Kings and Dragons

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This is a poem I wrote in ninth grade :) I found it the other day and I still really like it, which is unusual for me. I don't usually love what I write, and it's even rarer that I admit it. I guess this moment in ninth grade was just a rare flash of brilliance XD

Kings and Dragons

By Stephanie

2-19-09

There once was a kingdom, on top of a hill.

The king was the fearsome and dreaded King Will.

But even more dreaded than King William himself,

Was King Will’s young son, allegedly half elf.

The young son was small, only six years of age,

But if denied what he wanted, would call in his mage.

The mage was a gift from Prince Calvin the 12th

Who was known for his cunning and scheming and stealth.

The Young Prince would then have the mage cast a spell

That would bend his poor victim to his selfish will.

The spells often had unpleasant side effects

Like green teeth or stiff hair or sometimes a hex.

Because of all this, most people just did

Whatever the young prince ordered or bid.

That is until one day, the mage had enough.

“It quit!” he shouted. “I’m sick of this stuff.

I don’t want to cast any more spells for you.

I’m leaving right now. I’m gonna do what I want to.”

And the mage left the room with a swirl of his cape

Leaving the prince staring after him, in a terrible scrape.

“Now how can I get people to do what I say?

That mage was my ticket to fun every day.

Without a magician, I’m just not that scary.”

He gasped, “I know! I’ll get myself a fairy!”

So he ran to the barn and saddled his horse.

When asked where he was headed, he said, “Fairyville, of course!”

The prince rode quite hard for two straight days.

Through the forgotten forests, through the forbidden maze.

The prince was exhausted when he finally reached the fairies.

“We’re here at last,” he said to his horse, Larry.

He jumped off his steed and ran through the town

Turning every house upside-down.

“Hello, please come out! I don’t mean any harm,”

He said as he trampled a tiny fairy farm.

After some searching a fairy came out.

She snuck up behind him and gave him a clout.

“Just what are you doing to our houses and homes?

Get out right now or we’ll summon the gnomes.”

The prince gave a grin and with a tip of his hat,

Said, “My gosh! You can do it? Summon gnomes just like that?”

The fairy was flattered by the prince’s amazement.

“Why, yes, of course; at least, for some payment.”

The prince dug in his pocket and pulled out some gold.

“Come back to the palace, and do as you’re told.

If you’re really as powerful as you claim to be,

I’ll give you all this and much more, you’ll see.”

The greedy fairy agreed and got on the prince’s horse.

They reached the palace a whole lot quicker, of course.

Because of the fairy’s teleportation skill.

The prince soon found out he could go anywhere, at will!

He used the fairy to do such awful things.

He frightened the servants, he stole a robin’s wings.

The people soon realized the fairy was far worse.

Instead of rare hexes, she could give you a curse!

But the prince used her so much her anger built up.

After an especially hard day, she’d had enough.

“I quit!” she shouted. “I’m sick of this stuff!

I don’t want to curse one more person for you.

I’m leaving right now. I’m gonna do what I want to.”

And with that she flew away, never to be seen anymore.

The prince crossed his arms. “What’d I ever want her for?

Well, I lost another helper. Now what can I do?

Who can I get now? Who? Who?”

He thought and he pondered for a very long while.

Then at last he knew, he announced with a smile,

“I’ll find a great thief. The finest in the west.

When people defy me, he can steal what they love best.”

It took the prince quite a long time

To catch a thief in the middle of a crime.

When he finally got one, he told him his plan.

“How’d you like to be the man at my right hand?”

It took quite a while to make the thief believe

That he wasn’t being scammed, he wasn’t being deceived.

When he finally was sure of the prince’s intentions

He cried, “Absolutely! I’d be honored to be your henchman.”

So they scurried back to the huge palace

And began their acts of mischief and malice.

Whenever someone made the prince mad or did wrong,

The next day their most prized possession was gone.

The thief stole whatever the prince told him to.

He stole jewelry and books and Cinderella’s glass shoe.

What bothered the thief, though, was how he was treated.

The prince never said thanks, the thief was never greeted.

One day the prince’s rudeness was too much.

“I quit!” the thief shouted. “I’m sick of this stuff.

I don’t want to steal people’s treasures for you.

I’m leaving right now. I’m gonna do what I want to.”

With that he departed, the prince never saw him again.

He sat down on his bed, on his hands put his chin.

“Here I am, in the same scrape as before.

Who is there now? Is there anyone more?”

He thought his very best, he thought long and hard.

And then he leapt up and cried, “By the palace bard!

I’ve got it. I have it. I know what I’ll do.

A dragon will serve me, I know he’ll want to.”

The prince saddled his horse faster than ever before

He turned the steed around and they shot out the barn door.

The dragons lived far away from the town.

No one much liked them—they were feared all around.

On day number four, to the prince’s delight

He spotted a dragon breathing fire, he saw that bright light.

He galloped all the faster, and when he was close,

He jumped off the horse, to the dragon he loped.

“Hello, mighty dragon!” He’d heard they like praising.

But when the prince was quite close, he saw something amazing:

There were lots and lots of people there!

The prince stopped in his tracks to stare and stare.

The dragon glanced at the prince with a smile that glowed.

“Won’t you join us? Come, enjoy the show.”

The prince frowned; he was quite bemused.

“Why, what’s going on? I’m so confused.”

The dragon smiled, “Just what I said.

I’m giving a show. Don’t look so filled with dread.

I’m not nasty and frightful as you think.

I’m really quite kind, having visitors tickles me pink.”

The prince shook his head with terrible frown.

He touched the huge jewels sitting in his crown.

“But dragons, like princes, are supposed to be fearsome.

Otherwise how will you get people to listen?”

The dragon just laughed, “You don’t get it at all.

You aren’t supposed to threaten people big and small.

Princes, like dragons, are ought to be kind.

That’s the real way to get people to mind.

Ruling by terror is short-lived, you know.

That isn’t the way to do it, no, no.

If you are kind and try to be fair,

Your citizens will follow you ’most anywhere.”

The prince just stood there, thinking it over.

He cocked his head, he fiddled with a clover.

“You know I never thought of that before.

Perhaps if I were kinder, I wouldn’t need a mage anymore.

If I were fair, just as you say

I wouldn’t have to steal from people every day.

I guess I don’t really need to be scary.

Why, I can rule without a strong fairy!”

The prince was astonished at this revelation.

He thank the dragon, went home and had a celebration.

He stopped being rude and quarrelsome and bratty.

The people began to like him better than his daddy!

The prince grew up, good and fair

And is remembered everywhere

For being a strong leader, not needing to scare.

He’s quoted a lot at banquets and things

By the earls and dukes and the kings:

“Kings, like dragons, ought to be kind.

That’s the real way to get people to mind.”

Hope this was at least good for a laugh! :)

~Stephanie