Lindworm/Stories

General Stories Misc

Quotes

Dragon Story Episodes
A Tale of Beauty

Crests throughout the land have long

used the fearsome dragon as a motif.

While dragons vary wildly in

appearance, the classical image

that comes to people's minds was

created by a painter known as

"the Dragon's Brushman."

Throughout his life, the Brushman

painted but a single subject:

Lindworm the Lofty, a dragon he

chanced to encounter while

searching for artistic inspiration.

Lindworm was unsurpassed when

it came to beauty, and the moment

the artist saw her, he was enraptured

beyond words.

As tears streamed down the artist's

face, he said, "It is a terrible pity,

dragon, that you cannot experience

such unrivaled beauty for yourself."

For this was true: there were no glass

mirrors at the time, and metal mirrors

shone impure. As such, Lindworm

had never seen her own form for

what it truly was.

Still, Lindworm was amused by the

artist, and took a liking to him.

After a moment, she challenged him

to recreate her image that she might

see this beauty for herself.

The young artist's eyes went wide,

not knowing that Lindworm's casual

suggestion had just determined the

course of his entire career.

Lindworm's desire to know her true

beauty motivated the Dragon's

Brushman like nothing had before.

Each day, the artist created a new

painting of the dragon. And each

day she sent him away, disgusted

by what she considered to be his

meager efforts.

But he continued to return day after

day after day. His patrons soon

abandoned him. His friends and

family fell away. Yet still the

Brushman continued.

Destitute and exhausted, the artist

soon fell into ill health. And while

his paintings grew more and more

magnificent, they were never enough

to please either himself or Lindworm.

Finally, he stumbled into Lindworm's

lair with a painting and said, "It is a

shame I could not capture your

beauty." A moment later, the artist

fell down dead.

Lindworm looked at the aged and

withered corpse before her and

uttered a single word...

"Beautiful."

The Brushman had his recognition at

last, for in the passion and struggle

which consumed him, Lindworm had

finally seen a beauty unmatched in

her long, long life.