The Dragons Wing
Once upon a time, there was a princess whose lands were large, her wealth great and her beauty beyond measure. A great blue dragon rested in the nearby hills. He slept a year and woke a year, watching over the kingdom and its people. The princess, every other year, traveled to the hills to bring her friend the years news of the kingdom and an offering of meat from the herds, as did her mother before her and hers before her.
Young princes and lords from across the lands came to try and win her heart and yet not one succeeded. One day a handsome yet arrogant lord arrived at the castle and following him were tales of his bravery and daring. When the prince arrived, the young princess, as usual, wasn't interested in him, regardless of all the tales of his bravery and daring. The young prince soon became angry, the gifts he had brought gone to waste and his journey for nothing. He kept trying to make himself known in the kingdom and gain entry to the castle again, but each time he was refused. This angered him more, and in his rage and greed for the princess he devised a plan. He had heard of the dragon sleeping nearby, and journeying to his lair, he crept inside intent on killing the beast. It was said that anyone clad in a dragons hide would become irresistible to all. Drawing his sword he lunged at the sleeping dragon, cutting off one of the wings. The dragon howled himself awake in the dark, thrashing about, his great tail shattering the very rock of the cave and claws gashing furrows in the cave walls. The prince realized he had lost the element of surprise and retreated with his prize, the dragons wing. During the night he quickly cut its leather, making a magnificent blue cape while the dragon lay in his lair flightless and wounded.
In the morning, the prince made straight for the castle, all looking on in awe of the magic of the dragons cape. When he arrived, the princess came out to the courtyard to see what the commotion was about. Seeing him, she admired how dashing he looked clad in the blue cape, but so pure of heart was she, and all the time she had spent as the dragons friend had lessened some of the effect of the magic on her, just enough for her to notice the blue scales and it's resemblance to her dragons wing. She cried out in horror thinking her friend dead, exclaiming her hate for the young man. This was a last straw for the prince and cutting down a nearby guard, he tuck the princess onto his horse and made to escape with her, saying that if any man dared follow him he would kill her rather than let another have her.
As he left the castle, all were in turmoil thinking all hope lost. As he made it to the city wall, he stopped, aghast. The great blue dragon before him, one wing sheared at the joint. The princess cried out in relief that he was alive, but saddened at its obvious pain from the injury. The prince warned the dragon simply "Approach beast, and I shall kill her." The dragon merely smiled and settled down resting his head on his paws, ignoring the prince but not making any move to let them by. He said "Little one, why do you cry?" To which the princess replied "Because my dear friend has been crippled, and even now bleeds because of me." The dragon smiled kindly and said "No, I happily bleed to protect you little one. I would have thought you'd have learned that main fact among two about me these past years." the prince grew impatient, snapping "And what is the other fact beast?". And for the first time the dragon addressed the young man and smirked "The other fact you pitiful boy, is that a dragon is always in control.". With that the prince made a horrible noise, dropping the princess in fright. The blue cape, still imbued with the dragons magic, had constricted round him, tightening. The dragon moved quickly, scooping the princess up in one great arm and hiding her from the sight against his great chest. Before he carried her back to the castle pausing to announce to the prince "Come here again boy and I will devour you. I let you live so you may spread my warning; the princess is guarded by her dragon." and with one quick talon he severed the cape, sparing his life.
And from then, the dragon resided in the castle, protecting his young friend from all threats, and in return, much to the amusement of the people, it is said the princess protected her dragon from harm too, particularly his remaining wing, which was always happily her shelter.
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