King's Quest Omnipedia
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This article compares the differences between the Dragon's Lair in Daventry as it appears or referenced in various sources and games, and the King's Quest reboot series' universe.

Background[]

When the original King's Quest was first released there wasn't much of a backstory for the three treasures, or the locations they were hidden, including the Dragon's Lair. Originally the treasures were not owned by the kings of Daventry and then lost, but instead were just legendary treasures that the current king was hoping Graham could find to save the Kingdom. Initially there were no connections between the various overworld enemies and the treasures.

Secondly, the official Sierra Hintbook for KQ1 actually promoted the violent choice for defeating the dragon (stabbing the knife through the Dragon's heart), rather than focusing on the non-violent approach (but hinted that there was a non-violent approach for more points). The non-violent approach was treated as the secondary choice, and was described later in the "Did you try?" section at the end of the book. But in later sources the non-violent approach became the canonical and primary version of the events.

KQ1edward

The original prologue with limited backstory for the treasures and their hidden locations is reflected in the short quest description given by the king in the AGI games

What little backstory was described in the The King's Appeal (the original introduction for King's Quest released in the IBM version) is stated as such:

... "You need to find a... an enchanted mirror exists revealing the future to the beholder...
...I only know they are in the kingdom of Daventry and are guarded by dangerous characters.

The second prologue to King's Quest 1 (King's Quest by Roberta Williams) released in later versions gives a longer backstory to the loss of the of the magic mirror (tieing it to the The Sorcerer wandering through the kingdom. This is what it had to say about the lair:

King Edward and his wife gazed into the Mirror's depths and saw a young princely figure with a gold crown upon his head. Imagining the youth to be the son they yearned for, the royal couple gladly bestowed the Mirror upon the sorcerer. He took it to his dwelling, where he set one of his beasts to guard over it.

The novel for King's Quest 1 in the King's Quest Companion paraphrases the prologue by stating:

The only leads to the missing treasures the young knight had to go on were slim. One: the dwarf who had taken the magic Shield of Achille had been seen disappearing into a hole in the ground. Two: the shape-changing witch who had stolen the Chest of Gold escaped on her broomstick into the clouds that clunk to the peaks above Daventry, solid-seeming masses like now cornices, impossible outcroppings poised out from the mountains with no support. Three : the nameless sorcerer who absconded with Merlin's Mirror had said it would be kept in a safe place, guarded by a fearsome beast. There were no easy answers in this list, but that was all anyone knew about the mystery.[1]

There is a small reference in The Floating Castle as well (post KQ3):

To the right of the dais, set into a shallow niche, hung the mirror that was one of the irreplaceable treasures of Daventry, for it was a magic mirror, with the power to foresee the future and show events occurring in faraway places.
The mirror had served the kings and queens of Daventry for more than two centuries, Alexander knew--until that day, now many years past, when a wicked sorcerer had used his cunning to cheat old King Edward of it, with dire consequences for the realm. It had been Alexander's father who had finally recovered the mirror from the sorcerer's dark lair and returned it to Castle Daventry, where it had remained ever since, there on the wall beside the throne.[2]

The Dragon's Lair in the King's Quest Companion[]

Note: For full details see Quest for the Crown: From the Chronicles of Daventry, Part I

The novelization of KQ1 in The King's Quest companion is written by the unnamed Royal Scribe (as told to him by Graham). In it the three treasures are collected in the order of the Magic Mirror (from the Dragon's lair), then the Shield, and then the Magic Chest.

The entire story is based on events of the original King's Quest AGI, this includes the more active and constantly moving dragon in a larger sized cave. In the novelization it is described as constantly charging at Graham breathing fire and singing his hair (with Graham thinking of killing it with his dagger through its heart), but first distracting the dragon with the bucket.

Some artistic license is taken with the artwork in the third edition of the companion that shows a larger dragon in a smaller cave (somewhat like that of the remake), with the pool from the well bottom being very close to the Dragon (rather than at least one room away) that he is able to see the dragon in the image before he even gets out of the pool (in the story he doesn't see it, until he crawls through a tunnel into the dry cave). But the image, the dragon is drawn as a wingless wyrm with several horns on its head.

The King's Quest VII: Authorized Players Guide a companion to the Companion made the brief reference to the Dragon's Lair sequence in The Stories So Far (following the order the treasures were collected in the Companion):

Suitably motivated, Graham tromped off, defeated a fire-breathing dragon to retrieve the Magic Mirror...

Below are the relevant passages from the KQ1 novel in the Companion:

On the road south, the piece of gingerbread house he was munching tasted even better than the one the day before. The morning had to be as sunny as Graham's mood, and he passed without encounter or incident through the territory formerly hunted by the wicked witch. About an hour later he came across an ancient well and stopped, thinking to cut his thirst with some water. Graham lowered the old bucket there into the depths of the well, but it reached the end of its rope without touching water. Drought had taken its toll here. Looking down, though, he could see a reflective glint indicating water down there.
Thirst gave the knight an idea. Raising the oak bucket back up, he cut the rope and took the bucket. Lowering the rope again, Graham intended to climb down the well, fill the bucket, and climb back up. He was confident in his agility, having scampered up and down ropes for years as part of his martial training. He was always considered the best climber in the army. Carefully, he climbed onto the rope and shimmied down. As he reached the bottom, the best climber in the army's hand slipped.
It was a short drop to the water, and when Graham recovered himself, he found he could reach up and touch the end of the rope with his hand. Knowing he could get back the way he came, Graham dove back under the water, as much for sport as for curiosity. One bit of father's advice had been search over, under, around, and through everything. Diving to the bottom he saw the usual assortment of old bottles and trash, but in one wall there appeared to be an entrance to a cave or grotto. Swimming into the opening he immediately popped out of the water, and was able to crawl into a dry cave.
King Edward the Benevolent had spent a score of years trying to recover the mirror that foretold the future. Countless people had searched, both in Daventry and elsewhere. And there it was, not more than a score of steps in front of Graham. One of the objects of his quest, one of the salvations of the kingdom, was in plain sight. All Graham had to do was get rid of a little problem.
The problem took the shape of a 12-foot long, iridescent, green-scaled, fire-breathing dragon. The flames that blazed from its jaws had scorched deep the virgin rock. From across the cave, the heat of the sulphurous flames singed Graham's hair. The dragon made half-rushes back and forth at him, taking its dragon time before making a killer charge.
Graham tested the balance of his dagger, knowing he had only one chance to strike the dragon in its heart. He knew he could retreat safely back into the well, but his duty was clear; he must rescue the mirror from the beast.
First, though, he had to distract the dragon to give himself more time to aim and a clearer target. The oak bucket was still with him, now mostly filled with well water. Graham reasoned that, instead of extinguishing his own thirst, that water was going to extinguish the dragon's flame. It was the distraction he needed.
Hefting the bucket, Graham advanced as close to the dragon as he dared, a mistake would turn the knight into a crispy critter. Just as the dragon exhaled, he flung the water splat into its snout.
As a distraction it may have worked, but Graham would never know for sure. The liquid hit the dragon's flame full-on and put it out. The green-scaled monstrosity just stopped and sputtered, steam and ubbles gurgling from his nostrils.
It was the expression on the dragon's face that held the dagger in Graham's hand. He speaks to wonder when he says that he never knew a dragon could blush and show embarrassment. It could only have been that; dropping its head and tucking its tail, the beast pushed a boulder aside and pussyfooted out of the cave. Sir Graham was left behind, alone.
Graham spent many minutes just touching and looking at Merlin's Mirror,. It's surface still shone, and the luster of the carved mahogany frame still glowed. Picking it up, Graham looked deep into the glass that told the future. His own face looked back, and on his head was a crown! "I hope this mirror doesn't make mistakes'", he prayed. He put the mirror into his pack and followed the dragon's route to see if it would lead to open sky. It did.
It was a jubilant and confident Sir Graham of Daventry who walked out of the underworld as if reborn. He didn't recognize the cave he emerged from, and he paused to get his bearings. Above him, condors were soaring, sweeping steeply up and down, seemingly weightless. One unusually large condor made a few low passes at Graham in what seemed a friendly manner, as if inviting him to climb aboard and fly too.
A short distance to the west was another of the many lakes that dot Daventry. Tall cattails grew on its banks and trembled in the slight breeze. The lake was inviting to Graham, and after the singes and sulphur fumes of the dragon's cave, it was an invitation he could not refuse...


The An Encyclopedia of Daventry in the first and second edition states:

Merlin's Mirror: One of the three great treasures of Daventry, along with the Shield of Achille and the Chest of Gold. The mirror has the power to foretell the future. Edward and the rulers before him used it mostly for weather and crop forecasting, but Edward and Maylie did use it at least once to look upon the image of Daventry's next king. The mirror was stolen from Edward and Maylie by a sorcerer, and the thief hid it in a cave guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. Graham was able to reach the dragon by climbing down a well and dousing the dragon's flame...[3]

In the King's Quest Companion, the novelization consists of an interview between Derek Karlavaegen and Alexander-Gwydion (see To Heir is Human: From the Chronicles of Daventry, Part III (aka Prince Alexander's Own Story! Exclusive Interview)). The book as a whole leaves the possible shifting of landmarks either to magical flux or the shifting caused by the earthquakes.

Here are the relevant section describing the ancient well (and nearby geography at the time of KQ3):

Obviously I was shocked and depressed. I had expected a beautiful country, a land of cool woods and blue lakes. Instead I was overwhelmed by the devastation and destruction all around me.
Cracks had been torn in the earth, boulders were strewn all around as if quakes had pulled them down from the mountain. A large, black cave was at the mountain's base with what appeared to be the remnants of door hinges still hanging from the raw rock. I could see stone stairs leading up into the cave's interior, and I wondered where they led.
To the west the country looked as if it had once been beautiful. Now the landscape was dotted with blasted trees and charred vegetation. A well stood amid this sad scene, filled with rocks. I followed a stone wall north, passing through more scenes of what I now assumed to be signs of a dragon's wrath. Topping a short rise, my heart soared when I saw the spires of a grand castle in the distance. I knew this must be the home of my true parents, and I moved toward it as fast as I could.

In the An Encyclopedia of Daventry section it describes the well further:

Not far from Castle Daventry stands an old, covered well. Derek says it is in use again, restored by King Graham after having been nearly destroyed by the dragon. It is said that the sweetest water in the land can be drawn from the well, and that folks have been doing so since the first time any being withdrew from the Other World--our world. Graham climbed down the rope into it then swam into a cave concealed beneath the water. There he recovered the mirror of Merlin that was guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, although it was not the same one that later ravaged the land.[4]

KQ1-3 AGI The Dragon's Lair and its Dragon in the Original Trilogy[]

The Ancient Well, the Dragon's Lair, and the Dragon is a series of events and encounters that were first introduced in the original King's Quest Classic. The location and inclusion of the Sorcerer in its backstory, would later be added in the second prologue released with later versions of the game (see King's Quest by Roberta Williams).

Elements of the subject, and related backstory including the Dragon, the Sorcerer/Enchanter, and Ancient Well appear in the two following games (King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones and King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human).

KQ2 and KQ3 do not directly concern the Dragon's Lair (unless you count a new Dragon's Lair in the Land of the Clouds) but they are included in this discussion as KQ2 portrays the return of the Dragon (from KQ1AGI) at Graham's wedding, and KQ3 portrays the Ancient Well as seen in the original KQ1, now filled in with rocks (seemingly having shifted location to near the Door into Mountain and the Dangerous River bend, each are other landmarks in Daventry that were several screens away in the original game). Near the well is a wall, and to the south of it is the Great Tear a chasm created by one of the earthquakes that hit Daventry around the time the Three-headed Dragon showed up in Daventry.

These fit here as they exist in the same visual continuity of the original AGI games using either the same sprites or modified versions of the KQ1 artwork.

An interesting side detail is that The Official Book of King's Quest suggests that these rocks and boulders may have been from remains of the Town of Daventry, and that nearby Door into the Mountain (yes this other landmark is a completely different location than it did in KQ1 for whatever odd reason) is also littered with the remains of the village.

KQ1 SCI remake defeating the Dragon in its lair[]

There are quite a few differences in the remake most concerning puzzle changes, and some narrative changes, and changes to the order the treasures are collected: The mirror or the chest can be picked up first, and the shield is the last treasure. However, the overall order of events within the Dragon's Lair remains the same (and the game came the same manual with the second version of the introduction).

Graham can cut the bucket from the rope as he did in the original at the top of the well, or he can do it at the bottom (in the original the narrator said it was too dangerous to cut while Graham was sitting in the bucket). The The Official Book of King's Quest VI went with the idea that Graham lowered himself in the bucket, and then cut the bucket while he was in the well (as implied by the related artwork, see below).

In the original Graham fills the bucket while still in the bottom of the moat, in the remake he fills it in a little pool in a small cave room that exits from the well bottom.

The dragon is less active in the remake, instead starting asleep, and waking up, and raising its head as Graham gets closer. It's ready to kill him if he gets too close, but makes very little movements, and only blasts Graham if he walks too close to the dragon. If graham chooses to kill the dragon he goes for its throat rather than its heart this version. There are some additional descriptions for the dead body including discussion of Dragon Tongue. As well as some changes to how the dragon escapes (and its embarrasement), and the descriptions of the steam which it now uses to hide its escape.

KQ1 SMS finding the Dragon's Lair[]

King's Quest for the SMS is based largely on the events from the Original KQ1 AGI, although most of the script has been modified (or rather simplified) and there is even less descriptions due to the fact that there are limited actions that can be taken with the games particular user interface ('verb action' menus). The Sega hint walkthrough has the order of collecting treasures as Shield, Chest, and then Mirror.[5] The game included the same prologue story as the second published version of the King's Quest manual (and the boxart showed images of the three thieves stealing the treasures).

Graham must get the bucket at the top of the well, and then lower the rope. There is no way to jump into the bucket and ride it down to the bottom.

The well itself is shortened to just one screen, rather than two. With both the rope hanging and the well bottom on the same screen. The rope itself seems to be too high to climb back out of the well ('climb' option appears to not function, and there is no option for choosing 'rope', so no way to 'climb rope' as in the original game).

The cave is specifically described as the dragon's lair (for trivia sake the term Dragon's Lair is usually something that only appears on the grid maps in the hintbooks and strategy guides), and the exit cave is described as the giant cavern.

The dragon more or less acts in a similar way to its AGI counterpart, although it tends to stay in one place in the cave, and makes one step forward and one step back over and over (always facing Graham), rather than charging back and forth. Its animation shows it breathing fire from time to time.

To kill the dragon you have to walk up and literally touch the dragon (the fire doesn't seem to hurt Graham), and then throw the dagger, and piercing the dragon in the heart. Otherwise Graham misses whenever he tries to throw the dagger. If Graham attempts to walk past the dragon he will be killed, no matter where he is on the screen. But simply walking up to the dragon appears to be safe. But as mentioned its not easy to exit from the well (is this a dead end?).

After Graham scares the dragon away, it just shows the dragon and the boulder vanishing with no animation.

Adventures of Graham: Forest Well, Manny & Hornswaggle[]

Chapter 1 re-imagines and reinterprets Graham's acquisition of the magic mirror from the dragon in the well from the first King's Quest. The new King's Quest is essentially a reboot following its own version of King's Quest history and lore. It does not exist in the same universe as the original canon.

The Forest Well is located roughly just outside the town of Daventry (a market town, not necessarily the main city of Daventry) with the Spooky Woods that lie near the back gate of the town. It is a well known landmark, and everyone knows that there is a Dragon living under it. In fact, its not uncommon that Knights go on training missions there to try to improve their standing in the Royal Guard. But most never return (by a decade later the cave will be littered with their bones and the bones of other unfortunate adventures).

Those details are not clear at the beginning of the game, however. The game begins with Graham walking down a brambly dark forest path (in what looks like the Fall) and toward a well in the woods. He walks up to the well, looks down it. Then lowers the rope with a hand crank near the side of the well. He then climbs down the rope into the well. He does not pick up the bucket in this version of the story.

On the way down Old Graham narrates; "I had not been back there in years, but it was the last place to look."

This last comment explains in this rendition the Magic Mirror was the last and only treasure King Graham collected, and that he had looked everywhere else for the Mirror, see Magic Mirror (KQGS). In the King's Quest Companion the magic mirror was the first treasure he recovered.

Additionally, it points to the fact that Graham would have been in the cave several years before.

At the bottom of the well, Graham does not take a swim instead lands on a mostly empty well bottom filled with coins. Graham narrates these were not the wishes, he was looking for, suggesting these were wishing well coins. The exit to the well is blocked by a matress. It falls over, revealing a little door with a bell, that rings as he enters into another cave passage. This already is very different than the well sequence in the previous games.

Upon entering a little into the next passage, Graham states it wasn't exactly as I remember it, but it wasn't all that different either. This appears to have a double meaning, the first being a nod to the fact that the designers too a different take on the Dragon's well sequence than in previous games, but also that its a nod and forshadowing to Graham's journey to the well in an earlier period of time. As he walks further in, the passage opens up into a large cave overlooking a a series underground waterfalls. He continues around the side of the room on the cliffs above, until he enteres a passage with two odd contraptions guarding the treasure. One side had a matress and bed, and the crank. The left one will kill graham by swinging a bed and smashing him against a wall, Graham mentions that is what the left would have done, but since he's still alive, he only pulled the right one, which lowered a bed which blocked up another passage.

Graham enters into a chamber filled with buckets, barrels, butter churns, and beds jammed into every nook, and cranny of the cave, and that it all seemed familiar. Again forshadowing of the fact he had been there before. At this point it should be noted that according to lore of the original series and King's Quest Companion its unlikely that Graham ever been to the Dragon's Lair previously, and that there were only rumors of the lair's existence in the story told by Edwards Royal Scribe, and a few clues to where the Sorcerer would have hid it. But since everything is different about this sequence, its been completely reimagined. The room shakes and quakes, and a bed swings back and forth along with a breathing sound. Next to the swinging bed, was another bed, Graham can hop into but he says, it was no time to hide or take a nap in. Then claiming he actually did take a brief rest there. This earns a trophy Napping on the Job.

Entering into the next passage he is a room with swinging beds on the ceiling, Gwendolyn interjects that she doesn't remember this part of the story (this is also likely a injoke on the fact that the intro is deviating from the original version of the tale as seen in previous versions of KQ1). Graham mentions that all details will make sense later on, once he gets back to them, and that he thought he knew the source of the defeaning wind (forshadowing a previous encounter with the dragon).

This leads into another large cave with a swinging bridge made out of beds tied together over a great pit. As Graham crosses it, the pit brightens as the magic mirror below brightens revealing a slumbering dragon. THe slumbering dragon at least seems to be in part a nod to the KQ1 SCI remake's interpretation of the event. Gwendoly tells the next part of the story; Recalling that Edward had sent Graham on a quest, as he was the "greatest knight in all of Daventry". on a quest to return his stolen mirror. It was guarded by a gigantic, hulking beast of a dragon., and it was the last thing in his way, to add a shinier hat to his collection (again stating it was the last treasure he had to collect to complete his Quest for the Crown).

Graham enters the next cavern which has a rope he climbs up to get to another chamber, which curves around off to one side is another crank with a missing lever. Someone had tampered with it so a bridge couldn't be lowered. Traveling further around, the passage took him to a another passageway with more beds. At the end of the chamber was a makeshift bedroom with a chair, lamps, another bed, and some shelves filled with books with foreboding titles (How to Tame a Dragon, Breaking the Spirit of Hideous Beasts, Amateur Spells to Impress Your Friends With). Graham jumps in the bed, and states he was guilty of taking a second nap, and snores. In the center of the room was a rod in a jar with a rope tied to it going up to a large bell. A booby trap to wake the dragon. Graham grabbed the lever ("A wooden handle", the first inventory item in the game), setting off the trap. Then was forced to hide in the bed to hide from the wakened dragon (or tell of another false demise). The dragon was half blind, and didn't notice him. This is followed by a foreshadowing that he was probably shot in the past by skilled archers. It can be seen he was shot in one eye.

Returning to the wench, Graham used the handle to fix the broken switch and lower the bridge. Graham comes to another cliff to find the dragon climbing the walls trying to reach an exit where the sun was shining down into the cave. The dragon was connected to a gigantic chain attached to his neck, connected to a switch on the cave wall. The cave was filled with failed adventurers (more foreshadowing). Graham snuck around a cliff, and the dragon failing to get escape went back down into the cave and back to sleep. Graham found a ladder leading down, in a passage with a spiky bed (another false death oppertunity) moving back and forth with the dragon's breathing on a pool of water, with a dead knight in it, and a passageway filled with the bones of dead adventurers. At the end of the chamber it opened up into the the room where the dragon slept. Slipping past the spiky bed boat, he steps on a pile of bones waking the dragon (this opens up yet another death possiblity, to which Gwendolyn, replies "does this mean our family is immortal", another injoke to the series many deaths). Graham hides in another bed as the dragon looks down the tunnel. The dragon goes back to sleep, and Graham has to move through a maze between piles of bones (this appears to be similar to death mazes ("arcade sequenes") in previous KQ games such as the thorn maze in KQ2, the vine maze in KQ1, or the mountain top climb in KQ3) that require a bit of dexterity to get past. As he is passing the last pile, a bed collapses from the ceiling causing a loud noise, waking the dragon again. The bed is convenient to hide in again. Walking up to the dragon leads to another death oppertunity, and the trophy, In the Mouth of Danger. Graham instead find a side passage leading to a ladder. It led to another trap bridge, this time with an unreachable switch. Graham takes a bow from a dead knight, and shoots the switch, lowing a bridge made out of more beds. On the other side was a platform overlooking the dragon. A switch on the platform brought food to the the dragon, and the rope to ring a bell call the dragon for chow time. Plus a huge stack of meat to be lowered into the room below. The feeding contraption was used to keep the beast, and probably its owner alive.

Graham uses the meat pully system to reach the bottom of the cave, there is a death oppertunity if he places the meat in the wrong position. Using the system to destract the dragon to one side of the cave, he is able to grab the mirror. He briefly sees himself as king in the Mirror before the dragon spots him and he has to make a mad dash out of the cave, using the pully and shooting an arrow, he makes it back to the platform, and is chased across the bridge. This is mix of a dexterity maze/tile puzzle as he can fall into collapsing sections of the bridge. Before he can get fully across the last section of the bridge collapses, and he and hte matress he is on lands in the river below. Graham shoots out beds hanging form the ceiling blocking his path, while surfing on the bed. This plays out as a short action sequence in first person, with another death scene if he runs into the spiky beds. This is followed by quicktime events, having to dodge the dragon and other obsticles as he floats down the river. Shooting out a few more beds, jumping over the dragon's tail, shooting more beds, one that falls onto the dragon's head. Then landing in a shallow pool above a waterfall. The dragon climbs up behind him, while he is in a daze, and tries to eat him, but is stopped by the chain around its neck. Graham flees down a passageway, as the dragon pulls at its chains causing parts of the cave to collapse, and another arcade like sequece. MOre death oppertunities. He has to watch for beds falling from above, dodging between them. He reaches the room overlooking the waterfalls. Graham mentions with the mirror safely in his possession, he dreamed of the Daventry he would be rewarded with, and the kingdom it could become (again a nod to this being the last treasure he had to find in this interpretation of the story).

Graham makes it back to the well room, through the small door. In the split second he reached the room, the little bell on the door jingled, the dragon crashes throught he wall. Graham is given the oppertunity of three choices shoot the dragon in the eye for bravery, distract the dragon with the food bell from wisdom, or free it out of compassion. All three choices would lead him to a path of safety, but all would have rippling consequences.

Choosing to free the dragon, the dragon looks at him with understanding, and then walks off into the cave. Graham explains that over the years, from the first time he saw the dragon (more foreshadowing), he came to realize it wasn't the despicable beast had been made out to be. he was just a caged animal. That he was never shown any kindness, and on that day he forgave the dragon for its atrocious past. On that day he made a friend.

Choosing to shoot the eye of the dragon, the dragon falls back into the cave. Graham showed a tinge of sadness and guilt for what he had been forced to do. Graham had learned to shoot from a good mentor, and practice. It hadn't been the first time he went eye to with the hideous beast. The shot had simply been in self defense, the arrow had been a bit vengeful, unfortunetely.

The third choice is to shoot the dinner bell to distract the Dragon and draw its attention away. Over the years Graham had realized the dragon was not a despicable hideous beast, Daventry had made him out to be. He was a caged beast, and very hungry. He was very angry, that he could only get food when someone actually rang the bell. It was a sneaky trick, but Graham didn't want to set the dragon loose on the town, or let it participate in anymore abuse.

Graham then climbs the rope, and exits through the Forest Well (exiting the well was actually the alternative solution that gave lesser points in the original game, the full points option as mentioned preivously had Graham leaving the cave via the main cave exit after the Dragon moved the stone blocking the passage). The sequence pans out from the mirror showing Graham and Gwendolyn young Graham climbing the rope out of the well. Graham states with the last of the strength he climbed out of the well, and headed back to the castle (again confirming this was the last of the three treasures he had to collect). On a side note the other two treasures can be seen on the wall near the mirror, the shield hanging next to the mirror, and the chest sitting on the ground below them. The crown rests on a pedestal near all three. This scene can be seen on the title screen as well.

Ever since the Magic Mirror's return, it has warned the kingdom of danger, kept his family safe, and exposed many troublesome crumbs tangled in his beard. King Edward was so proud, that he returned his lost treasure, that he made him king.

Graham lowers the rope, and climbs into the well. Graham sneaks through a series of tunnels in a vast underground cavern, the snores of the dragon thundering from within. Mattresses litter the environment along the way, and even hang from the ceilings by rope. In the present Gwendolyn interrupts, "Wait a minute! Beds hanging from stalactites?" Graham assures her that all will be explained (later in the first episode, a younger Graham will be shown enter the well, and will show the origin of several things - stray arrows, forgotten skeletons - that seemed too conspicuous the first time through).

Graham encounters a few switches that need to be turned and platforms that need to be lowered. When Graham walks by a bed, and attempts to jump in. Via narration, old Graham explains that this is an urgent situation, and no time to hide under the covers. However, if he continues to jump in the bed, old Graham admits that he did take a brief nap on an abandoned bed in the depths of the cave.

At one point Graham chooses between two switches to open a door - with a skeleton lying nearby. The answer is obvious. But if Graham decides to describe his grisly demise, Old Graham explains the situation, "That's what would have happened if I did that," and silences Gwendolyn's protests with excuses, "I just wanted to see if you were paying attention."

At the end of his journey through the well caverns, he comes face-to-face with the massive dragon guarding the magic mirror. Simply dumping a bucket of water on the east won't do the trick this time.

Graham can make the choice to walk directly up to the dragon, waking him up. The dragon devours Graham in a single bite (rather than roasting him as in the earlier games).

This time, Gwendolyn interrupts: "You marched right into a ferocious dragon's mouth?!"

"I was just checking to see if you were awake," Graham replies.[6]

Graham distracts the dragon, it looks like there is meat that can be used to distract the dragon while its awake near the mirror (though perhaps the bucket can still be used in some way).

He takes the mirror, and makes for the exit.

In Chapter 3 a return to the cave reveals that Manny is the amateur spellcaster and the one living in the Well Bedroom of the cave. He is the one who stole the Magic Mirror (with Goblins help), and also guardian of the Dragon (with Hagatha's contraption to keep the Dragon Hornswaggle fed).With the help of Hagatha's Cosmolotion potion Manny is able to change his form to become Manannan.

By Chapter 4 if it wasn't clear in earlier chapters its confirmed that the Dragon's Lair/Bed Caves, etc are an extension to the Goblin Kingdom accessible via the Goblin Holes. The Goblin Holes near the Birch Run actually are located above Manannan's bedroom.

Thus essentially replaces the role of the Sorcerer from original series canon, and also changes the backstory for KQ3.

Behind the scenes[]

The King's Quest Reboot shows many examples of mattresses many down in a dark cave the  [[Dragon's Lair]]. They are resting on the ground, or being used in traps which cause a bed to slam down on intruders via chains. Graham is also shown to use one to escape down a river, surfing on the floating mattress.  However, in fairy tales one particularly famous story is the Princess and the Pea, which had a princess who slept on dozens of mattresses, and could still feel a pea placed under the very bottom mattress (this reference is confirmed in Chapter 2).

Unfortunately the dragon plot never made it into the final game.

Graham mentions during the prologue of CHapter 1, that 'all details will be revealed' this is mostly an allusion to the revelation of the stolen beds in the chapter's main story, rather than the series as a whole. As the whole bed issue is really never touched upon after Chapter 2. In Chapter 1 the goblins can be seen stealing all sorts of things around the kingdom including Amaya's bed. This was supposed to be the basic explanation for all the junk seen in the Dragon's cave. Chapter 2 goes further to show that they have moved beyond just stealing stuff from Daventry and surrounding lands to also kidnapping its people.

This also is used to explain that goblins most likely built most of the traps in the Dragon's cave (as they utilize much of the same technology in the main Goblin Kingdom as well). Chapter 4 even confirms that the Goblin Holes to the kingdom lie right over Manannan's room, and that the lair is an extension to the Goblin's kingdom.

The traps were largely successful as by the time Graham returned to the lair years after the death of Achaka, hundreds of 'adventurers/soldiers/knights' had been killed in their attempt to defeat the dragon and had been incorporated into the trap system.

References[]

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