Chylde Wynde

Centuries ago, the kings of Northumberland lived in Bamburgh Castle. The somber fortress stood on a headland over the village and the sea. At this time, the king was an older man with two children. His son, Chylde Wynde, was a knight fighting in the Crusades, while his daughter, Margaret, devoted herself to her father.

Long widowed, the king decided to ease his loneliness by taking a new wife. At the wedding, Margaret greeted her new mother-in-law with every courtesy, but the new queen was haughty in response. During the banquet, her cold demeanor surprised many of the courtiers. Beneath the music and dancing, they murmured how charming and lovely their own princess was compared to the bride.

Perhaps the new queen heard this. By the end of the celebrations, her husband and all the court lay snoring. As the moon rose high, the queen slipped into the castle courtyard and began to draw mysterious symbols upon the stones while chanting a curse. Some time later, Margaret awoke with a strange sensation in her limbs and a fierce hunger. A great paw, scaled and clawed, glittered in the moonlight. She jumped, startled, and the paw moved! She cried out, but a horrible croak emerged instead. Worse and worse, as she tried to escape, a great tail and wings battered around her, demolishing the furnishings. At last the newly-made dragon collapsed in a swoon.

But the morning proved this was no mere nightmare. Margaret-the-dragon was hungrier than ever. She went in search of food, and everyone who saw her ran away shrieking. Margaret fought back the impulse to bite at them, and was saved by another scent blowing into the courtyard. Sheep grazed on the slope between the castle and the town. She swooped down and savaged the flock, while courtiers and commoners alike watched with terror.

What shall become of poor Margaret and her kingdom? Check back on Tuesday to find out!