Sant Jordi and Maria's Dragon Adventure

I climb the stairs to the royal palace, and find myself in a vast hall. A long table stretches from one end to the other; at its head sits the queen, her eyes red from crying. Standing by her side is King Luis, who wipes his own tears away with his robes. I can't see any sign of Princess Maria anywhere.

I recognize two people sitting opposite the king, both dressed in black and gold; they're the king's advisors. I recognize them because they are always present whenever the king holds court. To their right stands a tall man in white robes - he is a cleric, one of many in this kingdom. He kneels down, and starts muttering something under his breath.

"Who goes there?" asked one of the advisors without even looking up. "Why do you disturb our sorrow?"

I walk forwards and kneel before them. "My name is Sant Jordi," I reply, "and I am a dragon-slayer."

The advisor's eyes widen as he recognizes my name and rank. The cleric stops chanting immediately and looks at me quizzically. "Stand up," says the advisor, and I rise to my feet. "Are you here to kill the dragon that has slain our princess?"

"Yes," I reply. "I would like to know where she was taken after she was slain."

The queen bursts into tears once more, while Luis merely hangs his head in despair. The advisor looks at me with sympathy in his eyes, but answers nonetheless: "She... she was taken away by that monster." He points at a corner of the room - near it stands a magnificent wooden chest adorned with rubies and emeralds; on its lid lies a small golden key. "We found this box in what remained of her rooms yesterday morning," he continues. "It contains all the things that were most precious to her; she cherished them above all else." The queen cries even harder now, while Luis' shoulders start trembling uncontrollably; he stumbles forward, clutching at his chest as if overcome by sorrow. His knees hit the ground with an audible thump as he collapses unconscious on top of Maria's belongings; he's still breathing normally though - just unconscious due to sheer grief.

"Please open the chest for me," I say to him softly; he nods weakly in response, then unlocks it with shaky fingers and lifts its lid slowly open so that I can see its contents; whereupon I gasp in shock: Inside lays a beautiful dress of crimson silk which was once worn by Princess Maria on her birthday - clearly there's no trace left of her body anywhere! All that remains is her favorite dress! Next to it lie several pieces of jewelry which were also hers: earrings made from ebony and sapphires, a necklace made from silver and diamonds... but nothing else! No shoes or stockings or anything else! What could have happened to her? Where did they take her?

The cleric speaks up: "We must follow them!" He says loudly, while looking straight at me - then adds more quietly: "But how?" He looks around him helplessly as if he doesn't know what to do next; then turns towards me again: "You're not just going to let them get away with this?!"

"No!" I reply firmly - then shake my head sadly as an idea comes into my mind: "But first... please help me carry the princess back here." We gently lift her lifeless form out of the chest and lay her down next to it - then lock up everything again before walking over to King Luis, who is still passed out on top of everything else on a cold stone floor. We kneel down beside him carefully, then carry him off towards his throne at the other end of the room; we place him down gently as if he were made of glass, then step away respectfully once more so that we can talk privately about our plans for bringing justice for Princess Maria's murder without being overheard by anyone else in this huge place full of endless corridors and endless rooms. My heart breaks for Maria all over again each time I look over at that magnificent chest which has been emptied of everything except her clothes... how could someone do such a thing?! How could someone be so cruel?! She was only five years old! And someone killed her brutally... murdered her mercilessly... and stole all traces of her body away so that nobody will ever know what really happened to her!

As those thoughts race through my mind, I feel a renewed determination flooding through me. Together with the cleric, we begin to devise our plan to track down those responsible for Princess Maria's death and bring them to justice. It will not be an easy task, but we will not rest until we see them pay for the heinous crime they have committed. For the king, the queen, and for the memory of the innocent soul of Princess Maria, we must - and we will - prevail.