Sir
Terrell & the Dragon
So on the following morn, Sir Terrell, the bravest Knight of the
Order,
struck out from Brook's Village prepared for battle. Among
other
things, he brought a rope for climbing and a torch for seeing in
dark
places, as the peasants had suggested that he might have need of
such
things. With the morning sun rising over his right
shoulder, Sir
Terrell rode off to cheers of support and well wishes from the
common
folk.
To reach the village, Sir Terrell first had to travel along the
Ponce
de Leon road for some distance. After riding several leagues, he
turned
onto the road towards Lecanto. He rode northward, being
sure to
note the distance he
covered from this point forward. After travelling another
four
miles, he came to the spot where the peasants had told him he
would
need to dismount his horse and proceed on foot. As they
had
described, there was a small sign with the word "LONE" on the
left side
of the road. At this point, Sir Terrell left his trusty
steed
harnessed
on the right side of the road and lumbered eastward to face
this dragon.
It was becoming all too clear that he was entering the
realm of
the
dragon. The local villagers had hastily constructed a
series of
concrete impediments here in an attempt to keep this dragon
confined to
the woods where he couldn't wreak havoc with commerce and travel
along
the highway. Sir Terrell was a bit skeptical that such
impediments would actually work -- but it did appear as though
the
dragon hadn't ventured across the road, so perhaps there was
something
to it after all.
As soon as Sir Terrell passed the concrete impediments, the
signs of
dragon activity were unmistakable. There was charred,
scorched
earth and desolation everywhere to be seen. It was
difficult to
imagine that one dragon had caused this much destruction.
When he had walked about a half mile, Sir Terrell quite suddenly
came
upon the dragon's lair! It was a horrifying place, yet
wondrous
at the same time; he had to remind himself of the danger lest he
be
caught off guard. The lair had several entrances so the
dragon
couldn't be trapped inside, or so he could sneak out and
approach a
victim from behind. Somehow, some brave villagers had
approached
close enough to erect a barricade to prevent the unwary from
venturing
too close.
The main entrance appeared to be risky, but Sir Terrell found
that an
entrance on the south side might afford a way to sneak into the
lair
and perhaps catch the pesky dragon sleeping. He cautiously
crept
in, holding his breath the whole time to avoid choking on the
stench. After a brief look around inside, though, he
realized
that the dragon was not home. That gave him a moment's
reprieve,
but it also meant that he would have to go find the monster.
He returned to the main path and continued eastward
past the north end of this lair. After
about three hundred yards, he saw another, smaller lair off the
right
side of the trail. There was only one entrance apparent
at this lair, and it was a fairly tight squeeze for a knight in
full
battle armor. Once inside, he understood why the villagers
had
suggested the rope and torch!
This time, he found the dragon at home! He quickly drew
his sword
and challenged the fearsome beast. A frightful
battle ensued, and the good knight eventually was able to flush
the
dragon from the lair and out into the open. He gave chase
and
drove the dragon towards the southwest. After fleeing only
a few
yards, the dragon got his neck caught between a pair of oak
trees that
were too close together for the rest of his girth to fit
between.
Sir Terrell saw his chance and quickly circled around and slew
the
dragon on the spot!
With the dragon gone, life in the village is slowly returning to
normal. The charred and scorched countryside is starting
to show
signs of regrowth. The smell of sulfur and brimstone is
gone, and
the area is actually a pleasant place to visit. Today
families
and children come to visit the lairs where the dragon once
lived.
As a tribute to Sir Terrell the villagers made an image of the
ferocious dragon and placed this image for all to enjoy.
There was a parade to commemorate the occasion and all continued
to the dragon's final resting place. The villagers went
west on the path approximately 365 steps. One could actually see
the golden fence marking the end of their territory. On
the north side of the path there was a fallen tree signifying
the fallen dragon. At the base of the tree where the trunk
met the base the villagers found the amazing site of the tribute
to Sir Terrell and the vanquished dragon.
