"....and with the last of his strength, he gave one final blow to the mighty dragon. The evil lizard fell, shaking the entire word as his weighty body hit against the earth. Exhausted, our hero dropped his bloodied sword, his strained limbs giving out as he himself collapsed at the side of the villanous creature he had just slain.

He woke to the beauty of his rescued maiden, the Princess, and once healed, they wed and he was crowned King of our nation, where he still sits in his throne today."   The village storyteller completed his tale, setting himself down on his own throne, the tree log. The old man appeared that he too was about to collapse from exhaustion, such zeal put into his telling. His voice lowered, he continued, "And thus is the end of our tale--a happy ending which brought peace and joy to all."

The audience of gathered children and their parents applauded the storyteller jubliantly, a few young men bursting into a chorus of the cheers "Long Live the King".  Julian stood from his cross-legged position, unnoticed, casting the hood over his face. Frowning, he stretched out his long legs, shrugging to loosen his shoulders. He grimaced as the scar on his back pulled, a twinge of mild pain going up and down his spine. Shaking it off, he strolled away from the gathering and into the darkness of the shadows.

No one would knew what Julian had given. What he had sacrificed. And no one would ever know.  

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Author guidance for This story

My newest solo--a play off of a regular, typical fairytale. Enjoy! :D

updated Dec 5 '10 by ZillaGirl