Let Sleeping Dragons Lie

George wandered slowly as a cloud due to the heavy weight on his shoulders, and the hefty flag the heavy weight was holding aloft. George was certain the old stone bridge they were crossing creaked and groaned, when George suddenly realised there was something beneath.

“Steady, boy!” Heavyweight reassured, as George whinnied nervously. “There’s nothing down there only snow!” George shook his head from side to side. “A few more steps and we’re across, into the safety of the Grand Kingdom.”

George suddenly reared up onto his back legs as a large scaly tail swished at speed from the side of the bridge, whipping the cobbled road before them. Heavyweight toppled from the saddle, and crashed unceremoniously to the ground, breaking the staff of the flag in two.

The tail swished again, this time knocking the flag part of the staff over the side of the bridge.

“That’s one angry snake!” Heavyweight declared, scrambling to get back upon George, only to realise his victory banner was now gone. He adjusted his helmet, and pondered trying to retrieve the flag. “A snake that size can keep the banner!” he declared without further hesitation, thinking what a pity it was that it had got the best end of the stick, and wishing that he had a ladder so he could at least have tried to get it back.

Without further thinking, Heavyweight clutched at his short stick, unsnagged his cape from the horse’s harness, clambered back into the saddle , readjusted his helmet, and was knocked back to the ground by the swishing tail.

George turned to look at Heavyweight, but as his leg was caught in the stirrup he dragged Heavyweight around across the icy stone cobbles.

“Woah, boy!” Heavyweight whimpered, looking directly at George, who was a gift from his sister Princess Grace of the Grand Kingdom. George opened his mouth, which caused Heavyweight to wince. “We need to get that tooth seen to, boy!” He said, still hanging off the stirrup.

The tail swished once more, and that was it for George. Making a rod for his own back, he galloped off the bridge at breakneck speeds.

“Woah,boy!” Screamed Heavyweight, his head bobbing along the ground, protected, luckily, by his helmet. George came to a stop at Small Mercy brook, a hop and a jump away from the bridge, which Heavyweight was grateful for. He untangled himself, dusted himself down to make him look once again like the Prince he should be. He discarded the staff as it was no longer of any use to him.

He patted George’s nose.

“I’ll keep quiet about this one, boy,” Heavyweight was trying to be helpful again. “No-one will believe me there’s a snake that size living under the bridge anyway. You handled that snake very well, George!”

George whinnied once again and rolled his eyes.

—

It’s Hélène’s ‘What Do You See’ challenge once again… and this week, I see knights of old – or something like that.

Visit the link below to see more interpretations of the picture, expertly selected once again!