Digory The Dragon Slayer

realised what had happened.
    ‘We must be dead!’ exclaimed Digory.
    ‘No, we’re alive!’ laughed Enid.
    Then they both paused...
    ‘WE’RE IN A DRAGON’S STOMACH!!’ they shrieked and clutched each other in the dark.
    However, before you could say ‘digestive juices’ Digory and Enid were deafened by a belly-shaking roar. The Horrible Gnasher Toast’em Firebreath coughed his breakfast out on to the grass and with a loud bang turned into a horse’s nosebag!



WHAT??!

    W HEN Digory and Enid had checked that all their arms and legs were ungobbled they looked around for the dragon. But all they could see, lying before them in a patch of nettles, was a large nosebag stuffed with fresh hay and, to their astonishment, Barley the carthorse shuffling suspiciously round it.
    Under a tree nearby, Digory spotted Burdock’s sword.
    ‘What happened?’ asked Enid weakly.

    What happened indeed? Digory and Enid were to ask themselves that question a thousand times in their long, happy lives. But unfortunately the only creature who knew the answer was Barley - and she never heard the question. And even if she had heard the question Barley could never have told them that she’d been ambling through the orchard, taking the very-long-and-hungry-route back to Batty-by-Noodle, daydreaming of nosebags of delicious hay, when a sword had fallen out of the sky and landed on her head.
    As she recovered, and stumbled back to her feet, she was amazed to see an enormous

    dragon eat her master right there before her eyes. Picking up the sword in her teeth Barley had charged valiantly at the Horrible Gnasher Toast’em Firebreath - too late to stop him swallowing the Princess as well but sudden enough to catch him off guard and strike him in the tail — whereupon there was a loud bang and the dragon coughed up Digory and Enid and turned into a nosebag of the sweetest smelling hay Barley had ever dreamed of.

    Well, that is exactly what happened indeed, but Barley could never tell the tale, and as it was not an easy story to guess no one ever learnt the truth.
    Digory and Enid were completely bamboozled by their escape and the disappearance of the Horrible Gnasher. But they didn’t spend any time looking for him. They were just content to be reunited and unchewed.
    ‘You were the bravest Knight in the Kingdom,’ beamed Enid.
    ‘No, you were the bravest,’ insisted Digory. ‘No, you were the bravest...’
    ‘No, you were the bravest...’
    And so they argued happily all the way back to King Widget’s castle.



THE KING REMEMBERS

    D IGORY and Enid found King Widget hunting for something under the benches in the banqueting hall. The King was very pleased to see Digory again, although he’d quite forgotten why he’d sent him off in the first place.
    ‘Welcome back, Diggers!’ he said, hugging
    him like a son. ‘Been on your holidays, eh? Do anything interesting?’
    Digory smiled to himself.
    ‘I certainly wasn’t bored, Your Highness,’ he said.
    Enid reached up to whisper in her father’s ear.
    ‘Oddsbodikins! In a dragon’s belly, eh?’ the King exclaimed. ‘Seems a funny place to spend your holidays if you don’t mind me saying, lad,’ he chuckled. ‘You young knights are full of imagination. Anyway, glad you’re back. I’ve got a little... you know... do this, do that sort of thing...’ and he pulled a long list of ‘Jobs to do on Friday’ from an inside pocket of his cloak. ‘Shouldn’t take you long, eh. Now, has anyone seen my purple doodahs, or are they green... um... one goes up and one goes down...’ and he shuffled off scratching his head.
    Digory looked at the list happily. Anything to be done at the castle would be a holiday after his last adventure.
    As he glanced through the jobs his eye caught the last one which read:

    It seemed that although the King could not remember the colour of his doo-dahs he had not forgotten his wish to make Digory a prince.

DIGORY A PRINCE

    And so, when all the jobs were done that Friday, Sir Digory cleaned himself up, polished his tin boots and went to knock shyly on the door of the throne room. Enid opened the door and, to his surprise, gave him a big wink. Then she stepped aside. Behind her stood the King and Queen, smiling, in their best cloaks and crowns, and behind them the great chamber was packed with a jostling crowd of people, all holding their breath and about to burst. As Digory looked closer he couldn’t believe his eyes...
    ‘SURPRISE,