Over the course of the day, I manage to drag the massive head of the dead dragon toward my home city. Along the way, I stave hunger by eating chunks of nasty flesh off of the head. I even find myself drinking its blood. The whole trek is harder than anything I can remember doing even in my past life. With all my ribs broken breathing makes my vision go somewhat dark from the pain. I even drink the strangely runny blood of the dragon to keep my thirst at bay, during this time my trip only continues to get worse and worse as my situation worsens.

Movement out of the corners of my vision, figures appearing and disappearing, and visions from my past life. My feet are raw and painful from climbing the tree and each step feels like I'm walking on glass. The sled does little to reduce the weight of my head behind me. After what feels like an eternity the sun starts to set and I can see the distant spire from the central church of my home. This sight grants me a second wind and I manage to make it to the gates a few hours after nightfall. I am greeted by the gate guards who are incredibly happy to see me.

One rushes forward to me and embraces me, he is a family friend, and I collapse in his arms as I hear the other one shout,

"Holy shit! This kid killed the brown dragon near the lake!"

The guard holding me shouts back,

"Damn. Impressive. Report it to the Voivode and the other officials, then burn the head we will have to find the corpse later."

Exhausted I fall asleep in the embrace of the man, despite his leather armor pressing against my face it's still much warmer than the night air around me, and sleep comes quickly. I don't think I fully fell asleep either I remember hearing my parents, they sounded worried, but also incredibly proud. After that, I feel myself be set into my comfortable bed and real sleep takes me.

I find myself in a dark expanse, it would be similar to the void I was in after death except I can feel everything rather than floating in nothingness. I am startled when the brown dragon appears in front of me. Rather than staring at me in aggression like before he seems calm and just sits there on his rear like a massive hair man. He says nothing for a while but suddenly speaks clearly,

"Well... you got me. I can't say I'm vengeful really. I've been around for a millenium and for that I've been alone. I guess dying isn't the worst of outcomes. Better than rotting away on my feet as is the fate of any sufficiently old dragon, but unfortunately you have been cursed."

I blink a few times and ask,

"What do you mean?"

Silus the dragon laughs and then explains,

"I guess there is no harm in explaining it to you. We brown dragons are not the strongest, largest, or smartest of the dragon races, so we tend to be reclusive and dwell deep within forests. We do not seek wealth like the other dragons and are content to lord over the beasts within our territory.

But we still needed defenses from other dragons who would do us harm, or from really anything that could kill us. Poison is ineffective against many things, like the toxic green dragons or a basilisk or something. It's been a while I am no longer sure what breeds of creatures still reside in this world. To protect ourselves we cursed our own lives. Anything considered responsible for our deaths is cursed all the same, especially if someone, you know, eats our flesh."

He looks at me in a scolding manner and I sheepishly ask,

"What does this curse do? I want to know what to expect."

The dragon nods and continues,

"You have been afflicted with the dragonsbane curse. To put it simply you are now far weaker than your peers. Due to your youth, you will not grow to full size, you will never be able to become strong for your kind. While you will not be crippled, you also will never be able to reach peak physical capability in both speed and strength. Everything else should be the same as far as I can remember. This curse is magical, I don't know the specifics of how it works, but it caps your muscle growth at a certain level and does not allow you to pass that level no matter how hard you try. If you are already stronger than that cap it decides, it will cause you to atrophy muscle till you are at that cap.

It's unfortunate, but at least your life isn't over."

I swear to myself a little upset about the situation. My plan for this life appears to be ruined. I had wished to become the leader of my people. The Voivode, but that requires brutal trials, including combat against the other people trying for the position or the defending Voivode. Without strength or speed, this will be an impossibility, and as much as the Frontiersmen hold strength and speed in high regard I most likely will not be able to move up the social ladder.

My expression must be glum because Silus then interjects,

"I know how you must feel. It must feel hopeless, but you were in a hopeless situation against me. You didn't win our fight because of speed or strength. You won because your opponent was overconfident in their superior size and strength. I think you will be fine."

I smile and thank the hairy lizard and then ask,

"Where are you going now? Do dragons pass on?"

The dragon shakes his head and replies,

"I am not mad because you killed me. I am mad you ate some of me, so now my soul is bound to you and I will make it your problem. Don't treat me like some wise oracle or something, I don't want to be here so don't think I'll just hand out wisdom when you ask!"

I laugh and then say,

"What about the curse information?"

The dragon himself laughs and replies,

"The curse was mine to give, and its common courtesy to tell someone that you gave them a curse, just like if you infect someone with a sickness. It's just the right thing to let them know."

I laugh and reply,

"Well let me know if you ever need anything in this dark shithole. I'll try not to torture you for eternity"

He chuckles and then responds,

"That's the least you can do, well it's time to wake up. It's been a few days and your injuries should be somewhat healed. Now remember you won't grow past where you are now, but luckily I think the cap for strength is a bit higher than what you are at now... good luck."

I don't have time to respond as the world suddenly becomes bright and I find myself lying in my bed staring at the ceiling of my room. The smooth gray stone remains as steady as ever when I hear a noise beside me. I move my head slowly and find my mother sitting in a chair next to me. She is working on making what looks to be a very fine belt in a woven pattern.

She is humming the old tune she used in the past she used to put me to sleep when I was younger. My ribs are still killing me, but they no longer feel completely broken so breathing isn't impossible, also my head is no longer spinning from the effects of the psychedelic given to me for my ritual. I try to speak to her but my throat is gunked up from not using it for a while, so I clear my throat which startles my mom. I apologize for startling her but she smiles and leans forward wrapping me up in her arms and holding me for a while. She then says,

"I'm proud of you son... but please do not ever fight a dragon while naked again..."

I try to laugh but my ribs scream in pain and I simply just groan. My mom helps me sit up slowly in bed and she claps her hands together and asks,

"Are you hungry? I'll go and whip something up for you quickly. If you feel good maybe we can have a special supper!"

I smile. I don't feel horrible, just in pain. It's honestly surprising that I feel overall well rested, just sore beyond anything I've felt before. I reply to her,

"I think I can have supper tonight, so please if you bring me anything make it light."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I am quite hungry in fact. She smiles and hurries out of my small room and I can hear her working away in the kitchen. I smile contently despite the pain. I feel a pang of sadness in my heart remembering my mom and family from my past life, despite that I still love my parents in this life. I really love them because despite them not being my first parents they still are the ones who raised me and as far as I can tell have raised me lovingly and well.

I think hard about my curse. My goal is now much further away than before, maybe I should become someone of the crafting or building groups for the Stella Coyotes. Being a merchant isn't really an option, but doing right by creating important products isn't a bad life. I'll be well respected and do well for the community. No shame in that.

I am pulled from my thoughts of the future by my mom who enters the room with a small cutting board of sausage and cheese. She also has a small container of the sauce I love which tastes just like yellow mustard but if you put a few spoonfuls of chopped garlic inside of it. I thank my mom and eat my meal liberally spreading the sauce on everything I can while wolfing down the food. My mom watches me happily and when I'm done she takes the board before she can leave I stop her and say,

"Mom... I'm sorry I made you worry... Thank you for taking care of me... I love you."

She keeps a smile on her face and replies,

"It's okay and that's just what mothers are supposed to do. I love you too honey."

She leaves my room and I am left with a dumb smile on my face and I am left alone again. I decide to stop being a pansy and swing my feet off the side of my bed. I notice I had been dressed while I was out which is nice. I put my feet on the stone floor and find the bottoms of my feet feel healthy again. I slowly stand up on shaky legs and take some steps. They are a bit shaky at first but soon I am able to walk normally, but I still can't walk upright because of my ribs.

I enter the main living area of my home where my mom is washing the board. An interesting thing about Frontiersmen is that we are very dedicated to cleanliness and the only thing that I've heard every city has regardless of which culture group they belong to is plumbing. Every city is built either on or near a spring or next to a glacier which produces clean water as it melts. Sophisticated aqueducts and completely mechanical pumps and water wheels mean every home has at least one running washing basin for cleaning utensils and a bathroom with a sewage system installed. It has made life here incredibly easy, especially since I was toilet-trained basically from birth.

My mom turns around and looks at me worriedly and asks,

"Are you sure you can stand up so soon? Your ribs were in three pieces each."

I nod and reply lowly,

"I think I'm good, no sense in wasting away in a bed."

I still feel really down about being cursed and whatnot, but having mom nearby really helps. As I go to sit at the table dad comes in through the door with a look of worry, until he sees me up and about. He instantly lights up and hurries over to me. He is in his warriors' garb consisting of a lightweight steel chest plate with metal only on the most vital of areas, the rest protected by tough leather with a wire mesh underneath. The Stella Coyotes tend to focus on lighter armor than some cities but aren't naked like some others I've heard of.

Without thinking he comes up to me and puts me in a brutal bear hug. His huge arms threaten to crush my poor ribs and I let out a whimper of pain as my mom gasps. My dad drops me with his eyes wide and he says,

"Oh shit! I'm sorry son! I forgot already!"

I fall to the ground and try to avoid coughing as my ribs scream in pain. I manage to croak out,

"Don't worry about it... I just appreciate you are happy to see me."

He kneels down next to me and helps me to my feet and into a chair. Mom stares daggers into him as he embarrassed, continues to apologize. Once seated my ribs calm down enough for me to function and I ask,

"How was work dad?"

This snaps him from his apologies and he replies,

"Well... There might be conflict on the horizon. No clue yet but there will be a general council of leaders soon."

I nod understanding the implications if all the cities put aside their differences to meet about a common threat. He changes the subject quickly and announces,

"Well. In good news son, you've earned your name. Best of all it's not an elder coming in to commemorate. It's the Voivode himself!"

My eyes go wide at this information. The leader of our city is going to come to our small home to bear witness to me receiving my name. This honor is beyond what I deserve, especially if I am going to be unable to truly serve my city, but I of course won't complain. I smile wide and say to my dad,

"When will this happen?"

He laughs and says to my mom,

"Streya, get that oven going, we are going to have a guest."

My mom's eyes go wide and she quickly gets to preparing a small feast. She says back to me,

"I'll be making your favorite tonight and enough for you to eat to your heart's content!"

I smile widely and dad then stands me up and whispers in my ear,

"Step outside with me for a second buddy."

I do as he asks and once outside he leads me to the side of our home. He then talks to me in a low tone,

"I am proud of you son, more than you can imagine, but you scared the shit out of me. I don't know what I would've done if you had died out there... even beyond that, I know what happened. I don't know any words to say to comfort you even slightly about your new affliction. I just want you to know, even if you never are able to be a great warrior, or anything like that, your mom and I will always love you, and I will always be proud of you. It's a shitty situation but we will figure it out together.

The Voivode is coming to visit to show his respect for your actions against the brown dragon Slius who has been a thorn in our side for hundreds of years. I don't know what he thinks about your new affliction, but knowing him as well as I do he really only cares about the strength of a person... so he may say some mean things so please hold your tongue."

I nod and then he continues,

"I will always vouch for you. I hope you know that. Well... I'm not good at pep talks but I know you'll do what is best for yourself moving forward. You are my son, you'll always make the right decision."

He smiles at me and I smile back. I feel my throat tighten a little and my eyes water some. It's a pretty bad situation, but I won't give up on at least doing good for myself. My dad then claps me on the back and says,

"Alright, let's go inside and help your mother get supper ready. I know it'll be a great night."

It takes a few hours for all the food to be ready and the house to be acceptable to mom's standards but we eventually get to that point. The table is set and dozens of pots and serving dishes line the table. The rich aroma of all the foods fills the entire house. I am seated at my normal spot on the square table and my dad greets the Voivode at the door. I stand until he strides over and sits in the remaining seat. Only after he is seated, I sit back down.

The man across from me is massive. He stands easily six foot seven, he ahs graying hair, and is covered in scars from his many previous fights and battles. Each arm of his is nearly as big around as my legs. He smiles at me and opens up the conversation,

"Hey, there kid. You feelin any better?"

I nod and reply,

"Just a bit sore and my ribs hurt."

He chuckles and then continues,

"What you did was a damn impressive kid. Bigger men tried, and bigger men failed to kill Silus. "

I thank him and he continues,

"I'm not like others in my position so I won't dance around with my words. I'll tell ya simply, I like ya and I want you to be helpful to our people. I know you got that curse on ya now and that's tough luck, but I have a life for you planned out if you accept. "

I reply to him,

"What would that be sir?"

He smirks and answers,

"Due to your actions I'll vouch for you in every craft and art we have here. I want you exposed to as many things as possible, and I'll give you a position you like best, that is of course if you aren't terrible at it. How's that sound?"

I don't need time to think, he's offering me literally any position and will set me up with apprenticeships with any of the leaders of the city. I quickly answer,

"Of course, I'll take that deal. Thank you very much."

He smirks again and exclaims,

"Good lad. Well, I hope we don't have to wait long for supper, and your parents better name you tonight because you start tomorrow!"

With that mom gives permission to begin eating and the meal is immaculate. By the end, my ribs are sore from the merrymaking and from how full I am. Before the Voivode leaves though my parents grant me my name. A well-deserved name after all these long years.

From here on I am called "Isa" the son of Garland and Streya.

For the next two years, I am trained under the masters of my people. The head of each professional group within the city. I found the limit of my strength is what I would consider very average for my build, not weak, but not overly strong either. My height is stunted at six foot two, putting me only an inch taller than my mother and four below my father. These years of work helped get my head on straight, I no longer cared about my curse I still wished to become Voivode and do what I could to work toward that goal.

In the forges, I quickly learned the arts of the smith, never becoming a master myself due to the short time of training, but I learned how to craft well-made weaponry and alloy high-quality steel. From the leather workers, I learned how to create tough leather capable of stopping sword strikes, and how to weave leather together where seams seldom come undone. From the hunters, I learned stealth and patience in waiting for the correct moment to strike, and from the various warrior groups, I learned the many combat styles the Stella Coyotes employ.

In the end, I figured out the limits of the curse, while it limits raw strength and speed, it does not limit cardio and endurance. Just the raw idea of strength, so rather than working to become stronger I worked to last longer when doing any of my tasks. I became the hardest worker in any trade I attempted my hand at. When it came to combat I learned tricks and techniques where I no longer had to be the superior specimen to win a fight, but instead forced my opponent to beat themselves. I am on track to my goal.

Of course, over these years there was underlying stress in the entire city. The other culture groups had been mobilizing for a time and having tournaments against one another to consolidate power against someone. I never learned why, just felt the consequences.

Despite the strained political situations I was well received for my hard work and ability to do everything just well if not better than my peers out of pure determination, and because of that, I was awarded a wonderful job. I was given the role of the honor guard of the Stella Coyotes, the warriors hand-picked to represent our people in trials of rights and other such rituals of the Frontiersmen used to avoid conflict. Just one step below being the Voivode myself. Now at age seventeen, I find myself traveling to the city of Wolfsden, the home of the Black Wolf people. They had called for a Hounds of Luna consolidation, meaning all the different cities within this culture group were to become like a singular entity, like a larger nation. The Black Wolves lay claim to leadership of the Hounds of Luna so they called upon the Voivodes of all the other cities, and their honor guard to either challenge their claim or deny the consolidation.

Thus I am thrust into my first-ever trial of leadership, and due to my two years of hard work, I am more than ready...