 
Maydon Fare and Dragon Gold

By Pam Lynne

Copyright 2011 Pam Lynne

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

******

MAYDON FARE AND DRAGON GOLD

By Pam Lynne

A fairy tale for all ages

*********

Table of Contents

An Introduction

Once Upon a Time

Maydon Fare

Dragon

Dray

Happily Ever After

*********

An Introduction

This tale is best begun with an introduction to the characters starting with an old couple named Laydon and Mary Fare who, when all hope of ever having a child faded for them, their daughter Maydon came along. She was the delight of their lives and as fair as a young maiden should be with auburn hair and hazel eyes. Her parents were poor but what they lacked in finance they made up for with their hearts. They surrounded her with love and kindness so she herself became loving and kind. She was trusting for they had never deceived her. She was ever helpful to everyone for she was taught that each needed to take care of the other and this was not restricted just to family but extended to the entire village.

Their part in this story is minor but it is very important for they taught May, as she was most commonly known, her values which compelled her in all her actions throughout her so far uneventful life.

As for May her only fault, if it could be called such, was being naive but that was circumstantial as she was still young and lived in a small village that was growing smaller every year. The Kings Highway lay far away and only a few times a year would anyone take the long journey from home to the nearest city; May was not one of them. What news came to the village from the outside world never really concerned them but they loved to hear tales, May being no exception. The stories she loved best always had adventure and romance; villages that needed saving and maidens that needed rescuing. The heroes were handsome and brave, noble and true, or magical and wise. You knew who the evil ones were because they were ugly and deceitful and were never to be trusted while the monsters were gruesome and frightening and wanted to eat everyone. And May believed that was how the world was. No one lied except the bad people and poor peasants became rich, and fair maidens were always saved – no matter what. I will not go overly much with this introduction as you will find out more about her as the tale unfolds and there is certainly more to her than even she herself realized.

The next character in this tale is Dray, a young farm boy the same age as May but unlike her, was not fair to look upon being tall and gangly. He was not yet considered manly because he had yet to do anything manly (which would soon change). His father was a farmer and he would be a farmer and being a practical fellow was content with that. He had known May all his life and he had loved her his whole life too and if he could have but one wish, it would be for her to love him the same. But he believed she deserved a real man; a brave and handsome man, not a simple farmer. Her friendship was the best he could hope for and he was content. His introduction is simple for that is what he is, a simple farm boy in love with a fair maiden.

The next characters in this tale are a wizard, a prince, and a knight that though presented themselves to be magical, noble, and brave, really weren't. I tell you this right away as there should be no misconception about their being or intent, both of which are unscrupulous and fraudulent.

The first of this trio and for all intents and purposes the leader of the group, is the wizard Machvell who was really only a leader because the other two were willing to follow. His intelligence comprised of a mind that was devious and quick and his character was absolutely self-serving. His magical abilities were naught but sleight of hand and phony predictions. He was a shrewd swindler who possessed just enough wits to get away with his deceptions – at least long enough to make his escape. His abysmal reputation was known far wide but not far enough to reach the village in this tale.

The next companion is Sir Abscon, a brave knight who was the sole survivor of a brutal battle and who single handed, fought and killed a great Troll. Those who knew him knew better. The only reason he survived the one and only battle he was actually ever in was because being hurt by a mere flesh wound, he hid among some rocks and came out only when the enemy left in victory thinking all were dead. And the great Troll he slew had in actuality tripped over the huddled body of the cowering Knight and fell upon his own sword. No one witnessed what he did (or did not do) but those who knew him well knew the stories of praise were far short of the reality. They let him have a moment of glory and then persuaded him to leave lest they expose him for the coward he was. Of course Abscon himself quickly realized that his new found heroism came with the expectation to perform these feats again so therefore took the most prudent route and left eventually meeting up with the wizard.

The last to join this party was Prince Timor, a true prince, and the most handsome of the group but as you will see not the brightest. He came from a kingdom that remained independent only because no other kingdom wanted the burden of caring for it. Its subjects were of such backgrounds that they either fled or were forced from their original homes and the kingdom itself funded solely by the ill gotten gains of its people. As Prince Timor was the sixth in line for the throne and three of his brothers already assassinated, he dediced he would try his fortune elsewhere rather than compete for that inheritance. It was probably one of the few intelligent decisions he ever made. Of course tying his lot in with the wizard and knight soon offset that but being a follower by nature, it was a good fit for him.

So now we have three unscrupulous fellows and a small out of the way village complete with a fair maiden and young love-struck farm boy and of course, a dragon.

Not too many people believed in dragons for they had never actually seen a dragon and most people are prone to believe only what they see. But there are dragons and in fact there was one less than a day's ride from the village in this tale, though most of its residents never knew it. To introduce you to this character, it's helpful to know some things about dragons. First and foremost dragons don't hoard gold, they store it. Think about it, what would a dragon do with gold? Contrary to popular belief dragons don't care one bit about wealth. They eat gold as well as various other metals. How else could they grow a skin thick as armour? And what better gold to eat than that which has been refined by people with all the rock and dirt removed? They did eat other things such as wild animals and even small trees but rarely ate humans as they were difficult to catch and had a way of ganging up on the predator. I said rarely, for of course everyone has heard that dragons have a special partiality for young maidens and that villages have sacrificed such believing it would stop them from ravaging the rest of them. That part sadly is true but the part of the tale that has not been passed down is that the maidens given up for sacrifice were covered in gold and other precious metals; therefore it was the metal, not the maiden that appealed to the dragon. In reality, for all a dragon cared, the precious metals could be on a couple of sticks. Of course the dragon always took the poor maiden along with the gold not being one to discriminate between the two.

Dragons are also very, very smart. Unlike other animals, they can converse with people and enjoy a good mental challenge as much as a good hunt. The dragon in this story was no exception to these facts but being old, he was not much inclined to adventure and tended to keep a very low profile. He had enough metals to keep him content and the lands were still wild enough to support sufficient game to satisfy his hunger and if he avoided humans, no one bothered him. He couldn't hide completely though; after all he was as big as a house and could fly! So occasionally hunters or other travelers might spot him but when they told others they were usually laughed at and called delusional thus leaving the spotter to say nothing thereby providing the dragon with much desired privacy.

Now that the introductions are done, we can begin the story.

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time there was a small village surrounded by wilderness that was growing smaller every year. Not many people came to Woodedge for there was no place to go from there. Travel consisted mostly of villagers going to the larger town of Bluewater, on the other side of the Blue River one day's ride southwest of the village, or to Greentree at the foot of the Green Mountain, one days ride southeast. Both routes were long and went through untamed wilderness on roads that were at times barely recognizable as such. They went to trade with what they had for what they needed. Visitors to the village were few and mainly comprised of family that had moved away coming back for a visit, or travelers that were completely lost, or daring (some would say foolish) individuals seeking adventure in the surrounding, untamed wilderness. Therefore, when three strangers arrived one fine spring morning, it was with mixed curiosity and suspicion that they were greeted. The strangers were of course the esteemed Wizard Machvell, the brave Knight Sir Abscon and noble Prince Timor, or so they introduced themselves. They claimed to be on official business sent by the King who wished to build a new highway through Woodedge that would connect the larger towns of Bluewater and Greentree. There was of course a very serviceable highway already far to the south of Woodedge that connected the two cities but according to them, the King wanted a new faster route. Claiming to be envoys for a new highway was an ingenious cover story for this was welcome news to the villagers and something they could easily be persuaded to believe. More travellers coming through their small village could mean salvation for the community and perhaps more wealth for all and explained why the visitors were so inquisitive towards the local area. So the villager's initial suspicion was for the most part was replaced with excitement. Not everyone however was completely convinced of the authenticity of these travellers which in the end proved to be a very good thing.

The real reason they were there of course was the dragon, or to be more specific, the dragon's gold. It was Machvell that got them started on this adventure and he that did most of the planning of this great quest.

Machvell was well traveled which, given to his nature, was less by choice and more by necessity as it was not prudent for one such as he to stay in any area for too long. He learned a great deal in his travels and always paid attention to different tales told in different places especially ones that others thought nonsense for he knew that all tales tended to have an element of truth hidden among the braggadocio. And during his travels he heard on several different occasions, in several different locations, by several different individuals, about a dragon that lived in the wilderness between the Green Mountain and the Blue River. The stories themselves varied, mostly around the alleged heroics of some story tellers, or the utter terror from the rest; but the dragon and location always remained the same and those two common elements convinced the wizard there really was a dragon and where there was a dragon, there was dragon gold. As most of the listeners to these tales usually laughed and called the story tellers delusional, Machvell realized that since no one else believed them, there would be no competition for it. This suited him well as he liked schemes that were relatively easy to pull off and didn't require elaborate steps to complete.

How to actually acquire the dragon hoard and get away with it would take some careful planning but having a devious mind it really didn't take Machvell long to formulate a workable plan. Step one was already taken care of; find unwitting companions that would follow him into dragon territory. That he had with the knight and the prince. Second, find where the Blue River and Green Mountain actually were and what towns, cities, and villages were close by. A few inquiries and a bit of research quickly located the town of Bluewater on the Blue River which originated at the Green Mountain in the northern part of the kingdom. The wizard, not wanting to draw attention to them, went by himself to Bluewater to do some investigating. While there he was absolutely delighted to find out about the little known and very secluded village of Woodedge from a former inhabitant who had left to try his luck in a larger town. While engaging this particular individual in casual conversation he did not learn any information about the dragon but he did learn that the village was very isolated and unless there was a way to entice more people to come there either as visitors or settlers to further develop the existing resources, it would eventually dwindle to nothing. Thus, with this bit of information Machvell easily concocted the cover story of being scouts for the Kings highway.

After extracting all the useful information he could from Bluewater, he returned to his companions in the much larger and far more civilized North City to formulate a plan on how to get the dragon hoard away from the current possessor which would require a bit of strategy. He had always dreamed of finding a dragon hoard and had learned all he could about the great beasts and what was the best way to be rid of them. To kill a dragon you needed a large group of brave, highly skilled hunters and/or warriors that possessed superb marksmanship. He of course didn't have such an entourage and wasn't willing to get one (assuming he could that is) because it would in the end mean less treasure for him! He did however believe there was another way and that was poison. Now don't think that other dragon hunters hadn't thought of and indeed attempted it before. But remember dragons are smart and they are also very careful of what they eat. For example, poisoning bait such as a wild animal or fair maiden with the amounts needed to at least incapacitate a dragon would inevitably kill the bait itself thus rending it useless as dragons only eat what they kill, not that which is already dead. But, he thought, what if the poison was simply attached to the bait and while consuming the inducement, it consumed the poison? The wizard was well versed in such compounds and used them on a regular basis as should be no surprise based on what you already know of him. Getting a potion potent enough to kill a dragon was virtually impossible but he did know of one that had the reputation of being so powerful it could put a dragon to sleep and to a knowledgably individual such as he, was relatively easy to make. It was just very, very time consuming as it had to undergo a fermentation process of six months. But he believed it worth the wait. So the three companions settled down for the winter waiting for the potion to be completed and plotted the rest of their quest.

And that was how they came to be in Woodedge in late spring and once their visit was legitimized to the satisfaction of most, the next step was to find out where exactly the dragon was. This they endeavoured to do by speaking to all the locals about the village and surrounding lands. They had no difficulty in finding willing participants. The first few days were spent either at the inn or wandering about the immediate area partaking in long dreary talks with all the locals which included details of the forests, marshes and everything in between, and everyone and anyone's family history. But despite this they still gleaned no useful information about the dragon. Finally the wizard took a seemingly bold move for they had agreed that no one would mention dragons lest the wrong attention should be drawn to them. But after thinking it over he was afraid that perhaps their little ruse might have inadvertently worked against them. The people were so eager and open to the idea of a King's new highway coming through the village that Machvell began to wonder if they would try to cover up anything that might jeopardize it and it's a fair bet that a dragon could do just that. On the third day of their visit the wizard found himself alone with the innkeeper and said, trying to sound unrehearsed, "I heard it rumoured once – mind I took little stock in it myself – that there was a dragon living here abouts." At this the innkeeper laughed loudly. "I heard that tale when I was a lad, passed down from my father, who was told it by his father. I have never seen a dragon and neither did my father, nor his either!" So honest was the innkeeper's response that the wizard did not think there was a conspiracy to keep the information quiet. The others, upon hearing this news became quite dejected thinking they were following a false lead but the wizard was not yet discouraged. Just because they never saw one, doesn't mean there wasn't one. He knew dragons were solitary creatures by nature and were never known to live too close to places inhabited by people. It was usually people that moved into a dragon's territory not the other way around. Besides, between everyone in and around the village, they knew all the land and could describe it in great detail including all the dangers that lurked about. All the places except one - the rocky hills north of the village. The locals said no one ever went there as there was no reason to go. The land was littered with rocks, there was no grazing for livestock, no place that would yield crops and the trees that grew there were no good for building or burning. That land was empty of all other living things as far as the villagers were concerned. "And that my friends" he told his companions "is the perfect place for a dragon to live."

So the next day the three companions set out north maintaining that it was time they did some first-hand exploring of the surrounding terrain. They were gone before dawn which was far too early for the prince who certainly was not quiet in his expression of displeasure. He was not a morning person but Machvell wanted to ensure they had adequate time to explore the land and did not wish to spend the night outdoors in potential dragon territory. As luck would have it, they had only to travel the morning and by midday had reached the barren land described by the locals. The wizard had them stop at the bottom of a rocky knoll where Abscon and Timor decided to relax underneath some small stunted trees growing at the bottom of the hill.

The wizard did not join them however, choosing instead to search the surrounding area. Not far from where the others rested he soon found what for him was undeniable proof of a dragon. Beside a small pool of water fed from a trickle of a stream from the rocky hillside he saw a large partial footprint that could belong only to a dragon.

The wizard then began walking back and forth, stooping or stretching all the while looking at the protrusion of rock at the top of the hill. The other two watched in silence finding his actions slightly amusing as he looked rather like a lunatic bird in the frenzy of a mating dance the way he bobbed up and down.

Machvell was trying to discern if there was an opening in the rock above sufficient in size to allow a dragon to enter. Finally he found an angle that provided the view he needed and was able to just make out a dark spot that could well be an entrance to a cave. But he had to be absolutely certain. He returned to the other two and told them of his discovery of the foot print and cave entrance. "That's good" chuckled Abscon "for a minute there we thought you had lost your wits the way you were dancing about."

The wizard glared at them and said "Well since you found that so entertaining, perhaps you will find this equally so. Someone needs to go up and confirm that it is indeed the entrance to the dragon lair and I can think of no one better to send then a brave knight such as yourself." Timor snickered which earned him a scowl from both. Abscon certainly was no longer amused. He was a coward and they knew he was a coward but that didn't mean he liked having that fact made blatantly apparent. What little pride he did have was enough to get him up the hill. It was a slow climb for he went as quietly as he could and every pebble that his step caused to tumble filled him with anxiety anticipating that any noise might draw the dragon out. Of course the wizard knew that the safest time of the day to approach a dragon's den (if there was such a thing) was midday as dragons tended to remain hidden at that time; he just didn't bother to inform Abscon of this little fact. Finally Abscon reached the rock outcrop at the top of the hill and peeking his head ever so slowly around the largest rock, glanced at the opening hidden behind. Yes, it was definitely big enough to allow a dragon to enter easily but that was not what convinced him there was a dragon there; it was the smell. At one point or time everyone has smelled an animal enclosure whether that of a pet or domestic animal or even one in the wild and having done so can recall the distinct animal smell these places hold. Now imagine that a hundred times stronger; that was enough proof for the knight for only a very large animal could create such a stench and as quickly and quietly as he could, he retreated back down the hill.

So the wizard was convinced there was a dragon based on the visual evidence he found and the knight was convinced based on his odorous encounter. The prince naturally took their word for it and now that all were convinced, they were very anxious to return to the village. They needed to begin final arrangements necessary to pull off their scheme and did not relish the idea of being long in direct sight of a dragon's lair. They did not speak at first as all were lost in their own thoughts; the wizard smug in the fact that he was right all along about the dragon and the other two surprised that he was. It wasn't that they disbelieved the wizard, it was just that up until now they secretly didn't think he really knew what he was talking about and that there was no dragon but having nothing better to do, they followed.

It was Abscon that first spoke, once they had gone a sufficient distance that all were comfortable with. "Well" he began, "we know where the dragon lives but aren't you forgetting something? Where's the dragon's 'treat' as you call it, and if you do find it, how will you get it there?" He was of course referring to the unfortunate soul that would be the transporter of the amulet filled with dragon poison.

"Well gentleman it is good that I pay more attention than you, for I was, as usual listening more closely to the various chats we have endured with the locals and learned not only information about the countryside but about the people as well. It would appear there is an old couple just on the outskirts of the village named Laydon and Mary Fare who just so happen to have a charming young daughter which I myself saw yesterday afternoon and if this is not a sign of good fortune towards our little adventure, then you both are truly unsophisticated louts. Her name is Maydon." He paused for dramatic effect, which was pointless as it was lost on them as they looked at him clearly unimpressed. "Her father is known as Farmer Fare." He paused looking into their faces waiting for them to put it together on their own. He surely was the smartest of the three and quickly realized they would need a bit more encouragement before they saw the light. " _Her name_ is Maydon Fare, you dunder heads!"

"Oh!" they both said, finally beginning to grasp what the wizard was trying to tell them. "Maydon Fare!" laughed Timor, "we're looking for a fair maiden and we find one named Maydon Fare!" He truly was the slowest of the three.

"Well that's fine" interjected the knight "but how do you plan on getting her to leave with us? I'm sure that the fine Master Laydon Fare would be none too happy to have his precious child wandering the wilds with three roguish men."

"I'm still working on that part; we obliviously can't tell her father – or anyone else. We must somehow convince her to leave secretly with us and in such a way that once they do realize she's gone, our mission will have been accomplished and we my friends will be heading to more hospitable lands with enough gold to last for years!"

They had now come to what would prove to be the most complicated part of their plan. They had the amulet of poison but needed to get the dragon to actually consume it. They had already decided before coming to the village that using a wild beast would be too difficult for it meant having to first capture one and then try to place an amulet on it and then get it to the place whereby the dragon would eat it. This left too many chances for something to go wrong. So over the winter months they had determined the best way to get the amulet to the dragon was to place it on a young maiden which, as everyone knows, dragons could not resist eating. But how to get her to go along with their plan was perhaps the trickiest part. To abduct a young female was highly dangerous in itself as such a deed would undoubtedly be quickly noticed and people were not very forgiving of such crimes. They knew that no one would willingly sacrifice their life unless it was for the noblest of causes and obtaining dragon's gold for three strangers was certainly no such cause. They were certain that there would be some fair maidens in the village and they didn't really think the fairer the better; fair enough would be good enough. They knew the tricky part was getting her to cooperate. They still hadn't worked out exact details regarding this but the wizard was not overly concerned yet. He knew that first they needed to find the person, then decide how best to win her over. Everyone had their weaknesses and he was not only an expert at discerning what they were but how best to exploit them. Considering the other two failed to believe in the dragon in the first place they hadn't yet concerned themselves with the details of procuring the services of a young maiden. Now, knowing the wizard, they did not doubt his ability to figure out how to do this.

Maydon Fare

The next day the three companions again left the inn on the pretence of searching the surrounding area. The wizard had discovered that Maydon and her family lived at the last farm house on the western outskirts of the village and led them in that direction. He had not yet devised an exact plan as to how he would lead the lass away but as he explained to his fellow conspirators, first they needed to get to know her and the best way to do that would be to introduce themselves to the parents. The others had doubts about directly meeting the parents of the individual they were planning on exploiting. "Fools," he snapped admonishing them again "What do you propose we do? Snatch her up and run away? They'd be after us at once!" and then scoffed "As _brave_ as you fine gentlemen may be, you would be no match for a hundred angry farmers chasing you with pitch forks and scythes!" Then less harshly he added "Follow me still boys, for I have yet to let you down!" This wasn't entirely true but as they have always done before, they followed the wizard's lead.

They rode their horses down the west road and soon left the village behind. The weather was nice which made riding pleasant but after passing several farmsteads they came to a stretch that was only trees and bushes. They had just begun to wander if they inadvertently passed the Fare's home when they suddenly came upon a small unobtrusive farmhouse. An old woman was tending the flowers while a dog too old to do more than let out a weak obligatory bark at their arrival lay under the shade of a tree. She stood when the three came riding up and greeted them cheerily "Good morning fine sirs! Welcome to the humble home of the Fares." The wizard smiled with pleasure, this was working out quite nicely. "Good morning, Madam." he replied courteously "My name is Machvell, and my companions are Prince Timor and Sir Abscon. We – "

"Oh, I know who you are sirs and it's a great pleasure to meet you! You've brung welcome news with the talk of a King's Highway coming through here. Do you think that maybe perhaps, once the highway is done of course, that perhaps, well that the King himself might come down it?" Mary was fond of such things and it had always been a fantasy of hers to meet the King.

The wizard laughed merrily "Anything is possible my dear woman." At this the old lady chuckled and waved her hand in the air; she knew she was foolish for thinking such things and that it would not likely happen in her lifetime but still a person can dream. At that moment an old man came around the corner of the house followed by a very attractive young lady carrying a basket of eggs. The old woman introduced them "This is my husband, Laydon Fare and our dear daughter Maydon." The wizard smiled politely to both, being careful not to let his attention pause too long on the young woman. The girl, not surprisingly was completely captivated by the group. Imagine suddenly meeting a wizard _and_ a prince _and_ a knight all at the same time! It was if they had just walked out of a fairy tale. The look on her face was not lost on the others, including her parents. The other two companions, like the wizard were at least sharp witted enough not to acknowledge her overly much though they were impressed with how pretty she really was. The parents found their daughter's reaction amusing and assuming these to be fine upstanding gentlemen in the King's service who would never take advantage of a young woman such as her, had no more thought of their child's behaviour. The old couple invited the gentlemen to have some water and they talked for a bit. Laydon showed them his little farm and they discussed minor things such as strangers were wont to talk about. They discussed weather, the planting and hunting seasons, and the affairs of the kingdom which was a very short conversation. The wizard said the kingdom was doing well and that's all they were interested in hearing.

They did not stay too long and excusing themselves mounted their horses and continued down the western road. This confused the easily confused prince. "We met them, why are we not going back to the village?" he asked when they had ridden beyond earshot. "And make it look like we came only to see them?" replied the wizard. "Did you not hear me tell the old man that we are going to go riding a bit to check out the current road? It wouldn't look too good to say that and then suddenly turn around and go back!" Besides, the wizard thought to himself, they may be simple villagers but that didn't mean they were as slow witted as his companions. "Now did you see the basket the girl carried?" he asked, appearing to change the subject.

"You mean the eggs?" asked the knight somewhat confused "They were just eggs!" thinking that the wizard was daft.

"A full basket of eggs, my friend. More eggs than those three could eat."

"So, you were hoping to join them for dinner?" asked the knight still trying to guess what eggs had to do with anything.

"Farmers do not just throw away extra eggs. They usually take them to town and try to sell or trade them."

"Oh, so now you want to buy their eggs." continued the knight "If you wanted eggs so much, why didn't you just ask them?"

The wizard was quickly losing his patience but he had accepted a long time ago that he was the only one that had any real intelligence among them and they needed things more clearly laid out before they understood. "I do not want to buy their eggs." he growled, trying not to let out a tirade on the fools. "The extra eggs will be taken to the village and sold or traded and the girl will be the one to take them."

"And how do you know she will and not the old man or the old woman, or all three of them for that matter?" It was now the princes turn to parade his ignorance.

"Do you people not pay attention to anything? The old woman barely walked a few feet before she had to stop and rest and the old man was little better with his bad limp."

"Oh yeah, well what about a horse and cart?" retorted the knight, trying to catch the wizard on something he had not thought of. The knight hated it when the wizard treated them like simpletons. Though the other two thought the wizard was a great deal smarter then they, he was in actuality only slightly smarter. He was however more devious and his mind worked especially well when plotting misfortune toward others. "You obviously were not paying attention. The only beast around that could pull a cart was a fat old nag and the only cart had a broken wheel. Mark my words, the girl will go and she will go alone."

"Are we going to take her then?" asked the prince.

"NO! You idiot!" he paused and recomposed himself before continuing. "No, we are going to try to talk to her."

"And say what?" asked the prince.

The wizard glared at him "If you will let me finish, I will explain. Did you notice how she looked at us?" The other two chortled, yes they noticed the awe struck look in her eyes.

"A girl like that has only ever heard of people like us."

"You mean thieves and rogues?" laughed the knight.

"No \- a powerful wizard, a handsome prince, and a noble knight." There was a pause and then all three laughed at the irony. "Now how easy do you think it would be to convince the lass to come with us on an adventure that could make her poor old parents rich and happy just like in the stories people such as these are inclined to tell?" Suddenly the other two caught on and smiled at the ingenious plan.

Continuing on with their ride, Machvell soon led them off the road and up a nearby hill where they dismounted and ate the lunch the innkeeper had provided. From this vantage point they had a clear view of the farmstead and the road yet they themselves could not be seen among the trees. About an hour later, they saw what they had been waiting for. Maydon left the farm with a basket tucked under her arm. They did not however leave right away. After all, the wizard pointed out, they said they would be gone for a least a few hours and calculating the amount of time it would take her to reach the village by foot then time spent visiting and getting supplies and so on he knew to wait a bit before heading back to town. So they sat and waited.

They picked a rather pleasant spot to settle in and wait, for the most part in silence. This for some might not seem very unusual but if you knew the wizard, this was not the norm. The wizard loved to talk, so much so, that the others suspected it was the sound of his own voice that he liked to hear more than the subject he happened to be talking about at any given time. As nice as the silence was however, it was not long before the knight's curiosity got the best of him. He could tell by the deep contemplating look on the wizards face that he was planning or rather scheming something.

"Ahhh," replied the wizard, pleased to be talking once again and of course on his favourite subject – another ingenious idea of his. "While you two esteemed gentlemen were busy with your respite I was debating with myself as to the best way to broach the delicate matter of the dragon with our fair maiden, when an absolutely wonderful idea came to me." At this he looked deviously to his friends. "And do you know what brilliant idea I have come up?" Of course this was a rhetorical question used for dramatic effect and of course the prince could not help but provide an answer. "How to get the maiden's eggs?" he asked referring to the mornings conversation of egg baskets. He was joking of course to which the wizard glared at him and continued on.

"At first I thought about playing on the most obvious; you no doubt noticed how the young Maydon Fare's attention was captured by you dolts, with particular attention to you." looking at Timor. Abscon piped in "Well, no accounting for taste is there?" The prince just grinned, yes he had seen though he himself had no particular interest in her considering her no more than a child in his eyes.

"I think it's also reasonable to assume that this village's main form of entertainment is in telling tales of great adventure and what better offer to a wonder lust young person then to become part of one of those great adventures involving a handsome prince and a fair maiden and of course dragon gold!"

"But what if she isn't interested in helping us to get the dragon's gold; and even if she were, how would you get her to agree to be dragon bait?" asked Abscon.

"Do you remember me telling you about the innkeeper and how he said that though there had been rumour of a dragon, no one had ever seen it?" They both nodded not interrupting for that would make his story all that much longer. "Now imagine _if_ we really were the Kings men scouting to build the new highway. And imagine _if_ it really were going to cross through the village and _if_ there really were a dragon residing nearby. What decision do you think we, as the Kings men and looking out only for the best interest of the kingdom, would make?" No one answered at first, then the knight being slightly quicker to thought than the prince said "Well I suppose we would not pick this way for the road as it would be too dangerous." "Ah ha!" said the wizard "and that would be horrible news for the village. So horrible that some there might be willing to do anything to help rid the land of this dragon. Someone perhaps such as the maiden?" With this all three smiled devious smiles as they realized that it just might work.

"And what if she doesn't agree?" asked the prince.

"Always have a backup plan." replied the wizard.

"So, we're just going to run away?" piped in the knight, having been on a few more adventures with the wizard than the prince had.

Again, the wizard glared at them. He did that a lot. But instead of responding to their little jest he suddenly leapt up and said "It's time to go." and jumped on his horse. The others scrambled to their feet but by the time they mounted, Machvell was already beginning to ride down the hill and they had to trot their horses to catch up to him.

Once again they rode past the Fare home but no one was outside; no doubt the old couple were napping. The wizard planned right of course for just before the next farmhouse they saw May walking along the road towards them on her way home carrying a basket of fresh baked bread. Once they approached her, Machvell dismounted and bowed to her "Good afternoon Maydon if I remember your name correctly?" "Yes" she said blushing; she was quite taken back finding herself speaking to men such as these and flattered they should remember her. "But you can call me May - everyone does. I'm just on my way home with fresh bread." indicating the basket hanging on her arm, feeling tongue tied and not knowing what else to say.

"We are just on our way back to the Inn as our foray has ended and we look for respite from our day of labour." said the wizard. She had a bemused look and he smiled, thinking her simple. "We have seen what we needed to see today and now we head back to rest." "Oh." she replied. The wizard then engaged her with small talk mistaking naivety for simple minded; he was truly arrogant in that respect, always assuming he was more intelligent than anyone else. May being both nervous and excited about this sudden encounter happily chatted away.

During their conversation she told them how she went to the village every other day taking the extras produced at their farm and trading them for other things of need. The wizard pretended to find this discussion most fascinating and continued to engage her a bit longer in conversation.

"It is truly admirable how you care for your poor aging parents!" he exclaimed at one point. "I would imagine it quite difficult for one as young as you though; living that far out from the village and being so busy with their care must not leave much time for social outings."

"I don't mind. My parents have always taken good care of me. I do have my friends and I spend as much with them as I can. In fact, the next trip to the village I will be staying the night with my best friend Natty. You might have met her as she is the innkeeper's daughter." She told them excitedly.

In the meantime the other two did not say anything as advised by the wizard. Maydon, though paying close attention to Machvell as he spoke for she was taught that was the respectful thing to do, could not help but send occasional glances to the other two. The wizard prudently did not keep her talking long; he found out what he needed to know and knew it would be inappropriate to engage her overly much. Her parents no doubt knew exactly when their daughter should be home and if she was delayed, would be questioned closely.

They parted ways and continued on their way back to the inn in silence.

The wizard, as I have mentioned before, was not an overly intelligent man but he had a quick and devious mind and was able to present this as true intelligence to the less wise. He also used plain, everyday common sense tailored of course to his mind set. For instance when entering a new establishment, whether a humble country cottage or an elaborate castle, he always knew where the back door was for quick exits. This was how his seemingly fortuitous escapes from precarious situations were in fact already pre-planned. He also always had a backup plan. He could see that the young maiden was awestruck with the prince and knight and though he did perceive her to be simple that did not imply stupid. He would play on her fascination and fancy and if that didn't work, her sense of duty in being able to help make her parents remaining years comfortable and wealthy while also saving the entire village from its inevitable demise. The final piece however was how to convince her to leave without telling anyone and not to be missed for couple of days. This last part was crucial as Machvell needed to ensure they had adequate time to complete the sortie and get far enough away before they were discovered. May herself provided the solution when she told them of her plan to spend the night with her best friend, the inn keeper's daughter, the day after tomorrow. This could provide them with an adequate cover story if they could convince her to lie to her best friend which would be a true test of May's own character.

After arriving back at the inn the three companions had their dinner and continued to chat up the locals. This time however, Machvell was the least talkative of the group for he was deep in thought on the final strategy. He had what he considered a solid, well thought out plan. He knew were the dragon was and had the potion that should render him unconscious long enough for them to grab some treasure and get far enough away before the beast woke up again. He also had the means now to get the potion to the dragon; he merely had to convince her to come along. Even his plan of escape appeared fool proof. He believed that when the dragon did wake up and realized he had been tricked, would assume it was the villagers and attack them instead of hunting those three. And since the dragon would have eaten the maiden, there would be no other witnesses.

When they finally excused themselves from the evening gathering of the locals they met in the wizard's room which, not surprising was the largest of the three.

"So what is the plan, now?" the knight asked once they were alone.

"I do believe tomorrow we need to go further in our exploration of this land and plan on being gone most of the day." he replied.

The prince gave him a quizzical look (a look, he commonly possessed.) "When are we going to go after to the dragon so we can get out of this retched place?" he whined. "And why do we have to keep going out? We know where the dragon is, we found our bait, why can't we just get this over with?" The wizard was surprisingly not angered this time by Timor's whining. The plan was complete and ready to be acted upon. This put him in an unusually good mood. "We must see to our escape route next. You do want to successfully get away with this, don't you?" he asked smiling deviously at the prince.

The next day the three companions were truly gone the entire day and arrived back to the inn just before dark. They were tired and hunger but also very pleased. They found a quick way through the dragon territory and worked out their escape route while also rehearsing the final part of their plan. It was now time to begin. The first thing they did was inform the innkeeper that they would be leaving at first light as they found out all the information they needed at this time. Machvell assured the innkeeper that the trip was successful and he would be advising the King that a highway through here was not only feasible, but a wise decision to make. The quicker they returned the quicker workers could be sent to begin building. The innkeeper was very pleased with this news and made arrangements for them to be on their way as speedily as possible in the morning. As long as everything else went as smoothly, Machvell calculated that they should arrive at the dragons den early to mid-afternoon and calculating that the dragon would not be long to take the bait, they would have sufficient time to gather as much treasure as they could load up on their horses and be well on their way before nightfall. Then, assuming the dragon hadn't already attacked the village, by the time the locals figured out what happened they would have made good on their escape.

The next morning saw them successfully on their way just at the break of dawn which was early enough that no one was yet about allowing them time to set the stage for the next act.

They knew the most difficult part now would be enticing May to come along with them. Knowing that she planned on spending the night with her best friend got her out from under the attentive eyes of her parents but how to convince her to leave secretly with them?

It was decided that they needed to take the biggest risk yet. In order for a deception to be believed, it must be made believable. Being deceptive takes talent which the three rouges had ample opportunity to perfect during their lustrous careers and they determined the best way to carry out this next part was to act it out. So, with Machvell's impeccable timing they managed to arrange to be on the road at just the spot to be hidden from anyone rounding the corner. And anyone that happened to be coming their way and happened to hear those discussing things of a private matter could easily stop and eavesdrop unbeknownst to the speakers.

That is how May, on her way to town with a basket full of eggs and an overnight satchel intending to spend the night with her best friend, accidently stumbled upon the three visitors deep in discussion about the unfortunate business of not being able to complete the kings highway through Woodedge on account of the dragon. This is what she heard:

Machvell – "I'm afraid there is nothing to be done, our trip has been in vain. There is no way the King's Highway will be able to go through Woodedge with a dragon about."

Timor – "What tragedy that the village must be deprived of the fortune that the King's Highway would have brought these fine people! But perhaps we could slay it! That would solve the problem!" Timor, being the least experienced in this type of deception tended to over act which was met with glares from the other two. Luckily they ensured his speaking part was kept to a minimum.

Machvell – "No, It would take more than the three of us to slay a dragon without the use of the _magic amulet_ and if we fail we will have incited the dragon who could – no would, seek revenge on the village itself! It is clear that this dragon has been here a long time unbeknownst to the locals and has no desire to bring attention upon itself which would certainly change if it suddenly felt a need to defend its home. No, we do as the old saying goes and 'let sleeping dragon's lie'. We will go back and tell the King there will be no highway through Woodedge and the village will simply fade away in time."

So disappointed was May at hearing this she let out a gasp of dismay and was thus caught eavesdropping. Quickly the three came around the corner with differing looks of sorrow and surprise on their faces.

"Our apologies young lady." said Machvell, his voice intoned with falsified sorrow while the others bowed their heads "We thought we were alone for we did not intend anyone to hear our conversation. But now that you have, we would beg of you not to speak to anyone of what you heard."

"Is it true then, there is a dragon and there will be no highway?" she asked dejectedly.

"Now, now, my dear." said the wizard as if to console her. "Have a drink of water and let me explain." She took the offered drink and the wizard continued. "I'm afraid it is so, but you must swear not to tell anyone!" he pleaded.

"But why!?" she implored. "If it's only a matter of a dragon, perhaps we could all slay it together and the highway can go through!"

"I'm afraid, my dear, that is not practical as Sir Abscon could best explain."

There was a moment of silence as Sir Abscon (for who knows what reason) missed his cue. "Oh, yes, or I mean no -" trying quickly to recover. "Killing a dragon takes a lot of experience and though I do not doubt the bravery of the fine men in your village, bravery is not enough. It would take at least fifty of the most skilled warriors and huntsmen to successfully slay a dragon and meaning no disrespect, doubt there are any such skills here. To attempt such a feat would only enrage the beast and cause him to attack the village itself."

"But surely the King has such men that would come and slay a dragon; after all isn't there always treasure to be had from dragons?" she asked.

"Yes, well, you see -" stumbled the wizard, being caught off guard by her insight (remember, she was naive, not simple as the wizard supposed her to be). "The King does not need treasure as he has enough for now. Also, he would not risk anyone's lives unnecessarily. The dragon has remained hidden and hidden it shall continue to be. Only if it should start distressing people, would the King step in."

May looked quite miserable at this news, just as they hoped. "Then there is nothing to be done?" she asked dejectedly. "But what about the amulet you mentioned; what was that about?" The prince had to turn away lest his smile gave away their little act and had she not been so distressed, she would have perhaps noticed the twinkle in Machvell's eye and the twitch of Abscon's mouth for this was the part they needed her to enquire about.

Machvell paused and looked carefully at May as if contemplating his next words. But he knew exactly what he was going to say and his waiting was merely for dramatic effect and to gain time. "No!" he suddenly said "it's too dangerous!" he quickly added.

"But perhaps not." added Abscon, on cue this time.

May looked hopefully at all three, but Machvell shook his head. "No, I don't think we should. The King said only to try it if he believed it would be successful for it is a dangerous deed and one that can only be done by a true hearted soul."

"But perhaps, we have found just such a one." countered the knight glancing at May.

"What do mean?" she asked expectantly "Please tell me!"

The wizard played the next part as a reluctant participant. " I must confess something to you but you must swear to keep all that is said secret and not even your parents can you tell!" he said this sternly enough for her to take him most seriously. She nodded and he continued "Let me start our tale from the beginning. Rumour of a dragon in this land was already known and a highway that carries countless people every day cannot be built in dragon territory. We are here only to confirm if there is a dragon and yes, we found proof of this not but two days ago. Our orders are quite clear. If there is a dragon, leave it alone unless such an opportunity arose to dispatch it without causing harm to others. If no opportunity presented itself, leave and tell no one. The 'opportunity' would be to use a magic amulet entrusted to us by his majesty. It alone has the ability to render a dragon powerless just long enough that one brave knight would be able to slay the beast. The trick of course is getting the amulet to the dragon." He paused a moment to confirm that he had her absolute complete attention, which he did, helped along of course by the drink she had a few moments ago. This was one of Machvell's backup plans. As mentioned already he was skilled with various potions and had mixed one in the water proffered to May when they first encountered her - a potion that would make the recipient more amicable to the devices of others. "I don't know how versed you are about dragons but the only human that has ever been able to get close enough to one without use of weapons is a young fair maiden."

He waited to see her reaction which was one of fear. This they did not want but having planned for as many different scenarios as possible, they began the next tactic. The wizard glanced at the prince for it was his turn now.

"No!" he exclaimed stepping closer to her as if to stand between her and the other two. "We cannot put this fair lady in such peril!"

"But," piped in the knight "with her yielding the amulet, victory is assured so she wouldn't be in any real danger! The dragon would be helpless and we would be right there to take care of the rest!"

"No." the prince again said "I could not bear to see such beauty endangered in the slightest way. Even seeing her walk this road alone, I would not allow it if I had but my way." Taking her hands he had locked eyes with her during his little speech and smiled sweetly. The prince may have been dimwitted and not a very good actor, but he made up for nearly all his faults through his unfathomable charm.

And the wizard knew by the look on Maydon's face that they had her hooked like a little fish in a little pond and they had but to pull on the string to bring her to shore.

"What would I need to do?" she asked not realizing the strange effects of the prince's charms on her were all the more enhanced by the drink.

Time was short for already they had stood too long on the road increasing the chance of someone else coming along so the wizard quickly explained that she would need to come with them but it must be today. Once they were on their way, he assured her he would explain in detail what was to be done. Knowing that May was not expected home till the next day, all that was needed was for her to cancel her plans to stay with her friend in the village. Machvell stressed the importance of her not revealing the true reason for not staying. This confused May as she was not deceptive by nature but as the wizard explained. "If we tell others then there will be needless discussions and debates as well as more people being involved. Our success is dependant upon concealment and swiftness." Of course the prince, still oozing with charm, promising on his life no harm would come to her, was the final piece needed to convince her.

May left them and when she got to the village immediately went to her friend's home. She told her that her parents were not feeling well and she needed to return home instead of spending the night. Though Natty was disappointed, she understood. Natty's mother overhearing this did ask how serious it was and if someone should attend but May quickly assured her it was minor but enough that she hated to leave them alone. May was actually surprised that her lie was so easily believed. But everyone knew how she cared for her parents and it was not the first time she tended to them when they were sick and as May never, ever lied, well of course she was believed. So just as quickly as she arrived, she left and in no time at all returned to the agreed upon meeting spot.

In the meantime the three companions waited anxiously far enough off the road as not to be seen; prepared for a quick retreat should she inadvertently reveal their scheme. But all too soon they saw her come and when they were positive she was alone, came back to the road. May was a bit startled when she did not see them at first but they explained it away as their having to tend the horses. Before leaving though the wizard questioned her carefully on everything she said to ensure that she aroused no suspicion. Once convinced he led her off the road to the waiting horses. She was given the pack horse to ride which was a bit uncomfortable already being saddled with their traveling gear but as there was nothing to be done about it, she tried to make the best of it. It was made further uncomfortable as they did not ride on the road but went straight across the land taking the most direct route to the dragon.

The first part of the journey was hurried as the wizard wisely wanted to get as far away from the village as quickly as possible. They rode in single file and in silence for Machvell needed to concentrate on keeping them going in the right direction. Their previous trips had been along the most convenient route; now they rode through thick bush and forests. This confused May, but as she was still feeling the effects of the potion laced water, she accepted it. The effects of the drink however did not last long which was not good for with not being able to talk, it left nothing to do but think. The more she thought, the more doubts she had about this adventure and the more doubts she had, the more apprehensive she became.

Soon though they were far enough away from the village and once again back on an easier route which allowed them to ride side by side. Machvell and Abscon were in the lead followed by May and Timor.

May took full advantage of this and began asking questions to distract herself as much as to satisfy her own curiosity about the prince. She didn't ask about the dragon however, wishing to postpone that part as long as possible. Instead she began asking Timor what the life of a prince was like. He of course didn't really know what to say as he was not a typical prince. "Well, you know," fumbling with his response "my life is pretty typical I suppose. Um, hunting, feasting, duals with other princes - that sort of thing."

"Did you then chose to come on this quest or did your father the King send you?"

"Well, you see, the King is not my father. What I mean is _your_ King is not my father!" trying to recover from his unintended blunder "My kingdom is actually much further away to the south of this kingdom...where I am a prince there of course."

"Oh" she said a bit confused. Being a prince, she naturally assumed he was the King's son. "Then why are you assisting our King?"

Machvell and Abscon remained silent while listening to their exchange, quite enjoying hearing Timor try to explain who he was to this obviously confused girl. Timor was not used to being questioned; he told people he was a prince and everyone just accepted it. Maydon clearly was not like everyone else.

"It is not uncommon for royalty such as myself to visit other kingdoms and when I learned about this expedition to the northern part of your kingdom, I thought it a great opportunity to explore more. I am an adventurer after all!" The others muffled their laughter for they of course knew the truth about Prince Timor. May continued to look confused for this really wasn't much of an explanation but what did she know? She was after all just a naive girl from a small village that was growing smaller every year.

Prince Timor urged his horse forward, clearly done with talking for now. He managed to get his horse ahead of Abscon's which resulted in his now being the closest to May. She then turned her questions to the knight and much like the prince, he fumbled with responses. He told her that it was at the king's request that he come on this sojourn in order to provide the wizard and the prince adequate guard along the way. Now it was the prince's turn to be amused.

"Have you been on a lot of these adventures?" she asked hoping to hear a glorious tale or two.

"Why don't you tell her about the great troll?" interrupted Timor. "Yes, please do" added Machvell.

"You fought a troll!?" she asked excitedly. This was the type of tale she hoped to hear!

Abscon blushed with embarrassment as much as in anger. He would get them back for this one!

"I'm afraid there's not much to tell. A troll was bothering travellers, the king sent me to investigate and I found him and killed him." he quickly said. Yet again, May looked confused.

"Oh." was her only response, disappointment evident in her voice.

"What modesty!" called the wizard suddenly. "There is certainly more to it than that! After all we are talking about a troll which, next to a dragon, is one of the most difficult creatures to kill!"

Surprisingly, the wizard slowed his horse allowing Abscon to ride ahead so he himself was now alongside Maydon. Though this might be viewed by others as a noble gesture to rescue his companion from an uncomfortable situation with an overly inquisitive lass; it was not.

"Forgive Prince Timor and Sir Abscon" he said sweetly to her. "As is common with true heroes, they are not very good story tellers. That is why such tales are best told by someone else."

Machvell was, not surprisingly, a very good story teller as most liars tended to be. He began to regale Maydon with tales about Prince Timor's and Sir Abscon's amazing adventures that were complete nonsense, but coming from him, completely believable.

Machvell had been enjoying the awkwardness that his two companions were suffering at the hands of this young maiden but quickly realized that they were also losing credibility with her. She needed to be assured that they were as brave as they cast themselves to be otherwise she might not be encouraged by their ability to protect her from the dragon and at this point, Machvell did not want anything to go wrong!

Machvell was correct; she had been having serious doubts about this adventure shortly after leaving with them and wondering if she had agreed to a very foolish thing.

To begin with, she did not lie and that alone made her extremely uncomfortable. Her parents taught her that if you needed to lie about what you were doing then chances are it was something you shouldn't be doing. She also knew that they were very protective of her and was certain they wouldn't have agreed to let her go on this adventure; kings men or not. She also didn't like that everything happened so quickly without adequate time to think it over. Again she was taught that when undertaking a serious matter, take the time to think it through and plan carefully. Everything involving these gentlemen appeared to be going against all the things she was taught.

But Machvell's tales in the end provided (albeit false) assurances that despite the sense of wrongness she felt, coming along with them was the right thing to do and all would end well.

They were not quite in site of the dragons den when Machvell made them stop one last time for they needed to prepare for the final part. After dismounting from the horses, the first thing he did was offer Maydon another drink of water which she at first refused. She was much too nervous now to consume anything but Machvell insisted and she relented, drinking the last of it. He spoke quickly so they could be on their way as soon as possible. This served a dual purpose; it didn't allow anyone sufficient time to question him and more importantly they needed to have this done before nightfall to ensure they had adequate time to make their escape.

The drink had only slightly begun taking effect on her again but not wanting to appear uncooperative, asked in a voice that sounded more confident then she felt "What must I do?"

"Your role is quite simple my dear." responded the wizard as he pulled out a golden amulet encrusted with emeralds, diamonds, and rubies and placed it around her neck. May was mesmerized; she had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life! It sparkled so much in the light that it nearly blinded her. It must be worth a fortune she thought. Being naive, she mistakenly believed the gems to be real.

The others smiled watching her. There was no turning back now and it would appear that there would be little argument from her.

"Dragons, as you know, love treasure and sight of such will momentarily catch their attention away from all else. This amulet is enchanted with a magic spell so powerful that upon seeing it the dragon's attention will be held even longer, effectively putting him into a trance. Once that happens, Abscon will be able to get close enough to the dragon and with one skillfully placed thrust of his sword, kill the beast. But first the dragon's attention needs to be on the amulet and that is what we need you to do my dear." explained Machvell. She looked at him with absolute terror.

"Fear not!" he said trying to sound reassuring. "You are perfectly safe. I told you previously that the only person that can ever safely approach a dragon is a fair maiden such as yourself and be assured you will not be alone. Though we must be in such a position that the dragon cannot see us, we will none the less be close by you at all times. I will know when the dragon has succumbed to the full effect of the amulet and will give the signal at which time Prince Timor will whisk you away to safety and Sir Abscon will slay the dragon! All that you must do is stand there and hold up the amulet."

She still was not sure about this; what if it didn't work? She would be the one directly in front of the dragon. Sensing the uncertainty Machvell quickly added "You do want to help your parents and the village, don't you?" Reluctantly she nodded yes and Machvell, with a nod of his head signalled to Prince Timor who quickly stepped over to her and grasping her hands in his said with feigned passion, "I swear on my life, no harm will come to you." She did not have time to respond for he quickly lifted her back on the pack horse and then mounted his own.

One final warning from Machvell prevented any further responses or conversation. "From here on in no one must speak. We will soon be in sight of the dragon's den and at risk of being heard by him. Everyone must be absolutely silent!" he ordered.

With the exception of Machvell, it was with great apprehension that the group travelled the last part in silence.

All too soon they arrived at the bottom of the hill where the dragon's lair was. They tethered the horses to nearby trees and led by Sir Abscon, ascended to where they discovered the entrance. Everyone was noticeably nervous with the exception of Machvell who was second in line followed by Maydon while Timor came last. Once at the entrance of the dragons cave, May's heart fell. It did not look at all what she imagined it to be and the smell was absolutely hideous! How could she be expected to go in there!?

Seeing the fear in her Machvell signalled once more to Prince Timor who simply took her hands and giving her his most charming smile, winked at her at which time Machvell gently but firmly pushed her forward. May stopped, staring into the dark passage way before her. In the end it was not the prince's charms or the potion laced water that got her to walk down that dark, dismal passage. It was solely the belief that what she was doing was for the benefit of the village and more importantly, her parents. This thought alone she held onto as she entered the darkness.

The final part of the plan was at last underway and lucky for the others they did not see the smile of pure evil that was now on Machvell's face.

They had only gone as far as needed to ensure that Maydon continued on and then quickly returned to wait just outside the entrance. They anticipated that it would not take long for as soon as the dragon saw her, being unable to resist such a temptation, would quickly consume her along with the amulet filled with poison. Once the poison worked its magic, they were free to take the treasure all for themselves.

"And what if the poison doesn't knock the dragon out?" asked Abscon back when they were making the final arrangements, always thinking of the what-ifs.

"Then it will at least incapacitate him enough for us to get away." Machvell did not tell them about worst case scenario – the dragon merely got sick and still came after them. For that he had prepared other magic amulets which unbeknownst to his companions, were slipped into their pockets. This was his personal backup plan. Should the dragon come after them, he would ensure those two were caught first believing that even the strongest of dragons would surely succumb to three times the poison. Now you see how truly devious and self-serving Machvell really was for he reasoned with himself that this is how it should be. After all, it was he who discovered the dragon and its locale and he that devised the plan of incapacitating the dragon and created the poison needed. If he was the only survivor and only beneficiary of this adventure, then he felt justified in that.

Maydon in the meantime continued to walk down the passage believing the others were still close behind and even fancied that she could hear them occasionally which provided some comfort. Alas, the other footsteps she thought she heard were but the echoes of her own for she was truly alone. She was now in a tunnel whose walls and floor had been worn smooth over the years by the dragon's continual passing so despite the ever increasing darkness, she at least had no fear of tripping on a rough path. It continued in a fairly straight line until coming to a sharp bend she turned the corner and found herself in a large cavern lit by a dull, far away light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to this new sight and at first she could not really make out anything but piles of rocks. Then a movement caught her attention and with absolute dismay she realized the largest pile of rocks was in fact the dragon's body and she had to look up – way up to see its head! Never had she imagined such a thing. The beast was huge and it amazed her that she did not see it the moment she turned the corner. But despite knowing she was looking for a dragon she could not fathom the sheer size and therefore was not looking for something that large! Once again her heart fell and she froze in terror unable and unwilling to move.

Dragon

Now don't think that the dragon was caught off guard by May's arrival for he was purposely waiting for her in his front chamber. You see four days previous while lounging in one of his lower chambers, he heard a noise just outside the entrance to his home. It was only the subtlest of sounds; the quiet footfall of a two legged creature and nothing more, but it was enough to rouse him from his semi slumber. By the time he made his way to the upper chambers and finally to the entrance, the trespasser was gone but had left the distinct odor of human scent behind. He listened and smelled the air to ascertain no one was in the immediate vicinity before coming outside. He didn't go far for he quickly picked up on the sounds of horses riding away from his hillside; three horses to be exact and he could tell by the sound of their movements they were being guided. Yes, his hearing was that good. He lay there and continued to listen for if he knew anything about humans they do not go long without talking. However by the time the trio did begin speaking, they were too far away for him to catch more than the first few words regarding 'dragon's treat' which was enough for him to know that there would be a return visit.

It had been a very long time since humans had sought him out and he was rather annoyed at being bothered at all. "Why, oh why", he lamented to himself, "don't they just leave me alone? After all, I stay out of their way, why can't they do the same for me?" Well there was nothing to be done now but wait and see what these fools were up to.

He remained in the chamber closest to the entrance which was also the least comfortable of all his rooms; purposely kept this way to discourage unwelcomed visitors from traversing any further into his dwelling. He knew he wouldn't have to wait long and sure enough two days later he heard tramping about the area the same trio as before. This time they did not venture within sight of his lair for, as Machvell explained to his companions, they must work out the next part carefully and could not afford to be overheard by either villagers or the dragon. He wrongly assumed that because they were out of sight of the dragon, they were also out of his hearing range. So though the dragon could not see them, he could hear them. He lay at the entrance to his home listening as they discussed the means in which to lure a young maiden into their service and what they purposed to do with her and of course how they planned on making good their escape. In this way, he discovered all that he really needed to know; this was not a plot by the village and these three men were of extremely low character even for humans.

He really had doubted their ability to lure a maiden into helping them but he waited none the less and was a bit surprised when four people returned the next day. Once again he lay at the entrance and listened while the wizard explained to the young female that now accompanied them what she must do and what they were going to do. Liars and fools! He thought to himself. How could she possibly believe them and why would she agree to such a ludicrous plan? Well, if nothing else, he would at least find out what truly compelled her to agree to be part of such a foolish plot.

"Well" the dragon finally said, voice booming and echoing in the tunnel "why are you here?" with these words he lowered his massive head and looked straight at her.

Maydon mumbled something wondering where the others were and looking desperately around while trying not to look behind her. No one came and in absolute fear she held up the amulet hanging around her neck, squinting her eyes closed, too afraid to look while waiting for it to take hold on the dragon.

The dragon made a noise that might have been laughter but could just as easily been disgust. Lying completely down on the floor he said "Put that down, it will not help you foolish girl!" The amulet fell back to her chest. She took a step back and this time did not hide her movements as she looked around hoping to spot the others. "They will not help you either for they are not here. In fact they never came in with you and only went as far as they needed to ensure that you would continue and not turn back."

"You're lying!" she cried before she even realized what she was saying. It couldn't be true!

"And what makes you think I'm lying?" he asked.

Not knowing what else to say, she responded "Because my parents taught me not to believe everything I was told!"

"Yet," growled the dragon "you believed the lies of three cowards and let them lead you into a dragon's lair!"

Maydon was not only terrified but was now very, very bewildered as she stood silent and alone.

"So, they thought to send you in as a decoy? Or is that is what they told you?" He asked. "Then what? One would save you, while the other two slay me? I would very much like to know how they convinced you to be part of this absurd plan."

They say that a dragon's will is very strong and when they exert that will, others do as directed by them so that is perhaps why Maydon suddenly began telling the dragon everything about her misguided adventure. She omitted nothing from the story including all the different conversations and discussions and even her own misgivings about the whole affair. She finished her tale by telling him about the amulet which was supposed to render him immobile and then at the wizard's signal, the prince would take her out of harm's way so the knight could slay him. Hanging her head, in a whispered voice more to herself than to the dragon she said "I really only wanted to help my mother and father and my village."

The dragon showed neither anger nor pity toward the frightened girl but instead asked what she thought an odd question. "Did they offer you anything to eat?"

"No, only water."

"Ahhh" said the dragon in a knowing manner. It was clear to him what happened. As mentioned before dragons are very intelligent and this dragon more so than others. It is also impossible to lie to dragons and they in turn never tell a lie. He quickly ascertained that this female was truly nothing more than a pawn in their game and had no ill intent of her own. This was important of course, for it determined whether she lived or died at that moment. For now at least, she lived.

"Well my dear, I hate to shatter your little fairy tale adventure but they lied to you. You are not a diversion capable of rending me helpless; you are bait that is wearing an amulet full of poison. They believe the nonsense that dragons love to feast on fair maidens and assumed I would take one look at you and gobble you up along with the poisonous amulet - which by the way would not come close to harming me." The dragon could smell the supposed poison as soon as May entered and knew its nature; it was made of fermented Dragon's Bane which despite its name was not a bane to any dragon.

Something inside her told her the dragon spoke the truth and it was the others that had been lying all the time. Poor young, naive Maydon was naive no longer. Though she did not want to believe in her own foolishness, she also understood the dragon's strange question and realized the water was not simply water and the prince was not going to whisk her away to safety and the knight was not going to jump out and slay the beast.

"And all of this for what?" asked the dragon sitting up at which time Maydon realized the cavern was filled with mounds of dragon gold and other treasures. She looked in awe, her fear for the moment, gone.

The dragon did not speak as he waited, giving her a chance to look. "Well, what do you think?" he asked after a few moments. "Is this worth sacrificing a fair maiden for?" Maydon's awe quickly turned back to fear as she looked again at the dragon. "Tell me what your name is."

She hesitated but instinct to preserve life for even a few moments longer by keeping the bringer of her doom occupied took over. "M-Maydon – Maydon Fare" she answered, her voice quivering. The irony was not lost on the dragon; a fair maiden named Maydon Fare! How delightful. No doubt the three rouges thought it quite brilliant when they managed to trick her into coming on this fool-hearted quest. Well, we shall see what's to be done about that later, the dragon thought to himself. For now, he had every intention of amusing himself at their expense.

"Quit quivering. I'm not going to eat you." To which she did seem to let go some tension. "Yet, anyway." he added as an afterthought. "And maybe not even at all. You must understand that you cannot just expect to walk into a dragon lair and walk out again easy as you please. For if that was the case, than everyone would be doing it wouldn't they? No, now that you are here, you cannot leave until you answer one question. Answer correctly and you shall leave here alive - that I promise."

Maydon could only nod. Perhaps there was hope yet.

"Tell me which is the most valuable piece of treasure here by morning light."

What spark of hope flared in her was quickly extinguished as she looked around at all the piles of treasure. In her lifetime she could not hope to succeed let alone in one night! Where to begin? She was but a young farm girl who had never been beyond her small village that was growing smaller every year. Never in her life could she image such treasure and neither could she comprehend its value. It would take days just to sort through one of the multitudes of piles surrounding her.

As if he read her mind the dragon said "It is not as hopeless as it seems Maydon Fare. I will help you with three things. The first – the most valuable thing is within plain sight of where you now stand, though I will not tell you in which direction. Second - not everything is as it appears. Finally, true value cannot be measured by monetary means alone. Now, since I am feeling generous, I will allow you to ask any question about any object except of course 'is this the most valuable'."

That at least was something; besides, what choice did she really have? There was no one to run to and nowhere to go. Taking a deep breath she walked over to a pile that was almost as tall as she was and picked up a beautiful necklace studded with emeralds and diamonds. Surely this was extremely valuable but she remembered he said not everything is what it seemed so maybe this was a magic necklace!

"What is this?" she asked the dragon.

"It's a necklace." he answered.

"No, I mean what does it do?"

"I believe it is a custom of your people to wear it."

"No – that's not what I mean." she said, somewhat flustered. Clearly she was not asking quite the right question. She took a moment to formulate a better question. An obvious question was how much was it worth but the dragon had said that value is not measured by monetary means alone.

"Besides being beautiful, is there anything special about this necklace?"

"No." The dragon was very direct and clear with his answers; she just had to ask the right questions.

She put the necklace down and looked around again. This time she grabbed a pair of goblets that were identical except one was gold and one was silver.

"What do these do?" she asked quickly realizing it was not the right question.

"They are designed to hold liquid."

May stopped and thought for a minute. Though she knew she didn't have a lot of time, she also didn't want to discard something so quickly thereby missing its true value. "Yes, but do they change the liquid - by that I mean, if water is placed in it will it become something else like a healing potion?" looking at them she thought it would be wonderful to have such a thing and imagined presenting it to her parents to drink from and them being healed of all the aches and pains and illness they suffered.

"Whoever drinks from one will always tell the truth. If they drink from the other, they will always tell a lie." responded the dragon.

"Which one is which?" she asked.

"I don't know. I never bothered to ask."

A cup of truth might be valuable, but she could not see the value in a cup of lies and decided that the necklace by virtue of beauty alone was more valuable than these so she moved on.

She picked up a copper armlet that was very plain and would provide little protection to the wearer. It did not have the appearance of being valuable but she was taught not to judge by appearance alone. Thinking her question through first, she asked the dragon "Will this do more than protect the wearers arm?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell me what more it could do?"

"Yes."

She paused waiting for the dragon to answer her but then realized he had – Yes, he could tell her but she didn't ask him to tell her.

Taking a deep breath she said "Would you please tell me what else this copper armlet that I am holding in my hand can do beside protect the arm of the person wearing it?"

The dragon was beginning to enjoy this little game and found the young maiden quite amusing. "Of course" he said pleasantly. "It acts as an entire suit of armour and though it just covers the arm it will ward off any blows from any weapon to any part of the body."

"Oh!" she responded. This could be valuable and decided to hold onto it for the time being. As a seemingly after thought the dragon added "Of course the last owner died of the flu." May let the armlet drop realizing that it was not as valuable as she first thought if it couldn't protect against illness.

She moved from pile to pile and picked up trinket after trinket. Some she discarded immediately, some she hung onto until such a time that she found something she thought more valuable.

And so the night wore on and Maydon's search intensified. It felt that she had no sooner picked up one object that she thought of great value, when another one two feet away looked even more valuable. The dragon answered her questions though sometimes it took several questions to gain the answer she wanted or needed. At first, it was easy to be mesmerized by the treasures, but each time she had to question the dragon about it, kept her that much longer from finding the next, more valuable item. She lost all track of time as she became more and more weary. Finally, still clutching the last object she had selected – a silver bracelet that when worn would lead the wearer to any lost object, or would it warn of unseen danger? - no longer able to remember what he had said about this one she slumped down intending to rest for a moment and try to clear her head when she fell asleep. Of course, she did not mean to fall asleep and did not realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up. And when she did finally wake up it was with a start and she looked around confusedly. It took only a few seconds to remember where she was and the peril she was in. Did she still have time? She tried to stand but though she was awake, her legs weren't quite ready and she quickly sat down again on a pile of golden coins.

"Well," said the dragon "the night is over – you slept half of it away. What a foolish waste of time! You must tell me which is the most valuable piece here – _now_!" he leered.

Maydon would have cried if she had been able to but even that was beyond her at the moment. She had never been so miserable in all her life! She was well loved and protected and always had a soft bed to sleep in and had never gone hungry. Now she was so hungry her belly ached. Every muscle screamed in pain whether she moved or not and she would have given anything for a simple cup of water. She let the bracelet she had clutched all night fall from her hand and rattle onto the pile of gold. May looked around in utter dismay. All this precious gold and jewels and treasures yet none of it would quench her thirst or satisfy her hunger or ease her aches or keep her warm and none of it could give her the comfort that her home and loving family provided.

For all the pieces she thought so magical, so valuable, so beautiful - for all the good they may have served their previous owners, there was one undeniable fact – it didn't stop them from ending up with a dragon!

"Well" he said again. "I have waited long enough!"

What difference did it make now she thought. Whether she meant to speak it out loud or it was just the ramblings of hopelessness, she uttered "For all the good this treasure is, I value my own life above it all." Still sitting on the pile, she put her head in her hands not brave enough to look her fate in the eye.

There was absolute silence followed by what sounded like a snort that caused her to flinch thinking this truly was the end!

"Hmmm..." he mused perhaps in anger or wonder and for what seemed an eternity to Maydon as she waited her doom, the dragon finally spoke.

"Well done." he slowly drawled. "I am impressed. Clearly greed is not a fault you possess – yet anyway. Of course that was it all along. For all its beauty, what is all the treasure worth? You cannot eat it, it does not keep you warm, and it is not even a soft place to lay a weary head, is it?" Maydon looked up in awe; had he read her mind? She had guessed right, yet it seemed so simple though she still wasn't quite sure what it all meant.

In a timid but braver voice she asked "Does this mean I am free to go?"

"Yes and it would be wise for you never to come back again for you guessed the riddle this time, but there is only one chance for that; there will be no game next time." he said menacingly. But as she quickly climbed down the pile she had been sitting on intending to scurry to the exit he spoke again. "There is one thing you are forgetting. What about the others?" Her heart that had been lifted at the thought of escaping the dragon alive sank again at the thought of what might happen when she got outside. She understood that the wizard, knight, and prince never intended on rescuing her and the means by which they planned to slay the dragon was to poison him using her as purveyor of the event. What now would they say if she came out alone with no treasure and the dragon still alive inside? Would they make her come back again? Would they let her live? Once again it appeared she faced certain doom.

"Listen now. I can help but only if you promise to do as I say. You must follow my directions exactly, for if you don't the consequences will be dire and you will again find yourself in a very unpleasant situation."

Though Maydon didn't know it, she had made an impression on him. He had long ago chosen to go into hiding so as not to deal with humans. He thought them greedy and selfish and was tired of their foolishness in trying to kill him, trick him, or appease him so they could steal his treasure or make him go away. But here was one that despite having done an absolutely foolish thing had done so for all the right reasons. Her heart was kind and true and that was truly rarer than any treasure he possessed. He could only hope she stayed that way and he would do his part at least to help that!

With nothing else to be done, Maydon agreed.

"First, you must take an oath never, ever to return here again, nor to send any others, nor to tell them what you saw, nor what was said!"

"Yes, I swear never to come here again, nor to send others, nor to tell them what I saw, nor what was said!" that was easy for her, for she had no such desire to see him again, even from a distance!

"Now look behind you." She turned around and there on the floor were four bags, three larger and one smaller. The bags were open and she could see they were filled with golden coins. "Tie them all closed. Put the smallest bag in your pocket and carry the other three." he ordered. She half expected them to be heavy but was surprised that she could easily lift all three.  
"Give one each to the _wizard, prince, and knight_ that wait like cowards outside my door." His tone did not belie what he truly thought of those three. "The one in your pocket is yours to keep. Do not tell them you have it and do not take anything from their bags, or try to keep them." Maydon could not help but feel perplexed as to why he seemed to be rewarding people that he clearly despised but she would do as promised as long as she got out alive. At least she still had some of her own and that should make her parent's final years comfortable ones at least.

"Last" he continued "and most important; you must take one gold coin from the bag given to you and bury it in every field, every garden, and every orchard of your small village. Spend none of it. Do as I say and your reward will be greater than all of theirs but if you don't, I remind you again, the consequences can be more severe than you can imagine. Now go!" the last words were spoken with such finality that they would not be disobeyed and Maydon scurried back to the passage in which she had first come. She did not stop until she could clearly make out the light coming from the entranceway. She began to slow down though for now that the immediate threat of the dragon was behind, she began to worry more about what lay before her. Would they truly accept the gold given or would this only make them greedy and try to force her to go again to get more? This she would not do for she did not doubt when the dragon said there would be no second chance. But then how would she get home? She could surmise they would not take her home. Then she had a chilling thought. Would they even let her live? What they did was very wrong, using her this way. Surely if no one else, then her parents would see justice done. For just a moment she thought of turning back and looking for another way that would lead her out and away from them when suddenly an arm grabbed her and she was pulled outside. Machvell, holding tight to her arm, dragged her half way down the hill to where the other two stood anxiously waiting.

Luckily the morning sky was cloudy for being thrust into light after being so long in near dark caused her eyes to water and blink uncontrollably.

Surrounded by the three men with no hope of escape the wizard demanded "Well, is the dragon alive or dead!?"

"She's not eaten – maybe she didn't go all the way and just hid!" suggested Timor.

"No, you fool!" blasted Machvell "We heard her talking to him!" Indeed while May was inside at the mercy of the dragon those three had waited first to make sure the dragon didn't come charging out, then feeling that perhaps she was eaten and the dragon knocked unconscious, Machvell ordered Abscon in. He went only close enough that he could hear May and the dragon talking but not close enough to make out clearly what was said. And so they spent the night, each one taking a turn entering the cave to see if the maiden was yet eaten by the dragon. It was a long night for them and they were very tired and very frustrated that she emerged from the cave alive.

This was too much for May and anger quickly began to replace fear. She remembered the dragon telling her that she had been tricked but to think they actually went as far as to able to hear her while she risked her life was just too much. Without thinking she flung the three bags of gold at them. Surprised, they still managed to each grab a bag before they fell to the ground. Only too late did she realize that she gave up the last shrivel of hope she might have had by using the gold as possible bargaining chips. And then two very strange things happened.

First, Machvell, Abscon, and Timor all opened their bags and their faces, awash in the golden reflection of the coins, stared in awe at the contents of their bags. It is said that dragon's gold is a curious thing for it possesses many properties, one being that ill begotten gold will cast a spell on the recipient such that they will forget all else and desire only what is there. This is of course very convenient in preventing further theft of dragon gold.

The second thing that happened was the sound of an approaching horse and a cry from its rider. Upon hearing this, they all turned around just at the moment the sun peeked from behind a cloud casting a bright light on the rider making him appear for just a moment as a hero in shining armour.

As there was no bravery or integrity in any of the men standing on the hill they quickly decided that a bag of gold in the hand was better than a treasure trove still in a dragons den and fleeing was more preferable than fighting. They decided to make good on their escape and suddenly rushed down the hill past the rider to their own waiting horses. They rode away as quickly as possible not once turning back; the dragon, the maiden, and the hero quickly forgotten.

It is true the trio had no intention of taking Maydon home or even in letting her live at all. If the dragon didn't kill her they would so as there were no witnesses to their crime. It was most fortuitous that the rider arrived when he did.

Maydon stood in awe staring at the rider and when the sun again returned behind the cloud and she could once again see clearly, her awe was no less when she saw who it was. Dray, the simple farm boy who had been in love with Maydon all his life had come to rescue her.

Dray

So how, you may wonder, did it come about that the simple farm boy Dray was the one to come to her rescue? Well let me tell you. From the time the wizard, knight, and prince arrived in town something just didn't sit right with Dray. As said before, Dray was a simple farm boy but not unintelligent; he was much smarter than he gave himself credit for and if he appeared slow in discovering the true purpose and intent of the trio, perhaps it was because some things in life must be allowed to play out so that other events that need to happen, can.

The first thing that puzzled Dray was why the King would send an envoy of only three people and why a wizard, a knight, and a prince to search out a new highway? Wouldn't it make more sense to have more people, one of which was at least an actual surveyor? And why a highway connecting Bluewater and Greentree when there was a road that already connected them to the south of Woodedge that went through more hospitable territory then what surrounded them? And why, when they finally did go exploring, they didn't take any locals with them who were at least knowledgeable of immediate terrain? So if they weren't here for the highway, what then? There was nothing else surrounding them but endless wilderness and uninhabitable lands.

Dray did not express his concerns to others as they seemed to not only accept the strangers' story of exploring a new highway, but welcomed it. He did however want to find out more and as he had already planned on taking a trip to Bluewater, thought it a good idea to make some enquires to see if there was rumour of a new Kings highway. He also wanted to see if anyone there had heard of the wizard Machvell, Sir Abscon, and Prince Timor.

Upon the first day of arriving in Bluewater, he went to the market and began asking questions there. At first he learned nothing; no one knew anything about a new highway and indeed all thought it a foolish idea as there was a much better highway already built! On the second day of his visit he did meet someone that knew of Machvell, Abscon, and Timor and what this stranger said confirmed some of his worse fears. They definitely were not in the service of the King and in fact were probably wanted by him for being outlaws. They were liars and thieves and would steal the bed from beneath a sleeping man just for the fun of it. Where they went, trouble always followed!

Upon hearing this Dray was filled with anxiety and left immediately for home riding as quickly as he possibly could all the while wondering at what horrific deeds these three rogues might be up to. He still did not know exactly why they had come to Woodedge but the stranger he talked to assured him in no uncertain terms that they were up to no good.

So it was that Dray finally arrived back to Woodedge just before dark on the same evening that May herself was in the dragons den picking through piles of treasures trying to figure out which was the most valuable in order to save her life. The first home he came to was that of the Fares and he naturally stopped there. Laydon and Mary Fare were happy to see him but knew it was May that he was most interested in seeing. They knew of his fondness for their daughter and hoped that someday she would see him that way too. They soon sent him on his way to the village explaining that May had already gone there and would be spending the night with Natty, the innkeeper's daughter and her best friend. Upon hearing this Dray suddenly had a very strange premonition that May was in trouble and needed his help. He tried to ignore it and not wishing to alarm the Fare's said nothing of what he learned while in Bluewater but quickly took leave and rode straight away to the inn. Upon arriving the first person he saw was the innkeepers wife and before he could ask after Maydon and her friend she said "Welcome home Dray!" she greeted knowing he had been gone for several days. "How was Bluewater? Did you by chance stop at the Fare Farm on your way in?" Dray nodded yes for that was all he could get in. "How are they? May was to spend the night but had to go back as she said they weren't feeling well. I asked if she wanted one of us to come as well, but she said no, they would be fine she was sure."

Dray's heart sank at hearing this and his previous feeling of uneasiness was quickly turning to dread but being what others described as a quiet, thoughtful person, his immediate silence was not interpreted as to there being something wrong.

"Um, no, they are ok." Not wishing to express his concerns until he could find out more. "I need to talk to your husband though, is he about?"

"Yes, he's talking in the dining hall as usual" she laughed waving him away.

Dray walked into the dining room at just the precise moment that he needed to. He heard the innkeeper talking to three men sitting at the table closest to the door. "Yes, they left early this morning before anyone else was up. They said they wanted to get back to the city to start making arrangements for the new highway as soon as possible." The three men responded positively to this bit of news. "It's funny though, that wizard fellow had actually asked me the other day about a dragon!" which all four men laughed at being those that did not believe there was a dragon in their lands.

For just a moment Dray's world stopped as all the bits and pieces fell into place for him. He did not hear any more of their conversation nor did he stay any longer for he now knew why the three men had come here and worse than that, he knew where May was. She was not spending the night with her best friend as she had told her parents and she was not tending her ailing parents as she told her best friend. He did not know how or why, but willing or not (he assumed not), May was with the three strangers and they were headed for the dragons den!

Dray immediately went home and grabbed what he could for weapons and protection which included a wood axe, a club, and a silver platter that he hoped would at least be able to turn away a knife blade. Though it was now dark, he was not willing to wait until daylight to pursue them and would not risk further delay by trying to convince others to come with him. Dray was as an excellent hunter and tracker, in fact considered one of the best in the village for his age and when he wasn't tending the family farm he was exploring the surrounding lands. He knew the country well enough and he knew where the dragon lived.

Unlike the others, Dray knew there was a dragon that lived less than a day's ride from the village for he had seen it himself several years ago while out hunting late one autumn evening. Just before dark he heard what he thought at first to be the wind blowing and then looking up, saw the dragon flying overhead just above the treetops. Either the dragon did not see him or ignored him as it continued its flight until he saw it land on a rocky hillside where it suddenly disappeared. Realizing there must be a cave up there he also realized that previous tales told by others about seeing a dragon where true. It was the most frightening experience he had and though at first he wanted to tell others he remembered that those that said they saw a dragon were laughed at and called delusional. He also remembered his grandfather telling him how he had seen the dragon when he was a boy and when Dray asked why he didn't tell anyone, he simply replied "As far as I know that dragon had been there long before we came along and never bothered anyone so I thought it best to let sleeping dragons lie."

All night Dray rode and it was slow going as he had to pick his way through the darkness but he followed familiar markings and trails whenever possible and though he would have made far better time had he waited until the morning, his heart would not let him.

And while he rode he remembered everything he was ever told about dragons including the supposed treasure they possessed and knew that was what the three rogues were after. This was fine with him for he had no doubt the dragon could easily fend for himself against those three and they would get what they deserved from him. But he also remembered the stories of how dragons had a penchant for fair maidens who were often used as sacrifices and he knew that was their plan for May. Going anywhere near where there was a dragon was terrifying for Dray but the thought of May in danger was absolutely worse and yes, he would fight the dragon barehanded to save his Maydon Fare!

It was of course a very good thing that he rode all night for he finally arrived at the bottom of the hill where the dragons den was just in time to see the four of them standing halfway down the hill. He had no plan and no idea of what to do and in fact no hope of accomplishing anything, but seeing May and knowing her plight, he cried out. They all turned just as the sun shone from behind a cloud reflecting off his silver platter. He was truly stunned by what happened next for what he saw were three men suddenly running down the hill toward him and he braced himself thinking they were going to attack. Dray was an excellent farmer and hunter, but by no means a fighter. His only thought was that he must at least save May if nothing else. He did not realize what they saw as they looked at him and didn't know what had just transpired so it was with confusion and relief when the three men actually ran straight past him and to their horses. They were gone so quickly that Dray had no time to do anything, even if he had an idea of what to do! Jumping down from his horse his next thought was getting to May and when she came running to him and threw her arms around him – well, that was the most wonderful moment of his life!

So May survived her encounter with a real live dragon and true to her word did not tell anyone about it with the exception of Dray of course. She told him about the dragon and all that happened so he understood why she did what she did and when she cried at her own foolishness he took her in his arms again and whispered "Don't think that May! You aren't a fool; you are the most kind-hearted person I know. Only you would have risked your life believing you were helping everyone else and that is why I have always loved you!" May's heart soared at Dray's admission of love for her. She had always liked him of course but believed he thought her only a friend. To hear him say he loved her and knowing he alone had come to rescue her was the most wonderful moment of her life. "I love you too." was all she could bring herself to say, but it was enough.

As they continued on their way she showed him the bag of gold and told him what she must to do with it. For a moment Dray succumbed to the spell of the dragon's gold and thought only to run away with it but love is more powerful than any dragon spell and the thought quickly passed. He would help May do what she must.

It was late afternoon when they arrived at the first farm and just as Maydon had promised the dragon, she stopped and planted a gold coin. Dray secretly thought it was foolish to waste such gold but Maydon was adamant and being in love, he obliged her and took her to every farm, orchard, and garden so she could plant her coins. The last stop was her own farm where she planted the very last of the coins.

In the end keeping the secret of May's encounter with the dragon was quite easy. May's parents weren't surprised to see them together as they often were together anyhow. They assumed she had spent the night with her friend just as she said and her friend never suspected she was not at home caring for her ill parents. Dray was supposed to have been in Bluewater so his own parents would not have thought anything amiss. Now comes the happily-ever-after part of the tale, for at least some of the characters.

Happily Ever After (for almost everyone)

Maydon was very happy to be home and very happy with her new love. They courted all summer and were married in the autumn and what an autumn it was! Every tree, every field, every garden was bursting with fruits, grains, and vegetables the likes of which the village had never seen. The harvest was so bountiful that they had enough to sell far and wide. And it just so happened that some of their magnificent yield even made it as far as the King's table. So impressed was he by the luscious foods, he ever after made a point of getting food from Woodedge and the village thrived. The wealth from the gardens lasted for Maydon's lifetime and though she didn't know why, she did not doubt it had something to do with the dragon's gold.

As for what happened to the wizard, knight, and prince, well I suppose that is worth telling! After leaving Maydon and her hero that day, they fled as quickly as they could to North City and spent their gold recklessly living it up like rich men. However, as was mentioned earlier in this story, dragon's gold has many properties and it may seem quite surprising to discover what this particular gold was made of. If Maydon had turned around when she left the dragon's lair that day she would have seen what truly was there which the dragon prudently disguised with dragon spell. His real treasure was kept in the lower chambers and this front chamber was just a plain cavern with no piles of treasures; no gold and necklaces, and goblets and swords... just rock and...well, _dragon droppings_. Yes, that is what was in all four bags in the end and the charm to make it look like gold only lasted a short while. Therefore it did not take long for all the recipients of this dragon gold that was exchanged for goods and services to discover its true nature and they quickly went after the three spenders. Needless to say it was not pleasant for them and it was many a long year before they ever ventured anywhere again!

And as you probably also surmised by now, the dragon gold made wonderful fertilizer!

So the morals of this story - don't always believe everything you are told; _you_ are the most valuable of all treasures; things are not always as they first appear so beware of dragon's gold; and above all else – for goodness sake, let sleeping dragons lie!

The End
