WRITTEN BY A D R IA N A GABRIEL

1 I 11 O N I I IE M O T IO N PICTURE SCREENPLAY
U KII U N BY C HA R LE S E D W A R D PO GU E
'I . 1 " I'M RICK READ JO H N S O N & C H A R LE S EDW A RD PO G U E

P E N G U I N R E A D E R S
 D r a g o n h e a v t

Adapted from the junior novelization written by

A D R IA N A G A B R IE L
Based on the motion picture screenplay written by
C H A R LES EDW ARD PO GU E
Story by
P A T R IC K R E A D JO H N S O N & C H A R L E S E D W A R D P O G U E

Level 2

R e to ld by Joan na Strange
Series Editors: A n d y H opkins and Jocelyn Potter
 P e a r s o n E d u c a t i o n L i m i te d
E d in b u rg h G ate, H arlow ,
Essex C M 2 0 2JE, E n g lan d
a nd Assoc iate d C o m p a n ie s th ro u g h o u t th e w orld

IS B N -1 3 : 9 7 8 -0 -5 8 2 -3 M 0 1 -1
IS B N -1 0 : 0 -5 8 2 -3 6 4 0 1 -9

First p u b lish e d in G reat B ritain by M a m m o th

an im p rin t o f R e e d C h ild re n 's B o o k s 1 9 %
I his e d itio n first p u b lish ed I 999

f> 7 9 10 8 (t

C o p y r ig h t (O U niversal S tu d io s P u b lish in g R ig h ts, a I )ivision of U niversal

S tu d io s L icen sin g , Inc. I99f>, 1999
All rig h ts reserved

T ypeset by D ig ital T ype, L o n d o n

Set in 1 1 /1 4 p t B cm b o
P rin te d in C h in a
S W T C /0 5

A ll rights reserved; no part of this publication in,iy he reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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prior m itte n permission of the Publishers.

Published by P earson E d u c a tio n L im ite d in association w ith

P e n g u in B ooks Ltd, b o th c o m p a n ie s b e in g su b sid iaries of P earson Pic

For a c o m p le te list o f titles a v a ila b le in th e P e n g u in R e a d e rs series, p lea se w rite to y o u r local

P e a rs o n E d ucatio n office o r to: P e n g u in R e a d e rs M a rk e tin g D e p a rtm e n t.
P e a rso n E d u c a tio n . E d in b u rg h G ate. H arlo w . Essex C M 20 2JE.
 Contents

nluction

pter 1 T h e O ld C o d e

pter 2 T h e Battle

ptcr 3 T h e G reat D ragon

pter 4 C ru e l K in g E inon

pter 5 Sir B o w en and the D ragon

pter (> T h e D rag o n ’s Idea

pter 7 A Sad D ay for Kara

pter 8 Kara M eets D raco

pter R e a d y fo r Battle

pter 10 A N e w Star in the Sky

vities
 Introduction

'I won’t be a cruel king. I won’t kill dragons and peasants. I ’ll love my
people and be kind to them. I ’ll always Hue by the O ld Code.'

Y ou ng P rin ce Einon is dying. His m other wants D raco, the G reat

D ragon, to help him . D raco says that he w ill help. But first the
boy has to repeat these words.
W hen E in on is king, he forgets the dragon’s words. H e is cruel
to the peasants, and everyb ody in the cou ntry is unhappy and
afraid.
D raco and go od Sir B o w en , a K n igh t of the O ld C o d e , w an t
to help the peasants. B ut can they? W ill people live by the O ld
C o d e again? W hat w ill happen in the fight betw een G o o d and
Bad?

Th is story is about dragons and knights, kings and peasants.

Charles Edw ard Pogue w rote the story for the film o f Dragonheart
— a b ook by Patrick R e a d Jo h nso n and C harles E dw ard Pogue.
Sean C o n n e ry (Draco), D ennis Q uaid (Sir B ow en ), D avid
T h ew lis (Einon), Pete Postlethw aite (G ilbert, the m onk) and Ju lie
C hristie (Q u een Aislinn) are all in the film. It was expensive and
difficult to make. T h ey used com puters to film the dragon; the
beautiful w oods, m ountains and castles are in Slovakia, in the east
o f Europe. It is a very excitin g film , and a lot o f people w en t to
see it at the cinema.

IV
 C h apter 1 T h e O ld C o d e

A ‘.word shone in the s u n .‘ N o t b ad !’ shouted S ir* B o w e n .T h e n

lie pulled out his sword and started to fight Prin ce E in o n . T h e
prince tell to the ground. ‘B u t y o u ’ll have to fight harder than
ill,it. or you ’ ll d ie!’ laughed Sir B ow en .
Sn Bow en was one o f K in g F rey n es knights. P rin ce E in o n
Was the kin g’s son. H e was fourteen years old and a strong yo u n g
in.in. I le liked fighting but he didn ’t like losing. H e got up
t|iu< kIv and took up his sword again. ‘ T h at’s better,’ laughed
H ow on.The you ng prince sm iled .T h en suddenly he felt B o w e n ’s
sword, hard, on his a rm .‘ D ead again!’ laughed Sir B ow en .
I' inon started to fight again. His face was an gry n o w .‘ Careful!

Einon started to fight again. His face was angry now.

* Sir: im portant k in g’s knights had the word Sir in front o f their names.
C areful! Fight w ith your head, d o n ’t fight with you r heart, b o y !’
shouted B ow en .
T h e knight wanted to make E in on a good fighter. But he also
wanted to teach him the O ld C o d e. Sir Bow en and all the kings,
princes and knights before him w ere Knights of the O ld C o d e.
For thousands o f years kings w ere kind to peasants and knights
helped kings. Th is was the O ld C o d e. Life was goo d , and
everyb o dy in the co u n try was happy. T h en everyth in g started to
change and the peasants were angry. Bow en didn’t like this. H e
loved E in o n and he wanted the boy to rem em ber the O ld C o d e
all his life.
A fter the sw ord-fighting lesson, B o w en and Einon sat dow n.
‘N ever turn your back to som ebody w h en you fight, Einon! W h y
can’t you rem em ber that?’
Sud denly they heard the sound o f a horse. T h e y looked up and
saw B ro k, one of the k in g’s knights, on his horse in front o f them .
B ow en d id n ’t like B ro k and looked at him angrily. B ro k d id n ’t
live by the O ld C ode.
‘W e’re fighting the peasants,’ B ro k told them . ‘W e’re w in n in g,
of course. K in g Freyne wants his son to com e and watch.’
‘ It’s n ot good o r clever to fight the peasants,’ answered B o w en .
I le really hated B rok.
‘T h e y ’re stupid! T h e king says they have to die. H e wants
E inon to com e now. A n d you too, B ow en ,’ B ro k shouted. T h e n
he turned his horse and rode away fast.
‘W h y did he shout at you ?’ asked E in on. ‘Y o u ’re a K n ig h t o f
the O ld C o d e! Y o u ’re not afraid o f h im !’
‘ N o , o f course I ’m not afraid o f him . I hate him . H e doesn ’t
live by the O ld C o d e. H e enjoys killing the peasants. H e ’s the
kin g’s man.’
E in o n understood. B ow en hated his father, the king, too. H e
smiled at B ow en . ‘W h en m y father dies, I ’ll b e king. A nd y o u ’ll
be my m an. Sir B ow en .’

9
 Howen looked at E inon w ith love in his e y e s.‘ I’ m you r man
now, my Prince,’ he answered warm ly.

C h ap ter 2 T h e B attle

Hi ok rode qu ickly back to the battle. W hen he got near the

lil’hling, he heard the sound o f swords. He laughed loudly w h en
In' s.ivv hundreds o f peasants, dead on the ground.
In ilie middle o f a field, Brok could see K ing Freyne on his
horse I he crow n on the kin g’s head shone in the sun. O n his coat
was a picture o f a dragon’s head on a sw ord .T he king looked down
al Ihe dead men below him w ith hard eyes. W ith a cruel smile on
his lace, he pulled out his sw ord.T he peasants on his right and left
were afraid. T h e y ran away fast but the king follow ed them. H e
loved lighting and killing. N oth ing could stop him now.
I ligli above the battle, Sir B o w en and Prince E in o n sat and
watched. B ow en hated the figh tin g but E inon was excited.
'I want to fight dow n there w ith m y father,’ he said.
‘ N o, you d o n ’t, boy,’ B o w en answered sadly.
‘ I do! I d o !’ E in o n sh o u ted .‘A n d I w an t to see you fight too.
Sir B o w en .Y o u ’re the best fighter in the w o rld !’
‘ Yes, I twi a good fighter. B etter than you r cruel father,’ B ow en
s.ud angrily.
Einon felt unhappy w h en he heard th is.‘ D o n ’t be an gry w ith
him, B ow en. H e is m y father and he is the king.'
Bow en sm iled kindly at the prince. H e didn’t w ant to m ake
I inon unhappy. B u t it was difficult for him to watch the battle.
I le was a K n igh t o f the O ld C o d e, and it was w ron g to kill the
peasants.
‘ Yes, E in on , your father’s king now,’ he said to the boy. ‘B u t
one day yo u 'll be king and y o u ’ll w ear the crow n on yo u r head.
W hen y o u ’re king, rem em ber today. A n d rem em ber the O ld

3
C ode. N ever, never fight the peasants. T h en the crow n w ill shine
w onderfully on your head, and y o u ’ll be a better king than yo u r
father.’
B o w e n turned to watch the battle w ith a heavy heart. H e
didn’t see the prin ce’s eyes w hen Einon spoke. T h e y were as hard
as the k in g ’s.
‘ Yes, I’ m goin g to be a better k in g than m y father, B o w en ,’
answered E inon. T h en he suddenly shouted, ‘ O h , look! M y
father’s killin g m ore stupid peasants!’
D o w n b elo w them , the kin g and his knights rode through the
peasants’ villag e.T h e y cut dow n m en w ith their swords and burnt
their hom es. O ne o f the peasants stood near his house and
w atched the king carefully. Th is m an ’s nam e was R ed b eard — he
had red hair and a red beard. H e suddenly shouted lo u d ly,‘ N o w !’
W h en the other m en heard R ed b eard , they q u ickly cam e out
o f their houses. T h ey lo oked an gry and dangerous. T h e y ran after
R ed b eard to the k in g on his horse and tried to kill h im .T h e k in g
rode out o f the village fast, but the peasants follow ed him. T h e y
pulled him from his horse and began to hit him. T h en they all
ju m p e d on him , hard.
From above, E in o n w atched the figh ting and cried, ‘ N o ! N o !
T h e y ’re killin g my father!’ H e q u ick ly ju m p e d on his horse and
rode d ow n to the battle.
‘Stop, E in on ! Sto p!’ shouted B o w en , but E in o n didn’t listen.
B o w e n clim bed on to his horse and follow ed fast behind the boy.
B u t w h en he got to the battle, he couldn ’t find the prin ce
an yw h e re.‘ Einon! E in o n !’ he called, but there was no answer.
E in o n found his father on the ground and sat dow n near him .
H e looked at the k in g’s grey face and c rie d ,‘ Father, fath er!’
T h en he looked at the beautiful crow n on the k in g ’s head. ‘M y
father’s go in g to die,’ he thought. ‘I ’m goin g to be king and I
w ant that crow n now.’
E in o n started to take the crown from his father’s head, but the

4
king suddenly opened his eyes. H e looked at the boy and tried to
stop him. For a m inute, father and son pulled at the crow n. B ut
I it ion was stronger and he w on. O ld K in g Freyne loo ked at his
son a n grily.T h en he closed his eyes and died.
W hen E in on stood up w ith the crow n in his hands, he saw a
young peasant opposite h im .T h e m an stood on a bridge w ith a
l u ge bucket on his head! H e suddenly ju m p e d o f f the bridge and
tell on to E in o n .T h e y fought for a lon g tim e .T h e n the peasant,
Mill kethead, pushed his sw ord into E in o n ’s h ea rt.T h e prin ce fell
lo the ground w ith his hands round the crow n.
W hen the peasant looked dow n at the prince at his feet, the
bucket tell from his head. E inon could see a lot o f lovely, lo n g red
hair! Buckethead was a w om an, not a m an. H er nam e was Kara,
ami she was R e d b eard s daughter. She w ore dirty, old clothes but
she was very beautiful.
Suddenly som ebody sh o u ted ,‘E in o n , E in on! W here are yo u ?’
W hen Kara heard this, she quickly ran away. Sir B ow en ran to
I n ion and c r ie d ,‘ It’s me, E in on . I ’m here, M y K ing.’
Einon looked up at B ow en , and then closed his eyes. B o w en
lo o k the prince in his arm s and tried to help him . B u t the boy
didn ’t m o ve.T h e knight could do nothing.

C h apter 3 T h e G reat D r a g o n

In the king’s castle, Q u een Aislinn sat in her room . She looked out
ot the w in d o w w ith sad eyes. She co u ld n ’t see the battle, but she
could hear the sound o f fighting. ‘ T h e O ld C o d e says it’s w ro n g
to kill the peasants,’ she th o u g h t.‘ M y husband’s a bad, cruel king.’
Suddenly B rok, the k in g ’s knight, ran into the room . ‘ Q u een
Aislinn, yo u r husband’s dead,’ he said. ‘T h e peasants killed him.
K in g Freyne is dead!’
T h e queen listened to B ro k quietly. B eh in d him she could see
 The queen stood next to Bowen and looked down tit her son.

Sir B ow en . His face was tired and sad and he stood w ith her son,
P rin ce E in o n , in his arms.
‘ I'm sorry, Q ueen Aislinn,’ said B ow en , w ith his head dow n .
‘T h e p rin ce fell too.’
‘D o n ’t be sorry, Sir B ow en ,’ answered the queen. ‘T h e y killed
E in on because o f his cruel father, the king. N o w , put him on m y
bed.’
B ut E in o n w asn’t dead. ‘ T h e crow n, the crow n . . . , ’ he said
weakly. B ow en put the crow n into E in o n ’s hands. B u t the queen
didn’t listen to him . She stood next to B o w en and looked dow n at
her son. T h en she slow ly took o ff his shirt.
‘W e can ’t help him now,’ B o w en said sadly.
T h e queen said nothing. She w alked to the w in d o w and
looked at a beautiful picture o f a dragon on the w a ll.‘ Perhaps w e
can, B ow en ,’ she answ ered.‘Perhaps w e can

6
<Jttceii Aislinn rode quickly. She turned her horse and started to
i limit the m ountain behind the castle. B ro k rode in front o f her
,mit I Sn ISowen follow ed. B eh in d them tw o men carried E in o n
i nclully up the m ountain.
Alter ,1 lon g time, B o w en heard the sound o f m usic — a
Mi.iiif’c, sad song. It cam e from som ew here inside the m ountain.
I ln'ii r.mon made a sound and his eyes closed. B ow en got o ff his
Iniisr last ,ind ran to the yo u n g boy. ‘W ake up! Wake u p !’ he
'thinned. ‘ I )o n ’t go to sleep. M y K in g .Y o u ca n ’t die now. Listen to
me. ind rem em ber the O ld C od e.’ B o w en then spoke quietly
into I ilion ’s ear. H e talked to him about the O ld C o d e. E in o n
moved his m outh and tried to repeat B o w e n ’s words. H e ditin’t
w .11 it to die on the cold m ountain.
I h ey c lim bed slow ly up the m ountain, then stopped. T h e
queen got off her horse and turned to the m en behind her.
I Ins is the end o f ou r jo u r n e y W e’re go in g into the m ountain
now.’
It was a cold, dark place and it looked dangerous.
'F o llo w me I )o n ’t be afraid,’ said the queen. She walked in and
the men follow ed h er.T h e y cou ldn’t see m u ch .T h ere was a lot o f
sm oke, and there w ere dead animals on the ground near their
leet. I hen B ow en heard the strange son g again.
Suddenly, the m usic stopped. From out o f the dark som ebody
asked sadly,‘A re the stars shining tonight?’
‘ N o, there aren’t any stars in the sky tonight,’ answered the
queen.
‘ Is that Q u een A islinn, w ife o f K in g Freyne?’ said the dragon.
‘ Yes, G reat D ragon. T h e people in m y country love you and
the other dragons. W e’re you r friends.’
‘ N o, M adam ,’ answered the dragon. ‘M e n and dragons w ere
friends for thousands o f years. B u t things are different now.’
I he dragon cam e slow ly out o f the dark and sat on the
ground near the queen.

7
 ‘B rin g E in o n here, B ow en ,’ said the queen.
T h e knigh t carried E in o n in his arms and put him dow n on
the ground. T h e dragon ’s face was high above him . It was v e ry
ugly — brow n and black, w ith a large m outh, b ig teeth, and sad
eyes. Bow en felt very afraid - he never took his eyes away from
that face!
T h e dragon looked dow n at E in o n .‘ It’s K in g Freyn e’s son !’ he
said. ‘ I hated the king. H e loved killin g dragons and peasants.
W hat do you want from me, Q u een A islinn?’
‘ I w ant yo u r help,’ answered the queen. ‘ A peasant hurt m y
child in the battle. E in o n ’s not the same as his father, G reat
D ragon . T h is knight, Sir B ow en , is teaching him the O ld C o d e.
And I’m go in g to teach him about dragons in the future. Please
help him .’
‘Y o u ’re asking a lot, M ad am .Y ou r son’s very ill,’ said the dragon.

The dragon's facc was high above Bowen.

8
 I know,’ cried die queen. ‘B u t lie’s k in g now. H e’ll be a good
k in g Sir B ow en and I w ill help him . H e w o n ’t be cruel, Great
I >tagon.‘
'//(■ lias to say that, not you,' answered the dragon. T h en he
looked .it B o w e n .‘ G ive m e y o u r sword, K nigh t.’
Bowen pulled out his sword and gave it to the dragon. T h e
dragon stood over E in on , w ith the sw ord in his hands. T h e boy
opened his eyes. H e saw the dragon, and tried to m ove away.
‘ D o n ’t be afraid, son,’ said the queen quietly. ‘T h e Great
I >r.igon’s go in g to help you.’
I will help you, boy. B u t first you have to say these words: “ I
w o n ’t lie a cruel king. I w o n ’t kill dragons and peasants. I ’ll love
lliy people and be kind to them. I’ll always live by the O ld
( 'ode." N ow , are you ready? R ep eat them after m e!’
Einon was ve ry tired, but he repeated the dragon’s words.
I lien he fell back into B o w e n ’s arms.
‘ Einon, E in o n !’ shouted B ow en . ‘ N o , no! H e ’s dead!’ B ow en
was very angry and tried to pull his sw ord away from the dragon.
But the dragon sh o u ted ,‘K n igh t o f the O ld C ode. Stop! Watch
me! N o w i’ T h en he pushed B o w e n ’s sw ord into his heart! A red
light cam e out o f the dragon. H e caught the light in his hands
and turned to E in o n .‘T h is ligh t’s h a lf m y heart, boy. I’m g ivin g it
to you. It’ ll make you strong. E n jo y a lo n g life and always
rem em ber the words o f the O ld C od e.’
E in o n ’s eyes slow ly opened. H e felt w eak, but he w asn’t dead.
Bow en looked at the boy, then he looked up at the d ra g o n .‘ I ’ m
sorry. Great D ragon . I was an gry and afraid .T h an k you.’
‘ You can help E in o n now, Sir B ow en . Teach him the O ld
C !ode well. N e v e r forget m y words.’
B efore B o w en could answer, the dragon w ent back into the
m ountain. E veryth in g was dark and cold again. N o b o d y spoke —
they listened to the sound o f the strange, sad music.

9
 C h apter 4 C ruel K in g E in on

Einon sat on his horse, high above the peasants. Elc lo o ked strong
and happy w ith his father’s crow n on his head and his sword in
his hand.
‘i ’m kin g now,’ he thought. ‘ I love w atching m y peasants.
T h e y ’re building me a w onderful n ew castle. It’s g o in g to be
b igger and better than m y father’s old castle. It's g o in g to b e the
greatest castle in the w orld!'
K in g E in on was as hard and cruel as his father now. H e n ever
rem em bered the words o f the O ld C o d e, o r the G reat D ragon in
the m ountain. H e hated the peasants, and they had to w ork
harder and harder every day.
B ro k , old K in g Freyne s knight, rode past E in on o n his horse.
B eh in d B ro k , som e peasants w alked slow ly up to the castle. T h e y
looked w eak and ill. T h e y didn’t lo o k up at the k in g w h en they
w alked past. B u t E in o n looked dow n at them and suddenly
shouted loudly, "Stop, B rok! S to p !’
B ro k qu ickly ju m p e d dow n from his horse.
‘L o o k , B rok! There! T h at peasant there! T h at’s R ed b eard ! H e
killed m y father!’
E in on and B ro k looked at the tall, strong peasant w ith the red
hair and red beard. R e d b eard looked back at them w ith hate in
his eyes.
‘Yes, I killed y o u r father, b o y !’ he shouted at E in o n .‘ Y o u can
thank m e now. N o w y o u ’re k in g and the c r o w n ’s on y o u r
head.'
B ro k ran to R e d b e a rd and put his sword up near his face.
‘ N o !’ E in on shouted. ‘D o n ’t kill him . T h at’s too kind.’ H e
smiled cruelly at R e d b e a rd .‘ L o o k at me, dog! L o o k carefully.You
can see m e now, but y o u ’ll never see m e or anything again. G et
som e w o o d from the fire, B rok. B u rn out his eyes!’
B ro k got som e w o o d from a hot fire. R edb eard w atched him

10
angrily but he w asn’t afraid. B ro k put the b u rn in g w o o d near
K rd b e ard ’s eyes, then he suddenly stopped. H e felt a sword on his
.11 in, .iik I the w o o d fell from his hands to the ground. H e looked
lip qu ickly and saw Sir B ow en . B o w e n called to the peasants,
R u n away! Q u ickly! R u n !’ T h e peasants understood. T h e y ran
away from K in g E in on and his castle as fast as they could.
Kara, R ed b eard s beautiful daughter, ran to her fath er.‘ Father!
I ,Hher! Are you all right?’ she cried.
‘ Kara! Q u ic k ly !’ shouted R ed b eard . ‘L e t’s go. R u n !’ A nd
K edbeard and Kara follow ed the other peasants.
K in g E inon was ve ry an gry w ith B o w en . H e ju m p e d dow n
hum his horse and pulled out his s w o rd .‘ W hat are you doing,
Uow en?’ he shouted angrily. ‘T h ose are my peasants, not yours!
W h o ’s k in g in this country? M e! N o t y o u !’
Unwen got oft his horse and pulled out his sword too. T h ey
started to fight, but after a few minutes E in o n fell to the ground.
Unwen stood over the b o y and looked d ow n at him.
‘ Einon,’ he said, ‘ d o n ’t do this. W h at’s w ro n g w ith you? A re
you ill? R e m e m b e r the O ld C od e, E in on . R e m e m b e r m y words
and the words o f the G reat D ragon.’
T in king now,’ E in on shouted b a c k .‘ Kings d o n ’t have to live
by the O ld C o d e !’
IJnwen co u ld n ’t understand Einon. H e took h im by the arm
and cried, ‘I taught you the O ld C o d e , boy. I taught you
everything. N e v e r forget th at.W hat’s w ro n g w ith y o u ?’
Uut Einon didn ’t listen. H e pulled his arm away and started to
fight Uowen again. A gain he fell to the ground. B ow en looked
dow n at him sadly. ‘ Fight with your head, b o y !’ he said. ‘ D o n ’t
light with yo u r heart!’
I Iis heart! H is heart! B o w en thought about the dragon’s words
m the m o u n tain :‘This ligh t’s h alf m y heart, boy. I’m giv in g it to
vou.’ W hy was E inon as cruel as his father now ? Was it because
In- had a draeon ’s heart, not a m an’s heart? B o w en threw his
sword d o w n on the grou nd next to E in o n . I le sat down near him
on the grou nd and looked into his eyes.
‘ E very b o d y has to live by the O ld C o d e, Einon . K ings, knights
and peasants — everybody in the country. W hy can’t you
understand that?’ T h en he slow ly stood up. I le got on his horse,
and rode away.
B ro k w anted to ride after B o w e n , but K in g Einon said, ‘ Let
him go, Brok. H e ’s an old man. H e doesn’t understand. I d o n ’t
w ant him to help m e now. I’ m a king, not a child. G o and find
R ed b eard . A nd w h en you find him , burn out the smpid peasant’s
eyes!’
B ro k rode away fist and looked fo r R e d b ea rd .W h en he found
him , he burnt out his eyes, slow ly and cruelly. T h e peasant could
never see Kara, his beautiful daughter, again.

B o w e n slow ly rode away from E in o n w ith a heavy heart. H e

thought hard about the b o y and the dragon. ‘E in o n isn’t a cruel
boy. B u t h e’s got h alf the dragon’s heart. T h at’s the problem . It’s
the dragon ’s heart. So now h e’s as bad as his father. I’m go in g to
find that dragon . . . and kill h im !’
T h e knight rode quickly back to Q u een A islin n ’s castle. T h en
he started on his lon g jo u rn e y to find the dragon.
A fter m any days he arrived at the dragon’s cold, dark h om e in
the m ountain. B u t this time the dragon w asn’t there.
B ow en shouted lo u d ly,‘D ragon! C an you hear me? W h ere are
you, D ragon? W h y did you do it? W h y did you give my K in g h alf
yo u r cruel heart? I’ll never stop lo o kin g for you, D ragon . A nd
w h en I find you
B o w en stopped shouting. H e stood in the dark and listened.
O utside, from som ew here above him , he could hear the dragon ’s
strange song. H e q u ick ly ju m p e d on his horse and rode away. H e
w anted to find the m usic . . . and the dragon.

12
r

C h ap ter 5 Sir B o w e n and the D r a g o n

'■ii M ourn rode up the m ountain all day and all night. Early the
i it a I m orn ing he saw an old man on the road in front o f him .
'W ho's this?’ he th o u g h t.‘W h o ’s he talking to? A nd w h y is he
i itling .1 horse and w ritin g at the same tim e?’
' ( )ld m an!’ he shouted. ‘B e careful! L o o k at the road, not at
s <>111 hooks. N o w please, m ove out o f m y way.’
I ho old man turned round and saw B o w e n .T h e n suddenly his
I,ice went w hite. H e looked ve ry afraid. ‘ N o ! H elp! T h e re ’s a
ilia . ilra . . . drag . . . ’
'W h.ii is it?’ asked B o w e n .‘W h at’s w ro n g ? ’
'Me . . . be . . . behind you,’ answered the old m an. ‘ L o o k
behind you !'
Mowen turned round quickly. B eh in d him there was a big,
iil’J v dragon in the sky! T h e knight pulled out his sword and they
began to tight. Th is dragon wasn't as b ig or strong as the Great
I >iagon in the m ountain. In minutes it fell to the grou n d w ith
Mowen s sword in its heart. T h en everyth ing went very quiet.
I lie old man spoke first. ‘ O h , thank you , thank you , K n igh t!
I li.it dragon looked very dangerous. We nearly died! I'd like to
I hank you a thousand tim es!’
All right, all right, it’s dead now,’ answered B o w e n .‘ O ld man,
w h at’s your name? A nd w hat are you d oin g here?’
'M v name's B rother G ilb ert, and I’m a m onk. I ride on my
horse round the cou n try and try to help people. A nd I w rite
stories about m y jo u rn ey s. I w rite about kings and knights, about
dragons and the O ld C o d e.’
Well. I'm on a lon g jo u rn e y too, Brother. So I'll say goodbye
now," answered B ow en .
'W ill you ride w ith m e, K nigh t? asked B ro th er G ilbert.
Yes, I'd like to ride w ith yo u , Brother. W e can talk. Let’s go.’
And the tw o men w ent slow ly up the m ountain.

13
 W h en it was dark, they stopped for the night. T h e y were
h u n g ry and thirsty, and they cooked som e meat on a hot fire.
T h en the m onk read one o f his stories to B ow en . It was a story
about the O ld C od e.
‘W h at do you think, Sir B ow en ? D id you like it?’ asked
B roth er G ilbert at the end.
‘ I liked the meat, Brother, but not you r story.T h e O ld C ode's
dead,’ said B ow en sadly. ‘N o b o d y lives by the O ld C o d e now.’
'R id e w ith me, go od K nigh t, and find the O ld C o d e again,’
answered B rother G ilbert.
‘ I’ll ride with you, Brother. B ut I ’m not go in g to look for the
O ld C o d e . I'm lo o kin g for a dragon. A nd w hen 1 find it. I’ m
go in g to kill it!’
T h e n ext m o rn in g B ow en and B rother G ilb ert clim bed 011
their horses again. T h e y talked and laughed. T h e m on k told
Bow en m ore stories. A fter som e time, G ilb ert got oft his horse
and sat dow n 011 the ground. H e started to w rite a story about
B o w e n and the dragon. Suddenly the ground round the m onk
began to m ove and his pen fell out o f his fingers. T h en his papers
flew everyw here.
‘ H elp! Help! W h at’s happening?’ he shouted.
B o w en turned round 011 his horse and saw the m on k w ith his
papers on the ground. T h en , in the river behind him , he saw a
dragon! H e rode qu ickly dow n to the river. W h en he got there,
he heard the dragon’s strange song again.
‘D o n ’t com e into this river, K n igh t, or y o u 'll die!’ the dragon
said.
‘ I’m not afraid o f you,’ shouted B ow en .
‘A re n ’t you?’ shouted the d ra g o n .‘ T h en look at this!’
O u t o f the river the dragon th rew a dead man and his horse.
‘T h at m an tried to fo llow m e into the river! L o o k at him now !
And there are m ore dow n h ere!’
B ro th er G ilbert stood behind B ow en . H e was very afraid. B ut

14
I lie knight got o ff his horse and pulled out his sw o rd .‘ C o m e and
111; 111 me. D ragon,’ he sh o u ted .‘You can’t hurt me.’
I lie dragon came slow ly out o f the river and w ent behind a
lii'i 1Sowen could feel the hot fire from the dragon’s nose, but he
i o u ld ii’t see him very w ell. O n the groun d, round the tree, w ere
dr ill men and horses.
Movven m oved nearer the tree. H e felt afraid, but he didn’t
want (lie dragon to k n o w .'W h y is all that fire co m in g out o f your
nose, I )ragon? It’s too w et in the river to start a fire, you k n o w !’
lie laughed.
W hy do you knights always want to fight and kill us? D o you
tlimk it'll make you fam ous?’ the dragon asked.
I don't want to be fam ous,’ answered B ow en , w ith his sword
m Ins h an d .‘ B u t 1 want to be rich .T h ese days people pay m e for
dr.id dragons. A nd I’m go in g to kill you.’
‘ O h, you kill dragons for m oney! Y o u ’re that kn igh t!’ said the
dragon.
'W ell, I have to live,’ answered B ow en .
‘ Yes, everyb od y has to live,’ laughed the d rag o n .‘L e t’s start the
battle then.'
'Yes, let's,’ shouted B o w e n .‘ I’ll en joy killin g y o u !’
Howeii m oved nearer. T h e dragon w atched him and then he
.aw the knight’s sw o rd .‘ I kn ow that sword,’ he th ou ght . ‘ 1 used it
in the m ountain to cut out h alf m y heart for K in g E in on .’ He
suddenly left the ground and flew up into the sky. H e flew higher
.ind higher, above Sir B o w en and B ro th er G ilbert.
I lie knight quickly clim bed on to his horse and rode after the
dragon. B ow en follow ed h im for a lo n g tim e but in the end he
got dow n from his horse, tired and angry. T h en the dragon flew
dow n from the sky.
'Y ou 're clever,’ shouted B ow en . ‘ C leverer than the other
dragons. C o m e here! I want a good fight.'
‘ Well, it'll b e your last,’ said the dragon.

15
 T h e y started to fight. T h e dragon hit Bow en hard and he tell
back into a tree. H e got up quickly and sh o u ted ,‘You w o n ’t w in ,
you know. I ’m goin g to kill all dragons.’
‘T h e re ’s on ly me, K n igh t. I’m the last dragon.’
B ow en didn’t k n o w that this was the last dragon in the
country. W hen he heard this, he stopped fighting for a minute.
T h e dragon w atched him and cam e nearer. H e pushed B o w en
hard and the knight fell over. B o w en could feel the fire from the
dragon’s nose. It burnt his face. H e heard B rother G ilbert shout.
T h en everyth ing w ent black . ..

W h en B o w e n w ok e up, he was inside the dragon ’s m outh. H e

pulled out his sword and sh o u ted ,‘D o n ’t b ring yo u r teeth dow n ,
D ragon. O r m y sword w ill go up.’ N o th in g happened.
B o w en sat in the dragon’s m outh all day. O utside, B ro th er
G ilbert w atched and waited. In the evening the dragon tried to
speak, but it was difficult w ith B o w e n in his m outh!
‘ D o n ’t pu t y o u r sw ord ufp. O r m a t e e f co m e d o w n ,’ he
said.
B ow en looked round the dragon’s m outh. H e saw an old shirt
betw een tw o o f the dragon’s teeth. H e pulled it out and a m an ’s
hand cam e out w ith i t .‘O h, that’s Sir Hglamore’s shirt!’ he cried,
and threw it away.
‘ T h an n ffs!’ said the dragon. ‘T h a t’s been ufp dere fa monffs!
N o w ged you r sword o ff ma teef.’
‘ O h be quiet! It’s hard for m e too, you know,’ answered
B ow en .
T h e conversation was very b o rin g and difficult for the dragon.
‘O h , m a m o u f i f dry,’ said the dragon after a short time. ‘ Listen,
ged out a ff ma m o u f and led’s talk face to face.’
B ow en got up slow ly and the dragon opened his m outh. T h e
knight stood betw een his big, dirty teeth. W ith his sword in his

16
I he knight stood between the dragon’s big, dirty teeth.
hands, he looked up at the dragon — he felt very afraid. T h en he
suddenly fell on to the ground outside with his sword next to him .
‘K ill me, th en!’ he shouted up to the dragon.
‘ I d o n ’t w ant to kill you,’ said the dragon q u ietly.‘ A nd I d o n ’t
want you to kill me. I’m old and tired and I d o n ’t want to fight.
I’ve got an idea. Listen.’
B ow en was tired and hungry. H e wanted to eat and sleep. H e
looked up at the dragon and said w e ak ly ,‘So tell me. W hat’s yo u r
idea?’

C h apter 6 T h e D r a g o n ’s Idea

T h e dragon began to tell B ow en his clever idea.

A t the same tim e, d ow n below them , the peasants w orked hard
in Sir Felton ’s fields. Sir Felton was one o f K in g E in o n ’s rich
knights.
O n e o f the boys suddenly stopped his w ork and looked up at
the sky. ‘ Father, father!’ he cried. ‘L o o k ! U p there!’ T h e peasants
looked at the boy. T h en they looked up at the sky. T h ere, above
them , was the dragon!
‘ H elp! H e ’s com in g d o w n !’ they sh o u ted .‘L o o k at that fire! It’s
com in g out o f his nose! It’s go in g to burn us! R u n ! Fast!’
T h e dragon flew dow n to the ground. H e started to burn
dow n Sir Felton’s fields and buildings — there was fire and sm oke
everyw h ere. Sir Felton heard the peasants and qu ickly ran out o f
his house. B u t before he could say a w ord, som eb ody behind him
said ,‘L o o k at that! T h o se dragons! C an 1 help?’
Sir Felton was very, very angry. H e looked round and saw Sir
B o w en w ith a smile on his face. ‘ Stupid dragon !’ he shouted.
‘ L o o k! M y fields! A n d m y buildings! T h e y ’re b u rn in g!’
‘W ell, I can help you,’ answered B o w e n .‘B u t y o u ’ll have to pay
m e — it’ ll cost a lot o f money.’

18
 I w o n ’t pay you anything,’ shouted back Sir Felton. ‘D o you
hear m e?’
I le turned and started to go back into his house. B u t the
house was also on fire. ‘N o , no! N o t m y house too! D o n ’t burn
mv beautiful house! F lelp!’ Sir Felton cried. A nd he ran back to
Bow en fast.‘Flere.Take this money. Q uickly. D o som ething.’
M inutes later, B o w en and the peasants w ere ready. W h en the
ilu g o n flew over them , they started to throw things at h im .T h is
was the dragon’s w onderful idea! H e cried , ‘ O h . . . oh . . . o h !’
I hen he slow ly fell dow n from the sky and into a river near Sir
I vl ton ’s house.
I le's dying! H e ’s d y in g !’ shouted the peasants.‘ L o o k , h e’s in
llie river!’ T h e y all laughed happily, but Sir Felton lo o ked ve ry
angry.
‘ (ie t my m on ey back,’ he shouted at them. ‘ R u n after that
knight. H e’s got m y m o n ey.'T h e peasants ran after Sir B o w en as
Iasi .is they could.
Bow en d id n ’t wait. H e quickly ju m p e d on to his horse near
i lie n ver and rode away. W ith Sir Felton ’s m oney in his hand, he
laughed loud ly.‘ We did it! It was easy! C le v e r dragon!’ H e looked
down at the m o n ey.‘N o w let’s see. H o w m uch have w e got?’
A long w ay dow n the river, the dragon s head cam e up out of
the water. H e swam round and round and w aited for Sir B ow en .
W hen the knight saw him , he called, ‘W ell, D ragon , yo u r idea
was w onderful! T h e y think y o u ’re dead. A n d w e m ade a lot o f
money.’
' I here’s a lot o f m on ey in the w orld , Knight,’ answered the
dragon sadly.‘Y o u ’ll find it all, and then you w o n ’t w ant me.’
‘ N o, D ragon,’ answered B ow en , i ’m a K n igh t o f the O ld
t lode. I’ ll n ever forget you.’
I lie dragon swam round in the river. H e looked up at the
knight on his h o rse .‘Y o u ’ve got Sir Felton ’s money. B u t do you
I f f I bad n ow ?’ he asked.‘ Y ou didn’t really kill me.’

19
 B ow en looked dow n at the d r a g o n .‘ N o, I don't feel bad. Sir
Felton doesn’t live by the O ld C o d e — lie's cruel to the peasants.’
‘Yes, but w h en you took his m oney, he was angry. A nd h e’ll be
an gry w ith the peasants now. T h e y ’ll have to w ork harder and
harder. A nd he w o n ’t pay them a penny,’ answered the dragon.
‘T h at’s not my problem ,’ shouted B o w en . ‘ You d o n ’t
understand the O ld C o d e .Y o u ’re only a d ragon !’
‘All right, d o n ’t be angry, K n igh t,’ said the dragon quietly. '1 do
k n o w about the O ld C o d e. A n d I k n o w you tried to live by it.’
‘Yes, but nobody w anted to listen to me. So n o w I ’n i not
go in g to try,’ answered B o w en sadly. ‘ I can ’t change the w orld,
D ragon.’
T h e dragon ’s eyes w ere as sad and tired as B o w e n ’s. T h e y
started m o vin g down the river again.
W h en evening cam e, the dragon and B ow en stopped for
dinner. T h e y w ere near cruel K in g E in o n ’s castle. B ow en was
h un gry and ate quickly.
T h e dragon waited and then asked,‘ W h y do you hate dragons,
K n igh t?’
‘ I d o n ’t hate all dragons,’ B ow en an sw ered .‘ I hate one dragon
and I wanted to kill him. B u t I never found him . A nd n o w I’ll
never find h im .Y o u ’re the last dragon, so he’s dead.’
‘Tell me,’ said the dragon quietly, ‘w h y did you hate that
dragon?’
‘H e only had h alf a heart,’ B o w en answ ered.‘H e gave the other
h alf to K in g E in o n . B u t it m ade E in o n cruel and bad. W h en he
had the dragon ’s heart, he forgot the O ld C o d e. H e killed
peasants and he was as cruel as his father, K in g Freyne.’
T h e dragon listened and he began to look very angry. ‘E in o n
was bad before he m et that dragon,’ he shouted. ‘ H e was cruel
before he go t h alf the dragon’s heart.’
B ow en stood up q u ick ly.‘ H o w do you kn ow that?’ he asked.
T h e dragon kn ew because lie was the Great D ragon in the

20
 The dragon waited and then asked, ‘ Why do you hate
dragons, K night?’

m ountain. H e gave E in o n h alf his heart. B u t he didn ’t w ant to

discuss that w ith B o w e n .‘ Well .. . um . . . all dragons kn o w that,’
he said. ‘T h e y k n o w that E in on was a cruel child. And n o w h e’s a
cruel king.’
B ow en didn ’t like th is.T h e dragon’s words made him unhappy.
‘ N o ! I kn ew E in o n w h en he was little! H e was a go o d boy. 1
taught him the O ld C od e,’ he cried.
‘T h e n he was cruel to you too,’ said the dragon. H e stood
n ose-to-nose w ith B ow en . ‘ H e broke yo u r heart. A nd he broke
the kind dragon ’s heart too.’
‘ N o , D rago n , he didn’t,’ shouted Sir B o w e n .
‘ O h , stop calling m e “ dragon” ! I’ve got a nam e, you k n o w !’
‘ W hat is it then, D ragon ?’ asked B ow en .
‘ Well, uh, I can’t say it in you r language,’ answered the dragon.
 ‘ G o on.Try,’ said B ow en .
‘ A rr . . . er . . . aw rr . . . o w -w -w sh -s
‘Y o u ’re right,’ laughed B ow en , i can’t say that.’
H e turned to put som e m ore w ood on the fire. W ith his back
to the dragon, he suddenly heard a sad sound. H e turned and saw
the dragon on the ground.
‘A ah. It hurts,’ said the dragon. H e closed his eyes and put his
hand on his heart. B ow en could see a red light near the dragon’s
heart. H e q u ickly put som e w ater on the light, and the dragon
slow ly opened his eyes.
‘T h an k you. I ’ m all right now,’ he said.
‘W hat was it?’ asked B ow en .
‘Oh nothing. I had a bad accident once, and it hurts
som etim es.’
‘I hope ou r conversation didn’t m ake you unhappy,’ said
B ow en .
‘ It w asn’t you,’ said the d rag o n .‘N o t you
T h at night B o w en sat next to the dragon for a lo n g time. He
w atched the red light near the dragon’s heart. T h e co lo u r got
slow ly w eaker and weaker. In the m iddle o f the night the dragon
opened his eyes.
‘W h y aren’t you asleep?’ he asked, w h en he saw B ow en .
i didn’t want to sleep. I w anted to think o f a name fo r you,’
answered B o w en . ‘ A nd I found a name. U p there. C an you see
those stars?’
T h e dragon looked up at the sky.‘Yes,’ he said.
‘We call those stars D raco,’ said B ow en , i n our language,
“ draco” is the sam e as “ dragon ” .’
‘A n d w ould you like to call m e D raco?’ laughed the dragon.
‘ N o , y o u ’re right. It’s a stupid idea,’ said B ow en , with his head
dow n.
‘N o ,’ said the dragon kindly, i t ’s not stupid. I like the nam e
D raco .T h an k you, K nigh t. A nd have you got a nam e?’

n
 ‘ Yes, m y nam e’s B ow en .’
‘ T h an k you , B ow en ,’ said D raco, and he put his arm round the
knight.

C h apter 7 A Sad D a y for Kara

K in g E in o n sat on his horse and looked at his n ew castle.‘G o o d .

T h e peasants are w o rk in g hard,’ he thought. ‘ I was right. Th is is
go in g to be the biggest and m ost beautiful castle in the world.'
B e lo w him , the peasants w orked hard in the hot sun. T h e y
were all h u n g ry and thirsty but they co u ld n ’t stop w o rk. Kara,
R e d b ea rd ’s beautiful daughter, w alked round w ith a large bucket
o f water. She gave the m en a drink w h en she spoke to them . She
w o re old, dark clothes, but she looked lovely w ith her long, red
hair and kind face. Kara w ent to an old man. It was her father,
R edb eard . His hair and beard w ere grey now. H e w o re old
clothes too, and his hands and arms w ere dirty.
‘D rin k , father,’ Kara said. She looked at her father’s eyes.‘ C ru e l
K in g E in o n burn t you r eyes, dear father, but you have to eat and
drink.’
‘Kara! D o n ’t com e here. It’s dangerous. Please go h o m e !’ said
the old man, w h en he heard his daughter.
‘N o , father. I’ m not listening to you. D rin k !’ Kara said.
T h e old man put his hand up to her face. ‘Y o u ’re n ot a child
now. Y o u ’re a w om an , a beautiful w om an,’ R e d b ea rd said. ‘ O n e
day the kin g or one o f his knights w ill see you . A nd th ey’ll want
you. G o hom e, K a ra!’
‘Y o u ’re m y hom e, father,’ answered Kara. ‘ N o w drink this.’ A nd
she gave the old man a cup o f water.
Suddenly a sword pushed the cup ou t o f R e d b e a rd ’s hand.
Kara looked up. In front o f her she saw E in o n and his knights on
their horses.

23
 'Don't move, father,’ said Kara quietly.

‘ T h at was clever, K in g E in on ,’ laughed Sir Felton. ‘ N o w try

the w ater b ucket.T h ere. B eh in d the stupid old peasant!’
E inon laughed and pushed the bucket w ith his sword. T h e
w ater w ent over R edbeard.
‘D o n ’t m ove, father,’ said Kara quietly.
She left her father and w ent to K in g E in o n and Sir F elto n .T h e
knight threw his sword dow n hard at K a ra ’s feet, but she w asn’t
afraid.
‘ L o o k at the g irl!’ shouted E in o n .‘W hat are yo u doin g?’
‘M y father’s an old m an, K in g Einon,’ Kara cried. ‘ H e can’t
fight you now. Please, don’t h urt him .’
‘D o n ’t hurt him ?’ E in o n shouted, and quickly m oved nearer
R ed b eard .T h en he pushed his sword hard into the peasant’s heart.
‘ Father!’ shouted Kara and ran to the old man on the ground.
E inon w atch ed and sm iled .‘Y o u r father’s dead!’ he laughed.

24
 Kara had R e d b ea rd in her arms. H er beautiful, lo n g red hair
fell dow n her back. E in on looked at her. H e rem em bered the
g irl’s lovely hair, but not her name. ‘W h o is she?' he thought.
‘S h e ’s beautiful. W hat’s her name? W here does she co m e from ?’
T h en he turned his horse and started to ride away.
Kara looked dow n at her father, dead in her arms. T h en she
lo o ked up at E in o n and his knights 011 their horses. ‘ 1 hate that
cruel man,’ she said q u ietly.‘H e killed m y father. I’ ll n ever forget
that. O n e day .. .’

C h apter 8 Kara M eets D r a c o

A t his castle K in g E in on sat dow n to dinner. His knights and

their w ives ate w ith him . A t the end o f the table his m other,
Q u een A islinn, sat quietly. T h e other m en and w om en at the
table w ere loud and noisy.
Suddenly E in o n turned round. H e saw som ebody behind him
w ith a knife in his h an d .T h e m an threw the knife at the king, but
he was ready. E in o n caught him and pushed him dow n on to the
table.T h en E in o n and B ro k , the k in g’s cruel knight, lo o ked down
at the man. B u t it wasn't a m an! It was a w om an! She had
beautiful, lon g red hair. It was Kara!
‘ I k n o w you,’ E in o n said. ‘Y o u ’re R e d b e a rd ’s child.’ T h en he
turned to Q u een Aislinn. ‘ L o o k at her. M other! She tried to kill
m e !’
T h e queen looked at her son, but she didn ’t say a w ord. E in o n
looked at K a ra .‘ I killed yo u r father, girl,’ he said to h e r.‘ A nd n ow
I’ m goin g to kill you.’
‘K ill me then! I w ant to die,’ shouted K a ra .‘ I d on ’t w ant to live
in this cou n try.Y ou ’re not m y king!'
‘ So w hat shall I do w ith you? I'll think o f som ething,’ E in o n
shouted at h e r.‘ N o w , take her aw ay!’

25
 She had beautiful, long red hair. It was Kara!

B ro k and som e other knights quickly took Kara out o f the

room .
E in on looked dow n at her knife in his hands, and then he
lo o ked at his m other. T h e queen w atch ed him but she said
nothing. E in o n threw the knife dow n on the table and looked
into the hot fire. H e thought fo r a m inute. T h en he suddenly
stood up and ran out o f the room .
‘W h ere is she? W h ere’s that w o m an ?’ he shouted. H e found
Kara in a small dark room in the bottom o f the castle, i
rem em ber you n o w !’ Einon shouted at h e r.‘Y o u r red hair! A t the
battle! W hen m y father, the king, died! It was yo u r sword! It went
through m y heart!’ H e opened his sh irt.‘ L ook! You did that. N o w
I'll find a w ay to hurt you!
Kara looked into E in o n ’s eyes. She w asn ’t afraid .‘ N e x t tim e I’ll
kill y o u !’ she shouted at him.

26
 ‘You can’t. I’ve got a different heart now. It’s very strong,’
answered E in on .
‘Y ou r heart’s black,’ Kara shouted.
W h en he heard this, E in o n looked at her w ith cruel e y e s.‘Y ou
w ait,’ he said .‘ I ’ll think o f som ething
Kara sat in the cold room and looked out o f the small w indow .
H o w could she get out? B u t then Q u een Aislinn cam e quietly
into the room .
‘Y o u !’ Kara said .‘H o w did you get in here?’
‘ Ssh! B e quiet! I w ant to help you,’ said the queen.
‘ I d o n ’t w ant any help from the m other o f that cruel king,’
answered Kara.
‘ I am E in o n ’s m other,’ the queen said sadly.‘B u t he had a father
too. 1 had to m arry K in g Freyne, but I d id n ’t w ant to be his w ife.
E in o n ’s cruel because o f his father, not me.’
‘W h y didn’t you kill h im w hen he was a baby then?’ shouted
Kara.
‘Y ou can ask that now,’ the queen answered. ‘B u t w h en a
m oth er looks at the baby in her arms, she o n ly sees her child. She
doesn’t k n o w that h e’s go in g to be a cruel m an.’
‘A n d n o w you w ant to help me,’ Kara said. ‘All right. G ive m e
m y knife. T h e n I can die.’
‘D on 't die now, m y girl, w h en you can live,’ said the queen.
T h en she show ed Kara a small doo r behind the fireplace. ‘ O n ly
three people k n o w about this door,’ she said. She opened it and
q u ick ly w alked outside the castle walls w ith Kara. ‘C an you see
that road?’ the queen asked.‘ R u n away now. R u n fast!’
Kara turned to say thank you to Q u een Aislinn, but she w asn’t
there!

‘ W h at? D o g s !’ sh ou ted E in o n a n g r ily ‘ S tu p id m en! W h e re ’s

the girl? H o w did she get o u t?’ E in o n th rew his fo o d and

27
d rin k on the flo o r. B ro k and Q u een A islin n w atch ed him .
‘Sir, there’s Only one w ay out o f that room.' Brok said. ‘ And
on ly you, m e and the queen kn ow about it.'
‘ I k n o w !’ shouted E in o n .‘So how did the girl find the door?’
His eyes turned to his m other, i t was her,’ he thought. ‘She
helped her.’
H e shouted at B r o k ,‘ G e t yo u r best m en. Q uickly. G o and find
her. And b rin g her here fast.’
B rok ran out, and the queen said quietly to her son, i ’ll ask
som ebody to clean up this room .’ E in on looked at his m other
w ith cold, a n g ry eyes.
Kara ran away from the castle as fast as she could. W h en she
arrived at her village, she told everybody her story, i ’ve got a plan
to kill the king. W ill you help m e?’ she asked the villagers. B u t
they w ere afraid. T h e y didn’t want to hear her ideas. H e r father,
R ed b eard , was dead. T h e y didn’t want to die t o o .‘Listen to me!
We have to figh t!’ said Kara. B u t the m en shouted at her and
started to hit her.
‘ Stop that!’ som eb ody behind them said .T h e y turned and saw
Sir Bow en on his horse. T h en suddenly one o f the m en cried,
‘ L ook! Look up there!’ It was Draco, the dragon, high in the sky!
‘Y o u ’re late!’ thought B ow en , w hen he saw the dragon.
D raco flew dow n near the villa g e .‘ L o o k at that fire!’ the men
shouted, i t ’s co m in g out o f his nose! H e ’s goin g to b urn our
village!’ So m e o f the villagers ran away into their houses, but
Kara and the oldest man in the village stayed behind.
‘D o you w ant m e to kill this dragon?’ B ow en asked them.
‘Y o u ’ll have to pay me, or I’ ll leave him h ere!’
Kara lo oked ve ry a n gry.‘ I thought K in g E inon was cruel. B u t
this knight is w orse,’ she said to the old m a n .‘ D o n ’t give him our
m oney.’
B ow en lo oked hard at Kara and said to the old m a n ,‘ All right.
D o n ’t give m e any money. B u t w h y d o n ’t you give the dragon

28
o n e o f the v illa g e ’s lo vely y o u n g w om en ? T h en h e’ ll go away.’
T h e other m en cam e out o f their houses and listened to
B o w e n .T h e n they all lo oked at K a ra .‘Yes, give her to the dragon,’
they shouted.
‘W h o ’s that girl?’ asked D raco.
‘ T h e villagers want you to have her. T h en you 'll go away,’
answered B ow en .
‘T h a t’s stupid! W h o gave them that idea?’ D raco laughed.
‘ I d o n ’t know,’ B o w en said quietly. ‘ W h at are you w aiting for?
Q uickly. G o and eat h er!’
‘ O h , please!’ said D ra c o .‘ I feel ill.Y ech !’
‘B u t you ate Sir Eglam ore. 1 saw him w h en I was in you r
m ou th,’ said B o w e n .‘T h in k o f som ething. Q u ick ly !’
D raco put out his arms and pulled K ara away from the men in
the village. T h en he flew away w ith her into the sky. E very b o d y
shouted and lau g h ed .T h e y w ere very happy.
‘T h an k you , Knight. T h an k you. N o w w e ’ll never see Kara or
the dragon again !’

C h apter 9 R ea d y for B attle

‘T h a t’s lovely, 1)raco.’ Kara sat in the hot sun w ith a smile on her
face. D raco sat next to her and sang his sad, strange song. ‘A nd
y o u ’re a lovely dragon. T h e y ’re not all as kind as you are,’ said
K ara. She felt w a rm and happy.
‘ H o w m any dragons do you kn ow then?’ D raco asked.
‘Y o u ’re the first.’ answered K a r a .‘B u t y o u ’re funny. You d o n ’t
eat you ng w o m en — you sing to them! D o you do anything
dangerous?’
‘N o ,’ said D raco. ‘W h en people are kind to me, I never hurt
them."
‘T h e n w h y did you com e to m y village?’ asked Kara.

29
 ‘G o o d question !’ said som ebody behind them . It was B ow en .
‘ You rem em ber K ara’s village, D rac o .W h y did you go there?’
Kara looked an grily at B o w e n .‘G o away, Knight,’ she shouted.
‘You wanted this dragon to eat m eF T h en she got up and tried to
fight B ow en .
T h e y fell into the river and B ow en shouted o u t ,‘ H elp! D raco,
w h y didn’t you eat her?’
D raco sm iled and an sw ered,‘Kara, this is Sir B ow en . H e w o n ’t
hurt you. B o w en m eet Kara.’
Kara and B o w e n stopped fighting and got out o f the river. B u t
before they could say anything, they heard the sound o f horses.
D raco heard them too and qu ickly ju m p e d into the water.
Ein on , B ro k and the k in g’s other knights cam e out o f the
trees. B ow en ran in front o f Kara — he d id n ’t want them to see
her. Kara looked at B ow en and suddenly rem em bered his face.
'H e helped m y father,’ she thought. ‘ W hen I was you n ger and
E in o n tried to burn out his eyes the first time. H e was a good
K n igh t o l the O ld C o d e then. W h y is he different n o w ?’ B u t she
didn’t have tim e to think about that. E in on sat above her on his
horse. H e looked dow n at the girl and the knight.
‘A h , m y old teacher!’ he said cruelly. ‘ A nd y o u ’ve got m y
w om an. I lost her. B u t here she is!’
i d on ’t think she’s your w om an, K in g E in o n . She doesn ’t want
to com e w ith yo u ,’ answered B ow en .
‘O h , I ’m sorry, but I ’m not asking her. I’ m telling her. She luis
to com e,’ shouted Einon.
‘ M y sword says she doesn’t have to,’ said B ow en , and he pulled
out his sword.
E inon smiled and pulled out his sword too. T h en the teacher
and his student started to tigh t.T h ey fell dow n but q u ick ly stood
up again in the river. T h e y looked strong and dangerous w ith
their swords in their hands. B u t E in o n was you n ger and faster.

30
 Then the teacher and his student started to fight.

'F ig h t me, B o w en ,’ he called. ‘Y o u ’re a K n igh t o f the O ld C o d e.

B ut n ob od y rem em bers the O ld C o d e now .Y ou ’re dead!’
His words m ade B o w en angrier. ‘ Yon rem em ber the O ld
C o d e! It’s yo u r C o d e too, yo u know,’ he shouted.
‘ N ever! It was never m y C od e,’ E inon shouted back.
‘Yes, it was. Y ou repeated the w ords o f the O ld C o d e to the
dragon in the m ountain,’ said B ow en .
‘ I only said those w ords because you wanted to hear them,’
laughed E in o n .‘ A n d I w anted to live. You taught m e to fight and
you taught m e well, O ld K n ig h t!’ T h e n E inon brought his sword
dow n hard on B o w en ’s arm . T h e knight fell dow n in the water.
B u t before E in o n could kill B ow en , D raco cam e out o f the
river opposite him . T h e G reat D ragon stood above the kin g and
looked dow n at h im w ith his angry, yellow eyes. T h e n D raco put

31
Then Draco put up his arms, and Einon saw the red light on his heart.
up his arms, and E in o n saw the red light on his h e a rt.T h e kin g
felt very afraid. H e clim bed out o f the river fast and ju m p e d on
to his horse. Kara, B ow en and D raco watched him , and E in o n
rode away.
Kara helped B o w en out o f the river. She sat near him 011 the
ground and washed his arm . ‘Y o u ’re a v e ry strong fighter,’ she
said .‘ W ill you help the men in my village to tight E in on and his
knights?’
‘You w o n ’t w in ,’ said B o w e n .‘ Einon w ill kill you.’
Kara looked at h im angrily, then stood u p .‘ Will you fight with
us, D raco ?’ she asked the dragon.
D raco looked at her sadly. ‘ For thousands of years dragons
h elped p eop le.T h ere was one dragon — the greatest dragon in the
w orld. H e told the other dragons to help the people in this
country. C an you see that star up there? W hen the old dragon
died that star was born. A n d after that, w h en other dragons died,
n ew stars w ere born 111 the night sky. B u t then m en stopped
listening to the dragons. I wanted to do one w on derful thing for
the people in this country. I wanted to be a star 111 the sky too.
B u t I m ade a bad mistake. I helped to m ake the w o rld a w orse
place
B o w en listened to the dragon’s sad words. ‘It was y o u !’ he
suddenly shouted. 'Y o u ’re the dragon in the m ountain. K in g
E in o n has h a lf your heart!’
‘Yes,’ said D raco quietly. ‘E inon w ill on ly die w h en I die. H e ’s
got h alf m y heart. 1 w anted to help him . I wanted him to be
good . B u t m y heart didn’t change him . I was stupid!’
‘N o you w e ren ’t,’ said B ow en kindly. ‘ I w anted to help E in o n
too. I wanted to teach h im the O ld C o d e . B u t I cou ld n ’t.'
T h en D raco turned to Kara. ‘ Yes, I’ll fight E inon w ith you
K ara,’ he said. ‘ I ’d like to help you. C o m e w ith us, B o w en .’
T h e knight thought for a m inute. T h en he stood up, and they
all started to walk back to K ara’s village.

33
 W hen they arrived there, Kara asked the villagers to help her.
She wanted them to fight E in on and kill him . B u t the m en were
an gry and afra id .T h ey shouted at her and began to hit her again.
Sudden ly som ebody said ,‘W ell, I ’m goin g to fight Ein on .’ T h e
men looked round. There, on his horse in the m orn in g sun, was
Sir B o w en . H e had fire in his eyes and a sm ile on his face.
‘O n ly you, K n igh t?’ shouted the men.
‘And Draco,’ said B ow en . From behind a bridge D raco flew
down to the village. T h e m en looked at B ow en and then at Draco.
O n e o f them shouted, i ni go in g to fight too. I want to fight
E in o n w ith this knight and the dragon.’
T h e other villagers listened and then they started to shout too,
‘K ill E in on! K ill the cruel king! We want to figh t!’

F o r w eeks ev e ry b o d y in the village got ready for the battle. O n

the last night the villagers gave B o w e n a beautiful n ew sword. It
shone in the firelight. O n it was a picture o f D raco — the dragon
lo o ked w o n d erfu l. B o w en co u ld n ’t say anything. H e stood in
the m iddle o f the village and looked at the m en round him .
T h e n he lo o ked at D raco and Kara and saw the love in his
frien d s’ eyes.
‘Y o u ’re ready fo r battle tom orrow ,’ he said to e v ery b o d y .‘ A nd
y o u ’re ready to w in . To w in back you r country. A n d the greatest
dragon in the w o rld is goin g to help y o u !’

C h ap ter 10 A N e w Star in th e Sky

It was the day o f the great battle. K in g E in o n and his knights

looked out o f the castle w indow s.
‘T h ere are hundreds o f peasants dow n there!’ called B ro k.
‘T h e y ’re ready to figh t!’

34
 ‘T h en lets g o !’ answered Sir F elto n .‘ O n e o f us is as strong as a
hundred o f th em !’
‘D o n ’t be stupid!’ E in on shouted at him . ‘ T h e y ’ve got Sir
B ow en w ith them . A nd the dragon.'
Q u een A islinn came into the room . ‘D o n ’t be afraid o f the
dragon, m y son,’ she said quietly to E in on.
E in on turned to h e r.‘ I ’m not afraid o f anything!’ he said .‘B u t
it’s strange, you know, m other. Som etim es the dragon feels very
near me.’
‘ C o m e w ith me, son,’ said the queen, and walked out o f the
room .
E in on follow ed and saw five great, strong knights outside.
‘T h ese m en are for you, my son. T h e y ’re the strongest in the
w orld,’ the queen said.
‘T h e strongest w hat?’ E in on asked.

The fire from the dragon's nose burnt the king’s buildings and men.

35
Einon, on his great white horse, pulled out his father's sword.
 'T h e strongest dragon killers,’ answered his mother.
E in on took his m oth er’s hand. H e looked into her eyes and
thanked her warm ly.
T he k in g then w ent back to his knights. B elo w them they
could see B o w en and the peasants.‘L o o k at th em !’ shouted Einon
a n g rily .‘T h e y ’re at my castle walls! Well, today B o w e n ’s go in g to
die, and the O ld C o d e w ill die w ith h im !’
B ow en rode up and dow n outside the castle, and loo ked up at
E in o n .‘ C o m e dow n and fight,’ he shouted. E in o n heard h im and
felt ve ry angry.
Suddenly D raco (lew dow n into the castle. T h e fire from the
dragon ’s nose burnt the k in g ’s buildings and men.
E inon w atched and shouted, ‘ We can’t stay here! W e’ll all
burn. L et’s go outside and fight those stupid peasants!’
H e and his knights qu ickly ran dow n the stairs. T h e y ju m p e d
on their horses and rode out o f the castle. E inon , on his great
w h ite horse, pulled out his father’s sword. ‘ R ig h t! L e t’s kill them,’
he shouted to his m en.
B ow en saw Einon and shouted to the peasants,‘ Q u ick ly! R u n !
R u n into the trees!’ E in o n and his knights follow ed the peasants
but B o w en rode away from them.
T h e king and his men looked for the peasants in the trees.
T h e y didn’t k n o w that B o w en and hundreds o f other peasants
w ere behind them . Sudden ly B o w en shouted out, ‘ N o w !’ , and
the peasants began to fight. T h e y threw b u rn in g w o o d dow n on
to E in o n ’s m en from behind them. T h en hundreds o f peasants
cam e out o f the trees in front o f them too.
‘ Q u ick ly! B a c k to the castle, or w e ’ll d ie!’ shouted E in o n . H e
rode through the fire on his horse and his m en follow ed. B o w en
was near the king. H e pulled out his sword and ju m p e d on to
E in o n ’s horse. T h en he pushed the sword through E in o n ’s heart.
B u t the king d id n ’t stop. H e didn’t feel the sword!
A t the same time, D raco suddenly fell from the sky into the

37
Suddenly Bowen shouted out, ‘N o w !’, and the peasants began to fight.

castle. B o w en w atched and shouted, ‘ N o ! D raco !’ H e thought

about the dragon ’s w o rd s:‘ E in o n w ill only die w hen I die.’
H e turned to K ara and said ,‘ Einon didn’t feel m y sw ord in his
heart, but D raco telt it. Q u ickly! Let’s go and help him .’ T h en he
and Kara rode to the castle.
E in o n also w atched D raco fall from the sky. H e saw his five
dragon killers ju m p on to the dragon and pull out their swords.
‘ Stop,’ he sh o u ted .‘D o n ’t kill him. I d o n ’t w an t the dragon to die.
I w ant him to live.T h en I ’ll never die.’
‘ N o !’ D raco c r ie d .‘K ill me! Please!’
From a w in d o w in the castle the queen looked dow n at the
dragon. She w anted to help him . She ran dow n the stairs w ith a
knife in her hands.
‘C o m e here, Aislinn,’ D raco said, w h en he saw' her.

38
 ‘ I've com e to help you, Draco,’ she said sadly. I’ve got a knife.
I’m go in g to kill you.'
‘ I know,’ said D r a c o .‘ You have to kill me. T h en cruel Einon
w ill die. A re the stars shining in the sky tonight, A islinn?’
‘Yes, Great D ra g o n .T h e y ’re beautiful,’ answered the queen.
‘T h e n kill m e now,’ said Draco.
B ut before the queen could do anything, som ebody pulled the
knife out o f her hands, it was Einon. ‘So, m other, you gave m e
the five dragon killers because you w anted them to kill this
dragon,’ he shouted angrily. ‘You wanted him to die. A n d you
w anted m e to die to o !’
‘Yes, son. I m ade a mistake w h en you w ere a child. I asked the
G reat D ragon to help you. B u t now you're king, y o u ’re as cruel as
yo u r father.You have to die.’
D raco listened to the words o f m oth er and son. H e co u ld n ’t
stop E in o n . A nd he co u ld n ’t help the queen.
B o w en and Kara ran quickly into the castle and found Draco.
‘ D o n ’t try to help me,’ said the dragon. ‘ I ’ m tired and I want to
die. T h e n E in o n will die too.’
‘B ut w e w on the battle!’ shouted B ow en .
‘Y o u ’ll never w in ,’ answered D raco. ‘K ill me! T h e n y o u ’ll kill
cruel K in g E in on . Then y o u ’ll w in.’
‘N o , I can’t,’ cried B o w en . ‘ I can’t kill you, dear D raco. Y o u ’re
the last dragon in the w orld.’
‘Th is is the end for me, B ow en! K ill m e !’ said D raco.
‘B u t y o u ’re m y friend,’ B ow en said.
‘So kill m e !’ D raco shouted.
Suddenly E in on arrived and B o w en pulled out his sword. H e
tried to push the sword into the cruel k in g’s heart, but Einon
m oved away quickly. B y mistake B o w e n ’s sword flew into D ra c o ’s
heart! B o w en ran to the dragon and pulled it out. T h en he
turned and pushed it into E in o n ’s heart. T h e kin g fell to the

39
 *
*

Suddenly they saw a new star in the shy. It was Draco.

ground next to D raco. His eyes closed — cruel K in g E in o n was

dead.
D raco looked at B ow en and sm iled w arm ly. T h en he closed
his eyes. B ow en w e n t dow n on the ground near his friend.
‘ Are you go in g to leave us now, D raco? W hat w ill w e do
w ithou t you?’
D raco answered, i ’ m go in g up to the stars, dear B o w en .T o m y
old dragon friends in the stars
In front o f their eyes the dragon changed to starlight. T h en
B o w en and Kara w atched the dragon’s light fly up into the sky, to
the other dragon stars. F or a m inute they cou ld n ’t see him , but
suddenly they saw a n ew star in the sky. It was Draco.
‘L o o k , K ara!’ said B o w e n .‘ L o o k at D raco now. H e ’s the biggest
and m ost beautiful star in the sk y!’
 A C T IV IT IE S

Chapters 1-3

Before you read

1 Do you think that dragons really lived? When? Where?
Do you know any stories about dragons?
2 Find the words in italics in your dictionary. They are all in the story,
a Put these words in the table:
castle dragon field king knight peasant prince
queen
What other words can you put in the table?

Person Animal Place

b Answer these questions.

- What happens in a battle?
- What can you carry in a bucket?
- What can you ride?
- Where can you see a star?
c Look at the pictures on pages 1 and 6 . Find these things in the
pictures:
beard crown sword
d Are these sentences right?
- When you die, your heart stops.
- Mothers are usually cruel to their children.
- When wood is dry, it burns easily.
- People round the world live by the same code.

41
After you read
3 Who are these people? What do you know about them?
a Sir Bowen d Redbeard
b Prince Einon e Kara
c King Freyne f Queen Aislinn
4 Why does Sir Bowen think the Old Code is important? Why does
the dragon want Einon to remember the Code?

Chapters 4 -6

Before you read

5 When he is king, Einon doesn’t remember the dragon’s words.
Why do you think he forgets the Old Code? What do you think he is
going to do to the peasants?
6 Find the word monk in your dictionary. How are monks’ lives
different from other people’s lives?

After you read

7 Who is speaking? Who to? Why do they say this?
a ‘Yes, I killed your father, boy! You can thank me now.’
b ‘I’m going to find that dragon ... and kill him!’
c ‘I don’t want to fight. I’ve got an idea. Listen.’
8 Work with another student. Have a conversation.
Student A: You are Sir Bowen, in the dragon’s mouth. How do
you feel? What would you like to happen? Tell the
dragon.
Student B: You are the dragon. Answer Sir Bowen.
9 Sir Bowen took Sir Felton’s money.
a Do you think he was right when he did this? Why/why not?
b Why doesn’t Sir Bowen live by the Old Code now?

Chapters 7-10

Before you read

10 How can Bowen and the dragon help the peasants? Can they fight
cruel King Einon? Do you think they can win? How?

42
After you read
11 How do these people feel? Why?
a Kara, about Einon; Einon, about Kara
b Queen Aislinn, about Einon; Einon, about the queen
c Kara, about Draco; Draco, about Kara
d Sir Bowen, about Draco; Draco, about the knight
12 Why do the men in the village give Kara to the dragon? How do the
villagers change in Chapter 9?
13 Draco wants to die in Chapter 10. And the queen, his friend, wants
to kill him. Why?

W riting
14 Sir Bowen and Einon have very different ideas about the Old
Code. Write about their ideas. Who do you think is right?
15 You are the monk, Brother Gilbert. You watch the fight between
Bowen and the dragon. Write a story about the fight. How do you
feel about it?
16 You are Queen Aislinn. You want your son, Einon, to die. Write a
letter to him. Why do you want him to die? Why did you help Kara
and the dragon?
17 It is a year after the story ends. You are Sir Bowen. Write about the
country and the people in the story now. Who is king? Where is
Kara? What are the peasants doing? Are people living by the Old
Code?

A n sw e rs for th e A ctivities in th is b o o k a r e av a ila b le from y o u r local office o r a lte rn a tiv e ly w rite to:
P e n g u in R e a d e rs M a rk e tin g D e p a r tm e n t, P e a rs o n E d u c a tio n , E d in b u rg h G a te . H a rlo w . Essex
C M 2 0 2JE.________________________________________________________________________________________
 Penguin Readers are simplified texts designed in association witP Longman,
the w orld famous educational publisher, to provide a step-by-st£P
approach to the joys of reading fo r pleasure. Each book has an
introduction and extensive activity material.They are published seven
levels from Easystarts (200 words) to Advanced (3000 words).

Series Editors: A n d y Hopkins and Jocelyn P o tte r

6 Advanced (3000 w ords) C o n te m p o ra ry

5 U pper Inte rm e dia te (2300 w ords) Classics

4 Inte rm e dia te (1700 w o rds) O riginals

3 P re-Interm ediate (1200 w o rds)

2 Elem entary (600 w o rds)

I Beginner (300 w ords) British English

Easystarts (200 w ords) A m erican English

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