Long ago there was a mighty warrior who was known far and
wide for his heroic deeds. In his youth he travelled to a foreign land to defeat
two monsters that were wreaking havoc on the locals. This astonishing feat was
the start of him being regaled as a hero. He returned to his homeland and
became king after his uncle passed away. He spent many years in relative peace.
Every so often a new challenge would present itself but it was nothing in
comparison to his challenge he faced years ago.
One day while the people of his kingdom were presenting
their problems to their ruler a peasant from a distant part of the realm
presented him with a new dilemma. A dragon had attacked his village and was
living in the neighboring mountains. The king was skeptical of the peasant’s
claims but intrigued at the same time. This would finally be a chance for him
to relive his glory days and have an opponent worthy of his skill.
The king assembled a small group with only the best warriors
his land had to offer. The mountains would be difficult to maneuver with an
army and he wanted to surprise the dragon. The men set off on their journey in
good spirits knowing their warrior king was leading them to what they felt
should be a victory. He had never lost a battle before after all.
The men located the dragon and got quite cocky because the
mighty beast was asleep out in the open. The king called off his men and went
to kill the dragon himself. Foolishly he woke the dragon. In a bit of rage the
dragon breathed a mighty breath of fire that instantly killed half of the king’s
men. A great battle ensued between the king and the dragon. The king’s shield
was effective in blocking the beast’s flames but he soon grew weary. The years
had not been kind to the king and he was not the strapping young man he once
was.
The king was cornered and with one mighty swipe of its tail
the dragon flung him into a pile of boulders. When turning to face its
attacker, the dragon left its vulnerable soft belly exposed. One of the quick
thinking men ran in and thrust his sword straight into the heart of the beast.
It let out a mighty bellow and fell with a heavy thud. The remaining fire
within the dragon died out and smoke wafted out of its nostrils. The man ran to
his king as he breathed his last breaths. Both the dragon and the king perished
in the epic battle but the kingdom had a new hero to praise.
Author’s Note: This
is a retelling of the story Beowulf. I included bits and pieces from the whole
unit, with a primary focus on the end with the battle with the dragon and
Beowulf’s death. I chose not to use Beowulf’s name within my retelling because
I was hoping my readers could guess this was his story. For the same reason I
chose not to mention Grendel or his mother specifically. I felt this story was
ultimately a very brief summarization of the classic story Beowulf.
Bibliography: "The Story of Beowulf" by Strafford Riggs, (1933). Web Source: Untextbook
I really enjoyed this! It was a bit trope-y but in an absolutely wonderful way! I like how you keep the king’s identity a secret until your author’s note – that was a nice touch and definitely add an extra layer to your story. I’m not familiar with much of Beowulf’s mythos besides that one movie with Antonio Banderas (The 13th Warrior, I think, if that even counts). I read Grendel in high school, but that was a while ago, haha.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristin!
ReplyDeleteSo I didn’t read your author’s note before I read your story, but I got to the second sentence of you story and got that it was a retelling of Beowulf. I think it really says something good about your writing that I was able to make that connection almost immediately. I found it interesting that you made the king out to be a little arrogant and foolish.