Princess Alexis and the Dragon

Dragon bites, even from the little ones, can be quite nasty and, if left untreated, could become fatal. The miracles of modern medicine had failed to provide a reliable cure. The best wizards had done extensive research on the subject, but to no avail. Various combinations of spider juice, frog semen and walrus pubic hair, as well as their common derivatives, so often effective in treating in the plague and the clap, were useless. The only treatment, which proved to be effective, was to kill the offending dragon and cut off its tongue. The dragon’s forked tongue was used to make a poultice which, when spread on the wound, cured it completely, without even leaving a scar. This had the effect of providing a constant demand for skilled knights. But, I get ahead of the story…

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago in a land far, far away, there was a magical kingdom ruled by a kindly king and queen. They had a daughter, the beautiful Princess Alexis, who was loved and admired by all in the realm. She had many suitors who had courted her, including the handsome and noble Duke Ryan.

Duke Ryan was a swordsman of some note, in fact, the duke and his sister held the kingdom championship title for mixed doubles in both rapier and broadsword. The duke was the jealous type and not a few of the princess’s suitors had perished by his sword. That was an acceptable form of courting in those days. The duke was highly regarded by the king and queen; and by the time he had won the broadsword singles championship for the third year running, the king and queen had promised him Princess Alexis’s hand in marriage.

Princess Alexis truly liked and admired the dashing young Duke, but she was an independent lass, with a mind of her own. She did not completely approve of this arranged marriage business, in part because it was arranged, but primarily, because it was business. The king wanted to cement a real estate syndication deal with the duke’s aging father for a shopping mall and theme park to be developed on the eastern edge of the kingdom, which adjoined the duke’s land.

The lovely Princess Alexis was a loving daughter and did not want to disappoint her parents so she kept up all the appearances of being happily betrothed to Duke Ryan. Everyone in the kingdom thought they made a perfect couple. They appeared together at all the public functions, arm in arm, much to the pleasure of the king and queen.

Secretly however, the princess had fallen in love with Sir Roger, a much older knight who fought dragons for a living. Although Sir Roger was twice the princess’s age, he was a successful and skilled knight, who had fought and killed many dragons. He had traveled widely to many lands and had adopted various ways, habits and tastes from his travels, particularly those of Italy. He ate with a fork, which he acquired in Milan. He became adept in stealth, deception and intrigue in Venice. He also had a weakness for handmade Italian armor from Turin, its lighter weight made getting around easier at his age and it impressed the hell out of the dragons. Generally, he did not take to wearing armor unless he was actually planning on going into combat. He had long since given up wearing the heavy confining metal suit around town, just to prove he was a real knight. He preferred the soft leathers and fabrics of Florence and the Far East to the crude local wear.

As a young knight, Sir Roger was strong, fast and brutal in the pursuit of his foes. As he got older, his strength and speed were replaced by experience and an understanding of the dragon’s psyche. He was the first to use psychology as a weapon in fighting dragons. It was rumored that he could so intimidate a dragon, without even drawing his sword, that it would fall unconscious from fear. Dragons, although very strong, fast and deadly, were not particularly brave. They generally relied upon a great show of fire, smoke and loud bellowing to confuse their enemies.

Dragon slayers were generally feared as being dangerous men, not to be trifled with; and older knights were feared the most, having survived the most dragons and challenges from upstart young knights. Sir Roger’s reputation as an accomplished dragon slayer was further tainted by the public’s suspicion that he also possessed some dark, sinister and forbidden knowledge to aid in his success. The motto on Sir Roger's coat of arms stated, roughly translated from the old Latin, "Age and treachery shall defeat youth and skill." That sort of summed it up. Sir Roger was happy with his reputation; even if it wasn’t completely true, it did tend to keep the pesky young knights from constantly challenging him to duels. That sort of thing was fun for the youngsters, but was trying for someone Sir Roger’s age.

Princess Alexis found this older, more experienced man exciting, dangerous and very romantic. Their relationship began innocently enough, with some flirtatious notes passed back and forth by Sir Roger’s squire and Princess Alexis’s lady-in-waiting. Squires and ladies-in-waiting were generally trusted in such matters because the penalty for a breach of trust usually involved becoming dragon food. Sir Roger also suspected that his squire and the princess’s lady-in-waiting had some extra-curricular interests of their own.

As their friendship grew, they could always be caught deep in conversation in court whenever Duke Ryan was not around. There were beginning to be rumors in court circles that the princess and Sir Roger may have some interests other than for the benefit of the kingdom or the duke. The king and the duke dismissed these rumors as jealous gossip, for how could the lovely, young and innocent princess have a romantic interest in the aging and somewhat sinister knight. As for Sir Roger’s interest in the princess, that was understandable, everyone loved and admired her. She was a spunky young lady whose quick wit charmed all around her, both men and women. Many princes, dukes and counts had gladly lost their lives to Duke Ryan’s sword while trying to woo her.

Sir Roger was completely smitten by the lovely young princess. He could not believe, at his age, that a young and beautiful princess would have any interest in him. She was bold and confident, and sometimes he even felt as if she had pursued him. It was all very confusing. He wanted to be with her and to court her, but he could not be open with his affections for fear of hurting her chances for the shopping mall and theme park, and for fear of being run through by one of the duke's rapiers. The aging Sir Roger was fast to appreciate the difference between psyching out a dragon and getting into a swordfight with an angry Duke Ryan. Also there was the problem that although he was a knight of the kingdom, he was not of noble blood and thus would never be allowed marry the fair Alexis.

Their relationship had gradually intensified to the point of brief secret meetings and once even a brief stolen kiss. It is important to stop and explain that, at least among the nobility, virginity was highly prized as a sign of purity. However, the common folk seemed to have little use for it, and generally would fuck at the drop of a hat. Accordingly, there was much hat-dropping in certain parts of town. Sir Roger was known to have a large collection of hats, accumulated during his youth. On one of his travels, he had acquired some unusual tutoring from a Venetian master of some note, an interesting fellow named Casanova. He had also studied the techniques of some of the French masters as well. It would be safe to assume that Sir Roger was familiar with the various parts and uses of the female body.

Of course, the Princess Alexis was a virgin. She was determined to remain in that status until the shopping mall, theme park and marriage business had gone through. In the mean time, she had discovered the joys of virginal sex, a sport highly refined by the pressures of abstinence demanded by the noble class. Alexis and Duke Ryan would often get naked and play with each other’s privates; it was fun, satisfying and just a little kinky. The duke for some unknown reason had also remained a virgin. He planned that they would truly enjoy wedded bliss on their wedding night.

Through a series of passed notes, Princess Alexis and Sir Roger finally arranged to meet, alone for the first time, in a seldom-used storage room in one of the castle’s many towers. This room had a key which Princess Alexis had the only copy. The room was filled with old furniture and had a widow overlooking the mountains in the distance. This would be their first really private meeting, and they might have as much as an hour alone together.

They slipped into the storage room and locked the door behind them. Immediately, Princess Alexis started to laugh, saying that she could not believe that they were meeting this way. Sir Roger couldn’t believe it either, but for entirely different reasons. He had his share of clandestine meetings with fair young maidens under his belt, but not for quite a while, none with a princess, and certainly none with a beautiful princess with whom he had fallen in love.

Sir Roger was captivated by the lovely young Alexis. She was tall and stood straight with good posture, her breasts thrust out proudly. She had long golden hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back. She had a quick and sometimes mischievous smile of perfect teeth; and her eyes blazed an intense blue that locked onto his. She wore an embroidered dress cut low in the front showing the tops of her full breasts and a deep valley of cleavage between them. Sir Roger’s eyes were similarly locked, but on her breasts. They were magnificent, soft with a creamy white complexion, but he could not hope to even dream of caressing them. He was lost in the thought of what they looked like, unencumbered by her dress and undergarments, when she coughed to gain his attention. Startled out of his reverie, Sir Roger fumbled out some idiotic compliment about her dress as an excuse for having been caught staring at her breasts.

“Do you like what you see, Sir Roger?” She asked, “Well, if you do, I could arrange for you to see more.” The princess was forthright if nothing else.

Sir Roger may have been much older than the princess’s usual suitors, but there was nothing wrong with his libido or his equipment. His cock instantly hardened, and actually pushed his codpiece away from his crotch.

“I see that you do,” The princess observed. “Now, you come here.”

Sir Roger was transfixed with the thought of what was to come and he could not move. His heart pounded; he was nervous. This was far more dangerous than any dragon. This was something over which he had no control.

The princess slowly walked toward him and put her arms around his neck, pulling his lips to her own. Her firm breasts pressed hard against his chest, causing him to reflect thankfully on his habit of not wearing armor. His pelvis pressed hard against her, causing him to question the wisdom of wearing a codpiece.

The kiss was one of the few memorable kisses in a lifetime of kisses. It was deep and hungry. By some coincidence, the bells in the church belfry across the square started to peal just as their lips met. They could not tell if the bells were from the church or in their heads. It did not matter. All that mattered was that they were in each other’s arms. Up to now the flirtatious looks and gentle touches of hands were all tentative and uncertain. Neither of them really knew how the other felt. Neither knew where this odd relationship was heading. This kiss answered all of that. It was as if their questions and doubts and reservations were answered, all at once, all in one kiss.

Their hands caressed each other’s body. Sir Roger’s one hand held her butt, pressing her pelvis against him, the other hand cupped her breast. His fingers felt her nipple growing hard beneath the fabric of her dress, and he gently pinched it. She gasped with delight and whispered into his ear, “I like it harder. Do it harder, a lot harder.”

As he pinched her nipple harder, she trembled and her knees wobbled beneath her. Not being slow on the uptake, Sir Roger grasped each of her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers and rolled them hard. Alexis’s legs went limp under her and her eyes rolled up into her head. She let out a long slow moan of lust and desire. She would have fallen if it had not been for her arms around Sir Roger’s neck.

Sir Roger picked Alexis up into his arms and carried her to an old bed where he laid her down. He paused to gaze into her eyes; her bright smile flashed acceptance and encouragement as her arms reached out to him. She pulled him to her and he lay down beside her on the bed.

They spent an hour naked on the bed exploring and giving pleasure to each other. Sir Roger was well acquainted with the virginity issue and knew quite well how to please Alexis in other ways. He kissed her feet and legs and thighs, stopping at her virgin lips. His tongue probed where no penis had ever gone before. He loved the taste of her and kept it up until she was almost screaming in ecstasy. He showed her the nuances of the latest French rage of the virgin set, Soixante Neuf, a fun and mutually satisfying activity he liked to call “Snacks”, primarily because his French accent was atrocious.

Finally, they had to part. After dressing, they stood, eyes locked together. Little needed to be said, the expression in each other’s eyes told of their love. As they left and parted company, Sir Roger was in a daze. He still could not believe what had happened. He had never expected to have such a young, bright and beautiful person fall in love with him, much less a real princess. His heart was flying, his mind soaring. He wanted to shout out from every corner, to every one he saw, but he was not stupid and was in no mood to be confronted by an enraged duke with a sharp sword.

Princess Alexis was equally jubilant, but worried about the cruel twist that fate had handed her. She did truly like the duke, even loved him, and had been prepared to marry him. Now though, she had fallen in love with someone else, someone that she could never have. What did Roger have that was missing in the duke? Why did she feel this way about him? What, if anything could she do about it? Her marriage to the duke aside, her parents would never condone a marriage to a commoner. After several sleepless nights of tossing and turning Alexis came to a conclusion. She vowed to break off any further relationship with Sir Roger. To continue to see him would be too hard for her, always knowing that they could never be together. She would tell him the next time she saw him, probably in court the next day.

Court was a pompous affair with much bowing and groveling, accompanied by insincerity and an unhealthy dose of out-right lying. Alexis hated it, but that was what everyone had been doing as long as anyone could remember, and no one had ever bothered to reform it. Sir Roger was pretty good at it, having gotten some graduate training while in Venice. Appearances were of utmost importance. And, it was important that Alexis looked and acted like a princess. Unfortunately, the lovely princess was in a real funk. Her decision had left her quite sad, unlike her generally cheerful self.

Duke Ryan had noticed her growing depression for several days and was becoming worried. She did not laugh at his stupid jokes as loudly as she did before. There was also a sadness in her eyes; that is until he saw her talking to Sir Roger.

The princess wanted to tell Roger of her decision. She knew he would be hurt, but she also knew that he would honor her request to part. When she saw him across the large hall, she hurried to him, fearing that it may have looked as if she were actually running to him. As she approached him, he bowed as expected, and taking her hand, kissed it softly. It was almost as if a spark crossed between his lips and her hand. Her fingers tingled and her legs became rubbery and weak. Her heart raced and she knew. She knew she could not let Roger go.

Duke Ryan saw this exchange and, of course, he did not know what it meant, but he did see a look of admiration in her eyes as she looked at the aging knight. This bothered him. Perhaps she was not satisfied with his accomplishments as a swordfighter. Maybe, he was not glamorous enough for her, perhaps not romantic enough. He pondered, “What does this old fart have that I don’t have?” Sir Roger had killed more dragons than anyone else in the history of the kingdom. That is the only explanation. Suddenly the duke got an inspiration. If he killed the oldest and most dangerous dragon in the kingdom, the Princess Alexis would love and admire him again.

Sir Roger had already come to blows with Deirdre, the oldest and most dangerous dragon in the kingdom. It had been several years before; and it had left the two of them in a stand-off that had gone on ever since. When they fought, Deirdre had actually managed to bite Sir Roger on the leg, but as she was coming in for the kill, he surprised her by a blindingly fast swipe with his short sword, cutting off one of the forks of her tongue. With both being seriously wounded, they agreed to a truce. Sir Roger used the piece of tongue to heal his leg, but Deirdre would always speak with a lisp. Their agreement was that Deirdre would swear off eating young virgins and Sir Roger would stop trying to kill her. The truce had gone quite well, with a possible downside being a depressing increase in the popularity of virginity.

Duke Ryan, who didn’t know a dragon from a tree frog, was ill equipped to handle the rigors of dragon slaying. He had taken off, on his own, without seeking any advice on how to fight dragons. First of all, he was over dressed, having worn the heavy armor used for jousting. That armor was heavy to keep its owner from being skewered, but was way too heavy for the mobility needed for fighting dragons. Secondly, he used a broadsword which was way too heavy and clumsy for the lively lizards. Without a good deal of luck, this expedition was going to end badly for the duke.

The duke, while in search of the oldest and most dangerous dragon, really couldn’t tell a baby dragon from Deirdre, the mother of all dragons. This confusion resulted in his killing a baby dragon, not much bigger than a cow. Even the most cold-hearted and bloodthirsty knights wouldn’t kill baby dragons. It just wasn’t done. Besides, it really got Deirdre pissed off; and few, if any, knights thought that was a good idea.

Sir Roger saw the duke riding back into town, dragging his trophy, the dead baby dragon, behind his horse on a litter. You weren’t supposed to kill them, but if you did, they were pretty good eating, so you brought them home. He instantly knew the truth behind the old saying about such things, roughly translated from the old Latin as, “The shit is going to hit the fan.”

Deirdre was truly pissed off. One of her babies had been slaughtered, and someone was going to pay, big time! Deirdre, having sworn off virgins for several years, was developing a mighty hunger for a nice fresh virgin, and she knew exactly which one, the Princess Alexis. A very large and pissed off dragon is a difficult and tedious foe. Snatching Princess Alexis was easy for Deirdre. Alexis was riding her horse through the woods when, swoop, the horse was a tasty snack and Alexis was on a plate, headed for the main course.

Dragons did not just gobble up virgins the way they did livestock. Virgins were like foie gras. Dragons had to play with the virgins for a while, before eating them. They would sniff at them and poke them to see how plump and juicy they were, before nibbling away slowly, slowly savoring each tiny bite. These eating habits were partially responsible for the low esteem with which the common folk held virginity.