The Princess and the Dragon

Part 1

Once upon a time there was a little princess named Isabel who lived in a castle in a mystical village far far away in a kingdom called Ur . This story takes place a long long time ago; the princess was very lonely.  He mother, the queen died while giving birth to her. It was a very sad time, because the Queen was a very good queen, and she was very beautiful.

Princess Isabel lived with her father, the king. The king was very bitter towards the princess because he blamed her for killing her mother.  Doctors were often at a loss back in those days because childbirth often lead to the death of the mother

The queen died through no fault of the little princess, but when she was born and her mother died just days later from a wicked infection, and the king would no longer look upon his daughter.

The more the king brooded over the loss of his beloved queen the more he thought the princess was bewitched from before she was born. The king really believed that the unborn babe was the cause of his wife’s death.

At the age of twelve, the princess was thrown in the dungeon far below the castle. The king stripped the princess of her title and her birth right. She was now just Isabel.

The dungeon was dark and cold. She was scared. Far off she saw dim light from torches spaced several feet apart, but there was no light where little Isabel was locked up.

Isabel heard talking and laughing, but she couldn't make out the words.

"H-hello? Is anybody there?'  Isabel cried out several times but her cries just hit the dark walls and echoed around her.

Nobody answered Isabel's cries because they were warned not to. Anyone caught being nice to her would be boiled in oil as ordered by the king. The king meant for his daughter to suffer for killing his beloved Gwendolyn.

After several minutes of crying, Isabel became quiet. Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness. She was able to see chains on the wall where some other unfortunate prisoners must have been shackled too. She counted herself lucky that she was not locked in chains.

There was no bathroom and Isabel had to 'go'. As she sat on her bed of stale smelling straw, she looked around her prison cell that couldn't have been ten feet square. In the darkness she noticed a chamber pot. It smelled foul and she didn't want to use it but she had no choice.

The only thing Isabel did wrong was to be born alive. Isabel began to cry anew. She didn't ask to be born. She was brought into this cruel, harsh world upon no will of her own.

Isabel must have cried herself to sleep. When she woke there was a wooden tray with cheese and bread pushed just inside her cell. The bread was hard on the outside and soft in the middle. There was also a large cup of water and a cup of milk that was room temperature.

"Thank you..." Isabel called out but no one answered her. Isabel ate in silence. The milk made Isabel sleepy. She couldn't hold her eyes open in the dreary, dank darkness. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep.

Isabel dreamed fitfully about her ordeal. In her dream she saw a dragon. The dragon had red eyes that somehow seemed magical.

"Don't come near me dragon! Please! I'm cold and scared. I don't know what is to become of me!"

To Isabel's shock the dragon spoke to her in a deep, comforting voice.

"Don't be afraid of me, little one. I am the one who brought you food to eat. And did you notice that you have a clean chamber pot this morning? It is I who did this for you."

"How is it that you, a dragon, are speaking to me? And how did you do me these kindnesses?" Isabel asked the dragon with the brilliant eyes that shown red.

"Dear lass, I was once human like you. But one day a curse was put on me by my uncle, also a dragon, but a wicked one. The curse was that I would live forever as a dragon in this dungeon. But something went wrong with the curse. It gave me a will to change back into a boy, but it doesn't last indefinitely.

The servants down here are prisoners themselves who have become trustees of the king. They are loyal to him, not by devotion, but by fear of being executed.

Isabel was still very sleepy, but when she awoke, it was still dark and dank, but she noticed she was lying on a clean bed of straw and she was warmed by a thick quilt.

Next to her she smelled something delicious. There was bread and cheese, but there was also a plate of eggs and there was also an apple. She ate it all and was full.

Isabel remembered her dreams. She pondered for hours on end about the talking dragon. She thought so much about the dragon that she fell into a deep sleep once again.

The dragon came to her once again. Isabel was drawn to his eyes. The dragon said his name was William. The boy/dragon had short arms in front and thick muscular legs and a long serpentine tail. William could fly and he could spit fire hotter than a furnace when he wanted too.

"William?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"Thank you for calling me princess, but I am just Isabel. My father despises me for killing my mother. He could no longer bear to look at me. I am destined to stay in this prison until I die. "

"No, lass, you are not going to die in here. I can see things about you that you are not aware of."

"What things?" Isabel asked William the Dragon.

The Princess and the Dragon

Chapter 2

William, the dragon boy has been a dragon for over 200 years, and the boy part of him is a perpetual 21 years old.

Isabel was curious about what William told her about himself and that she would not be a prisoner for life.

"I will teach you all you need to know over time. I can only visit you in your dreams for now. There will come a day when you will see me when you are awake. It is then that our real magic will begin." William, the dragon said.

When Isabel awoke she had a stack of pancakes with syrup, a bowl of curds, and a large tankard of spring water and a china mug filled with milk.

Isabel ate and thrived. She longed for her hours of sleep so she could see William, the dragon boy. She wanted to know more about him and she longed to know what her own future would bring.

Isabel slept again for a short time. There was nothing to do in the dungeon. She wished she could have a diary and a pen so she could fill her days writing about her new found life in her dreams. She didn't see William, but when she woke there was a lamp that glowed, but there was no flame. Beside the lamp was a book with blank pages and a quill that worked without bottled ink.

Isabel opened the book and saw an inscription. It said:

"My dear Princess: I heard your wishes. This is the diary you wished for. It's a magic diary and the quill is magic too."

"Write whatever your heart desires. I will explain more as your heart and mind can accept and believe. You must believe for the magic to work. I will tell you more when we meet again.”

"William"

The Princess and the Dragon

Chapter 3

Isabel was thrilled to see her writing material. She picked up the quill and examined it closely. It didn't look like any quill she had seen before.

To her surprise, when she picked up the quill it glowed and sparked like pink diamonds. On the writing end there was a hard tip.

Out of curiosity, Isabel put the quill to the top right of the second page. She wrote the day and the date. Her eyes grew big as she saw her writing magically appear in fine script. Here is what she wrote:

Tuesday, August 13, 1497

Isabel could not believe her eyes! The quill she held in her hand was writing magically.

She continued to write:

I have been abandoned by my father, the king of this fair kingdom. My only friend is a dragon boy. He is a boy who was condemned to be a dragon forever. His name is William. He is magical and he said he has much to teach me.

Oh if I could just have one wish. I wish for my father to love me. I long to hear that he loves me. I wish I could tell the king that I, his royal subject, would gladly die if it would bring his beloved queen back to him.

She quickly learned she could change the script from fine to bold by adjusting the amount of pressure she exerted on the quill. She was so happy she laughed aloud.

Her days were no longer long hours if loneliness. She could write her sorrows and her joys. She could write her dreams and what she hopes to become.

The Princess and the Dragon: Chapter 4

Something that William didn't tell Isabel about the magic quill was that it could send messages to the sleeping brain of the subject of the princess's sorrow.

That night while the king slept he had fitful, spectral dreams. He saw a translucent face with long, luxurious hair. The specter looked like an older version if his daughter.

King Philip tried to wake up but he could not. He was held prisoner as the specter spoke these words:

"Oh if I could just have one wish. I wish for my father to love me. I long to hear that he loves me. I wish I could tell the king that I, his royal subject, would gladly die if it would bring his beloved queen back to him."

Once the specter of his daughter was gone from his dream he woke up.

"Damned dream woke me up!" Said the king. "Tis a trick of the devil, that!"

The king had hardened his heart even more against his daughter for causing the death of her beloved mother. "I told her when she was with child that no good would come of it. I told her to go to the royal physician to get rid of that damnable parasite!" He said to no one but the mice in the corner of the kitchen and himself.

The king sat down at the trestle table and drank himself a tankard of Luke warm ale. He hoped with enough ale he could go back to sleep without any more dreams.

In the morning when Isabel woke she had the strangest feeling that she had left her cell in the dungeon. Just before falling asleep she remembered she felt light as a feather.

She vaguely remembered seeing her father, but he looked older and haggard.

Isabel noticed her shiny, pink quill and her book beside her in the bed. When she pulled her warm quilt back and started to get out of bed she was shocked to see what her eyes were beholding.

Just three feet from her bed was a beautiful, maple desk stained dark brown. There were drawers in the desk and there was a chair with a cushion for her comfort. On top of the desk was a pink rose in a vase and a plate of ham and eggs and more bread and cheese.

Isabel had no idea how hungry she was until she smelled the salty aroma of the ham. She tore into it and forgot all about her manners.

In the left hand corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of William the dragon flying around the corner. She was not frightened of William. They were both wounded souls that found love and acceptance in each other.

The Princess and the Dragon

Chapter 5

Isabel looked William in his ruby red eyes and said, "Something happened last night that I don't understand. I dreamed I left this cell last night and visited my father in his sleep. I entered his dream. He saw me and it bothered him."

"Then he got so worked up in his dream that he woke up. He was talking to himself and saying hurtful things about me. He looked older too. I don't understand." Said Isabel.

Just then the dragon shifted his shape into the hong man he once was so long ago. His eyes were no longer red. They were as blue and light as the surf on the sea outside of the castle.

William placed his hands inside the bars. "I have some bad news and some good news to tell you. You did leave your cell last night. Remember the quill and the book of blank paper?  Together they are magic. They are like a magic carpet that can take you anywhere. Anything you long for will happen for you if you believe."

"The not so good thing is that your father, the king, looks older because in your dream you are older. You are 17 years old. You and your father have aged seven years"

"Unfortunately, las, that means you will live down here in the dungeon for a long time to come. But be of good spirits, you may leave here any time you want to as long as you are asleep. There will come a time when you can will yourself to leave while you are awake."

"There is something else. I can come with you if you like. I can go in my dragon form and we can fly the world over. Wouldn't you love to see the world from an areal view. It is most stunning. I can also change into my true self because the curse that was out on me was misspoken and it turned me into a shape shifter."

The Princess and the Dragon

Chapter 6

Image credit: Wikipedia

Isabel took a few minutes to take all the information in. She was of a fractured mind. On the one hand she was elated that she could leave her prison during the night when she slept. She was also happy that she had her journal and magic quill to write the essence of her present condition she found herself in. Her writing would occupy many hours of loneliness.

On the other hand she was devastated that she would not be released from her prison until she was 17 years old or maybe never. It all depended on how her father felt after 5 years.  If he could boil people in oil, he could keep her there for life, she thought.  She fought back the tears that stung her eyes. She would make the most of the time she had to serve for being brought into the world at her mother's expense.

She picked up her quill and began to write:

My dearest father, my king,

I'm so sorry that my existence causes you such terrible pain. If only you would visit me and bring me one of your daggers you display in your glass case mounted in your warrior room. I could put an end to my suffering and yours. You would no longer have to think of me and I would no longer have to live this existence you have put me in.

I love you, father. You are all I have save for the governesses you employed to educate me in reading, writing and ciphering, as well as Henrietta who was in your employ to teach me how to be a lady and a princess. My governesses became my family as you drew farther away from me. I could see the contempt in your eyes because my existence tore my precious mother - whom I never got to know - away from you. I am so sorry father that I was not aborted as you wished. If my mother had just allowed the doctor to do the procedure to get rid of me, your precious Gwendolyn would still be there with you now.

I hold no anger towards you, father. I love you and wish you would envelop me in your arms, but I know it's just a child's wishful thoughts which have no power to change your hardened heart. If it pleases you, father, I will put an end to your grief and leave my existence as it is now. Just bring the knife or bring me some poison to drink. I will gladly do that for you.

I wish you long life and good health, dearest father.

Your -I don't know what I am to you so I cannot say daughter - I think unwanted is the right word.

Isabel

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 7

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Isabel heard footsteps in the dim corridor. It was William in his human form. Ever so slowly he became an ethereal, all but invisible mist and drifted through the gray, iron bars that held her prisoner.

Isabel was taken aback at what her eyes envisioned. She blinked; her eyes closed for a second or two and she opened them again and William was inside the cell with her.

"I heard tour cries of utter despair. I heard your voice utter the words you penned in your journal. Do not entertain thoughts of ending your life, dear girl, for one day your imprisonment will be behind you and forgotten." Said William,  as he gave her an embrace to show her that she mattered.

Tears spilled and made shining, wet tracks on her cherubic cheeks. William brushed them gently away with his thumbs as he held her face to meet his icy blue eyes. She saw something soft and beautiful in his eyes. He was more than a father figure; he was a treasured friend. No, friend wasn't quite the right word. He was everything to her.

A father figure really wasn't the right word because she had feelings for him that she would never have for her father. He was her best friend ever and he was more. He was her everything. She realized she loved the dragon boy.  She loved him all the way to the moon and back, and even more if that were possible.

Isabel took to writing in her journal because she was beginning to feel sleepy and she wanted to record her thoughts and dreams before they left her mind forever.

She sat at her desk and began to write:

Dear mother,

I am your daughter, Isabel. I am so sorry that birthing me cut your life short. I am so sad and I would gladly take your place if I could so that you could resume your rightful place as queen next to my father, the king.

My father could no longer stand to look upon me, so at the tender age of 12 my beloved father sent me down below ground in the dungeon.

Time has gone by very slowly here, but two years have now passed and I am still here. I have now reached my 14^th year of life. That’s 14 years you have been gone from this world, gone from my father.  My being here robbed you of your life.

I am so lonely mother. I am lonely for you because I have never even looked upon your face or felt your embrace. How I long for those and I long for a kiss on my cheek.

Isabel's eyes began to droop as she sat at her desk. She could not hold her eyes open. She fell asleep where she was.

She was dreaming again, but this time it was a lady. She was most beautiful with chestnut hair with streaks of red and gold highlighting it, and her skin was the most beautiful ivory she had ever seen.

Isabel gazed upon her and in some ways she found features in her mother that she saw in herself. Her skin was also ivory and her hair was also chestnut with golden tresses.

"Who are you" asked Isabel

"Oh my dear, I am your mother. I have never been far away from you. I've been watching over you and I will do all I can from the ethereal plane from which I stay. I cannot stay her long in your realm because I would be locked out of the place you call heaven. I can still watch over you and I can hear your cries through the looking glass from where I stay."

"Mother, is it really you?"

"Yes, my darling tis me. I must hurry my beloved. I have much to do. Out of nowhere Isabel's mother produced a bouquet of blue roses interlaced with baby's breath and handed them to her precious daughter. One thing I must tell you. To soften your father's heart you must speak to my Father, Ruler if the universe. My Father is named Abba which means Father. You must cast all your cares to Abba. I must go now.” Gwendolyn said.  No sooner than Isabel had taken the flowers her mother faded away.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 8

Image Credit: Wikipedia

In the meantime Isabel's father was signing decrees and seeing to other administrative duties when he suddenly fell into a deep sleep and began to dream right where he sat.

Standing before him was his beloved wife, Gwendolyn.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

"Tis no trick, beloved husband. It is I, Gwen, your 'Wendy.'

'Oh Wendy, I have grieved until I am dead inside. Why did you have to leave me?"

"I have not left you dear husband. I see what is happening through my window in heaven. I am not pleased with how you have treated our only daughter." Said Gwendolyn.

The former queen stepped forward and kissed her husband's temple as he sat unconscious and sprawled over his mahogany desk. Before she left him she produced the golden music box that he gave her on their wedding night. Gently, she placed it within the circle of his arms as he lay prostrate over the documents on his desk and she disappeared.

When King Philip awoke, he saw the music box that he had given his wife, so he knew that his dream of Wendy was much more than a dream.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 9



From the corner of the hallway in the dark recess William, the dragon watched the exchange between Isabel and her mother. Yes, she was dreaming, but her mother's presence was in truth Isabel's reality. William can see what mere mortals cannot see or even fathom.

When the queen had gone and Isabel was still asleep at her desk, he approached her cell and shifted his being from a dragon to a fine cloudy mist and drifted into her cell and regained his shape to the young man that he was always meant to be.

William looked upon Isabel with feeling he has never felt in his 200 years of existence. He waved his hand little effort he picked her up from her desk and laid her on her bed of straw.

Isabel looked so angelic lying there, but he was sad that her bed was so crude. With a wave of his hand the straw bed became a white bed with gold inlay at the head and foot. He waved his hand again and a ruffled canopy with a white background and pink and blue roses.

William turned slightly and made a rolling gesture with his right arm and the bars were replaced with elegant walls of muted pink and bay windows on two walls. Under the windows were window seats. One of the windows, the one on the left side opened wide. He saved the best for last. He created an elegant door of cherry wood and gold fixtures which opened to the rest of the dungeon, but the dungeon was no longer a dungeon.  In their reality, the dungeon was a palace.

Before William exited the new room he had created, he added another room with a complete futuristic privy which contained a wash basin on a pedestal with faucets and running water, a tub with running water and an attachment he called a shower. He also waved his hand and a sparkling white commode and a bidet appeared for her convenience and pleasure.


To anyone else the dungeon would not have changed but for Isabel and William, they shared a new and better reality; truly it was surreal.

The Princess and the dragon:

Chapter 10



William was not done. He stood between the windows and created gardens filled with tulips, daisies, and best of all, blue roses. Blue Roses represented all that was Isabel, rare and beautiful.

Though the dungeon was under ground, William had altered Isabel's reality.

Isabel began to wake. Something felt different. Her bed felt soft like it was no longer made of straw. Her eyes fluttered open and she thought she was still asleep and dreaming. Her eyes roamed her cell, but it was no longer a cell. It was a bedroom fit for a princess. She sat up with her legs dangling from her bed when she noticed that her bed and furnishings were French provincial. She looked down at her feet and golden slippers were waiting to adorn her feet.

"Oh my!" Exclaimed Isabel. "Where am I?!"  She notices the morning sun coming from the two bay windows, where there was never windows before. Looking down, her eyes took in the beauty and tears threatened to spill. "Blue roses! My favorite rose of all. "

“They remind me of you, dear Isabel.” Said William.

Isabel remembered her mother coming to her in her dream. She also vaguely remembered other times when an angelic figure with golden brown tresses told her that she was her Blue Rose. Now she realized the angel was her very own ma-ma!  There was something about the blue rose that she remembered her mother saying.

"My darling Isabel. My blue rose. Blue roses are the rarest of roses and you are mine. I am with you always my princess."

“William said that I am his blue rose also.” Said Isabel.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the heel of her hand. She felt blessed to know what her mother looked like and that she resembled her.

Isabel's eyes were drawn to another door. It was white with gold hardware. She opened it to find a privy like she had never seen before. It was even nicer and more futuristic than the privy in the palace she lived in before she was condemned to the dungeon. The floor was gold and marble tiles. A shining commode with a handle that flushed fresh water!  And next to it was a wash basin waist high with hot and cold running water. She turned just a bit and she saw a sparkling tub with gold fixtures. She reached in and lifted a leaver and turned a knob and cold water sprayed her arm and upper chest. She squealed with joy.

Just then there was a knock. Where was the knock coming from? Where the cell door was is now a door. She opened it to find William standing there all smiles.

"I hope your accommodations are to your liking Princess Isabel."

"They are beautiful, but I told you. I am not a princess anymore. My father does not love me. He does not claim me as his own flesh and blood."

"Ah lass, but he will in time. In the mean time what say we go take a flight over the castle and picnic in the moors next to the waterfall over there? Can you see it about a half mile that way?" William pointed in the direction of the waterfall.

"That would be wonderful, but how? We are under ground and if we go upstairs we will be seen!" Said Isabel.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 11

"There is something I must share with you. I have created an alternate reality. No one will see what you and I see. You see a bedroom fit for a princess. The help will see a dirty dungeon with you the prisoner inside, but what they see is only what their eyes abs ears perceive." Said William. "What say, my princess that we go flying. Let's feel the wind in our hair?"

"Okay! Let's do it! But I will need something other than this dress."

William waved his hand and three riding outfits similar to horse riding costumes appeared on the bed. "How? How did you do that?"

"Did I not mention I am a magic dragon and I'm also gifted with magic when I am in human form?  I will step out while you change."

Isabel changed into a mint green riding habit and cap that flattered her. "You can come in now."

Isabel smiled a smile that melted William's heart. "Shall we go my dear?"

William crossed the room and opened the big bay window and he instantly transformed into the dragon that Isabel had come to love.

William the dragon knelt down low and beckoned her to climb on and hold her knees close to his body and hold to his collar on his neck. Just as she did as William asked her to do, they were out through her open window; they were flying over the garden of roses. She looked down and then she looked up. She saw the white puffy clouds and she squealed with delight.

"Is this real?" Isabel leaned forward and said into William's ear."

"Tis as real as real can be. This is our reality. What your father and the staff sees and hears is their reality. You may have to do the time in the dungeon, but your reality doesn't have to be one of punishment. Your reality doesn't have to be your father's reality."

They continued to fly for what seemed to be hours and Isabel was happy to feel the wind in her hair and the sun on her back. She hugged tightly to William and that made him happy. All he wanted was to make Isabel happy.

"Let's go down in that meadow next to those cliffs. See that sparkling waterfall?  Aren’t the falls beyond beautiful?” William said.

"Yes, William, let's go down. Did you think to bring food?

"No need. William changed back into human form. He wore a white shirt ruffled at the collar and black knickers and stockings. He waved his hand and suddenly a red and white table cloth appeared on the ground. There was fried chicken, potato salad, made with sour cream, pickles, and those rolls she loved so much that were crusty on the outside and soft and warn on the inside. She spread warm butter on a roll and savored the taste. The sound of the waterfall added to the ambiance of the blue sky, cumulus clouds, sunshine, the buzzing of bumblebees, and the songs of robins, bluebirds and chickadees.

"Tis lovely, William. I love it. And you are sure that I won't be missed at the dungeon."

"You must not worry about the dungeon. To them, nothing has changed. This is our reality now. Two years have passed already and your father has not even so much as come down to the dungeon to see how you are fairing. It is within my power to give you a life worthy of a princess and it is done. Now let's eat while the food is still warm. We don't want to feed the ants and bees." Said William.

Isabel and William had the world to themselves. They laughed and ate. They talked about their lives. They were having such a good time they lost track of the sun. It was setting beyond the horizon.

"We had better go back so you can sleep, my dear princess."

William stood and leant a hand to Isabel to rise. He waved his hand and with brilliant sparkles, the evidence of their meal was gone.

William transformed back into his dragon form and knelt down low for Isabel to climb onto his back.

The ride back to the palace/dungeon was like no other that Isabel had ever seen.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 12

Years passed and Isabel and William had many excursions. Flying with William, the dragon boy was such fun. But she was maturing now. She wanted something more with William, but she didn't know what it was.

That night when she went to sleep she appeared before her father who was working in his study.

"Hello, Father." Isabel said in a whisper.

The king wasn't sure what he had heard, but when he looked up he saw his beautiful daughter who resembled her mother. He couldn't say anything; he was so choked up that he was beyond words.

"Father, my king. If I could take my mother's place I would do it happily, but I cannot. Father, I cannot truly take the blame for the loss of my mother. Your loss is also my loss. You had years with her. I have never laid eyes on her. To make it worse, you punish me for being born when I never asked for it to be so.

"Father, I beseech you to free me now for your own good as well as mine. I forgive you for not loving me as your daughter. I forgive you for isolating me from the life I was meant to live. I love you father. I can only hope that one day you can love me back."

Isabel vanished from the king's sight as suddenly as she came. His eyes stung as tears welled up and threatened to spill down his face.

Just as the king was about to dismiss the vision as a waking dream, his beloved wife appeared before him.

"Gwendolyn, is that really you?"
"Yes, beloved. Tis I."

"You died after Isabel was born. How can you be here with me now?"

"I am always here, darling husband. Whenever you think of me I am here." Said Gwendolyn. "It is high time you stop punishing our daughter for something she had no control over. Women die in childbirth. It happens, but I am not gone!  I am with you, husband and I am with our daughter also. When you look upon Isabel's beauty you may also remember me in love instead of bitterness" and with those last words Gwendolyn was gone.

"Wendy! Come back." The king cried like he had never cried before. He cried himself asleep right where he was.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 13


Isabel remembered what her mother said about talking to God, her mother's Abba. She did not know him. She told herself that maybe it would be a good thing to introduce herself. So she did just that.

Isabel got out if bed and knelt beside her bed. She prayed:

“Hello?  Sir Abba, Father to my mother Gwendolyn, I beseech thee to hear me. I pray not for myself, for I am resolved to live out my days in this mystical reality that William, the dragon boy has made for me.”

Just then a small speck of brilliant white and blue light, like that of a very hot flame appeared before her. She saw the brightness of the light through her closed eyelids.  The light became larger in all directions until the room shone brilliantly. The light beckoned to her to look upon it.

Ever so slowly she opened her eyes and a figure, the size of a man, made only of the purest, bluish white aura she had ever seen.

"I am Abba; what do you ask of me?"

"Sir, Abba, my mother came to visit me and told me about you." Said a frightened Isabel.

"Do not be afraid, dear one. I know your mother well. She came Home just after you were born into this world. What do you want me to do for you dear Princess Isabel?"

"Sir, if it pleases thee, I would ask for my father to forgive me for taking my mother away from him." Said Isabel.

Abba said, "your father's grief is not your fault. You have been unjustly thrown away like so much refuse. I have appointed someone to look after you all these years and he has grown in love with you. Together, you and William hold the key to your freedom and happiness. Rise Princess.”

Isabel rose to her feet and turned away from the searing light of Abba. "May I ask if thee would  remove the curse that holds William prisoner to life as a dragon?"

"Turn to me" said Abba. His aura settled down so that a faint resemblance of a man in a white robe stood before her.

"King Philip, your father and once the husband of your mother has much to sort out. Be of good cheer and know that all things are possible for those who believe in me. I am mightier than magic. Magic is a tool created by me to be used carefully. Magic must be used for good and never for revenge. Sir William was dealt a bad hand, but it all worked out for the good of my universe." With those words the light went from large to the size if a pea and disappeared.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 14

That night while the king slept, he dreamed of his boyhood. He was not destined to be king, but he was next in line if Arthur, the great prince of the land was unable to fulfill his royal duty to receive the crown.

In times past:

That time was a time of war and strife in his kingdom of Ur. The kingdom of Yore had declared war on the kingdom of Ur. The present king, the father if his second son, Philip  sent his first son, Arthur, into battle with the kingdom of Yore. Arthur was killed in that battle. After Arthur was killed in battle, Philip became king.

In the Present time:

King Philip slept fitfully. He was taken back in time when soon after he was crowned king he met a beautiful young maiden who was a commoner of the kingdom. She was the second daughter of a poor shoe and boot maker. Her name was Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn delivered boots made for the knights. Philip was speaking to the Master Sergeant over the knights about who that fair young woman was who delivered the boots to the army of knights. Hearing this exchange, Gwendolyn politely stood a ways away from the king and his royal subjects until their business was done.

The king turned to make his leave and he saw the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen. Gwendolyn was almost frightened as the king's eyes pierced into hers. His eyes were an ocean blue that changed colors with his moods; his blue eyes could either put a person on edge or at ease.

The fair maiden quickly realized that the king fancied her. The king ordered all of the royal staff's footwear to be made by the father of Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn’s became very wealthy. The king always asked for the shoes to be delivered by the shoemaker's daughter. Every time his eyes fell upon the fair Gwendolyn, he fell more in love with her.

Over time the king asked Gwendolyn to marry him. After taking several days to think about the king's proposal she accepted and was married and crowned his queen.

While he slept:

"Gwen. Dearest Gwendolyn." The king spoke out during his sleep. He woke up with tears in his eyes.

The Princess and the Dragon:

Chapter 15


When the king woke up he was flooded with the memories of his love for Gwendolyn. He saw, in his mind's eye, Gwen's swollen belly which housed their baby. They both were expecting a bouncing baby. They didn't care if their baby was a boy or girl. They just wanted a healthy baby. Gwen's visit to her husband during his dream reminded him to relive the good and the bad.

One of the lessons he learned from his beloved wife was that their daughter, Princess Isabel, was the very essence of her mom. She looked like her mother. She was smart like her mother.

Months past, and King Philip was haunted by the face of his beautiful daughter. He was also visited quite often by his beloved late wife, Gwendolyn.

"Our daughter is maturing into a beautiful young woman. She's in love you know "

"in love?!" The king said. There is no one down in the dungeons except the hired help and there are rumors of a pesky old dragon. I've heard stories of a dragon but I think it's no more than nonsense." The King said.

 "Tis true my love. There is a dragon in the dungeons. He is a magic dragon. There was some sort of curse put on him over 200 years ago that was supposed to make him live out eternity as a dragon in the halls of the dungeon. However, the warlord, his very own uncle, that put the curse on him did the spell wrong. He can become a human boy at will but he cannot stay a human indefinitely. He eventually turns into a dragon again. His name is William. "

Gwendolyn was quiet for awhile to see how this new information was affecting the king. He wavered; he began to think maybe his punishment wasn't so harsh after all, and on the other hand he felt the judgment was indeed called for.  This news made him feel relieved on the one hand and on the other he felt his decree meant nothing. This infuriated him.

That night when he went to sleep his precious Gwendolyn came before him and beckoned him to follow her.

"Where are we going? " asked the king.

"Hush my darling I have something marvelous and magical to show you.

Gwendolyn interlaced her fingers into his and she used her power of thought to take them to the magical realm in which his daughter now lived.

The dungeon was no longer a dungeon. He gasped at the change from a damp, smelly, dirty dungeon to a pristine palace with futuristic appliances that brought indoor plumbing with bathtubs and an indoor outhouse, or privy, called a toilet. It came with a chrome handle that flushed away waste and renewed fresh water in the bowl. There was also a lavatory with running water.

"What us this?!" The King demanded. "This dungeon has more modern appliances than my palace. Some punishment she is getting for killing you!"

"Don't you see be now, our daughter did not kill me. It was my time. I may be dead from this world but I’m very much alive in my own world. Come, I have more to show you." Gwendolyn instantly transported her husband to behold the beauty and happiness of his daughter. The king could only watch and listen. He could not be seen.

What the king saw was his daughter riding upon the back of a dragon. When they landed, he saw the dragon crouch gown to let the Princess Isabel dismount. Then before his eyes the dragon transformed into a young man..

"I want to see her. I need to talk to Isabel. I need to make up for all I have put her through." The king said to his ethereal wife, Gwendolyn.

"Ah, but you can’t dear husband. She is in another realm, another reality, if you will. Just like I live my reality, you live yours. In your reality you have our daughter locked away in the dirty, dank dungeon. She learned through magic how to alter her reality to live happily even if you couldn't.

"How can I change it?  How can I get my daughter back into my life?" Asked the king.

"It won't be easy, dear heart. You must humble yourself before my father, in the realm I live in, because he holds the keys to all the realities and all the realms in the universe. His name is Abba."

"What must I do?"

"You must ask first for the curse to be lifted from William, the dragon boy. Then you must ask forgiveness from Abba for what you have done. You must also forgive yourself.

"Then you go to the dungeon and unlock the door and open your arms to your daughter. You also must free William, for William and Isabel are in love.

The princess and the Dragon

Part 16

Image Credit:  Wikipedia

The king did all that was asked of him. With trepidation he entered the bowels of the castle and entered the dungeon. It was dark except for the torches that lit the pathways to the cells.

He stopped in front of the cell where Isabel lay on a bed of straw. Isabel heard a key enter into the lock that has left her cell shut for all these years.

The only thing that saved her from going mad with loneliness and grief was the magical reality that William created for her. For her she still laid on her comfortable bed but in the king's reality he saw her in the way he had condemned her.

She almost didn't hear him. "Isabel"

Isabel sat up and looked at her father. She saw tears in his eyes. She had grown into a young woman already. She was old enough to marry.

"Please forgive me Isabel. I blamed you from the day you were born for the death of your mother. You may not believe this, but she came to me several times to show me how you were not at fault for your mother’s death. You did not ask to be born. We brought you into this world with love. Then your mother died. I want you to know I understand now. My grief and anger was directed towards you.

"Please come out of the dungeon and take your rightful place as Princess.”  Isabel just looked at her father in wonder.  She couldn’t believe that her prayers were answered.

"Darling daughter, Abba, the Father of your mother and the universe has lifted the curse from William. He is now free to go."

****

William changed from his dragon form for the last time. A bright light appeared before him and a tremulous voice came from the almost blinding light. "I am Abba. I am the Father of all things. I am known by many other names. William, you are free. You are no longer bound by the curse of the dragon. You are a mortal young man who will have an average lifespan of 80 years.

"You are free to express your love for Isabel if you wish. She is free also.

****

Soon after their release from the dungeon, Isabel and William were married. Many years passed. William and Isabel were had a child. They named him William II.

The king stepped down as king and asked Princess Isabel to become queen of the kingdom. The former king did one last thing. He passed his crown to William. Together, Isabel and William ruled the kingdom of Ur with much love.

The former king was happy to be a doting grandfather for the rest of his days.

The end.