The Armor, the Sword, and the Shield

Once there lived a dragon who stormed the countryside, knocking down trees with his spiked tail, killing people with his scaly claws, and scorching the grass with his fiery breath. One day he met a king out riding. He wore a suit of shining armor, brandished a gold-hilted sword, and carried a silver shield.
    
The dragon gnashed his teeth and let forth a billow of smoke. He roared, "Give me your armor, sword, and shield, and I will hurt no one."
    
The king, fearing for the lives of his courtiers, reluctantly handed over his prized possessions. The dragon took them in his scaly claws and galloped off.
    
The king sent messengers throughout the country bearing this message: "Whoever can bring back my armor, my sword, and my shield shall have the princess as his bride and half the kingdom."
    
In a far-off land, a prince heard the message. He went to seek the dragon. He had heard that the dragon's fiery breath could scorch a man forty feet away. The prince went to the dragon's cave and stopped--forty-TWO feet from the dragon. The dragon took the king's armor in his teeth and guarded the sword and shield with his spiked tail.

The prince jeered, "I don't believe your tail can knock down trees!" The dragon knocked down three trees with one mighty swipe of his tail.

"I don't believe," jeered the prince, "your claws can kill anyone!" The dragon took a boulder the size of a horse and flung it down.

"I don't believe you can breathe fire!" jeered the prince. The infuriated dragon hissed flames out of his mouth. But the armor flew out, too, and landed beside the prince.

The prince swept up the armor. The dragon charged--and so did the prince. The prince vaulted over the dragon's horns, landing behind him in the cave. He grabbed the sword and shield.

As the dragon turned around, the prince rode his tail back out of the cave. He dashed away, leaving a dumbstruck and bewildered dragon searching in vain for the king's armor, sword, and shield.