Part 4: The Dragon's Lair

Nurse Fridaygale held the small oil lamp as high as she could, as she threaded her way between the beds and makeshift sleeping pads scattered throughout the ward. Stopping to stroke the brow of a troubled sleeper she gentled him back into a dreamfree sleep. As she passed those patients who were awake they drew strength from her passing and their wounds seemed to hurt less.

'The Dragon has been worse this time.' She thought.

Usually the Dragon would only scorch the odd passerby, but recently he had been restless. No one knew the reason, but it had all got much, much worse when two Knights had appeared from the West promising to slay the Troublesome Dragon. Sir Frank of Downey and Sir Nick of Scipio where their names.

At first it had all seemed to be going the two Knights' way. But the Dragon was an old and wily Dragon and had merely been toying with the Knights. Nurse Fridaygale had been shocked at the terrible (though not life-threatening) injuries that the two Knights had sustained.

Nurse Fridaygale came to a decision, first though she checked on the sleeping forms of the two Knights. Sir Frank seemed restless and it took more than a gentle stroking of his forehead before he was able to fall into a deep and restful slumber. Carefully cleaning her hands Nurse Fridaygale walked to her small room and retrieved a small rolled parchment from beneath her pillow, unrolling it she began to read.

Halfway up the hill above the town, flames and smoke issued from the Dragon's Lair. In the early morning light the figure of Nurse Fridaygale could be seen walking with great trepidation up to the entrance to the Dragon's Lair.

Carefully undressing Nurse Fridaygale laid her clothes upon a convenient rock. Extracting a tall brown bottle from her robe, she thanked the lord (and the author) for the invention of screw-off caps (stop making your own jokes up at the back there!).

Peering into lair she noticed that the flames and the smoke had died down.

Slowly entering the cave she spoke. "If you wanted a beer all you had to do was ask!"