Fairytale 3. The Enchanted City

     Long, long ago, before water became land and land became water, there was a city named Edda nestled in a valley. Protected from the cold winds by tall mountains and from the dry winds by the ocean, this city was made up of small islands separated by little streams. To visit neighbors on the next island, you could leap across the stream, and to travel to the far end of the city, residents would take small, flat boats and sail, standing upright.

     In the very center of the city stood a tall castle. Inside that castle was a precious gemstone, large and round like a ball, shining brighter than the sun. It kept the city warm in cold weather and illuminated it at dusk. This stone had a special power�"it could heal. When anyone in the city fell ill, the stone would send a beam of light to the person from its tower, and they would recover instantly.

     The people of Edda were good-hearted and, therefore, happy. Although visitors from other lands rarely came to see them, whenever a shipwreck occurred near the coast, they saved everyone and invited them to live in their city.

     Far beyond the mountains, however, in a dark cave, there lived an evil Dragon. He had already conquered many lands and burned every one to ashes. The Dragon owned copper gloves and an iron comb, for he could only brush his fiery mane with them. He also commanded an army of snakes and hordes of spiders. These creatures lived in the scorched lands, ensuring nothing could grow. If a single green blade of grass began to sprout, they would tear it up and trample it, as all beauty and goodness were fatally hated by the snakes and spiders.

     One day, as the Dragon flew high above the ocean, he overheard sailors speaking about the beautiful city of Edda, its kind people, and how they saved all those who were drowning, granting them a second life. Furious, the Dragon roared so loudly that the ocean trembled. He flew home, gathered his troops, and declared,

     “Crawl, my snakes, run, my spiders, across the ocean and over the White Mountains. There, in the valley, lies the city of Edda. Inhabitants who greet the morning joyfully and go to sleep happily live there. We must destroy them, for they do too much good.”

     The snakes hissed angrily,

     “Across the ocean and over the mountains we shall go, mas-s-s-ter. We’ll find the city of Edda and poison everyone there with our venom until they despise each other and destroy themselves. And the spiders will cover the city in webs. We will burn it down�"its end will come.”

     And so, the snakes and spiders set off across the ocean. The Dragon waited a day, a week, a month. Then, in the second month, he saw a messenger spider running back to him.

     “Did you destroy the city?” asked the Dragon.

     “I’ve come to report that we couldn’t destroy it,” replied the spider. “Our armies are held back at the mountains�"we can’t get near the city. That’s because they have a magical stone. It blinds us whenever we approach.”

     The Dragon thought for a moment and then said,

     “Return and tell everyone to wait for me in four days at noon. Then, we will destroy Edda.”

     Four days later, at precisely noon, the Dragon arrived at the city. Indeed, there was the tall castle in the valley, and on its tower, the stone was shining. The Dragon lunged at the stone, intending to knock it down and shatter it, but it glowed even brighter and burned his wings. Furious, the Dragon decided to extinguish the stone by summoning a terrible storm with a fierce downpour.

     The people saw the stone growing dimmer and dimmer. They grew frightened and went to the wise man for advice.

     “Do not fear,” said the wise man. “There is a way to save ourselves. I will turn the city into a mountain, and we shall never fall into the Dragon’s hands.” 

     As the last rays of light from the stone faded, right in front of the Dragon’s snout, the city turned into a mighty mountain.

     “I will guard this mountain forever, so it never becomes a city with happy people again,” said the Dragon to his snakes and spiders. “Return to our lands and ensure there is never any goodness there.”

     Time passed. The Dragon sat on the mountain for so long that he began to resemble stone himself. His armies had vanished long ago, and everyone had forgotten about the city of Edda. The burned lands had been flourishing for thousands of years, but the Dragon still guarded the mountain.

     One day, a Knight with a golden spear was traveling near the mountain. He stopped by a small stream to water his horse and sat down to rest by the mountain, falling into a light sleep. Through his dreams, he heard voices,

     “Save us, brave Knight. The Dragon guards our city and never leaves. He wants to destroy us all.”

     The Knight woke up, thinking it was only a dream. But as soon as he mounted his horse, the peak of the mountain began to stir, wings unfolded, and it turned into the Dragon.

     “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten,” the Dragon yawned. “They say brave knights are the tastiest. Come here, Knight. I won’t harm you�"I’ll simply eat you.”

     The Knight was frightened at first but knew he had to act quickly.

     “Oh no, that won’t do,” he replied. “If you want to eat a brave knight, you must prove you’re as smart as him first.”

     “How’s that?” the Dragon asked.

     “If you solve my riddle, I’ll climb into your jaws myself,” said the Knight.

     “Agreed,” nodded the Dragon. “You won’t find anyone wiser than me in the world.”

     The Knight pondered what kind of riddle the wisest Dragon wouldn’t know, and then he remembered an ancient riddle about a voice, which his great-grandfather had once told him.

     “Tell me, Dragon, who walks without legs or wings and whom neither mountains, rivers, nor walls can stop?”

     The Dragon thought and thought. Furious that he couldn’t solve the riddle, he began to smoke. Eventually, he became so enraged that he burst into flames. When the Dragon had burned away, the Knight struck the mountain with his spear, splitting it in two. Instantly, in place of stones, there appeared a magnificent city before the Knight.

     In gratitude, the wise people of Edda chose the brave Knight as their king. And the stone shone again - brighter than ever before.