1
Phillip said to his brother, as he brushed his sandy blonde hair from his blue smiling eyes, "I saw her again last night in my dream."2
"You're possessed," complained his older brother Charles, as he and Phillip planted seed in the freshly plowed field. Charles had about the same large build as Phillip though even heavier. His blue eyes were similar to his younger brother's but his expression and demeanor were always serious. Sweat dripped from his wavy dark brown hair.3
"She comes to me and caresses me in the night," said Phillip, with excitement in his voice.4
"You are really losing it," admonished Charles. "You're in love with a phantom, a ghost. You're haunted by this woman. She must be evil."5
"My thoughts are always of her. Often I smell her jasmine scent, whether awake or in my sleep. I feel the soft touch of her ivory skin and her silky black flowing hair," said Phillip wistfully.6
"You're mad. Quite mad, my dear brother. Peasant farmers such as you and I will never know such a woman. You have been bewitched."7
"In my dreams she tells me I'm her knight," said Phillip.8
"You can never be a knight; you have no noble blood."9
"Perhaps, but when I think of her, I have the courage and the strength of a knight," returned Phillip, sincerely.10
"Nonsense! We are peasants and will forever be peasants."11
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Terrified of the dragon, the people of the kingdom would choose a young maiden to sacrifice in an effort to appease the horrid creature. Brave knights would go to fight the dragon, but they never returned. Still, the dragon was not satisfied. Children, men, and women would vanish without a trace and the people of the region knew it to be the dragon. Fear constantly plagued the townsfolk.14
It was a huge bird of prey, deep brownish-red in color, terrible green eyes with red diamond shaped pupils, massive wings, and legs and arms with vicious talons. It had a ferociously, fiery breath, which it seemed nothing could withstand.15
So the people of the kingdom chose a maiden as a gift for the evil beast. They hoped the offering would make the dragon spare the rest of the kingdom for a month at which time they would offer another young woman. The chosen virgin cried, begged, and pleaded to be spared as they dragged her to a tree on a hill. They tied her to the tree and left her, begging to be saved. She awaited the dragon, doomed to be its next meal.16
The sun was going down and red clouds streaked the darkening blue sky. Like a shadow the dragon swooped down from the clouds and took the maiden, slicing the rope from her with its claws. Back into the clouds it flew over the hills to its lair, the crystal cave. Scattered about the floor of the cave were the bones of the victims who had become the food of the vicious winged lizard.17
The young maiden stood frozen in fear as the evil creature gazed at her with appetite and desire. She stood petrified as the dragon ripped her linen garb from her. Goose bumps covered her delicate naked skin. Her fresh, tender meat tempted the dragon beyond control. With tremendous force the dragon tore open her torso, spilling her innards. The maiden died almost instantly. With the flames of its breath, the dragon roasted her. Then it began to dine.18
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Haunted by the woman of his dreams, Phillip began to search the kingdom to find her. He could not rid his heart of the madness she left there. The image of her face was planted permanently in his mind. He had no idea where he might find her, but he knew that he must. The young man was determined in his quest. For months he searched the villages and cities of the kingdom. His brother, Charles, thought he was quite insane but knew he couldn't stop Phillip.21
In a dream she came to him, her beauty exquisite, and said, "Soon you must fight for me, my knight."22
"But I cannot fight. I have no skill and no weapon. I'm merely a peasant farmer."23
"You will have all that you need," she answered. 24
Echoing in his head he could hear her repeating, "You will have all that you need."25
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The king of Britain had two daughters. There was the younger, Seryphina, who had golden hair and emerald eyes. The other, which the people thought to be evil, had black hair and dark eyes, hypnotic eyes. They both held great beauty and were of age, though neither were yet married. Seryphina was promised to the prince of another province while it was rumored that the elder sister, Aspasia, would never marry. Aspasia was a sorceress and had a black panther as a companion. Seryphina was to marry in order to secure an alliance between the two principalities, Britain and Normandy.28
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"You'll be my lover, my knight," said the woman who haunted his mind, as he fitfully slept. "You're my warrior. You must kill the dragon."30
"How can I? I am but a simple man."31
"Do you love me?" asked the woman in his dream.32
"Yes, you know I do," answered Phillip with heart, mind, and soul. In the dream he could feel her caressing his body and kissing him. They made love. When he awoke he felt wetness from the excitement of his dream.33
He told Charles about the dream, but not quite all the details. He was embarrassed about that. Every night that followed, Phillip had the same dream. Then one night, while he was still sleeping, Charles woke him from his slumber. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" exclaimed Charles.34
Stunned, Phillip shouted, "What in heaven?"35
"Come look!"36
In the main room of their cottage was a suit of shiny black armor, a black shield with a red crest with a black panther on it, and a mighty sword.37
"What kind of evil is this?" worried Charles.38
"Evil or not, the suit is for me and I must wear it."39
"Phillip you can't, it is black magic!"40
"I must."41
"Look outside, there is a horse!" exclaimed Charles, excitedly.42
The horse had a shiny rich black coat, a red blanket, a black saddle with silver trim, and red and silver trim on the reins.43
"It is time. I must leave," said Phillip.44
"You can't! You can't fight the dragon! You know nothing about fighting dragons."45
"I have a promise to keep," replied Phillip.46
"You'll be killed," said Charles with finality.47
Phillip donned the armor and mounted the horse. He left for the hills in search of the dragon's lair.48
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Seryphina walked in the gardens by the castle. She enjoyed the late afternoon breeze and the temperature was mild. A slight hint of rain permeated the air, although the clouds were not fully covering the sky. It made the horizon beautiful as the sun went down with yellows, reds, and purples in the darkening sky.51
Seryphina pondered her coming marriage to the prince of Normandy. She knew how important it was to the two kingdoms, but she was still apprehensive of the arranged nuptials. She had only met the prince once and he was ten years older than she.52
A shadow crossed her path suddenly. The dragon rarely attacked people in the village and she was surprised when she heard the rush of air from its wings. The pain as it grasped her sides was excruciating, as with hardly a jerk it lifted her into the air.53
She knew she was doomed and began to prepare herself for her demise. Silently, she cried as her tears began to streak her cheeks, and her nose ran.54
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Aspasia had seen it in her crystal ball many times and this time it was really happening. Shadow, her panther, lay by her side; she stroked him and said, "Don't worry," although Aspasia herself was deeply concerned. Had she chosen the right man, would his heart be strong enough to overcome his fear, and did he love her enough to risk his life for her? She did not know. That had not as yet appeared in her crystal ball. Was it already too late for her sister, Seryphina? Trained knights had gone before Phillip and had fallen before the dragon. Was it madness to believe her magic could give Phillip the skill necessary to drive the massive sword home?57
Should she have prevailed upon her father to have sent his army after the dragon? They had hunted it before with no success. She could have told him of the image in the ball and he would have sent every able bodied man to hunt the beast. 'No,' she thought. 'The dragon is a magical creature and must be destroyed by magic.' Nevertheless, her fear for her sister would not subside.58
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Phillip knew not where he was going nor where to search. He knew only that he must go on and he must search. His mind was in a turmoil and his brain was tormented by images of his dream lover and the fear that he might fail her. He had no fear of death nor of the dragon. His fear was only of failure. Although he had never met his dream lover and, in fact, did not know if she really existed,; he now lived and would die for her. He knew he must go with speed. Riding the black steed hard he continued, anticipating the coming struggle.61
Directed by a force he did not understand, he found a cave. Its walls were made of crystal and for some reason, light emanated from them. It was quite bright inside. The floor was littered with bones and skulls. He knew he had found the lair of the dragon, but there was no dragon. He had no choice but to wait. He hunted for a place to hide.62
Soon the dragon arrived with a woman with golden hair in its grasp. Her beauty was only surpassed by the woman of his dreams. He had no idea that they were both daughters of the king. He knew he must save her, but that meant he had to kill the dragon and he didn't know how.63
The dragon set Seryphina down and began to eye her with hunger. She was dressed in the fashion of royalty. There were fresh blood stains on her beautiful gown. Phillip understood that he must act fast.64
Aspasia cried as she watched in her crystal ball. There seemed nothing she could do. She was unable to communicate with her knight.65
Realizing he must do something or it would be too late for the young woman, Phillip stepped into sight of the dragon. The beast immediately blew flames in his direction. The heat from the creature's fiery breath was intense, but the armor helped to protect him. Knowing he could not approach the dragon from the front, he struggled to stay behind it and the monster swung at him with its tail. Staying behind the dragon and anticipating its moves, he tried to plan how to strike. The dragon caught him hard with his tail, knocking him down.66
It was difficult for Phillip to move quickly in the suit of armor. Aspasia felt that all was lost as she watched her knight in her crystal ball. Then with strength beyond belief, Phillip was back on his feet with sword in hand. Again he got behind the dragon. He stabbed the dragon on one side of its huge tail, making it turn toward him. Knowing the direction the dragon would turn, Phillip plunged his sword perfectly into the dragon's heart guided by an aim not his own. The dragon fell dead.67
"Are you all right?" Phillip asked Seryphina. Though there was blood at the sides of her silk dress, the talons had done no great harm.68
"I think so," she said weakly. Then she fainted and fell to the ground. Aspasia watched with concern and relief.69
Phillip attended Seryphina until she regained consciousness. Her wounds were not serious.70
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"Do you know who I am?" Seryphina asked him when she regained consciousness.72
"No, but you're probably someone of great importance."73
"I am Seryphina, daughter to the king. You'll be paid for your service beyond your dreams."74
"That's not necessary. I serve my Lady."75
"Who is your lady?"76
"I regret that I do not know," said Phillip sincerely.77
"How can you serve someone you do not know? I'm not familiar with your coat of arms,." said Seryphina, deeply curious.78
"I dream of her and she owns my heart."79
"You must come back with me to the castle, at least let us show you our appreciation,." said Seryphina, determined.80
"I intended to escort you home, but I require no reward."81
"Let me determine the worth of your service," commanded Seryphina.82
"Yes, your Highness."83
It was two days' distance over hilly terrain which they had to travel in order to arrive at the castle.84
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Aspasia was filled with excitement as she awaited the return of her knight and her sister. She told her father of what had taken place and told him to prepare a feast.87
"Father, this is the man I will marry," she confided.88
"But I never knew there was a man in your life."89
"I gave him my word," said Aspasia.90
"I don't think I'll ever understand you, but he must be a brave and fine man."91
Phillip and Seryphina arrived at the castle to a very warm, royal, and joyous greeting. People in the street were singing and dancing, and they cheered as the two rode in. As they reached the city gate, Seryphina's horse was brought to her and they rode side by side into the courtyard. The king, Aspasia, and her panther, Shadow, were there to greet them. Phillip could not believe his eyes as he saw Aspasia in the flesh. She was even more beautiful than she had been in his dreams. He was mesmerized.92
Seryphina asked him in surprise, "Do you know my sister?"93
"She's my Lady."94
Aspasia did a very unroyal thing. She threw her arms around Phillip and in front of all the people gathered, kissed him for several minutes. It was worth more than all the riches in the world to Phillip.95
Honorable mention
Silver trophy winner
Gold trophy winner
Bronze trophy winner
Adding your comment:
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Geri 
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. I'll remove the stories.
I so love this little tale! I am glad that you entered it into my contest. THANK YOU!!! BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL story! 
Well done.
...such a dreamy story and still untouched by me 
....
