Long ago there lived a knight. Before he was a knight, he was only a mere boy. Galen was his name. As a young lad, he had helped his parents run their humble farm. He would toil during the day and long into the night, when everyone else had gone to bed. Their crops would not grow abundantly, however, and the family would only manage to scrape a living. His parents appreciated his dedication, but begged him to relax, so that he would not die of exhaustion or catch a deadly disease. They were proud of their son, however, and his love for them.

One night, while his parents slept soundly in their bed of straw, Galen heard a noise. He turned around, only to find a tiny fairy hovering above his head. Having never seen something so magical, Galen could only stare in wonder. Her crystal blue eyes and golden blond hair seemed to sparkle in the night. She wore a shift of light blue that scarcely concealed her perfectly formed body. Were it not for her wings, and her rather diminutive size, Galen would have thought her to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She smiled upon him, and Galen did feel his heart grow warm. "Galen, I am here to tell you that your great efforts on behalf of your parents will not go unrewarded. Tomorrow, you shall become a knight, and bring great fortune and honor to your family," the fairy told him, her words sounding like a beautiful song to him.

Galen still gazed in awe, wondering if he would ever find a lady so beautiful. At last, the fairy’s words seemed to register. "Me, a knight?" he asked in disbelief.

The fairy smiled again and flew up to his forehead. He felt her gentle, tiny kiss upon his skin, and blushed. "Indeed, Sir Galen," she said. "But for now, sleep."

And with those words, young Galen’s eyes grew heavy. He gathered some straw around him and laid down upon it. "Tomorrow shall be the start of your new life," the fairy said. To Galen’s sleepy amazement, the beautiful fairy seemed to fade, then disappeared.

He awoke at dawn the next morning, and returned to the work of the farm. Remembering the fairy from the night before, Galen wondered if perhaps he should follow his parents’ advice and get more sleep. Perhaps his exhaustion had caused him to have such a queer dream. He shook the thoughts of the fairy from his head and went back to work.

At noon, Galen was surprised to see four men on horseback riding towards his house. He called his parents and went back to meet the visitors. The man in front wore a tunic of the finest fabrics. It was dark green and had the image of a griffin embroidered in golden thread. He carried himself with confidence and regal bearing.

"Greetings," the man called out to Galen and his parents. "I am Sir Thomas of Albrighton. Word has reached my ears of your son, and his great dedication. I would like to take young Galen as my squire, and teach him the ways of knighthood. What say you?"

Galen could hardly believe his ears. His parents beamed with great happiness and pride in their son. He looked up to them for their answer.

"Of course," his father replied, a tear of joy in his eye.

And so Galen became Sir Thomas of Albrighton’s squire. Galen worked just as hard as a squire as he had as a farmhand. He quickly came to master sword fighting, horseback riding, and the code of chivalry. Sir Thomas was indeed pleased, and proud, of his squire. After many long months of practice, Galen became Sir Galen.

Sir Galen soon became one of the greatest knights in the land. He fought in many battles, with great bravery and honor. He protected many a town from bandits and thieves. He participated in many a tournament, always placing first in jousting and sword fighting. In time, he became one of the court’s favorite knights, for both his accomplishments and his great wit and manners. He was a fine dancer, and a fine teller of tales.

He soon caught the eye of Lady Grace, the daughter of Lord Martin. In Lady Grace, Sir Galen had finally found beauty equal to the fairy that he had seen long ago, back on the farm. Her blond hair was only a shade dimmer than the sun, and her eyes were bluer than the sky. She was the most chaste and maidenly lady in the entire land.

"O, Lady Grace, most beautiful of all the maidens in this land, I seek your hand in marriage," Sir Galen proposed to her one bright spring day.

Lady Grace beamed and exclaimed, "O, Sir Galen, you have made me so happy! But before I can give myself to you, you must prove your undying love to me."

Sir Galen paused, for he had not expected such an answer. "What would you have me do, my love?"

"Why, you must undergo a challenge for me, to show to all the world how good of a knight you are, and how pure your love for me is," she said, placing her hand upon his. "First, I must ask you to slay a group of bandits who are preying upon my father’s grain supplies."

Sir Galen took Lady Grace’s hand and kissed it softly. She blushed. "Fear not, my lady, those bandits shall be slain by nightfall," he told her.

And so Sir Galen rode to her father’s grain supplies and waited for the bandits to strike again. They soon appeared, and stole several bushels of grain. Sir Galen, a most crafty knight, trailed them, and followed them back to their camp. As they began to gather their stolen goods, Sir Galen proclaimed, "You fiends have stolen your last bushels of grain!" The brave knight dismounted, and slew the thieving bandits. After a short time, all that remained were stumps of bleeding limbs and the moaning of still living bodies. Sir Galen loaded the remaining grain onto his horse and returned it.

Sir Galen waited until the next day to tell Lady Grace of his deed, for it was not proper to see an unwed maiden at night. He told of her of his slaying of the thieves.

Lady Grace cheered and took his hand again. "O, Sir Galen, you are truly a most brave and honorable knight! Now you may move on to your second trial!"

"Second trial?" Sir Galen asked in confusion.

"Why, of course! You must show that your love for me is pure beyond question," Lady Grace replied. "Why, just last night, an evil witch stole a lock of my hair, no doubt for use in some vial sorcery. You must track them down, and bring it back to me. It is said that they live in a cave in the Vile Swamps."

Sir Galen grimaced briefly, but his face returned to its usual stony resolve. "I will indeed do this task for you, my lady."

"O, you are indeed a kingly knight!" Lady Grace said, and bowed her head to him.

Sir Galen rode out to the Vile Swamps the next day. He left his horse at the edge, for he did not wish to subject his loyal companion to the misery of the swamps. He left his heavy armor with his horse, as it would only slow him down in the mud of the swamp. He carried his sword slung across his back and trudged through the muck.

It took him three days of wandering through rain and foul sludge to find the witches’ cave. He shook some of the mud off and ran into the cave, his mighty sword drawn. "I have come for the lock of my Lady’s hair, you old hags-" Sir Galen began.

To his great surprise, the witches were not horrible old crones, but instead two luscious young women. Their hair was black as the night and their skin fair. They wore black dresses that scarcely covered the voluptuous bodies. Their faces were among the most beautiful that Sir Galen had ever seen. He found that he could not resist staring at them.

Sir Galen shook his head. "I have come for, um, the, uh-" Sir Galen trailed off as one of the witches walked towards him. He couldn’t help but stare as the side of her dress fell down, nearly exposing her breast.

The witch walked very close to him and ran her hand along his chest. "You have come for what, good Sir Knight?" she asked running her finger along the fabric of her dress, pulling it down even further.

"For the… For my-" Sir Galen mumbled.

The witch ran her hand along Sir Galen’s cheek, then through his wet, muddy hair. "Why you must be wet and cold, Sir Knight, and your clothes are so dirty. Perhaps you would like it better if my sister and I bathed you." The young witch slid her hand down Sir Galen’s chest and started to pull up his shirt.

Sir Galen shook his head, and backed away as if bitten by a snake. "No, no that is quite alright! I have merely come for the lock of my Lady’s hair," he cried out desperately.

"Perhaps you should stay the night. It must not be comfortable out in those horrible swamps. We have only one bed, and it would be so warm with my sister and I."

Sir Galen slapped himself. "No! Just the hair! Please!" he begged.

The witch sighed deeply and shook her head. "Oh, very well, but it is so lonely here." The witch held out the hair. Sir Galen went to take it. The witch quickly snatched it away.

"First, you must give us a kiss," she said.

"Oh, very well!" Sir Galen said, doing his best to remember to honor the lady of his heart. The witch embraced him and kissed him deeply. Sir Galen both savored and dreaded every moment of it. After what seemed like an eternity of pleasure, and pain, he broke away. "Now, please give it to me!" he cried.

"But, Sir Knight, I said that you must give us a kiss. You must also give one to my sister," the witch purred.

Sir Galen swallowed hard. The other witch kissed him, just as fiercely and terribly as the first. He again broke away. "Now please, may I have the lock of hair?" he begged.

"Of course, Sir Knight. Perhaps you will come and visit us again?" the first witch asked, licking her lips suggestively.

Sir Galen snatched the hair and bolted out of the cave. He spent the next three days trudging back to his horse, shivering and suffering through the cold mud and rain. His thoughts kept returning to the young witches, although Sir Galen admonished himself for thinking such thoughts.

At last he found his horse and returned to the court. He informed Lady Grace of his deed, using as few words as possible.

"O, my brave, loyal, chaste knight! You are truly pure!" Lady Grace cheered, clutching her lock of golden hair.

"Thank you, my lady," Sir Galen replied evenly. "Now, are you prepared for marriage?"

"Ah, but Sir Galen, my courageous knight, you must do one more thing to prove your valor," Lady Grace said, almost chiding him. "As your last great deed, you must slay the Dragon of Stonebrook!"

Sir Galen gritted his teeth and forced his words out. "Of course, my lady," he replied shortly.

"O, you are so valiant!" Lady Grace clapped, and kissed him on the cheek.

And so Sir Galen rode out the next day, after a hot bath and a night full of dreams about seductive young witches. He was tired and irritable as he traveled to Stonebrook, and the cavern where the dreaded Dragon dwelled. He dismounted near the mouth of the cavern and drew his sword.

As he was about to plunge into the cave and battle the fearsome Dragon, Sir Galen noticed that another knight was also preparing to enter. The knight saw Sir Galen and walked up to him.

"Lady of my heart quest?" the knight asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Indeed," Sir Galen answered, sighing deeply.

"Me too," the other knight responded. "First task?"

"No, third. And final," he said with relief.

"They always pull that ‘final’ business. You’ll have at least three more, I guarantee. This is my seventh."

"Good Lord," Sir Galen breathed.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Why do we do this?" Sir Galen wondered aloud as he sheathed his sword.

"For the love of a chaste young maiden?" the other knight responded. "One who will soon become nagging and disinterested after we win their love, probably only to run off with our newest squire once they have the chance?"

"There must be something better!" For a time, Sir Galen despaired. Then, a wry grin came to his face. "Tell me, have you ever been to the Vile Swamps?"

The other knight wrinkled his face. "Heavens, no. What’s there?"

"Well, there are these two young witches…"