{72}

All the world I see is My domain. 

I've purchased the blood of Royalty, with Empires. 

Sheer power makes death retreat from me like cowering worm.

Sweet Paradise, she was a sweet one, the last one.  Princesses, you see are only to be eaten willingly.  That is they must be willing, or at least, with their Father's consent or favour.  But you see, the less they fear, the tastier their flavour.  Its all about odour, and. . . wait a minute!  You there!!

“Who me?”' replied the smaller of two Gnomes, who was trying without luck to hide a particularly shiny bit of jewellery from sticking out of his backpack.  The other gnome somehow managed to disappear behind a chest.  The first Gnome gulped, and felt a bead of sweat gather upon his brow. . .

“Yes!  You there!  Now stand still while I'm talking. . . where was I?  Oh yes. . . Princesses are to be eaten with care, not only because of the fear factor, but also the hip-bone can get caught around the tooth if one is not careful.  But I am rude, let me introduce myself :

“I am Gryte Draak Povr.  A Large Red Dragon.  Its been about six or seven of your humanoid centuries since I hatched.  Momma was an Enormous Purple Dragon, about the size of the Cathedral in Grymsdon.  She once bit the roof off that Cathedral and swallowed the Priest, but never mind, as I was staying. . . I mean saying... Hey You! ! ! ”

The Gnomes froze in their tracks, and inched back obediently, their gnomic knees trembled coldly.

“. . .Now Momma was not as bad as they say, she never ate her children. . . I mean, I'm here aren’t I?  She did eat all the smelly ones of my brood, of course.  You see, some Dragons are born with a clean stench which makes all normal Dragons like myself despise them. . . ”

“Excuse me sir. . . ” interrupted the second of the two Gnomes, “but may we go now?”

“Go?  Where. . ?”

'. . .err back home, you see my wife's got a broth of supper on the broil, and if I'm late then she'll. . .'

“OK, bugger off. . . I'll just sit here on my mighty mountain, and go and devour another village or two before dinner. . . get lost then . . .

{73}

“Whew, that was a close one me old mate,” whispered the first of the two gnomes.

“'. . .er, not nearly as close as its gonna be when me wife finds out that all we got is a coupla' silver pieces and a shiny pearl necklace.”

“'Yeah mate, bags on the two silver pieces?”

“Oh all right then, me old lady can 'ave the necklace I suppose;  see yer later Alf.”

“Yeah, see yer... Oi?  comin' for a smoke at the ol' tree after yer broth?... on me?”

“Yeah mate! see yer later!”

{74}

“Knyghtes and Dragons.  Dragons and Knights.  The one is evil and horrible, the other all Noble and Responsible.  How I wish for a Dragon that had a few redeeming qualities, or a Knyghte that coveted gold, but still was proud and honourable.  Why do they have to be so boring and predictable?  Why!  He would not even touch me until we were wed.  All that huffing and puffing on his horse all day probably took it out of him by the time we went to bed.  Or maybe all that glory had gone to his head. 

How I wish that he had ravaged me there in the death-throngs of our foe, the Dragon.  Caught up in the blood-lust of the aftermath of the battle, all would have been forgiven.  But no, he said it was honourable to wait for when we were truly wed, before he would dare clutch my beating heart to his. 

Or even stroke my tender leg?

So what was a girl supposed to do?  Did he think that the Dragon had left me totally pure?  A girl has needs!  Even virgin-girls do.  So I had my wicked way with his giggly silly little chamber-maid.  I’m sure he did the same from time to time, she is so provocative.  I still don’t know why he was so upset.  Its not like she could make me pregnant.  Its not quite the same as adultery, I don’t think.  A little bit of titty-tickle and bum-slapping.  That was all.

So I left the prudish old fart.  And I went back to the Dragon-cave, and after a bit of searching around the place, I found a nest of three hatchling-dragons.  They were fed on the remains of some pig-flesh that was in one of the Dragons’ cooling caves.  The one with the silver scales would not eat it though, and seeing as it was the only one of the three that could fly, I assumed that it could feed itself.

One of the Dragonlets was dark and nasty, and snapped his teeth at the others, though he could do little damage, as he was blind.  I sold him to the circus for a tidy sum.  The misty-winged silver Dragon had vanished by the time I returned from the Circus, and so I adopted the third one as a pet.  She soon grew into a Mighty Dragon, metallic-gold with shining turquoise eyes.

As she would bare only my body on her supple back, I soon got used to being a Dragon-rider, and proudly joined the Royal Air Squadron to do battle against our evil enemies:  The Gargoyle.  There were also some quite valuable treasure-scrolls in that loot, which I sold, and then purchased some of my own

lands, and a title much higher than that of a lowly Knyghte.  And a whole castle-wing, full of chamber maids to slap and tickle all I please.