I stalked my way through the trees, winding my way up the half overgrown mountain trail. Twenty-Four days I had been roaming the Western wilds in the shadow of the Storm Crag Mountains. I had bid farewell to my love at the start of the month, and she waited for me at a small settlement to either return victorious or to fail to return and report my death to my family. After all, hunting Dragons was anything but a safe quest. But this was no idle hunt, It was a last desperate chance to save my Kingdom.

A Warhost approached from the Northwest Kingdoms, bent on destroying my home and slaughtering my people. They numbered Fifty Thousand, Soldiers from all across a massive empire, while our soldiers numbered two thousand at most and most of those were peasants armed with spears and bows. Even if we armed every citizen we would number less than twenty thousand and most of those would be less than effective in a battle.

Which led to why I was here, Hunting down an old legend from the Church of Purity’s Archives. The legend stated that any warrior who drank Dragon’s Blood and survived would have the strength to face an army. Which would prove a wonderful boon if I could find it. It was known that a Dragon lived in these mountains but it kept to itself and was rarely seen. I had no intention of killing the beast but I planned on wounding it and running. Not the most heroic course of action but I was interested in survival not heroics.

I had to make it back and with the power I sought, My Brothers, My Love, My Father and the Royals, everyone I cared for would die if I failed in my quest. Which didn’t make things any easier in so far as finding the dragon. You would think a flying Lizard the size of a House would be easy to locate but so far I was chasing rumors and shadows. I was out here at the base of the mountain because of a small band of hunters who had pointed me to the Mountain Lake at the base of the sheer cliffs, as a few of them had claimed to see the Dragon on a handful of occasions near the water’s edge.

As I reached the crest of the path I looked out to see the trees thin and indeed a small mountain lake was nestled here, fed by a handful of streams that came down from the peaks and a pair of beautiful waterfalls. I would have stopped to take it in had the surface not been broken by a massive shape as I approached. I ducked behind the nearest tree and looked out as it heaved itself free of the water and spread wide its wings on the sand covered beach.

It was a Dragon, obviously no one could mistake it for anything else, covered in glassy black scales with ember orange tips that reflected the sunlight in a dazzling fashion. For how large it was, standing well over four times my height, it moved with a cat like grace and if I didn’t know it was there I never would have heard it. Its tail whipped around it and I saw a deadly bladed edge on it, almost as if the bone there had grown into a weapon. But its eyes, while they did not see me, I saw them amidst the Black scales, Golden and almost glowing with an inner light.

I readied myself, my spear drawn and shield at the ready. I didn’t have any illusions on what would happen if those claws hit the leather and metal. I just needed to surprise the beast and hoped it would flee after being injured. Then we could go our separate ways and never see one another again. Hopeful and stupid yes but it was the best I could do against such a beast on my own. The Priest who had told me of the legend had said that only the powerful could survive drinking the Dragon’s Blood and any others would succumb to it. I was the Royal Champion, the greatest warrior in our Kingdom, so I believed that I could survive it. And if I fell, my Brothers would find a way to survive. They would be mad as hell at me for dying but I was sure Sophia would explain what I was trying to do.

I crept forward to the edge of the brush that could conceal me as the Dragon studied the water. It was tracing its claw in the sand in some manner of pattern in the damp ground and I took my chance while it was focused on its task.

I sprinted forward, spear at the ready as I left the bushes. I was halfway before the Dragon perked up. I was nearly too it by the time it turned to look at me. It opened its mouth and I saw the flames within ready to leap towards me. I drew my arm back and drove it into the Dragon's hide.

It hit the Dragon's flank and the beast let out a roar of pain as it's head lurched upward and the Flames erupted from it harmlessly into the sky. I reached the wound as it pulled its head free with a burst of sand. My hand cupped below the wound, hot blood pooling in it. The Dragon’s head whipped around to see me and I saw its eyes widen as I brought my hand to my lips.

“NO HUMAN! DO NOT DAR-” A rough voice screamed as I felt the blood flow down my throat, threatening to burn me as it did.

I grabbed my spear and pulled it free, another roar of pain followed as I ran back towards the trees. I was nearly there when my legs gave out. My spear clattered to the ground as I lost feeling I'm my arms. I collapsed to the ground feeling as if a mountain had fallen upon me, I could not move any part of me. I could hear the Dragon approach, feel it's mighty footsteps shake the ground as my eyes fluttered shut, I was so tired. As the word I heard the Dragon speak again.

“Foolish human… you have no idea what you have done.” It said with an angry growl that filled my head as the world went black.

Contrary to what I believed, I still drew breath when I regained consciousness. And I wasn't on a sandy beach. I was on a bed of pillows, very nice, soft silk ones at that. I blinked my eyes open to see that I was laying upon a multicolored pile of them in a room that was wide and tall, the ceiling was at least fifty feet up and the walls were even further from each other. I could smell some kind of cooking meat and hear the sizzling of fat in a pan.

But my attention was caught and held by the woman sitting in front of me. She was sun tanned with dirty blonde hair and a scowl across her otherwise flawless face. Black horns curled out from under her hair and angled up and then back. She wore a simple tunic and pants and as far as I could see she was wandering around barefoot. Her eyes were reptilian slits of bright gold as she glared at me.

“Awake Hatchling? Good.” She said as she laid a slap across my cheek that knocked me back into the pillows.

It hurt more than it should have, more than any simple slap should have. I rubbed the spot where she slapped me and looked up at her in confusion. Had she called me Hatchling?

“What were you thinking?! Attacking a Dragon like that? Are you daft or simply a fool of a knight?” She growled before I could speak.

“I needed power. To save my people.” I said, my voice coming out weak from my parched throat.

“And you thought drinking my blood would aid in that? Do you even know what happens to those who drink Dragon's blood?” She asked, her eyes narrowing.

“They become stronger?” I volunteered, looking around for water… anything to quench the thirst in me.

“Aye they do. But they become one of my kin themselves.” She said, acting as if she were speaking to a child.

“What?” I asked, my mind still trying to get its bearings.

“You heard me, Hatchling. You are in the process of becoming a Dragon. All because you violated me and drank my blood.”

“Don't make it sound vulgar.” I gave a weak growl as she rose to her feet and looked down at me.

“Oh? Angry at me for stating the truth? Are you one of those absentminded priests? No, I suppose a Priest would be unable to even hold a weapon like the one you used against me. Too strong for one of those fools.” She said, gloating arrogance in her eyes.

“What do you mean, become one of your kin?” I said, trying my best to look impressive from where I was laying.

She frowned at the shift in conversation but crossed her arms and paced in front of me with her arms crossed.

“I mean that you have already begun the process of becoming a Dragon. And more specifically the transformation takes the form of the body you drank blood from. Your ‘Scale Mother’ or ‘Scale Father’. In your case because you drank my blood you will end up with a woman’s body by the end of this. Who filled your head with notions that drinking my blood would only grant you power?” She asked, turning to look at me with both annoyance and concern.

I didn’t respond. I was staring at her as my mind processed her words. I had been around enough people in my life that I had learned to know when someone was lying and she definitely wasn't, at least knowingly. It wasn’t until she put a claw tipped finger against my forehead and pressed against it that I looked up at her with clarity.

“You cannot speak the truth.”

It was all I could say. Because if she was speaking the truth… Sophia. Tiran, Irand… My friends and family in the city….

“I do not lie. Who told you of this tale of easy strength?”

“A high priest… He told me that only the strongest of warriors could survive the process and if I did, I would have the strength to protect my people. He was the one who pointed me in this direction.” I babbled out, not really caring what I said.

She made a sound that started out as a hiss but ended in a cracking sound not unlike a whip. I tried to jump to my feet at the sound but I only managed to rise a few inches before my arms gave out and I collapsed back into the pile of silk pillows, dangerously close to falling back into slumber.

“Tell me why this upsets you so. Becoming a woman I would understand to be upsetting for a man like yourself. But as a Dragon you will have the strength you sought. Is there something else?”

I rolled my head onto its side, firmly giving up on standing anytime soon.

“My betrothed. My love. She and I were to be wed in a month's time. But if I am to be a woman and a dragon, I feel she would… Her father would not permit it in any case. Sophia would still approve. She and I have been close for so long and I know she will stay with me through this. I’ve loved her since we were children and she knows it. Outside of my Brothers, she is my closest friend.” I said, eyes watering with sadness at the thought of being denied the chance to see them again, at least not without them being honor bound to kill me.

The Dragon was silent for a moment before she spoke, softly and carefully. “This woman loves you? Truly loves you? Not merely some flight of fancy?”

I managed to prop myself up on my elbows and look at her directly. I saw the look in my eyes give her pause before I spoke.

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“Yes.”

“And would you have gone to her upon returning home?”

“No… We were to meet at Riverstone just before the end of the month if I couldn’t find you and… well you know.” I said, somewhat shy about having stabbed her.

“Hmmm, the month ends in three days. If you truly wish to meet with her then I shall take you there. But you will need to stay here while the transformation takes you. It will be hard upon your body, if you are not properly looked after you could end up with deformities in your limbs or wings. And if you are to be my Hatchling, I will not allow you to be weak.” She said as she walked over to the Kitchen.

“You would help me?”

She was silent for a few moments before she spoke, not looking at me.

“I had a lover once when I was human. When I changed… they did as well. They turned on me and tried to imprison or slay me, cursing my name as they did. I would like to see that it did not have to end that way.” She said, quietly enough that I barely heard her. “Rest now. I will have food for you when you awaken, and the exhaustion will have passed.”

I didn’t argue as I watched her place cuts of meat into a large pan and my eyes drifted shut.

I awoke to that same hiss followed by a whip crack. On my feet before I realized where I was and where the sound had come from. The Dragon looked at me with amusement as she sat across from where I had been asleep. She had a bowl of apples resting in her lap and she was using a clawed finger to pop out the cores before crunching away on them. She held out a fresh one for me. I took it and looked it over before taking a bite.

It was delicious. More so than I had ever tasted from something so simple. I had never hated apples but they were always… bland. This was divine, so much flavor inside one small fruit. I gave her a questioning look as she swallowed the last of her own apple.

“Dragon senses. The changes have already begun. They start from your head and work down. Taste is greatly enhanced.” She said with a smile.

“But what did you do to make it taste so good?” I asked, my voice louder in my ears than I thought.

“Nothing, I purchase them from an Orchard not far from here. They are ordinary apples in every way.” She said taking a bite of another apple. “I merely do not like the taste of the seeds so I remove the cores. There is more food over at the table. I have no doubt with the changes you have already undergone that you must be starving.”

She waved her hand over at a table that was between us and the kitchen and I saw plates full of food, all of it staying fresh despite resting upon the table. My stomach groaned and I felt the wave of hunger rock over me. I had gone to bed hungry before but this was new. This was pain, gnawing awful pain from hunger. She gave an impatient gesture and I shuffled to the table as quickly as I could. It was lined with all sorts of foods, meats, fruits, vegetables and smaller dishes combining them in ways I would not expect.

“I will look after you until the transformation is complete as is my duty. And I will help you to know what you must about your body but once the transformation is complete you will leave and never return. Do we have an agreement?” She asked, placing a hand on mine to keep me from reaching towards any of the dishes she had prepared.

I looked up at her and saw conflict raging in her eyes. She was upset, clearly, and she didn’t want to look after me. But there was also worry there. I wasn’t entirely sure why but it looked genuine. I nodded, slowly and carefully as I looked into her eyes.

“Good. Eat then, tell me what you wished to be called and I will fetch a mirror for you.” She said, marching off towards a door in the wall on the far side of the room.

“Mirror?” I called after her as I began picking up food from the plates.

“Yes. I did say the changes had already begun. The senses are simply a part of it. The Transformation has already claimed your head and face. And your name child?” Her voice came out of the doorway accompanied by the sounds of objects being shuffled about.

“Sir Siran Greyson.” I called after her as I brought a hand up to my face.

My cheeks and chin were smooth, no sign of the short beard I maintained remained. I should have felt some kind of sadness but all I felt was a small rush of joy and a tightness in my chest for a brief moment before it faded as quickly as it came. I pushed the thoughts from my mind as I continued to eat. Each piece of food was divine, I didn’t care what it was but every aspect of each dish tasted so…. Vibrant. Everything tasted better and I couldn’t get enough. I was a quarter of the way through the dishes on the table when she returned, holding a small hand mirror.

“Now, brace yourself Sir Knight.” She said as she handed it to me with the reflective side facing away..

I turned it towards me and a gasp escaped my lips. The Face I had become so familiar with in the past Twenty two years was gone. Well not gone, but it wasn't recognizable. The edges of it had become softer and rounded and as I expected my jaw was smooth skin, no traces of the beard remained. My eyes were glittering Gold slits, my ears had slight points to them and my hair was thicker and had grown substantially in only a few days. It had always been kept short but now was just past my ears in length. And now instead of the Black I had always had, it was the same Dirty Blonde as hers. Against my will my lips pulled into a small smile as that same tightness returned to my chest along with that inexplicable joy. As I looked at the mirror I felt a brief sadness wash over me and the vision became obscured as tears welled up in my eyes.

“Why am I crying?” I asked, my voice shaky.

She said nothing but took the mirror and placed it face down on the table. I heard the scrape of a chair being moved while I brushed the tears from my eyes. When I could see clearly again she was sitting across from me at the table, studying me. She spoke after a moment of silence.

“I have a theory but I will wait until I say anything further on it. For now, eat. Your body needs the energy to remain healthy. And we must be heading out soon if we are to arrive at Riverstone by sunrise.” She said, pulling a few pieces of food onto her own plate before taking a few happy bites. I tried to push all of the emotions to the back of my mind and somewhat succeeded before I spoke and resumed eating.

“The food is delicious, thank you.” I said quietly, my mind still trying to figure out why I had reacted that way.

“You are simply saying that because you have not had truly excellent food. Your sense of taste is merely reeling from the changes. Given a few days we will see what you think of my cooking. It is admittedly a skill I have long neglected.” She said, a half smile tugging at her lips as she reached for another plate.

I didn’t argue with her but a smile returned to my face as I ate, happy to enjoy the food. By the time I was done she had already cleared half of the plates from the table. I gathered up the rest and brought them to her where she was scrubbing them in a wash basin. I watched as she waved her hand over a symbol at the back of the basin and it filled with clear clean water, steaming and ready to use.

“How…?” I asked as I set down the plates.

“Rune Magic. Essential if you wish to live apart from humans and dwell within your own space. This one summons hot water from the spring below this cavern. No carting buckets of water back and forth each time.” She said with a grin that slipped away when she looked up at me.

The look hurt. Hurt more than I would expect. More than I should expect. I couldn’t stop myself before the words slipped out of my mouth.

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“You look happy and then you look at me and look… disgusted. Why don’t you just look upset all the time if you hate me so much?” I asked and she set the plates she had been cleaning in the finished pile.

“Because when I said you Violated me, I did not mean it as some vulgar insult. I meant it true. When the transformation begins we are bound to the Hatchling to be. It awakens instincts in us. In my case Motherly instincts. I was not given a choice in caring for you. My mind and body would not allow me to abandon you, even had you hacked off an arm or wing. I am Forced to care for you by the magic that makes up my being. It was not my choice.” She said, a low rumbling growl shaking the ground as she spoke, not looking at me.

“But if you had left me outside and I returned back to the City, would you not be free of me?”

“No. I am compelled to care for you. If I had left you out there then I would have been out of my mind with worry, unable to sleep. Unable to do anything but waste away. Do you understand why I hate this? Could you, Boy?” She growled, giving me an angry look as she spat the final word.

That hurt. It felt… wrong. I recoiled from her as if I had been struck and she raised an eyebrow at me. She didn’t say anything but shooed me away and I obliged, sitting back at the table as I tried to figure out what was happening. A few moments later she walked up to me and gestured for me to follow. We approached a wall of the cavern, recessed into the wall a bit from the rest of this section. She jabbed her thumb into her palm and a small bead of blood formed. She placed it against the wall and the stone shook before parting and revealing a small room beyond. She stepped through and I followed, noticing my weapons that leaned against the wall and my armor along with it.

“No weapons inside. A rule of mine. You may carry them when you leave for good but for now you will be riding upon my back. And forgive me for not trusting someone who stabbed me in the hip near my neck with a spear and sword.” She said as she rubbed the spot on her hip that I had indeed stabbed.

I nodded, still a bit distracted by my thoughts. She noticed and snapped her fingers in front of my face. My eyes snapped to her and she gave me a smirk as she rolled her eyes and placed her still bloody palm on the far wall. The stone split apart again as the door behind us shut. This time it opened up to a forested cliffside with a small waterfall on either side of the door. The waterfalls merged into a small stream that went over the edge of the cliffside. I walked out to look and saw the lake that I had stabbed her at a few hundred feet below.

“The view from here is my favorite.” She said softly as she stood next to me.

I looked out across the valley and I couldn’t argue. The sunrise was just past the mountains at the far end of the valley. Everything from us to the City nestled at their base, Brocham, my home, was bathed in the golden light of sunrise. I smiled as the Sun’s warmth filled me.

“It’s beautiful.” I said.

“It was part of why I carved this place out myself. I love the sunrise. And its close enough that I can purchase the things I cannot make myself.” She said as she stretched her arms up over her head.

She backed away from me and I watched as she fell onto her hands and grew, grew until she reached the full size of her draconic form. I marveled at how her scales shined in the morning light. She spread her wings wide and raised her chin and I realized she was posing herself. Showing off.

I laughed as I watched her try to find the perfect pose that showed off her beauty but that was cut short when she flicked her tail and a tree branch came crashing to the ground. She looked at the fallen branch and made that same noise she had earlier, a hiss followed by a crack, as she picked it up and moved it away from the doorway. She gave me a look as she turned back towards me.

“Shall we be off?”

I nodded and she lowered her body low enough for me to hop up onto her shoulder. It was easy, the exhaustion of the past few days was gone and I could feel strength flowing through me. More than I ever had before. I casually jumped up onto her shoulder even though it must have been nearly ten feet up. I held onto one of the spikes upon her back as she spread her wings wide and took a running leap off the cliff.

It felt like we were falling for a moment before her wings caught us and we drifted along on a morning breeze. The landscape fell away beneath us and she was soaring through the skies over the forests below. I stared down at the trees that I had walked beneath only a few days prior, now so small below us. She gave a few flaps of her wings to raise us higher into the sky before I felt something pressing against my mind.

“Still holding on, Hatchling? Have you lost your grip to sweaty palms yet?” Her voice said in my head.

“How are you doing that?” I yelled over the wind.

“Reach out with your mind. The transformation has already altered your head so you should be able to.” She said, calmly and clearly in my head.

I stared at the back of her head in annoyed confusion but clearly I wasn’t going to get a better answer. I let out a sigh as I tried to reach out on whatever connection she already had with my mind. She didn’t fight it, she let me reach out to her as she pulled away, leading me further and further. She kept leading me until I touched something.

“Is that you?” I thought, trying to see if I had managed it.

“It is. Congratulations Hatchling. You are a naturally gifted telepath.” She said with a mental chuckle.

“What's so funny?”

“Telepaths tend to be female. Male’s tend to be more gifted with telekinesis. Though if you had any aptitude for that we would have seen objects floating around you while you were sleeping. Even I didn’t manage to get Telepathy that easily.” She said, this time her body vibrating with the laugh.

I felt my cheeks grow red but I smiled to myself. I didn’t care. It was just nice to be good at something that wasn’t swordplay. Maybe the transformation had altered my mind. Maybe it made me accept this. But in my heart, I had a sneaking suspicion it had nothing to do with what I was feeling.