"Once upon a time, Lunial, a dragon, suffered under a curse, to live among men as a man. He had been in the guise of a man for so long his heart became like a man's. He fell in love with the king's daughter.
The princess returned his love. Unfortunately, she was pledged to another. When this prince came to claim her, she ran away with Lunial. They married and lived together in a cave. She kept it as their house while he labored in the fields. Their lives were happy for though they did not have much, they had each other.
The prince was unhappy, and bade his magicians to find out what they could about this man the princess loved above all else. When he learned his rival was a cursed dragon, he decided to become a hero to two kingdoms, and regain the princess.
He hid, waiting for Lunial to return home. The prince struck from behind, driving his lance through him. Lunial struggled against the weapon pinning him while he bled silver. But, the lance was spelled to withstand a dragon's might.
The prince left to find witnesses for his triumph. When Lunial died, the curse would lift. The prince's lance transfixing a dragon to the ground would be proof he had slain it, the cowardice of his action concealed by the transformation.
The princess appeared before the prince returned. She couldn't free the lance. Lunial started to confess his secret. But she said not to worry; she had seen the silver blood. She knew he was a dragon.
She kissed him. In a spray of magic he became a dragon again and wrested the lance from his shoulder.
"You freed me! My curse was to live as a man until a woman loved me knowing my true nature, though I could not speak of it. But, this is no place for a dragon. I will have to leave you…" The dragon moaned for he loved the princess very much.
"No," the princess said. In the imperious way of princesses, she commanded, "Lean down so I can reach!"
He did. She kissed him again before daubing some of his silver blood on her forehead and over her heart. "Two kisses combine, like to like, heart to heart, mind to mind; I choose my love, he chooses me, together we shall always be!"
"Just then, the prince returned. The princess denounced him for his cowardice. As she finished speaking, the love spell she had cast took effect. She became a dragon herself. The dragons flew off from this very point, and they…"
"…lived happily ever after!" An eternally young man approached, hand in hand with a regal woman.
The storyteller crossed his arms and pouted. "Lunial, you always ruin it!"
Grinning, Lunial exchanged a glance with his wife. They turned into silver dragons and winged across the water.
"Happily ever after," the storyteller repeated under his breath.