Now listen, friends! Some of us like reading adventure stories, and some of us enjoy writing them. If this sounds like you, then please join us on a magical ride into the unknown where you may bring your fairies and elves (if you wish!) and where you can meet our heroes and lead them in and out of danger as swiftly as you can tap your keyboard! We begin with Nando and Honeybelle. Nando is a very handsome Spanish elf with light brown hair, treacle-brown eyes and an athletic body which has sent many a fairy swooning. Nando is my head gardener but I have just allowed him some time off to compete in the Fairyland Olympia, the Supergames which are held every five years. There are both winter and summer sports at two different locations, and Nando has been selected to compete in archery and foorball. His fairy girlfriend, the pretty Honeybelle from the USA, is vying for gold medals in downhill ski-ing and badminton.
Nando and Honeybelle have just arrived at the bustling summer venue amid great excitement .......

Honeybelle is absolutely giddy with excitement!  Her dark amber eyes grow wider and wider as they try to take in all the sites of the Grand Olympiad.  Beside her, Nando keeps flexing his arm, declaring she is cutting off circulation with her clutching hand.  She giggles, lets go, and then immediately grabs the arm again shouting.."oh look! look Nando, it's the Grand Pavilion!!  We have to go see the exhibits!  I heard there were to be REAL magical beasts in there! Oooooo, maybe there is a dragon, or a griffin, or even (gasp) a chimera!!"

Nando glanced at her, his face darkening a little. "A chimera? I am hoping not! Those beasts, made up of many different animals, are very fierce and they would not take kindly to being kept in captivity, Honey! Even the elves cannot keep them docile for long!" Then he smiled and quickened his pace slightly. "Come on! Let's go inside and see if there are any cute baby dragons for you!"

Honeybelle glanced slyly at Nando.  "Does that mean I can have one?"  She asked with all innocence?  His startled look and astonished gasp made her laugh. "Just teasing dear heart, I know Castillion would never allow such an animal near his stable; or us for that matter."    As they walked toward the pavilion she silently wondered if a chimera was truly untameable?  They certainly looked fierce, but with proper handling, using kind words and gentle hands, wouldn't they respond in kind?  Even dragons can be controlled and learn to obey and respect their masters.  Hmmmmmm...

The Pavilion of Wondrous Beasts was a huge green marquee with scant illumination inside, so that visitors had to wait until their eyes became accustomed to the leafy gloom. The scent of earth pervaded, mingling with animal scents, damp hay and some intangible odour of . . . . well . . fear . . ?
Honeybell drew closer to Nando and whispered: "I'm not sure I am going to like this." And at that moment something roared, quite close by. She jumped and whirled around, just able to make out an dark shape behind a set of thin bars to her right. It shuffled, snorted, and then heaved itself forwards to the scraping sound of leathery wings.
"It's a dragon!" Honeybelle yelped in half-fright, part-awe.
The beast had red eyes and smoking breath, uttering a deep rumbling sound in its throat as it surveyed them. Before Honeybelle could speak, Nando had said something to the creature in a strange language which caused it to back away and hold its mighty head to one side, surveying them curiously.

Honeybelle could do nothing but stand and stare at Nando.  Mouth agape, eyes wide, she finally stammered "You...you...how did you do that?!  What language was that?  Is it 'Dragon'?  You actually spoke to a dragon!!  It listened!!  How?" 
She was so amazed she forgot her fear and stood in awe of her partner.  The dragon, meanwhile, was still studying Nando as if waiting for another command. It glanced from Nando to the tiny fairy beside him and back again. 

Then - it spoke. Not words, as such, but a series of growls and huffs accompanied by a little snorting and head-tossing. Honeybelle observed that Nando was watching the creature carefully, as though every gesture meant something. When silence fell, she whispered: "Nando? What did he say?"
The elf smiled "She," he responded, "Answered my question. I asked her whether she was happy here, was she in captivity, and if she is being well treated. She replied that she was being treated well. and had been rescued from a very bad situation. Soon she will be giving birth, and wondered whether I - being able to speak and understand Dragon - would like to adopt one of her babies into a better life." He smiled down at the fairy and added: "Your prophecy of a few moments ago has come true almost at once, Honeybelle."

Honeybelle had to sit!  Weaving and wobbling she made her way to a bench and slumped back, not even noticing her wings were crunched a bit.  "Can it be true" she whispered, "is Nando to have a baby dragon?"
The dragon rumbled and Nando laughed as he walked to Honeybelle and offered his hand, which she gratefully seized and pulled herself up to stand beside him.  She had regained some of her composure, and was smoothing her wings, but noticed the handsome elf still grinning broadly.
"What?"  She asked.
After a glance toward the dragon, Nando replied, "Zarenth (for that is her name) has made the observation that you seem confuddled and wonders if you have imbibed in too much sweet currant wine?  She knows this because one of the lads who feed her often weaves such as you just did." 
Red cheeks glowing, Honeybelle bids Nando to tell Zarenth she has not touched wine in days and begs her pardon.

Zarenth made a sound that seemed part-laugh, half-understanding. Nando put his hand through the slim bars of the cage and touched the dragon on the snout. "Now then," he said, "I wonder how my beautiful unicorn family will take to having a little dragon in their midst .." He turned briefly to Honeybelle, adding: "You may know that dragons and unicorns do not normally get on well together."
She nodded. "Yes, but . . well, perhaps if they are presented with it when it is new-born, it might be okay."
Nando was speaking to Zarenth, explaining the situation regarding his three flying unicorns. He told her about Castillian his magnificent stallion, the steed who had brought them to Olympiad which was presently in the stables, resting with all the other sundry animal transporters. He spoke with affection of Castllian's beautiful mate, Melissa, with her pink flaring mane and gentle eyes. Lastly he explained that the pair had a two-year-old colt, Zoltan, so much like his father.
"And so," Nando concluded, speaking in Dragon and then translating for Honeybelle, "We would love to adopt your baby dragon, and would collect him or her upon our departure from the Olympiad, but I had to ask you, as a wise dragon, what you think of the situation with the unicorns?"

With news of the impending arrival of Nando to Rainbow Valley , everyone hoped that his magic elixir of rejuvenation would reach the part that most elves would rather avoid . Would it ?...Did it ?....stay tuned and I just might let you know R x