The Dragon and the Princess
Chapter 1: The Golden Dragon

“Reach as high as you can, and then reach a little higher. There you will replace magic and possibility.”

A long time ago (but not so long that it is forgotten) and far away (but not so far that it is unconnected to you) there lived a golden dragon. He was a lonely dragon as he was the only one of his kind. He had wide, glorious wings, gold scales for skin, big whiskers and wrinkles, and golden, silvery hair. He had a kind face with big eyes that told of many lives and stories of old. He was brave, strong, lovely, and magnificent to look at. Indeed, he was magnificent to be with, since he believed in honour and caring; things that no longer existed in this plane and that no one could recognise, or at least very few. He was kind hearted, and loving, a defender of those in need, and he would always help others to the detriment of himself. But, he was alone in this and he knew it. He longed for someone to share his life with, to glide up high with him where he soared, and to enjoy his adventures, of which there were many; to live life with, in all its colour and joy, to wander and laugh and have companionship. In short, he was looking for someone to love. He wished to have an equal where he had none, to have someone who would love like he did, who would give all, even their life, if it meant the happiness of someone else. He was searching for one who believed in what he believed in; in love, true love, of which very few people know. Not eros, agape, storge or philos but love of all.

The golden dragon, had fire for breath and in his belly, and amazing abilities to do and create whatever he pleased. But, he very rarely used these powers. He believed that great power entailed a great responsibility, that to use these powers was to take from others, and that everyone deserved help and love rather than a smiting and forcing to his will. So, he used his powers for others. It wasn’t that he was afraid to be great or to use his magic, no indeed, it took more bravery and greatness to control his fire and will, to hold it back so others might learn and be free, so others might see the truth; the truth that love is all that was important. Love was the true magic. It was also very hard for him to give, help and love, all the time; and truly, he was not always successful at this. We all get a little angry, upset or confused sometimes. However, he definitely knew it was far better to be good, forgive, gift and let be than to hate, take, destroy and force. He had the power for any of these things and more, but he kept it hidden and controlled. Instead, he let people believe that he was meek and mild, warm hearted and gentle and, sometimes, a little stupid. Because of all this, he was therefore a king, but one that we have forgotten exists, one that we have replaced with the idea of a conqueror. As you see, a true king, the rightful lord of all, is as humble and equal to all of us mere mortals and yet is better and greater than all of us put together.

The golden dragon was very old, he had lived many lives and knew many things, so much in fact, that it was hard for him to decide on things as he could always see the many facets of any situation or question. This also gave him great and unfathomable wisdom, wisdom that was always (even if it was only eventually) proved right, no matter what people’s egos told them (or that he let their egos tell them). He wanted what he wanted but he also wanted everyone to be happy before himself. He thus mostly put others first, not always, as we know, even golden dragons have their weaknesses and failings, but on the whole, his dedication was to the love of others and to help them become as great as he knew, deep down inside, he was and that we all could be. He kept his own advancement back, so he could do this, as you cannot help anyone when you are superior. Indeed, his greatest past time was teaching others (while ignoring his more advanced knowledge), when, really, all he wanted to do was glide up on high, up where the angels live and play. He loved this sacrifice, for if all is one, one cannot take all. So, he would often play dumb, weak and humble, say things he didn’t mean and let others think they were right, giving prominence to their ideas and lives. All this was no mean feat. Imagine seeing a pot of gold and all you have to do is reach out and take it, and yet if you could just hold back, put off your desire and ego, then you could help others to get some gold too, let others be happy as well as yourself. Can you imagine seeing this pot of gold every day, seeing the answer to your happiness right there in front of you and yet not taking it, waiting for those you love to get there first? I am not sure that you can.

It was a very hard kind of torture and a test that took great strength, and which meant, if one could pass, you are stronger and greater than anyone else and can fly with the angels. Not many had passed this test yet, not many at all, in all of time or creation. It was too hard for most, you had to hold too much sorrow for others to be happy (remember, all is one) and most, eventually, steal the gold. The golden dragon was, for this and many other similar reasons sometimes very sad; and, mostly, separated from many of the others of creation. He was often quiet, alone with his thoughts and memories, waiting for someone to see the truth and to be like he was. He would often roar aloud on the mountain tops where he would go to be alone, in lamentation at this state of affairs, at the weight he carried and his loneliness; often pondering, to keep with our metaphor, whether to swoop down and take the gold for himself; leaving the ‘unthinkers’ behind. But he could not. His heart would stop him every time or at least make him turn back. He was not an ordinary and, being a golden dragon, he had a better chance of passing this test than most.

This is not to say that he would not make mistakes and get himself into trouble sometimes, that he would forget himself and go a little crazy, and be much more like the ordinaries, those, perhaps, like you and me. But on the whole, the golden dragon would hold himself back for the good of creation. Having said all this, he was, despite the sorrow, fundamentally happy, and his joy, love and kindness shone through his face and his smile, and through his weary but knowing eyes; showing his great purpose in heart. He was balanced (although he could waver too), determined, unattached and was best summed up as ‘everything’; a little of this, a little of that, good at this, good at that, so that you could not describe him fully, and if you decided he was this, if you looked again, you would discover he was something else too. In this way, he was hard to know and a mirror of all creation and those he met. If you wanted him to be this thing, he would be, and if it was something else, he would be that too; it all depended on how you treated him and thought of him. And yet, he longed, above all, for someone to know him, to be with him; who he truly was, which even he didn’t know...for in fact, he was not really a golden dragon at all.