“It’s a boring story, and I can’t be bothered to listen to you,” Dragon said to the knight who had ventured into the forest. “I believe you’re lying. You can’t fool me, and besides,” she licked her lips, “it’s been ages since I last ate a cooked knight. The last time was when...”
“Whoa, wait, please!” begged the knight, his voice muffled inside his armour. “If you eat me, you’ll never know about the past of… of…”
“Hefest?” Wolf asked.
“Yes, yes, him!” replied the terrified knight, desperate to avoid being eaten. He had bragged to the king that he would slay the dragons threatening the kingdom, though he hadn’t actually believed they existed. After all, dragons were just fairy tales, weren’t they?
“Shall I start a fire?” Wolf asked, pleased with the sparks flying from his mouth as he raised his voice.
Dragon nodded and leaned closer to the knight, sniffing loudly. “I reckon this one’ll need an hour or two. No idea what this bloke’s been eating, but the meat looks tougher than it seems.”
“The story is true, you’ll see I’m right, Madam Dragon,” the knight grovelled. “It’s about you and your brother.” He nodded towards Wolf.
“Aha,” Dragon said. “I knew it, you’re a spy and the one who poisoned my brother!”
“But...”
“Thanks for admitting it. That should improve the sour taste of your meat. Just sweat out the poison and toxins in your body.”
She blew a stream of sparks at the knight, who was suffocating in his armour, feeling like he was in an oven. Why have I been so boastful? he thought. Why didn’t I hear the mocking laughter of the village elders, who had called me mad for my nonsense stories?
“Well?” Wolf asked, delighted, pointing at the fire he had just stoked.
“That looks great, said Dragon, you have made progress. Let’s make it a pleasant evening, with games around the campfire while the gentleman boils.”
“I know the name of an ancient war game that you are both definitely interested in,” squeaked the knight who was thrown into the cooking pot and felt the fire burning under his feet.“Whoever wins becomes the lord and master of the Enchanted Forest—and everything in it! Believe me, I’ve heard the stories my whole life, from...”
“Hefest!”
“Do you think he’s trustworthy, or is he spinning us another fairy tale?” Wolf asked.
“Truly, honestly, believe me—I have proof! The story hasn’t changed once over the years, and that can only mean magic is involved.”
Wolf growled in his throat, and some flames jumped over the armour of the knight who dived into the cooking pot in fright.
“What strange creatures knights are,” Dragon mused, sniffing at the bubbles rising to the surface. “I think that bloke’s farting in the broth. What an ill-mannered guy he is. Shall we see how long he can hold his breath?”
Together, Dragon and Wolf stood, counting beside the cooking pot as the knight anxiously tried to stay underwater.
A fair bit of time passed before Wolf said, “Look, something’s floating to the surface. I think dinner’s ready, who’s opening the tin?”
“I’ll let you do the honours. Chew it well so it pops open in one go, you don’t want to break a tooth on that rubbish.”
16.5.25
Prompt: see title provided by @worldbuilder see here
Thanks for the inspiration!
Original text: Dutch
Translation: google and deepl.com
Prompt: chew it well = provided by @daily.prompt