Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She was locked away in a tower, which was guarded by a dragon. A brave knight traveled across the lands, prevailing against great evils, who hoped to save her from the danger. But there was another, a prince, who had the same goal. The knight and the prince fought each other, both wanting to be the one to save the princess.
They crossed paths many times as they traveled across the lands on their journey to race to the tower. Upon reaching the tower, the prince encountered the knight in the forest by the tower.
"Funny seeing you here," the prince said, a devious smirk on his face.
"I hope you're not planning to slay that dragon. You'd die instantly," the knight answered, not bothering to even turn to look at the prince.
The prince smiled. "So what you're saying," he said. "Is that you care about me? And you don't want me to die?" he teased.
The knight sighed, and looked away, definitely not to hide the blush on his face. "I'm calling you incapable, your highness."
The prince scoffed, offended. "I'm the prince," he said. "If anyone can slay the dragon, it would be me."
The knight rolled his eyes. He'd had enough of this disrespect. His whole life had been spent training in combat. He wasn't about to lose to some prince. "You sit around doing desk work all day. You've probably never stepped foot on the battlefield once."
The prince frowned. "I made it all the way here," he argued. "That counts for something."
Just as the knight was about to retort, the dragon guarding the tower spotted them and prepared to incinerate them with fire. The knight was busy coming up with an insult, so the prince spotted the dragon first.
"Look out!" he shouted, and tackled the knight to the ground, out of the path of the fire which burned the nearby trees to a crisp instantaneously. Shocked and embarrassed, the knight picked himself up off the ground. He was at a loss for words, surprised that he had almost lost his life.
"Thank you, your highness," he managed to say. "I would have died if not for you. I owe you my life." He wasn't happy to say it, but he had enough decorum to know and admit out loud that the prince had saved his life.
The prince was grinning like an idiot. "You're welcome," he said. "So about that dragon," he started. "You're planning to go slay it, right?"
The knight unsheathed the sword. "I have to," he said. "It's my duty. And if I die, it's yours."
The end.
( just kidding there's more )
"Wait!" the prince cried out, just as the knight walked towards the dragon with a serious look on his face and dramatic music playing in the background. "Who said you have to? And who says I have to?"
The knight stopped and turned to face the prince. "Well, it seems like the right thing to do," he said simply. "Besides, I can't leave a hapless maiden to die. That would be rude."
As if reminding them it was there, the dragon roared again.
The knight flinched. "Well," he said, reconsidering. "I suppose that we don't have to save her."
The prince held out his hand. "Wanna go back to my palace, eat pizza, and watch TV?" he asked.
The knight re-sheathed his sword and took his hand. "I'd like that," he said. The end.
Epilogue:
Inside the castle, the princess frowned as she watched the interaction from above. "What was that all about?" she asked the dragon. "I don't need saving. And especially not from you, Mr. Whiskers. I can leave whenever I want to. I just stay here because I hate social interaction."