The Princess and the Dragon

a bedtime story I wrote for our daughters

The Princess and the Dragon

A Picture-it-Yourself Book

by C.A. Hutchinson

All Rights Reserved, 1998

There once lived a sweet young Princess who lived in a big beautiful castle with her father, the King.  Her father ruled a beautiful kingdom where all the people lived in peace.  They loved their King and his daughter, the sweet young Princess.  Everyone was happy.

But then one morning, a great big dragon came into the kingdom.  He began breathing fire on everything he saw and soon many houses and fields were aflame.  The people came running to the King in his castle and said, “Help us, help us, O King, for there is a great big Dragon breathing fire everywhere and burning up our fields and houses!”

The King heard his people and saw the smoke on the horizon from the dragon’s fire.  So  he said, “Have no fear, my people, for I will send my army on swift horses to destroy this Dragon and his fire!”  So the King’s army rode out of the castle with trumpets blowing and banners streaming.  They rode as fast as they could towards the smoke on the horizon which showed them where to find the Dragon and his fire.

Soon they came upon the Dragon and lined up their horses to charge, but when the Dragon saw the King’s army, he turned beat red and roared at them, “Get back!”  And he breathed fire at them that was so hot that even the bravest of the King’s soldiers could not stand it.  So they all fled back to the King’s castle as fast as their swift horses could take them.

When the King saw his brave army return, he despaired and did not know what to do.  Then his daughter, the Princess, came to him and said, “I know what to do about the Dragon.  Let me go.”  But the King gasped and said, “Oh no, my dear daughter!  I cannot let you go into danger!”

But late that night when the King was sleeping, the Princess snuck down to the stable and got upon her horse, Whisper, and rode into the night in the direction the King’s army had gone.  As the sun came up, she saw the smoke from the Dragon’s fires rise up over the horizon.  So she directed her horse, Whisper, towards the fires.

Soon she came upon the Dragon and rode up to him, but when the Dragon saw the Princess, he only turned beat red all the more. “First they send a group of men after me, and now a little girl!  Get back!” he roared.  But the Princess just looked him, and said, “PHOOEY!”

And when the Dragon heard her say that, he began to cry.  “Whaaagh!  Whaaagh!  Whaaagh!  What did you have to go and say that for?  Now look what you made me do!  Whaaaaaaaaagh!!!”  And the Dragon started crying great big Dragon tears that began to cover the ground.  Soon the Dragon’s tears had put out all the fires he had set.

But then, he just kept crying and crying and soon the waters from the Dragon’s tears rose so high that they began to flood the land.  All the Princess could do was to ride Whisper back to the castle as fast as she could manage.

Soon, the people came running to the King in his castle and said, “Help us, help us, O King, for the great big Dragon is crying great big Dragon tears and causing floods which are destroying our fields and houses!”

The King heard his people and saw the water rising on the horizon from the Dragon’s tears.  So he said, “Have no fear, my people, for I will send my navy on swift ships to destroy this Dragon and his tears!”  So the King’s navy sailed away from the castle’s dock with trumpets blowing and banners streaming.  They sailed as fast they could down the river and towards the flood waters on the horizon which showed them where to find the Dragon and his tears.

Soon they came upon the Dragon and lined up their ships to attack, but when the Dragon saw the King’s navy, he turned beat red again.  “Get back!” he roared.  And he cried tears which were so big that they caused a huge tidal wave which washed the King’s ships all the way back down the river.  So they all fled back to the King’s castle as fast as their swift ships could take them.

When the King saw his brave navy return, he despaired and did not know what to do.  Then his daughter, the Princess, came to him and said, “I know what to do about the Dragon.  Let me go.”  But the King gasped and said, “Oh no, my dear daughter!  I cannot let you go into danger!”

But late that night when the King was sleeping, the Princess snuck down to the dock and got aboard her boat, Swan, and rowed into the night in the direction the King’s navy had gone.  As the sun came up, she saw the flood waters from the Dragon’s tears rising up over the horizon.  So she directed her boat, Swan, towards the flood waters.

Soon she came upon the Dragon and rowed up to him, but when the Dragon saw the Princess again , he started to cry harder.  But before he cried too much, the Princess just looked at him, and said, “PHOOEY!”

And when the Dragon heard her say that, he began to laugh.  “Ha Ha Ha!  Ho Ho Ho!  He He He!  There goes that silly word again!  Ha Ho!  Ho He!  Now look what you’ve gone and made me do!  Ha Ho He!  I can’t stop!  HA HA HA!!!”  And the Dragon started laughing great big Dragon belly laughs that began to blow the air all around.  Soon the Dragon’s laughs had dried up all the flood waters he had caused.

But then, he just kept laughing and laughing and soon the winds from the Dragon’s tears became so strong that they began to wreck the land and cause tornadoes.  All the Princess could do was to row Swan back to the castle as fast as she could manage.

Soon, the people came running to the King in his castle and said, “Help us, help us, O King, for the great big Dragon is laughing great big Dragon belly laughs and causing tornadoes which are destroying our fields and houses!”

The King heard his people and saw the tornadoes rising on the horizon from the Dragon’s belly laughs.  So he said, “Have no fear, my people, for I will send my air force on swift balloons to destroy this Dragon and his laughs!”  So the King’s air force floated from the castle’s towers with trumpets blowing and banners streaming.  They floated as fast they could through the sky towards the tornadoes on the horizon which showed them where to find the Dragon and his belly laughs.

Soon they came upon the Dragon and lined up their balloons to attack, but when the Dragon saw the King’s air force, he turned beat red once again.  “Get back!” he roared.  And he laughed laughs which were so big that they caused a huge wind storm which blew the King’s balloons back across the sky.  So they all fled back to the King’s castle as fast as their swift balloons could take them.

When the King saw his brave air force return, he despaired and did not know what to do.  Then his daughter, the Princess, came to him and said, “I know what to do about the Dragon.  Let me go.”  But the King gasped and said, “Oh no, my dear daughter!  I cannot let you go into danger!”

But late that night when the King was sleeping, the Princess snuck up to the tower and climbed into her balloon, Rainbow, and floated into the night in the direction the King’s air force had gone.  As the sun came up, she saw the tornadoes from the Dragon’s belly laughs upon the horizon.  So she directed her balloon, Rainbow, towards the tornadoes.

Soon she came upon the Dragon and floated up to him, but when the Dragon saw the Princess again , he started to laugh harder.  But before he laughed too much, the Princess just looked him, and said, “PHOOEY!”

And when the Dragon heard her say that, he got a funny look on his face, and crossed his eyes, and puckered his Dragon lips, and until finally, one great big noise came from his mouth: “BUURRRRRRPPP!”  The noise of the Dragon’s burp could be heard all the way back at the King’s castle, and the King and all his men wondered what new evil the Dragon was causing.

But the great big Dragon just looked at the Princess, and said, “Thank you, miss.  I feel much better now.  That word of yours seems to have been just what I needed.  I seem to have gotten everything out of my system.”

“Whatever do you mean?” asked the Princess, still floating in her balloon, Rainbow.

“Well, you see, I was coming to your kingdom for a visit, perhaps for some tea and biscuits, when I got the hiccups, which in most dragons, you know, results in the most unfortunate of side effects, namely, that is to say, we breathe fire.  Nasty stuff, those hiccups.”

“But why did you attack my father’s army and my father’s navy, and my father’s air force?” asked the Princess.

“What, you mean those silly men on horses and in ships and in balloons?  Well, like any Dragon, I get terribly embarrassed when I have the hiccups, or when I am crying, or when I cannot stop laughing.  So I just wanted them to go away.  I’m awfully shy, really.”

“You are a shy Dragon, aren’t you?” said the Princess.  “And sweet-hearted, too, I think.  Would you like to come to my father’s castle for some tea and biscuits?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” exclaimed the Dragon.  “But you have to promise not to say that word you say while we are eating or you might get me started doing something again.”

“ I promise,” said the Princess.  So the Princess threw the great big Dragon a rope and floated back to her father’s castle, bringing the Dragon with her.  When all the people saw the Dragon coming, they cried out to the King to assemble his army, navy and air force to attack the Dragon.

But the King ran up to the tower and saw something floating above the Dragon.  “What in the world is that?”  he wondered.  “Why, it looks like my daughter, the Princess, within her royal balloon, Rainbow!”  So the King shouted for the guards to let the great big Dragon in, and when he had heard all that his daughter had to tell him, he immediately ordered his royal cooks to prepare one hundred gallons of tea, and one thousand dozen biscuits.

And so the Dragon stayed with the King and the Princess that night, and they became such good friends that the King asked the Dragon to stay as long as he liked, which was very long indeed.  And in time, the Dragon learned a little better how to control his fire breathing hiccups, and his flood causing Dragon tears, and his tornado producing belly laughs.

So, anytime one of the King’s people needed a windmill blown or a field watered, or a marshmallow toasted, they would come to the Princess and ask her to bring the Dragon along.  And the Princess would say, “PHOOEY!” and the Dragon would start to laugh or cry or hiccup to help out as he could.

But every now and then, a windmill might get a little burnt, or a marshmallow a little soggy.

THE END