The Dragon and The Princess

By Andrew P M Yiallouros

A spiritual odyssey begins...a tale of magic, love, spirituality and adventure...

Follow the dragon as he awakens, as he comes of age, as he discovers life and as he finds The Creator...a story of lost love, friendship, magical beings and evil sorcerers; a spiritual odyssey that takes the reader as a companion and co-discoverer! An allegorical and philosophical message for our times...

The beginning of a series of books centered around the dragon's world and the journeys of the creatures therein, with the next title being the second part to this introduction. Future titles are "The Sorcerer's Kingdom"; " The Wizard and The Dragon"; "The Secret Garden"; "Where The Man Burns"; "The Mysterious Island and the World of the Sea People" and lots more!

"What a great read. I loved the characters and the fantasy aspect of it. It's well-written, and takes you to another world. Would recommend to anyone."

"I really enjoyed this book, in fact I couldn't put it down! It's one of those books that I keep finding myself thinking about, a book that
will stay with me forever! definitely recommend it!"

"What a pleasure to read! Using fantasy as a genre is a smart choice because most people resonate with the setting and the ability to escape to another world. It also makes it deceptively easy to read (and hard to put down). However, upon reflection, you realise how wonderfully layered the story is and how applicable it is to your own personal journey. Beautiful, magical, inspiring and yes, fun, this is a gem of a find and one I know people will share with their friends and loved ones."

"This wonderful story hides hidden layers throughout its many glitter- sparkled, drug-hazy, humour-filled adventures, meandering through the meanings of life and love that resonate with all of us. Fly with the curious dragon, with his endearing character and tender spirit, as he launches into the ultimate journey; the journey of self-discovery. The destination: to know one's self truly and be proud and accepting of that truth. A lovely tale of making mistakes and dusting yourself off again, of not finding the answer straight away, and not finding life as simple as it first appears, and most importantly, of whole-heartedly living a life enriched with learning and loving all the way. An enchanting escape for a world-weary generation. A must-read."

"A kind, innocent yet epic tale. A read-in-one-sitting love story between the protagonist and the world. The author really captures a fantastical folkloric feel, whilst taking the reader on a deep yet accessible philosophical journey. The big questions have never been so fun to read!"

“It is the wisdom that drives this book; both the Dragon and the writer.”

"I was reading this magical book and fell in love with every line. I felt so connected because it describes what we may go through in our life's journey. As you read through the lines you will feel the honesty, purity and clarity in every word. I enjoyed reading this book, inspired me to feel hope and love again. I strongly recommend you read it."

"I love it you are brilliant! Very nice and easy to read..."

"Lots of deep moments and sooo inspiring!"

"Thank you, I really enjoyed it! Great talent, please use it, I think you've got a lot to tell!"

"I will recommend to my friends for sure, when I started reading it I couldn't stop, and it got really addictive from chapter 6, I read all night!" 

“Spiritual and uplifting”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrew P M Yiallouros
• Release date: Nov 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370859825

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by A P M Yiallouros

Cover illustration and map © 2016 by A P M Yiallouros

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact [e-mail]. Self-published in Thailand through Amazon. Available to buy on Amazom.com and all other major outlets or platforms. Author’s website: www.commonsensible.org.

Thanks to Inna Surguladze for encouraging me to write this.

Second Edition

This is dedicated to my past and my future and all the people therein.

It is an easy thing to hate, but love is an entirely different thing; to completely let go and give yourself up, to let someone explore the depths of your mind (which were so carefully hidden away), to allow someone the power to destroy you; but trusting them not to. Anon.

Contents:

Chapter 1: The Golden Dragon

Chapter 2: The Dragon and The Wizard

Chapter 3: The Dragon and The Daemon

Chapter 4: The Dragon, The Wizard and The Princess

Chapter 5: The Dragon and ‘Those Who Submit’

Chapter 6: The Dragon and The Witch

Chapter 7: The Dragon and The Princess

Chapter 8: The Dragon and The Sorcerer

Chapter 9: The Dragon and The Creator

Chapter 10: The Dragon Transformed

Reach as high as you can, and then reach a little higher. There you will find magic and possibility.

Chapter 1

The Golden Dragon

A long time ago (but not so long that it is forgotten) and far away (but not so far that it is unconnected to you) there lived a golden dragon. He was a lonely dragon as he was the only one of his kind. He had wide, glorious wings, gold scales for skin, big whiskers and wrinkles, and golden, silvery hair. He had a kind face with big eyes that told of many lives and stories of old. He was brave, strong, lovely, and magnificent to look at. Indeed, he was magnificent to be with, since he believed in honour and caring; things that no longer existed in this plane and that no one could recognise, or at least very few. He was kind hearted, and loving, a defender of those in need, and he would always help others to the detriment of himself. But, he was alone in this and he knew it. He longed for someone to share his life with, to glide up high with him where he soared, and to enjoy his adventures, of which there were many; to live life with, in all its colour and joy, to wander and laugh and have companionship. In short, he was looking for someone to love. He wished to have an equal where he had none, to have someone who would love like he did, who would give all, even their life, if it meant the happiness of someone else. He was searching for one who believed in what he believed in; in love, true love, of which very few people know. Not eros, agape, storge or philos but love of all.

The golden dragon, had fire for breath and in his belly, and amazing abilities to do and create whatever he pleased. But, he very rarely used these powers. He believed that great power entailed a great responsibility, that to use these powers was to take from others, and that everyone deserved help and love rather than a smiting and forcing to his will. So, he used his powers for others. It wasn't that he was afraid to be great or to use his magic, no indeed, it took more bravery and greatness to control his fire and will, to hold it back so others might learn and be free, so others might see the truth; the truth that love is all that was important. Love was the true magic. It was also very hard for him to give, help and love, all the time; and truly, he was not always successful at this. We all get a little angry, upset or confused sometimes. However, he definitely knew it was far better to be good, forgive, gift and let be than to hate, take, destroy and force. He had the power for any of these things and more, but he kept it hidden and controlled. Instead, he let people believe that he was meek and mild, warm hearted and gentle and, sometimes, a little stupid. Because of all this, he was therefore a king, but one that we have forgotten exists, one that we have replaced with the idea of a conqueror. As you see, a true king, the rightful lord of all, is as humble and equal to all of us mere mortals and yet is better and greater than all of us put together.

The golden dragon was very old, he had lived many lives and knew many things, so much in fact, that it was hard for him to decide on things as he could always see the many facets of any situation or question. This also gave him great and unfathomable wisdom, wisdom that was always (even if it was only eventually) proved right, no matter what people's egos told them (or that he let their egos tell them). He wanted what he wanted but he also wanted everyone to be happy before himself. He thus mostly put others first, not always, as we know, even golden dragons have their weaknesses and failings, but on the whole, his dedication was to the love of others and to help them become as great as he knew, deep down inside, he was and that we all could be. He kept his own advancement back, so he could do this, as you cannot help anyone when you are superior. Indeed, his greatest past time was teaching others (while ignoring his more advanced knowledge), when, really, all he wanted to do was glide up on high, up where the angels live and play. He loved this sacrifice, for if all is one, one cannot take all. So, he would often play dumb, weak and humble, say things he didn't mean and let others think they were right, giving prominence to their ideas and lives. All this was no mean feat. Imagine seeing a pot of gold and all you have to do is reach out and take it, and yet if you could just hold back, put off your desire and ego, then you could help others to get some gold too, let others be happy as well as yourself. Can you imagine seeing this pot of gold every day, seeing the answer to your happiness right there in front of you and yet not taking it, waiting for those you love to get there first? I am not sure that you can.

It was a very hard kind of torture and a test that took great strength, and which meant, if one could pass, you are stronger and greater than anyone else and can fly with the angels. Not many had passed this test yet, not many at all, in all of time or creation. It was too hard for most, you had to hold too much sorrow for others to be happy (remember, all is one) and most, eventually, steal the gold. The golden dragon was, for this and many other similar reasons sometimes very sad; and, mostly, separated from many of the others of creation. He was often quiet, alone with his thoughts and memories, waiting for someone to see the truth and to be like he was. He would often roar aloud on the mountain tops where he would go to be alone, in lamentation at this state of affairs, at the weight he carried and his loneliness; often pondering, to keep with our metaphor, whether to swoop down and take the gold for himself; leaving the ‘unthinkers’ behind. But he could not. His heart would stop him every time or at least make him turn back. He was not an ordinary and, being a golden dragon, he had a better chance of passing this test than most.

This is not to say that he would not make mistakes and get himself into trouble sometimes, that he would forget himself and go a little crazy, and be much more like the ordinaries, those, perhaps, like you and me. But on the whole, the golden dragon would hold himself back for the