All the dragons had been slain, all the damsels saved
The knight's road to fame and glory had surely been paved
But the knight was unhappy, he felt not content
His adventures, he felt, hadn't reached their extent
He went off to lands beyond the sunset
In the hopes of finding more nobility yet
When asked his goal by child-laden wife
He simply responded, "To find the meaning of life"

After riding for weeks on his tireless steed
He finally came upon a village in need
A fantastic dragon had destroyed their homes
After its brief reign of terror, onward it had roamed
The villagers claimed the dragon was nice at first
But when they couldn't answer its question, flames it did burst
The knight left at a gallop, staying not a moment more
He was intoxicated with the thought of one last foe

The miles passed, as did the nights and days
The knight quested onward, half in a battle haze
He'd hoped to find meaning in distant lands
But now his thoughts were of slaying one last dragon with his hands
One day he came upon a second village, equally burnt
The enigmatic dragon had been here too, he learnt
The people all cried for help and aid
But the knight quickly rode off into the fading shades

Months and months he rode, through desert and steppe
But still hope for finding his dragon he kept
His horse had died, his armour had rusted
But still after his dragon he lusted
Upon a third village one day he arrived
Gone days without water, he was barely alive
The dragon had stopped here too, he'd found
So that very night he stole a horse and was again on his quest bound

A he rode throughout the forests, mountains, and plains
He began to question what he hoped to gain
In his day he'd killed many a beast
Slaying one more would not matter the least
With a change of heart he made up his mind
Once more he resolved the meaning of life to find
He rode, and he rode, and he rode some more
On his thoughts of the dragon he had shut the door

As time passed he forgot of child and wife
He searched the heights and depths for the meaning of life
He whole reason for living was this to find
He cared not for anything else, and left it all behind
Upon a final village he stopped to dwell
But soon he found the dragon had stayed there as well
His passion was rekindled when he heard what the dragon had sought
He took off at a run for the sunset, wasting a moment not

As he hurried to the ocean he saw on the horizon
His mind raced, but on the water he kept his eyes on
Walking on toward the distance he realised with wonder
That the last village had not been burned asunder
The dragon's lone question to the villagers burned through his thoughts
This fantastic creature he now wanted to slay not
But to ask it politely, and with great respect
If it had found the answer to its question yet

A long time passed, he saw many, many moons
But eventually he made it, and he heard the surf's boom
He went down to the water, and laid on the beach
Calm and tranquil he rested, the tide just out of reach
No matter what, his quest was at an end
He needed only find the dragon, be it foe or friend
As night descended he slept and began to dream
But quickly he was awakened by an awesome scream

From out of the sky the dragon did come
The knight was so awe-stricken he could not work his tongue
The dragon to him came near
And lowered its giant head to his ear
"I am dying," it whispered to him, scant of breath
"My tale I wish to tell before my death"
So the knight and the dragon sat together on the sand
And the dragon told its tale to the man

"I was the best of my time, I had no equal
"Countless animals and people without remorse I did kill
"But I grew weary of all the senseless carnage
"And set out on a quest to gain knowledge
"At first my anger at not finding the answer knew no limit
"But the passage of time did dim it
"Inside me the hate and anger I carried with me eventually died
"But I was left feeling so empty that every night I cried

"Once I was full of anger and hate
"But later I realised, albeit too late
"That just because my father was slain by a man because he was mild
"Did not justify me seeking vengeance in killing every man, woman, and child
"I decided that to death I would no longer people condemn
"Simply because they knew not the answer to my question
"I decided to go further on my quest but to let my violence be
"I harmed no more, I came to this gentle sea

"Now I am dying for my body is old
"But I find peace in you my tale having told
"I tell you now, before you may ask
"That I never did the answer to my question grasp
"I could tell you more stories of women, battle, and gold
"But I have a strange feeling that you and I are of the same mold
"So I ask of you, if you wish, while we sit here in palaver
"To share with me your tales, O fellow weary traveler"

In shame the knight turned his head away to weep a tear
For losing the dragon's respect he truly did fear
He turned back to the giant, his lips shaking
This whole conversation feeling like a dream upon waking
Here before him on the beach did set
The dragon in his childhood he had hoped to have met
His father had told him countless tales of yore
And here with him was the child of the dragon he had heard of before

"The father of my father was slain by a dragon
"Because, I understand, his dragon-slaying skills he was bragging
"When it happened my father was but a youth
"But he nonetheless did swear a solemn oath
"To kill every dragon he ever did see
"Regardless of age, sex, or creed
"Time and again he boasted to me, of course
"Of his killing dragons without reason or remorse

"I have no doubt that my father did murder yours
"On one of his numerous dragon-hunting tours
"Almost all my life I was a shadow of him
"Thinking nothing of it to slay dragons on a whim
"When all the dragons were dead I set out on this quest
"To find an answer to my question and with it calm rest
"My father taught me to help people in need and give them respect
"But in my rush to find you these duties I did neglect

"During the long days and longer nights of my journey
"After long thought my feelings and emotions did turn me
"I came to realise I truly was not me
"But rather of my father a pathetic copy
"I looked into myself, and found to my surprise
"My true self, which had been hidden behind these killer's eyes
"The true core of my being is not like my father, with hatred vexed
"But simply a man, alone and with many regrets"

The dragon stared at the knight, its eyes tight and slim
The knight did suspect the dragon wished to kill him
He closed his eyes and held his head defiantly high
After this evening's discussions he truly wished to die
With himself dead, the knight felt the dragons would breathe a sigh of relief
For he would no longer be there to torment them and cause them grief
He felt something cold and large in his lap and found it quite amazing
There the dragon rested its head, into his eyes it was deeply gazing

"The two of us in our pasts have killed too many in hate and haste
"For one of us to kill the other now would truly be a waste"
So said the dragon as it laid down next to the man
And the knight began to pet its cold, cold scales with his hand
"Now as I lay here breathing my final breaths, I wish not to worry
"So if you would be so kind, I would like to leave this world listening to a story"
The knight sat in silence, pondering what to say, for a short while
Then he told the dragon of the beautiful flowers and mountains he'd seen over the miles

The knight talked for hours, until at his back the sun did rise
The dragon still lay breathing, barely breathing but still very much alive
The two sat in silence as the sun slowly crossed the sky
And for no apparent reason, a tear suddenly came to the knight's eye
He held the dragon tight, feeling it die beneath his fingertips
And he looked down into its eyes with a wane smile on his lips
"I believe I have found the answer to our question," he said with nothing in mind
"The reason we never found an answer is because it was never there to find"