very nicely done and enjoyed with my morning coffee...

V.

*sings* A good cup of coffee, and I'll have a good day....

Guess someone forgot his daily dose of a certain magical elixir.

I find the occasional tragedy quite refreshing (writing and reading). It adds an extra layer of realism and makes for great plot twists. It just sucks for the characters unlucky enough to get caught in that particular story.

Ah, I enjoyed the ending so much. I have to say, the knight's arrogance kinda annoyed me. So sure of himself, sending his horse away, using armor especially designed for task he had not secured yet... His naivety kinda saved him, so my annoyance did not grow into hatred. So, well done if "arrogant buffoon" was how you wanted the knight to come through. But yeah, I laughed when the dragon ate him.

Awesome little piece, I have to say, I enjoyed reading it very much. I think a writer has succeeded if they manage to get an emotional response out of the reader. You have succeeded, at least with me. Excellent work.

Yah, I didn't like Cedric either. The story may have been tragic from his point of view, but it didn't bother me in the least. The closest I got to remorse was pittying his naivety, like you said. His background was something like a nobleman who became a knight for the status it gave him. His political and economic clout allowed him to bypass most of the hard lessons that normal people learn growing up. And thus he ended up as an elitist with a sense of entitlement and an over-inflated opinion of himself who got eaten because he didn't actually understand how the real world worked.