I'm reminded of a cartoon I saw once... naked maiden weeping bitterly over the slain dragon... scorched and battered knight, his helmet pulled off, is protesting "I've said I'm sorry, it certainly looked like he was going to eat you!"

Or as the filksong has it:
"Why smile you so, Lord Dragon?" cried our hero in armour laden.
"Why, you'd smile too," the dragon said, "if you'd just eaten a maiden."