"My lords, my ladies" says the herald. "King Ryder Longbottom approaches." All among the Congress of Lords kneel as the king approaches the throne. The man looks older than his years, gray overtaking most of his beard and the temples of his head. He sits, and then indicates that the lords and ladies may rise.
"My lords and ladies, it troubles me greatly to call upon you in this hour." His squire, a portly boy of ten, hands him a silk scarf, which the king precedes to use to blow his nose. A terrible honking sound reverberates through the chamber. "Lady Melindsey Maculate has been kidnapped. Sources say that it is the terrible dragon, Aneadmorhead."
"My king," shouts a lord, "is it the same that brought the Kingdom of Bo Neir to its knees, destroying all crops and kidnapping the lasses?"
"The same, Sir Barry McKockiner. Never has Bo Neir been more more exposed. Once a mighty country with constitution as hard as granite, now I fear that Bo Neir has become weak and yielding. We cannot let this fate destroy our own lands! Should this dragon get away with this kidnapping, it is only a matter of time he deems us as frail as our neighbors."
"But who, my king, will stand up to this foul beast?" says Lady Olive Cox. Silence fills the room.
The king stands up from his throne and walks among the lords, an equal in supplication. "Is there no one who will take on this quest and save Lady Melindsey Maculate?" he begs.
You walk to the king and kneel before him. "I, my liege, will take on this holiest of quests, if you will grant me leave."
The king touches your shoulder with his long scepter. You glance up at him, and to your surprise see tears upon his cheeks. "Brave knight, I had lost hope that there was a soul virtuous enough for this task. Arise and stand firm, my lord, and should you succeed in your quest, I shall grant you leave to marry Lady Melindsay Maculate, if she will have you." Elated, you draw your sword. The gathered lords and ladies cheer.
The King, turning to the rest of those in the room, say, "To you, my lords and ladies, I present the Hero of the Kingdom: Sir Gourney Weaver!"
