There once was a magical kingdom
Blessed by heaven’s grace;
Where childhood dreams
Shined bright as moonbeams,
And kindness was common-place.
It was back when earth was young and blithe,
When fairies danced each night.
When good prevailed,
And sprites regaled
To the kingdom folk’s delight.
When flowers grew by the care of nymphs
(With help from the bumble bees).
And gnomes went flyin’
Like dandelions
Light on the evening breeze.
People who lived in this magical time
Took the magic all in stride.
Maidens and knights,
And fairies and sprites
Lived side by side by side.
Each day was filled with wonder.
Times were simple, sweet and gay.
Except, oh my dear,
When the Dragon – Fear,
Cast his shadow ‘cross the day.
Now Fear was an awesome dragon,
And his fiery breath flamed red.
His scales were black,
And climbed up his back
Like stairs from his tail to his head.
Fear lived way up on a mountain top
That nearly scraped the skies.
And he would search
From his aerie perch,
For souls to terrorize.
Some say the heart of the dragon
Was filled with ash and gall.
Or that his attitude
Was downright rude,
Or that he had no heart at all.
Whatever the cause of his tirades,
His demeanor was downright mean.
The havoc he’d raise,
And the houses he’d blaze,
Left a broken, battered scene.
All the kingdom’s creatures trembled.
Every heart would stop with fright,
When out of the clear
That fiery Fear
Extended his winds in flight.
One morning, late in Autumn
When the air was cool and clear,
From a fitful rest
In his mountain nest
Woke a grumpy, grouchy Fear.
He grumbled and growled at the morning chill
(For growling he had a knack).
And as he looked with scorn
On the village morn,
He decided to attack.
With vengeance he took flight that day
A fearful, frightful guy!
And the way he soared,
And the roar he roared,
Scared the clouds out of the sky.
He charged right to the castle
In his awesome, awful way.
He dried the moat;
And burned the boat;
And before he flew away,
He singed the huts in fairyland;
He charred the flower nymphs’ flowers;
He scorched the homes
Of all the gnomes
(Chimneys, roofs and towers).
The kingdom was a shambles
Before his dreadful onslaught ceased.
Then he flew non-stop
To his mountain top,
Feeling rather smug and pleased.
Meanwhile, back at the kingdom,
Gloom hung in the air.
The gnomes and elves
Were beside themselves.
The fairies fell deep in despair.
The kingdom folk thought it was hopeless
That the kingdom would ever revive,
Until one spunky sprite
Said, “We’ll be alright.
Let’s be thankful we’re all still alive!”
He reminded them of their magic,
And their dreams that no one could take.
They started to labor,
As friend and as neighbor,
To rebuild, replace and remake.
When the repairs were all completed,
Elves and the fairies, gnomes and men,
Made a solemn vow
(Though they weren’t sure how)
To stop Fear – right there and right then.
The strongest and fastest and bravest,
The big and the bold and the tall,
Promised to fight
With both magic and might,
To conquer Fear once and for all.
Each climbed Fear’s mountain, armed and sure,
Vowing the job would be done.
And each returned,
Battered and burned,
One by one by one.
The knights and the gnomes were defeated,
And the fairies and elves and the rest.
Overpowered, overrun,
Overwhelmed – Overdone,
They retreated the dark mountain’s crest.
The kingdom had all but surrendered,
When a maiden – so sweet and sincere –
Stepped apart from the crowd,
Quite small but quite proud,
And asked, “May I try taming Fear?”
Faith was the name of the maiden.
She was pretty and sunny and smart.
Her voice was quite small,
But then so was her all –
That is all except for her heart.
At first the people pooh-poohed her
For conceiving so foolish a task.
“Tame him indeed!
We should simply concede!”
Until, “Hush!” said the king, “Let me ask,”
“How could a maiden prevail over Fear
When warriors surrendered the fight?”
“It isn’t the same,
My goal is to tame,”
She responded, both prim and polite,
With all of his warriors defeated,
The king’s options were finite and few.
He thought and he thought,
Then concluded, “Why not?”
And he told her, “That’s just what you’ll do.”
Everyone sent Faith best wishes.
“Good luck!” and “God Speed!” and that stuff.
And she whispered a prayer,
Then sure as you dare,
She climbed that high craggy bluff.
The dragon was waiting to meet her,
When Faith reached the huge mountain’s top.
But before a breath came out
Of Fear’s fiery snout,
She said firmly, but kindly, “Please, stop.”
Now Fear didn’t usually do what folks said,
But then no one had ever asked please.
He was rather disarmed
With Faith’s courage and charm.
Her courtesy put him at ease.
“I came here today to talk,” said Faith,
Speaking with courage and candor.
“You could spare our bad feelings,
(And our walls, doors and ceilings)
If you would learn to keep down your dander.”
“Some say that you have no heart at all,
–That it’s your nature to burn and raid.
But I think you hide
A kind heart inside
And that is why I’m not afraid.”
Now Fear simply wasn’t accustomed
To being so frankly addressed.
The words that Faith said
Didn’t go to his head,
But were swelling inside of his chest.
Being with Faith made Fear joyful.
His big dragon heart seemed to race.
And to his dragon surprise,
When he looked in her eyes,
He blushed from his tale to his face.
With a lump in his throat, he promised
His attacks on the kingdom would end.
Though in dragons it’s rare
Fear was learning to care.
He was transforming from dragon to friend.
Fear carried Faith home on his back that night,
Which the kingdom’s folk found alarming.
Until she proclaimed,
“Fear has been tamed!”
And she added, “I think he’s quite charming.”
To celebrate a grand ball was held
For Faith (and her Fear-taming powers).
Fairies danced with sprites
(In their best baggy tights).
The nymphs and the gnomes were wallflowers.
The kingdom again was filled with joy,
And people were given to laughter.
Fairy dust flew;
The nymph’s flowers grew;
And they lived happily ever after.
A lesson was learned in the kingdom that day
— It was sure as the morning is new;
Fear will struggle and fight
Against muscle and might,
But he’s tamed by a heart that is true.
And when sometimes Fear goes flying
Through my peace-filled late-night dreams;
I wake with a start
And an unhappy heart,
Tormented by Fear’s cunning schemes.
But I find a little Faith inside.
“I’m not afraid,” I say.
“Because Faith tamed Fear
And can do so here.”
And I stop right there and pray.
And the dragon Fear retreats then,
To his mountain, I suppose.
And with my covers pulled tight,
And my pillow just right
I resume my sweet repose.
Fabletime 