The Dragon and the Princess

“Love is why we are here...but you’ve got it all wrong. You didn’t come here to learn unconditional love. That is where you came from and where you’ll return. You came here to learn personal love. Universal love. Messy love. Sweaty love. Crazy love. Broken love. Whole love. Infused with divinity. Lived through the grace of stumbling. Demonstrated through the beauty of messing up. Often. You didn’t come here to be perfect. You already are.”

He flew to the forest to be with his friends. They were all starting to stir again. The wizard and the princess were awake too, now higher in the tree he had left them in, having a moment. The dragon slumped down, with his back against a tree, next to his badger friends who were in a cuddle puddle with the other woodland animals and other creatures. He looked around. The pirate was sitting upright and surrounded by three spangled females lying on their backs, grumbling to himself and shaking his fist at the sky. The hobgoblins were holding hands in a circle, dancing round to the music permeating this woodland area of the garden. The forest grump was hugging a tree. It was a messy, hedonistic scene but one that filled the dragon with love. A voice came down from the heights of the tree. “Can anyone bring us some apple potion? Anyone? My princess is thirsty…anyone…” trailing off into a weak murmur, “potion…potion…my kingdom for some potion…” the dragon picked up a potion skin and climbed up the tree. “Hello you two,” he said smiling, finding them laying on the floor in a tree house in the upper branches of the very tall tree.

“Looking for this?” and passed the skin to his friend. “Oh wow, thanks dragon!” passing it to the princess who smiled and started drinking greedily. “Here, dragon, a breakfast of champions,” and he thrust a small box of powder and a vial into his hand. He opened the box and recognised the pinkish hue of love powder and had a sniff, washing it down with the contents of the vial, a very strong potion from the Cloud Lands. It was just what he needed. After about a minute, the dragon had to lie down next to the wizard and the princess. Their heads were all next to each other and they were watching the dawn rise above the clouds overhead, occasionally giggling and saying silly things to each other. The wizard was very good at that and he knew how to make people laugh. He pointed up and identified shapes in the clouds, highlighted by the orange glow of the rising sun. “Look a whale! With its baby hippo, trailing behind…” “But whales don’t have hippo babies?!” said the dragon, “Cloud whales do!” the wizard replied, “look it’s pooping out another one!” “Oh yeah!” the dragon and princess said in unison. They all laughed. “Ooh there, look you two,” said the dragon, “a dragon!” The princess giggled, “You’re the only dragon silly,” and then whispered “a handsome, lovely, kind dragon…” and then louder, “that’s not a dragon, it’s a dinosaur!” and then quieter, to herself, “Oh I love dinosaurs…” As this happened, the wizard, who had sat upright just before her whisper, was searching his many pockets for something, and finding it, produced more powder, serving these two while they stayed lying down, he then had his own and lay down again too, puffing on his herbal pipe.

This continued for some time and the dragon had completely forgotten about the witch and was truly in love with his friends again (perhaps a little bit more with the princess, if we are honest). It was the last day of the festival in the Secret Garden and many people had already started to leave to go back to their ordinary lives or versions of reality. Some went on to the next festival or fayre. Only the best people stayed for tonight. The dragon always felt the last night was the best because of this. They got down from the tree house and joined their friends on the ground who were looking determined to leave the wood and go elsewhere. “There’s a party for all the diehards in the head gardener’s secret tent,” said the queen badger, a very dear friend of the dragon (they had been in love once, but the match wasn’t as suitable as a friendship was). “Amazing!” the dragon replied, “where is that?” “You have to come with me, we have to all go together or you’ll never find it, the head gardener’s magic is very strong,” she replied.

They all finished picking up their things and sorting themselves out and moved as a group, following the queen badger. Very quickly the group started to fragment, with this one and that one seeing friends they knew and going off to say hello. The queen got the rest to wait and they stood there while their friends caught up. Eventually, after some badgering by the queen, they moved off again, but soon enough the same thing happened, or a woodland creature got excited and ran off to something that had caught its attention, or one of them just disappeared in their trances, unnoticed by the bulk of the group. The queen, the wizard and the dragon did their best to find people and keep the group together, moving excruciatingly slowly towards the secret tent, “This is like herding cats,” said the queen, not without some humour. “Let’s not try anymore,” said the dragon, “whoever we get there with, is supposed to be there, whoever we don’t, will still have a good time, it’s their choice after all,” he mused. They all agreed and kept going, making sure the most important creatures, or people, didn’t get left behind, that is, the ones that fate dictated should come to the party.

“Ahh, here we are,” said the queen, as they arrived to an empty area in a field down the side of the boundaries of the garden. “But, there’s nothing here!” said the princess confused, “Only to the untrained eye,” said the queen, “you have to have faith,” she said with a sparkle in her eye. “Follow me!” she said boldly and walked forward, reaching down into the grass and lifting up, what looked like the whole view, and showed that what appeared like an empty field, was in fact an invisible tent, the view just a covering. Inside was a great party with much noise, soulful music, laughter and activity going on. Those who were still with the group all went through, having lost the grump, the pirate and a few others of the more flighty woodland creatures along the way. In the tent, the party was amazing, so many people, all beautiful souls, all excellent creatures and very few ordinaries.

The head gardener held court at the head of the space. He was wearing a big hat with a fantastical flower stuck in it, wearing dark coloured spectacles that hid his eyes. He was in a glorious waistcoat of gold and strange pretty colours and with a green coloured long coat made from living plants, he had one leg over the arm of a beautifully carved wooden throne, sitting diagonally, a silver goblet in his hand. He was surrounded by sparkles and every time he moved his hands, a magical glittery energy emanated off them and suffused around the tent. The dragon and his friends circulated and got into the party. They all had a wonderful time, so many good people, good times and good friends, with new ones made every other moment. At one point, the dragon spied the witch, she was arguing with the warrior and then at other times with a very arrogant and ridiculous looking elf (he assumed the ballet elf from the jungle lands); she didn’t look like she was having a good time at all. He ignored her and felt that, even though it was only recently, that bad time with her was a long way from him now. He danced with his friends, partook of the free potions that the head gardener had provided, and much else that was consumable, such as food and powders, and had a very gaye time indeed!

Later as the day turned to night and the night wore on, he found himself alone with the princess and they sat together and talked. The wizard was probably chasing some other creature. There was a closeness between them that made both their hearts warm. They talked and laughed and danced around each other, not actually dancing, more with words and gestures and touch. They were, in a way, flirting around their desire for each other, and it was a magical moment that went on for many hours. He showed her some of his magic, providing anything she asked for in an instant, and it was clear that the two of them had something great between them. Eventually she turned to him, looking him straight in the eye, and said, “Dragon, I know the wizard goes with other maidens and females, why did you never tell me?”

He paused and stuttered, not knowing what to say. He didn’t get a chance, as her eyes almost immediately filled with tears. She got up and ran off, leaving the dragon feeling terrible, he didn’t know what to think, so he spread himself on the ground and stared up at the tent’s ceiling. People came and went and tried to get the dragon back into the party, but it was too late, he was worried about what he had done, even though he hadn’t really done anything. He was ashamed now too, in case he saw the wizard again, so he eventually got up and left the tent, making his excuses to the friends he saw as he left. He was sad to leave the party, but he was also tired of it all now and so he went back to his tent, had a few puffs of a herbal pipe and drifted off to sleep.

He awoke to the princess’ voice, calling his name from the opening of his tent. “Dragon…dragon…” she murmured, he got up quickly, shocked to see her here. “Princess!” He said sleepily, “...what’s wrong…are you ok?” wiping the sleep from his eyes and drinking some water to take the taste of potions and powders from his dragon mouth. “Can I lie with you a while, I need a cuddle,” she said sadly. “Of course,” he answered and made room in his bedding. She crawled in and got into the sheets with her petite back to him and her gorgeous hair nestling into his face. She smelled so very good as he grabbed her with his dragon arms, pulling her closer. She curled her slender arms around his, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and they just lay there, breathing together, not saying anything. It was a long time they lay there, and it made them both feel very happy.

At last the princess said, “I’ve left the wizard, dragon…for good this time…I wanted to say thank you, you helped me see the truth, even though I wished you’d been honest before, I understand it was hard for you, I’m sorry, I tricked you a little bit, I didn’t know for sure about the other females, but your answer told me everything I needed to know. Please, don’t feel any guilt, this is all the wizard’s fault and no one else’s, I’m really hurt, but I know I can count on you now, dragon.” He hugged her harder, a little confused and relieved, and she hugged him back. “I know you have feelings for me dragon, and I feel the same about you, I think…I know that this has been a long time coming…” and she turned to face him, drawing her ravishing face close to his, ever so slowly. They looked deep into each other’s eyes, holding each other’s gaze a while, and then, they kissed. The dragon felt like fireworks went off in his head and they ravenously grabbed at each other, caressed and touched, and, as the passion grew, they made love. It didn’t last very long though, not at all, he was too excited.

Almost immediately after, she got up, and put her scattered clothes back on. The dragon could feel something like disappointment in her and it made him feel bad. They didn’t say anything for a while, as she sat on the edge of the bed; her head in her hands. A few minutes later she blurted out, “I have to go,” and ran out of the tent. The dragon was now very confused. He lay back on his bed and smelt, longingly, where she had been lying, thinking of all that had happened, butterflies raging around his belly instead of fire. He had, he knew, whether they were broken up or not, betrayed his friend. He felt terrible. He felt he had done a bad thing, but he also had done what he wanted to, wanted for so long, and so he was torn to say the least. Do you be true to yourself or to others, or, to some principle? Is there even an answer to this? She had come to him, and his heart, wanton for so long of her love, had, of course, embraced the moment. The wizard had created this situation so it wasn’t the dragon’s fault.

Although, should the dragon have given into his feelings so easily? His search for a true love, was also to blame. But friendship is also important and the dragon felt like he had broken a code. But, if they were meant to be together, then, had he done anything wrong at all? Hadn’t he been a good friend, constantly put in a very difficult position by the wizard, always doing the right thing, until now, when it was over and the wizard had got his comeuppance? Had he always done the right thing though? He had kept his desire for the princess, a desire for his friend’s beloved; this clearly wasn’t right. He had also caused the end, by falling for the princess’s trap and not keeping the secret better. But should he have kept the secret in the first place? “What a mess this all is!” he thought, having a puff on his herbal pipe and staring at the sky through the opening of his tent.

As everyone who was left around the garden was packing up and leaving, the dragon too, packed up his things. He couldn’t face his friends to say goodbye in case he saw the wizard or the princess, so when he finished, he launched into the air for the flight back to his lair near the village. Once home, he stayed there for a good few days, smoking lots of pipes and drinking too much. He could only think about the princess and the wizard and all that had happened. He was getting himself into quite a state. And then, a moth appeared. It was from the princess. “Hi, dragon,” it whispered, “I’m sorry about before, it was a tough time for me. I’d like to see you again, what are you up to tomorrow? And how are you after the garden?” The dragon jumped up so high he hit his head on the roof of his lair. It was a big cave so this was no mean feat. Rubbing his big dragon head, he immediately picked up the moth to send his reply but then he stopped himself, “I must not be too keen,” he reminded himself, “not to her, not this time,” and so he waited. Not very long, but he waited.

Eventually, he whispered to the moth, “Oh hello princess, good to hear from you, no worries about before, I understand, yes I have been a little delicate, shall we say, after the garden, haha! But feeling good now and good to hear from you, it would be nice to meet, how about a picnic?” and he blew a kiss into the moth’s antenna and launched it into the air. Immediately he regretted the kiss and he paced up and down admonishing himself, analysing every word and thinking of a better message he wished he’d sent. He was surprised to receive another message quite soon later. “That sounds great, let’s go to the big field near the village well, I’ll be ready at the third point of the sun, I’ll wait by the well!” the moth whispered, and then puckered a kiss at the dragon. He grinned and breathed a sigh of relief; not listening to the little voice in his mind that disagreed with all this.

The next day, the dragon, having cleaned and preened himself to near perfection, walked as calmly as he could to the village well near the allotted hour. She was already there, sitting on the edge of the well, swinging her legs and looking as beautiful as ever. She was wearing her favourite pink dress and sparkly shoes, with no need for makeup, slightly tanned, radiantly pretty and her light brown flowing hair hanging loosely by her cute shaped head. She looked a little nervous he thought, which helped calm his own raging butterflies. She looked up and saw him, smiling, she jumped down. “Hello!” she said warmly, walking towards him. “Hi princess, how’s it going?” he replied as they got closer. He didn’t know whether to kiss her on the lips, so opted for an awkward hug and a quick peck on the cheek instead. “Shall we?” he said, leading the way to the field he had chosen for the picnic, making small talk as they went. As they walked, he could feel her light and delicate hands near his and they were soon holding hands. He was very happy, and she was smiling widely, as they walked and talked. Finding a good spot, he laid out a blanket from the basket he was carrying and they sat down. He emptied the contents of the basket onto the rug. A bottle of sparkling chilled grape potion, some cheeses, cold cuts and salad. She had also brought some things and offered up some bread, dips and deep fried sliced potato.

They drank and ate and had a really good time, laughing and talking pretty much non-stop. It was as though the veil had been lifted and they could be themselves, after such a long time hiding from each other. They talked about their dreams and aspirations and what they wanted from a relationship. They talked of fond memories shared and things that had happened between them in the past. She confessed again that she had, indeed, always liked him, that she remembered the moments they had a connection, that she sort of did want to run away with him when he had asked, and he reminded her of the sweet and subtle things she had said to him. It was a very good medicine for them both and the dragon felt they would be together forever. Soon, talk turned to the more negative things, the wizard and such like. “I wish you had told me, you should have told me,” she said sadly. He tried to explain again, why he had not, but what was the point?

“How are things now?” he asked. “Ok, I guess, I saw him yesterday, I don’t know what is happening…or going to happen…but I am happy to be with you now…” He was a little sad at this piece of information. The sun was starting to go down so to change the subject he said, “Shall we go back to my lair and watch something on the mirror?” “That would be lovely, yes!” she smiled. So they walked back, not as slowly this time, the dragon starting to become aware of the very real possibility that they could run into the wizard, so close to where he liked to hang out, and he couldn’t have handled that. He did feel she dallied a little, and he tried to move her along without rushing her, but they made it to his lair without any awkward meeting nonetheless.

They sat on his big leather cushioned seat and flicked through the mirror’s channels, seeing what was happening in the world. She cuddled up close to him and they sat there for a while, not saying a word, enjoying the many distant sights of the mirror. After a while she turned her face a little towards his, and he, noticing this, turned his face a little towards hers, and, after about ten seconds of holding this position, he plunged in for a kiss. It wasn’t long before they were hungrily lying together. But, again, he didn’t last very long. “I’m sorry, this doesn’t normally happen…I’m just very excited by you…” he said suddenly and with some shame. Her face immediately changed into a much darker complexion, her eyes narrowed and she had a grimace mixed with a smirk, she looked very ugly. “I thought you would do better than this dragon,” she spat as she pushed him away. Not knowing what to say, he tried to pull her closer again, and have a hug, but she responded, “Get your scales off of me!” He let her go and they sat slightly apart, embarrassed and angry, on the cushioned seat.

He got up and went to get some water, “would you like a drink?” he asked, from the food and drink area of his lair, trying to forget what just happened. There was no reply. He went back into the part of the cave where she was, and sat nervously beside her. She was staring angrily into space, he hadn’t seen her like this before. He lay back, not knowing what to say or do, and quite tired, he soon drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke a few hours later, she was cuddling him again, sleeping. He looked at her face, she looked angelic again, and he sat there watching her sleep, feeling very confused about before. Seemingly sensing his looks, she stirred, and slowly moved closer to his face, kissing him delicately on his dragon lips. They kissed, touched, fumbled and kissed some more, and again, lay with each other. Yet again, though, the dragon didn’t satisfy the princess, she was so very alluring, soft, svelte and he was so greatly aroused by her, and it was all so new, he just couldn’t control himself at all. Maybe he would after some getting used to this new stimulation, but he needed her faith in this and he wasn’t going to get it. She got up, pulling on her clothes, leaving him apologetic and sheepish on the seat.

Her face had changed again. “Urrg, this is a joke, you are a joke, I thought I could have some fun after long last! But no! At least the wizard could satisfy me!” she hissed, turning towards him to unleash her hate, “Stupid dragon, do you really think I could ever love you!? You soft and silly fool!” The dragon could not recognise the princess, her hair was no longer soft and flowing but straight and wiry, her face was dark and full of lines and wrinkles, her eyes, were not big, innocent and beautiful but narrow slits of spiteful wrath; in short she looked like a female daemon. “I only wanted to get back at the wizard by stealing his friend, to hurt him further and ensure the deal, you idiot, and there you were laying out our lives together…what lives? I don’t want you, I never did!” she cackled, “By the way, the wizard knows about us, I’ve told him everything! Goodbye, foolish dragon!” and she turned and stormed out the lair. He sat there dumbfounded.

Clearly, the dragon knew now he had made a big mistake. He didn’t think she was a princess anymore. He wasn’t sure what she was, but she was definitely not a princess. He had also let down his very good friend, and he knew the wizard wouldn’t be able to forgive him for what he had done, he was a proud wizard after all. To some extent unknowingly, he had ruined all three relationships and his own self in the process. He felt stupid, ashamed and completely destroyed and he could do nothing now but cry himself to sleep.