"Who shall I send, and where?" asked the fourth.
"That is your problem," said the third. "I only relay
orders."
"But I have no one to relay them to," said the fourth.
"Then do it yourself," said the third.
"This is ridiculous!" said the fourth, whose name,
incidentally, was William.
"It is the order of the king," said the third. "Your place
is to obey, not to question."
"Very well," said William, sighing. "I'll give it a try.
But I still think it is ridiculous."
"It is the king's order. Go, import a dragon!" And they
laughed, as the fourth adviser went away to seek a medium-sized
dragon with colored lights.
"I wonder," William wondered, "who I can send to fetch me
a dragon? A knight! Of course! I'll send a knight. They are
supposed to be accustomed to doing brave and bold and
courageous things like that."
Chapter 3
HE WALKED up the street to the local inn, where the
knights spent most of their time eating and drinking. He went
into the inn and looked for the captain of the King's Guard.
The captain was seated at the first table, a huge platter of
beef and a tankard of ale in front of him. He was a fat man
with a red face and a wart on the left side of his nose. He
kept eating while William talked to him.
"Captain," he said, "I need a brave and courageous knight
or three for a brave and courageous deed."
"All of my knights are brave and courageous," said the
captain, without looking up from the table.
"The king needs a dragon," said William, "medium-sized
and with colored lights. So, will you kindly supply me with
someone brave and courageous enough to go after one? The
captain choked on his ale and looked up suddenly.
"A dragon?" he said. "You want me to send one of my men
after a dragon?"
