Sir Edwin and the Dragon

Edwin paces across the stone floor. His hands twist over the sheath that holds his sword. They drip with his sweat. His breath comes in gasp and he can feel his heart pounding in his head.

Outside his window, the townspeople gather. He hears their grumbling rising in volume. They are looking to him to handle the job. It is a job he doesn’t want.

He is Sir Edwin, Knight of the Village of Fife. The dragon is in a cave right outside the village. His job, Nae his responsibility, is to kill it.

“Sir Edwin, the townspeople await.” The king’s hand, Jasper of Troy, enters. The wooden door slams behind him. The little man stands as tall as his five foot two inches will allow. His face, framed with bushy black hair, is stern.

“Yes Jasper, I am aware.” He sighs. King Charles is far too busy to handle dealing with a reluctant knight. He would rather deal with King Charles than his hand. The choice isn’t his. Unfortunately.

“Then get on it. His Royal Highness’s subjects will sleep better at night knowing that the menace has been seen to.” He turns abruptly and exits the room with the same energy he entered with.

The menace. That is what all believe, what he has been trained to believe. His knight training included depiction of fearsome creatures as fire breathing monsters. The reality though. Another sigh. It isn’t. The dragon is just another creature trying to survive.

He lifts his shoulders and lets them drop. His sword is removed and examined. It gleams in the dying light. He knows it is sharp enough, having just had it at the grinders. He, along with his fellow townspeople, expect it to be used to take off the creature's head.

“Sir Edwin! Sir Edwin!” It echoes back up at him, their voices. Old men, young men, ladies, even children. They all count on him to save them. Why can’t they understand that they don’t need saving?

Maybe…

“Good townspeople,” They were still at his voice, “Hear me. The dragon, it isn’t a threat.” He stands at the open window, a floor above them, his hands raised.

An increasingly loud murmur starts to rise.

“Not a threat! Is the good knight a coward then?”

“It breathes fire!”

“Insanity. Of course it is a threat.”

“We need a new knight.”

“Eh, a new knight.” Their voices echo together, rising like a cloud to cover him.

“Please listen to me. I am no coward and you needn’t ask for another knight. What if I could prove that the dragon isn’t a threat?” They grow still again, willing to at least hear him out. “If I could show there is no threat, would that satisfy?”

They talk amongst themselves. He waits. The candle, burning behind him, drops another nail. An hour has passed since he prepared to face them.

“If you can show that, we will accept it.” They have chosen Lord James as their leader. The young Lord steps out from among his fellows and faces the knight.

“Thank you, good sire. I shall.” He bows low to him.

They watch in their torch light, as he walks past them towards the cave. His sword is at his side but not drawn. The townspeople have various weapons, all at the ready in case their champion fails.

They follow as far as the entrance to the valley that holds the cave. There they stop. The men stand in front of the women and children, a hedge of added protection.

“I will return.” Sir Edwin addresses them. They nod, torches lifted high to see him off. He carries his own in his left hand.

“We shall be ready if you fail.” Lord James replies. He stands before the rest, sword in one hand, torch in the other.

“I shan't,” he says. His voice shakes a bit.

He forces his hands to still, stopping the torch light from wavering, at his side as he walks towards the cave.

“Hail mighty dragon. I come in peace.” He calls out.

The creature’s snout appears first. It scents the air. At the smell of the man, it lets out a low rumbling growl.

“Steady. I am not here to harm you. I swear it.” His voice has lost its quiver. There is something about the almost mournful cry, that brings peace.

An eye comes out to study him. He stands still, letting the creature take his measure. It twists its head.

“They want me too but I won’t . You’re not a threat. I know it. Why should I take your life when there is no need?” Its head twists the opposite direction.

Its entire head and front claws then exit the cave. It listens, seemingly understanding what he is saying.

“I need to prove you aren’t a threat otherwise they will send for another knight who will be less understanding. Do you understand?” He doesn’t know what he expects but the creature's reaction shocks him.

It nods its head. Sir Edwin almost fainted dead away. He thought he was getting through. Now he knows he is. The creature is more intelligent than he thought.

“Brilliant. You will come with me. Show you’re not a threat?” Asked as he was asking a fellow human.

The creature makes a strange sound, almost like a cat’s purr. Suddenly, there beside it, is a mini version of itself. Oh, it, she is a mother!

He leads mother and child through the valley. The baby stays close to its mother, right on her tail. For her part, the mother keeps the almost purr sounds up, keeping her little one in line.

Once there, they are met with amazement. Sir Edwin pets the baby while the mother makes her comforting purr sounds.

“See, she is just a mother protecting her young, not a monster.” The amazed townspeople gawk at the sight of their knight and the seemingly tamed dragons.

From that night on, the townspeople lived in harmony with the dragons. They jo

ined Sir Edwin in protecting the village. No one dared attack it.

The end