Week 2 Story

 Beauty and Blazing Dragon

ONCE upon a time there was a beautiful palace that sat atop a hill and it looked out upon the quaint village below. The palace belonged to a king and queen and they had a daughter named Esmeralda. Esmeralda was a beautiful girl with alabaster skin and golden hair that fell in ringlets down her back. She may have been beautiful, but her heart was hardened. She was a greedy little girl.

 

One day her father asked their servant Marcus to run into town and get whatever Princess Esmeralda wanted. The princess asked for an abundance of things from books, to hair barrettes, to trinkets, and pretty dresses in shades of orange, red and gold. 

 

Princess Esmeralda said, “Bring me all these things and you will be rewarded.”

 

Marcus replied, “Anything for the daughter of the great kingdom I serve.” 

 

Marcus saddled his horse and went out into the sunset, leaving the palace walls behind him. All he brought with himself was a worn paperboy bag with just enough food and water for his journey. Nightfall soon came upon him and swallowed up the path before him. He had lost his way and found himself in a thorny forest. Dismounting his horse, Marcus began frantically looking for his way out and that’s when he saw it. A palace grander than any he had seen before.

 

Lining the pathway to the palace, there were large oak trees, so beautiful it resembled a scene from a painting. The trees seemed to smile back at his as if they were alive. Their leaves were gorgeous colors of orange, red, and gold, much like the pretty dresses Princess Esmeralda requested. 

 

He went to snatch one of the autumnal leaves and suddenly a blazing dragon came out and blocked his way.

 

Marcus shook in fear knowing he was no match for a fiery creature like this. The dragon breathed fire and was destined to tear him apart when Marcus begged the dragon to spare his life. In return for his life, Marcus promised the dragon the king and queen’s daughter Esmeralda. 

 

With that, the dragon flew away and Marcus raced home to share the news. 

 

Marcus came to the princess empty handed which angered her greatly. “Princess I almost lost my life to this fire breathing monster and I paid for my life with yours. You must go to this dragon as payment for sparing my life and you must never come back here.”

 

Esmeralda was terrified. She tried to run away even, but Marcus knew he must keep his promise to the dragon. In the night, Marcus crept into the princess’s chamber and kidnapped her. He hoisted her on his horse, and they rode through the night to the dragon’s castle.

 

As they arrived, the dragon greeted them with a fiery snort. He demanded Esmeralda nurse him and heal the singed scars on his back. He had gotten into a quarrel with another dragon that left him ugly and with a cold heart. Esmeralda, timid and afraid, did as she was told.

 

On the fourth day, the blazing dragon asked Esmeralda not to come to his chambers as usual. Instead he requested her outside on the palace ground. Snow had just fallen and there was a crispness in the air. 

 

The dragon sat before her with a sword and he appeared angry. He demanded Esmeralda stab him in the heart with this sword.

 

She was so scared but feared her life, so she did as she was told. She punctured his heart with the sword, and the dragon’s blood spilled out onto the snowy ground below. The princess wept over what she had just done. 

 

As she opened her eyes, swollen shut from weeping, the dragon had turned into a handsome prince. He was smiling ear to ear with dimples curling up in the corners of his lips. “You have broken the curse and I am no longer seen as an ugly monster. This kingdom is ours now to rule. I can give you everything your heart desires.”

 

The princess kissed the prince and they lived happily ever after. 

 

 Author's Note

You may be familiar with the classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast. I decided to make a twist on the Beauty and the Basilisk Anthology: The Three Roses. Instead of a basilisk, I made the beast a blazing dragon and instead of three daughters, I chose one. Esmeralda is greedy, similar to the two daughters in the original story. Esmeralda broke the curse by stabbing the dragon in the heart which was inspired by the original story where Mary broke the curse by cutting the serpent's head off. I kept a similar happy ending as the original story.

Bibliography. "The Beauty and the Basilisk" from The Three Roses by Josef Baudis. web source

Image Info: (Fire Breathing Dragon Illustration by Friedrich Justin Bertuch: Wikipedia)