Part II

Violet and Will lay on their backs and looked up into the budding branches of the looming yew tree. The wind rustled the old limbs and sent the earthen musk down upon them. Will paused a moment to place a gentle kiss on Violet's cheek.

***

Thomas Smith dealt with matters of trade, tobacco, and tea. He considered himself a dignified merchant of the highest moral regard. He worked diligently, kept meticulous records, and was recognized quickly among the proprietors of Foote Trading House as a man of useful character. Smith was newly elected onto the town council, recently engaged, and vehemently hated by Lord Phineas Marselis.

Lord Marselis lived in a grand manor outside of the village. The manor complemented the nobleman; both were large, cold, and commanding. He loved his prestige, his wealth, and his daughter, Ella.

"Your father?" Thomas stood baffled at his fiancee's suggestion. "Your father will laugh in my face."

"Thomas, you're letting your pride encumber your judgement. My father cares for this town. At the very least he does not want our own livestock wasted by the dragon."

Thomas looked at Ella. She had faith in her eyes. He looked to the sky, scanning for the dragon. His foot tapped restlessly. Pursing his lips, he sighed. "Fine. We will speak with your father."

***

The pair approached the great wooden doors of Marselis Manor. Ella lifted her skirts and quickly ran up the familiar steps. Thomas stopped just short of the first step, lost in his thoughts. It was no secret that the lord despised Thomas and his love with Ella. It was only Ella's persistence and gravitational hold on her father that had willed the lord to permit their union. His blessing presented itself through his constant berating of Thomas and his status as a commoner or as purposeful ignorance towards Thomas. Ella beckoned to her fiance and he slowly walked up the steps to meet her at the door.

A maid answered their knock and they walked into the spacious veranda. A large painting of Lord Marselis greeted all guests, flanked by two large, ornately decorated lanterns. Their orange flame cast the floor in moving shadows. Ella asked for her father and the maid revealed that he was in his study.

The pair silently ascended the central staircase. The study was surrounded with books. Their smell of print and page mingled with that of the burning fireplace. A large chair in the middle of the room swallowed Phineas. He slouched into it, snoring softly. Ella approached the chair and quietly knocked on an adjacent table. "Father, we would like to speak with you."

Phineas startled awake, immediately glaring at Thomas. "Who let you into my house?" he snarled.

"Father, he accompanied me," Ella touched his shoulder.

"My darling!" The great man slowly rose out of the chair and embraced his daughter. "I still do not know why he is here." He cupped Ella's face but turned to sneer at Thomas.

"We need your help."

Thomas stepped forward. "Yes, we do. It's the dragon again. Ella thinks you can help," Thomas retorted incredulously.

"Father, the shield you have told me of. The armor of the magician. Do you have it still? You told such great tales of its powers against beasts. Father, it can help the town against the dragon." Ella's hope was potent.

Thomas looked at Ella. "Pardon? Ella, your solution is a magic shield. Darling, I apologize, but that is ridiculous. You cannot be serious."

Ella looked towards Thomas earnestly. "I am serious. Father, show him."

Phineas looked between his daughter and Thomas. A malicious thought began to form in his head. "Very well. Follow me."

Thomas reluctantly followed him out of the study. The trio went up to the fourth floor of the manor. A normal hallway extended to the left of the staircase. A thick door with a menacing lock blocked the corridor to the right. Phineas reached into his trousers and pulled out a ring of keys. They jangled until he spotted the rusted key he was looking for. He looked back and smiled unnervingly at Thomas. Thomas' hairs stood on edge.

Phineas pulled the door open. With a creak, the door revealed the looming hallway. Each room down the hall had thicker doors with the same menacing locks.

"What is this?" Thomas inquired.

"None of your concern," Phineas retorted. He walked down the hallway, stopping in front of one of the rooms. "Here we are." On the same mysterious key ring hung the key for the room.

Ella was the first inside the room. Thomas reluctantly stepped in behind her; Phineas remained in the doorway. Inside the room, heavy drapes blocked external light from entering into the room. Ella shouldered the laborious curtains away from the window, illuminating a draped silhouette centered in the room. Ella beckoned to Thomas. He nervously approached Ella. With a tug, the two pulled the cloth. It floated to the ground, revealing a crystalline suit of armor. The suit glinted in the light, casting colors across the room. Thomas turned to Ella, his mouth visibly opened in disbelief.

"It's beautiful. But how does it defeat the dragon?" Thomas turned to the lord.

"The armor blinds the dragon. It will not be able to look it. Or its wearer." Phineas turned to Thomas.

"Who is to wear it then?"

Thomas was answered with a sick smile.

Author's Note: In this section of the story, Thomas and Ella have approached Ella's father to acquire a magical suit of armor that can defeat the dragon. In the original tale, a knight is begged by townspeople to kill the dragon. He buys a suit made of mirrors from a magician to stealthily trick the dragon so that he can kill it Thomas and Ella are characters that I have created. Lord Phineas Marselis is my version of the knight in the original tale. The suit is changed from a suit of mirrors to one of crystal; I think the crystal suit of armor sounds cooler. The knight in the original seems cowardly with a foul temperament. I wanted to amplify my perception of this character through Phineas.

In the original tale, the dragon is killed and his body becomes a hill. The knight eventually goes mad and dies atop the dragon and becomes a yew tree on the hill. This part of the original story seems under explained to me so I am adding a mechanism for the knight's delusion. The hatred between Thomas and Phineas is the beginning of this plot line. For this purpose, Ella is an auxiliary character.

Story Source: The Bisterne Dragon