Dragon Fairy Tale

>Once Upon a Time, in the Duchy of Poland, during the reign of Czeslaw the good, there lived a certain lord near the town of Sobotka

>Now this lord had a beautiful daughter, whose loveliness was known far and wide. Men came from all over to see her, and nobles, merchants, and soldiers all sought her hand in marriage. But her father was not impressed, for at her christening, a prophecy had been given, stating that her husband would give her 'A treasure greater than all Poland'. Therefore, her father refused all suitors, for no matter how wealthy, strong, or reknowened, her father imagined the next suitor to be even richer, stronger, and more noble

>Now, all of the talk of this beautiful maiden had drawn the ire of the witch, Baba Yaga, who was furious with jealousy at the beauty pf the girl, and at the insolence of her father. So, she left her house on chicken legs and took up her mortar and pestle, flying silently through the night to the girl's castle. That night, she cursed the Lord and his family, saying thus:

>"Thou fool, with thy heart of stone which hath denied the honest affections of countless good men, turn then to stone until thy daughter be wed to a better man then thee!"

>And turning to the girl she said:

>"And as for thee, my pretty, wouldst thou receive such princely offers were it not for thy beauty? May ye grow as monstrous as my hate for thee, such that even the bravest knight would run before thine visage! But know I am not without mercy, for if ye art as pure of heart as they say, the the kiss of true love from a noble man will undo this curse upon thee!"

>And with that, the foul witch vanished in a cloud of foul smoke and brimstone

>The girl had been transformed into a fearsome Smej, a dragon, and all who saw her ran in fright

>her father, mother, and three brothers had been trasnformed into stone statues, and the castle lay silent as a tomb

>One man was not afraid, however, the old priest who had baptised her as a child, for his Faith in God had left him no fear of death. He counseled her to take her family to the top of Sleza Mountain, and live there in the garden of a certain monestary at the peak of that holy mountain

>Many years pass

>Though many priests prayed for her, and many nuns blessed her, and many men (some even knights of the realm) tried to undo the curse placed upon her, none were able. The priests and nuns could not even bear to look upon her, and the knights sent to her all ran away in terror. The girl grew more monstrous by the day, and despaired of ever finding true love

>Now, in the land there lived a young man, the youngest of three brothers. His elder brothers were noble and strong, and had won great wealth and honors for themselves. But he was born sickly, and at at the age of 16 he had lost his eyesight entirely. His father, greatly saddened, had send him to the monestery at Sleza, that by prayer and service the Lord might restore his vision.

>The boy grew to be a man, and was instructed by the monks there in all the great wisdom of the sages and scripture. But despite years of penitent service, the boy, too, despaired of his curse ever being lifted.

>The young man liked to wander among the gardens of the monestery. While he could not see the many fine statues, he could feel their noble, sad faces, and the cool smooth texture of the finely-wrought marble

>He would sit on a bench amongst the trees, and speak softly to the statues, reciting scripture or poetry. But he would not sit alone, for the girl often watched and listened, for she loved to hear him speak. She liked to hear his voice tell of his life before, and of his two brothers whom he loved, and of his dreams of the future.

>But one day, as he poured out his sadness at the cruelty of the world, he heard an answering cry--for the dragoness who hid near him was moved so to tears! The boy started, and asked who was there. Blind though he was, the maiden's voice had been so sweet and clear that he knew himself to be in the presence of a great beauty, and he fell in love at once.

>"Oh, noble heart," cried the dragoness, great hot tears splashing from her cheeks and steaming as they hit the earth, "I, miserable wretch, who have sat day by day in silence and listened to thy breaking heart, wish thou wouldst cry no longer. Speak not of thy troubles, but again of happier days, and I, though cursed as thee, shall share with thee mine own memories when the light of God still shone upon me"

>The young man was shocked, but replied, "Oh, pardon this fool! Would that a thousand arrows pierce my knavish heart before a single sob escape thy lips! Had I but known thou wert listening, I should have not indulged my grief so, like a drunkard with new wine. Blind though I be, I know from thy voice thou art a maiden beyond compare. Listen, then, if it pleases thee, to listen to a poor fool, and tell me what hand, divine or mortal, has caused thou pain. For though I may be weak and blind, my brothers are as brave and strong as any knight, and my father rich and noble. If it be in their power, I would right whatever wrong has befallen you."

>Speaking thusly, the two fell into deep conversation, and as the days passed each fell deeply in love with the other--the girl with the fair appearance and gentle, compassionate words of the young man, and the boy with the lovely voice and gentle spirit of the maiden

>One day, when the young man could take it no longer, he blurted out his love for the maiden, and begged on his knees for her hand in marriage

>She stopped him, though, reminding him of her ugliness, and urging him not to despair of his vision, "For I am sure there are far fairer maidens who would be fortunate to receive your suit"

>"Forsooth!" The youth swore, forgetting himself, "For all of me, there is no fairer maiden in the land than thee! My eyes may be dimmed by fate, but any fool can tell by thy voice and manner the beauty that I may only imagine"

>For the first time in many years, the girls heart was filled with joy. Eyes filled with tears, she pledged her undying love to the noble young man

>The old priest married them in the monastery, and the moment her lips met his in a sweet kiss,and the stone statues softened and bloomed into warm flesh again

>The young man gasped, for the girl's kiss had burned like spirits, and he was filled with desire for her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her back to their grove, with her guiding him with her sweet voice all the way.

>He laid her upon the soft ground, and ran his hands over her naked body. She was frightened he would be repulsed by her scaly skin, but she let him undress her. He smiled, for she was truly more lovely than he had imagined. Her rough plating and spikes were gone, and all his questing hands found was warm, soft skin, marked here and there with patterns of smooth, glittering scales.

>As he entered her, he felt her heat fill his whole body. It felt like fire coursing through every fiber of his being, and he moaned as she wrapped herself around him, her massive talons transformed into slim, delicate, claws that tickled his broad back.

>Her inner furnace burned as they danced upon the dewy grass, burning away the poison placed in his body long ago by that foul witch. As they crested the peak of their love, suddenly the youth's eyes opened, and the first thing he saw in 3 years, was the flushed, happy face of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen

>As they lay panting and holding each other in the shade, the man said, "Doubt my judgement now, oh fair one? What groom could ask for a fairer wedding gift," as he stroked the pattern of ruby and emerald scales winding up her side and over her belly, "Than a maiden such as you, who carries on her jewels more priceless than those of any King"

>So thusly the Witch's curse was broken, and the young man and his half-dragoness bride returned to his father's house to live. He, his wife, and his two brothers went on many adventures together, and became reknowened throughout the land. But that is a story for another day...

>One other thing remains to be told: not long after their union, the man and the dragoness gave birth to a son, the hero Kacper Light-foot, who would go on to save all of Poland from the Golden Horde. So you see, the girl's prophecy came true after all: on that lonely garden at the oeak of holy Mt. Sleza, he truly did give her "a gift greater than all Poland".

~The End