Eventually, the king heard about this boy who left each morning to frighten off the beast that was eating the king's knights, frightening his people, and burning his lands. He wondered what the young man was up to. He summoned the boy before the throne.

"Boy, what is it you think you are doing? Each morning you leave, claiming you are going to frighten that beast away, but each night he continues to terrorize our kingdom! I begin to suspect that you are aiding this foul beast."

"Nonsense!" replied the young man. "I am frightening him off!"

"That dragon has eaten my bravest, strongest, most-skilled-with-a sword, and smallest-but-still-pretty-good knights. Why is it that he has not eaten you?"

"Because, your highness, I know The Secret Weakness of Dragons. He cannot eat me."

"The Secret Weakness of Dragons? I have never heard of such a thing!"

"And that is why," replied the young man, "your greatest knights have been eaten."

"If this is true, boy, then the time has come for you to rid us of this beast! If he has not been driven from our lands by sundown tomorrow I will have you banished from this kingdom forever!"

"That is well Sire, but you must also agree that if I do drive this serpent from our kingdom, that in exactly one year and one day you will give to me your daughter's hand in marriage. You will also build for me a small but beautiful castle where my mother's house now stands."

The king laughed, loud. He was certain that there was no Secret Weakness of Dragons. He was so sure, in fact, that he agreed to the young man's bargain.

The boy then returned to his mother's house, asked her to make two pounds of biscuits, and got a good night's sleep. In the morning he set out upon the trail to meet with the dragon one last time.

After finishing the first pound of biscuits, the two full friends sat in silence for a long while. The young man was trying to figure out how he was going to end this trick that he had started, and was feeling sad because he was going to miss the old snake. Meanwhile, the dragon thought of nothing but how he would finally, once and for all, learn the nature of The Secret.

A long and uncomfortable silenced passed before the dragon finally asked, "How about a game of checkers?"

"Not now," said the boy. "But."

"Yes?" asked the dragon.

"I have. a question," said the boy, nervously.

"A question?" The dragon was confused, yet a bit curious.

"You know The Secret?" asked the boy.

"Which secret would that be?" Of course the dragon knew, but pretended not to.