By: Serena Zhang
Once upon a time, in a magnificent kingdom nestled in a beautiful green and lush land, there reigned a glorious old king who had three beautiful daughters. These girls, each more enchanting than the last, were the radiance and joy of the nation. The eldest daughter had hair as yellow as the sun and a smile that glowed with light. The second daughter had eyes as blue as the depths of the ocean and skin as flawless as porcelain. The youngest daughter could charm the birds off trees and was as sweet as honey. He loved each of them as dearly as a precious jewel on his crown.
The daughters all lived in pure bliss, celebrated by the people of the kingdom and granted their every desire.
One autumn, just as the leaves began to change, a fearsome three-headed dragon descended upon the kingdom, burning villages with fiery breath, spoiling crops and destroying churches. Its rampage killed all who fell into its path, from babies, to old people.
The king promised a princess’s hand in marriage to whoever slayed the dragon. Heroes and warriors came from all over the land, clad in shiny suits of armor, riding their noble steeds and bearing sharp swords and arrows, all in hopes of marrying one of the princesses.
One by one, however, these men were slaughtered and eaten. Months passed and the dragon thrived while warriors perished from their attempts.
The king decided there needed to be a new approach. He reasoned that maybe a maiden might melt the dragon’s heart and succeed where the warriors had failed. And so he sent forth his eldest daughter, fair and golden, to beg the dragon for mercy. The dragon swallowed her whole.
In hopes for a different outcome, the king sent his second daughter to beg the dragon for mercy. However, it swallowed her before she could utter a word.
The king, clinging to hope, sent his youngest daughter to beg the dragon for mercy. She was lovely and so clever that the king was sure she would succeed where the others had perished.
Despite her beauty and charm, the dragon simply ate her without hesitation.
The old king was left aching with pain and regret. He was now alone in the world with no hopes of saving his kingdom.
One dark night, as he mourned in his castle, he caught the attention of an ancient spirit bound to the land. The spirit whispered faintly and cursed both the king and the dragon to an unbreakable bond: if one perished, so would the other.
The old king, consumed by anguish and sorrow, came to the realization that it was he alone who must confront the dragon. And so he battled the dragon courageously with every ounce of strength and determination he had left. With his last drop of energy, the old king delivered one final blow to the dragon that brought both him and the dragon crashing to the ground.
The people of the kingdom mourned the loss of their beloved king and princesses, yet they recognized that his sacrifice had saved them all. The people united to rebuild their kingdom and forever honored their courageous king and princesses, their legacies living on in the hearts of their people.
Perhaps the curse, despite its tragic consequences, held a hidden blessing. It challenged the old king to seek a solution when there seemed to be no hope. Maybe behind every problem is a blessing to be unearthed.