Dancing Queen
There once was a dragon who lived in a cave in the mountains. His name was Naytin. He was a friendly dragon, but people were scared of him so he was very lonely. He guarded a very special treasure. No one in the whole world knew what the treasure was, but many knew that the dragon was its guardian.
That treasure was enough of a challenge to make some people willing to try to overcome their fear of the dragon. They made the journey to the mountain lair where Naytin guarded his treasure. It was a difficult journey, but the promise of the treasure drove them on.
When the treasure seekers reached Naytin's cave, they would think that the treasure was all but in their hands. They would stroll into the cave expecting to just pick up the treasure and leave, but then they would come face-to-face with Naytin.
Naytin was not the largest dragon in the world, but he looked as fearsome as some of his larger cousins. His scales glistened in shades of indigo and violet. His claws were razor sharp. The beating of his wings raised a fierce wind. And the smoke that blew from his nostrils as he breathed curled around his head making him quite a fearful sight to behold.
A young girl named Danyelle had lived in the village below the dragon's mountain all her life and had heard the stories of the dragon and the boasts of the fortune seekers. She was not like the other people of her village. She was not interested in the treasure, but was very interested in the dragon.
One day, Danyelle gathered up her courage and decided to climb the mountain to see the dragon for herself. She packed herself some food in a small basket and set off up the mountain. It was a beautiful spring day and there were many spring wildflowers already in bloom. Danyelle picked a bouquet as she walked.
The day warm and sunny. Danyelle stopped to rest and have her lunch. As she sat eating, another adventurer came along. Danyelle had seen him down in the village, but he did not seem like the others who had passed through the village before. He did not boast that he would return with the treasure after facing down the dragon. He had just said that he wanted to see the dragon who guarded the precious treasure.
Danyelle smiled and waved to the young man and he came and sat down to join her. "You're from the village at the bottom of the mountain, aren't you?" he said.
"Yes. My name is Danyelle."
"And I'm Peter. What are you doing up here?"
"I'm going up to see the dragon."
The young man was surprised. "You want the dragon's treasure?"
"No. I'm not interested in the treasure. It's just that I have heard stories about the dragon and the treasure all my life. I finally decided I had to see the dragon for myself."
"Aren't you afraid?" Peter asked her.
"No. Well, maybe a little ..." Danyelle admitted. "A lot of people have been frightened away, but I still have to see him for myself."
Peter smiled again. "Me too. I've come a long way to see this dragon because I've heard stories about him too." Then Peter had an idea. "Why don't we go to see the dragon together? Maybe if we go together, we won't be frightened as easily."
"All right." They finished their lunch and started up the mountain again.
They had walked for an hour and left the trees and meadows below. Only scrub grass grew high up near the dragon's lair. Peter helped Danyelle around and over a large rock and then they both saw the opening of the dragon's cave.
They stopped and looked at each other for a moment, then took a deep breath to gather their courage again. Peter held out his hand to Danyelle and they walked toward the cave together. Just outside the cave, they stopped again and Peter called out. "Hello?"
For several moments nothing happened, but then two small curls of smoke trailed out of the cave and two gleaming eyes appeared in the gloom of the cave's entrance. "Why have you come?" a deep voice growled out of the cave.
Peter and Danyelle were frightened, but stood their ground. "We came to see you," Danyelle answered.
"You haven't come to steal my treasure?" asked the dragon.
"No. We don't want the treasure. We just wanted to see you."
"Why?" growled Naytin in an even deeper rumble as he took a dragon step forward.
Danyelle and Peter took a step back, but didn't run. "I have lived at the bottom of this mountain all my life," said Danyelle. "I've seen the treasure hunters who came through my village on their way to try to get your treasure and again when they came running back without it. I just wondered what you might look like."
Naytin was surprised. "And you?" he asked looking at Peter. "Do you want my treasure?" The growl sounded even more menacing.
Peter squeezed Danyelle's hand ,taking courage from her presence. "No. I don't want your treasure either. I did come from farther away, but only because your fame has spread far and wide. I would like to know what your treasure is, but I don't want to take it away from you."
Naytin laughed and it shook the ground around them so that Danyelle and Peter almost fell down. "You must discover what the treasure is for yourselves."
"How can we do that?" Danyelle asked.
"I can't help you," Naytin answered.
"Is it in your cave?" Peter asked trying to peer around the dragon.
"The treasure is here for you to find if you know how to see it."
Peter and Danyelle were puzzled. "What do you mean 'if we know how to see it'?" Peter asked.
The dragon laughed again. "You must learn to see what is right in front of you. You may stay here until the sun goes down tomorrow evening. At sundown tomorrow, I will ask you again if you have discovered what my treasure is. If you can tell me, you will be rewarded."
Naytin had come farther out of the cave as they talked. He was a dragon, fierce and dangerous looking -- especially when he snorted small bursts of flame, but he was really a magnificent creature to behold if you could manage to control your fear. Danyelle and Peter had managed to do that just by staying to talk to Naytin instead of running back down the mountain.
They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Alright, we'll stay."
They did not know it, but Danyelle and Peter had already started to learn what the Lonely Dragon's secret treasure was.
At first, they didn't know quite what to do. They both stood and stared at the fantastic creature they had come to see. Then Danyelle looked down and noticed the bouquet of wildflowers she had picked on her way up the mountain and was still holding.
"If we are to be your guests, then we should give you a gift," she said. She let go of Peter's hand and walked up to Naytin to lay the flowers on the ground before him.
Dragons cannot smile, but in his heart the gift touched him. "Thank you, Danyelle."
She smiled and stepped back to Peter's side. Peter looked down ashamed that he had nothing to offer the dragon. "I'm sorry I have no gift to offer you, Naytin."
Then he looked back up quickly as the dragon rumbled with laughter. "Oh, but you do have a gift you can give me, Peter."
"What is it?" the young man asked, baffled.
"You say you've come from far away. Why don't you tell me about your journey and the things and people you've seen on your way here."
Peter smiled. "That I can do, and happily. I've seen many beautiful things and met many interesting people in my travels." It was Danyelle he looked at as he said it.
With that, Peter and Danyelle sat down on some rocks and Naytin curled himself up on the ground before his cave. They took turns telling the dragon their stories and Naytin in his turn told them ancient dragonlore.
When evening came, Peter and Danyelle made another meal out of the food in her basket and his pack, while Naytin watched them quietly. He had been lonely for so long. He hoped that his two visitors would be able to unravel the mystery of his secret treasure.
After they had finished their dinner, Naytin asked Danyelle if she could sing.
"Oh, Naytin. I love to sing. I sing all day long when I am doing my work. I sing when I'm happy. I sing when I'm sad. I sing when I'm frightened to make myself feel better."
"Are you frightened now?" the dragon asked her.
"No," she said smiling up into the dragon's flashing sapphire eyes.
"Would you sing for me?" he asked her.
"Of course."
Danyelle sang several songs and Peter joined her on the ones he knew. Then Peter sang songs from the distant places he had traveled.
They had almost sung themselves hoarse, when Naytin finally called for them to stop. "Thank you, Danyelle. Peter. I enjoyed that very much, but I can see that you are both tired. Peter, go and fetch some firewood and I'll light a fire for you to sleep beside so you won't be cold during the night."
Peter got the wood, built the fire and stepped back, laughing as Naytin started a nice roaring fire with one great snort.
Naytin stepped back from the fire to make room for Peter and Danyelle near it, but he did not go back into his cave to sleep. He curled his great body around the campfire and his guests to protect them from the wind that had begun to blow across the mountain top.
Peter and Danyelle brought out their blankets and rolled themselves up. "Good night, Naytin," they said and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground.
"Good night, my friends," he whispered unheard.
They spent the next day doing what they had the day before singing and telling stories. All three of them had never spent such a happy day before, but soon sunset came.
"The time has come," the great dragon rumbled. "If you cannot tell me what my secret treasure is, you must leave and never come back. Have you learned to see what is right before you?"
Danyelle and Peter had been dreading this question. They had tried all day to figure out what he could possibly mean, but could not. They had come to love Naytin and did not want to leave never to see him again. Danyelle started to cry softly.
When Naytin saw her tears, he knew that she did know the secret of his treasure, but she did not know that she knew it. "Why are you crying, Danyelle?" he asked in his deep rumbling voice.
Peter had placed a hand on her shoulder knowing that she could not answer the magnificent creature. "She's crying because she doesn't want to leave and never see you again. And neither do I."
"And why is that?" Naytin asked hope growing in his giant heart.
"Because you are our friend, Naytin," Peter answered.
The joy bursting in Naytin's heart made him leap into the sky. "You've done it!" the dragon cried happily. "You've done it!"
Danyelle stopped crying and stood next to Peter watching the dragon make flying somersaults in the sky around the mountain top. Neither of them understood what had made the dragon so happy. They did not know what his secret was and now they had to leave, but there was Naytin flying around and shouting at the top of his great dragon lungs that they had done it.
"Done what?" they asked staring first at the dragon and then at each other.
Finally, Naytin came back and landed beside them, his mouth open in the closest thing to a smile that a dragon could manage. "You've done it. You've discovered my secret."
"No we haven't, Naytin. We don't know what your secret is," Peter said.
"Yes, you do," the dragon answered happily. "You've learned that I am your friend."
Peter and Danyelle looked at each other and then at Naytin. "Of course, you're our friend and we are your friends, but how is that your treasure?" Danyelle asked.
"I have lived up here on this mountain for a very long time all by myself. I've been very lonely. Every time someone came up the mountain, I just wanted to talk to them, but all they were interested in was the secret treasure. Then as soon as they got one good look at me they would run away and I would be lonely again. Then you two came up. You didn't care about the treasure. You came to see me. And when you did see me, you didn't run away. I could tell you were a little afraid at first, but you stayed and talked to me and sang for me. You became my friends and that is the greatest treasure I can ever have. Thank you Peter and Danyelle, for being my friends."
Danyelle rushed up to the dragon and put her arms around his neck. "Oh yes, Naytin. We are your friends," she said happily through her tears. "Forever!"
Peter smiled too as he patted the great dragon's neck. "We'll always be your friends."
I'm very happy that you'll always be my friends," Naytin said. "But I did promise you a reward if you discovered what my secret treasure was. You can have anything you want. What would you like as your reward?"
Peter and Danyelle looked at each other for a moment and then nodded with gleams in their eyes. Danyelle leaned up to whisper in Naytin's ear and he roared with laughter. "If that's what you want, that's what you shall have. Climb on."
Peter helped Danyelle climb up onto Naytin's neck and then scrambled up behind her. "Hang on," Naytin cried as he sprang back into the sky. And the three friends had the best ride of their lives.
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