birds sang and the animals did as animals do. However, these animals were of a generation that had never been bred with outside stock and were a continuing line from the times of ages passed. The people too never changed and never saw a new family enter their kingdom nor were there any treats of war in Vanagarm. These things made it a peculiar kingdom indeed but what made it even odder was the fact that it sat well above the ground surrounded by an unimaginable gulf of endless depth.

Cut off from the rest of the world, Vanagarm floated idle in the mist of ignorant oblivion and remained a timeless wonder to those below and a casual normality to those that lived upon its ancient, crumbling cliffs. Despite this one incredibly crippling abnormality, the denizens of the Kingdom lived peacefully and rather uneventfully. That is, until an uninvited guest from centuries past decided to pay the land and her livestock a visit.

Chapter 1

All but one of the good citizens of Vanagarm feared the unknown thing that came from below. Atop the lofty pristine tower of castle Vangard sat the raven haired watcher of the domain. Her cool, clear blue eyes searched the sprawling green landscape all the way to the end of the land and beyond into the sea of endless sky. Unlike the frightened farmers and ranchers whose animals suffered from the unseen beast, Saria wanted nothing more than to see it, just once.

The people that witnessed it said it was huge, and frightening beyond any animal they had ever seen. Saria could hardly believe this as she had watched and waited but had never see the creature once. Granted, her duties at the castle sometimes called her away and it is probable that the creature came during those times and while she slept. If that were so, however, then this beast somehow knew she was waiting to see it and if that was the case, then it could not be just some dumb beast.

It was said it had huge leathery green wings that cast a shadow over acres of land when it flew overhead and a long spiked tail that ripped the ground up as it passed. Some even said that it scorched the fields with its breath. Could it be that one of the fabled and most legendary of the hidden one’s still lived? Saria hoped so with all her heart. She sat idly waiting but meanwhile fed the small blue birds that came to visit with an ornately adorned pouch of seed.

They had become quite tame over the years and would even bring their hatchlings to visit. This made the days in the castle bearable for the only other thing that served to relieves the stress of her forthcoming future were visited from Old Sir Caspion. The old knight told the most amazing tales of adventures about Vanagarm before it was lifted above the world and locked away from the rest of time. Though the knight had never seen the lands below himself he memorized all the tales from the people in the past that had and relayed them in such a way that one could believe he was actually there.

"My lady, one can't spend all day atop this drafty old tower..." spoke an aged voice from behind Saria. The old woman started the girl from her ritualistic gazing. "Why...? For what does the rest of this prison hold for me but looking beyond its bars? Why shouldn't this place be as good as any?" The princess asked, sweeping a strand of dark hair from her bored continence with one hand and clasping a book in the other.

"His majesty worries, my lady. He worries for you being so high up here and with such terrible tales about dragons these days." The old maid said, watching the plain of sky as it loomed over the endless sea of clouds and mountain peaks. "The dragon... I have sat here for hours and days and have yet to see it. Do you think me wicked to wish to see such a beast?" The princess asked, smiling. "I think you may suffer from something, my lady, yet I have not once found you wicked. At any rate, I came here to tell you that Sir Caspion has come for a visit. He is already about his stories, so you best hurry down if you wish to catch one." Cally, the old maid, said and smiled warmly.

Cally was very much the vision of a plump old grandmother. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes lined with the stories of a life filled with much laughter and joy. Saria loved her very dearly, as if she were her very own grandmother. "Oh, Sir Caspion is here? Cally, you should have said so sooner!" The princess cried and hurried by the old woman, steadying her after nearly knocking her down. "Sorry!" The princess said and scurried like a mouse with a cat at its tail down the thin stone stairway behind them. "Old fables and myth will move her but never a suitor or feast." Cally said and shrugged her full shoulders.

Down below the great halls and great rooms, hidden in the knights’ quarters, was old Sir Caspion. Once a great knight now just a great story teller, Sir Caspion was the only person that could pull the princess from her tower vigil, books and her own dream world. His stories perhaps aided in her mind's wonderings but she knew that she could not live without his tales of dragons, unicorns and heroes. Sir Caspion was the only light in her guarded little world.

"Sir Caspion!" The princess beamed as she swung open the heavy wooden door that separated the knight's quarters from the kitchen's hall. A few men sat listening to the old knight but not many, mostly young squires who blushed as the princess rushed in. There was one other true knight listening, however, his name was Sir Thanis. He was a young and handsome knight though vain for it. He was a good warrior and regarded as brave amongst the people. He was one of a few prospective suitors who would compete for the chance at her hand at the ceremonial games of Thoren.

"Saria, do you not have words for me as well?" Thanis asked. His voice was deep and rough, a voice used to call orders and dominate. It seemed a contrast to his fair hair and complexion. "Good day to you, Sir Thanis." Saria said and curtsied low and exaggerated. Sir Caspion smiled and patted the bench he sat on, offering a place for her to join him. "Princess, please join us. I was worried that you wouldn't come." Sir Caspion said, his teeth showing in a grin behind his grey and black beard.

It was easy to imagine that Sir Caspion was a striking man in his younger days with his vibrant blue eyes and dark hair, large build and warm smile. Yes, Sir Caspion would have been the kind of man Saria would have liked to marry, one of good humor and good heart. Not at all like Thanis. "Cally just informed me of your arrival, you know I would have been here waiting had I known beforehand. So, what tales do you have today, Sir Caspion?" Saria asked with an excitement that few saw from her.

"Ah well, the story I was starting was about the old alliance between your family's line and the hidden ones of the lands below Vanagarm. I wasn't too far in as there were many questions from these young squires to answer." Sir Caspion chuckled. The Squires shifted uncomfortably and Thanis simply rolled his eyes. "Oh, Thanis, why not just go stab someone? You couldn't possibly comprehend anything beyond that." Saria said, irritated at his blatant mocking. "I came to see what my future wife finds so amazing about these stories. I am free to listen in, aren't I?" He asked, raising a brow.

"As you were saying, Sir Caspion?" Saria urged, ignoring Thanis. "Well, long ago, back before even I was a knight," Sir Caspion joked and received a chuckle from his listeners. "There was a pact between man and the hidden people of the lands. These people could change into beasts or they could be human. No one is sure if they used magic or if they were simply born with these gifts but we were at peace with them, especially King Vanagarm.

It is said that the hidden ones helped the people of the kingdom and the people helped the hidden ones with whatever it was they needed. Then one day a man came into the kingdom who no one had ever seen before. He was tall and lanky and he carried with him a magical pipe that played tunes that enchanted any who heard them. Well, the king simply had to see this for himself and he invited the man to this very castle and had him play his song. They say that there was a dragon in the court also and with her an egg which held her son. The dragon warned King Vanagarm that this man was not what he appeared, that he was a goblin in disguise.

The king didn't listen to the wise old dragon and he let the man play his pipe. Well, the king should have listened to the old dragon for after the man began to play, all the people in the court fell asleep. They woke to find all the noble's bodily riches were gone and worse, the dragon's egg too, was gone. Sadly, no one could quell the dragon's sorrow and thus there was now a divide between the two peoples. The dragons no longer trusted men and soon followed the other hidden ones." Sir Caspion scratched his salt and pepper beard then took a sip of ale that had been provided during his story telling.

"Did no one ever try to console the dragon further or find the man with the pipe?" Saria asked. "I know not, I only know what I have told you." Sir Caspion said and smiled. "I think it's nothing but hogwash...The dragon likely hired the goblin to start the war." Thanis chortled. "Oh, be quiet, Thanis. Sir Caspion, tell us the rest of the story, please." Saria chimed. "Well... Some years later, after King Vanagarm had died and his son took the throne, there was a time when it was thought best to value a man's strength by testing him against the hidden ones.

If a man could kill one and bring its head back then he was thought quite strong." Thanis began to clap at this. "Now, this is a story I can understand." He said, being a fine hunter himself. "Indeed." Sir Caspion murmured then continued. "As I was saying, the young men would go out and find the hidden ones and attempt to slay them. Some succeeded and some paid with their lives. A foolhardy practice in my opinion but as you might have noticed in the main hall, their heads still decorate the walls. Stags and steeds with golden horns and dragon skulls all from centuries passed.

Even goblins suffered from these trials despite all their cunning. In fact, it is a goblin that stars in this story. Good knight Galladon was the next to prove his strength in the wood beyond the kingdom's walls and so he rode out with sword and shield in hand, clad in the finest armor. He searched high and low, around every tree and rock but he found no hidden people. There was good reason for that, there were no more. The forest was empty of the magic once there, empty of the sounds of life for the birds and animals had lost their protectors and friends.

Sir Galladon did not stop his search however. No, he passed the woods and walked into the dark rocky, mountains far beyond the sprawling forest. Yes, he journeyed to the land of trolls and goblins, of ghosts and wraiths. He feared not their wrath for dishonor was much worse a fate for him. He traveled for many days and nights over that ugly land with little food and water but his efforts were rewarded. He came upon a thing, a troll, a goblin, whatever it was, it was ugly and foul.

Sir Galladon killed the creature, cut off its head and took it home." Sir Caspion said and made a great swiping motion to emphasize the task of the knight in his story. "Well, that goblin, troll, ghost, whatever have you, was the daughter of the troll king and who do you think the troll king sent out after the knight that slew his daughter? The piper goblin, of course. So, the piper, with his great magic, lifted the kingdom of Vanagarm up, up into the sky leaving nothing but a hole below. Sir Galladon never returned to Vanagarm but was captured by the trolls. Who knows what became of him.

If it were not for the good magic of Fenwen the fair, we would have surely perished long ago without her magic spring that gives us water. So, don't forget her in your thanks before bed." Sir Caspion said and smiled. "Exciting as always, Sir Caspion! Won't you tell just one more?" Saria pleaded. Sir Caspion shook his head gently. "Nay, I must start back home. My wife does not like me out at night and the walk home, even now, threatens to take longer than it takes for the sun to sleep. She is as nervous about all this dragon business as everyone else is." Sir Caspion said and chuckled.

"Dragon… its nonsense. Nothing more than one farmer stealing a goat from another, surely we would have seen the dragon if it existed. Are they not supposed to be huge?" Thanis remarked. "True, they are supposed to be very large but then, I have never seen one so I wouldn't know. Sometimes the truth is not as the story goes." Sir Caspion said. "If there is a dragon, be sure that I will be like those heroes of old and slay it. I'll bring you back the head, Saria, so you might live these stories you love so." Thanis said with a smug grin.

"I'd sooner see the dragon bring home your head, Thanis." Saria said and received a laugh from the room. Thanis was not pleased, the last thing a sane person did was insult or embarrass him but he chuckled in false good humor. "If Sir Caspion is done, would you allow me to escort you back to your room, princess?" Thanis asked and smiled but his angelic face hid something sinister behind it. "I suppose." Saria said hesitantly and kissed Sir Caspion on his scruffy cheek. "Come and see us again soon, Sir Caspion. Thank you for the stories." Saria said and begrudgingly took the arm that Thanis offered.

"With pleasure, my lady. Thank you for listening." Sir Caspion said as Saria and Thanis left the room. Thanis was quiet as they walked down the busy hallway, his face caught in a stoic stone perfection. Saria did not speak either, it was no secret she despised the man despite his efforts to change her mind. There was simply nothing redeeming about his spirit or character. He was an arrogant and cruel person and the idea of wedding him and bearing his children made her physically ill. It wasn't until he pulled her down another corridor that words were spoken between the two.

"Thanis, what are you doing? This is not the way to my chamber." Saria growled. His grip tightened on her arm as he roughly took her around a turn that she recognized as the old portal to the royal stables. This passage was rarely used anymore if at all since her father had constructed a new one some considerable ways down the corridor they were in. Saria's heart began to thump painfully in her chest. "Thanis...!" She whispered harshly this time. "How dare you talk like that to me in front of the quires and Sir Caspion?" Thanis spat, pushing her against the old crumbling stone wall.

The sharp edges of the broken stone cut into her back, causing her to cry out but Thanis quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Never speak that way again!" Thanis hissed and pressed her harder into the wall. She could not match his strength so forcing him away was impossible, she simply had to bear the pain and pray he would release her. "Are you sorry, Saria? Must I remind you of your manners further?" He asked, bringing his lips close to her face. The idea that he might touch her with them was too horrible a thing to comprehend so she began to fight him.

She wasn't as strong as he was but she wasn't going to let him do this to her, either. "Leave me alone, Thanis! You are hurting me!" She cried from beneath his hand. The rocks dug deeper into her back but she didn't care. "Am I so foul to you? Is it that even my touch is like a poison?" He laughed and touched her face softly so it made the pit of her stomach threaten to purge itself. "No!" She cried against his hand. "I'll teach you why you will speak more highly of me in the future, Saria." Thanis snarled and leaned forward, his lips grazing her skin, the foul heat of them threatening to press against her.

His face contorted into a wicked grin as he leaned in and pressed a sickeningly warm and wet kiss to her neck. Saria screamed despite his hand, fought and struggled despite his strength and finally, ignoring the flesh that tore, broke free of his grip. She ran out into the empty stable, not a soul was around, not one knight and Thanis was right behind her. Had he planned this? Had he told them all to leave? She couldn't bother wondering now.

Thanis was chasing after her and she wasn't about to let him catch her again, she wouldn't get away a second time. "Saria!" She heard him call but she didn't look back. She ran from the stables, her slippers hardly enough to keep her feet safe from the rocky ground. Beyond, there was a simple fence protecting the royal stable from a small wooded area. Because Vanagarm floated above the world without any way to come or go from the isle, there was not a threat of invasion so the Kingdom was really borderless and without defense.

Past the village were fields and farmland and that was where she would go, she would go as far as she could. The woods provided good cover and so she hid within a rotten tree that had long been felled. It was filled with many creeping things but better them than what chased her. She waited until she heard Thanis' footsteps passing and then waning into the distance. It was quite a few minutes before she dared to crawl from her hiding place, brushing the various insects and rotted debris from her hair and clothing. Quietly, she made her way through the woods, careful not to make a sound at first. She wasn't allowed out of the castle much but what she could see from the tower helped her to understand where she was.

Thanis had headed toward the village and if she went to the left and continued to walk, she would find the edge of the land. Where she would go from there she wasn't sure but no one would guess she would go there since that was where the dragon was sighted most. The branches and rocks cut and scraped her legs, the bark of the trees tore at her hands as she quickly made her way as fast as she could through the forest. She prayed not to run into any animals but prayed more that she would not run into Thanis.

The clustering of the trees began to thin and soon Sara could see the orange dusk sky and the sprawling green fields. Finally, she had made it to the edge. This field had yet to be cultivated and so it was nothing but a plane of grass dancing in the swirling wilds created by the deep gorge ahead. It was told to young children never to go near the edge as it was quite possible for the wind to sweep them off and take them into the seemingly bottomless abyss below. Saria had never seen the abyss and now that she was so close the temptation was too strong to deny. She began across the green and gold waves of grass, marveling in the beauty of it, taking in a slow and easy breath as she walked.

The warm sun and cool wind touched her sweaty, stinging skin and for a moment she was at peace. But, a sudden cracking behind her broke the momentary bliss. Saria turned and saw a furious Thanis at the edge of the woods. No thought came to her but 'run' and so she did. Thanis was screaming furiously as she ran for the edge, knowing that the embrace of the abyss was far better a fate than to suffer what Thanis had in mind for her, but as she hit the edge, she stopped.

She gazed into the darkness below then back to Thanis, her nerves wavering. Could she jump? "Saria! Don't be a fool!" Thanis snarled causing her to turn back to him. He was so close, the decision to jump or stay weighing down like a rock. A sudden and powerful gust of wind nearly made the choice for her but it blew her a few feet forward and she fell to her knees in the grass. Thanis recoiled in utter horror, stumbling backward and then breaking into a full run before stopping some hundred feet away. Saria turned and looked toward the edge, though not much of it could be seen now. Hanging from the crumbling earth was a creature, its massive claws sunk deep into the rock to hold its weight.

Saria's mouth hung open as if to scream yet not a sound escaped. She struggled to her feet and started to run but the creature's mouth opened wide and snatched her up.

Thanis was silent in his terror as he watched the beast swallow the princess whole and then push off from the crumbling earth and vanish into the darkness and mist below. "...A...dragon...!" He uttered before consciousness evaded him and he fell back into the windswept grass.