Once Upon A Time, In A Land Far Away

“Mummy, tell me again that story about the Princess and the dragon,” the little girl begged as she snuggled down into her bed.

Laura sighed and tried not to roll her eyes at her daughter’s request. The story was told at least once a week to her yet she never seemed to tire of hearing it. Making herself comfortable on the side of the bed she smiled down at her.

“Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a lonely, young princess who had no one to love her. Her cruel stepmother wanted her to marry a bad man so that she could gain control of the Princess’s land. The Princess didn’t want to marry the man and wondered what to do.”

“What did she do, Mummy?” the little girl interrupted.

“Well, the only thing that she could do was to run away. One night she fled the castle and ran far away from home. A storm began and she was forced to take refuge in a cave for the night. Inside the cave she found that she wasn’t alone.”

“What was there, Mummy? Tell me,” pleaded the little girl, her eyes shining with excitement.

Laura shook her head in amusement and continued with the story. “A large, black dragon with golden eyes was in the cave. He was badly injured. The Princess knew that she should flee the cave for dragons were dangerous creatures but the dragon asked her to help him. He promised that he would not hurt her and that if she helped him he would try to help her.”

“Was she scared? Did she help him?”

“She was terrified but decided to help him get better. The dragon kept his word and did not hurt her. When he was recovered she told him about her stepmother and the man that she wanted the Princess to marry. Together, they came up with a plan to force the stepmother and the bad man to leave the castle and never come back.”

“Did it work?”

“Yes, they left the castle and never returned. The Princess felt indebted to the dragon and, on impulse, she kissed him on his head. Upon the touch of her kiss, the dragon turned into a prince that had been under a spell that could only be broken by a kiss of gratitude from a princess.”

“Did they live happily ever after?”

A movement by the bedroom door caught her eye and she smiled as she saw her husband standing there. Looking deep into the warm, golden eyes she nodded and said, “Yes, they lived happily ever after.”