Wow! Excellent story! You use a lot of elaborate details to make this a good tale. +fav

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I will probably post some of my other 'dragon stories' here too, that are along a similar vein.

Good read

Would pretty nice good job, do i still think the dragons are kinda too Powerful.

Anyway i hope you make more stories with dragons

I've always enjoyed this one. Good to see it here on FA.

It seems as though half of the story is taken up by the dragon either gloating about how powerful he is, or quoting the bible. The knight hardly gets a word in before being disarmed and eaten. I came expecting a compelling story, and I was disappointed. Surely you can do better than this!

Thank you for your comments. While you may have been dissapppointed, this story received the gold medal (first place) in writing competitions on the Storywrite website, and a lot of compliments everywhere it has been posted, including here. However, this story was written for adults who have a good knowledge of the material, and appreciate the irony behind the story, in that the perception of dragons being evil and the minions of Satan (who was believed to be a dragon as well), is soundly turned on its ear, with my research that proves that dragons, in fact, were originally understood to be the highest heavenly creatures in ancient Christian theology!

This wasn't intended to be a 'dungeons and dragons' adolescent 'adventure' story, and the knight was so quickly and so soundly defeated because this is the only realistic outcome between a mere human, however skilled, and a huge, sentient, predatory creature as the popular conception of a 'dragon' would be.

No offense, but are you old enough to be on this website?

"No offense", indeed. Not everyone who disagrees with you is a child.

With your "realistic" portrayal of this fantasy creature, I found myself rolling my eyes and hoping that he would cut to the freaking chase and just eat the damn knight already, instead of spending pages boasting about how great he and his kind are, how nothing can harm them, and then quoting Bible passages at the knight when it has already been revealed that the knight not only hasn't read the Bible, he can't read, period! If I wanted realism, I'd watch a documentary--when I read fantasy, I expect the strange and unrealistic.

What constitues a 'realistic' dragon is up to the individual reader, though mine mine are baed on real ancient and medieval accounts when they were as 'real' to most humans as a lion or giraffe.

By 'realistic' I was referring to the logical outcome of a fighting between a man with medieval weapons, and a large, intellgent dragon, of typical western concep, which is much like the theropod dinosaur Baryonyx, with the addition of wing. And given the muscle mass, dexerity, armor, etc. of a large theropod, not to mention human intelligence, I think only a small child would imagine a human defeating such a greater with only a sword.

Many readers actually find this work refreshingly different, because it does not end in the predictable and adolescent-minded, 'knight slays dragon' cliche.

i like you! i have to say, its hard to find people who sit down and think realistically about a dragon without being slapped in the face with a "dragons are not real" tag or whatever, there is -no- way one lone human can last even a minute against a dragon in a fair confrontation, wouldnt belive how many foul storys or pictures ive seen of a human trying to kill a dragon in its sleep.

all in all its very nice to see another that sets dragons in a better light then a mindless vicious "beast"

Hi, Fyrrex.

Glad you liked it. This story is based on a much larger book I am finishing that examines the REAL dragon lore found in ancient Christian and Jewish scriptures that present dragons as the highest heavenly creatures, and we see this same thing in many other ancient cultures. The book explains why, with theories that are both historically and scientifically accurate, and it is possible that many of the 'lake and sea monsters' still seen today are these ancient dragons.

Yes, few things are stupider than the typical dragon slayer story. They really only show that the writer is a very ignorant person with no concept of how dangerous a creature like a large, intelligent, dragon would really be.

I'm sorry to say that after reading the story, I was less than pleased. Where was the fight? This is nothing but a tyrannous rant to a wretched, illiterate cur of a knight. If the dragon is so good, so holy, why does he feel the need to explain himself to someone so lowly and evil (Dante felt that the "Godly" position on the damned should be to feel no remorse, no pity, but then you apparently have a thing against Dante as well)? And what good did it do? the knight was simply slurped down screaming, what was the point of the lesson? Aside from appeasing the dragon's own inflated ego?

If you wanted to educate your reader to the rich history of dragons in theology, why not go finish your book so we can read it? Don't try to pass it off as a story, because it is not entertaining in the least.

Most people have enjoyed this story. It has been favorited several times here and on other forums, and has also won awards. I believe you are simply attacking it because of my critisism of your story.

Where's the fight? Anyone but a seven year old child, or pathetic teenage geek brainwashed on moron-level, monster slaying video games could believe a mere human could 'fight' something like a large intelligent dragon. Heck, a medieval knight could not even stand a chance against a walnut brained, though large theropod dinosaurs, let alone, a flying, highly intelligent one.

Mice never kill the cat. This is a common sense thing most adults are able to understand.

interesting you should mention Dante, for it was his popular novel that largely changed the perception of hell, from, from the devouring judgement dragons that decorated every medieval cathedral, to the "cartoon hell" of today of some deep underground caverns where sinners are poked by pitchfork wielding demons in red leotards.

Good one, Sirrush. I am sure you're used to the backlash, I know you've been at it with these ideas for years now. Thinking about the past can give one peculiar feelings. I now believe it is entirely possible there was an 'original Christianity,' dumped conveniently by the wayside for alterations that evolved because let's face it- People would rather look up to their own image, and no one wants to live eternally in some fiery underworld.

No, I don't think the problem is "Gulf War Syndrome" or someone who takes Dragon Vore too much to heart. It's more like published book or not, you're dealing with a nasty combo that best attunes itself to the average joe. The day I can walk into a store and buy a celestial winged dragon instead of a swan-winged angel for christmas will be the day you have triumphed in your charade Sirrush, but until that glorious era of truth and understanding arrives, you're just gonna have to be the screwball fellow that makes a lot of people mad but inspires people like me who appreciate your kind respect for Earth's legendary 'Drakon.'

Thanks, save for referring to "my charade(?)" which implies I am not bing truthful. Yes, Certain people are 'angered', but for the very fact that I can back up everything I say with facts, and can usually demonstrate that I know far more about the real material behind their beliefs, than they do.

Aye, your "charade," because who would take you seriously? Do excuse me Sirrush, I like your research but I'm not sure I count for much. :p

The study of religion is all the more curious when you listen to guys like Thunderfoot (http://www.youtube.com/user/Thunderf00t) picking at the faults of modern day beliefs with very well composed videos. Would things be different today if "original Christianity" still existed? To be honest, I dunno. God could be the flying spaghetti monster and people would still fight each other, forge influential political beliefs, hoard material goods and generally act like...people, though maybe they would stop writing lame dragonslaying stories at least.

Just keep digging Sirrush, the veins of humanity's faults run deep. You know what they say. Where's there smoke, there's lotsa spaghetti, err, I mean fire.

I can see some people did not like all the talking, but I rather liked the interaction between predator and prey. It was also nice seeing that the not-so-chivalrous knight was not able to talk his way out of the situation he got himself in.

Nice story.

Glad you liked it, Neo. Unfortunately, "all the talking" was necessary in order to relay the large amount of information to reader reader to establish "the truth about dragons", which is both the subject and title. True, the more juvenile readers only expect "action", but realistically, it is absurd to believe a human would have any chance at all against a large, intelligent "dragon", and I wanted to convey this by completely downplaying "the battle".

I really liked this story for the fact of how well it fits to my beliefs. I always found "something" fishy about how the bible was written and knew that "something" was wrong about it.

This if you ever get it published will definitely be a book i will pickup.

Glad you like it Tlan, but it i not so much how the Bible was written, but how it was REWRITTEN. The original scriptures we call the Bible were full of dragon lore, as are many additional scriptures used both by early Christians and Jews, that are not in today's Bible, but continuously are turning up thanks to archaeology. But even most Bible today still have verses, that describe Yahweh as a fire breathing creature with enormous wings, and that the ONLY idol he ever approved, was that of a fiery flying serpent (dragon). Its just that they "never tell you that stuff in Sunday School".

hehe oh i know i read all the other comments. ^..^ when i talked about the bible i was refering to the re-written bible as its just habit. sorry ^..^ again well written and cant wait till you get your book published.

As a Christian, I doubt God would have anything to do with dragons. This all is a load of hooey

I always reply to comments, and just noticed I responded in the wrong box, and you may not have realised I responded.

Obviously, you know nothing about authentic, early christianity. Everything I stated in the story referring to Biblical scripture is fully documented.

I cannot help it if your Church has changed the Bible to make it more acceptable to modern audiences. Any serious student of the early scrptures undrestands dragons are the highest heavenly creatures, and this is what the word seraphim actually mens in hebrew -- a flying and fiery 'serpent' or dragon. In fact, even Yahweh is a dragon, and the Bible describes him with huge winge, breathing fire, hoarding gold, and demanding tender young children, calves, lamb for his food. Its all in the real Bible.

Obviously, you know nothing about authentic, early christianity. Everything I stated in the story referring to Biblical scripture is fully documented.

I cannot help it if your Church has changed the Bible to make it more acceptable to modern audiences. Any serious student of the early scrptures undrestands dragons are the highest heavenly creatures, and this is what the word seraphim actually mens in hebrew -- a flying and fiery 'serpent' or dragon. In fact, even Yahweh is a dragon, and the Bible describes him with huge winge, breathing fire, hoarding gold, and demanding tender young children, calves, lamb for his food. Its all in the real Bible.

Pushing pretty hard to claim this as truth? Just like so many religions seem to do. In doing so, who's to say you won't perpetrate the same mistakes that religions may already have. Getting so fixated in their ways, becoming so fixated on one part of the bigger picture that the rest of it is ignored.

Or are you actually trying to start your own "religion"?

No, not starting a new religion. I am merely incorporating interesting, and largely unknown facts of original Christian dragon lore into the old "dragon vs. knight" theme. I am not saying anything in Christianity is literally 'true' as in scientific fact, but what I have stated about dragons is most certainly 'true' inasmuch that these things are a part of the earliest Christian theology, and were actually Jewish concepts as well from the time Christianity began.

Elements of Christianity, like anything else have changed to make it more palatable to different cultures. While I am completing an in-depth book on this subject, this little story has been an amusing introduction to the these ideas, and seems to have been liked as it has won prizes on different writing forums.

Dude...I'm sorry, but this story is downright boring.
And the small amount of faves only purpetuates that fact.

Its pretty obvious you are a teenager, as are many on the site, and it is is probably a bit 'over the heads' of some of you. This story has won prizes in 'mainstream' writing competitions. If I were worried about getting 'favorites' here, I guess I would write nonsense about Poke' mon characters, but i write for adults. Some of my books are so popular they have been printed in four languages.

Good for you but its obvious these peoe dont care and hey im not very religious but in all realism the only way a lone human would be able to kill a dragon is with a modern weapon like a large caliber gun or even a cannon

What is the title of your book anyway? I'm sure it must be out by now.

I enjoyed this, especially the banter, though perhaps banter isn't the appropriate word; forgive me I can't think of a more fitting word at the moment. But I enjoyed the lore details and the ending of course. And I know I just asked if you intended to to any sort of book work, but now I see that you have been working on one. I'd like to read it if it's anything like this, and even if it's not.

I have to say, that was a very pleasant read. Excellent banter and use of the English translations for the scriptures. Though in several instances for reference in the bible, the words can also be translated to refer to whales, serpents, jackals, or a sea monster as well, hence the possibility of a large snake or snake-like animal. That being said, I did sincerely enjoy this discussion that was shown. There are several points where I think autocorrect got you, namely on the word illustration. It kept appearing as illumination. I'm a trained proofreader and copy editor, so I kinda have to notice those things. ^^;

...

And I stand corrected. Just checked the definition, and it turns out illumination does indeed refer to the decoration of ancient manuscripts as well. Huh. You learn something new every day.

I love the way you portrayed the dragon as a scholar, though, and incorporated it as a sacred beast that serves God and heaven. That was an excellent touch. Frankly, I think I'd love it if intelligent dragons really did exist. It would be nice to meet them and talk with them about the past and ancient scriptures, prophets, civilizations, etc. that have otherwise been lost to time. There would be so much information we could gain, so much understanding.

You clearly have a distinctive literary style, and one that fits nicely with the Chicago Manual of Style. While the scenery is a bit simple in its description, you don't really need to describe a cave too closely, especially given the fact the main focus of the discussion centered around the two characters' debate.

I was aware of the legend of the dragon and the Roman warrior, since I did some research into that legend as a part of that book I'm writing. I'm curious, was that actually a historically accurate piece of information about the author of the legend?

Glad you liked it. I do not know how literally you take the Bible, but if you believe it is 100% factual (within reason), then dragons are indeed the Seraphim, the highest of heavenly creatures, and the reason the popular conception of 'angels' are humans with wings (because of the description of the Seraphim having wings. The reason we know this is because when the Jewish scholars of Alexandria translated the Torah and other scriptures into the Lingua Franca of the Classical world, the Greek word that described them best was Drakon, which was never the word they used for a common snake, but a kind of reptile associated with the gods.(Zeus and Hera both like to transform into Dracones when they fought or had sex!) Also, when early Christians made a lexicon of Hebrew words in the Bible, the Seraphim were described as "Dragon shaped Angels". As you know " Tann" is the Hebrew word for dragons that are not the ones that surround the Lord. Thus, Leviathan is the Levi Dragon, and why this was the tribe where the Priests of Yahweh were drawn from as Yaw was a Canaanite sea dragon that fought with Baal, just as the conflict of Yahweh and Baal. The Brazen serpent-dragon idol ordered to be made by Yahweh, was worshipped in the Temple of Solomon during all the glory days of Israel when Yahweh protected them from enemies (blasting them with fire in some cases!). When King Hezekiah broke Yahweh's idol the Deity seemed to desert them in anger, for just a few years later the Babylonians conquered the Hebrews, destroyed the temple, deported them to Babylon, and unlike all of the other times, this time Yahweh didn't lift a talon. Several learned scholars have noted that Yahweh and Elohim were two distinctly different entities, and this parallels the beliefs of their Hebrew neighbors, the Canaanites, who regarded El as the Creator God and there were lesser 'tribal gods' Like Yaw/Yam/Yahweh of the Hebrews, ( dragon who created floods, much like the dragons of the Orient), and their God, Baal. Even the Bible states that Yahweh was on of the 72 Sons of El. And of course you are aware of Asherah worshipped as the Consort of Yahweh, just as Asherah was the Consort of Yam. He even tells Moses he is Yam, mistranslated as I AM. Even Jesus said the Jews of his time were no longer worshipping El, but the deity he referred to as the Murderer from the Beginning (The storm dragon that flooded the world). But yes, and no about the Roman and the Dragon. For centuries there was no dragon at all connected with the Roman soldier named St. George, and then it appears in a Medieval book about the Saints written by a Bishop, apparently to make it more exciting. Interesting enough, another Saint heals a ferocious dragon that was blinded an eye by a stake! St. Saint Augustine seems to have actually seen dragons, as in his writings there is a passage about how huge and magnificent they were, but warmed that people should not praise the dragons but instead praise the God that created them. Saint Thomas Aquinas said this passage referring to Satan, apparently one of the Seraphim dragons that rebelled. "This dragon which Thou has wrought, he who is more excellent that all the rest, became the greatest in malice". This probably referred to the other dragons in heaven (Seraphim) and the Heavenly dragon described in the Apocalypse of Baruch whose mission is to devour sinners (which becomes the Hell Dragon you see in Final Judgement artworks. Some of these show the devouring dragons around the throne of God just as the Seraphim are described. Of course, modern Christians 'tap dance' around the fact that both ancient Christians and Jews regarded dragons as the highest of heavenly creatures, obviously because of the connection of Satan as a dragon, but possibly too because many other Cultures have dragon like creatures in an eerily similar role as well, and they probably do not want to acknowledge that there may be some truth to these other beliefs as well. But anyway, I finally have more time to get my book on all of this finished, so will be sure to let you know when I do. So what about your book with dragons?

I have two in mind, actually. One will be a series focusing around an order that works hand in hand with dragons utilizing magic associated with their dragon partner's specific element.

The other one involves the association that Dragons and the Celts had, being on better terms and living more in harmony as a magical race that exists on Earth, but is separate from the fae, with their being a race that was made for this world, while the Tuatha de Dannan are technically a race from another world that adopted Earth for whatever reason. In this case, I intend the alliance to be one that is essentially between dragons and druids, those humans who have a deeper connection to nature and the earth, whether through a bloodline descent that can be traced back to the fae at some point or due to a covenant/contract entered into with the dragons that yet remain in hiding on Earth seeking to maintain balance in the world between humanity and the fae, and prevent war or massacre on both sides as the series unfolds.

The second project seems more interesting to me as it seems to take place in our own world in the land of the Celts. One of my books is about the Roman Army, which conquered most of the Celtic regions and many of them later became Roman soldiers. How prevalent authentic dragon lore amongst the ancient Celts is unknown as they left almost no records, though there are many stylized dragons in their art so there was obviously some connection. Because we know so little about them, it is easier to write fantasy about them than say the Romans. I seem to recall that in the original Latin account of St. Columba and the creature in the river Ness, it was called a Dracone. I always thought that made more sense than a Plesiosaur, as there were several accounts of people seeing it on land, even crossing the first newly built road around the Loch which led to so may sightings in the early 1930s.

Interesting. Now that is something I was unaware of for Nessie. It could prove a most intriguing plot point in my book. I intend to place it in the modern day, rather than in ancient times. I am curious, though. What is your opinion about the various species and types of dragons that have developed and evolved in Fantasy: black, poison, white, ice, fire, etc.?

Yes, if real at all, Nessie being a dragon would explain a lot of things. If scientists say there are not enough large fish in the loch, then the sightings of the creature with a deer in its jaws suggests it can feed on land, just as the witnesses who saw it crossing the road that circles the Loch. It would also explain reliable sighting of the creature in other lochs separated from Loch Ness. It would explain why the sonar scans might reveal no large creature in the loch, (when it is watching them on land from the dense forests that surround most of the Loch. In addition to deer, there are huge numbers of sheep in the region due to the wool industry. I do not care too much for all of the different species of dragons with all the different breath weapons, and the idea that metallic colored ones are all good and chromatic ones all bad, although it might all be possible in a completely different world than one like ours. Realistically though, having dragons that like humans as companions and would protect humans from dragons that like humans as a food source, is the only way something like humans could have survived in a world of huge, flying intelligent predators, which is why fantasy stories that do not take this into account are generally pretty dumb and created by writers who do not understand much about real life animals, and how vulnerable stone age humans would be if there were anything more dangerous in their world than cave bears and saber tooth cats.

Unless, of course, one were to take on the stance of them being creatures that obey the commands of God, much like you showed here in your story. In which case, should God choose to tell them not to, they would likely obey. If they chose not to obey, they would likely face retribution of some kind. However, you do make a fair point, all the same. For example, in Fairy Tale, the anime, the dragons had to teach humanity special magical arts that were designed specifically to combat and defeat dragons, and there was a cost to using those spells, in the fact that the caster would eventually become a dragon him or herself. So what you say does have merit with the idea of dragons protecting against dragons that might have more ill intent.

I may choose to break some of your cardinal rules when I bring the dragons into the story. I'm still not sure yet, but you have definitely given me some things to consider.

Yes, "heavenly dragons" that are unable to prey on innocent people, are practically the only ones that are plausible if dragons are indeed real. Otherwise they would likely have exterminated mankind long ago, and there are no real records of dragons destroying towns (maybe Sodom and Gomorrah), but many accounts of dragons sometimes preying on livestock. I recall in an old Medieval history of the British kings, that a dragon came out of the sea and ate one of the ancient Celtic kings. Perhaps this was some kind of divine retribution. The original version of the St. Margaret story had her swallowed alive by a dragon reported to be Satan himself, but when she made the sign of the cross, it was forced to vomit her up unharmed. I think it was the same Bishop who invented the St. George slaying the dragon story, that changed the Margaret story in the same book he wrote about the Saints to have the dragon's belly burst open to release here, presumably killing it. There is a bit of a parallel in the St. Columba and Nessie story, in which 'she' is about to devour someone in the water when Columba orders the beast to desist.

I am afraid I would have to dismiss Fairy Tale as just so much rubbish if we are to believe dragons would help humans kill other dragons with magic. First, I cannot imagine any dragon doing such a thing, and second, it is utterly ridiculous to imagine a tiny person able to wield the magical energy to even hurt a much larger and far more experienced magic user as a dragon. It is kind of like a the human being like a tiny electric eel trying to shock a whale, whereas the dragon would be like a full grown electric eel literally frying a minnow. And then having this cause the human to turn into a dragon is totally implausible. Even magic should make sense and in many stories dragons are rightly immune to magic wielded by mere humans. Of course you can have some human magician slay dragons with their proportionately miniscule powers, just like that idiotic Japanese cartoon and any number of equally asinine video games like Skyrim. When I see a title in a book store with a dragon on the cover, it usually only take about five minutes of skimming to confirm if it is just another stupid "dragonslayer story", and if it is I put it back on the shelf and go home with enough information to write a devastating review to put on Amazon. Who knows, maybe I will end up doing it to your book if it gets published! Of course if the dragon isn't on the cover, I would likely not even notice it, but usually a token dragon for the hero to slay is always on the cover of B Grade fantasy novels to entice stupid readers, just like the Bishop who had an otherwise boring story of Saint George the martyr, into the more exciting Saint George the Dragon Slayer.

Pretty sure the dragons won't be there on that cover. That being said, I disagree with you on the plausibility of humans being unable to call on enough power to defeat a dragon. Invocation is one of many potential avenues magically speaking that one can take against a dragon, and all things considered, there are a variety of lores and interpretations on dargons ad their anatomy. Not all of them are immune to magic or have magic-resistant scales. Heck, I even remember one movie I found that focused around a hypothetical dragon and how it could exist biologically in our world. Granted, in that case, there was no magic involved, and they explained it all with scientific and biological theories. So it wouldn't really fit under the fantasy genre, and would more be science fiction.

*Shrugs* And if you choose to give it a scathing review, should I depart from your opinions, I guess I'll live with it. That being said, I suppose the tuatha de danann could technically qualify as entities with enough power to potentially combat a dragon, or at least certain of their number may be powerful enough to do so and/or provide the means for another to. That being said, I would again have to follow your scholarly advice and focus on how those enchantments, equipment, etc. would be able to aid in that combat without allowing the dragon to totally thrash the individual. As you said, reach is a big factor in such battles.

I have a few possibilities in mind, so we'll have to see if I manage to meet your standards for it. Granted, I think I know how I can alter the tale of Sir George and the Dragon to work in favor of my universe's history.

Well, I probably wouldn't even know if it was you who wrote it.... I would review it like any other implausible dragon slayer story. Obviously your 'take' on magic is far different than mine and everyone has a right to their own opinion, and in most places also the right to critically review the books they read. Some people think magical powers are limitless and the wielders of it being virtual demigods. Certainly these kinds of stories, video games, (and Japanese cartoons) are very popular with adolescents with a "God Complex".

I believe I am familiar with the television show you spoke of. New discoveries, even since that program was made , are showing that something like a large flying dragon is biologically possible. For example the largest skull of any land animal known to science happens to belong to a pterosaur with a 40 foot wingspan. The skull is around 10 feet long, over two feet wide, and this flying reptile could likely swallow an adult human whole. But what the TV show didn't bring up was the fact that their frozen dragon, like the giant pterosaur could not have lived in the time of primitive man, or such a super predator could have easily brought mankind to the brink of extinction and kept humans in a perpetual hunter gatherer existence in which they could never advance further than the Neolithic Age. This is exactly why virtually every dragon slayer story is just so much rubbish. Dragons cannot be mere flying super predators of the natural world as they would have wiped out humans long before they could develop technologies to stop them, so there is only two ways it can work. The dragons are intelligent and allow the primitive humans to survive, either for their own reasons (like posing as their Gods so the humans would provide them with food and luxuries like perhaps Yahweh and other all over the world), or they are compelled not to wipe out the humans by some higher power, or perhaps a mixture of both. The only other option, is what Tolkien did, saying dragons were simply created by some supernatural being as a powerful bio weapon, but conveniently at a time when humans were already advanced enough in technology and "magic" to keep them in check. But even in all of the stupid dragonslayer stories that take place in those Medievalesque NeverNever Lands, most of the writers seem to ignore the fact that the intelligent dragons could make just as much use of every technological advance of the humans. Fore example, if their naturally armored skin were not enough, they could force humans to make them eye protection, and additional armor that could stop any weapon the humans had. Just one angry dragon could on a couple of moonlit night in the autumn, burn enough crops to create a famine, capable of killing hundreds of thousands of Medieval tech humans so dependent on agriculture. Just another reason to never make a dragon angry. This is also why The Hobbit was just a simple Children's fairy story as Tolkien admitted. The consequences of angering Smaug made the whole fool's errand to steal from him something that someone like Gandalf would have realized and never let it happen. Everyone knew a handful of dwarves couldn't do what a whole nation of dwarves failed to do when Smaug first took Erebor.

True, though as I recall, they weren't there to kill Smaug, just to reclaim the lost Dwarven treasure that was Oakenshield's birthright and would grant him legitimacy in his claim to the throne.

Though if I may point out, the whole point of Faerie lore is that the Tuatha de Danann are the descendants of foreign gods. That's one reason why Oberon and Titania are so well known, feared, and respected in faerie lore today. They are among the most powerful rulers of their Summer Court, and Mab (Or whichever other myriad of names she is known by) was also powerful enough in her own right to establish her independence as ruler of the unseelie. Though, I will concede Midsummer Night's Dream also had a large amount to do with Oberon and Titania's prominence today.

As such, it is plausible that they would have means of crafting weapons that could kill dragons, spells of protection, and a myriad of other possibilities. Then again, there is potential that the dragons were made by the God of this world specifically for the purpose of acting as a check to the Tuatha de Danann and as a means to act as ambassadors between humanity, fae, and the divine. Hmm ...

You've set the wheels in my head to turning, good sir/ma'am.

No, killing Smaug was not even imagined in the original story, but they all surely knew that stealing from the dragon would mean that terrible retribution would be wreaked on the closest humans and perhaps elves too, which is why the latter were not wild about the idea either! So Gandalf, Oakenshield and company rather callously sent the inhabitants of Lake Town to a fiery death for their thievery, and if not for a very lucky shot, Smaug may have likely continued destroying all of the other two legged races within his comfort zone.

If your planned story takes place in the modern world, there would be plenty of human military weapons that would give dragons a bad day. In fact it is interesting that about the time powerful hand held guns and cannons were invented that reports of dragons sharply diminished. But if the dragon are still here, and live hidden lives with occasional sightings of lake and sea monsters around the world but no attacks, I don't see them wanting to fight faeries either.

Agreed. The only way they might be able to evade the worst of human weaponry causing trouble would by if they had the aid of magical protection as well as their natural ones. Their wings and eyes would likely be the best weak points to target, and a good shot of shrapnel or buckshot could probably cause some serious damage. And then, of course, there's ballistic missiles and other more advance weaponry that could cause a great deal of harm. Granted, for one to use such weapons recklessly could lead to trouble and backlash from local communities and governments.

I was more referring to intelligent dragons in ancient and medieval times taking advantage of every human technology to become completely invulnerable. Because of their much larger size than humans they could easily wear armor twice as thick as anything the strongest human could wear and it would like nothing to them. It is just more fodder to prove every dragonslayer story is just so much nonsense written by people with not enough imagination to put themselves in the place of a mighty dragon with human level or better intelligence.

But if a live, intelligent, flying and fire spewing dragon were discovered in modern times it would hardly worry about ballistic missiles. Whatever country it appeared in would consider it a protected species and National Treasure. (Nessie, who may indeed be a dragon too, has already been declared a protected species that cannot be harmed in Scotland!) If it revealed it could talk it would also become an international celebrity overnight. Being a sapient being it could rightly appeal to be considered a citizen of that country. It might already be a billionaire with a horde of rare gold coins, jewels and artifacts, get its own television show, eventually get into politics, and become president or prime minister of their nation. As a cursory look at the scriptures will reveal, he could even claim to be the deity Yahweh, God of the 3 Abrahamic based religions, and clearly described in Bible as huge, winged, fire spewing and cattle devouring creature, and telling his own story could make a very convincing argument. And if it could also perform real magic, it would probably clinch the deal. It would change the world as we know it, which may be why, if they are the servants of an even greater being, be why they are compelled to remain in hiding, kind of like the implications of the dragon in this story.

If made public, perhaps, I'll grant you that. An intelligent and sapient dragon capable of human speech would be able to communicate its intentions quite clearly. Granted, how the dragon goes about that discovery would be key to whether or not it survives. If it's deemed a threat before it can even talk to humans and say it comes in peace, then it could face a great deal of trouble.

You do have a point about armor and other resources, though. Since I plan on including a partnership between humans and dragons here, protective armor would likely be an added bonus, and something this group could have made for the dragons, specifically to help protect them against attack and hunting.

I doubt any government today would be stupid enough "to shoot first and ask questions later", whien like I said before such a creature would be considered a national treasure, not to mention a talking dragon would have supernatural overtones of a creature that might possess powers and abilities they cannot even contemplate. Obviously an intelligent dragon would take the precautions to avoid any accident, like secretly contacting a news station for televised TV interviews etc.

Even in an ancient or medieval tech world, any intelligent dragon would be able to get a human blacksmith to make armor, weapons, etc. simply with the threat of eating their family, or paying them well. You never see this in mainstream fantasy though, probably because in most B fantasy the dragon is there simply for a hero to kill, and with every vulnerable spot well protected, the hero would be unable to kill it, not that it is likely any human could kill a far bigger, intelligent dragon with primitive weapons in the first place..