Over the next few nights the company continued their slow secret march up the mountain. On the third night they came to the summit where there stood the opening of a large cave yawning in the moonlight just as Princess Epona had described it. 

“We shall cast lots to choose which of us shall go peak into the cave and behold the dragon.” Said Lord Andras.

It was then that poor Eckbert did a very brave thing. “No,” he spoke up. “You need not cast lots my Lord. I will volunteer to go up and to peer into the cavern. All this journey I have been a coward longing for home. But now that I have seen the bravery of the Princess I have found some kernel of courage in my own heart. And you my Lord” Eckbert continued indicating Lord Andras, “In serving you I have found a new hope and a leader I will fight for.” 

The men were astonished by this speech. For all this time, and especially in the underworld, Eckbert had shown himself to be yellow when it really counted. Rodrick in particular had lost some respect for the guard after he had been the first to desert in the caverns. 

Lord Andras spoke up, “Eckbert, my friend, I accept your offer of this act of courage. Remember we are right behind you and we will not abandon you to the dragon.” 

With that Eckbert approached the mouth of the cavern. The men watched him from behind a boulder as he crept up to the entrance. They saw Eckbert slip quietly into the wide mouth of the cave. Some time passed and the men waited anxiously for any sight of him. All was silent.

“We must go after him!” hissed Rodrick to the others.

“We must not,” Said Druis, “Wait a bit longer for I hear no sounds from within. Let Eckbert do his duty and report back. 

After some many agonizing minutes Eckbert reappeared and returned to them.

“Come and see!” he said in a loud voice.

“Shh hush the Dragon will hear!” Scolded Druis.

“The Dragon is gone!” Eckbert exclaimed. 

With that all the men and Princess Epona went up and entered the cave. Some of them with swords drawn. What they found inside the wide shallow cavern was piles of gold, just as the Princess had described. But no dragon. The men's eyes lit up with wonder at the riches. Despite the unimaginable wealth the cave was rank and hung with the sulfurous smoke of the dragon. The place gave the men an uneasy feeling and hung thickly with dragon magic.

Suddenly from the back of the cave came six women all clothed in white. Their eyes were that deep burning red. “You traitor!” They shouted, pointing at Princess Epona. “You have left the side of the master and joined with his enemies!”

The women ran at Princess Epona holding their fists high to beat her. The men surrounded the Princess to protect her and to hold off the savage blows of the enchanted maidens. 

Druis then stepped forward. He said to Princess Epona, “I am now going to try to break the Dragon’s enchantments. I must ask to borrow the power of the Kingdom which lies inside of you?”

The Princess replied, “Let it be done to me according to your will. For I trust you completely.”

Then Druis chanted a spell to the six maidens, “Be gone with you! Fell enslavement of the will. For the Emperor’s son is here! No longer will you serve the worm. No longer will you feed the beast. No longer will you be subject to the dragon.” 

A light then seemed to come from the heart of Princess Epona. The light encircled the maidens and soon filled the whole cave. Then the whole mountain top. A stiff wind went out from Druis and it filled the cavern. The wind blew away the smoke, and the smell, and the rank dragon magic which had for so long carpeted the mountain. 

The maidens fell to the ground as if fainting. The men stepped forward to attend to them. As they opened their eyes it was plain that the enchantment had left them. Instead of red their eyes were brown and blue and green and all the natural colors that they had once been. 

Far below in the valley the King’s army had been holding out for weeks. Many times the dragon had attacked their camp and burned up many men. Whenever the dragon was spotted a big horn was blown and the men went to arms. They would hide in the dugouts they had built and shoot volleys of arrows. King Celtas always hoped the dragon would land so that he could make a charge on it with his vanguard. But it always seemed to attack quickly and then dart away. 

For the last few days Terranis  had not been seen. Dartanion the Lord of the Skies spent hours searching to see if he could spot the Dragon. All was eerily quiet. Then one day a mighty gust of wind was felt and far above on the mountain peak the red smoke was cleared away and a bright flash of light could be seen. Then like a page being turned the smoke peeled off the mountain. The acrid dragon magic that had for so long blanketed the mountain side was swept away and a bright shining sparkling day began. 

The King’s men all rejoiced and their hearts were glad to finally be rid of the terrible curse that Terranis had laid on the wilderness. There was much feasting and excitement that day. Some of the men even began to believe that the dragon had been slain and that soon they would be returning home to their families. 

The King was not certain what had happened but was filled with joy nonetheless. For surely this lifting of the smoke was a good omen. He sent Dartainion on a mission that afternoon to seek out the mountain top which had been concealed for so long, and see if he could locate the company of heroes or Princess Epona. 

And that was how the very day that the smoke was cleared Dartanion alighted on the mountain top and was reunited with the company of heroes which he had not seen for so long. 

“My dear friend Dartanion!” cried Lord Andras. “Never have I been so glad to see you!” 

“And you my Lord!” replied Dartanion. “For I had feared you were lost in the underworld.”

It was such a joyful occasion as the men all shared their stories and heard news of the army below.

“But what of the Dragon?” Asked Dartanion after some time. “Surely you have slain the beast for the fell magic is all gone now.” 

Druis’s face darkened and he said, “we must not believe the danger is over yet. Terranis still lives. Yet we do not know where he is. The beast may return at any time. We must make haste to take these poor maidens to safety below and leave our fighting men to confront the dragon when he returns.”

 “But how will you kill it?” Asked Dartanion, “We have tried arrows and spears and swords and nothing can pierce the beast’s thick hide.” 

It was then that Druis shared with them a plan he had been thinking of for a long time. From beneath his robes he brought forth three strange items. He showed them a ball of yarn, a knitted mantle, and a pair of sharp metal shears. They were the very items that he had taken from the three witches at the gates to the underworld. The daughters of the worm. The sisters of the dragon. 

“What is this?” The men scoffed, “Are we to defeat the dragon with knitting?” 

“No,” Druis said, “this is no mere knitting, this is the thread of life and the shears of death. The witches were those of legend. The fates, who sit in the underworld and decide the length of a man’s life and the manner of his death. This thread is the lifespan of a man and these shears can end it at any time.”

“But whose life does this thread represent?” Asked Sir Rodrick, perceiving the significance of Druis’s words. “Is it Terranis? Can we simply cut the string and put an end to the beast?”

“My dear rodrick,” Said Druis, “I wish it were true but this is the life of a mortal man I hold in my hands, and who I do not know. The shears are what I am most interested in. These shears have the power to end life. They are sharper and harder than any weapon we possess. I think they will be able to pierce the hide of the dragon.”

Druis held up the shears and the men wondered at the mysterious object. He said, “We must wait in ambush for the dragon to return and at the right moment we must plunge the shears into the heart of the beast.”

“I will do it,” Said Lord Andras, stepping forward to take the shears from Druis.

“By no means my Lord!” interrupted Sir Rodrick, “This has been my task from the beginning. I promised the Queen I would slay the beast when we first set out. I must avenge the Princess. I insist I be the one that this task should fall to.”

Lord Andras and Druis beheld the courageous youth with a smile. Even then Rodrick stood beside princess Epona, holding her hands. It was clear to them that he loved the princess. In the few days that they had known each other Sir Rodrick had scarcely taken his eyes off of Princess Epona. And she clung to him as her protector and champion. 

“Very well,” said Lord Andras. “It is right and just that you should do this final task. We will be beside you to the very end. Even now Terranis knows nothing of our quest and will not expect us to be sitting in his keep” 

After this was decided the maidens departed to make their long journey down the mountain to safety. With them went Princess Epona, and Eckbert, Malcolm, and Terrance for protection. Above them flew Dartanion to guide their way. Where once there had been a maze of smoke, a clear path could now be seen which descended the mountain all the way to the King’s encampment. 

The company of heroes that remained in the dragon’s keep began making preparations for the return of the dragon. 

Several days passed peacefully and the maidens made it to the King’s camp. The King came out to greet them with great joy. He embraced his daughter tearfully. 

“I should never have left,” Said the King, “And now look at all the trouble that has befallen my kingdom.”

“Dear Father,” She replied, “You were seeking the good that you knew. There is no shame, no regret. The past is behind us and we must instead occupy ourselves with the troubles of today.”

It was not long after their tearful reunion that a strange rider came into the camp. A man appeared on horseback wrapped in a torn cloak. His horse was glistening with foam and sweat and he himself looked bedraggled and exhausted. 

“I have news for the King!” He shouted. When finally the camp guards brought him before the king this is what he had to say, “I have ridden these many leagues without stopping all the way from the western end of the Kingdom to bring you this urgent news. My name is Sir Gregory and I am a servant of the Queen!” The King in fact did recognize him as one of the guards of his royal household. The guard continued, “Far in the west Stalmar gathers an army and colludes with the Dragon Terranis. Together they mean to march upon us and destroy us.”

The King was taken aback. He said, “Are the people of my Kingdom not loyal to me? Why would they join this army of darkness and come against me?”

Sir Gregory replied, “They are deceived by the Dragon magic. The beast lies to them and Stalmar has the tongue of a snake. Many are enchanted, others merely taken in. A third of the kingdom perhaps he has cast down. They have hired mercenaries as well. Those from far away outside the Kingdom and beyond the Empire. Everywhere they go they burn villages and those who are loyal to you live in terror. They mean to march on our small force and destroy us and take the Kingdom for themselves. They mean to subjugate the people and offer the dragon endless blood and sacrifice.”

The King was very disturbed by these words. He consulted his council. He also sent word with Dartanion to Lord Andras and the heroes, high up on the mountain. 

Dartanion alighted on the mountain peak and Lord Andras came out to meet him. For they had several times communicated between themselves and the camp below in this manner. 

“Ho my Friend Dartanion!” Lord Andras hailed, “What news do you bring from below? Has the dragon been spotted? Even now we await in ambush to destroy the beast” 

Dartanion told Lord Andras of the news of Stalmar’s growing army. Lord Andras listened with concern and then ws quiet for some time thinking. Druis too listened, along with the men, wondering what decision their leader would make. 

Finally Lord Andras spoke, “I did not think it would come to this. I will send word to my Father the Emperor to bring forth his mighty host to meet Stalmars army. Our company of heroes will stay where we are awaiting the Dragon. We have come so far to get here to hide ourselves in the Dragon’s keep w must not give up our position. You Dartanion, my dear friend! You must fly at once with great speed over the narrow sea and get word to my father. He may be able to reach here in time to save the Kingdom. Fly now, do not stop or talk to anyone until you reach the Emperor and tell him exactly what has happened. He will come to our aid in our hour of greatest need. Dartanion my hope is in you, be swift my messenger.”

Dartanion took off at once, flying East seeking the Emperor.