Chereads / VILLAINOUS VOICES: CLASSIC TALES RETOLD / Chapter 11 - THE DRAGON'S HOARD

Chapter 11 - THE DRAGON'S HOARD

In the tapestry of tales, whispers paint me a monster – Draconian, fire-breathing, slumbering on mountains of gold. But let the wind carry a different echo, a rumble from the cavern's heart, a tale not of devouring princesses, but of guarding, of watching, of a silent vigil woven through centuries.

The castle, a needle pricking the sky, held her within its glass embrace – Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty. Cursed at birth, condemned to a slumber deeper than any cave, a tapestry of dreams replacing the tapestry of life. Pity tugged at my scaly heart, a pang familiar, though unspoken, in the solitude of my hoard.

They called me her tormentor, the fiery obstacle barring the prince's path. But was it I who spun the thorns, who built the castle walls? No, I was a sentinel, a warden of whispers, guarding the princess from a fate far worse than sleep – the oblivion of forgetting.

Each century, when the moon hung heavy and the forest held its breath, I watched the prince approach. Each one, drawn by the same alluring promise, the same desire to shatter the glass and claim the sleeping beauty as his own. But their motives, like moonlight reflected on shifting water, flickered and changed.

Some sought power, the princess a gilded trophy in their quest for kingdoms. Others craved beauty, a fleeting blossom to possess and wither. And a few, a precious few, held a flicker of genuine love, a desire not to awaken, but to understand, to guard her slumber with their own.

These were the ones I let pass, the thorns parting like mist before their footsteps. For in their eyes, I saw a reflection of my own vigil, a silent promise to protect, to shield the sleeping princess from those who sought to devour her dreams.

The curse, they called it. A spindle's prick, a slumber eternal. But I saw a different truth – a cocoon spun of magic, a sanctuary from the thorns of the world. Aurora, within the glass, danced the ballet of dreams, her soul untouched by the greed and malice that festered beyond the castle walls.

And then, he came – Phillip, the last prince, the echo of hope I had waited for centuries to witness. Not blinded by beauty, nor driven by ambition, he held in his heart a melody untouched by darkness, a song of acceptance and gentle understanding.

He did not seek to kiss her awake, not to claim her slumber as his own. Instead, he sat by the glass, whispering tales of the changing world, his voice a lullaby against the backdrop of thorns. And in the tapestry of her dreams, his melody mingled with hers, a duet of acceptance and understanding.

When the kiss finally came, it wasn't a shattering of slumber, but a gentle awakening. The thorns vanished, not under the force of a sword, but under the weight of a promise fulfilled. Aurora stepped out, not into the arms of a prince, but into the sunrise, her own heart guiding her towards the dawn.

As she left the castle, her reflection fading in the glass, I felt a pang of loss, a familiar echo of the solitude that awaited. But it was a loss tinged with bittersweet satisfaction. My vigil was over, the princess free, the slumbering beauty embraced by the world she was destined to touch.

So, dear listener, the next time you hear the tale of Sleeping Beauty, remember, there are two sides to every glass wall. The dragon may roar, but in its fire, a different story burns – a tale of silent guardianship, of watching over dreams, of a monster who, in its own way, became the protector of the dawn.

For the tapestry of life is woven with threads of darkness and light, and even in the shadows, whispers of redemption echo, stories waiting to be unravelled by those who dare to listen to the dragon's roar.

Years stretched and seasons whispered like leaves turning on the wind. The castle slept, an echo of slumber against the vibrant canvas of the awakened world. Aurora, no longer princess of a fairytale, but queen of her own kingdom, ruled with a grace honed in the tapestry of dreams. But the memory of the dragon, the silent guardian of her slumber, lingered in the corners of her heart, a question mark amidst the tapestry of her life.

One moonlit night, drawn by an unspoken pull, Aurora found herself at the foot of the mountain, the dragon's cavern a gaping maw against the silvered sky. Fear, a coiled serpent, tightened its grip, but curiosity, a flickering flame, burned brighter. She ventured into the darkness, the echo of her footsteps resonating in the cavern's heart.

There, curled amidst a hoard that glinted in the moonlight, lay the dragon. Not a monstrous behemoth, but an ancient creature, its scales shimmering like emeralds washed in starlit rain. Its eyes, once fiery orbs, now held the wisdom of ages, the reflection of a soul burdened by untold silences.

A conversation unlike any other unfolded. Not with words, but with whispers on the wind, with dreams shared across the gulf of silence. Aurora learned of the dragon's vigil, of its silent guardianship, of the love that bloomed in its solitary heart for the sleeping princess.

And the dragon, in turn, heard the echo of its own longing in Aurora's voice, the yearning to understand the creature who had watched over her slumber, the monster who had become her silent protector.

Their bond, forged in the embers of the past, became a bridge between two worlds. Aurora, the queen of the waking world, learned the wisdom of solitude, the strength of silence, the beauty that can bloom even in the shadows. The dragon, the guardian of dreams, felt the sun's warmth on its ancient scales, the touch of understanding that replaced the sting of isolation.

Their meetings became a secret ritual, a dance of light and shadow beneath the cloak of night. Aurora shared stories of her kingdom, its joys and struggles, weaving the tapestry of the waking world into the dragon's dreams. The dragon, in turn, offered whispers of forgotten lore, secrets of the earth held in its ancient heart, lessons etched in the constellations that blazed above.

But this dance, like all things, could not last forever. The whispers of the world reached the dragon's cavern, tales of encroaching cities, forests felled, mountains scarred. The dragon, protector of solitude and stillness, knew its time had come.

One final starlit night, the dragon and Aurora met. With a heavy heart, the creature revealed its decision – to retreat deeper into the shadows, to become a myth, a forgotten whisper in the wind, so that the world might remain untouched by its presence.

Tears, like glistening pearls, adorned Aurora's cheeks as she said her goodbyes. But there was no anger, no fear, only a deep understanding that resonated in the shared rhythm of their hearts. She promised to protect the dragon's secrets, to carry its lessons into the world, to be a bridge between the realms of light and shadow.

And so, with a final rumble that echoed through the cavern, the dragon vanished into the depths of the mountain. Aurora left, not with a kiss, but with a shared memory, a secret language woven from starlit nights and whispered dreams.

The dragon and the Sleeping Beauty, two unlikely companions bound by a silent vigil, became a legend whispered on the wind, a testament to the love that can bloom in the most unexpected places, a reminder that the shadows too hold stories, wisdom, and perhaps, even a heart that beats with a yearning for understanding.

So, dear listener, remember, the next time you gaze at the stars or lose yourself in a moonlit forest, there might be a whisper on the wind, a tale of a queen and a dragon, a bond forged in silence, a love that transcended realms, a reminder that even in the darkest shadows, stories of light and redemption can be found, if only we have the courage to listen.