It's not always the quest for the cup. Sometimes, it's the quest for what's in the cup.

Lance wants nothing more than to be there to fight the dragons for his beloved Princess Alexandra. With his faithful steed by his side, Lance sets out for the magic elixir found only in the Holy Grail. With its strengthening power, facing off an old hag, the bewitching woods, and the strange ogre who lives under a bridge should be easy.

But when it comes to Alexandra's dragons, things aren't quite what they all seem to be.

Will Lance's gift be enough -- or will his princess require something even more powerful to sustain her?

Pull up a cup of your favorite "elixir" and enjoy this sweet and snarky satire story from C. S. Johnson, where the dragons are real, even if they aren't.

FROM THE STORY:

Every knight has a quest, and every quest has its reward.

As a knight-errant, albeit one still in training, with only a year of service behind him, Lance took his duty seriously. But waking up was also a serious business, and that was why, despite the midmorning light flickering over his face, Lance was still half asleep. His faithful steed stepped up to help him, breathing smelly fumes into his face.

"Blah!" Lance sputtered, trying to clear his tongue of the frothy waft. "What have you been eating, Percy?"

His pet's pungent wake-up call forced Lance to roll over. When the heat of Percy's breath continued to eat into the shield of his pending sleep, Lance finally gave in to his beast's rude awakening.

"Alright, I'm getting up. Back from me, you fearsome brute."

The horse was far from intimidated by Lance's waking grogginess; instead, he moved closer to his master, nuzzling him with his wet nose.

"You're lucky you're the runt of your family," Lance grumbled, sitting up.