Introduction
'I won't be a cruel king. I won't kill dragons and peasants. I'll love my people and be kind to them. I'll always live by the Old Code.'
Young Prince Einon is dying. His mother wants Draco, the Great Dragon, to help him. Draco says that he will help. But first the boy has to repeat these words.
When Einon is king, he forgets the dragon's words. He is cruel to the peasants, and everybody in the country is unhappy and afraid.
Draco and good Sir Bowen, a Knight of the Old Code, want to help the peasants. But can they? Will people live by the Old Code again? What will happen in the fight between Good and Bad?
This story is about dragons and knights, kings and peasants. Charles Edward Pogue wrote the story for the film of Dragonheart - a book by Patrick Read Johnson and Charles Edward Pogue. Sean Connery (Draco), Dennis Quaid (Sir Bowen), David Thewlis (Einon), Pete Postlethwaite (Gilbert, the monk) and Julie Christie (Queen Aislinn) are all in the film. It was expensive and difficult to make. They used computers to film the dragon; the beautiful woods, mountains and castles are in Slovakia, in the east of Europe. It is a very exciting film, and a lot of people went to see it at the cinema.
Chapter 1 The Old Code
A sword shone in the sun. 'Not bad!' shouted Sir* Bowen. Then he pulled out his sword and started to fight Prince Einon. The prince fell to the ground. 'But you'll have to fight harder than that, or you'll die!' laughed Sir Bowen.
Sir Bowen was one of King Freyne's knights. Prince Einon was the king's son. He was fourteen years old and a strong young man. He liked fighting but he didn't like losing. He got up quickly and took up his sword again. 'That's better,' laughed Bowen. The young prince smiled. Then suddenly he felt Bowen's sword, hard, on his arm. 'Dead again!' laughed Sir Bowen.
Einon started to fight again. His face was angry now. 'Careful!
Careful! Fight with your head, don't fight with your heart, boy!' shouted Bowen.
The knight wanted to make Einon a good fighter. But he also wanted to teach him the Old Code. Sir Bowen and all the kings, princes and knights before him were Knights* of the Old Code. For thousands of years kings were kind to peasants and knights helped kings. This was the Old Code. Life was good, and everybody in the country was happy. Then everything started to change and the peasants were angry. Bowen didn't like this. He loved Einon and he wanted the boy to remember the Old Code all his life.
After the sword-fighting lesson, Bowen and Einon sat down. 'Never turn your back to somebody when you fight, Einon! Why can't you remember that?'
Suddenly they heard the sound of a horse. They looked up and saw Brok, one of the king's knights, on his horse in front of them. Bowen didn't like Brok and looked at him angrily. Brok didn't live by the Old Code.
'We're fighting the peasants,' Brok told them. 'We're winning, of course. King Freyne wants his son to come and watch.'
'It's not good or clever to fight the peasants,' answered Bowen. He really hated Brok.
'They're stupid! The king says they have to die. He wants Einon to come now. And you too, Bowen,' Brok shouted. Then he turned his horse and rode away fast.
'Why did he shout at you?' asked Einon. 'You're a Knight of the Old Code! You're not afraid of him!'
'No, of course I'm not afraid of him. I hate him. He doesn't live by the Old Code. He enjoys killing the peasants. He's the king's man.'
Einon understood. Bowen hated his father, the king, too. He smiled at Bowen. 'When my father dies, I'll be king. And you'll be my man, Sir Bowen.'
Bowen looked at Einon with love in his eyes. 'I'm your man now, my Prince,' he answered warmly.
Chapter 2 The Battle
Brok rode quickly back to the battle. When he got near the fighting, he heard the sound of swords. He laughed loudly when he saw hundreds of peasants, dead on the ground.
In the middle of a field, Brok could see King Freyne on his horse. The crown on the king's head shone in the sun. On his coat was a picture of a dragon's head on a sword. The king looked down at the dead men below him with hard eyes. With a cruel smile on his face, he pulled out his sword. The peasants on his right and left were afraid. They ran away fast but the king followed them. He loved fighting and killing. Nothing could stop him now.
High above the battle, Sir Bowen and Prince Einon sat and watched. Bowen hated the fighting but Einon was excited.
'I want to fight down there with my father,' he said.
'No, you don't, boy,' Bowen answered sadly.
'I do! I do!' Einon shouted. 'And I want to see you fight too, Sir Bowen. You're the best fighter in the world!'
'Yes, I am a good fighter. Better than your cruel father,' Bowen said angrily.
Einon felt unhappy when he heard this. 'Don't be angry with him, Bowen. He is my father and he is the king.'
Bowen smiled kindly at the prince. He didn't want to make Einon unhappy. But it was difficult for him to watch the battle. He was a Knight of the Old Code, and it was wrong to kill the peasants.
'Yes, Einon, your father's king now,' he said to the boy. 'But one day you'll be king and you'll wear the crown on your head. When you're king, remember today. And remember the Old
Code. Never, never fight the peasants. Then the crown will shine wonderfully on your head, and you'll be a better king than your father.'
Bowen turned to watch the battle with a heavy heart. He didn't see the prince's eyes when Einon spoke. They were as hard as the king's.
'Yes, I'm going to be a better king than my father, Bowen,' answered Einon. Then he suddenly shouted, 'Oh, look! My father's killing more stupid peasants!'
Down below them, the king and his knights rode through the peasants' village. They cut down men with their swords and burnt their homes. One of the peasants stood near his house and watched the king carefully. This man's name was Redbeard - he had red hair and a red beard. He suddenly shouted loudly, 'Now!' When the other men heard Redbeard, they quickly came out of their houses. They looked angry and dangerous. They ran after Redbeard to the king on his horse and tried to kill him. The king rode out of the village fast, but the peasants followed him. They pulled him from his horse and began to hit him. Then they all jumped on him, hard.
From above, Einon watched the fighting and cried, 'No! No! They're killing my father!' He quickly jumped on his horse and rode down to the battle.
'Stop, Einon! Stop!' shouted Bowen, but Einon didn't listen. Bowen climbed on to his horse and followed fast behind the boy. But when he got to the battle, he couldn't find the prince anywhere. 'Einon! Einon!' he called, but there was no answer.
Einon found his father on the ground and sat down near him. He looked at the king's grey face and cried, 'Father, father!'
Then he looked at the beautiful crown on the king's head. 'My father's going to die,' he thought. 'I'm going to be king and I want that crown now.'
Einon started to take the crown from his father's head, but the
king suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at the boy and tried to stop him. For a minute, father and son pulled at the crown. But Einon was stronger and he won. Old King Freyne looked at his son angrily. Then he closed his eyes and died.
When Einon stood up with the crown in his hands, he saw a young peasant opposite him. The man stood on a bridge with a large bucket on his head! He suddenly jumped off the bridge and fell on to Einon. They fought for a long time. Then the peasant, Buckethead, pushed his sword into Einon's heart. The prince fell to the ground with his hands round the crown.
When the peasant looked down at the prince at his feet, the bucket fell from his head. Einon could see a lot of lovely, long red hair! Buckethead was a woman, not a man. Her name was Kara, and she was Redbeard's daughter. She wore dirty, old clothes but she was very beautiful.
Suddenly somebody shouted, 'Einon! Einon! Where are you?' When Kara heard this, she quickly ran away. Sir Bowen ran to Einon and cried, 'It's me, Einon. I'm here, My King.'
Einon looked up at Bowen, and then closed his eyes. Bowen took the prince in his arms and tried to help him. But the boy didn't move. The knight could do nothing.
Chapter 3 The Great Dragon
In the king's castle, Queen Aislinn sat in her room. She looked out of the window with sad eyes. She couldn't see the battle, but she could hear the sound of fighting. 'The Old Code says it's wrong to kill the peasants,' she thought. 'My husband's a bad, cruel king.' V Suddenly Brok, the king's knight, ran into the room. 'Queen Aislinn, your husband's dead,' he said. 'The peasants killed him. King Freyne is dead!'
The queen listened to Brok quietly. Behind him she could see
Sir Bowen. His face was tired and sad and he stood with her son, Prince Einon, in his arms.
'I'm sorry, Queen Aislinn,' said Bowen, with his head down. 'The prince fell too.'
'Don't be sorry, Sir Bowen,' answered the queen. 'They killed Einon because of his cruel father, the king. Now, put him on my bed.'
But Einon wasn't dead. 'The crown, the crown ...,' he said weakly. Bowen put the crown into Einon's hands. But the queen didn't listen to him. She stood next to Bowen and looked down at her son. Then she slowly took off his shirt.
'We can't help him now,' Bowen said sadly.
The queen said nothing. She walked to the window and looked at a beautiful picture of a dragon on the wall. 'Perhaps we can, Bowen,' she answered. 'Perhaps we can…’
Queen Aislinn rode quickly. She turned her horse and started to climb the mountain behind the castle. Brok rode in front of her and Sir Bowen followed. Behind them two men carried Einon carefully up the mountain.
After a long time, Bowen heard the sound of music - a strange, sad song. It came from somewhere inside the mountain. Then Einon made a sound and his eyes closed. Bowen got off his horse fast and ran to the young boy. 'Wake up! Wake up!' he shouted. 'Don't go to sleep, My King. You can't die now. Listen to me, and remember the Old Code. Bowen then spoke quietly into Einon's ear. He talked to him about the Old Code. Einon moved his mouth and tried to repeat Bowen's words. He didn't want to die on the cold mountain.
They climbed slowly up the mountain, then stopped. The queen got off her horse and turned to the men behind her.
'This is the end of our journey. We're going into the mountain now.'
It was a cold, dark place and it looked dangerous.
'Follow me. Don't be afraid,' said the queen. She walked in and the men followed her. They couldn't see much. There was a lot of smoke, and there were dead animals on the ground near their feet. Then Bowen heard the strange song again.
Suddenly, the music stopped. From out of the dark somebody asked sadly, 'Are the stars shining tonight?'
'No, there aren't any stars in the sky tonight,' answered the queen.
'Is that Queen Aislinn, wife of King Freyne?' said the dragon.
'Yes, Great Dragon. The people in my country love you and the other dragons. We're your friends.'
'No, Madam,' answered the dragon. 'Men and dragons were friends for thousands of years. But things are different now.'
The dragon came slowly out of the dark and sat on the ground near the queen.
'Bring Einon here, Bowen,' said the queen.
The knight carried Einon in his arms and put him down on the ground. The dragon's face was high above him. It was very ugly — brown and black, with a large mouth, big teeth, and sad eyes. Bowen felt very afraid — he never took his eyes away from that face!
The dragon looked down at Einon. 'It's King Freyne's son!' he said. 'I hated the king. He loved killing dragons and peasants. What do you want from me, Queen Aislinn?'
'I want your help,' answered the queen. 'A peasant hurt my child in the battle. Einon's not the same as his father, Great Dragon. This knight, Sir Bowen, is teaching him the Old Code. And I'm going to teach him about dragons in the future. Please help him.'
'You're asking a lot, Madam. Your son's very ill,' said the dragon.
'I know,' cried the queen. 'But he's king now. He'll be a good king. Sir Bowen and I will help him. He won't be cruel, Great
Dragon.'
'He has to say that, not you,' answered the dragon. Then he looked at ...
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