A Tale of Love
Once upon a time there lived a lonely dragon king atop a lonely mountain. He lived above a small village with many people. He passed his days watching the little humans and their interactions with one another. Although he knew not their names, he came to know the humans quite well. He wished that he might interact with them as well. But he knew not which emotion he might invoke. He was unfamiliar with the humans’ emotions but knew that certain ones were not very good. He yearned to make friends in the village, to laugh and cry, and love. Then, as sudden as a twinkle of light, a though entered his conscience. He was a magical creature and he could do many wondrous things with his magic. He thought about his wish and began to change.
In a lonely village at the base of the lonely mountain there lived a lonely young woman. She lived among several brothers and sisters and yet she felt so utterly alone. She ventured to her teachings daily and saw friends pair off afterwards. Betrothals were in the air, yet suitors for her, there were none. She let not her broken heart show on her face. She told the villagers that someday a prince would venture into the village and whisk her away. The villagers scoffed at her dreams, calling her a fool for believing such false hopes. She never let her dreams go, and waited patiently for her knight, her prince.
The young dragon king, in his new form, stepped off the mountain path into the small village. He was very excited, for today was his first day as a man. He ventured into the busy little village. He mingled with shop owners, visited taverns, and made various friends among the villagers. He bought his stay at the inn with wondrous tales of mystical happenings. He laughed with the people, told tales at the tavern, and thoroughly enjoyed his stay in the village. The villagers enjoyed his visit as well. They became accustomed to the strange, eccentric young man in the scraggly clothes.
One misty eve, the young man took a stroll about the village when he happened upon a strange sight. Several young villagers were gathered about a young woman, laughing. It seems strange because the woman in the center seemed to be weeping. He watched this strange display of emotions, unsure of how to respond to such. He waited until the gathering dispersed and approached the young lady. “Young Miss, is there anything I might do to ease what sorrows you?” She glanced up at him and as she did so, he stared, awestruck. For sitting before him was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She replied with a sad but musical voice, “Would you be my friend?” He knelt by her side. “Young Miss, might I ask what troubles you so? Why those young villagers were laughing at a weeping lady?”
She looked into his eyes, and seeing that he was sincere told him what weighed down her heart. “They laughed at me, sir, because of my dream. My dream is that one day my prince will come and take me away from this place. All the women of my age are betrothed, and yet there are no suitors for me, none to take my hand. No love has yet embraced me. That is why they laugh.” As she gazed into his eyes she saw neither disdain nor laughter in his eyes. He had listened to her and had not scoffed at her dreams. And oh how his eyes caught the evening light, glittering bright green under his silk black hair.
“I know not why they would laugh at such a glorious dream. I know not much of this world, but I do know that dreams, no matter how ludicrous, should not be scoffed at. I pray that your dream will one day come true. I will become your friend, dearest lady.” As he looked into her sad brown eyes he saw a spark of joy ignite. And joy spread through his heart as he witnessed what effect his words had made on her.
Over the next few weeks the two became the closest of friends. The young woman never missed a tale, and the man never let a word dampen her dreams again. One day he came to realize every time he saw his friend his heart overturned and joy radiated throughout his mind. Likewise, whenever she saw him, her heart pounded ever so, and she was unable to keep a smile from her lips. The man gazed at his closest friend and felt a growing fondness of her eyes of golden brown and her hair of red and brown. He knew what he was feeling. He was in Love.
On that night, following one of his tales of wonder, he called her to his side. He knelt before her and gazing into her eyes, asked the most precious of questions. “Will you, dearest friend of mine, wed me and be with me for all our days?” A tear formed in her eye as she answered, “Oh, my Love, I shall wed you and we shall be together for all of our days, for I love you so.”
As unspeakable joy grew in her heart, the crowed began to snicker. “He’s no prince!” a voice rang out. “What happened to your assured dreams of wedding a knight?” another jeered. She looked upon the crowd and answered solemnly, “He may not look like a knight or prince to you whom destroy dreams, but to me he is the prince of my world.” As people continued to laugh and jeer, the young man stood up. “Shame to you who laugh, for this young woman’s dreams will come true and more. I am not a knight or a prince, but I am the Dragon King. My kingdom stretches from the skies to the mountains, . My Love and I will leave this place and never return, and you shall do well to remember that all dreams can come true.”
The silenced crowd looked at one another as the words of the King sank into their hearts. The King gathered his Queen into his arms, and allowing his wings to form, whisked his Queen away to his magnificent kingdom.
