Hello. This is a fairy tale from a book called "The Green Fairy Book" which is now so scarce I don't know where to find it. The book was old, ripped, and had several pages ripped out of it. I enjoyed reading the tiny bit of this story, and decided to recreate it making up whatever I wanted. You can flame me for changing the story, but since I don't know what the original is, you'll have to stick with my own invented recreation. Its cute, and very fairy tale. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own this fairy tale, I just recreated it.
The silver dragon.
By Rika195
Once upon a time, far away in a land that does not exists now, lived four kingdoms. Each kingdom was named and decorated after each season. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Yet there was something wrong, something missing in each kingdom. None of these kingdoms had any rulers. Something had happened, long ago, that left the kingdom leaderless and destitute. No one knew how it happened, for all that had lived that long ago were now dead. All anyone knew was that a king would come, to each kingdom, and restore them to what they used to be.
A young girl, the daughter of a poor tailor, who had often sat listening to the old story teller, often wondered if the people would continue to wait around until the king came to them. Surely there was something one could do to speed up the coming of the king.
Now this young girl, who lived in the kingdom of Autumn, was now sitting in the story tent, listening to the story teller. The story he told today was like one he had never told before. It was about a dragon, a silver dragon, who watched over four small kingdoms. In her cave she kept a golden sphere, which told anyone who could get into the dragon's lair, what the future was for those kingdoms. In the story, a young prince from one of the kingdoms, who got lost during a battle against an enemy, was captured by the silver dragon.
The young prince, eager to go home again, made a deal with the dragon. If he could answer a riddle, he could go home, and if the dragon could not answer his riddle, he would get to look in the golden sphere.
The silver dragon agreed, and asked him a most difficult riddle. It was the riddle that the dragon loved the most, because no one could answer it. But the young prince, who was good with riddles answered it easily. The dragon was very angry, but did not show it. She decided, after not being able to answer the young prince's riddle, to not show him the sphere and to hold him captive till the kingdoms diminished.
The dragon also took away all the kings and leaders in those kingdoms, and killed them all. Still the young prince, whom she began to like for his beauty and wisdom, she kept alive and made him stay with her for the rest of eternity.
The young girl, who had listened very closely, knew that the story teller was talking about their own kingdoms. Though the story teller did not know it, the young girl believed everything he said to be true. She went home and packed a small traveling sack with food, clothing, and her mother's little hand mirror.
Then, that night while everyone slept, she slipped out into the night and left the city. She knew not where the silver dragon lived, but she was determined to save the prince. She believed him to still be alive, and meant to punish the dragon for its cruelty and trickery.
She traveled for seven days, not finding anything. She traveled far away, towards the mountains. She had never seen the mountains before, because they had never been there before. But they looked inviting to her, so she climbed them. They were very difficult to climb, but she climbed them. At the top of the cliff, she looked out and saw the four kingdoms: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. They were shaped like a diamond, and she knew that the only way to see the mountains she was now on was to go right up to them and climb them. They were enchanted mountains!
The young girl went up the mountain as far as she could go, and when she could go no further, fell asleep on a small ledge.
In her sleep, she felt herself being gently lifted from her bed on the rocks and placed somewhere higher. She did not care, being too tired. But in her sleep, she opened her eyes. There before her, sort of blurred by her tired eyes, stood a handsome young man. When he saw he looking at him, he seemed to vanish. Being tired, she fell asleep again easily.
When she woke, and looked around her, she realized that she had indeed been moved. The ledge where she had bee had crumbled and fallen. It would have taken her with it, she realized, but someone had moved her to safety. Suspicious of her dream, she warily got her bag and continued to climb the mountain. When she had gotten half way up the enchanted mountain, she came upon a great cave. Seeing there was nothing in it, she walked in.
The cave was deep, and very large. It went a long way, and had many branches that led off to who knows where. When she had gone all the way to the back of the cave, she saw pictures painted on the wall. The pictures were of the four kingdoms, the ones she had just left. They also showed different people she had never seen before. They looked strong and wise, each wearing the obvious clothing of the four kingdoms. She happen to look closely at one, which was a picture of a man much younger than the rest.
She was afraid now, that the story teller's story was true, and knowing the dragon would come and see her, ran off through one of the smaller caves. She felt sure the dragon was too big to fit in the tiny cave, and overcome with weariness, slept there.
When she awoke, the cave was a great deal warmer. She could feel hot breathe being blown upon her. Turning her eyes outside the cave, she glanced upon the most beautiful and terrifying creature she had every seen. A silver dragon smiled at her sweetly.
"Ah," it said, her voice like crystal being hit with a tiny hammer. "You have awoken. Come my little treasure. Let me look at you."
Drawn by the pure voice of the dragon, she crawled out of the cave. The dragon was very large, and very beautiful. She was so frightened, she lost her voice. Suspecting this, the dragon blew flame up to the ceiling, creating a flame wreathed cave around her.
The young girl screamed, and throwing herself into the cave, wept from fright. The dragon stopped her flame, and waited for her to stop weeping.
"Come out dear. I only meant to help you. You must get used to it, for you will be here for a very long time." The young girl stood up boldly, but still too frightened to come out, glanced fearfully around the cave.
"You are the silver dragon," she said fearfully. The dragon laughed, making her silver scales shine. "You were the one who took the kings from our countries." She continued.
"I am indeed. They bothered me, and I grew tiresome of them. I did not kill all of them you know." The dragon laughed again, and moving her tail, revealed the most handsome man the girl had ever seen. He smiled at her, but didn't say anything. "I have not yet grown weary of him. He is full of surprises."
"And so am I," the girl said. "I am here for one reason only. I am here to make sure justice is met out."
"Oh?" the dragon laughed again. "You amuse me, little one. What justice is needed? I will be very just to help you in anyway I can."
"It is you, my lady," she replied. "You have done a wrong that needs to be met out. Do you recall a riddle that was answered long ago?"
Here the dragon dropped hr gay attitude. Her eyes glowed red, but she nodded. "I remember. But how do you, little one?"
"I know a story teller." She said. "He told me a story about you, and I knew it to be true. I know the riddle you asked also. I have come to ask you to make a deal with me."
"What is the deal?" the dragon yawned a hot stinky yawn, and the young girl covered her nose from the smell of sulfur.
"You must first promise me that you will not break you word against me like you did before."
"Agreed."
"Then my deal is this. Many years we have waited for a king to come to each of our kingdoms. I know that you keep one here now. My deal is that you will do as you once promised you would do, and let the kings go back to their kingdoms." The young girl felt more courage come to her, and though she knew the dragon could disagree or lie to her, felt sure that her plan would work.
"What do you have for me in return?" the dragon asked. "How do you know I will hold to my deal?"
"I offer myself, to be your prisoner." She said. "It is the only thing I have to offer. The only, thing that is, except this mirror." The young girl brought the mirror from her pack, and showed it to the dragon.
"Done. I will take you in replacement for the kings of those kingdoms down there." The dragon smiled sweetly. "I must say, you have a courageous heart. Let me see that mirror."
The young man behind the dragon had not said anything yet this whole time. Now, he jumped in front of the dragon.
"Stay! I will not let this deal happen!" he said, taking the young girl's arm. "I will not let you stay here for the rest of eternity." He turned to the dragon who watched this with pleasure. "Either take the mirror, or I will escort this young lady right out again."
The dragon laughed. "You still amuse me to this day, my prince. I must see the mirror before I am to decide."
"No, you will decide now." The prince took the mirror from the girl's hands. "Decide or I will break it."
"No!" said the poor girl. "Do not break it! It is magical!" the young girl, who could now guess that the young prince was tricking the dragon, pretended to be thoroughly attached to it.
"Magical!" the dragon's eyes glittered. "What can it do, my sweet?"
"You will find out soon enough." The prince said. "chose now or I will break it."
Here the girl began to cry. "Don't break it please. Oh silver dragon do not be stupid please take it before he breaks it. If broken, all it's magic will be gone forever! It can show one anything they wish to look at!"
"Alright then!" the dragon angrily got up. "I am not stupid give me the mirror, and leave. The request is granted."
"No!" the girl shouted, grabbing the mirror before the prince handed it up. For, indeed, it was no lie that the mirror was magical. "I will not let you have it."
Here the dragon became angry. She threatened to kill the young lady. Still, she would not be persuaded. Dashing wildly, she rushed out of the cave. The dragon followed, preparing to kill the maiden with her flame. When the dragon rushed around the corner, the young maiden had her plan already laid out. She took a large sword and hoisted it on a rock, so that when the dragon came rushing at her, she stabbed herself with the large sword.
The dragon screamed, growled, and smoked from the wound. Finally, she wreathed on the ground. The young maiden walked over to the dying dragon fearfully.
"Why did you do that?" the dragon asked angrily.
"I saw it in my mirror that you would trick me as you once did the prince. I order you to release him and all the kings. If you do not, then I will destroy you even now as you die."
"I saw it from the start that you were a wise one." The dragon laughed softly. 'I grant it. I release them. Now let me die in peace."
"No." the girl said. "I cannot let you die. Justice is met out now, but you do not deserve to die. One as beautiful as you should not die this way. Come. Look in my mirror and be healed."
The dragon looked at the young girl with awe, but did not look in the mirror. "No," she said. "I cannot look. But I will grant the magic I hold even now to your mirror. I should have known that you were the princess."
"But I am not the princess!" the girl declared.
"Yes you are," the dragon laughed, her eyes glowing red. "You mother, the princess before you, had been instructed to keep you a secret. They all feared that I would capture you too, and so you grew up without my knowing. It was because of my ignorance that you live today, and that I die."
"Look in the mirror, my friend." The now discovered princess wept. "I will not let you die."
And so the dragon, so overcome by the pure heart the princess had, let her heart be softened, and looked into the mirror. She was revived, given back her health, and so granted the princess her golden sphere.
The prince stood by the princess's side now, who declined the offer of the sphere. After a argument about how the dragon should release all the kings, (who were not dead but held in an enchanted sleep) it was decided that they should ride down upon war horses, back to their kingdoms. The dragon, now free from her wicked heart, lived in her cave only as a protection for the four kingdoms.
The prince, who had fallen in love with the princess, asked her to be his bride and rule the kingdom of Autumn forever with him. The princess agreed, and the kingdoms were restored.
All the people of the kingdoms thought nothing of it, only saying that it was bound to happen sooner or later. Only the story teller knew what had taken place. For the story teller, a fairy in disguise, had seen it all in the same magic mirror he had given the princess's mother. And so the four kingdoms were all restored, and they lived happily ever after. The end.