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In Which Sir Norlan Makes an Astounding Discovery
It doesn’t take long when trapped in a cell, however comfortable, until you begin to
feel desperate for human company. It took longer than it would for most people for Sir
Norlan to feel lonely, but soon he realized that he actually missed the companionship
that another person brought. While this may be a familiar sensation to most, the knight
had always convinced himself that he was better than others, and so never thought about
the value of individuals besides himself. So it was that Sir Norlan became lonely for the first
time- after several days he realized, with a trace of horror, that he would even be glad for the
company of the Duke of Bealbarley or Sir Quentul the Noisy, despite their horrendous table
manners. He was very distressed, to say the least. The knight tried wishing for company, at
least a visitor- but as he had found out earlier, the wishes did not work for living things. Finally,
as a last resort, Sir Norlan decided to plead for help to the dragon.
“Please let me out!” he begged, but his only response was a faint chuckle from outside the
door.
The days dragged on, each seeming longer than the last. That strange, new feeling of
loneliness grew and grew as time went on. Sir Norlan now would even have welcomed a
conversation even with Billy, the boy in charge of the castle’s pigs (who, like the animals he
tended, only spoke in grunts).
It had been twelve days since the knight had been captured, though to Sir Norlan it seemed
closer to a year.
“Surely,” he thought, “they will have someone looking for me- perhaps I will be rescued
soon.”
Indeed, there were several knights out looking for the Lady Eleanor, all of whom had found
the castle with relative ease using the knightly “Find a Damsel in Distress” guidelines. They
entered, however, to find no dragon- Leolian had taken flight from the castle just minutes
before to avoid the knights. (He was not a very cruel dragon, and did not wish to slay so many.)
To their surprise, Leolian had not taken the Lady Eleanor with him. The knights were about
to leave the castle and return the Damsel, no longer in Distress, to her home when they
remembered that Sir Norlan had come to the castle in search of the Lady Eleanor as well.
Sir Quentul the Noisy, who was really a very noble knight, (despite his table manners),
conducted a search for Sir Norlan, and the Duke of Bealbarley was the one who opened
the jeweled door in the feasting hall and freed the knight at last. Sir Norlan never thought
he would be so happy to see the Duke. In fact, once back at court, the knight was surprised
to find how much more he appreciated other people. He was no longer thinking only of
himself- he had enough time to do that while imprisoned by Leolian. Everyone at court
noticed the change in Sir Norlan, and he became one of the most trusted and respected
knights. He rescued many damsels in distress, never forgot the knightly “Find a Damsel in
Distress” guidelines, and never required a reward for his services. Because of this, he
never became rich enough to horde up piles of gold, but his heart felt much richer than
ever before.
The End
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