This is the beginning to a story that I wrote- I am going to post it in installments over the next few days so stay posted!
A Tale of a Knight, a Dragon, and a Damsel in Distress
(Along with Very Large Piles of Gold)
Chapter One- In Which Sir Norlan Embarks on a Quest to Find Gold
(And Rescue a Distressed Damsel)
The forest seemed thicker, darker today. Its trees closed in on Sir Norlan
of Engford as he rode at a steady trot through the woods. The Lord of Linoloch
had sent him on an urgent quest, and he did not intend to fail. Not that he cared
about the damsel in distress he was trying to rescue. Indeed, Sir Norlan believed
himself too great a knight for such petty quests as these. He was focused more
on the large sum of gold that was to be given as a reward to anyone brave enough
to face the dragon guarding Lady Eleanor the Fair. Sir Norlan daydreamed wistfully
of the massive sum as he rode along. It would be enough gold to give him all the
riches he deserved, and everyone would admire him. He would build a massive castle,
and eat the richest foods every day. He dreamed that he would throw massive banquets
and then invite only himself- no more would the great Sir Norlan be forced to look upon
the atrocious table manners of the Duke of Bealbarley or Sir Quentul the Noisy.
To this end, Sir Norlan continued determinedly on his quest. He rode all through the
night, which tired out his horse- but Sir Norlan did not care. The sooner I get the treasure,
he thought, the better. He did make several short stops to eat- he had a remarkable
appetite, especially for sweet foods- but this was only to keep his energy up, and soon
he was back on his way.
It was the next day, when the sun was just starting to lean towards the west half of the
sky, that Sir Norlan spotted a large turret reaching up into the clouds, proud and lofty. He
ordered his horse to go faster, and the poor beast complied for as long as it was able- then
stopped short and fell asleep where it was standing. The knight was exasperated, and pushed
and prodded his animal, but it would not budge. Finally, Sir Norlan had to abandon his horse
and start walking towards the castle. He complained the whole way about having to walk.
“A knight of my station,” he said to himself, “On a quest as noble as this one, should not have
to be reduced to walking! I am far above having to do this sort of thing. It is too much
unnecessary strain on the legs.” (Not that the rarely-exercising knight knew very much
about “strain on the legs.”) And so he huffed and puffed through brambles and mud puddles,
‘til at long last he came to the castle.
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