Chapter 5
The next few days passed in much the same way as the previous one. Norman and Dennis would talk to each other about themselves; Norman would play his flute while Dennis danced through the skies; and in the evenings, Dennis would generally catch their dinner. As they traveled, Dennis told Norman more about the world around them.
“Now, take mermaids,” the dragon said one day. “You've got two types, fresh-water and salt-water. The fresh-water mermaids are friendlier than the ones who live in the oceans. I think it's because the water is warmer. It also might be because people generally aren't sailing big ships full of shiny treasure on the rivers or lakes. And gryphons are getting scarcer all the time. They're mostly up north now, where there aren't so many humans. They're very fierce, strong, and brave, but not real smart. Makes them easy for humans to hunt, unfortunately, which is why they migrated. And ogres have always kept to themselves. I don't know much about them, really. We dragons, though, can be at home pretty much anywhere. Mostly that's because we can camouflage ourselves, but also because we come in so many different sizes. There are some of us that are only about the size of cats. Those guys actually stay pretty far from humans, because they worry that people will try to keep them as pets.”
Norman was astonished at Dennis's knowledge of the world around them, and even more so to learn that there was more to know than he'd ever dreamed. He asked, “Will you take me to see mermaids and gryphons, Dennis? And of course I'd love to see the other kinds of dragons!”
“Sure, kid,” Dennis replied. “We'll go wherever you want to go. But right now, we've got to figure out what we're going to do once we reach that island, and how we're going to get the Dragon's Apple from that ogre.”
So the two young adventurers made their plans, tentatively at first, waiting until they actually reached the island to make them firm. After traveling for four days, they reached the east coast, and could see several islands just a short way offshore.
“Which one are we headed to, Dennis?” Norman asked with barely suppressed excitement.
Dennis pointed to the largest island in the group. “That one there,” he said. “It's good that it's so big. We'll be able to sneak up on the ogre better that way.” He flapped his wings to lift them into the air, and a few minutes later he was circling high over their destination in order to get an idea of the island's layout, and to see where exactly the gem might be. Soon enough, Dennis and Norman could both see a clearing near the island's center. There was a kind of rude hut to one side, and in the center was a pedestal with something gleaming brightly atop it. As they hovered overhead, what appeared to be a large, brutish man with a coarse sack slung over his shoulder stomped through the clearing and into the hut. Shortly afterward, smoke began to trickle upward from the chimney.
Dennis took them a short distance away, and then he and Norman sat down to cement their plans. They decided that the best thing to do would be to surprise the ogre, grab the gem, and fly away as fast as they could. And since Norman was determined to challenge the creature, Dennis would provide backup if needed. Once they had the details worked out, they crept silently to the edge of the clearing, where Dennis left to circle around to the opposite side, where he could make himself look like an extension of the pile of boulders which was sitting there.
Norman hid himself amongst a clump of tall, leafy bushes on his side of the clearing. He could see the gem sitting on the pedestal, the sun glinting off it's reddish-pink facets. The ogre had come out of his hut and was sitting in profile to Norman, his head bent over his meal. “Most likely the remains of the last poor soul who disturbed him!” Norman thought to himself, slightly more nervous than he cared to admit.
Knowing that Dennis was nearby to provide help should he need it, the young knight took a few silent, calming breaths, stealthily drew his sword, readied what he hoped would be a terrifying battle cry, and charged through the bushes. At the sound of branches cracking, the ogre leaped to his feet, spinning to face Norman. The youth charged forward, yelling at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately,
Norman was so busy running and yelling that he forgot to watch where he was putting his feet, and tripped over a head-sized stone in his path. “Yaaaaaaar-oof!” Norman exclaimed as he fell, while at the same moment his outstretched sword jabbed the ogre in the shin.
The ogre yowled in pain for a moment, clapping his great hands to the wound. Then, visibly collecting himself, he stood and glared down at Norman, who was now standing somewhat shakily before him. “I say!” the ogre exclaimed. “What the devil do you think you're doing? Do you normally go around waving swords at people who are eating their dinners? Well?”
This sounded all to familiar to Norman, who was gaping up at the ten-foot tall ogre. Finally, he found his voice enough to stammer, “W-w-well, n-no. But I've come to take that gem there, and I'm not taking no for an answer!” This last was said with a bit more bravado because Dennis was no longer disguised and had come to stand behind him.
The ogre looked from Dennis to Norman and back again, clapped a hand to his forehead, shook his head, and muttered, “I should have known. There's always a dragon involved!” He looked at Dennis again and said, “You told him that an ogre took the gem, didn't you?”
“Well, yes. . .” Dennis replied.
“And did you tell him why it was taken, or just that it used to belong to the dragons, and it has a curse on it, and that the two of you should come get it?”
“Um, I don't know why it was taken,” Dennis began, with a slightly abashed look on his face.
“Of course you don't,” said the ogre. “That would be asking entirely too much. All right,” he sighed, “why don't you come sit down, and we'll talk. Can I offer you some ham, or something to drink?” he asked with at least an attempt at politeness. When Dennis and Norman both declined, he said, “Suit yourselves, but I'm going to finish my lunch. Oh, and by the way, my name's Bob.”
After Norman introduced himself and Dennis, Bob the ogre asked, “So, what's your story, kid? Let me guess, you've just been knighted, and you decided that you need to 'make a name for yourself'
or something equally silly. Sound about right?”
Norman said “Well, yes, something like that. After I was knighted, I was originally going to slay the fiercest dragon in the kingdom. But then I met Dennis, and he offered to let me travel with him instead. And he told me about the Dragon's Apple, and even though it might be cursed, I wanted to find it anyhow. And, well, maybe fight the ogre guarding it, and then take it back to the king, to show that I'm worthy of being a knight. I just want to make my mother proud,” he finished in a slightly plaintive voice.
Bob said, “Well, I can understand that, Norman. Everyone wants to make their parents proud. And the gem is cursed, but if you really want it, I'll let you take it back to your king. My family's been guarding it for centuries, ever since we were asked to take it from the dragon kingdom. It gets a little old, sometimes, always having to keep everyone away.”
“You were asked to take it?” exclaimed Dennis. “But why? Dragons never willingly give up part of their hoard!”
“Well, normally that's true,” said Bob. “But the king dragon at the time—I forget his name—had dug up this stone, and boy, did he ever like it. Thought it brought him luck, too, because he suddenly had all the female dragons just flocking all over him. But then he realized it wasn't just female dragons that were coming around. It was every female, of every species, even some humans that got too close. The only creatures that weren't affected were ogres—seems we're immune to it, or something. Anyway, that king dragon sent for the head of my clan, and begged him to take the stone far away, and to keep it away from dragons or anyone else who wanted it. My ancestor agreed, brought it here, and called it the Dragon's Apple, because of its color, you see. We've done a pretty good job keeping it away from the world, but rumors to get out, and every once in a while one of us has to chase away some treasure-seeker. But as I said, it gets old having to keep everyone away, and without the gem, I might be able to have a normal life.”
Norman and Dennis exchanged glances, then the knight said, “Well, if you really don't mind getting rid of it, I'll take it back to my king. The curse doesn't sound that bad.”
Bob replied, “Well, just remember I warned you. I'll tell you exactly what the curse is. The curse is that members of the opposite sex will be attracted to whoever is holding the gem, whether they're male or female. So be careful who you give it to. And if you ever need to get rid of it, you can bring it back here.”
“I'll keep that in mind, though I don't think the king will want to get rid of it,” Norman replied. He walked over to the pedestal and picked up the gem. “Such a lot of fuss for such a small thing,” he said. “Hard to believe it could cause any trouble.”
After thanking the ogre for allowing them to take the gem, and for his advice, Norman climbed on Dennis's back once more, and the two took off, heading west. Everything seemed fine until they crossed the small stretch of water separating the ogre's island from the mainland. As soon as they passed over the coast, they noticed that birds began to follow them.
“That's kind of weird,” Norman said, looking over his shoulder at the birds.
“Want to know what's really weird? They're all female birds,” responded Dennis. “Don't look so surprised,” he continued, “of course I can tell they're females, I've got better eyesight than you do, you know.”
“That must be part of the curse,” said Norman. “But I still don't think it's as much trouble as Bob was saying it would be.”
They continued on, with the birds following them, and more continuously showing up. Eventually, though, they noticed that as they passed through different areas, the types of birds trailing behind them changed; no bird tried to follow outside of its natural habitat. As the day drew to a close, Dennis landed in one of the campsites that they had used on their eastward journey. Norman dismounted and began setting up for the night, while Dennis went hunting for supper.
When Norman wandered over to the small stream nearby for some water, he noticed that there were fish swarming near the banks. They appeared to follow him as he walked alongside the water's edge. “Weird,” he thought, then shook his head and headed back toward the fire he'd built. As he moved around camp, Norman saw mice following him but trying not to get too close. And then when he sat down, there were a lot of assorted animals watching him from the trees. He could see foxes, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, all just clustered near the edges of the trees, and all staring at him. When Dennis got back, Norman said, “Look at all those animals, Dennis. They've been all around here ever since we arrived! Did you have any animals following you?”
Dennis replied, “No, but remember, Bob said that the curse affected whoever is holding the gem. I know it's in your saddlebags, but that must still count as you holding it, since they're your saddlebags.” He glanced over at the animals in the trees. “They don't seem to be bothering you, though, so maybe it's not so much a curse as a nuisance.”
“Maybe,” Norman said. “Well, let's see if we can ignore them for now, and have some dinner. You know, I'm really glad I met you. Not only have I had more of an adventure than I would have had on my own, but I'm getting places much faster! Can you imagine taking an extra few weeks to get back home, with all these animals all around me all the time? It would be horrible!” Dennis laughed and agreed with him. The two friends followed the evening routine they'd established, and then went to sleep.
When they woke up the next morning, there were even more animals, crowding closer to their sleeping forms than they had while dragon and knight were awake. Dennis and Norman both tried shooing the animals away, to no avail. Finally, they gave up, and resigned themselves to ignoring the other animals while they prepared to leave. After breakfast, Norman once again climbed on Dennis's back, who then launched the two of them into the air. Looking down, Norman could see the animals looking longingly upward before running to follow their progress to the best of their abilities. The
young knight almost felt sorry for the animals, and hoped the effects of the curse would wear off soon.
This was the pattern for the companions for the next couple of weeks. Everywhere they went, they, or specifically, Norman, were surrounded by adoring females of all species. Some were braver than others, but as long as Dennis was around, none dared come too close, for fear of becoming a tasty snack. At first, Dennis and Norman both thought it was kind of funny to have so many admirers, but by the time they were nearing the king's castle, they'd had enough. They were lucky enough to avoid other people, right up until they arrived at the castle. When they got there, the sight of a dragon landing in the courtyard threw the various courtiers into an uproar, as well as sending all of the nearby animals into a state of panic. When the dust settled, Norman dismounted called out, “It's all right! It's just me, Norman, with my friend Dennis! We have a gift for the king!”
To his dismay, Norman noticed that the curse was beginning to affect the females in the castle, just as it had while in the countryside. The animals were drawing nearer, as were the women of the castle, both noble and common alike. Norman really hoped the king would arrive soon.
Just as several of the noblewomen had worked up their courage to come near to Dennis's side, the king came into the courtyard and said, “Well, well, if it isn't young Norman! I thought you were going to slay a dragon, not bring one home! Is this the gift you mentioned?”
Just as Dennis was drawing himself up and huffily saying, “Certainly not!” Norman patted him on the shoulder and replied, “No, your Majesty. This is my friend, Dennis. He's been an enormous help to me. With him, I've flown to the eastern shore, where we met an ogre and retrieved a precious gem, which I've brought back to you as proof of my worthiness. I should warn you, however, that it's cursed. It attracts all the members of the opposite sex to the person who holds the gem.” With that, he pulled the pale red Dragon's Apple out of his saddlebags and held it out to the king.
“This is a fine gift, indeed, young Norman. I'm honored that you've brought it to me. I think I can handle a little curse,” the king said with a smile. “What are your plans now?”
Norman answered, “Well, for right now, I'm going to go see to my mother, and introduce her to Dennis. Then, if he wants to, I thought about traveling some more. Maybe head north this time to see if I can find some gryphons.” With that, he remounted, and Dennis took off out of the courtyard. Norman noticed with relief that the women had completely ignored his departure and were congregating on the king. “We might want to stick around for a few days,” he said to Dennis.
“Oh? Why's that?”
“Because,” laughed Norman, “his Majesty might want us to come and get that gemstone and return it to Bob!”
With an answering laugh, Dennis followed Norman's directions to his home. He hoped they could head out on another adventure soon. He could tell that he and this young human were going to be the very best of friends.
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