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Lachmi is a Rainbow. She is six and a half years old.
She has shiny hair, a cheeky smile and three freckles on the end of her nose.
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Lachmi loves learning about the world and trying out new things at Rainbows. Last week Lachmi and her friends visited a castle. And this week she found out what life was like hundreds of years ago.
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While her Leader was showing the Rainbows an old sword, Lachmi heard something strange. A roaring sound came from the store cupboard where the
Rainbows kept their pens, papers, balls and other things. Lachmi decided to go into the cupboard to find out more.
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The store cupboard was very large inside. Lachmi could see a field, trees and the sky. In the middle of the field were a big green dragon and a knight. The knight and the dragon were having a fight.
Lachmi decided to help the knight fight the dragon.
But before she got there, the dragon hit the knight with his tail and sent him flying through the air.
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The knight landed on the ground with a bump as the dragon flapped his wings and flew away. Lachmi hurried over to the knight to see if he was OK. ‘Mr knight, Mr knight, are you alrig ht?’ our little Rainbow asked. ‘Ow!’ replied the knight trying to stand up. ‘No,
I’m not. I think I’ve twisted my ankle.’
The poor knight sat down again. ‘Oh, whatever am I going to do?’ asked the knight with his head in his hands. ‘You should go to the doctor if you’re hurt,’
Lachmi replied. The knight cried, ‘But you don’t understand.’
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The knight told Lachmi that he was supposed to be fighting in a jousting contest later that day. ‘What’s jousting?’ Lachmi asked. ‘Well,’ the knight explained,
‘it’s when two knights ride on horseback towards each other. Each knight carries a long stick called a lance.
He tries to knock the other knight off his horse.’
‘It all sounds a bit silly to me,’ said Lachmi. ‘It isn’t silly at all,’ replied the knight in a sulk, ‘And the contest today is very important. Whoever wins will get to marry the beautiful Princess Milly.’ Lachmi looked at the knight - his eyes were dreamy. ‘He must be very in love with the princess,’ she thought. Our little
Rainbow decided to try to help him.
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‘I know what to do,’ cried Lachmi after a few minutes thought. ‘You can marry Princess Milly! Just lend me your armour and your horse.’ Of course, the knight agreed at once. Before long, Lachmi was dressed in the armour and looked just like a knight herself.
Lachmi climbed onto the horse, which was quite difficult because the armour was very heavy. Then the knight passed her his lance and a shield that had a picture of a sheep on it. ‘By the way, what’s your name?’ asked Lachmi as she rode off to the contest.
‘Sir Lamb Chops,’ the knight replied. Lachmi tried very hard not to laugh as she rode away.
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As Lachmi arrived at Candyfloss Castle, the place of the contest, she saw that a big crowd was there. She jumped off her horse a nd quickly put Sir Lamb Chops’ helmet on so that no-one could see her face. In front of the crowd was a platform on which stood a king, a queen and a beautiful princess.
When the king started to speak, the crowd became very quiet. ‘Whoever shall win this contest will marry my lovely daughter Milly,’ said the king. ‘Who is prepared to fight?’ he asked. ‘I, Sir Sizzling Sausages,’ cried out a knight who carried a shield showing a picture of a pig. ‘And I, Sir
Lamb Chops,’ shouted Lachmi in a deep voice.
‘Huh, he’s very small for a knight,’ Sir Sizzling Sausages told the crowd pointing at Lachmi. ‘I’ll beat him no problem at all.’ Then he laughed out loud and, do you know, he sounded just like a snorting pig. ‘I’ll show him,’ thought our brave little Rainbow friend.
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As Lachmi and Sir Sizzling Sausages got ready for the contest, Lachmi felt a bit scared. They picked up their lances, climbed on their horses and rode to opposite sides of a nearby field. The knights faced each other and waited for the king to show them when to start.
Suddenly the king waved his flag. Lachmi and Sir
Sizzling Sausages quickly rode their horses towards each other with their lances pointing forwards. Then, when Sir Sizzling Sausages was close to Lachmi, she shouted, ‘Watch out! There’s a dragon!’ At just the right moment, Sir Sizzling Sausages looked around.
Our clever little Rainbow managed to knock him off his horse, right into a muddy puddle on the ground.
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‘Sir Lamb Chops will marry Princess Milly,’ declared the kin g after the contest. ‘Hurray for Chops!’ shouted the crowd. ‘Come and kiss me my handsome knight,’ added the princess who was sticking her lips out like
Lachmi’s nan did.
But before anyone could find out who was wearing Sir
Lamb Chops’ armour, Lachmi quickly rode away to where she’d left Sir Lamb Chops earlier that day.
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When Lachmi explained to Sir Lamb Chops how she’d won the jousting competition, the knight was very pleased. ‘Now all you need to do is go to the king, tell him who you are and show him your shield. Then you’ll be able to marry Princess Milly,’ she explained.
‘Oh Lachmi! However can I thank you?’ replied the soppy knight with tears in his eyes. ‘Would you like to come to my wedding and be my bridesmaid?’ he asked.
‘Sorry,’ Lachmi replied, ‘but I have to get back to
Rainbows now. I don’t want to be late for my tea.’
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When Lachmi returned to Rainbows through the store cupboard door, the other girls were still looking at the old sword.
‘Ah Lachmi, there you are!’ her Leader exclaimed with a smile. ‘But where has that shield come from?’ ‘Well,’
Lachmi replied, ‘I heard a roaring sound coming from that cupboard, followed it and saw a knight having a fight with a dragon. The knight got hurt. He was supposed to be fighting in a jousting contest later that day so…’
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Lachmi’s Leader rolled her eyes, ‘Oh Lachmi!’ she sighed.
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