Otto and the Dragon

Chapter 10: Fairy Queens and Dragon Tails

Father  stood back up and sheathed his sword, which disappeared. He looked around the room at the guardsmen. They remained unmoved. Once satisfied that Otto was unhurt, Father went to free Tyrol. Otto looked around for Steve and was shocked to see some sort of glow coming from the ogre.

“Father!” Otto called. “Look at Steve!” Father stopped what he was doing and looked at Steve.

What had started out as a glow had become a blazing light that made it impossible to see Steve at all. Then as it dimmed, where once had stood a tall, monstrous ogre, stood a tall, slim young man with red hair and a thin beard. The chains that had been tight around his large ogre arms slid loosely off his young man’s arms and clanged to the ground. 

Father had been kneeling by Tyrol, undoing the ropes that bound the dragon, but at the sight of the young man he stood up. Otto looked over and on Father’s face was a look of delight and amazement.

Father took several steps forward toward Steve; around the room, the guardsmen left their posts and gathered in formation in front of the young man.

All at once, everyone, Father and the guardsmen unison, all dropped to one knee.

“Your majesty!” said Father, bowing his head. Stunned and confused, Otto stood looking around the room and then followed his Father’s example and went down to one knee. Steve had been looking down at his hands, turning them over and over, and then at his body, touching his arms and legs and stomach in disbelief. When Father spoke, he noticed the men kneeling before him and pulled his arms in and stepped backwards in startled amazement.

Meanwhile, Tyrol had taken advantage of the job Father had started and had chewed through the remaining ropes. The dragon got up off the floor and ran over to Father.

“How can you be sure,” said Tyrol. “The heir was only 8 when he disappeared.”

“The resemblance is unmistakable!” Father said. There was a murmur of agreement from most of the guardsman.

A bright spark came through one of the high windows and flew toward Steve. The spark settled on the ground next to him and then materialized into the Fairy Queen, small yet beautifully magic next to the towering young man.

“Yes, the resemblance to his father is indeed unmistakable,” she said. “Pity. It would have been so lovely if he could have resembled his mother more. She was always such a lovely child.”

“Grandma!” said Steve, and he fell to one knee before the Fairy Queen. “I’m not an ogre anymore!”

“No. Once the dragon wizard was dead, the spell was no longer necessary and it broke.” She turned her attention to Father. He had remained kneeling so he and the Fairy Queen were eye to eye. “You must be the dragon slayer I have heard about.” Father nodded his head in modest acknowledgement. “So dragon,” she said to Tyrol, stepping around Father so she could see the dragon. “There was something special about the boy. You were right to protect him.”

Otto stammered and then said, “I didn’t do anything your majesty. It was all Father. I just wished for him to have my magic ring so he could save Tyrol.”

“That was enough,” said the Fairy Queen. “You used wisdom, and that’s the best thing you can ever do.”

“What about the half-trolls?” said Steve, otherwise known as Prince Stefan. “Won’t they try to avenge their master’s death?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them,” said Father. “Whatever physical abilities the wizard’s food gave them, they all had coward’s hearts. As soon as they feel his magic seep away from them, they will flee.”