Save the Dragon (A Fractured Fairy Tale) By John Miller "Horse Of
Power"
Once upon a time there was a great Warrior, and indeed it
was once upon a time. For now he was a mere shadow of his
former self. His armor, once brilliant in the sunlight,
was tarnished and broken. The blade on his mighty broad
sword was now dull from many years of use and was no
longer able to hold a sharp edge. He had lost his
battle-axe long ago, and arrows for his crossbow had all
been used. Not that he cared for his days of fighting,
which were pretty much over. Any memories he had of those
days were beginning to fade from his memory. He was weary.
The garments beneath his armor were soiled and tattered.
Many years of sweat and blood darkened the once crimson
color to a dull brown. At times water fell from his eyes
and added a new stain to his clothing. This he did not
understand for he had lived a full life. He had done what
he thought he was supposed to do. Regret had not entered
his thoughts, but at times in the stillness of the
morning, or late at night, certain feelings began to gnaw
at him - feelings he had not felt before now. He did not
know what they were. He had heard of men who had much fear
and grief in their hearts but he did not believe this
could be him.
His body bore the scars of many battles. For most of his
life he thought of the outcomes of his battles as
victories. But lately, he had begun to see that he had
paid a heavy price. He had suffered plenty of wounds to
the heart, but the most painful wounds were the ones
launched at his back after he had done the good deed. He
had suffered many of these.
The Horse of Power that he rode was once the color of the
blackest night - a black that shines like the reflection
from a black granite mirror - but now it was a dull gray,
for it too was old and weary. The horse had magical
powers. It could communicate telepathically with the
Warrior and had the ability to discern the truth and to
tell the future, but it had long since stopped trying to
tell the Warrior anything. He had never listened anyway.
The Warrior’s anger, pride, ego, and reckless spirit of
adventure had always blinded him from hearing the truth.
So now, the Horse of Power just performed his duty
silently. He had given up all hope that the Warrior would
find his true calling. And yet, the horse would not
abandon his master no matter what he did or did not do.
In earlier times, the Warrior was full of optimism and
full of passion for what he could do in a world full of
opportunities. He could have used his Warrior spirit to
become a merchant, an artist, a healer, a scholar, a
teacher, a world traveler, or a sage. Instead, he heard
the call of a beautiful damsel who had been taken by a
dragon and held prisoner in the darkest of forests. At the
time it seemed exactly the kind of adventure the young
Warrior was looking for. So he hastily grabbed his weapons
jumped on his Horse of Power and quickly rode off in the
direction of the dark forest.
It took him many months to get to the dark forest. All
along the way the Horse of Power gave him wise council to
be cautious but he was too young to heed the advice. The
young Warrior was only interested in killing the dragon
and winning the favors of the damsel. When he found the
dragon he charged into the fire without thinking and with
one mighty thrust he pierced the dragon’s heart. As the
dragon lay in death’s grip, the young Warrior thought the
dragon was trying to communicate something to him. Alas,
the young Warrior was so swept up by his victory (and the
thoughts of the rewards the damsel had to offer) he did
not pay any attention.
After winning the hand of the damsel, he was not sure what
to do next. Killing dragons did not actually provide a way
of keeping his fair maiden. He had not really thought this
out very well. So he decided to become a soldier to the
King, thinking this would earn him enough money to provide
for her. He also thought that missing her while he
traveled in the King’s army would not be a good thing, so
he took her with him.
After only a little while, she become disenchanted with
this life of travel to strange lands and she began to miss
her home. She also became unhappy with her young Warrior
and his choice to be in the King’s army. Then one day
while he was performing his duty, she left, leaving a note
saying, “I have gone home. If you want me, you will have
to leave the King’s army.” He did not know what to do. The
Horse of Power told him to stay and perform his duty, but
he did not listen. He was full of too much sadness to
listen to his trusted stead. The young Warrior went to the
King and told him of his plight. The King, being of much
compassion, granted his soldier a release from duty and
assigned him to a local militia near the home of his
maiden. However, there was a condition. The time he had
left to serve was now doubled - an additional six long
years.
After arriving home to be with her again, the Warrior had
to figure out a way to provide for her since the militia
did not pay enough. He was able to secure work at a local
foundry to earn enough money to keep her comfortable. He
toiled long hours for many days with no rest and still had
his duties with the militia. His trusted Horse of Power
sat idle most of the time, and the times he did try to
speak to his master he did not listen.
With all the young Warrior’s hard work, it was not enough
for his fair maiden. She demanded more - more of this,
more of that, more time from him ... time that he did not
have. His days became heavy with the burden of taking care
of her. He longed for his days of adventure and freedom.
He also had the suspicion that there was something else he
was supposed to be doing, but he could not leave his fair
maiden. He began to hide his pain in the bottle of
spirits, and at times magical herbs and potions. This made
the damsel very unhappy and more demanding. One day, fed
up with his condition, she just simply left.
After completing his duty to the King, our young Warrior
was now free. Not knowing what to do next, or where to go,
he put on his armor, took up his arms, got on his Horse of
Power, and rode off to seek his fortune. During his
travels he heard of a group of great sorcerers who were
able to make large amounts of power from a mineral source
taken from beneath the earth. He heard that they were
looking for mercenaries who would help them harness this
power for their own profit. He thought this would be an
adventure and something worth doing. And besides, they
were paying much gold. He forgot that there was something
else that he might do.
While on his way, he learned that another dragon had taken
a beautiful princess into the dark forest. He was still
young and impetuous. He could not resist the temptation
and since it was on the way, he thought he might as well
do it. The Horse of Power once again told the Warrior not
to divert from his path and that the gold he earned as a
mercenary, though not of a higher calling, could be put to
good use later to complete his life’s mission. But again
he did not listen.
The young Warrior found the forest where the dragon kept
the princess and waited for the dragon to fall asleep.
When he did, he silently crept up on the dragon and with
one sweep of his battle-axe, cut the dragon’s head off.
After the head was severed, the dragon’s eyes opened
momentarily. Once again before life left the beast, it
seemed as if it was trying to say something, but again the
Warrior was too busy gazing at the beautiful princess.
Since the Warrior had the promise of making a lot of gold
working for the sorcerers, he decided that the princess
should go with him. At first the gold was plentiful and
they were very happy. There were many warriors who were
also working as mercenaries for the sorcerers, so there
were many celebrations and much rejoicing. There were many
evenings spent talking about battles fought, wars won,
dragons defeated, and damsels saved.
He worked many, many hours, with no days off to rest, but
still he found time to celebrate with his fellow
mercenaries. She finally tired of all the celebrations and
began issuing demands for him to stay home. She did not
like that he spent most of his money on spirits and
strange magic potions (which made him very happy at first
but later turned him into a raging demon). He also began
chasing every wench he could find. It mattered not who
they were, or what they looked like. He was possessed by
his desire to consume anything and everything so that he
could stay in the dark ... the dark feeling that he seemed
unable to define, the feeling taking over his body. He no
longer spent time with his Horse of Power.
The Warrior would send her to the university to keep her
busy so he could continue his life of debauchery. He
figured this would help, but alas it did not. Their duels
became more and more frightening and vengeful. And
finally, from some unknown place of desperation and unable
to take the feuding anymore, he banished her to her home
kingdom - never to see her again. Unbeknownst to him, she
took most of his gold with her and enlisted the squires to
get the rest. He had lost everything - his gold, his job,
and his home.
By now our Warrior was close to middle age. He new
something was not right with him so he began searching for
answers. He gave up the magic potions and herbs. He
decided to eat a diet of natural foods and give up the
eating of animal flesh. He began reading sacred texts
searching for the meaning of life and began to visit
mystics and healers who worked with the mind, body, and
the spirit. However, he still liked to have his bottled
spirits, but limited their intake to the ends of the week,
or special celebrations (special celebrations were many
and of course, any day could be considered special to
someone).
It was during this time of soul searching that he
discovered a place in the direction of the north were he
could learn more about these new things that interested
him. The young Warrior again put on his armor and weapons
and rode off on his Horse of Power. Once again he learned
of a dragon that had captured a lovely sorceress and had
taken her to the cold lands of the north. Having done this
several times before, one would think that he would take
the time to consider his actions, and in truth the Horse
of Power tried to counsel him again, but as before, he did
not listen. The Warrior was still not ready to believe
that true happiness could not be found in another person.
He found the dragon’s lair, but this time the dragon was
waiting for him. The Warrior could not rely on bold action
or stealth. He was unsure of what to do. He thought that
perhaps if he could get close enough he could use his
cross bow to slay the dragon. And, that is what he did. He
dismounted and directed the Horse of Power to flank the
dragon, and when it turned to meet the threat, he
unleashed one of his arrows. The arrow landed just beneath
the dragon’s outreached wing and broke through one of the
great beast’s lungs, inserting itself in the other. With a
roar of agony the dragon fell to the ground. It lay there
with life slowly slipping away. He remembered in the past
that the dragons had tried to speak to him. He looked for
an indication that this one would also. It tried but the
death rattle of its last breath was all he heard. He felt
a strange sense of sadness.
This maiden would be different, she was a sorceress. She
would not need him to be her champion. She could take care
of herself. She had always done so. This one would be his
equal. He took her home to his village and once again took
off his armor, laid down his weapons, and put the Horse of
Power in the stable.
For awhile they were both very happy. They both were
interested in a spiritual path, she a little more than he.
You see he still worked as a mercenary. He had left the
sorcerers. Now he was working for the alchemists who took
liquid from the ground and changed that into magic liquid
which could be used to power great machines. He still
liked his spirits although he limited them to very special
occasions. However, when he did partake, he did so with
great enthusiasm thinking that since it was being done so
infrequently, it would not hurt to do it with great gusto.
Every time he did this, he greatly displeased the
sorceress and she too began to criticize him. She began
spending more and more time studying with the great
wizards. Of course this led him to spend more time with
his spirits. So the cycle continued until one day she
proclaimed that she was leaving for the far east to study
with one of the great masters and off she went never to be
seen again. After she left the Warrior decided that he
would drink no more spirits of any kind. The Horse of
Power was pleased. Perhaps the Warrior was ready to
change.
By now, the Warrior was long past his prime. He had lost
all his gold, was out of work, had no direction, and no
where to go. After several months of feeling sorry for
himself and doing nothing, he managed to receive an offer
from a group of wizards living in a kingdom in the
direction of the south. These wizards were able to take
common ordinary materials and turn them into life-giving
medicines that would help people live better lives. Since
he had no other options, he decided to gather up his
meager belongings and mount the Horse of Power to move
south. Right before he left, he heard of a legend where a
band of men gathered together in great circles to perform
great feats of magic. He heard that these men had the
power to heal the great wounds carried by all men. He
hoped that he could find these men.
After several months of searching, he finally found one of
the circles of men. It was not a legend. It was real.
These men took him in and showed him the way into himself.
They held him, soothed him, challenged him, and blessed
him. And the most important thing of all, they introduced
him to his Shadow. A thing he had been living from for
such a very long time. He became one of their disciples
and continued working on himself and started attending
many circles in order to help other men who were also
willing to do the work to heal their life’s wounds. The
Horse of Power was proud of the Warrior.
You would think that after all this effort and experience
the Warrior would finally get it that the answer to life
was not to be found in the arms of a damsel, or princess,
or sorceress. But old habits die hard and the Warrior
managed to meet the most enchanting one of all - a tall
blond Goddess with fantastic powers whose best friend just
happened to be the god Eros. He had taught her well. The
Horse of Power warned him again but he got the same result
and the Warrior was soon hopelessly under her spell. The
Warrior figured that since he did not have to fight a
dragon for her it would be different this time, but that
was not to be the case. For two years he stayed under her
spell and he probably would still be if she had not run
off with a wealthy merchant who could provide her with the
luxury she desired. After all, the Warrior was pretty much
broke. The day she left, as the Warrior knelt in front of
her, she reached into to his chest and pulled out his
heart and simply walked away with it.
But this time the Warrior was not alone. He had his
brothers from the circles of healing. They comforted him
and supported him through the long process of healing, for
the Goddess had not taken all of his heart. There was a
small piece left. And little by little these men helped
grow the Warrior’s heart back to full size ... and then
some. He continued to work on his healing and to help
others.
By now, you are probably hoping for a happy ending. And
your wish is for the Warrior to have learned his lesson.
Well as in some other Fairy Tales, this was not the case.
This Warrior still had a small portion of his mind that
was not willing to let go of the fantasy that there was a
women out there who is the answer to all his dreams. Yet,
again he heard of a Queen who had been taken by a dragon.
He figured what the hell, why not give this one more
shot?! Who knows ... after he killed the dragon perhaps he
would take the time to see if he could discover what the
dragon was saying before it died.
So we return to where we started this story. The Warrior
dressed in his battered armor, with his sword now dull,
and the Horse of Power now long past his prime, set out to
find the Dragon. It took many months but after many
misadventures he finally was able to discover the
whereabouts of the Queen and the Dragon. Since he no
longer had the speed, the strength, or the wits to combat
the Dragon he was at a loss of what to do. The Horse of
Power as usual advised the Warrior to give up this
endeavor and to go back to find what was left for him to
do while still on this plane of existence.
The Warrior almost took this advice, but this time there
was something different and the Warrior could feel it in
his bones. This Dragon was not as the others. Its armor
was made of Gold and the sunlight reflected brilliantly
from it in all directions. He dismounted and slowly but
confidently approached the Dragon. The Dragon watched but
did nothing to stop him or threaten him. As he stood
between the Queen and the Dragon he raised his sword with
all his might and was about to strike the Dragon when he
noticed the reflection of the Queen in the Dragon’s armor.
She appeared in the reflection of the Dragon’s armor with
the head of Medusa and not the beautiful women that he had
seen a moment ago. Each of the snakes on her head was
saying things like, “you are not good enough”; “you don’t
have enough gold”; “you are not very smart”; “you are not
a good substitute for a King”; and “you are not making me
happy.” Filled with anger and with all his courage, he
spun quickly around and chopped off the head of Queen as
he said, “not this time.”
To this the Dragon said, “It’s about fucking time! What
the hell were you thinking? My brothers and I were trying
to protect you from them, until you were ready to stand
beside one that had done her work, and was willing to
stand in her own power, just as you must do. The Horse of
Power was overjoyed and said to the Warrior, “I quit. You
are on your own. I am going out to pasture. I have been
carrying your sorry ass forever. I am going on a long
vacation.”
So the Warrior said farewell to the Horse of Power and the
Dragon and returned home. He continued his work and
dedicated himself to helping other men find their Gold. He
became one of the leaders of the healing circles of men
and put away for good his armor and weapons.
So what of him now, well he has just met a women who has
joined her own healing circle of women and seems to be
dedicated to her own work and standing in her own power.
Funny thing is she seems to have a few scales. I hope she
doesn’t turn into a Dragon.
Can’t quite say he lived happily ever after yet. He has
probably got one or two Dragons still left in him.
The End.
This Fractured Fairy Tale was
originally printed in the MKP Online Journal.
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