THE STATE OF THINGS - SECTION 28

 LEGEND OF NEVETSECNUAC - THE STATE OF THINGS - SECTION 28

03- CANUTE (in his teens)

Crying had offered no solace to Canute, and when the stark reality of his mother’s demise fully sunk in, all reason and sense had abandoned him. 

His rant (angry outbursts) and hysterical screams next, had brought the whole household to his mother's door.  Customers and servants clambered over one another as they pounded fiercely on both doors, demanding they be let in at once.

 But Canute, in a state of shock had remained quite inert, oblivious to the mayhem outside.  His body was completely benumbed as if he was pinned, crushed under the oppressive weight of an enormous boulder the size of a mountain.  His limbs (arms), as if severed from the mind's control, hung listlessly on either side of him, pulled down by a burdensome weight.  His face ashen, Canute stared with voided thoughts at his mother through the curtain of tragic, bittersweet tears that still streamed down his cheeks and chin to dampen his shirt.

Finally, one of the doors was brought down with a great crushing sound and both Ron and Tike burst in neck and neck.  A small crowd of curious seekers, too apprehensive to cross a sick woman's threshold, craned their necks to cautiously peer in.  Flushed faces became pale and grim as they exchanged meaningful looks and, inclined their heads together in groups, whispered hushed words among themselves, exchanged information and disclaimers of her rumored illness, while pointing the discrete finger of accusation at Tike and Ron.

Tike had gone straight for Helga and began ranting over the spoilt bedding and the trouble that had been incurred, while Ron Kuri had savagely grabbed hold of Canute by the collar of his shirt (at back of the neck), lifted him up high in air, and burrowed his threatening, venomous glare into Canute. When Canute defiantly stuck his tongue out at him, Ron foaming in the mouth, cursed and reviled Canute then spat at Canute’s face. Growling, he demanded snap (instant, quick) answers to his barrage of unremitting (relentless) questions:

"Why didn't you open the door… wretch?  How the hell did you get out?  Who was it that let you out?  Cat got your tongue; answer me, damn you!”

Canute’s scathing (scornful), defiant glare and snarl on his lips, however, earned him Ron’s seething ire.  “Why aren’t you afraid? I can crush you like a bug. I’ll snuff the very life out of you, you brazen, cursed worm!"

Canute’s stubborn nature would never allow him to admit defeat; his perpetual, derisive grin, therefore, further antagonized the already furious Ron, as murder registered in his pupils (eyes): "You dare so brazenly, challenge me?" Ron barked, as he violently shook Canute as if he was a ragdoll; he then slapped Canute real hard, not once but twice, right across the face.

Canute’s cheeks smarted (burnt, stung) really bad, but he desisted shedding any tears; meanwhile, the foul, sweaty stench of an unwashed male had assailed Canute's senses, overpowering the lingering scent of his mother's sweet perfume.  Blood trickled (oozed), from his nostrils and from the corners of his swollen lips, onto his torn shirt in streaks of pale crimson.  Although the physical pain inflicted by Ron Kuri tested Canute’s endurance it was dwarfed in comparison to the anguish he felt deep in his heart and so, not a sound, not even the slightest whimper escaped Canute's lips. 

In truth, Canute was now beyond caring, he did not feel or hear any of the heaped-on abuse; thus, highly incensed Ron was robbed of the perverse satisfaction he sought to gain.  Another fierce strike (hit) just then pummeled the side of Canute's head and sent him flying clear across the room to slam his head hard against the door post; consequently, Canute lost his orientation (balance, senses), all about him turned blurry and began to spin.

"You are no good shit!  What did you do that for?" Tike's voice shrieked.  "What if you've killed him?"

"What about it?  Who cares?  Who would miss the wretch, anyway?" came Ron's cold retort.  "Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say!  Let the bastard die and join his mother in hell.  It’s no skin off of my nose."

"No skin off of your nose?  No skin off your nose?" Tike ground her teeth.  "You're going to land me in serious trouble, that's what!  How can I sell him to the Wang family in the condition he's in now?  Didn't I tell you to curb your temper?  You've cost me more money than the skin of your nose is worth!"

As Canute's throat filled up with blood the voices drifted into the distance, echoing meaninglessly garble in his head.  He felt his body grow icy cold, he was tumbling, falling into a deep, dark abyss from incredible, towering heights.

                                                                                      ~

"I warned you not to hit him so hard!  What if he expires before the pertinent details of the crime and the whereabouts of the loot can be extracted from him?  All we have so far is the motive for his crimes." Micen Do, seething (livid), furiously chastised (reprimanded) Mouro.

"Begging your pardon, Your Honor," the Court physician's somber voice just then interjected,

 "I'm now ready to report my diagnosis."

“Permission granted.”  Receiving the signal from Micen, physician Sullen came forward and knelt on one knee to make his report.

 "Despite the gravity of his injuries, the accused possesses a well-developed physique.  In a while he should recover his senses sufficiently to be responsive to further questioning."

"A while..." Micen exploded.  “Am I surrounded by nincompoops, total incompetents?  I demand you revive him now…Immediately!"

"I've done all that's medically possible, Your Honor," Sullen protested, trembling, "but I'm afraid that the last blow to the left temple was so serious that it left the prisoner Canute Yonn in a very critical state. To bring him around prematurely could put him in peril and leave him in an irreversible vegetative state or worse, endanger his life (bring about his death).  We must wait for the treatment I've administered, for it to gradually take effect."

"Nonsense…!”  His life (already a forfeit,) is of no consequence anymore.  Are you ..."

"Please allow me to atone for my mistake, Your Honor." Mouro hastily intervened, stepping forward and falling to one knee.  "If you permit me, sir, I'll bring him around now."

"You... You'll be made to answer for your mistake later!"  Grumbling, Micen shook his head and motioned to the Head Bailiff, Hecun.  "You, bailiff, bring him around."

Hecun rushed at once to comply as Mouro and the physician both quietly stepped aside.  Kneeling, he grabbed Canute by the shoulders and shook him fiercely, shouting, "Snap out of it!  You hear me, snap out of it!  You are in the presence of the Honorable Prefect Micen Do.  Stop this charade, this nonsense at once or you'll only suffer the worst for it!"

When this and other such threats proved ineffective, Hecun, under the watchful eyes of the Prefect, resorted to a controlled battering of the prisoner.  As Micen impatiently drummed his fingers on the table, the flustered Hecun grabbed Canute by the hair and slapped him with his free hand until his hand hurt.

"What did you do that for?" Micen interposed, freezing Hecun's hand in mid blow.

He had become rather apprehensive about Canute's condition.  "What if you've killed him?"

"Don't touch her!  Let go of her!  Mama!  Mama!  I'll kill you!  I'll kill you all!"

"Have you gone completely mad?"  Hecun went back to shaking Canute by the shoulders.  "Snap out of it!  You're in court."

A sharp pain suddenly brought Canute back to life.  Utilizing (using) his innate skill, in a split-second, overpowering (disabling) Hecun, he’d pressed his bloodied iron shackles against Hecun's throat.  In this desperate scuffle the bailiff, despite his robustness, had fared the worst.  Presently locked in the extraordinary (weird, odd) iron's grip, he was prohibited from using his full strength to neither free himself, nor subdue the prisoner.

Fortunately, Canute abruptly came to his senses, sprang back and promptly released Hecun.

"Get him up!  He seems to have regained his senses." Micen intervened.

 Two other bailiffs rushed over at once to raise Canute to his feet.

 Hecun's parting kick was frozen in mid-stream (halfway through) by Micen’s bark, "Let him be, I say!"

Staggering, Canute's bewildered gaze moved from the Head Bailiff Hecun still panting with rage, to the Prefect Micen Do, to Mouro, to the physician Sullen, and then to the two constraining (in part supporting) him by the arms.  Having suffered a serious memory lapse, his crazed eyes, inexplicably next stared at his shackled hands and feet, drenched in his own blood.

Canute’s focus once more became vacant (empty) and all voices (sounds) melted away as his tortured wits (mindset, brain) wandered back to another reality, to his mother, to his childhood.                                                                                    

The wicked past (events) cruelly now paraded before his mind's eye and triggered involuntary shudder as he anew experienced fresh anguish of all those tormented years of enslavement in the hands of the Wang family. 

He’d endured unspeakable degradation (humiliation/indignity), physical pain and malice until, finally, on his thirteenth try; he'd successfully escaped to freedom and to safety.

He grimaced coldly in satisfaction when he recalled how, in the small hours of the night, just prior to leaving the city he had snuck back into the cellar of the cursed brothel by way of a secret tunnel he'd found earlier.

Careful not to be seen, he’d forced the lock and gained entry into his mother's former room, which had remained empty for seven years to rid it of her ghost; then, exerting some effort he’d recovered the paltry sum she'd hidden under the floorboards.

 First, he’d made sure both Tike and Ron were in their cursed residence then, returning to the basement, he’d arranged all sorts of flammable material in strategic corners of the basement, dosed (soaked) them with lamp oil and then, at a safe distance, using a flaming arrow, he had torched the entire establishment.

 By the time the fire was noticed by the occupants, his other carefully arranged tinder had ignited all the exit doors.  The billowing smoke and searing flames shot into the Heavens, engulfing the whole building and turning it into a death trap.

Despite the danger, Canute had fearlessly stayed at the scene until he'd got solid confirmation of Tike and Ron's demise. He’d felt entirely justified for this revenge as the two culprits had grievously wronged his mother even after her death.  To save themselves paltry burial expenses and future trouble, they had secretly and unceremoniously dumped her ashes into the cold, fast flow of the Sue River.

When Canute left the city, the raging fire had already consumed an entire block before it was finally brought under control.  His heart was so hardened (by all those years of abuse) that he'd felt absolutely no remorse for the devastating destruction and the unavoidable, lost lives. 

Ensuing years though at times the obstacles lying in his path seemed insurmountable, Canute stoically persevering had carried a clear aim in his heart, to advance methodically towards that other act of retribution.

In his later teen years, fortuitously Canute had chanced on a disillusioned ex-official named Brier, a key member of a powerful gang that had been terrorizing the adjacent countryside. Brier, much impressed by Canute’s resilience and outstanding physique, took him under his wing.  The ensuing years under Brier’s protection and guidance had been the most contented one for Canute; moreover, when the gang eventually dissolved, the skills, cash and wide range of experience, had enabled Canute to move to Denor City and establish himself as an affluent citizen, laying the foundations for his ultimate revenge.

04- CANUTE YONN

                                                                                             ~                                                                                      

"Why is he not responding?  I think he's shamming (faking) it!  I'll teach him to make a mockery of my court.  You, there!  Apply the hot iron to his chest, and then we'll see if he won't come around."

"Please, you’re Honor, the state he’s in, any further torture would kill him (finish him of)." Sullen hastily intervened, then fell to his knees to beg forgiveness for his outburst.

"Well, just touch it to his upper arm then.  That may even stop some bleeding." Micen donning a wry smile rescinded his order.

Canute's anguished cry as he was branded with the red-hot iron pierced the suspenseful air of the courtroom, curdling the blood of even a few of those eavesdroppers outside.

But mercy was sadly lacking in this court and in this Prefecture.  Many more just sneered, gloated and nodded their heads in approval as they silently congratulated the Prefect when the deliberate cruelty produced the desired result.  The conscious Canute, with his full faculties restored, was then promptly interrogated.

Briefly, though painfully, Canute Yonn recounted the obstacles and the rather odd circumstances that had led him to join the powerful gang of brigands that had terrorized the surrounding countryside for many years.  He was then grilled at length about this notorious gang and its final demise.

Micen, of course, was familiar with the case and approved of the competent, though extremely cruel measures taken by the former (previous) Magistrate Knon Zhour to bring the situation under control.  What he had been ignorant of, and now found to be of great interest, was the internal strife that had existed at the time within the gang itself.  As Canute now told it, it appeared that this infighting had, in fact, been the chief reason for the gang's demise, since those who had known of the Magistrate's planned ambush had chosen to flee rather than warn the unpopular Chief.

"I and the other fortunate few who had escaped the catastrophe immediately retrieved our shares of the collective booty from the secret reserve.  Under the assumed name and the guise of a gentleman I returned to Denor City to fulfill my life's ambition. “

05- CANUTE  YONN

“When I from a distance spotted Senson Luko, the flames of vengeance anew seared my heart. After few setbacks, I set to work on devising a perfect plan.”

 “First, I had tried to cultivate Hacket's friendship, but that overbearing lout just used me.  Then by chance I encountered Yenis and altered my tactic.  My conquest of her came rather easier than I'd anticipated, for not only did she have no moral character, but she also hated her circumstances and sought to escape it.  She was withering away from being subjected to the constant ravages of her cruel, calculating and possessive husband.”

“That place was built and secured like a fortress, and, despite all my experience, I needed her help in penetrating the maze of private quarters and reaching my destination.  My long-awaited opportunity for revenge came the night she snuck me into the private inner compound, then to the bedchamber.”

"The beast had already fallen asleep, and she had to wake him.  Without the least regret, with one swift stroke, I rid the earth of that menace.  I vented my fury on his severed head, spitting in its eyes and grinding his face under my feet.  Then I cut open his chest and ripped his cruel heart from the bloody cavity.  With it still warm in my hand I frantically gazed around for a suitable container until my eyes fell on a carved rosewood box, inlaid with jade and mother of pearls.  After tossing the contents to the floor I placed the organ into it.  Next I severed the finger that wore his precious heirloom ring, and cut a lock of his hair, both of which I placed in the same box."

Micen knit his brows and pursed his lips in an angry frown; he knew just which box it was that Canute referred to.  A few years back he had gone through a lot of trouble and expense to secure that particular 160-year-old box yet had been obliged to present it to Senson Luko after he had expressed such a liking for it in the presence of Commissioner Torrak who, incidentally, was also his cousin.

 "So, what did become of that box?" he interrupted the prisoner to snarl.

"I burned it, along with the contents, at Kuno Temple. The box was painted such that it looked like it was made of metal, but in fact, it was not, it actually was wood made to resemble a metal strongbox."

06- BURNING THE JEWEL ENCRUSTED BOX

Micen cringed.  What a pity!  The shame of it!  He motioned Canute to continue.

"Before leaving the corpse I left in his mouth the token of my mother I'd carried since childhood, an old coin with a hole in it, to remind the Luko family of the grave injustice that had been done to her."

Micen interrupted the prisoner at this point to review the records but, as he suspected, no such coin had been reported, confiscated for evidence, or recorded in any of the reports.  All who were questioned made no reference to such an obvious clue left behind.  This piece of vital evidence could have shed clear light on this case and its absence infuriated Micen.  Was this mere incompetence, or a cover-up?  How deep does corruption, the conspiracy penetrate into the ranks of my Prefecture?  Making a resolution to himself to investigate this thoroughly at a later date, he let the matter pass and directed Canute to resume his confession.

"When I emerged from the room, I found Yenis with her gathered valuables in a bundle, waiting to take flight along with me.  This was a complication I had hoped to avoid.  I tried my best to reason with her, explaining that she should return to her quarters and feign innocence.  I said she would be a hindrance and would seriously hamper my escape if I were to take her along immediately, that it would be in our best interests if I were to fetch her at a later date after things had cooled off a bit.  I made up a tale that I needed more time to secure a suitable home in another city that we could run to.  I even told her that I had some urgent, unfinished businesses elsewhere that needed to be taken care of first.  However I tried to persuade her, she just hung onto my sleeve and would not let go of it.  At the point where I was about to tear it off, she threatened to scream.  At my wit's end, I was forced to comply with her wishes.”

"After taking refuge at Kuno Temple and sacrificing the organs of her tormentor to my mother's spirit that night, I stole away with part of the valuables she had insisted that we take along.  Why not take them?  It was only right that the family be made to pay for it."

 A sudden dizziness overcame him, and Canute paused to steady himself.  "I felt sorry for having misled her, but I knew she would be all right, since I had left her the other horse with the rest of the booty in its harness."

"You are lying bandit!  You're still trying to deceive us.  Why not come clean and admit that you took it all?" Mouro burst out, unable to contain himself.

 "To think that she was devastated by being let down…hah, by the likes of you!"

"Keep your silence!"

"But you know the bastard is lying, Your Honor!" Mouro threw a furious glance at Canute and snarled.

"Who knows just how much of this sob-story of his is fiction?"  He stepped forward,

 "I implore you, Your Honor, not to be beguiled by this deceitful, cunning, dog!"

You dare to openly be insubordinate (question my ability to judge)?  Perhaps you'd like to be the one presiding in this seat? Micen inwardly fumed then checked his temper.

 "It’s up to me to decide on the validity of the testimony, not you."  He shook a threatening finger at Mouro, "I've been tolerant of your shortcomings thus far, but don't assume that you are indispensable.  One more disruptive outburst and I'll have you pilloried!  And that goes for the rest of you as well!"

The appeals of Mouro's supporters froze on their lips as Micen's finger panned by them.  Mouro changed color and dropped to his knees at once to plead for the Prefect's forgiveness and appease him with placating words.

 

(END OF SECTION 28)

                                                                                                  ~

 THE FIERY DRAGON - THE HEART OF STONE AND THE HEART OF GOLD (Revised by BoSt 2025)

 

The adorable little Princess residing (since baby) in a high tower, always woke in her little white bed at crack of dawn when the starlings began to chatter in the pearl-gray morning. As soon as the (forest) woods were awake, she would excitedly throw off the warm quilt and sit upright,  and then (not bothering to don her slippers) with her little bare feet treading on the cold flagstones, she would run up the twisting turret-stairs; beaming in face she would stand on the top of the tower in her white bed-gown then, after an intake of a deep breath, she would kiss her hands to the sun. Subsequently, in her sweet melodious tone, she would greet the woods, the sleeping town below (whom she’d never ventured to) and the fresh new day: "Good morning world, I with joyful, grateful heart, greet you all!"

Next, she would run down the cold stone steps and dress herself in her short skirt and her cap and apron and begin the day's work. She would tidy-up, sweep the rooms spotlessly clean, and then hasten to make breakfast (from available rations) for two, for herself and for her Nurse; afterwards, she would wash the dishes and scour the pans, then with the mourning chores done, she would sit by her old faithful nurse (for of all who should have served her, only one remained faithful ) and listen in rapt attention to her reminiscences of the past, the golden era when her parents were still alive, and she was just a baby. This world she had never truly known, a wonderous world of bygone era, nevertheless, with her fertile imagination, still thrilled and palpitated her heart with special warmth.

Her old nurse, bound by loyalty of the heart, had willingly endured this solitary existence, where both had been virtually held captive in the tower, to present time. And now that the nurse was in her advanced years and rather feeble and had gray streaks adorned most of her hair, the princess had taken on all the responsibilities of menial housework and necessary chores, completing them without grievance and with a smile, while the Nurse sat still and did the sewing, because this was a real Princess with skin like milk and hair like flax and a heart like gold.

The little princess Sabrinetta’s grandmother Sabra had married to St. George, a legendary figure, who had rid the country of the terrible, fierce dragon that had once terrorized the people and beasts. He had ruled the land wisely for many years after that. The country should have by rights, through her(royal) lineage, belonged to Sabrinetta: the woods that stretched away to the mountains, the downs that sloped down to the sea, the pretty fields of corn and maize and rye, the olive orchards and the vineyards, and the little town itself—with its towers and its turrets, its steep roofs and strange windows—that nestled in the hollow between the sea, where the whirlpool was, and the mountains, white with snow and rosy with sunrise.

But when Sabrinetta’s Royal father and mother had died quite unexpectedly because of a hunting accident and left her ambitious cousin to take care of the kingdom, at least, till she grew up he, being ambitious and evil, took everything away from her, and all the courtiers (ministers and imp. People) followed him, and now nothing was left to her, save for the great dragon proof tower that her grandfather, St. George, had built during his reign. And of all who should have been her servants only the good nurse remained by her side. This arrangement of her confinement suited him fine, so he let it be.

As she resided in this tall tower, this was why Sabrinetta was the first person in all the land to get a glimpse of the wonder. This morning again rising at first daylight, while all the majority townspeople were fast asleep, she ran up the turret-steps and looked out over the field, and at the other side of the field there was a green, ferny ditch and a rose-thorny hedge, and then came the wood. And as Sabrinetta stood on her tower she saw a shaking and a twisting of the rose-thorny hedge, and then something very bright and shining wriggled out through it into the ferny ditch and back again. It only came out for a minute, but she saw it quite plainly, and she said to herself: "Dear me, what a curious, shiny, bright-looking creature! If it were bigger, and if I didn't know that there have been no fabulous monsters for quite a long time now, I should almost think it was a dragon."

The thing, whatever it was, did look rather like a dragon—but then it was too small; and it looked rather like a lizard—only then it was too big. It was about as long as a hearthrug.

"I wish it had not been in such a hurry to get back into the wood," said Sabrinetta. "Of course, it's quite safe for me, in my dragon proof tower; but if it is a dragon, it's quite big enough to eat people, and today's the first of May, and the children go out to pick flowers in the wood."

When Sabrinetta had done the housework (she did not leave so much as a speck of dust anywhere, even in the farthest corner of the winding stair) she put on her milk white, silky gown with the moon-daisies worked on it and went up to the top of her tower again.

Across the fields troops of children were going out to gather the may (whitethorn, English hawthorn), and the sound of their laughter and singing came up to the top of the tower.

02- CHILDREN GATHERING FLOWERS IN A FIELD JP

"I do hope it wasn't a dragon," said Sabrinetta, recalling all the terrible tales the Nurse had enumerated (tallied) one stormy night, when they had little else to do, about the of dragon’s horrible temper, his wrath, the time the dragon’s peace had been disturbed.

The children went by twos and by threes and by tens and by twenties, and the red and blue and yellow and white of their frocks were scattered on the green of the field.

"It's like a green silk mantle worked with flowers," exclaimed the Princess, marvelling at nature’s exquisite tapestry and smiled.

Then by twos and by threes, by tens and by twenties, the children vanished into the wood, till the mantle of the field was left plain green once more.

"Most of the embroidery is unpicked," said the Princess, sighing. The sun shone, and the sky was blue, and the fields were quite green, the few remaining clusters of flowers at the edges of the field were very bright indeed, because it was May Day.

Then quite suddenly a cloud passed over the sun, and the silence was broken by shrieks from far off; and, like a many-colored torrent, all the children burst from the woods (forest) and rushed, a red and blue and yellow and white wave, across the field, screaming as they ran. Their voices came up to the Princess on her tower, and she heard the words threaded on their screams like beads on sharp needles: "The dragon, the dragon, the dragon! Open the gates! The dragon is coming! The fiery dragon!"

And they swept across the field and into the gate of the town, and the Princess heard the gate bang, and the children were out of sight—but on the other side of the field the rose-thorns crackled and smashed in the hedge, and something very large and glaring and horrible trampled the ferns in the ditch for one moment before it hid itself again in the covert of the wood.

The Princess went down and told her nurse, but the nurse, instead, at once locked the great door of the tower and put the key in her pocket.

"Let them take care of themselves," she said, when the Princess begged to be allowed to go outside and assist the children to safety. "My business is to take care of you, my precious, and I'm going to do it. Old as I am, I can turn a key still."

So Sabrinetta went up again to the top of her tower and there with a burdened (worried) heart shed some tears, as well, prayed that the children, despite the seeming danger, got to their home in safety. For she knew, of course, that the gates of the town were not dragon proof, and that the dragon could just walk in whenever he liked. In her heart of hearts, she hoped that the dragon would not be too angry and instead, be more tolerant of the disturbance, as children were naturally rambunctious.

The children, meanwhile, had first ran straight to the palace, where the prince (the reigning King) was cracking his hunting whip down at the kennels, and told him what had happened.

03- CHILDREN ARE FRIGHTENED BY DRAGON

"Good sport," said the prince, and he ordered out his pack of hippopotamuses at once. It was his custom to hunt big game with hippopotamuses, and people would not have minded that so much—but he would swagger about in the streets of the town with his pack yelping and gamboling at his heels, and when he did that, the green-grocer, who had his stall in the marketplace, always regretted it; and the crockery merchant, who spread his wares on the pavement, was ruined for life every time the Prince chose to show off his pack.

The prince rode out of the town with his hippopotamuses trotting and frisking behind him, and people got inside their houses as quickly as they could when they heard the voices of his pack and the blowing of his horn. The pack squeezed through the town gates and off across country to hunt the dragon. Few of you who had not seen a pack of hippopotamuses in full cry will be able to imagine at all what the hunt was like. To begin with, hippopotamuses do not bay like hounds: They grunt like pigs, and their grunt is very big and fierce. Then, of course, no one expects hippopotamuses to jump. They just crash through the hedges and lumber through the standing corn, doing serious injury to the crops, and annoying the farmers very much. All the hippopotamuses had collars with their name and address on, but when the farmers called at the palace to complain of the injury to their standing crops, the prince always said it served them right for leaving their crops standing about in people's way, and he never paid anything at all.

04- EVIL PRINCE WITH HIPOPOTAMUS - JP

So now, when he and his pack went out, several people in the town whispered, "I wish the dragon would eat him"—which was very wrong of them, no doubt, but then he was such a very nasty Prince.

They hunted through the field and hunted through the forest; but the pack drew blank; this dragon, contrary to belief, was not innately nasty (confrontational), and even though they had evaded his space, had elected not to show himself.

But just as the prince was beginning to think there was no dragon at all, but only a cock and bull story, his favourite old hippopotamus gave tongue. The prince blew his horn and shouted: "Tally ho! Hark forward! Tantivy!" and the whole pack charged downhill toward the hollow by the wood, prince thinking only of future fame and glory, to annihilate the dragon and destroy his refuge. Forced into defending mode, the Dragon confronted them; however, he did so in manifest form as big as a barge, glowing like a furnace, and spitting fire and showing razor sharp teeth.

05- FIERCE, FIRE BREATHING DRAGON- JP

"The hunt is up!" the prince, drunk with power, bellowed his order. “Charge! “And they all surged (rushed) forward.

Meanwhile, the brave young dragon—instead of behaving as a sensible quarry (target, game) should and running away—ran straight at the pack and the prince perched on his elephant. The prince was mortified now, shocked, seeing his prize pack swallowed up one by one in the twinkling of an eye, by the dragon they had come out to hunt. The dragon’s fury unleashed, he’d swallowed all the unsavory hippopotamuses, just as a dog swallow’s bits of meat. It was a shocking sight. Of the whole of the pack that had come out sporting so merrily to the music of the horn, now not even a puppy-hippopotamus was left, and the dragon was looking anxiously around to see if he’d missed anything. And true enough, he had! 

The real culprit, the once arrogant prince thinking only of his salvation, had in fact slipped off his elephant on the other side, and cowardly ran into the thickest part of the wood. He hoped the dragon could not break through the bushes there, since they were very strong and close. He went crawling on his hands and knees in a most un-Prince-like way, and at last, finding a hollow tree, he crept into it. The woods were soon very still—no crashing of branches and no smell of burning came to alarm the prince. He drained the contents of silver hunting bottle slung from his shoulder and stretched his legs in the hollow tree. He never shed a single tear for his poor tame hippopotamuses who had eaten from his hand and followed him faithfully in all the pleasures of the chase for so many years. For he was a false Prince, with a skin like leather and hair like hearth brushes and a heart like a stone. He never shed a tear, but he just went to sleep.

When he awoke it was dark. He crept out of the tree and rubbed his eyes. The wood was black about him, but there was a red glow in a dell close by. It was a fire of sticks, and beside it sat a ragged youth with long, yellow hair; all around lay sleeping forms which breathed heavily.

"Who are you?" said the prince.

"I'm Elfin, the pig keeper," said the ragged youth. "And who are you?"

"I'm Tiresome, the Prince, your Sovereign." declared the other in an arrogant tone. “You should bow your head to me.”

Elfin nodded slightly, obliging the haughty prince. "And what reason takes you out of your safe palace, your Grace, at this time of night?" then asked the pig keeper, deferentially.

"I've been hunting," said the prince.

The pig keeper laughed. "Oh, it was you I saw, then? A good hunt, wasn't it? My pigs and I were looking on."

All the sleeping forms grunted and snored, and the prince saw that they were pigs: He knew it by their manners.

"If you had known as much as I do," Elfin went on, "you might have saved your pack."

"What do you mean?" asked Tiresome curiously, forgetting his ready scoff (deride).

"Why, the dragon," said Elfin. "You went out at the wrong time of day. The dragon should be hunted at night."

"And I imagined that you were going to say something intelligent." said the prince, mockingly. “Dragons are not nocturnal and besides, a daylight hunt is quite good enough for me, you silly pig keeper."

"Oh, well," said Elfin and shrugged. "Do as you please, Your Grace; however, I feel that I should warn you, that the dragon will surely come and hunt you tomorrow, as likely as not. You have after all, trespassed on his domain, which incidentally he’d quietly existed all this time, without giving anyone least cause for fear or harm. You have disrespected him and caused him to be violent, for that ruin (violation, harm), he will carry a lasting grudge against you."

"You're spouting nonsense," said Tiresome. “Dragons are abomination; they are to be hunted down and terminated (eliminated) without hesitation. Furthermore, you a pig keeper, how dare you try sermon (lecture, admonish) your betters! I should have your head for this breach (infraction), this outrage! “

"I am only being truthful; but my counsel falls on deaf ears." said Elfin shrugging, more to himself. He’d with admirable control, had stopped his tongue from uttering, ‘daft’ (silly, stupid) ears.

06- HANDSOME BOY ELFIN  WITH PIGS

"Well, tell me the truth, then. What is it that, if I had known as much as you do about, I shouldn't have lost my hippopotamuses?"

"You don't speak very good English," said Elfin. "But come, what will you give me if I tell you?"

"If you tell me what?" said the tiresome Prince.

"What you want to know."

"I don't want to know anything," said Prince Tiresome.

Elfin stifled a laugh, “Then you're more eccentric,” He said, instead of the word, ‘daft’, “even than I thought." again, with admirable constraint. "Don't you want to know how to settle the score with the dragon before he settles with you? But first, you must promise that he will just be contained, not destroyed."

" It might be as well; also, another treasure to keep. Oh well, why not.”  The prince somberly, outwardly acquiesced; inwardly meanwhile, he gloated. “Hah, I will have more time to think of ways to torment the captive dragon”

“Well, what are you waiting for, do tell.”

" All right, I will impart the knowledge, as I need some sleep tonight." Elfin reluctantly nodded, not entirely trusting the prince." However, this ancient knowledge, whom I was lucky to be privy to, should not be given freely; hence, what will you give me for it?"

"Half my kingdom," said the prince, "and my cousin's hand in marriage."

"Done," said the pig keeper. "Here goes! The celestial dragon grows small at night! That’s when he is most vulnerable. He sleeps under the root of this tree. He is not aggressive; in fact, when asked politely, he will even oblige one with a spark of light for a campfire. “This said, Elfin fell silent and looked away, thinking of a time in the dead of night, when once he was in dire straits and the dragon had saved his life, with that life giving fire. He hoped, he was not, by his action now, being ungrateful wretch.

“Take me there now; I want to see this for myself.” The prince ordered. And, sure enough, there under the tree was the dragon on a nest of scorched moss, and he was about as long as your finger.

"How can I capture, I mean, contain him?" asked the prince eagerly.

"I suppose there is one sure way," said Elfin, " you can take him away if you've brought anything to put him in. That bottle of yours would do."

So, between them they managed, with bits of stick and by singeing their fingers a little, to poke and shove the dragon till they made it creep into the silver hunting bottle, and then the prince screwed on the top tight.

"Now we've got him," said Elfin. "Remember your promise! You are not to hurt him any. Gently take him home and put Solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and then he'll be contained and be safe enough for you. Later tonight, after I had some shuteye, I shall call on the palace to reclaim my reward. At least this way, I shall have some money (means) with which to buy fine attire and so, be presentable when I meet the princess."

“Sure, you will… In a pig’s eye!” Prince inwardly sneered, looking away to hide his contempt. True enough, the wicked Prince had made promises he had no intention of ever keeping. Returning to the palace, darkness still blanketing the earth that night, the prince summoned the Prime Minister secretly, at once, to his private chambers.

The Prime Minister was urgently awakened from deep sleep, still groggy, he hastily dressed in his garbs and rushed compliantly to the prince’s private chambers. He was briefly informed of the facts, told of the dragon’s capture, then set to task of finishing the job.

Subsequently, the P.M. had obligingly, solemnly put Solomon's seal on the mouth of the bottle, and the bottle was then carried off to be put in the Treasury, which was the impenetrable, strongest building in the palace. For it was made of solid copper, with walls as thick as Waterloo Bridge.                     

                                                                                         ~

Later still that night, Elfin had innocently shown up but was barred entry to the palace by the rude, hostile armed guards. "Go on, be off with you! What do you mean?" They bellowed at him. “You have the goal to show your face here at this ungodly hour and demand to see the prince; just who do you think you are!”

The prince did not even deign to deny or give excuses when two of the guards came forth to report Elfin’s claim, as well, give reasons for the sure ruckus (disturbance) created at the town’s main gate.

"I alone found and captured the dragon. Imagine, a nobody like him having the audacity to spread such lies, such vicious, disrespectful claims.” The prince indignantly complained to his two trusted ministers that happened to be by his side at the time.”  However, as I am benevolent and merciful ruler, otherwise, I would surely claim his head for this bold, brazen audacity…” Then turning to the guards, he ordered: “Clearly, he is insane, so just drive him away, and if he dared to show his face at the gate again, tell him he will be executed on the spot."

"All right," said Elfin, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm better off than he is, anyhow."

"What do you mean?" one of the guards scowled (glowered) at him incredulously.

"Prince has got a kingdom (and a dragon), but I've got clean hands (and five and seventy fine black pigs)." His reaction was duly reported to the prince, who sneered (jeered, scoffed), but outwardly said nothing.

In small hours, few hours before daybreak, not the usual time at noon, at the assembled court, his Parliament, the Prince with some flare and elaboration recounted to his captive, sleepy audience, how clever and brave he had been in finding the fierce dragon and imprisoning it, even though it had cost him his entire hunting party and his longtime pet hippopotamuses and the riding elephants.

Noting his lack of remorse (sorrow), some ministers suspected the prince (their present Sovereign), of duplicity (deceit, lying), however, none dared to voice this; instead, they in unison said: "You are indeed brave and clever, your Majesty." For they knew what happened to people with whom the prince was not pleased.

08- PRIME MINISTER PLACES THE IMPRISONED DRAGON IN BOTTLE, IN TREASURY

Back at the Treasury, the bottle had been securely placed (stored) among the sacks of gold, and the junior secretary to the junior clerk of the last Lord of the Treasury had been duly appointed to sit up rest of the night with it and see if anything happened. The junior secretary had never seen a dragon, and what was more, he did not believe the prince had ever seen a dragon either. The prince had never been a truthful boy, and it would have been just like him to bring home a bottle with nothing in it and then to pretend that there was a dragon inside. So, the junior secretary did not at all minded being left to guard it. They had entrusted him the key, and when everyone in the palace had gone back to bed, he (smuggled in) let in some of the junior secretaries from other Government departments, and together they had a jolly game of hide-and-seek among the sacks of gold and played marbles with the diamonds and rubies and pearls in the big ivory chests. In this care-free manner they had enjoyed themselves very much, but by-and-by the copper treasury began to get warmer, and suddenly the junior secretary cried out, "Look at the bottle!"

All heads turned to look where’d he pointed, and they saw the bottle sealed with Solomon's seal had swollen to three times its proper size and seemed to be pulsating, and furthermore, was blazing red hot. The air, same time had gotten intolerably warmer as the bottle  grew bigger and bigger, till all the junior secretaries agreed that the place was too hot to hold them, and out they went, tumbling over each other in their haste, and just as the last got out and locked the door the bottle burst, and out came the dragon, very fiery, and swelling more and more every minute, and he began to eat the sacks of gold and crunch up the pearls and diamonds and rubies as if they were sugar.

By breakfast-time he had devoured the whole of the prince’s treasures, and when the prince came along, his feet nearing the treasury building, around the bend, he came face to face with the dragon coming out of the broken door of the Treasury, with molten gold still dripping from his jaws.

09- DRAGON HAS EATEN HIS FILL OF THE TREASURY GOLD

The terror-struck  Prince hastily turned and ran for his life, and as he ran, naturally towards the only safe place, the dragon proof tower, the Princess who had awoken early, happened to see him coming, and she ran down at once and quickly unlocked the door to let him in. She had slammed the dragon proof door in a nick of time, right in the fiery face of the dragon, who, instead of being furious, quietly sat down at outside and morosely (sullenly, grumpily petulantly) grumbled, because he really wanted to get back at the despicable Prince.

The Princess, unaware of the committed wrongdoing, ushered Prince Tiresome into the best room, and laid the cloth, and gave him cream and eggs and white grapes and honey and bread, with many other things, yellow and white and good to eat, and she served him just as kindly as she would have done if he had been anyone else instead of the bad Prince who had taken away her kingdom and kept it for himself—because she was a true Princess and had a heart of gold.

When he had eaten and drunk, he asked the Princess to show him how to lock and unlock the main door to the tower. The nurse was asleep, so there was no one to tell the Princess not to, and she did.

"You turn the key like this," she said, "and the door keeps shut. But turn it nine times around the wrong way, and the door flies open."

And so, it did. And the moment it opened, the prince showed (pushed) the Princess out of the main door and cast her outside of her safe abode, just as he had pushed her out of her kingdom, then quickly, heartlessly bolted the door behind her. For he wanted to have the tower all for himself. And there she was, left stranded (forsaken, left )and vulnerable in an open street, and across (on the other side of the way) the assumed, fierce dragon which happened to be sitting, presently, intently  gazing at her. Other than this, however, he did not stir, nor try to eat her; for beknows (unknown) to all citizens, celestial dragons could not do harm or eat innocent Princesses with hearts of gold.

As the dragon initiated no hostile action towards her, the Princess’s fears were allayed (dispelled); however, knowing it would be most improper of her to walk through the streets of the town in her milky-silky gown with the daisies on it, and with no hat and no gloves, she naturally turned the other way, intending to ran out across the meadows, toward the woods.

As it were, she had never been out of her tower before, so, stopping briefly at the perimeter of the fields, she had first bent down and swiftly removed her silk slippers; subsequently, her bare feet had tread (glided) over the plush soft grass, like silk-grass of Paradise it was, an experience  she most immensely enjoyed.

She, without thought, had simply ran right into the thickest part of the dense forest; perhaps, it was to fulfill her yearning secret desire for any adventure; or perhaps it was fate, leading her steps towards what she was meant to go.  And lo and behold, there in a dell she suddenly came upon Elfin and his five and seventy fine pigs. He was idly sitting by, playing his flute, and around him the pigs were dancing cheerfully on their hind legs.

"Oh, dear me," said the Princess rushing towards her perceived rescuer, "please do take care of me. I am so lost and ever so frightened."

"I will," said Elfin, putting his arms around her. "Now you are quite safe. What were you frightened of?"

"The dragon of course," she, with a slight quaking (trembling) in her voice, responded. “The Celestial being may still change his mind and come after me!”

"So, it's gotten out of the bottle," said Elfin. "I hope it's eaten the notorious prince."

"No," said Sabrinetta. "But why would you say that?"

Elfin then briefly told her of the mean trick that the prince had played on him.

"And he promised me half his kingdom and the hand of his cousin the Princess," said Elfin.

"Oh, dear, how brashly inappropriate, the ruling prince can be!" said Sabrinetta with her face flushed crimson, she then strove to gently get out of Elfin’s protective embrace. "How dare he make promises he had no business doing? Doesn’t she get a say in this?"

"What's the matter?" Elfin asked, holding on to her still tighter, reluctant to let her go. "It was of course inappropriate, a shame, or at least I thought so. But now he may keep his kingdom, half and whole, if I may just keep what I have."

"What's that?" in a nervous, shy voice asked the Princess.

"Why, you—my beautiful fairy." said Elfin coyly, noting her flushed face just then, and unable to resist his harmless teasing of her. “And as for the Princess, his cousin—forgive me, dearest heart, but when I asked for her, I hadn't seen the real Princess, which my eyes now behold, and the only one I will ever love, till the end of my existence."

"Are you in earnest with your declaration of ….?" Sabrinetta blushed crimson.

"Of course?" he asked.

"Yes, but five minutes ago you hadn't seen me!"

"Five minutes ago, I was a pig keeper—now I've held you in my arms I'm a Prince, though I should have to keep tending pigs to the end of my days."

"You proclaim that I’ve captivated your heart and that you’ve chosen me; but aren’t you also being brazenly presumptions akin (similar, like) the prince, in deciding my fate?" said the pouting, Princess.

"You asked me to take care of you," said Elfin, feigning being cross, "and I will—all my life long."

Sabrinetta regretting hurting his feelings, moreover, she could not dispute his sound reasoning, nor did she want to, and for the first time taking a long hard look at his features, she noted the genuine sincerity in his eyes, and something more, a hint of vulnerability, also, how captivatingly handsome he truly was.

Sharing the certain kinship of the heart, they sat close but not touching, and then they began to talk of important things, such as the dragon and the prince, and all the time Elfin did not know that this was the Princess. Listening to her concerns however, about the dragon, and the welfare of the common folk, he knew that she had a heart of gold, and in his heart the spark of attraction, perhaps it was true affection, which had ignited into a flame, growing by degrees, till it made him rather uncomfortable, and he rose, to supposedly go check on his pigs.

He returned to her side more composed, "The mistake," then said Elfin, "was in not having a dragon proof bottle. I see that now. I could have long ago, utilizing such, to gently relocate the unfortunate dragon to a safer place. I owed him that much."

"I’m glad you feel the same way as I do and do not blame the dragon for his innate nature, for which he is now unfortunately more feared and hated, more so after the terrible destruction and the burdensome the costs he’d incurred by his decimating the treasury, this on top of the losses of the hunting group, though in every instance he was the victim of his circumstances?" said the Princess.

"Nevertheless, we can try mending some of the harm; I can easily get you one of those flagons (bottles, flasks)—because everything in my tower is dragon proof. We can contain the dragon and transport (deliver) him to safety, and in doing so, prevent any inadvertent (accidental) future harm to any meek and vulnerable beings or creatures (animals)." For she still believed what she had been told all her life, that dragons when hungry fed indiscriminately, whether it be any kind of wild animal, herd (sheep, pack, flock, steer) or the little children.

So, at dawn subsequent morning, she quietly rose and headed towards the town, (started off) to acquire such a bottle; and when he awoke with a start sensing her absence and rushed after her, catching up with her in no time, she still adamantly refused to let Elfin accompany her to town.

"If what you say is true," she stressed, "if you are sure that I have a heart of gold, the dragon won't hurt me, and somebody must stay with the pigs."

Elfin was quite sure (of her golden heart), so he let her go.

She found the door of her tower wide open. The dragon had patiently waited all day long for the prince, and the moment he opened the door thinking he was safe and came out—though he was only out for an instant to post a letter to his Prime Minister saying where he was and asking them to send the fire brigade to deal with the fiery dragon—the dragon ate him. Then the dragon after that had quietly retreated back to the wood, for rest and solitude after the unusually hectic, perhaps exuberant day. Furthermore, having just escaped a near disaster, he did not wish to be found in town when the night fell, and then in his small form be rendered vulnerable and fall prey (a sure target, a victim) to the evil designs of any conniving and powerful men.

Sabrinetta quickly entered the tower and went straight to check in on her nurse; she lovingly caressed her hand and planted a soft kiss in the palm to gently awaken her. By the time the nurse had completed (finished) washing up, Sabrinetta had returned, this time holding a tray of steaming cup of tea and some hot breakfast pastries and sliced fruit tidbits the nurse usually partook every morning.  She set quietly by her side and patiently watched and waited till the nurse completed her routine breakfast; then in a calm, composed manner, explained what had transpired during the night while the nurse had slept, and her careful plans for the future to assure security and well being (welfare) of all. She assured the nurse that since she had a heart of gold, the dragon hadn’t harmed her and would never eat her; the nurse noted that the Princess was quite safe and so, kissed her on the cheek and with prayers on her lips, simply let her go.

Sabrinetta without delay secured the small dragon proof bottle made of burnished brass in her pocket and ran back to the woods and to the dell, finding Elfin sitting among his sleek black pigs, impatiently and with obvious trepidation, waiting for her return.

11- ELFIN  THOUGHT HE'D NEVER SEE HER AGAIN

"I thought you were never coming back," he said as he rushed forward with his extended arms wide open to at once fiercely embrace her. "You have been away for so long, a year, at least."

“Silly boy, “The Princess smiling chided, as her affectionate (loving) gaze held his for a moment or two. She sat down beside him among the pigs, and they held each other's hands, talking till darkness encroached on them. They went then to find the dragon, trailing the scorched ground, each bent, charred blade of grass or branch or moss, followed key identifiable marks carelessly left by the dragon as it had crawled, getting smaller by degrees, till he had reached his favorite place, he then exhausted, had simply curled up under the root of the tree and instantly fallen asleep.

"Now then," said Elfin, "you hold the bottle." Then he poked and prodded the dragon with bits of stick till it crawled into the dragon proof bottle. But there was no stopper. In her haste, she’d neglected to obtain one.

"Never mind," said Elfin. "I'll put my finger in for a stopper."

"No, let me," said the Princess. But of course, Elfin would not let her. He stuffed his finger into the top of the bottle, and the Princess cried out: "The sea—the sea—run for the cliffs!" And off they went, with the five and seventy pigs trotting steadily after them in a long black procession.

The bottle got hotter and hotter in Elfin's hands, because the dragon inside was puffing fire and smoke with all his might—hotter and hotter and hotter—but Elfin held on till they came to the cliff edge, and there was the dark blue sea, and the whirlpool going around and around.

Elfin lifted the bottle high above his head and hurled it out between the stars and the sea, and it fell in the middle of the whirlpool.

11B- DRAGON TRANSFORMS IN THE WHIRLPOOL

The dragon being a celestial being, naturally did not expire; Heaven taking pity on him, transformed the dragon into another form, which he could then, in his new form, shot upwards, to permanently disappear in the clouds.

"The dragon is free now, free to live his life in Heavens, “rejoiced the princess. “You've saved the dragon, all the earthly creatures, all the little children!” But then suddenly noting the (flicker) spasm of pain, which he could not hide, registering in his face, her heart now palpitating with dread, she urgently asked: “Show me your hands."

"I can't," said Elfin, his eyes pricked with tears. “I don’t want to frighten you; but regretfully, I shall never as before, be able to hold your dear hands again. My hands are badly scorched and scarred."

“What?” She screamed and reached for his hands, and sadly, she saw how charred and badly marred his hands were.

The Princess gingerly (cautiously) placed her hands underneath his, if only for support and, despite his stoic words and assurances, her heart in tatters, she could not help but shed copious (profuse) inconsolable tears. Then getting a grip on her senses, she tore pieces of her silky-milky gown to gently cover the worst parts, for no herbal medicine, no poultice of any kind would hell the dragon breath burns. And the two, walking side by side, shoulders barely touching, went back to the tower and told the nurse of all that had happened. And the pigs hearing this, sat outside and mournfully shed tears.

"He is the bravest man in the world," with a heavy heart, whimpered Sabrinetta. "With his heroic deed, he has saved everyone at a terrible cost to him. Why is fate so cruel to allow this? Now, his beautiful hands are scorched, marred forever—My poor, dear, darling, how can I make things better for you!"

Just then, the door of the room was pushed open ajar, and the oldest of the five and seventy pigs came in. It went up to Elfin and rubbed itself against him with little loving grunts.

"See the dear creature," said the nurse, wiping away a tear. "It knows, it knows!"

Sabrinetta stroked the pig, because Elfin’s hands were too painful for stroking or for anything else.

"The only cure for a dragon burn," said the old nurse, "is pig's fat, and well that faithful creature knows it——"

"I wouldn't for a kingdom," cried Elfin, stroking the pig as best he could with his elbow.

"Is there no other cure?" asked the Princess.

Here another pig put its black nose in at the door, and then another and another, till the room was full of pigs, a surging mass of rounded blackness, pushing and struggling to get at Elfin, and grunting softly in the language of true affection.

"There is one other," said the nurse. "The dear, affectionate beasts—they all want to die for you."

"What is the other cure?" said Sabrinetta anxiously.

"If a man is burnt by a dragon," said the nurse, "and a certain number of people are willing to die for him, it is enough if each should kiss the burn and wish it well in the depths of his loving heart."

"The number! The number!" cried Sabrinetta.

"Seventy-seven," said the nurse.

"We have only seventy-five pigs," said the Princess, "and with me that's seventy-six!"

"It must be seventy-seven—and I really can't die for him, so nothing can be done," said the nurse, sadly. "He must have cork hands."

"I knew about the seventy-seven loving people," said Elfin. "But I never thought my dear pigs loved me so much as all this, and my dear too—and, of course, that only makes it more impossible. There's one other charm that cures dragon burns, though; but I'd rather endure life without the use of my hands or be burnt black all over, than marry anyone but you, my dear, my pretty."

"Why, who must you marry to cure your dragon burns?" asked Sabrinetta.

"A Princess. That's how St. George cured his burns."

"There now! Think of that!" aghast, said the nurse. "And I never heard tell of that cure, old as I am."

12- HAPPINESS AT LAST

But Sabrinetta threw her arms round Elfin's neck and held him as though she would never let him go.

"Then it's all right, my dear, brave, precious Elfin," she cried, "for I am a Princess, and you shall be my Prince. Come along, Nurse—don't wait to put on your bonnet. We'll go and be married at the basilica (cathedral, church), this very moment."

So they went, and the pigs came after, moving in stately blackness, two by two. And, the minute he was married to the Princess, Elfin's hands miraculously got repaired. And the people, who were weary of Prince Tiresome and his hippopotamuses, hailed Sabrinetta and her husband as rightful Sovereigns of the land.

Next morning the Prince and Princess along with key religious affiliates, went out to the cliff top by the seashore and after the solemn ceremony, all eyes looking up, loudly apologized to the Celestial dragon, for all the past prejudices, misdeeds and sins of men, still a good lesson had been learned, one they will never forget. Afterwards they expressed their hopeful desire that the dragon will be happy and at peace at long last and living joyful existence among his own kind in Heaven.  For surely, they knew, where he must be.

They could see nothing, not a trace of the celestial dragon; but when they looked out toward the whirlpool, they saw a remanent cloud of steam descending from the clouds to join the whirlpool. The dragon was so moved, he pardoned the humanity for their past transgressions; furthermore, he conveyed (imparted) on that region, one final gift. The local fishermen reported later on that the water there for miles around was hot enough to shave with! And as the water is hot and maintained its therapeutic benefits to present day, along the shoreline sprung up countless hostels (inns and clinics) that prospered, treating and curing all manner of impossible ailments. Meanwhile, citizens of the region remained permanently grateful to the benevolent dragon that had once existed, though reticently (guardedly, evasively), among them.

*⁠*⁠*⁠*⁠*

The Prince and Princess since their happy union, ruled the land well and wisely. The nurse lived with them, and did nothing but fine sewing and narrate stories, chiefly about the benevolent dragon, delighting in the eager, wide-eyed children’s faces as they listened to her accounts, with such innocent, rapt attention. The prince kept no hippopotamuses, and consequently, remained very popular. The five and seventy devoted pigs lived in white marble sties with brass knockers and Pig on the doorplate, and were washed twice a day with Turkish sponges and soap scented with violets, and no one objected to their following the Prince when he walked abroad, for they behave beautifully, and always kept to the footpath, and obey the notices about not walking on the grass. The Princess fed them every day with her own hands, and her first edict on coming to the throne had been that the word pork should never be uttered on pain of death, and should, besides, be scratched out of all the dictionaries.

Fin