It's all fun and games . . .
A few hours after sunset, Arabella slipped back inside to make sure that the dragon actually slept. She returned with a smile and a bouncy disposition. "He sleeps, my king. What would you have me do?" she said with a flourishing curtsy. "Assume your position, princess, and I will signal my lazy brother to do the same," Conrad said with a chuckle. He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could in the direction of the outlined shadowed form of his twin. Jeff jumped up with a start and saluted him quickly and a bit sleepily. Conrad nodded to Jeff, who dashed immediately to a rock wall and began climbing quickly up to the top. Arabella stared at the whole episode in astonishment. "You really have your signals down, don't you? Do both of you climb as well as Jeff does?" "Oh, I'm the one who taught him all he knows," Conrad said with a careless air. "Now, let's get you ready to be the bait. Remember what you are supposed to do." They both ran over to the side of the mountain where Jeff had climbed, and Conrad set her in the net (made of the rope they had found) that Jeff was waiting to hoist up the side of the mountain. "All right Jeff! Haul away. Have a good ride, Arabella. Don't get eaten!" "Don't worry, I won't. Don't you get eaten either, Conrad." Then, in his ear, "I love you!" Conrad gazed up at Princess Silver Moon as she was elevated up the side of the steep mountain Astonishment and love filled his eyes as he prayed to God that his plan would work, and that Arabella would not be seriously hurt or eaten, for that matter. Jeff gave a breath of air to the whistle, and Conrad knew it was time. Though it was true that his part in the plan was more dangerous than that of Jeff or Arabella, Conrad did think about it. He sneaked, very quietly even though the snoring of the great dragon, Talonblaze, filled the air making it almost impossible to hear what you were thinking, up to the entrance to the cave. He could hear a hissing and boiling as the hot breath of Talonblaze hit water in mid drop to the cavern floor from the awesome stalactites. Finally he reached the end of the twitching, scale covered tail. One more prayer for safety, and King Conrad stepped inside the cave. It was dark and damp. The mud on the floor sucked on his leather boots as he walked along beside the rock wall. 'I'm still walking next to the tail,' he thought uneasily after ten minutes of trudging along through the thick mud. He reached the back legs, which were as larger than any drawbridge ever hewn of wood. Then Conrad pulled the rope hanging from the ceiling and a rock, more of a boulder, fell from a shelf jutting out from the side of the rock wall. It landed with a thump on the beast's head. Talonblaze awoke in a fury hotter than his fire. He looked around and saw a man standing in front of him. Shaking his head with astonishment, the monster looked closer. That man was trying to get his attention. A puny little human was attempting to get his, the Great Talonblaze's attention! He snorted a small puff of smoke and lurched to his feet. Pounding after the man, he wondered if this could all be a plot to get him away from the cave so that the man could get his princess. But no, that was to complicated for a man to figure out.
A few hours after sunset, Arabella slipped back inside to make sure that the dragon actually slept. She returned with a smile and a bouncy disposition. "He sleeps, my king. What would you have me do?" she said with a flourishing curtsy. "Assume your position, princess, and I will signal my lazy brother to do the same," Conrad said with a chuckle. He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could in the direction of the outlined shadowed form of his twin. Jeff jumped up with a start and saluted him quickly and a bit sleepily. Conrad nodded to Jeff, who dashed immediately to a rock wall and began climbing quickly up to the top. Arabella stared at the whole episode in astonishment. "You really have your signals down, don't you? Do both of you climb as well as Jeff does?" "Oh, I'm the one who taught him all he knows," Conrad said with a careless air. "Now, let's get you ready to be the bait. Remember what you are supposed to do." They both ran over to the side of the mountain where Jeff had climbed, and Conrad set her in the net (made of the rope they had found) that Jeff was waiting to hoist up the side of the mountain. "All right Jeff! Haul away. Have a good ride, Arabella. Don't get eaten!" "Don't worry, I won't. Don't you get eaten either, Conrad." Then, in his ear, "I love you!" Conrad gazed up at Princess Silver Moon as she was elevated up the side of the steep mountain Astonishment and love filled his eyes as he prayed to God that his plan would work, and that Arabella would not be seriously hurt or eaten, for that matter. Jeff gave a breath of air to the whistle, and Conrad knew it was time. Though it was true that his part in the plan was more dangerous than that of Jeff or Arabella, Conrad did think about it. He sneaked, very quietly even though the snoring of the great dragon, Talonblaze, filled the air making it almost impossible to hear what you were thinking, up to the entrance to the cave. He could hear a hissing and boiling as the hot breath of Talonblaze hit water in mid drop to the cavern floor from the awesome stalactites. Finally he reached the end of the twitching, scale covered tail. One more prayer for safety, and King Conrad stepped inside the cave. It was dark and damp. The mud on the floor sucked on his leather boots as he walked along beside the rock wall. 'I'm still walking next to the tail,' he thought uneasily after ten minutes of trudging along through the thick mud. He reached the back legs, which were as larger than any drawbridge ever hewn of wood. Then Conrad pulled the rope hanging from the ceiling and a rock, more of a boulder, fell from a shelf jutting out from the side of the rock wall. It landed with a thump on the beast's head. Talonblaze awoke in a fury hotter than his fire. He looked around and saw a man standing in front of him. Shaking his head with astonishment, the monster looked closer. That man was trying to get his attention. A puny little human was attempting to get his, the Great Talonblaze's attention! He snorted a small puff of smoke and lurched to his feet. Pounding after the man, he wondered if this could all be a plot to get him away from the cave so that the man could get his princess. But no, that was to complicated for a man to figure out.