Fairy Tale

There was once a kingdom in a land far far away, ruled by a wise and noble king.
The king was blessed with two lovely children: A prince who was the most handsome man in the kingdom, and a princess who's beauty was unsurpassed. Under the king's just rule, the kingdom and it's people prospered.

Alas, all good things come to an end. A vicious dragon, accidently freed from the magic spell binding it, began to attack the people of the kingdom. Everyday it would devour an entire village. The terrified people beseeched their king to save them from this menace.

The king made an announcement: he promised the brave soul who slays the dragon the hand of his daugher in marriage. Hearing this, every knight in the kingdom donned his armor and set out towards the forest: for the man who married the princess would truly be the luckiest of men.

One after the other the knights tried to kill the dragon, but none succeeded. The dragon was too savage and strong.

With the death of each knight, the king grew more despondent. At last, when there were no more knights left, a man with an axe stepped forward. "I would like to try to my luck with the dragon, your majesty", he implored. "Are you a knight, my good man?" asked the king, to which he replied "No sire, I am a humble woodcutter". "Very well, you may try.", said the king, without much hope.

The woodcutter didnot recklessly confront the dragon as the knights did. He studied the habits of the dragon for many days. He noticed that the dragon always drank water from a pond, which gave him an idea. He made a special potion from the bark of some trees, which he mixed into the pond, which made the dragon go to sleep. He then cut the large trees around the dragon thus crushing it. The dragon was finally dead.

When he returned to the palace, he was greeted with great applause. The king came to meet him at the doorstep. "You have saved our kingdom, for which I am thankful. As promised, I give you my daughter's hand in marriage". The princess smiled shyly. The woodcutter hesistated for a moment, then whispered something into the king's ear. The king was lost in thought for a minute, then he replied "Very well, if that is what you want, so be it".

The woodcutter and the prince lived happily ever after.