In a tidy Palace beside a picturesque garden there lived a King and Queen. And they had three children: an older Princess, a Prince, and a younger Princess. One day they were walking in the garden when suddenly a Dragon flew in from nowhere, seized the eldest sister, and carried her off towards a very, very high mountain. The King immediately sent his best Knight after her.
The Knight rode all day until nightfall. He arrived at an abandoned Castle and saw a light in the window of a solitary tower. He crept up to the Princess whilst the kidnapper slept, and carried her back to the tidy Palace. They rode all night until morning, and arrived in time for breakfast. The King was delighted that his daughter was safe and sound, but he ordered everyone to stay indoors until he could work out what to do about the flying villain.
He only allowed the brave Prince to go hunting in the dense forest, to bring back pheasants for dinner. And he warned him not to venture out from under the trees. But the young Prince became so caught up in the chase that he didn't notice the Dragon in the sky and dashed out into a bare clearing in the forest, where the creature — snap! — seized him and carried him off to his Castle.
The King was truly furious. He sent the Knight again to fetch his son, and gave him a second horse as well, so they could return more quickly. And he himself spent the whole night with the court wizards working out how to rid themselves of such a menace.
Just in time for breakfast, the Knight and Prince returned, alive and well. The King then ordered everyone to remain in the halls and not to poke their noses outside. And he sent his best Knight to the neighbouring kingdoms to tell them about the villainous dragon and to gather a large army to destroy his lair.
Meanwhile, the Dragon flew up to the Palace again, saw no one, and roared menacingly at the whole sky. The little Princess heard the loud thunder, wondered where such a noise could come from when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She opened the window, looked outside, and the Dragon — snap! — snatched her away.
The King and Queen were frightened that their little girl had been kidnapped, and their faithful Knight was in another kingdom. But the court wizards came and said they had found a solution. They conjured up a magic handkerchief. In one corner they depicted the beautiful Palace with its picturesque garden and dense forest, and in the other the very, very high mountain with the old abandoned Castle.
The King took this handkerchief, touched his finger to the solitary tower of the Dragon's Castle, and immediately found himself in a neat, tidy room. He came out of the tower and saw that his youngest daughter and the villain were sitting in the courtyard at a clean table, drinking tea. The little Princess was delighted and said:
Your Majesty, Papa, do sit down at the table, we'll pour you some tea right away!
I haven't time, dear daughter, the whole kingdom is worried. Here's the handkerchief, go back to Mummy. The Dragon and I need to have a chat.
The obedient Princess touched her finger to the handkerchief and was transported home. And her papa asked the kidnapper:
Why on earth, Dragon, have you taken it into your head to steal my children?
The Dragon replied:
I haven't stolen anyone! You've got so many of them, and I haven't got any at all. I took one ti-i-i-iny little girl for myself! I'm old, I need a helper. You've still got others left! Are you really that mean?
The King shook his head and said:
You can't take anyone or anything without permission. You can always come and ask. If you don't ask, then it's theft and a crime. A large army from the neighbouring kingdoms is heading towards your Castle, because no one wants to live next to such an ill-mannered villain.
The Dragon was frightened and promised never to take anyone again. The King was kind and forgave him. He negotiated with the other rulers and recalled the armies. He provided helpers to clean up the abandoned Castle, and in return the Dragon helped the Prince catch pheasants.
