At once, the King ordered his soldiers to go after the princess. Day after day they rode through the kingdom, looking for some sign of the dragon. Night after night they returned to the palace, worn and discouraged. The king himself, led the search, but no matter how far they looked, they could find no sign of the dragon or the princess.
That evening the canary flew back to the mountain. When it was dark, he softly flew in through a window and perched on the pillow where the princess lay her head. Very gently he tweaked her ear.
The princess stirred, and then sat up quickly. It was totally dark in the castle, and she could not see anything. She could tell the dragon was sleeping in its lair only a few feet away, so what had awakened her, she wondered?
Ever so softly, the canary moved over and rubbed it’s soft feathers against her cheek.
"Canary," she whispered in amazement. "Is that you?"
"Yes, princess," it whispered back. "I’m here, but we must be quiet or the dragon will wake up."
"Oh, canary," the princess breathed in relief. "I am so glad you found me. Is my daddy here, too?"
"No, princess, I’m sorry," the canary answered. "If the king tried to get into this castle, the dragon would kill you for sure. Your father doesn’t want that to happen."
"But he can’t leave me here!" the young girl cried.
"Shsssss, princess," the canary warned. "Be calm. Your father is studying every way he can to find a way to save you. For now, you must be patient."
The poor child was heartbroken to learn that her daddy wasn’t coming yet, but she was so glad to have the canary near by that she remained calm. All night he stayed by her, rubbing his soft feathers against her cheek and whispering encouraging words into her ear.
Before morning, her pet flew away, leaving the princess alone. It was hard to let him go, but she felt better knowing that her father at least knew where she was.
Many days went by while she waited for her daddy to come. She was comfortable enough, she had good food to eat and a nice place to live, but she missed her father more than words could tell.
At last, in the night, the canary came back to visit her.
"Is my daddy coming?" she asked him first of all.
"Not yet, princess," he replied. "It is still not safe for him to try to rescue you. But he sends his love and wants you to not be afraid."
"Sends his love," she almost exploded. Then, remembering she must whisper, "What do you mean, sends his love? If he loved me he would come and get me!"
"Princess, please," the canary begged. "Your daddy loves you more than words can tell. He misses you so much that he can hardly eat or sleep with worry, but he knows that if he tries to come and take you the dragon will kill you. You have to be patient."
Being patient was something the princess did not want to do. How long was she going to have to wait for her daddy to rescue her? She began to cry softly. The canary nestled his soft feathers into the side of her neck.
"Princess, princess, don’t cry," he pled. "I’m here, and you’re daddy will come as soon as he can. Please, princess, don’t cry."
Again, the bird spent all night trying to sooth the child. It helped to have his soft feathers smooth her cheek, and his warm little body comforted her as he nestled into the crook of her neck. While he was there, she almost stopped feeling frightened. But in the morning, he was gone, and she was left alone with the dragon.
"Why don’t you come every night?" she asked the bird the next time he came. "I feel so much better when you are here."
"I am afraid to come too often," the canary explained. "If the dragon awoke and found me visiting you, it would kill me."
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