The midnight hour is upon us
and the arms of Morpheus wait
to carry us gently to the Realm of Dreams
and the Kingdom’s wrought-iron gate.
The tale begins in the Land of Nod,
where fiery dragons roam.
One reigns supreme from his mountain lair,
a torch-lit cave his home.
Cursed by the wizard Elmorod
one hundred years ago,
the Dragon King, with sadness,
dreams of love he cannot know.
Unaware of her existence
as he searches the forests wild,
the Dragon will soon discover
the Baron’s only child.
The voice of the fair Regina
is magic to all who hear;
calming the most troubled heart
so pure and crystal clear.
It happened many years ago
in the early morning mist
when her song fell on the Dragon’s ears
as soft as the sweetest kiss.
Entranced by the soothing music
of the gentle lullaby,
the Dragon King spread his mighty wings
and soared into the sky.
The land lay dark beneath him
as he blotted out all light.
The Earth fell deep in shadow;
all creatures hid from sight.
Cowering below him,
the people hid in fear,
for the Dragon’s rage was awesome
and they knew that he drew near.
Seeking the source of the melody
which echoed in his ears,
he searched the verdant countryside
for one and seven years.
The Baron forbade his subjects
to venture past the gate,
fearful of the dangers
which there may lie in wait.
But despite her Father’s warning,
before the household was awake,
Regina rose with the dawn one day
and rode to Braemoor Lake.
Sitting in the morning sun,
planning her wedding day,
she sang of love and happiness,
her troubles far away.
While hidden in the darkness,
the Dragon sat alone
mourning the thing he could not have,
on the empty golden throne.
Then suddenly he wakened
jerking upright in his lair.
Unsettled by the music
floating in the air.
Detecting something different
in the early morning breeze,
with a mighty flap of his giant wings
he flew above the trees.
Not sensing the looming peril
until it was too late,
Regina rode before the wind
to reach the castle gates.
In a flash the Dragon plucked her
from the back of the racing steed.
Although she screamed in terror,
the creature paid no heed.
When at last they reached his mountain lair,
the Dragon bound her fast.
Securing the Baron’s daughter;
his quest complete at last.
Now Regina sits at the Dragon’s feet
and hears her captor’s tale
of a lifetime spent in loneliness
and potions that always fail.
“Why did the Wizard curse you?”
Regina said, at last.
“As revenge for the death of his brother
In the battle for Briswald Pass.
He summoned the darkest forces
Who dwell in the World Below,
and conjured a curse against me
that true love I would never know.”
As she heard the Dragon’s story,
a plea she then did make:
to return to her love and family
and the peace of Braemoor Lake.
“Though silently you sit with me
far from your Father’s care,
there are those who plot your rescue,
and I warn them to beware!”
She prays that the Baron’s army
will follow the Dragon’s trail
and release her from his dungeon,
yet she knows that they may fail.
Soon heroes armed with shining swords
will traverse the forests wild
in search of the mighty Dragon King
who snatched the Baron’s child.
Regina’s laughter filled the halls
and brought him sheer delight,
but his castle now sits dark and grim
its mood as black as night.
Mournful cries are echoing
throughout the misty moor.
ne’er ceasing nor abating
behind the oaken door.
The Baron’s wife weeps plaintively
and begs for Death’s release.
The servants hide in terror;
will the wailing never cease?
When suddenly the Baron,
his face a mask of wrath,
sends out the call for his armored men
to follow the Dragon's path.
They gather all around him
fearing words they know may come:
“Who amongst you is willing to die today
before the setting sun?”
Forward springs one noble knight
and to the Baron bows.
“She is my love, my future wife,
I’ll lead the search,” he vows.
“For I swear by all that’s holy
that ere the day is through,
Your daughter shall return to you
to greet the morning dew.”
Deep within its darkened lair
the Dragon King remains.
Regina, seated at his feet,
is wrapped in iron chains.
From time to time his head bends low,
as he peers through lidded eyes,
at the maiden there beside him
his Trophy, yes! His Prize!
Now racing through the forest
the Baron’s men do fly
to the mountain lair of the Dragon King
where some will surely die.
Leading the way on a steed of grey
rides the knight Sir William Potter.
and in his eyes burns a fiercesome fire,
for he loves the Baron’s daughter.
She fears the fate awaiting her
inside the dark, damp cave,
and sings a haunting melody
although she sits enslaved.
Her sweet voice fills the torch-lit room
with a song of sad despair,
while the Dragon King with a fiery snort
grows silent in his lair.
The music falls upon his ears
with magical surprise.
And before too long, in the darkened tomb
the Dragon shuts his eyes.
Sir William and the Baron’s men
soon enter the beast’s domain
to battle his faithful minions
where many will be slain.
For hours the combat rages
but the ending is in sight
as at last the Dragon’s forces flee
with the evening’s fading light.
Victorious, Sir William’s men
take no time to rest
and make their way to the Dragon’s lair
where they’ll face their final test.
The swift attack of the Baron’s men
on the guards at the prison door
is met with fierce resistance
though they number only four.
The sounds of battle echo
on the early evening air,
but the Dragon’s dreams are undisturbed
as he sleeps coiled in his lair.
Silent, in near-darkness,
Sir William leads his men
through the maze-filled inner chamber
to the Dragon’s dim-lit den.
Too late the beast awakens.
Too soon his fate is sealed.
As William high above his head
his mighty sword doth wield.
With a single blow through the creature’s heart
the brave knight slays the beast.
And though it gives one final gasp,
its ending is complete.
With a second blow to the iron chains
he frees his love, his life,
and together they ride from the Dragon’s lair
to the Baron and his wife.
And as Sir William had predicted,
to a day that broke anew,
the Baron’s daughter rose with the dawn
to greet the morning dew.
As the arms of Morpheus release their hold
and the gates behind us close,
we return once more from the Realm of Dreams
as daylight softly grows.
The End
