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When Beowulf was a spry young man he never shied away from a battle no matter how small or how large. He felt at home when danger was near and this adventure would be one of his greatest yet.
In the sharp jutting stones of Geats Isle Beowulf and his men neared a dripping cave beaten by the unrelenting crash of the ocean where it was known that a fierce dragon hoarded treasures stolen from the kingdoms nearby. Adventures like these separated regular men from Beowulf.
With his strong iron shield in his left hand and his unyielding sword in his right Beowulf left his men behind as he strode into the cold and dreary cave. Nobody knew what made Beowulf so willing to take on great beasts such as these. As Beowulf got deeper into the cave he gave a loud cry to rouse the terrible dragon.
It is well known that dragons hate mankind, so when Beowulf bellowed out to the dragon it was consumed by a ferocious anger. When Beowulf first laid his eyes on the creature he was overwhelmed. It was as if it consumed the entire cave. Its massive head held razor-sharp teeth that were too many to count. The scales on its hide were as tough as steel. If this were not enough the pure hatred in its eyes glistened like rubies. Beowulf did not even have time to process it all when the great beast stretched out its monstrous wings and breathed out angry flames. The battle was on.
Beowulf was very strong and brave indeed but he was still a mortal man. The heat from the winged beast's flames quickly became suffocating. Through the stifling heat, Beowulf swung his sword with a might that could cut down a tree. On contact the sword bent as if it were made of mere aluminum against the beast's thick, scaly coat.
The dragon released yet another wave of flames at Beowulf and he defended himself with his shield. With each frantic swing at the great beast Beowulf's sword bent more and became a useless piece of metal. "This battle will be the last," Beowulf thought.
Meanwhile, outside of the cave where Beowulf's men waited terrified, one man named Wiglaf spoke up. "How many times has Beowulf saved us from death? Should we not return the favor now when our comrade is surely in danger?" Wiglaf said. None of the men spoke up to this call for help. However, Wiglaf could no longer stand by and wait for his friend to be taken alone by this foul beast.
Wiglaf then made his way into the cave. He soon heard the commotion of battle and felt the terrible heat of inferno. Wiglaf waded through the thick smoke until he found Beowulf and the dragon battling. He looked more worn down than he had ever seen him as Wiglaf rushed to his aid doing his best to avoid the enemy. Sweat and ash covered Beowulf's body and crimson burns were beginning to well up. There was no use trying to communicate in such a chaotic situation.
The dragon then came upon them with more flames and they both lifted their shields. Wiglaf's shield was made of wood instead of Beowulf's steel one and all that was left was the metal handle. Now Wiglaf stood behind Beowulf as they thrust their swords together. If they were to defeat the dragon it would have to be very soon.
As luck would have it the smoke had become blinding to the dragon and it lunged in the wrong direction. Both of the men took this chance and stabbed their blades in the monster's neck. This made the dragon stumble backward and screech hideously. As the beast fell it let out one last blast of flame that licked up the men's bodies.
Beowulf and Wiglaf fell to the ground and began to roll to extinguish the flames. With only minor burns the two men defeated the menace that hoarded the bountiful treasure. Victory was theirs and they wept with relief. This was the day that they defeated the dragon.
Once the two regained some of their strength they walked deeper into the cave in search of the treasure. Just beyond the battlegrounds the soft glint of gold and silver peeked out from a small break in the caves rough walls. The two friends looked at each other and began to laugh. Shaking his head with relief Beowulf said, "We did it. We found the riches."
Author's note: This story, written by H. E. Marshall is my preferred story of Beowulf's final battle. He is a fierce old man that makes his way into the dragon's cave. He calls out to the beast and they begin to battle. The dragon surely is more powerful than Beowulf but he continues on. Finally, Beowulf's friend Wiglaf makes his way into the cave and helps defend him. Beowulf gets terribly harmed by being bitten on the neck by the dragon. When this event takes place Wiglaf thrusts his sword into the beast's neck effectively killing it. However, Beowulf is not able to survive such a fatal wound and he dies soon after the battle.
In my rendition I wanted to place this battle first because I like a story with action right at the beginning. I also made Beowulf young as this is one of his first great battles and I did not want him to die so quickly. I needed to remove the part where Beowulf is bitten on the neck because I wanted him to survive. I changed this act to a misfire by the dragon, which helped Beowulf and Wiglaf defeat the dragon without being fatally harmed.
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