Kirabo (4 page)

“Sir Brady, the wicked Lord Percival wants to take Princess Kirabo to his own castle and make her his wife,” the man answered.

“He wants to marry me!” Kirabo gasped.

“Yes,” the man answered. “He said that if you didn’t go with him he would destroy the castle and kill us all.”

“Sir Brady,” a voice called from high on the castle ramparts. “We need you up here. The men are waiting for your orders, sir.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kirabo said.

“But, Princess Kirabo, it will be very dangerous up there,” the man said, sounding very worried.

“I’m not leaving Sir Brady,” Kirabo said firmly. With that, they rushed up the stone steps to the top of the wall that ran all the way around the castle.

When they reached the top they found the knights looking very worried. Brady took a deep breath and looked out over the castle wall. Down below was a little man sitting on a horse.

“You up there, I have come to collect Princess Kirabo. If you do not send her out immediately, I will destroy your castle,” the little man shouted.

Brady laughed with relief. “There is only one man and we are inside the castle with lots of knights around us. We are safe, Kirabo.”

Suddenly the sky darkened and the air was filled with a loud roar that made them all cover their ears. As they looked up into the sky they saw a large shape flying towards the castle. Its huge wings were spread out like large black sails and its long pointed tail whooshed through the air. The creature opened its mouth and let out another roar, only this time it was followed by a burst of flames.

“It’s a d–dragon,” Brady managed to say.

“Get down!” a man shouted.

At once, the brave knights dropped to their knees and held their shields above their heads to protect themselves. Brady quickly raised his shield, making sure that it covered both him and Kirabo. The dragon swooped down, breathing its flames across the top of the castle. Brady felt his shield grow hot as the flames bounced off the metal. He held on as tightly as he could. Then, just as he thought he couldn’t hold it any longer, the dragon flew back up into the air.

The knights got to their feet and began firing arrows after the dragon. Brady and Kirabo watched as the arrows flew through the air and bounced off the dragon’s tough skin.

“Send out Princess Kirabo or I will have my dragon destroy your castle,” Lord Percival shouted.

“What can we do?” Brady asked the frightened knights.

They all shook their heads. “We don’t know,” they said together.

“My grandma told me a story when I was very little,” Kirabo said, looking around at the frightened faces staring at her. “She said that once, a long time ago, the village where she lived was attacked by a giant snake. Each night the snake would slither down from the hills and eat one of the animals in the village. One night the warriors of the village gathered ready to kill the snake, but it was so big that it attacked the men, swiping at them with its long tail or hissing and spitting venom at them so that they couldn’t see. Soon there was only one warrior left unhurt. Just as the snake prepared to kill him, a little girl stepped in front of it and began to dance. The snake had never seen anyone dance before, and instead of attacking her it swayed in time to her movements. Finally, when the little girl had finished dancing, the snake just slithered away and never returned.”

“You’re not suggesting that we go out and dance in front of a dragon just because of some silly story, are you? Besides, your grandma probably made it up to scare you,” Brady said.

“I know she didn’t make the story up,” Kirabo answered. “She was the little girl.”

Brady opened his mouth to answer but he was so shocked that all he could do was to open and shut his mouth like a big fish.

“You’ve had enough time,” Lord Percival shouted. “Send Princess Kirabo out now or I will order my dragon to destroy your castle and kill you all.”

They all looked at one another with worried faces.

“What shall we do, Sir Brady?” the knights asked.

Brady looked around and gave a deep sigh.

The drawbridge slowly opened and Kirabo and Brady walked out.

“Good,” Lord Percival sneered, climbing down from his horse.

Kirabo and Brady ignored Lord Percival and walked towards the dragon, which was lying on the ground waiting for the order to burn down the castle. It raised its head suspiciously and made a deep rumbling growl.

Brady slowly took a penny whistle out of his pocket and began to play. The tune was a happy one. Kirabo took a deep breath and started to dance to the music. Around and around she twirled, dancing from one foot to the other. Slowly the dragon sat up and watched her closely.

“Stop that,” Lord Percival shouted.

Brady and Kirabo ignored him and continued to play and dance for the dragon.

“Destroy the castle!” Lord Percival yelled, but the dragon was so happy watching Kirabo dance that it didn’t hear him. The knights quickly surrounded the wicked Percival and dragged him inside the castle.

Kirabo danced and danced, laughing at how happy the music made her feel. The dragon seemed to be enjoying it too. Its long tail swished back and forth in time to the music.

Eventually Kirabo sat on the ground breathing heavily. She looked up at the dragon. “Oh, please don’t destroy the castle.”

“I’m afraid I must do what my master tells me to do,” the dragon answered in a deep rumbling voice.

“But he is a bully,” Brady said. “Surely he can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, can he?”

The great dragon shook its head sadly and for the first time Kirabo and Brady noticed the collar around its neck.

“What is that?” Kirabo asked.

“It’s a magic collar. It means I must obey the one who put it around my neck,” the dragon growled sadly.

Kirabo stood up and walked towards the dragon.

“Bend down,” she said kindly.

The dragon bent its huge head. Kirabo unbuckled the collar and let it fall from the dragon’s neck and onto the ground. As it did so, a blue powder fell from inside the collar.

“That is the collar’s magic,” the dragon said. “Now the collar is useless. Thank you for rescuing me,” it said, unfolding its wings ready to fly away. “I will not forget your kindness.”

Kirabo and Brady walked back inside the castle. The knights were standing around Lord Percival, guarding him.

“I will order my dragon to burn you all alive,” he yelled at Kirabo.

“The dragon has gone,” Kirabo said. “You won’t be able to bully anyone ever again. Now go away.”

Brady smiled. “Knights, you heard Princess Kirabo. Throw Lord Percival out of the castle.”

“How dare you!” Lord Percival yelled as the knights picked him up and carried him towards the drawbridge. There was a loud splash as he was thrown into the castle’s moat.

Kirabo and Brady laughed.

“Come on, we had best get back home,” Brady said.

Kirabo suddenly looked very sad. She had remembered the awful Neville and Nora.

“Don’t worry,” Brady said, putting his arm around her and walking out of the castle and back into the attic. “I have an idea.”

The next morning Neville and Nora were outside the school gates. Nora was holding Kirabo’s pencil case.

“Have you got any more little gifts for me today?” she mocked.

Neville gave Brady a nasty look. “I’ve decided I want your school bag too, Brady Baby.”

Kirabo and Brady smiled as they pulled out a handful of blue powder and blew it at the two bullies.

“I think I want you to be a dragon,” Brady said to Neville. “You will run around the school yard all day roaring your head off.”

“And you will dance for the dragon,” Kirabo said to Nora, “all day long.”

No schoolwork was done that day. The whole school was too busy laughing at Neville as he ran around the school yard roaring until he lost his voice and at Nora, who danced the whole day, even after she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

After that strange day, Neville and Nora never bullied anyone ever again.

Kirabo was dressed as a witch. She wore a long black cloak with silver stars sewn onto it and a false pointy nose with a big boil on the end. However, her favourite part of her costume was her hat. Kirabo loved it. It was tall and pointy and had long green hair that was attached to the inside, so that when she put it on she looked like a real witch.

Next to her, Brady was dressed as a zombie. His face was white with dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were all tattered and torn. They were both standing staring at Brady’s mum, who was talking on the phone.

“Okay, well thank you for letting me know. I hope he is feeling better soon. Goodbye.”