Dragons and Saints

If any of the following story isn't right, please bear in mind that I haven't heard the story since primary school. And I was a very forgetful child.

A long time ago, in a land they called 'Ye Olde Englande' there lived a knight called George. One day, whilst riding through the countryside, he came across a small village. As he trotted through on his white horse Rosie, he noticed that everyone seemed a little glum. People was wearing black and openly weeping in the streets.

Ever the curious person, George stopped by an old peasant woman and asked her what the bad news was. Her tale was one of heartbreak.

Ten years ago, she explained, a dragon had come to the village and started doing what dragons do best: burning houses and eating people. Out of sheer desperation, the king stood atop his tower and pleaded with the dragon.

They reached a bargain: the dragon would leave and never return, as long as every year the king gave him lots of gold and a pretty virgin to eat every year.

So every year, all the girls in the village would draw straws. Whoever picked the shortest would make their way to the cave, to be sacrificed to the dragon.

However, the king was a fair man and always insisted on his daughter taking part as well. She couldn't be spared simply because she was royalty. And on this fateful year, the princess had picked the shortest straw. She was going to be sacrificed to the dragon.

The people loved the princess because she was kind and sweet and pretty, and they pleaded that she shouldn't go. Several other girls requested that they take her place, but the princess has inherited her father's fairness and sense of honour. She had chosen the shortest straw. She was to be eaten.

Upon hearing the story, George knew what he had to do. He bid farewell to the woman and galloped off towards the mountainside.

Once there, he found the beautiful princess tied to a stake. Before he got a chance to untie her, or even say hello, the dragon emerged from his cave, hungry for human.

George drew his sword and held it up at the dragon, who started laughing a mighty dragon laugh. Did he really think he could defeat such a mighty beast with such a flimsy weapon? Apparently the answer was yes.

Because George was the greatest knight in the land, he made short work of the dragon. He ducked claws and dodged fiery breath, and soon the over-sized lizard found itself with a sword embedded in its throat. It coughed fire, tried unsuccessfully to breath, before crashing down dead.

The princess was very grateful for being rescued and she married George shortly afterwards. That night, he made sure that no dragon would ever want to eat her again, if you know what I mean.

The village made him a saint and, when his father-in-law died, he became king. His queen gave birth to seven sons. The youngest got married at sixteen and his wife also gifted him with seven sons.

As we all know, the seventh son of a seventh son is very special indeed, and that son became Superman.

The End.

Happy St. George's Day!

:D

http://ursulav.deviantart.com/art/Knight-and-Dragon-18205862