The Kingdom without a Dragon Chapter 2.

                    Chapter Two.

 

                         The Dragon.

 

The following week the Butler told the royal couple that a Dragon would be arriving for an interview at 11 o’ clock on Tuesday. The rather nervous pair waited in the Throne room for the Dragon to arrive. The Butler would not answer any of their questions about the Dragon. He merely smiled and recommended them to wait and see.

The throne room doors were thrown open and the Butler announced in his best butler’s voice. "Your Majesties, the Dragon."

It is perhaps a good thing that Kings and Queens are trained to keep their faces straight, otherwise they may well have laughed at what they saw and upset the creature which crept in through the door. It was the smallest Dragon you have ever seen, assuming of course that you have ever seen a Dragon. It was not green and purple like pictures often show dragons to be, nor did it reek of fire and sulphur. Indeed, it was a rather delicate shade of pink and smelled of soap.

"Oh," cried the Queen, who if the truth be told, had been dreading this meeting. "Isn’t he sweet?"

King Simon whispered to the Butler. "Is this the right Dragon?"

"The only one we could afford, Your Majesty," replied the Butler.

"Well, in that case I suppose we had better get on with the interview then." King Simon turned to the Dragon. "Do you have any references?

The Dragon blushed a deeper shade of pink and took out a letter from a little satchel which hung round its neck. The Butler took the letter and passed it to King Simon. It was from Dame Little's School for Orphan Dragons. It said that Dragon number 731 was polite, hardworking, house trained, very willing, but rather shy.

"Ah, I see." King Simon was not really sure what to ask. "Er....tell me Dragon.....Look here I cannot keep on calling you Dragon, have you got a name?"

A small purple tear ran down the dragon’s cheek and dripped on to the carpet as it shook its head.

"Oh, the poor little thing." Queen Roberta knelt down and wiped the Dragon’s eyes with her own handkerchief.

King Simon struggled on with the interview. "So, what do you eat?"

"Cucumber sandwiches and plums," whispered the Dragon, blushing again.

"That is a relief," King Simon whispered to the Butler. "At least he does not eat princesses or anything messy like that."

He turned back to the Dragon. "Do you breathe fire?"

The Dragon should its head and puffed out its cheeks. It blew a tiny, perfectly shaped, purple smoke ring.

"Is that all?" Queen Roberta asked.

The Dragon nodded.

King Simon shook his head. "I am not sure that this Dragon is exactly what we want. Is he Butler?"

Another purple tear rolled down the sad little Dragon’s face and it turned to go.

"Oh no!" cried the tender-hearted Queen. "You cannot turn the poor little thing away."

"But my dear," protested the King.

"But nothing,” sniffed the Queen. She knelt down on the floor next to the Dragon. "You would like to live here in the Palace, wouldn’t you?"

The Dragon nodded its head and sniffed.

"Then so you shall," smiled the Queen.

King Simon turned to the Butler and shrugged.

"Perhaps he is not as big and fierce as I had expected, but he is the only Dragon available," replied the Butler. "But I have an idea that might work."

"Well you had better go and make some cucumber sandwiches then." King Simon knew when he was beaten.

"Good!" Queen Roberta stood up. "Cedric can stay as long as he likes." Then a thought struck her. "You are a boy Dragon, aren't you?"

Cedric the Dragon nodded and skipped around the floor.

"Well, I suppose that is that!" King Simon went and sat on the throne.

The Butler bowed himself out of the room.

Next morning the Butler came to talk to the King. "The fire in the Kitchen is smoking badly again, Sire"

Simon was not really in the mood for trivial business matters. "Well, call the Chimney sweep out then."

"Not yet Sire, not yet. I have an idea."

Roberta came into the throne room, followed by Cedric who was happily munching on his breakfast plum.

The Butler bowed to the Queen and continued. "What do Dragons normally do?"

Roberta shuddered. "They breathe fire on things."

"And eat people," added the king.

"Precisely," said the Butler.

"Everyone knows that, "said Simon. "But this one doesn’t."

"But he IS a Dragon which means that we can honestly say the Minisculia HAS a Dragon!" said the Butler.

The monarchs looked puzzled.

The Butler asked another question. "How were we going to let the rest of the world know that we are having a problem with a Dragon?"

"Well, it was your plan," replied Simon. "I suppose you were going to tell the Newspapers about it."

Roberta was still puzzled. "But Cedric here is the wrong sort of Dragon. I mean look at him. He is definitely not the fire breathing people eating kind of monster that Newspapers like to write about."

Cedric was lying on the rug in front of the fire counting his toes and getting a different answer each time.

"The corn field behind the Palace is due to have the stubble burnt off it today," said the Butler.

"Yes," replied Simon. "But so what?"

"I wonder if Cedric would like to do the honours and start it burning for us. I am sure he can be trusted with a box of matches, don’t you, Your Majesties?" asked the Butler.

Cedric nodded eagerly and blew a really superb smoke ring.

Even Simon could see that the Butler was up to something.

"Be that as it may, but what about the people eating?" he asked.

The Butler answered with yet another question. "How do you know when a Dragon has eaten someone?"

"Usually because they have completely disappeared and the Dragon looks full." replied Roberta.

"Exactly!" smiled the Butler.

"I am not sure I understand what you are planning," said Simon. "And I think perhaps it is better if we do not know, then we cannot spoil it. You had better go ahead and organise it all. I am sure you know what you are doing."

The butler bowed and left the room.

Later that day the field of stubble behind the palace burned really well in the late summer sun.

At the same time two of the Palace chamber maids suddenly disappeared. The butler told them to pack their bags and go off on paid holiday to the seaside. They were not to return until they were told to do so by him. They were very happy to do as they were told.

That evening King Simon sent for the Butler. "Have you seen these stories in the evening newspapers?"

"Yes, Sire," replied the Butler.

Simon read them out just to make sure. "Minisculia ravaged by a fierce Dragon. The reporter told of how the country was in danger of disappearing in flames and that half the young women in the country have been eaten."

"Very interesting story, is it not Sire?" smiled the Butler.

"But where on earth did they get the story from? I hope you have not been telling lies." said Simon sternly.

"Certainly not," sniffed the Butler a little huffily. "I did not need to, the reporters managed that very nicely for themselves."

"But there haven’t been any reporters in the kingdom," complained Simon.

"I know Sire, they could not find it!" laughed the Butler as he left the room.