Reading time: 6 minIn a wide, flourishing valley lay a magnificent kingdom. Farmers, merchants and craftsmen lived there, trading their wares in the colorful markets. Children played in the alleyways while knights in shining armor rode through the streets.
One of them was Alric, brave and loyal, always ready for new adventures. But one day, Prince Theodor summoned him to the royal court.
Theodor was the eldest son of King Arthur. He was considered meek and far too nice. He himself couldn’t hurt a fly and was therefore not trusted with the new office of king.
To at least impress his future princess, Prince Theodor had an important task for the knight. “Find the last dragon in the Fire Mountains and bring me one of its precious glittering scales as proof. Just imagine the princess’s amazement when she receives this rare jewel at our wedding!” murmured Theodor proudly.
Alric obeyed the prince’s order. What else could he do.
He had often seen the dragon in the sky, flying over the kingdom and literally touching the clouds with small bursts of fire. But no one knew where it lived.
So the knight set off and rode for many days through forests, across meadows and up to the barren rocks of the Fire Mountains. There were countless caves and craters here. Again and again, hot smoke rose from the crevices.
Alric’s search proved to be laborious. The caves were large and meandered deep into the mountains. Every time he entered one of the dark caves, he had to be as careful as if the dragon could come out at any moment and eat him in one bite. But each time, Alric returned from the cave to daylight disappointed and exhausted.
One evening, Alric sat around the campfire to rest for a while. The moon hung like a lantern in the sky and illuminated the mountains in a bright light.
Then Alric suddenly spotted a cave in the distance that he had never noticed before. Curious, he set off with a torch. Charred stones lay in front of the entrance and a warm wind blew through his hair. Suddenly, Alric’s muscles tightened. He was now certain: “This must be the place,” he muttered and cautiously stepped inside.
The dragon lay deep in the cave. Its scales glittered in all colors and its eyes sparkled brightly and friendly. “Why are you here, knight?” the dragon asked in a deep voice.
Alric swallowed. “I was sent by the prince to find you.” He wanted to say more, but his voice failed him at the sight of the mighty dragon.
The dragon snorted softly and bowed his head. “And you think they can come here and defeat me just because your prince asks for it? Many knights have stood here in my cave and wanted to bring something from me to one of their rulers.”
Alric swallowed again and asked in a trembling voice: “And what has become of the other knights?” The dragon snorted louder and scratched the cave floor with its claws.
He made a fluid movement and pointed to the dark corner deep inside the cave. In the light of his small torch, Alric recognized a tall mountain with shining armor. A helmet with the crest of his kingdom was also visible.
“So the prince had already sent someone to you before me?” Alric’s legs began to shake. Now the dragon lowered his head: “Don’t worry! I didn’t eat her, if that’s what you think. I only freed her from the heavy burden of her armor.”
Alric thought for a moment. He, too, often found his armor heavy. And the orders he was given were often a great burden because they were difficult to fulfill.
Alric looked the dragon in the eye. He thought of the many days of searching, of the stories of terrible beasts – and of the reward he had been promised. But then he saw the gentle, wise creature before him.
“No,” he finally said. “I’m not going to try to catch you. But I have an idea how we can put an end to the search for you.” Alric told the dragon about the prince and that he needed the dragon scale as a wedding gift.
“If you give me a scale, I will tell everyone that I have defeated you and no one else will have to look for you.”
The dragon looked at him for a long time. Then he turned away and walked slowly through the cave. It was quite a while before he said anything.
“I haven’t trusted anyone for a long time,” he finally murmured. “How am I supposed to know that you’ll keep your word? That you won’t bring other knights here after all?”
Alric stepped closer and placed his hand on the ground. “I give you my knight’s vow. It is the strongest oath I can make.”
The dragon paused. He secretly liked the knight’s idea. He had grown tired of being constantly disturbed and ambushed in his deep sleep.
Finally, with a slow nod, he detached a single scale from his back with his paw and held it up. “It sparkles like a diamond,” Alric whispered enthusiastically. “Take good care of her,” the dragon whispered and bowed his heavy head in farewell.
Alric took the scale carefully. “I promise you that.”
When he returned to the kingdom, the prince marveled at the beautiful scales. “How did you manage to do that?” he asked, looking over at his father in amazement.
Alric tried to put on a sombre face: “That will remain my secret. But no one needs to look for the dragon now.”
The next day, the prince announced throughout the kingdom that the dragon had been found and defeated.
Now nothing stood in the way of the wedding with the princess. Flowers were picked all over the valley, festive tables were set up and songs were practised. And deep in the Fire Mountains, the last dragon slept peacefully. Never again did a knight enter his cave and no one disturbed his sleep.
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