The Chalice of Courage Pt1

On a mountain top, In a distant land, Lived a fierce dragon With talons sharper Than the great butcher’s knife And a breath Hotter than a million suns. His sole purpose for being Was to protect a chalice. This chalice was no ordinary goblet, It was cast in gold And encrusted with diamonds, Emeralds, rubies and pearls, But what it was made of Paled in comparison With what it held within. Legend has it That within the chalice Was an elixir of courage. An endless supply of Pure Courage, But no one had ever Ventured to the mountain top To sip from said chalice. In a village Not too far from the mountain Lived the son of a farmer Named Leonid. Leonid had one desire, A burning desire To become a warrior, To become a great warrior, To fight for his village, To protect his home. Unfortunately, Leonid did not believe He possessed the courage To make his dream a reality, But while as the local market He overheard some talking About the chalice Guarded by a dragon On a nearby mountain. The answer to a problem That had been plaguing him. When Leonid came of age, He packed a few belongings And started his journey To becoming a warrior. He made his way To the mountain top, To the chalice. It was a journey That took five days, Leonid rested only when he need to And drank and ate What the earth provided. The water from springs, The berries and fruits form trees, The meat from animals he caught. Every now and then, He would come upon a village, And he would stop for ale And conversation. When people heard Where Leonid was headed, They would try to discourage him, Telling him stories of How fierce the dragon was. Leonid would patiently listen, But when he left the village, He went in the direction Of the mountain top. His ascent of the mountain Started on the fourth day. This, surely, was the hardest part Of the journey. At some points the only way up Was to scale a wall of rock With barely a foot hold. Lesser men would have given up, Leonid would have given up, But his desired pushed him on, And within two days, Leonid reached the top. After resting for a few hours, Leonid walked to the dragon’s cave. He was rested and prepared To confront the dragon And claim the Chalice of Courage.