“What a fine day to be teaching,” thought Sir Robert.
He looked across the castle, smelling the fresh spring air and seeing the bright morning sunrise over the top of the castle’s turrets. He turned back to the men he was training.
“Ok, if your opponent swings at your left side, block it with your shield, like this.”
The other instructor swung his sword at Sir Robert, and he blocked it with practiced precision, shrugging off the blow. Sir Robert had been a knight since he was eighteen, and was widely considered by the inhabitants of the castle as their number one swordsman. He was thirty-five now and six foot four. He had a wife and a young boy for family, which he loved greatly.
“Now find a partner and try it for yourselves,” he said.
The young men mingled around, eventually evening out into groups. They practiced their blocking and, although they weren't perfect, they showed much improvement from the day they began.
“Yup, a fine day indeed,” Sir Robert mused.
*****
Zethrir awoke to a beautiful sunrise. He was an old, powerful dragon, with scales the color of midnight sky and talons as sharp as razors. He was evil, malicious, and cunning, and he loved gold (like all dragons). His home was a cave in the side of a mountain, and the mountain was surrounded by many lush, green forests. There were kingdoms a few miles in any direction, as rivers began in the mountain. He looked around his cave and found that he was unsatisfied with his current hoard.
“I'm already collecting tribute from the kingdoms of Kings Alexander, William, and George,” he thought. “Who else is there that I can use to increase my hoard?” Then he remembered King Jonathan.
“King Jonathan hasn't been paying me his tribute for many years now,” thought Zethrir. “I'm sure that by now he'll be ready to share some of his riches.” So he decided that at around two o'clock, he would pay the king a “friendly visit.”
*****
Around midday, Sir Robert was sitting on one of the passageways atop the castle walls, enjoying his time off for lunch. He looked across the plains around the castle and up at the forests on the mountain. The awesome view reminded him that he was very privileged to have a beautiful castle to call home. Some people only had small shacks made of wood.
He was just getting ready to return to training the knights when something caught his eye around the top of the mountain. He looked closer and realized with horror what he saw.
“Am I really seeing this? No way! This must be reported to the king immediately!” he thought.
He ran as fast as he could to the palace, which was in the center of the castle. He burst through the door, panting, and said, “Your Majesty! I’ve sighted the dragon!”
*****

Zethrir was approaching the castle at a steady pace. He flew through the air with a steady, practiced ease. His wings flapped as he soared through the air, heading straight for the castle. He looked down and saw sheep grazing in some farmer’s field.
“Maybe I should have a little lunch before I reach the castle, in case the puny humans try to fight me,” Zethrir thought.
He dropped down into the pasture and swiftly devoured a few sheep. Then he took off again and continued to the castle, imagining the look on the human’s faces as he took their precious gold.
*****
Sir Robert sat in the palace, waiting for King Jonathan and his advisors to make a decision. After what seemed like hours, the door of the conference room finally opened. The king sat in his throne, with the advisors standing to his left and right.
“So, your majesty, what have you and your advisors decided?” inquired Sir Robert.
King Jonathan replied, “Well, we don’t currently have many options, but there is a risk that we’re willing to take that may save the kingdom. The dragon probably wants money, and we just used most of ours to expand the kingdom. Our plan is to stall for as long as possible and send you, Sir Robert, to retrieve the Dragon’s Blade.”
“The Dragon’s Blade?!” exclaimed Sir Robert.
He had heard of the Dragon’s Blade, but only in legends. It was said that in a time of dire need, a hero would arise and use the Dragon’s Blade to defend the kingdom. He knew of many people who had tried to retrieve the Dragon’s Blade, but none had returned.
“Yes, Sir Robert, I know. You’ve probably heard the legends and tales. From the description of the hero in ancient texts, it seems like you are a perfect match. You’re probably thinking, ‘Ok, but where is the Dragon’s Blade?’ The thing is, you see, the kings of this kingdom have a secret that no one else knows. We have a map to the exact location of the Dragon’s Blade!”
“This is the biggest test yet!” thought Sir Robert. “I’ve already proven myself in battle, but this will be much more difficult.”
King Jonathan pulled out the map from a secret, sealed canister and handed it to Sir Robert.
Sir Robert inquired, “What will your men do while I am gone?”
The king replied, “Don’t worry. I have a plan. Now go retrieve the Dragon’s Blade!”
*****
Zethrir approached the castle rapidly, flying over the wooden houses of the kingdom outside of the castle walls. He looked up at the sun, just to make sure he was about on time. He glided over the walls, seeing many humans looking up to the sky and pointing, some of them running and hiding. He flew into the palace courtyard and landed with a thunderous “BOOM.”
“I request to speak with the king!” he roared.
Some messengers scattered into the palace, and Zethrir was pleased. All was going according to plan. The thick palace doors creaked open, and King Jonathan stepped out into the courtyard. He walked very slowly,  almost timidly.
“Greetings, o mighty dragon,” said King Jonathan with a gulp. “What can I do to please you, o powerful one?” Zethrir was beginning to like this king. He wouldn’t have any problem getting him to do what he requested.
“I have come to require your tribute to me,” he said menacingly. “Your kingdom hasn’t given tribute for quite some time now, and I believe the time has come for you to return to your generous giving.”
King Jonathan looked at his feet, as though he was reluctant to say something.
“What do you have to say, King? Is there something wrong?” Zethrir said, in a slow, foreboding tone.
“Well you see, o cunning one, we have just spent all of our money on expanding the kingdom. I was hoping you’d give us a little time, say, three days, to acquire enough wealth to pay our tribute.” reasoned King Jonathan.
Zethrir knew exactly where this was going. Being an old dragon as he was, he had gone through this many times. The king would ask for more time, and then set up some kind of trap or defense against him. The king may not actually be scared, but was putting on a show.
“Ok, but only exactly three days. And when I come back, I expect you to be prepared to pay tribute or lose your life!”
And with that, Zethrir shot off into the sky, pleased with himself. His “friendly visit” had gone almost to perfection.
*****
While Zethrir was “negotiating” with King Jonathan, Sir Robert had been preparing all the things he would take on his journey. He had food and fresh water, the map, his sword and shield, a bow for hunting, and other supplies. Once he finished, he readied his horse and ran through the plan in his mind one more time. He would travel down the plains, across the Snowy Mountains, and into the Gnarly Forest. This forest was much different than the one on the side of Zethrir’s mountain. This forest was filled with thick, dark trees, and in the center, there was the Dragon’s Blade.
Sir Robert said goodbye to his family and all of the knights and soldiers of the kingdom, and began his journey across the plains.
“I have three days,” he thought. “I need to move quickly if I am to retrieve the Dragon’s Blade and save the kingdom.”
*****
Zethrir was flying back to his cave. He looked up at the sky, noticing it was about four in the afternoon. He soared through the sky above the clouds, satisfied and content. Nothing could go wrong now. He was going to get more gold soon, and probably have a little fun destroying all of King Jonathan’s armies. As he approached the mountain where his cave was located, he began to daydream about all of the glorious gold he would soon receive. He landed and laid down amongst all of his other gold, falling asleep in an evil bliss.
*****
Sir Robert had made it most of the way across the plains by the end of the day. Most of it was just uneventful riding across hill over hill, getting closer and closer to the Snowy Mountains. As it became dark, he thought about the time he still had left. The task seemed impossible.
“How am I supposed to get across a mountain range and to the middle of a forest in three days? After I find the sword, how will I have enough time to get back to the castle?” he wondered.
He looked at the map. It said that once he got to the mountains, he would find a secret passage that lead through the mountains, instead of over them.
“That will help me move faster, but it will still take at least two days.” he said to himself.
It all seemed so hopeless. The city would be destroyed, and there was nothing he could do about it. When he got near the base of the mountains, he set up a small camp. He tied his horse to a nearby tree and started a fire. After eating some food and drinking some water, he made himself a makeshift bed of leaves. He laid down, and after hours of restless tossing and turning, he finally fell into a troubled sleep.
*****
Zethrir awoke to a feeling of pins and needles. He looked up to find a group of three humans apparently attempting to attack his leg. Two were warriors, the other was an archer.
“Die foul beast!” one of them shouted. Zethrir was amused.
“Did you really think that the three of you could just walk in and defeat me? If so, then you are badly mistaken.”
He swept them into the wall with his tail and stood to his full height of thirty-five feet tall. The three humans backed away, quivering.
“Fools! I have lived for many thousands of years, conquering many kingdoms and striking fear into the hearts of the bravest men. You think you can even attempt to touch me? These scales are harder than any armour, these claws sharper than the sharpest of swords. Let me show you the meaning of power!”
In one fiery blast, he dispatched the three humans. Then, he enjoyed breakfast in bed.
*****
Sir Robert awoke to the cold air of a spring morning. He got up and realized that if there was to be a secret tunnel through the mountain, he probably wouldn’t be able to use his horse. After he cooked and ate breakfast, he fed his horse and told it to go back to the castle. As it galloped into the distance, he turned back to the large wall of snow and stone that stood between him and his destination in the Gnarly Forest.
“Now where is the entrance to that secret passageway?” he pondered.
He walked up the slope of the first mountain, looking for anything that even remotely looked like an entrance. He checked his map several times just to make certain that he was in the right place. After what seemed like hours, he found a suspicious looking stone by a flat rock face. He stooped to look at the stone and found that it had writing on it.
It said, “Only a true hero can open the gate of the Snowy Mountains.”
He looked at the stone, wondering what the words on the rock meant. After pondering it for some time, he began to get frustrated. He looked and looked for any sign of an opening, but all he could see was the flat face of rock and the small stone. It was then that he noticed that he was hungry.
He started a fire and cooked his midday meal. While he ate, he thought of all of the people at the castle who would probably be killed if he failed. This made him more determined than ever. When he finished eating, he looked at the stone again. It just didn’t make any sense! He got angrier and angrier until finally, he picked up the stone. He was just about to throw it when he saw a golden light radiate from the stone and his hand. He looked back at the rock face and saw a large, rectangular entrance begin to form in it.
“I’ve done it!” he shouted. He packed up all of his gear, lit a torch, and began his journey through the tunnel.
*****
Zethrir was most annoyed. All that morning, countless humans had come, attempting to be heros. It was becoming a major nuisance, having to get rid of “adventurer” after “adventurer”. Most of them weren’t even all that skilled. They had just heard that there was a dragon and they wanted to “save the kingdom” or “slay the beast”.
“Maybe I’ll just go terrorize some of the farmers,” he thought. “The other humans won’t know where to find me there.”
He took off, and as he looked back at his mountain, he saw another group of humans scaling up to the top. He shot through the sky as fast as he could go, eager to get out of sight of the pitiful humans. As soon as he was out of their vision, he turned to the right so they wouldn’t know where he went.
He began to approach his favorite farmer to exploit. It seemed like he could always find the best animals to snack on, and the farmer never seemed to notice. The land owned by the farmer was many acres, with a wide variety of animals to eat. He dropped down next to some cattle and began to have a little lunch, when a farm helper appeared over a hill.
“Whats going on-” the farm helper started to yell and then looked up at Zethrir.
“Hello, human. I have a small favor to ask of you. If you answer yes, then you can keep your life. If you answer no, then I devour you for lunch.” said Zethrir in a threatening tone. The farm helper tried to back away, but Zethrir slowly wrapped his tail around behind him.
“So, my question is, will you go to the castle and tell them that if any more foolish humans even dare to come near me, I will destroy them?” The small man gulped.
“So, is that a yes, or a no?” The man shook his head yes, and ran off into the distance as fast as he could go. Zethrir was satisfied. Now he could finally rest and relax without the constant, bothersome humans coming near.
“I think I shall rest a bit after this exasperating morning,” Zethrir yawned. He lay down in the sun and was soon fast asleep.
*****
All that afternoon, Sir Robert walked through the passageway. It was mostly boring, but every once in awhile he would see some paintings of past heroes on the walls and ceiling. By nightfall, he was through the long tunnel and on the other side of the mountain range. It had been a day and a half since Zethrir had talked to King Jonathan.
“That means,” thought Sir Robert, “that I only have a day and a half left to get to the center of the forest, retrieve the Dragon's Blade, and make it the whole journey back to the castle.
“This is absolutely ridiculous! But I have to move on,” said Sir Robert to no one in particular. “Tonight, however, I need the rest.” He set up camp on the outskirts of the Gnarly Forest, ate dinner, and fell asleep.
*****
When Zethrir awoke, he was being pelted by arrows, and a large group of spearmen and knights were approaching him quickly. It was just after nightfall.
“What?!?” roared Zethrir. The farm helper had apparently not taken his threat seriously. He leapt off the ground, flying straight up into the sky. Looking down, he noticed about twelve spearmen, 20 swordsmen, and 10 archers. He turned around and quickly dispatched most of the archers with a well-aimed fireball. As he landed, the swordsmen and spearmen charged. He knocked out the first row with a sweep of his tail, and breathed fire on the last section. The remaining soldiers ran away, but Zethrir stayed where he was.
“You foolish humans! I am at the end of my mercy!” he bellowed at them. Once they were out of sight, heading back towards the castle, he devised a plan.
“I will attack them while they sleep tomorrow night. They have wasted their precious time, trying to find ways to stop me, and I have had enough!” That night he rested, but did not sleep, as he was preparing for the day ahead.
*****
The next morning, Sir Robert awoke at dawn. He knew he had to work quickly to save the kingdom, so he didn’t spare any extra time on sitting around. As soon as he finished breakfast, he began to follow the route on his map through the forest. It twisted and turned, seeming to go nowhere in particular. It was an old, dense forest, with huge trees that seemed to almost writhe. Many people had tried to reach the center of the forest, but had gotten lost because of the trees. If you looked away from the path for one second, you could end up in the forest forever.
As it approached lunchtime, Sir Robert came upon an ancient temple.
“I’ve made it!” he thought aloud. “But how can I get back in time to save the kingdom?” As he approached the entrance, he heard a voice.
“Only a true hero may retrieve the Dragon’s Blade,” the voice said.
“Who said that?” asked Sir Robert. He looked around, but couldn’t see anything unusual. Just the temple and the gnarly trees.
“We,” replied many voices not unlike the first one, “are the Spirits of Heroes Past.”
*****
Zethrir flew back to his mountain. It was about midday, and his plan was perfected.
“They will have no idea what hit them,” thought Zethrir. His plan was to wait until nightfall, and fly towards the castle. This time, however, he would fly so high above them that they couldn’t see him, above the clouds. Then, once he was right above the castle, he would drop straight down onto the barracks where all of the soldiers were and destroy them. After that, destroying the city would be a walk in the park.
“This will be too easy. There’s no way they’ll see me coming, and then I’ll be inside the castle.” smirked Zethrir. “Maybe I’ll just take their gold and leave. Ha!” He laughed at his own joke. He started to get hungry, so he flew to a nearby field to get something to eat.
“Now, all there is to do is wait for nightfall,” thought Zethrir, smiling a malevolent grin.
*****
Sir Robert talked with the Spirits of Heroes Past. They said that to prove he was a hero, he must find and retrieve the Dragon’s Blade.
“Go now, into the temple. We cannot help you; the hero must prove himself alone,” they said in voices like a blowing breeze.
Sir Robert was determined to save the kingdom, and he started into the temple with urgency. Ahead of him there were stairs, and to the right or left, there were passageways. The stairs were blocked, so he decided to start with the left passage. As he walked, he thought he heard noises ahead. He kept walking and approached a small room. As soon as he entered, a solid stone door slammed shut behind him and torches lit around the room. It was a circular room, with a huge spider in the middle.
Sir Robert was shocked. This wasn’t what he was expecting at all. But the spider was approaching fast, and he had to do something or he would never be able to save the kingdom. He rolled to the right just as the spider came crashing down where he was a second earlier. He unsheathed his sword and pulled out his shield, righting himself and facing his opponent. As the spider attacked again, he blocked the spider to the side. This seemed to just make it angrier. It attacked again and again, but Sir Robert was an excellent warrior. Finally, he sidestepped one of its attacks and sliced it in half. As soon as the spider was dead, the door opened up behind him.
“You have completed the first of two trials,” the Spirits of Heroes Past whispered. “We hope you do well on your second.”
Sir Robert made his way back to the entrance and this time, he went through the passageway on the right. Again he entered a room, but this time no torches lit, so Sir Robert walked on. He lit a torch and saw that he was in a maze. As he wandered through it, he thought to himself, “I can’t give up now! I’m so close!”
For what seemed like hours, he wandered through the labyrinth, trying to find a way out. Finally, he saw a light up ahead. He walked faster as he approached , and found the Spirits of Heroes Past waiting for him.
“Well done,” they said in unison. “You have completed the second trial. Now that you have shown true aspects of a hero, you may enter and retrieve the Dragon’s Blade. Good luck, new hero.” Sir Robert was teleported back to the entrance room, and found that the stairs were opened. He climbed the steps, and once he reached the top, he saw the Dragon’s Blade in a stone on the top. He wrapped his hands around the handle. As he did so, a light started glowing from his hands. The sword slid out easily.
“Wow! This sword feels like it is alive. Now all I have to do is find a way to get back and save the kingdom,” thought Sir Robert.
*****
It was nightfall. Zethrir was soaring above the clouds, waiting for the right moment to strike. As the time came, he dropped down like an arrow from the sky. He smashed into the barracks, breathing fire on it and destroying everything.
“Puny humans! Never disobey a dragon’s command!” he roared. As people were shocked out of their sleep and into the terrifying reality, they ran about, screaming for mercy. King Jonathan was out, attempting to put together some form of resistance against the mighty dragon. Zethrir flew around, destroying tower after tower of the castle, burning homes and inhabitants alike.
Zethrir laughed an evil laugh. This was the most fun he’d had in thousands of years. He saw the small resistance force made by King Jonathan and took them out with a breath of dragon’s fire. He then decided to give the king one last chance to pay the tribute.
“So, King Jonathan, are you finally willing to pay your tribute?” King Jonathan nervously backed away, in the palace courtyard..
“Well, we weren’t ready for you to come back, your powerfulness,” said King Jonathan.”
“Oh really? Care to explain why all your troops were in the barracks, half-prepared for battle?” said said Zethrir with a sinister smirk. “I’m an old, old dragon., and I’ve learned many things over the years. As soon as you asked for more time, I knew that you were planning something. I was prepared. Your warriors were taken out before they had the chance to raise an arm. So, who will protect your city now?”
*****
Sir Robert knew he had to get back to the castle soon. Something in him didn’t feel right, like something was going horribly wrong. He didn’t know what time it was because he had been in the temple so long.
“But how can I get back to the castle quickly?” he thought. Then, he had an idea.
“Hey, Spirits of Heroes Past!” he yelled.
“What is it, hero?” they replied.
“Could you teleport me somewhere, just like you teleported me from room to room?” Sir Robert inquired.
“Yes,” they said in unison. “Just think of the place in your mind, and we will teleport you there.”
“Thanks for all the help,” Sir Robert said. He then closed his eyes and thought of the palace courtyard as hard as he could. When he opened his eyes, he was in the palace courtyard, staring into the eyes of Zethrir!
“What?!” roared Zethrir furiously. This was not part of his scheme. He charged at Sir Robert in fury, slashing at him with his razor sharp claws. Sir Robert raised his shield just in time to save himself from being sliced in half. Zethrir flew up, attacking with his fire breath and swooping down on Sir Robert, but Sir Robert dodged left and right, trying to find a way to avoid the onslaught. He pulled out the Dragon’s Blade, and something inside of Zethrir seemed to turn upside down.
“That blade,” he thought, “will be the end of me if I let it be. I must destroy this human!” He increased the onslaught, his attacks coming faster and faster. Sir Robert tried to find an opening in which he could attack. He finally found one and sliced Zethrir’s scales, but this only made Zethrir angrier. After hours and hours of battle, they both began to wear down. Sir Robert began to have trouble standing. Finally, Zethrir connected with a tail swipe, knocking Sir Robert across the courtyard. As he came in to finish off Sir Robert with a chomp, Sir Robert made a final, heroic act. Just when Zethrir’s jaws closed down on Sir Robert, he used the last of his strength to lift the sword, slicing through the top of Zethrir’s mouth. After that, there was silence. The battle was over, and both hero and dragon were dead.
In the following weeks, King Jonathan had a funeral set up for Sir Robert. Many people attended, from the royal family to his family to the many knights he trained. The kingdom grieved over their great loss, but was also grateful to have had a hero such as Sir Robert to save them all from Zethrir, the mighty dragon.
*****
About thirty years later, Sir Robert’s son, Sir Bill, was training some young men. Sir Robert helped out too, in the form of a ghost. He was supposed to be working in the temple, being part of the Spirits of Heroes Past, but since he had a living descendant, they made an exception. He helped raise Sir Bill from birth, training him to become a knight, just like himself.
In Zethrir’s cave, a young dragon was looking towards King Jonathan’s kingdom, wondering when he would get to attack castles and battle heroes. His father, Zethrir, still lived there as a spirit, giving him advice and helping him learn how to become a dragon as powerful as he.
“Someday,” said Zethrir to his son, “we will get our revenge on the humans. Someday.”