The Historian and the Dragon

 

 

Bone-Scorcher the Bloodscale Dragon really liked the smell of fear. It was sweater than the taste of flesh and almost as good as the huge, sparkling bed of treasure he was lying on. It was like pollen to a bee, honey to a bear, an ant to an anteater. He could sit for days with someone he had captured and enjoy smelling how scared he or she was. Then of course he would eat them.

 

So as he lay in his mountain cave with his huge bed of treasure spread out around him, he was very curious why the man approaching his cave didn’t appear to be scared at all. It was quite unusual as even the bravest of knights were always a little bit scared when they came to fight him.

 

Of course, it was never long before they became absolutely terrified. Bloodscale Dragons are the second biggest kind of dragon in Kingdoms and the nastiest. They are as big as a house and their wings and scales are the colour of blood. Their eyes are as big as dinner plates, golden like the sun and they can breathe fire hot enough to melt metal.

 

It was a man who was approaching, an elderly one and Bone-Scorcher was a little disappointed as he would make a lousy meal. He wondered whether he should just leap out of his cave at him and gobble him, but he had recently gorged himself on half a dozen fat and juicy cows from a local farm and was feeling a little lazy.

 

He decided to wait for the man to reach him, still curious as to why he didn’t seem afraid. He could also smell food in the pack he was carrying and that just made him more curious as to why someone would come to his cave with food to eat.

 

Shortly the man arrived and stepped inside the cave.

 

‘Do I have the pleasure of addressing Bone-Scorcher the Dragon?’ he asked, looking up him.

 

Bone-Scorcher was a little startled. He was not used to being talked to in such a respectful way. Normally when a knight came to fight him, he would stand in front of the cave and say all sorts of insulting things to him before challenging him to step outside.

 

‘Yes, you do!’ he growled in a deep, menacing voice. ‘What do you want?’

 

‘Allow me to introduce myself,’ the stranger replied. ‘My name is Mr Twill, an historian from the Kingdoms National Library and I have come to write your biography.’

 

‘My what?’ Bone-Scorcher replied, his golden eyes blinking in confusion.

 

‘A biography… it’s a story about someone’s life, in your case the tales of your battles with knights, the princesses you have kidnapped and the castle raided for treasure,’ Mr Twill replied. ‘I have written about other dragons. You may have heard of Skull-Eater and Venom-Eye.’

 

Bone-Scorcher hadn’t heard of Venom-Eye, but he did know of Skull-Eater.

 

‘Skull-Eater! He’s not half the dragon I am!’ he scoffed. ‘I’d like to see any book written about that butterfly chaser.’

 

‘Actually, I have it here,’ Mr Twill replied and opening his pack, took out a large book.

 

He tossed it high up onto the treasure bed and Bone-Scorcher leaned down to look at it. There was a title on it and though the writing was very small, he had excellent eyesight. It read…

 

The Tale of Skull-Eater the Dragon

 

Bone-Scorcher frowned, a little annoyed that a book had been written about Skull-Eater. They had been rivals for many years and Bone-Scorcher always thought he was the fiercer of the two. But then again, what was a book, he thought? Only something a possible dinner might read.

 

‘Why should I bother about having a book written about me?’ he asked. ‘Will it feed me or give me treasure?’

 

‘Not as such, but anyone who has a book written about them becomes quite famous,’ Mr Twill replied. ‘Lots of folk enjoy reading about dragons and their battles and terrible deeds. For example, it’s said that you defeated the famous knight, Sir Jarek the Red.’

 

‘I did,’ Bone-Scorcher said proudly. ‘His bones made nice tooth picks.’

 

‘So you say,’ Mr Twill said very casually.

 

Bone-Scorcher gave a furious hiss and bright flames shot out of his nostrils.

 

‘Are you calling me a liar?’ he snarled.

 

‘Of course not, Bone-Scorcher. All I am saying is that no one really knows that you defeated him, because it’s not written down. But everyone knows what Skull-Eater has done.’

 

Bone-Scorcher was even more annoyed at the idea of Skull-Eater being better known than he was. He was sure he had killed more knights, kidnapped more princesses and stolen more treasure.

 

‘So you see how important it is to write your story, Bone-Scorcher,’ Mr Twill went on. ‘Thousands of people will read about you... poetry and plays will be written and you would be very famous… like Skull-Eater.’

 

Bone-Scorcher scratched his jaw thoughtfully with his long, sharp talons. Yes, it would be nice to have people know how fierce he was, he thought and that he was a fiercer dragon than Skull-Eater.

 

‘Mmm… very well then. Where would you like to start?

 

I remember my first knight, what was his name...’

 

Mr Twill cleared his throat, interrupting him.

 

‘Before we start Bone-Scorcher, the library does like to ask for a donation... from those who can afford it,’ he said, looking about the pile of treasure.

 

Bone-Scorcher’s golden eyes suddenly bulged with fury and he reared up into the air. He towered over the tiny Mr Twill and blew blistering hot flames into the air.

 

‘You want some of my... treasure!’ he roared.

 

‘Not me personally,’ Mr Twill replied calmly, quite used to dragons being protective of their treasure. ‘I’m paid by the library. But the library itself requires money to do research about famous creatures such as yourself. It’s not cheap… there are travel costs, paper and ink to buy and printing the finished books.’

 

Bone-Scorcher eyed the historian, wondering whether he should just eat him for even suggesting taking some of his treasure.

 

‘Of course, we would mention your generosity,’ Mr Twill added.

 

‘You would?’ Bone-Scorcher asked, startled again.

 

‘Yes, we would mention your name in a book about, say... a King or Queen. It would read something like... “this book would not have been possible without the great generosity of Bone-Scorcher the Dragon.” And of course we would give you a free copy.’

 

Now Bone-Scorcher had known quite a few kings and queens over the years from castles he had raided to kidnap princesses or steal treasure. Sometimes they made tasty snacks if he was feeling a bit peckish, but he also knew that they were famous themselves.

 

‘I suppose that does sound quite grand,’ he replied.

 

‘So... can we agree on a donation?’ Mr Twill asked. ‘Just something small.’

 

Bone-Scorcher grimaced in torment. The thought of parting with even a single coin was excruciating, but being famous was tempting too.

 

‘Go on then... take something!’ he growled painfully. ‘Quickly! Before I change my mind!’

 

Mr Twill bent down and picked up a small cloth bag lying at the edge of the treasure bed. He opened it and poured some large black pearls into his hand. He looked up at Bone-Scorcher who gritted his fangs at what he had taken, but nodded.

 

‘You won’t be disappointed, Bone-Scorcher,’ he said as he slipped the pearls back into their pouch and put it in a pocket of his coat.

 

He then sat down on a large treasure chest nearby and opening his pack, took out a small writing board, some paper and pencils.

 

‘Now, we’ll start with the knights you have defeated first I think, then move on to princesses and treasure. Who was the first?’ Mr Twill asked.

 

‘Well…’ Bone-Scorcher said, clearing his throat with a rumble that sent smoke hissing from his nostrils.

 

And so the biography of Bone-Scorcher the Bloodscale Dragon was written and it proved to be very popular. But he never got to read it. He was sadly… or happily depending on your point of view, slain just after its publication by the famous barbarian, Barak the Bold. But that’s a story for another time.