Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a happy Kingdom.
The people of that Kingdom were happy for there are no storms or famines ravaging the land.
The King of the Kingdom was happy for there were no threatening neighbours or wars.

But the Queen, the Queen was not happy for the Queen was lonely.
For though the Queen loved the King very much, and the King loved the Queen, he was often out hunting. Spending days, dawn to dusk, out in the fields and forests and thus the Queen was left all alone.

She came to long for a child. Someone she could dote on, raise and find joy with.
But she had none. No boy to grow up big and strong. No girl to grow with beauty and talent.
She consulted the doctors and the sorcerers of the land but still failed to have a child.

Then one day she consulted a wise woman of the woods. Who, hearing her plight, gave her a magic seed.
"Plant this seed," she said "and within a week it will have grown and produced a golden fruit. Eat the fruit from this bush and, in nine months you shall bear a child. But, be warned, do not eat more than one fruit. For, if you do, the plant will crumble and misfortune will befall you."

The Queen thanked the wise woman and showered her riches. She gladly planted the seed in her garden and cared for it until it grew a fine golden fruit. Happily, she ate the delicious fruit and joyfully she vowed that she would not ignore the wise woman's words and simply admire the bush and be thankful for her good fortune.

And so it was, for a time. But the bush grew other fruits, though non golden, and the Queen was sorely tempted. For how delicious was the first fruit and how delicious could the others be?
One week passed by and she resisted the temptation. Then two, then three and four. The only time she forgot the temptation when she was delighted to discover she was indeed with child. But ten weeks after first planting the bush she was walking in the garden and seeing the fruits on the magical plant she was overcome by temptation. She reached out and ate the first fruit she could see. But the fruit is bitter and shocked, she watched as the plant crumbled to dust and she wept for she knew she had disregarded the instructions the wise woman gave her and she was terrified of the misfortune that was about befall her.
But nothing happened.
And, eventually, she forgot. Soon she gave birth to a beautiful bright bouncing boy and herself and her husband and the Kingdom rejoiced that they now had a prince.

The King was delighted for now he had a son that he could bring out and hunting with him. Though, of course, he was far too young yet. And although he did try to spend more time with his growing family he still spent his many days out hunting in the forests and fields. But he soon grew tired of the same game and wished for more challenge. So he searched the deep dark woods and found the various magical creatures that dwelled within.

He gathered his men, his horses and his hounds and decided to track down a great magical beast for surely that would be the greatest prize of all. He searched all day and all night. And then the next and the next. Ignoring all other prey, on the third day he came across signs of the Great White Hind.

Tracking deeper and deeper into the forest his companions grew more and more wary. Soon they were unable to keep up. One by one he lost his men his hounds and his horses but still he continued on. And, alone, he came across a massive mystical clearing and saw the White Hind. He was struck by the majesty of the mystical beast but it did not sway him from his goal. With his bow and arrow, he shot and felled the beast. But, as it lay dying, it wailed and cursed the King.
"Curse you the one that felled me here,
A great misfortune will befall all you hold dear."
And the King shook, for he had his prize but could not help but think that he'd made a grave mistake. But still, he brought home the hide and had it mounted and for some time lived in dread of what misfortune would befall him. But when nothing appeared he soon forgot and enjoyed his time with his newborn son.

And the Prince grew up. But the Prince grew spoiled, for his mother doted upon him, but he was a happy child. And he was not needlessly cruel for all he could be unthinkingly unkind.

One day, walking in the gardens on the day of his 10th birthday, he came across a wizened figure. He had seen the peasants at the fields but he never spoken to them and fearlessly he walked up to the stranger. The wizened figure had in hand a shiny golden ball and when the Prince saw the ball he demanded that it be handed it over for it was his birthday and he deserved a gift. But the old hag said that it was not his and asked why should she give the boy her only possession. But the boy stamped his foot and called the guards demanded the toy and thus she handed it over. Happily, he tossed the ball up into the air and was very shocked when it crumbled to dust before he could catch it. The old woman laughed and transformed into a beautiful fairy.
"You've cursed yourself boy!" she cried, "Know now that misfortune shall befall you!" and she disappeared.

Thrice now this family has been cursed and now misfortune finally struck. The mistakes of mother, father and child fell upon the boy and he was changed into a mighty dragon. His parents, when they saw what had happened, knew that they were to blame and confessed their crimes to each other and despaired that their child should pay for their sins. But the boy knew it was his own mistake of arrogance that had brought the curse down on his head and wept the hardest.

They consulted all the wise men of the land but there was nothing that could be done.
The mother tried to do better, tried to give penance to the wise woman and was told the same. The father was tried to give penance to the woods and told similar.
They sent messages to the faerie kingdoms begging them for they had made the mistake, could they not visit the evils they have done upon themselves and not their innocent child, but to no avail.
The fair folk did let them know that three times that they had meddled in magic's affairs and three times that they failed and thus a great curse, greater than any single one, had fallen upon their child and it could not be broken save by the only thing that could break all curses, true love.

First the parents thought to hide this curse, perhaps to build a great tower and say a dragon guards it. But they were hesitant to do so for dragons were exceedingly rare and they could not risk a knight from far off shores coming to claim the honour of killing one. And they could not bear to part with their son in some lonely high off mountain top just because he now had a terrifying countenance.
So they decided that this was their mistake and thus they must bear the consequences and told the people of their land what had happened and begged their forgiveness for they had no cure for their poor son.
The people of the land were hesitant at first, for now one of their rulers was a fearsome beast, but the King gave up his ways of hunting and instead turned to matters of caring for the land and forests and so, though they had not known famine for many a year now, their crops flourished and the land grew plentiful.
And the Queen, instead of hiding alone in her castle, greeted and the people and the neighbouring kingdoms and spoke with care and gentleness to all. And relations between the neighbours flourished and, though there had been no threat of war, now they were given hands of friendship from all that knew them.
And so the people of the Kingdom saw that theirs was a good life but the Prince was still a dragon and there was nought that any could do about it.

He tried his best to be a good son. Though he could no longer wield a sword to protect his family nor dance with guests to help in matters of diplomacy. And he though he tried to be kind to all, his fearsome stature made many nervous so he spent his days flying the lands and bemoaning his lot in life.

'Till one day, some weeks past his 16th year, upon a lonely mountain top he met another dragon.

Though of course dragons were exceedingly rare in these those times, and not any of the Kingdom had seen one for an age, tales of such beasts still known throughout the land and the Prince is quite nervous the first meeting. But the other dragon was patient for she, and it was as lady dragon, had travelled miles to see if she could find any others of her kind. Only ever knowing her parents for the longest time she had wanted to see the world.
For a time they met in secret getting to know one another until the Prince grew daring and, after getting promises of good behaviour from his new companion, did introduce her to his parents and showed her the Kingdom and at last having companionship the Prince was happy.

A year or two or more they spent meeting on the hilltops and forests. The lady was forever careful not to encroach too closely on the Prince's citizens, which endeared her to the his parents, but mostly she kept away. They grew to know each other and found they had much in common and, after some time, the two fell in love.
And so, one day the shy of his 18th birthday, the Prince came to his parents and requested leave to join with his new love and set off to live as dragons do for he could find no peace, no matter how kind the Kingdom was to him, living among humans.
With heavy hearts the King and Queen did give their blessing and so, ready to leave it all behind, the Prince flew off to his love. But just as they both were about to leave the magic came undone. For being willing to leave all behind, sacrificing everything for his love, the Prince had broken the curse and was a dragon no more.

But what should have been a celebration was now filled with sorrow, for he could no longer join his ladylove and live his dragons do for he no longer was a dragon. His lady offered to stay by his side, for it him she fell in love with not just his form, but he refused. He knew how hard it was living as a dragon amongst humans and would not inflict that upon anyone he cared for and so they parted, for curses can be cruel even when broken.

A year and a day went by and a strange Princess arrived at the castle. She spoke not to the servants or the knights or even to the King and Queen themselves. Not until the Prince came and looking upon her suddenly knew who she was. It was his lady love, now in a form for human. She explained that that if her love could not come live with her then she would live with him and had searched far and wide until she came to the wisest dragon in the land and was granted leave of a spell to change her form and find her happily ever after.

And so finally the two were wed and all rejoiced. It had been long and hard for them but the Kingdom had long known peace and love and now, finally, so did the Prince.