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Once upon a time in a far off land there was a castle with a quiet little
village tucked safely inside its walls. Well, it was quiet and safe until
Dakota the Dragon rampaged through it, stealing the king and queen's most
prized possession, their daughter, Princess Marion.
Once upon a time in a far off land there was a castle with a quiet little
village tucked safely inside its walls. Well, it was quiet and safe until
Dakota the Dragon rampaged through it, stealing the king and queen's most
prized possession, their daughter, Princess Marion.
Dakota the Dragon carried Princess Marion to his prisoner tower in the deep,
dark forest to the east of the castle. The only windows looked over the top
of the trees. Dakota guarded his "bait" by curling himself around the base
of the doorless tower. You see, Dakota the Dragon didn't much care for
delicate princesses. He much preferred the beefy knights who came to save
them.
Three days passed in which Princess Marion refused to touch any of the
delicious food Dakota the Dragon brought to her.
"Don't you like my gourmet cooking? The other damsels were most
complimentary," informed the dragon politely.
"I know your plan, you monster. You're trying to fatten me up so I'll be an
even more delectable morsel for your dinner!" she yelled.
"Is that what you think? You're quite wrong, you know. Even fattened up,
princesses just don't have enough meat on them to make it worth picking
their delicate bones. Give me a beefy knight's thighs for an appetizer and
the hindquarters of his horse for the main course," said Dakota the Dragon
boldly.
"You mean I'm just the bait?" squealed the princess.
"Now you've got it, sweety. Are you sure you wouldn't like to reconsider
tasting these gorgeous shish kabobs?"
Princess Marion needed time to think. She didn't want any of her father's
knights to become armor stew - especially not Robert. And Robert was
certain to be the first to attempt her rescue.
While she was trying to think of a way to rescue herself, she nibbled on the
shish kabobs left by the dragon. She was really hungry so most anything
would've tasted good, but these were incredibly tasty - better than anything
she'd ever been served at the castle.
That was the beginning of her plan.
In the morning she made a proposal to the dragon which he readily accepted.
When Robert charged through the forest a little later he was surprised to
find Dakota and Marion sharing a leisurely breakfast on the balcony.
"Robert, would you join us for breakfast? I'd be happy to give you a lift
up," said Dakota, bowing respectfully.
After sharing the plan with Robert, Dakota sent him back to the castle to
explain it to the King and get his final approval. Princess Marion chose to
stay at the tower and keep Dakota company until the necessary preparations
could be made because she was sure that everyone would agree to the plan.
A week later, Princess Marion mounted Dakota the Dragon from the balcony of
the tower to return to the castle. What a celebration there was in the
land! All the villagers and the inhabitants of the castle were there to
welcome Princess Marion back.
There seemed to be hundreds of games in her honor. The stone masons were
carving intricate designs of fire-breathing dragons and heroic damsels in
their beautifully polished stones. Minstrels were singing ballads about her
clever plan to keep Dakota the Dragon from rampaging any more villages.
For three days the castle staff had been busily preparing food for Dakota
the Dragon. They had skewered thousands of pieces of meat and vegetables
for the homecoming celebration. Now everyone was waiting for him to roast
them to perfection. Their mouths watered at the thought.
At first they'd been surprised by Princess Marion's clever plan, but the
King and the Queen liked the idea of Dakota the Dragon cooking gourmet meals
for them - especially if they got their daughter back as well! In exchange
for supplying him with plenty of meat for his own meals, the villagers would
taste the food he made at an all-you-can-eat weekly buffet.
Eventually Princess Marion and Robert married, but not before they had
visited all the places in the world from which Dakota the Dragon had
gathered his wonderful recipes. When they finally settled down to rule the
kingdom, they wisely continued the weekly buffet.
As for Dakota the Dragon - he lived a long life and when King Robert and
Queen Marion died he was released from royal service whereupon he opened his
own take-out restaurant - Dakota the Dragon's Delicious Delicatessen.
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