and by midday had reached the barren land described by the locals. The wizard had them stop at the bottom of a rocky knoll where Abscon and Timor decided to relax underneath some small stunted trees growing at the bottom of the hill.
The wizard did not join them however, choosing instead to search the surrounding area. Not far from where the others rested he soon found what for him was undeniable proof of a dragon. Beside a small pool of water fed from a trickle of a stream from the rocky hillside he saw a large partial footprint that could belong only to a dragon.
The wizard then began walking back and forth, stooping or stretching all the while looking at the protrusion of rock at the top of the hill. The other two watched in silence finding his actions slightly amusing as he looked rather like a lunatic bird in the frenzy of a mating dance the way he bobbed up and down.
Machvell was trying to discern if there was an opening in the rock above sufficient in size to allow a dragon to enter. Finally he found an angle that provided the view he needed and was able to just make out a dark spot that could well be an entrance to a cave. But he had to be absolutely certain. He returned to the other two and told them of his discovery of the foot print and cave entrance. “That’s good” chuckled Abscon “for a minute there we thought you had lost your wits the way you were dancing about.”
The wizard glared at them and said “Well since you found that so entertaining, perhaps you will find this equally so. Someone needs to go up and confirm that it is indeed the entrance to the dragon lair and I can think of no one better to send then a brave knight such as yourself.” Timor snickered which earned him a scowl from both. Abscon certainly was no longer amused. He was a coward and they knew he was a coward but that didn’t mean he liked having that fact made blatantly apparent. What little pride he did have was enough to get him up the hill. It was a slow climb for he went as quietly as he could and every pebble that his step caused to tumble filled him with anxiety anticipating that any noise might draw the dragon out. Of course the wizard knew that the safest time of the day to approach a dragon's den (if there was such a thing) was midday as dragons tended to remain hidden at that time; he just didn’t bother to inform Abscon of this little fact. Finally Abscon reached the rock outcrop at the top of the hill and peeking his head ever so slowly around the largest rock, glanced at the opening hidden behind. Yes, it was definitely big enough to allow a dragon to enter easily but that was not what convinced him there was a dragon there; it was the smell. At one point or time everyone has smelled an animal enclosure whether that of a pet or domestic animal or even one in the wild and having done so can recall the distinct animal smell these places hold. Now imagine that a hundred times stronger; that was enough proof for the knight for only a very large animal could create such a stench and as quickly and quietly as he could, he retreated back down the hill.
So the wizard was convinced there was a dragon based on the visual evidence he found and the knight was convinced based on his odorous encounter. The prince naturally took their word for it and now that all were convinced, they were very anxious to return to the village. They needed to begin final arrangements necessary to pull off their scheme and did not relish the idea of being long in direct sight of a dragon's lair. They did not speak at first as all were lost in their own thoughts; the wizard smug in the fact that he was right all along about the dragon and the other two surprised that he was. It wasn’t that they disbelieved the wizard, it was just that up until now they secretly didn’t think he really knew what he was talking about and that there was no dragon but having nothing better to do, they followed.
It was Abscon that first spoke, once they had gone a sufficient distance that all were comfortable with. “Well” he began, “we know where the dragon lives but aren’t you forgetting something? Where’s the dragon’s ‘treat’ as you call it, and if you do find it, how will you get it there?” He was of course referring to the unfortunate soul that would be the transporter of the amulet filled with dragon poison.
“Well gentleman it is good that I pay more attention than you, for I was, as usual listening more closely to the various chats we have endured with the locals and learned not only information about the countryside but about the people as well. It would appear there is an old couple just on the outskirts of the village named Laydon and Mary Fare who just so happen to have a charming young daughter which I myself saw yesterday afternoon and if this is not a sign of good fortune towards our little adventure, then you both are truly unsophisticated louts. Her name is Maydon.” He paused for dramatic effect, which was pointless as it was lost on them as they looked at him clearly unimpressed. “Her father is known as Farmer Fare.” He paused looking into their faces waiting for them to put it together on their own. He surely was the smartest of the three and quickly realized they would need a bit more encouragement before they saw the light. “Her name is Maydon Fare, you dunder heads!”
“Oh!" they both said, finally beginning to grasp what the wizard was trying to tell them. “Maydon Fare!” laughed Timor, “we’re looking for a fair maiden and we find one named Maydon Fare!” He truly was the slowest of the three.
“Well that’s fine” interjected the knight “but how do you plan on getting her to leave with us? I’m sure that the fine Master Laydon Fare would be none too happy to have his precious child wandering the wilds with three roguish men.”
“I’m still working on that part; we obliviously can’t tell her father – or anyone else. We must somehow convince her to leave secretly with us and in such a way that once they do realize she’s gone, our mission will have been accomplished and we my friends will be heading to more hospitable lands with enough gold to last for years!”
They had now come to what would prove to be the most complicated part of their plan. They had the amulet of poison but needed to get the dragon to actually consume it. They had already decided before coming to the village that using a wild beast would be too difficult for it meant having to first capture one and then try to place an amulet on it and then get it to the place whereby the dragon would eat it. This left too many chances for something to go wrong. So over the winter months they had determined the best way to get the amulet to the dragon was to place it on a young maiden which, as everyone knows, dragons could not resist eating. But how to get her to go along with their plan was perhaps the trickiest part. To abduct a young female was highly dangerous in itself as such a deed would undoubtedly be quickly noticed and people were not very forgiving of such crimes. They knew that no one would willingly sacrifice their life unless it was for the noblest of causes and obtaining dragon’s gold for three strangers was certainly no such cause. They were certain that there would be some fair maidens in the village and they didn’t really think the fairer the better; fair enough would be good enough. They knew the tricky part was getting her to cooperate. They still hadn’t worked out exact details regarding this but the wizard was not overly concerned yet. He knew that first they needed to find the person, then decide how best to win her over. Everyone had their weaknesses and he was not only an expert at discerning what they were but how best to exploit them. Considering the other two failed to believe in the dragon in the first place they hadn’t yet concerned themselves with the details of procuring the services of a young maiden. Now, knowing the wizard, they did not doubt his ability to figure out how to do this.
Maydon Fare
The next day the three companions again left the inn on the pretence of searching the surrounding area. The wizard had discovered that Maydon and her family lived at the last farm house on the western outskirts of the village and led them in that direction. He had not yet devised an exact plan as to how he would lead the lass away but as he explained to his fellow conspirators, first they needed to get to know her and the best way to do that would be to introduce themselves to the parents. The others had doubts about directly meeting the parents of the individual they were planning on exploiting. “Fools,” he snapped admonishing them again “What do you propo
se we do? Snatch her up and run away? They’d be after us at once!” and then scoffed “As brave as you fine gentlemen may be, you would be no match for a hundred angry farmers chasing you with pitch forks and scythes!” Then less harshly he added “Follow me still boys, for I have yet to let you down!” This wasn’t entirely true but as they have always done before, they followed the wizard’s lead.
They rode their horses down the west road and soon left the village behind. The weather was nice which made riding pleasant but after passing several farmsteads they came to a stretch that was only trees and bushes. They had just begun to wander if they inadvertently passed the Fare's home when they suddenly came upon a small unobtrusive farmhouse. An old woman was tending the flowers while a dog too old to do more than let out a weak obligatory bark at their arrival lay under the shade of a tree. She stood when the three came riding up and greeted them cheerily “Good morning fine sirs! Welcome to the humble home of the Fares.” The wizard smiled with pleasure, this was working out quite nicely. “Good morning, Madam.” he replied