King Perce regards his life a failure and wishes to solve his dilemma by any means. He trapped a dragon, a beast who promised to serve him and inexchange restore him. He didn't quite stop to consider what that entails.



A perspective flip/redo of the previous story.


He hated this. It was enough of a struggle to rise from his throne, his legs and his back ached as each heavy step was forced against all of his body’s protests; it was the due of a life spent on the exploits of a young and bold commander-in-chief, one sorely missed once the injuries of campaigns and accidents finally caught up to him.

King Perce stepped out into his private balcony, a spacious place well suited to the tasks of clearing his mind and settling down on his frustrations. He looked out and beyond and saw his Kingdom, a realm entrusted to him once he came of age, that he not merely maintained, but grew in what were undoubtedly some of the darkest times the continent endured, where all manner of pox and brigand and conqueror were free to do as it sought. Embershire was the crown jewel of the realm, the capital and from there all other parts came into being. It was only after years of bloody conflict and quelling of disaster had the realm stabilized into one of the longest pieces in its history. He should have proud, he should have felt elated for having lived so long and accomplished so much. And yet, he didn’t.

For as great as his accomplishments were, King Perce had done all of these things, this came at a cost; there was no one left to come after him. He had no children, no spouse, no siblings. He was the only child of a late bearing Queen who many thought had been infertile. If he had a betrothal before hand, the messages and arrangements likely fell apart when the land had been ruled by anarchy, leaving him without even an official consort and offspring. Worse still, finding one on his own, proved… problematic for a number of reasons that did not bear mentioning.

Now, he could only look out at the city below and wonder why hadn’t been given enough time to do as he seen fit. If the right opportunities had been presented, he could have done more with his life. Not merely sire sire offspring, but continue doing as he needed to. This land was his, his responsibility, his pride. He couldn’t just… let it go could he?

“Lord Perce!” shouted a man.

“What is it now, Sir Leodric? Can’t you see this is my private time?” he rasped, his voice brittle, his tone angered, though not to any degree the speaker in question should find alarming given their history; they had fought together. Sort of. The Knight in question had been more… junior the last time the aged ruler was fit for combat.

“Is it wise for us to trust this… creature you ordered us to keep?” spoke the somewhat younger warrior. Time had yet to ravage him as severely as his lord. “It would have been easier to dispose of him, a simple blade to the throat to would have ended him!”

“Unfortunately, our lands have lacked anyone who could read that accursed tongue of lizards since the time of the Death,” Perce said solemnly, his hands clutching at a nearby railing. “Had I anyone else who could have done as I wished, I wouldn’t be trusting a monster to aid me.”

Sir Leodric sighed. The knight merely put aside his helmet. “My King, this… is a fantasy. Men do not grow young, not anymore than men can become women.”

“I do not have forever,” Perce said. “Either I can sire a child, or I can extend my life so I do not need one. Anything else would be failure.”

“I’d sooner expect the foul creature to turn on us, and render us monsters as well before doing as you sought.”

Perce let out a ghastly snort. “Ha. Now who believes in oddities?”

Leodric rolled his eyes. “Whatever, that foul beast is his… cell, as you wanted. Let's hope his… research doesn’t pose any complications.”

“It better not,” snarled the King. The withered man pointed out back into the room and shouted. “Now, go, leave me…”

“As you wish.”

Perce sighed. He hated that he had to be resorted to dealing with a treacherous devil. Earlier, his loyal knights had brought forth a most perplexing creature. A dragon, covered in blackened scale and a bearing a golden underbelly, was removed from terrorizing the lands and was instead of being destroyed, Lord Perce had seen fit to… repurpose the crafty devil and set him to a task. Not for a moment did he buy the wicked beast’s false cries or lying about being a humble potter- that is incredibly stupid. Whoever heard of a dragon who made pottery? It was all some clever ruse to get his guard down. While the beast was bellow in the depths, he would need to ensure that it doesn’t get loose or summon aid. It was only a matter of time before this creature would seek to leave captivity.

But Perce had a feeling, he felt it in his bones. There was potential, an omen or a portent. Something. He knew that it would pay off. He didn’t need to spend much in the way of patronage, not while the dragon was a captive beneath the palace. Security, yes, but he didn’t need to offer the creature any amenities or any comforts. All he had to do was be watchful. And maybe, maybe he could have what he wanted.

Still, he could worry about the dragon later; he had a nation to run.

And it was like that, the aged King set off and did his duties, forgetting about the creature he had enslaved for days or even weeks at a time, the servants and guards tending to its food and material needs while it toiled away in the cellar. such a stay was possibly 9nly a small fraction of a fraction of its long and night immortal life, but for the King, it was a significant amount of time.

Days and years passed. The aged King steadily grew worse as his health failed him, his trimmed hair already tarnished by white patches turned became white as bleached bone. Skin and muscle that had while strained and kept in as good of a condition as they could in old age, rapidly deteriorated away, leaving the king already weakened, to become even frail as his bones continued to become brittle. And then one day, the King felt even weaker than the night before, he couldn't get out of bed, his heart was heavy and slow, his breathing interrupted by constant wheeze and gasps of air.

His only company then was the court physician, a younger man who had been the apprentice for the last one.

He turned to the medical and wheezed out. “How long…?” he knew his time was short, but he wanted to know how short.

“Not sure. a day maybe? A week at most?” Offered the medic.

King Perce cursed in his mind, as his lips were too heavy to speak. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the struggling to get out of his own bed.

As he left, the doctor tried to keep him in, but it seemed the old man still had enough fight in him, enough to resist. Either that or the medic was weaker than could be expected or was not putting as much effort into it as possible. “My lord stay until bed. You're not well!”

That wasn't good enough for him. Perce knew he would die if he stayed here and let himself rot without giving him the chance to save himself. “I need….” he wheezed. “My youth….”

As he left his personal chambers, soldiers began flocking to him as their aged lord started barking out garbled orders and shouting commands to the troops as best as his lungs could. Eventually Leodric came and found his lord making his way to the dungeons as the daily feedings began. “Lord Perce shouldn't you be in bed?”

“He should, but he wouldn't listen!” complained the medic.

“This is my only chance…“ Wheezed King Perce wheeled “Is the beast ready yet?”

The knight had no answer ready, he hadn’t had clear information either. As the King and his men approached the door, one of the knights hit a large door with a hard knock. “I don’t know. He wouldn't say.”

King Perce narrowed his eyes on his leading Knight, annoyed that his most trusted warrior hadn’t fully kept tabs as well as could be hoped… We’ll speak about this later.” And then he opened the door, showing a darkly lit room and a great creature looming over piles and piles of gigantic texts. “...Is it done yet?” The King spoke a ragged voice, dry and withered.

The dragon didn’t have time to respond before the door was opened, paving the way for an entourage of knights, many of them who had been there since the beast was first captured, maybe a decade ago. Lord Perce took a moment to gaze at the creature, noting that for one such as it, time seemed to be near endless. For while he withered away, the beast was as eternal as a mountain’s stones.

The dragon bowed his head, a clever ploy. “... Yes. I think I have something, a way to prolong life.”

King Pecre made a grin. He wasn’t satisfied, nor fully trusting of the beast. He was clearly lying to him, but he didn’t say anything. “Ah, excellent. When will be an appropriate time?”

“Uh… tomorrow, I think,” spoke the dragon.

The aged old man took a deep breath in. He didn’t know if he would have a tomorrow, but maybe there were final preparations that needed to be done. Maybe. But if he was being honest…. “Yes. That will do…” The King wheezed and motioned for one of his companions to help him out of the room “I expect great things from you…”

“Yeah…” spoke the dragon.

Satisfied, the aged King took his leave and motioned for the attendants to go care for the beast’s needs. He only had tommorrow to him, he was sure of it.

Sir Leodric simply shook his head as he left, closing the door as the rest of the soldiers passed on. “This is crazy. You are trusting him.”

King Perce sighed. “Maybe you’ll understand once you’re older…” the ruler said. He turned to the physician and let out a choice word. “Will I survive the night?”

The royal physician behind the two of them stepped forth, keeping his head down so as to not be an easy target. “Oh, uh… maybe.”

King Perce merely sighed. “It will have to do…”

The next day, the dragon was escorted to the throne room for the first time in an age, flanked by warriors in halberds. Chains weren’t needed this time, for the castle entrances had warriors stationed in every check point.

The affair however was known to the whole land. Everyone know of King Perce’s bid for immortality and in attendance of an event that might define their futures, many members of the ruler’s court were in attendance, if for nothing else but to see the working fail or succeed. It was no secret that those who wished to seek the ruler’s throne once he was no longer able to rule were hoping for it to fail, while others, typically more aged members were hoping for success.

“I am here,” spoke the dragon as he was brought before the ruler’s throne. “I am ready to enact my spell. O wise king, know that there is more to my working than you realize. There is a cost to be paid.”

“Yes… yes…” wheezed the King. “No price is too great…” Even if it was just the ability to breathe fully again, the ruler would sacrifice an arm to soothe the pains.

The dragon squinted his eyes, possibly wondering if there was any point into maintaining the charade. “If you say so…”

The dragon began his work, inscribing the circle into the ground. The crowd watched him as he did his work, delicately putting lines in the ground. The crowd eyed his work, muttering as they saw him. It might have been an hour or so of labor before the delicate inscriptions in the dragon’s native tongue were complete. King Perce vaguely understood it, the inscriptions were some sort of working a rite of some sort.

“This is the last step, O King, please… step inside,” spoke the dragon.. He then turned to the crowd. “You may wish to step back.”

The King contemplated his next action for a moment. If he spent the effort of getting up, he would be easily taken down by the creature more than triple his size even at his peak. Yet, this may be a genuine offer, a single chance. He could stand up, on what little his own power he had left and in turn be able to run once again. Oh, the thought stirred up something in him he had long forgotten.

King Perce rose, his feet weak and exhausted, but he shambled forward. Even when offered assistance, the aging ruler pushed his aides away, determined to make his last steps as an ancient by himself. He stepped into the circle, right into the very middle. His legs shivered, unsteady. “Now. Get on with it?”

The dragon stepped away from the circle, started to chant in some ancient tongue of growls and guttural noises and then poured a small smidge of his own blood onto the outer rim.

The King felt nothing, nothing happened, nothing was happening. He didn’t understand if the ritual was necessary or if something was actually happening.

The chalk circle popped and fizzled, disappearing in an instant. The King stood in the middle, unchanged. “Well?” He was still old, withered, and weak.

The dragon seemed surprised. “Uh…”

King Perce felt anger well up inside of him. He had invested so much time and money into his one bit for renewal, only to learn he had supported a charlatan “Gah, I should have known how this was going to end with that charlatan! Guards seize him!”

The dragon backed away.“Wait, your majesty, please, I beg-” The guards and knights advanced slowly, putting rope and chains against the protesting dragon in short order.

But then, one of the servants cried out something that might have just saved the dragon’s life. “My lord! Your hair! It’s… darkening...”

The room froze, everyone turned to the King. At first, Lord Perce didn’t know what was happening. One moment his knights were eagerly about to behead a foul monster that had sullied his honor, the next they were letting go for their ropes as their jaws were open and slack with expressions of shock clear on his faces.

In that instant, King Perce ordered one of his servants to fetch him a mirror and upon receiving it, the old ruler could only gasp in amazement. His hair was dark, his skin smoother, more alive. He touched his face a few times, just to make sure it was really happening. His withered hands seemed to refill with life and energy and as the king stepped onto his throne, there was a sort of ever increasing weight to his steps. He sat on his throne, feeling content. “Rescind that order!” the king spoke, his voice smoother, like silk, better than in the first meeting he had with the dragon. “I think I was… impatient a moment ago.”

The dragon stepped forward, shaking, not having run away. He bowed his head and was uttering something, but the renewed Lord didn’t care.

“Why Sir Leo!” spoke the ruler, his voice raised in laughter, cutting off his servant without a second. “Ha. Look at you. I guess I’m not the only one benefiting from this! And you said this was foolish!”

The crowd, still silenced with awe, turned to sir Leodric, previously, an aged man whose hair was now starting to show a golden color. He shook his head, not looking pleased, but not necessarily upset. “... Fine. You win this one my lord.”

The king laughed as his body rapidly strengthened and renewed. His eyes turned towards his benefactor. “Well, I had the aid of someone who had the power…”

The dragon still however tried to speak. “But lord Perce, there is more to this-”

The king laughed, merry with excitement. Nothing could sour his mood today. He didn’t want bad news.. “I’m sure it’s all fine, clearly, the results speak for themselves!” He rose from his seat and decided that he was going to enjoy himself this day.

Numerous courtiers and members of his establishment were speaking to themselves over what this meant for their own futures, now that their King who should have been on his deathbed was now in his prime. “Fetch me a chariot, it is time the people behold their King.”

“But…” the dragon protested.

“And you will uh,” the King thought of it of a moment. He couldn’t exactly have his guest of honor fit in the chariot with him… and riding the dragon or using him to move the chariot was not exactly… noble. “I guess you can come behind me.”

“Uh…” the dragon seemed so uncertain.

The aged, well, no longer aged King squinted his eyes as the beast, not quite sure of to make of him anymore. Was he always so… uncertain, so timid? No, can’t be. No dragon is like that. Besides, he couldn’t spend time worrying about fine details right now, not when he had a celebration to commence. “Oh I know, Francine get me some drapes!” he called out to one of the worker women.

And so it was, not even ten minutes later that the restored monarch had rapidly organized a quick parade to celebrate and cheer his renewal.

The city was at a standstill as the Lord led a company of Knights on their steeds, armor polished and shining as quickly as their attendants could muster. Behind them, as many soldiers that could be mustered at a moment’s notice formed blocks in organized march holding spears and pikes. The black dragon was in the middle of it all, paraded around like a prized beast of burden.

Peasants on the main road cleared out, not understanding what was happening until their King shouted and laughed and royal cried raised trumpets and noise to address the crowds. “Here is your King! Behold his restoration!”

The citizenry cried out in awe and glee and cheer.

King Perce simply waved and smiled in response. “Look at them! All cheering for me. Isn’t this wonderful?” He wanted to be there for all eternity cheering and celebrating. Maybe once he got back to the palace, he could finally enjoy some good meat, none of that awful slop he needed to persist on to “stay healthy”. And with that idea going through his head, the King realized that there was plenty he could do to celebrate, not just mere meats.

After going through the roads and streets and marching over them for what seemed like endless hours, the King decided he had enough of his royal escort for a while. He no longer needed constant surveillance, he wasn’t weak. He was strong, independant now and the festivities here would be best served in the royal palace where he could enjoy what he had long craved.

He gestured for his soldiers to leave him. “I’ll take it from here!” and without even waiting for a reply, the young ruler tugged at his steed’s reigns and ushered it to go forth. It didn’t take long for him to hit the center of the market places, in the heart of commerce itself. He didn’t have a sack of gold on him, but he guessed that he could simply afford to have the fees collected in the palace.

His first stop was to a meat market. He was in the mood for something succulent and juicy.

“My lord!” said the butcher, a man who was nearing that stage when his hair was greying. “You look young… I think I was a boy when last I saw you like that!”

“Oh yes. It is me!” said King Perce.

“Well, what brings you here?” said the the butcher as he cut open shanks and hung them off hooks.

“I normally don’t do this… but I figure I’d do some shopping myself. It’s been so long since I did that…” Mused the King. “Wouldn’t happen to have any fresh boar would you?”

“Not much, mostly cattle. Gets taken away before I can salt or pickle it!” said the butcher. “I got beef that came in this morning...”

“Splendid. Cut it up and send it to the palace.”

“Alright, once I finish tearing this up!” and he said.

Then before the King could oppose and push his request as a higher priority, something odd happened. The butcher tossed aside his cleaver and began digging into the meat he was working in, using his hands and… nails to rake at the meat with some sort of strange fury, tearing it to shreds and ripping it apart with brute strength. And as the King watched, he somehow found it odd that this aged man could muster the strength to do that.

“Something wrong?” said the butcher.

“...Uh nothing,” the ruler replied. Though he had a feeling something was off. Were the old man’s eyes so… bright before? He hadn’t paid attention to them, being nothing more than a civil servant and all. Maybe he was hallucinating, seeing things he shouldn’t. “Just have it delivered by dinner.”

And so he left.

King Perce then decided that maybe some wine or beer was something he should have. Easier to combat hallucination with intoxication. Insane, yes, but he was tired of being so restricted. He went next door to the wine seller, a merchant who acquired beverages from all over. “Good day, uh.”

“I… don’t know,” said the wineseller, a man who was somewhat more wealthy looking that most others in the markets, clearly someone who had been in business in a while. He was busy organizing bottles when he was interrupted. “You kind of look a little too young to be asking that. I mean, shouldn’t your parents.

King Perce sighed. “Never would I have thought that restricting the sale of alcohol to minors would have affected me… Honestly, I know I look younger, but I’m not a child!”

“Oh my Lord!” said the wineseller. “I… didn’t recognize you.

It obviously stood to reason that not everyone would be so attentive and word sometimes doesn’t reach certain people until it is right in their faces. Besides, Lord Perce was feeling… more amused by the annoyance than anything else. Really, him? A child? “Yes, yes… now. What’s the best you have?“

“Oh, I have this brandy see. Let me get it!” said the wine seller as he disappeared behind a back closet, clearly the room where all of the best brews were hidden behind.

But instead of a somewhat wealthy looking man who dressed way above his station, out stepped a woman who seemed more modest looking attire, more humble. He held a bottle in her hands, a brought it before the King.“Here my Lord, this would be yours.”

“Uh… where’d you husband go?” spoke the King. Not that he minded that he was being served by a woman. Although it’s pretty disrespectful to go off and abandon a customer to have someone else serve.

“Husband?” spoke the confused woman.

Maybe she was merely his sister, mused the King. It probably didn’t bear delving into. “Nevermind.” He took the bottle. “I’ll pay for it later. You have my word on it.”

“Alright.” The woman gave a wink, almostly seeming to know something Perce himself didn’t. “Well, enjoy yourself. And… not to get caught, okay? It’s strong stuff.”

That was… odd advice to give. King Perce didn’t know what to make of it. What did he exactly have to worry about getting caught of. He didn’t pay it much mind as he put the vessel into a satchel and left the store. A single bottle reserved for him and his trusted few was enough. Plenty of wine and ale was in the castle cellar; he himself was mostly barred from it, of course again in the name of health reasons.

But as he left and turned one last look at the wine seller’s wife, King Perce did wonder if he saw the flash of… a tail as he left the stall.

The next store in the renewed King’s mind was a bit of a mix. There were these two brothers who were into making different kinds of clothing and because they apparently had the money had a store that was a combination tailor and shoemaker. Now, obviously said wears weren’t going to be ready by tonight, but the King Perce did wonder about getting something more his size. His clothes felt simultaneously restrictive and too loose in places and his shoes were so uncomfortable. He worn these garbs when he had been more… diminished, weakened from age. He had no a royal tailor, he hadn't needed one for a long time, contented to sit in molding clothes. This was going to be his first new purchase in an age.

King Perce stepped in and found himself surrounded by a pair of young men, both twins. The only way to tell them apart was their choices of accessories.

“How can we help you our lord?” spoke one.

“We heard of your renewal! Would you like anything?”

The King smiled in amused contentment. “Get me some finery. You wouldn’t happen to have decent silk would you?”

“Of course!” said the tailor as he drew out a measuring tape notched with numbers. “Now let’s find your measurements.” His twin brought forth this strange contraption that seemed to be some sort of adjustable foot measuring device, although it seemed odd, like several of the digits seemed more like they were suited for talons than proper feet. Must have been a fashion thing.

The King set his wine bottle down onto a nearby table and quickly let the tailor and shoemaker do their work, measuring every inch of his body with utmost steadiness and almost perfected synchronity that kept them from bothering each other. Strangely, the twins were taller than he expected, almost being a head higher all told. They seemed to talk to each other in utter silence, making only noise when they needed to write something down.

He stepped out of his boots and let the shoe maker take his measurements. The contraption he had was uncomfortable and larger than he expected, but his foot seemed to settle in, become more comfortable as the shoemaker slowly dialed twisted the metal measuring bits smaller and smaller. King Perce wondered if his feet were ever so small and red from the touch of cold metal.

As the tailoring brother stepped in and out of view to get bolts of cloth, the King noticed something odd about some of the garments on display. There were… extra holes places around the shoulder blades for something to slip through. Was this a recent fashion innovation from another land? Maybe he was seeing things.

“Hm, maybe this one was too large…” muttered the shoe maker, he said as he removed the measuring device from the King’s feet. He could swear that his face seemed… purplish as he stepped away.

King Perce felt uneasy, something was going on, he could feel it. The two tailors seemed even taller now, even more so than before, though by just a smidge. Out of some feeling of self consciousness, the King began to inspect himself, seeing the places the duo had been measuring.

His… feet had these darkened nailed and the toes felt like they could flex in an almost inhuman fashion, almost like talons when he thought of it. Around his waist, the King noticed that his skin was starting to redden and that his coat that he wore seemed… newer in a way, like he had just gotten it, the color fresh and the fabric soft.

As the shoemaking brother came back, King Perce noticed that the two brothers bore… strange eyes, almost like a serpent’s and shining a faint gold.

The King stood his ground and kept himself from running. He had to have been imagining things, didn’t he? The two brothers seemed ever taller and strangely, the King was sure the ceiling was rapidly growing overhead.

“Now, our Prince,” spoke the tailor.

Prince? The King didn’t speak, but questions bubbled inside his thoughts. Since when was he a prince? They had to have been making a joke about how young he had been, surely.

“This comes the part where we bring out our mirror, just so you could inspect yourself while we bring out the example styles,” said the shoemaker. And that was when he brought forth this utterly massive mirror that stretched high above the King’s head. All told, the King himself might have only been a fourth of the mirror’s contents, though the brothers seemed to be just right for it.

It should amazed the King. Instead, Lord Perce felt an utmost terror when he realized the creature in his reflection… was himself.

The creature before him was like an echo of himself, long when he had just only started his training, a youth, a mere lad who had just gone through the start of puberty, of being a man. Except that this image was marred by inhuman features. His nose and mouth were elongated into a reddish snout sporting pointed fangs. His hair fell off in places, replaced by fins and the beginnings of small diminutive horns. The only things unmarred were his eyes.

Perce’s gaze moved down his body, examining further. His outfit had changed, becoming… almost simpler, more like a tunic he might have worn for less formal occasions as opposed to more royal garments. Small appendages, little wings sprung from the fabric, the garments apparently made to have holes suited for him. He had seemed to have lost a foot or two, as he slowly was undone, though it felt like even more with everything around him growing two inches for every one he lost. Tiny talons, claws poked out where nails used to be, sharpened into fine points, but perhaps still too softened by well… youth.

The shopkeepers bore similar features, draconic visages, almost as if they had grown them the moment he had became aware of his own, becoming like dragons unto themselves. Neither of them seemed to mind, or even care at their warping.

This was no time to stand around and do nothing. The boy-King ran out and burst into the market without a second thought, yelping out in startled boyish screams. But he had merely escaped one den of monsters for a whole city of them. Everywhere he looked, the boy found monsters, men who were horrible mutations between man and dragon, terrifying monsters more bothersome than a normal beast.

The tailor and shoemaker were utterly confused and looked at each other as their patron escaped.

King… Prince Perce darted through alley ways and roadways through the market, doing whatever he could to evade these… gigantic terrors his own people had become. Each had been warped and twisted into these… savage beasts and yet seemed utterly oblivious to their changes. And that each passing moment seemed to only make them even less human.

The boy-King had to get off the streets, find shelter, somewhere where he could think.

And then, he found it, a door appeared before him, open. The house seemed vacant, no lights lit. He ran in and shut the door behind him, surrounding himself in darkness…and knocking over some pots as the force of the closing rattled nearby shelves loose.

“Hey!” shouted a voice.

Lights were lit a moment later from overhead and soon the young King found himself facing a black dragon who bore a golden scaled belly. And he was familiar. “...You…!” yelped the King. “But… aren’t you supposed to be the castle.”

The dragon looked at his uninvited guest with only obvious disdain. “Yes. Yes. Me. And no, I’ve been in the castle for far too long. I needed to get myself somewhere to stay you know..”

“You live here?” questioned the boy-King.

“Well, I do now,” the dragon rolled his eyes. “Vacant lot. Came with pottery and a wheel.” He then eyed the shards of shattered clay along the back wall. “Now minus the pottery, but I’m sure you can afford to pay for it...”

“Uh sure…” said King Perce, but then he slapped himself. He had gotten lost under the monster’s spell. “No. No. I won’t. Not until, you undo this spell!”

The black dragon merely shown his teeth. “Oh, little Prince. You did tell me youth was worth any cost.

“I am not a Prince!” shouted the young King. He let out a snarl that… he realized sounded more pathetic than actually threatening.

The dragon smiled once more. Clearly amused and enjoying it. “Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting all of it to play out like this, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. You get your youth and more, perhaps about… a hundred years from now you’ll finally pick up that mate you always wanted.”

King Prince was growing frustrated with the beast. He hadn’t remembered the dragon to be so… snide before. Maybe it was finally showing him his true colors. He reached down into his belt reflexively to grab onto a sword, but only realized too late that he… no longer had one. And come to think of it, he had a hard time imagining how he was supposed to use it. Did he forget that?

“This is your new world now, young Prince,” spoke the dragon. He coiled his massive tail towards the Prince’s back and slowly nudged him forward, not too hard. “Here, you were never a man, never been King, not yet at any rate. You possibly ran a few wars, a few campaigns. Well, they didn’t happened yet, maybe they won’t happen, not at all...”

King Perce was starting to feel very self conscious. All of his accomplishments, all of his achievements, the realm he created… it was all undone, had never been? He struggled and thought within himself and began to search through his memories. He… remembered events playing out, but they were more faint, like a forgotten dream or a strange story he heard of. But try as he might, the details just… didn’t feel all there. And that seemed to include whatever lessons in swordplay he once knew. Who knew what else he was forgetting? Would he even know? “This… can’t possibly be any worse...” he uttered.

“What if I started calling you ‘Princess’, hm?”

Prince Perce began rapidly checking himself, fearing that his outfit might have turned into a dress and that he might have been covered in pinkish bows. It would have been an additional insult, to not merely lose being a man, but to never be allowed to become one.

The dragon merely let out a laugh. “Oh, you should have seen that look on your face. I got you good didn’t I?”

The King was losing his patience ever more. He was taunting him. “This isn’t funny beast!”

The dragon stopped laughing then and eyed King Perce with an unreadable stare. “Kezoloc.”

“What?”

“That’s my name,” spoke the dragon. “You’re probably too young to even know what it means yet.”

“Kezoloc,” spoke King Perce. “And I don’t care about it. I want you to undo this.” He stepped forward. Though the dragon before him now towered over him, he was still daring to challenge the great beast, even if he had to use fang and claw if had to. But as he stepped forward, he fell onto all fours as he lost balance.

“Let’s see if you can still walk,” spoke Kezoloc. “I wonder when you’ll stop at…”

King Perce struggled with his own body, unable to stand upright. It was as if his spine had been realigned to make it so that all of his days would be spent crawling on all fours like some common animal. He wanted to curse the dragon, but any words he tried to use slipped his mind before it could pass into his tongue. It just only made him steam. “I… I hate this!”

Kezoloc seemed to enjoy it however, that disgusting creature, smirking at his misfortune. Oh, how he wished he could have killed the beast while he still had the chance. Maybe once he had returned to the palace, he could behead the monster as he so deserved.

Then was a knocking on the door, interrupting the young King’s frustrations. The door was too big for him now, maybe it would have been too big if he had been himself.

Kezoloc though didn’t seem to be too disappointed. He moved over and opened it with a sort of casual motion and gave a short polite bow. “Oh, Leandra,” he gave a little polite laugh. “How are Gabria and Aliria?”

A light blue dragoness, a bit young, not quite an adult, but clearly not a mere child stepped forth and did a little giggle. She wore an outfit that seemed to be more clean than a mere servants, though it might have been because she managed to serve someone who was of more noble birth. “Oh, nothing Sir Kezoloc. You wouldn’t happen to know where young Perex has went, do you?”

King Perce froze as he kept looking at the new female with a look of utter horror, an image of an aged warrior flashed before his eyes before fading away to the new sight of the larger dragoness. Leodric was… whatever passed for a teenager now.

Kezoloc moved his body away and revealed the young King to the new comer, much to the King’s displeasure. “Oh, I was just keeping him company. Better take him home to the palace.”

“Hey, no!” protested the King, refusing to be taken in by this… woman. “I’m not Perex!” He backed away in the hopes to flee.

But in a quick motion, the much larger and it seemed more coordinated dragoness took the much younger red whelp in by the back of his neck. “Of course you aren’t Perex!” said the young maiden in a merry laugh “Now, time for you to not head home!”

King Perce struggled and flailed useless as he was dangled out like some whelpling or pup. It was so humiliating, so revolting that he just wanted to be done with it. He had too much dignity to be… reduced to this and yet despite all of his protests, he was being treated as a mere child. What had the world come too?

The last sight of Kezoloc he had was of the blackened dragon giving him a mock smile. After what felt like an eternity of useless struggle, the reduced King was forced to do the only thing he could do: Observe.

His once city had been entirely reduced to monsterdom, with its inhabitants uncaring or unconcerned. There were a few hold outs of humans left, those untransformed, but they were clearly not part of the Citizenry or at least, not locals. Perhaps the oddest part of it all was that the roads and buildings seemed to expand to fit their new inhabitants, as if they had been made in mind for a more robust race. About the only thing that changed the least was the Palace, now it merely seemed like it was the right size for the beings that now resided within it. Sculptures and statues were replaced by more draconic forms, with figures of history replaced by dragons performing similar deeds.. Sadly, none of them with Perce himself.

Even worse, his own condition was even more worth getting upset about. His entire life had been robbed from him, all because of that loathsome beast. This was not what he wanted. And there was nothing to be glad about, or to make this worth accepting. It was especially so, because now his loyal knights have been reduced to mere caretakers; was he in need of so many “nannies”

“Oh, there he is!” spoke several dragonesses, giggling and cooing all at the same time.

“Oh, Leandra, you found him!”

“Does he need anything?”

He struggled to look away, not wanting to show his face towards them. He didn’t want to be coddled and prodded by these… women.


The females however were very interested in him, removing his tunic and pants and stripping him bare when it was found that they had been dirtied by his trip outside. Another was offering to pre-chew some raw meat, like he was in need of a nursemaid. It was all embarrassing enough to make him wish that he was still a rotted old man. At least then he could claim some dignity, some power over them.

Around the main room were several other beasts, some of which he remembered their previous lives. They served to provide immediate distractions to his rather incessant caretakers. There was a family unit, parents and children, though he was sure that the parents should have been the other way around. At another angle, he saw a student and master practicing some sort of fighting moves, vaguely aware that prior, the master had been once a discipline. It was as though the spell woven by that deceitful dragon had some sort of irony to it, switching roles in addition to their obvious “gift” of dragonhood.

And then, after agonizing moments later, Leandra picked him up again. “Sorry, ladies, but Perex needs to be somewhere else.”

And this time, the young King didn’t care to resist. Anywhere else was better than this minor hell.

The elder dragoness took him through the main room and up towards what used to be his quarters. He was surprised to know that the furniture had merely grown larger since he was last there instead of being replaced by more juvenile artifacts but as the elder dragoness took him into the room, he slowly realized there was a good reason why; this room was no longer his.

There sprawled on the massive bed were two dragons, one red and male, and the other blue and female. Both of them seemed to be lounging about, relaxing, reclining. Or maybe doing something else.

“Oh, Perex. You’re here,” said the female, her tone inviting and playful.

“Mommy…” uttered the young King. Well, he was King no longer, but he refused to submit to being a Prince. He shut his mouth once he realized he sounded so… immature, his tone so shrill and high pitched. And did he really just call her “Mommy” of all things?

“Leandra, set our son over here? This is private talk,” said the red drake. He was tall and regal, even from his lying down position. Perce was sure that he had practically become this red creature’s miniature by the look of his own scales.

Leandra nodded and then deposited Perce onto the bed before thankfully leaving.

And then it was the reduced Lord Perce versus his apparent parents. He shivered, afraid and unsure of how to act. Who were these dragons?

“Perce,” said the blue dragoness, her tone concerned. “Are you alright?”

The younger whelp blinked his eyes for a moment, albeit confused. It had been the first time in a while since anyone called him that, everyone else simply choosing to rename him “Perex” since that was apparently his new name. “... Yes!” he said on reflex.

“You don’t sound, alright,” spoke the red male. “Does this have anything to do with us leaving you?”

“... no!” said the Princeling. He wasn’t sure how to respond. And what did he mean by them “leaving” him? Did they know him?

“Then why are you so upset?” said the dragon again.

“I’m not!” promised Perce. He didn’t want to say it, not in front of them. He wasn’t sure how he was going to control him, how he was supposed to react. There were small droplets gathering around his eyes. Merely sweat from the stress, he was sure of.

“It’s okay,” said the dragoness, her tone inviting as always, inviting and familiar. “You can tell us.”

“I….” Perce struggle to hold back but anger surged up. “I don’t wanna to be a dragon! I don’t wanna be little!” he wailed. “I’m a grown up! I’m a King! I’m supposed ta rule and do stuff. But it was all taken away!”

“But you are little,” murmured the dragoness. But Perce wasn’t having any of it, content to cry out and deny it.

“I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!” water streaked down his face and spilled onto the bed and he was sure that he was having a tantrum. He knew he shouldn’t have one, but… the emotions to do so were overwhelming. He wasn’t sure how long he kept repeating himself over and over again, but it felt like forever. “...I’m not… I’m not…” he spoke softly only out of tiredness and lack of air. “...I’m not…”

And then the dragoness licked him, snapping the young dragon out of his trance.

The young whelp looked at the much older dragon and was still.

“You are,” she said. “You always were my little prince. You always were, and even now…”

“Especially now,” chimed in the red dragon. The blue dragoness simply gave him a scolding look. “Well, he is…especially since I don’t think he’s old enough to take care of himself anymore.”

Perce drew in some breath and steadied himself. He was having a hard time trying to grasp what was going on, but that last bit was enough to hint at who exactly he was dealing with. “Mommy… Daddy…” he said in his juvenile tones.

Both male and female smiled.

“See, told you to be more up front!” said the male. “He’s not that helpless or clueless, you know?”

The female rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe if you spent more time on his education instead of swordplay the first time around, I’d be more reassured.”

King, well, Prince Perce somehow felt a bit more at ease now that he knew who he was dealing with. They were his parents, not just in this life, but in the last. They had been long gone when he had his ritual enacted and now they were suddenly here, as if now that he was in need of them once more, they had returned from the grave. “But how?”

Both of them merely shrugged.

“Who knows?” said father. “I’m kinda confused by this too.”

Mother simply laughed. “But I don’t think it matters, does it?”

“No,” said the male.

Prince Perce silently wept inside of himself. This was perhaps the first bit of good that had happened to him since this entire escapade. He had nearly forgotten them entirely, although now that he thought about it… maybe this wasn’t a good thing after all. Because now, now he had to say to them about how much of a failure he was. “I… I… I’m sorry…”

“Sorry for what?” said the mother.

“For… not having kids,” he muttered.

“Aren’t you a little too old for that?” laughed the father. “Perex… Perce, you’re far too young to care these things.”

“Although you were the one pushing for him to have such high standards in choosing a bride,” muttered the female. “I think you denied what, twenty suitable mates before he was out of school.”

“That was when he was nearing marrying age!” the male defended himself.

Perce gave a sniffle, unsure of how to proceed even now. His parents… weren’t calling him a failure? He wasn’t the dead end of their legacy? “But I’m… I’m too old…” he muttered aloud.

At that both parents laughed heartily, as if his words were something worth laughing about. “Child,” mother emphasized. “You’re not old enough. Not any more.”

Father got out of the bed in a moment and headed over to the nearby dresser.

Perce paid more attention to his mother and once more tried to deny that he was a child. This current state was… an illusion, a disguise… not his real self. He wasn’t a dragon. “... But I’m grown up.”

And that was when father came back and produced a hand mirror that was so massive the young Prince could have laid himself on top of it and had room to spare. “Are you so sure you want to be a grown up?”

In the reflection, the Prince saw himself, as he once was: a pale effigy of a man who was withering away into a skeleton as the years ground him to dust. It was a life that was once lived and now… possibly one that was over, having run its course. “I...I…” he wanted to be a grown man once more to have some independence, some control over his own fate but if the cost was… that was it really a good idea.

And then the image youthened and grew scales and claws and in all rapidly became a reflection of what Perce was now. He was right about being a miniature reflection of his father, but he hadn’t realized just how young he had gotten since the last time he had taken a look. His features were almost babyish really if he had to guess. His wings were so underdeveloped, he doubted he was even ready for flying lessons and his head was so large he was sure that it took up most of his weight right now. As for his horns, they were almost nonexistent. “Mommy… Daddy…” he said again.

“Sh…” whispered mother as she licked her young one’s back. “We’ll be here. Just like last time.”

Father nodded. “You can let go. We can take it from here…”

Let go of what? He struggled to understand. Let go of responsibility. Let go of a life he no longer had. Let go of the fossil of who he once was. Let go of… Perce rocked dizzily on the mattress, the words escaped him and left him dazed. It was like he could no longer understand what he was trying to think about. “But Daddy…” he moaned, still trying to hold on to whatever it was. “Wha ‘bout finding...finding…”

“A bride?” said Daddy.

“Ye, dat!” chirped the child. Although now he thought about it, he barely understood what he was talking about. He was trying to find a girl, for… something…

Daddy seemed to find it funny for some reason. “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll take care of that.”

Prince Perce felt a little bit easier at that, reassured that his father’s strong wings and body could do anything. He did wonder why he thought he couldn’t for a moment there.

Mommy then got out of bed and then licked her young child. “I think it’s time for little Perex to settle in a bit more. Oh, he must be so tired of being so… belittled today.”

“I don’t know. I think he’d be more tired of being too old,” said Daddy. “I mean, I did too.”

Perex faintly nodded. He remembered Daddy when he was… older, frailer. He was tired and couldn’t even wake up from bed one day. And then he went away. Mommy did, too. Didn’t he go through that, too?

Mommy then took Perex by the neck and then hoisted him up. “Woah!” yelped the whelpling. He giggled and rocked as his legs dangled from the ground. It was so fun being picked up.

“Come on, you’ve got a whole life ahead of you,” spoke Mommy.

Daddy opened the door and then led the way for Perex and his mother to the start of their new lives.

Over the next few days, Perex was spending time adjusting to his new role as the young crown Prince. In a way, being a very young dragon wasn’t that much different from being an old, old man. He was still forced to eat healthy and needed constant watching by everyone. Mother would also send him to the doctors every few days to check his health and Father would always need to help him out of bed. He also had trouble eating something because he was missing teeth and for some of the rougher foods, it needed to be pulped by someone more capable.

But that wasn’t like it was exactly the same either. He could run, jump, and play without a care in a world, or a thought in his head. He had his parents now and they were always so happy whenever he did something. Well, most of the time. He did have his own room and well he might have been young, but he wasn’t that young… although he did wish he was.

He had grown to accept that his former knights were his new babysitters, but in a way, they were more useful to him than before. Now only they would stop constantly trying to baby him… although Leandra did promise to teach him how to fly one day, once his wings were strong enough in about ten years or so. It was a surprisingly short time all said, for a dragon at least.

Nearly century came and went in what seemed to be the blink of an eye and Perex grew from a young whelpling into a proud drake, almost rivaling his father in stature. He had grown strong, knowledgeable, and noble during his second life, having learned lessons not just from his current life, but the one he had once tried to desperately restore. In a way, he succeeded and made himself a better man, which made his father’s words all the sweeter.

“All rise to salute,” spoke the King. “For today my son has grown of age and proved himself to be adult.”

Again, the Prince mentally added. He rose and puffed out his chest to adopt a more regal looking posture. The glowing sheen of enchanted jewelry and fabric only complimented the majestic creature’s resplendent scales, they were his own creation and were hopefully going to serve him as well as any armor. It was one of the benefits of a longer life, to always have enough time to learn more, to practice far more than he ever could have with his previous existence. Spellwork was one of those subjects that human rulers so often could never explore, because so much time was lost in studying more worldly subjects and little else.

Prince Perex strode forward, accepting every moment of praise his people gave him. Nobles, servants, warriors, but also the common folk of Embershire flanked him at each side, giving out shouts of praise coupled by belches of fire in a quick pyrotechnic display that singed and burned falling flowers. He never really understood why he used to think of his kind as mere savages before, not when they were so much more now.

Coming right before his father’s throne, the young Prince bowed his head and waited. “My son,” said the elder drake. “You are finally ready to take charge of your own life, for no longer are you a mere child. You are grown now and though you aren’t yet going to inherit the crown, you are now of age to find a mate.”

Prince Perex gave a knowing smirk. He wasn’t going to fail this time, especially not with as long as he had to search. “Yes, Father,” spoke the Prince. “How may I serve?”

Mother from nearby the throne let out a satisfied little smirk. “Patience our child.”

“Honey,” scolded the father, his tone taut with laughter. “Not now “

She only smiled. “It’s a time to celebrate, to congratulate and to move on… but in a way he will always be our little Prince.”

Perex felt a little embarrassed, but couldn’t exactly hate his mother for it. It was just how their family worked. “Mother…” he laughed. And the rest of the hall murmured similar affectionate sentiments. It was supposed regal moment, but it was degenerating.

Seeing that formality was slowly being lost, the King decided to expedite the process, to get to the part where at least things couldn’t degenerate even further. “Oh, young Prince, know this. One day my crown will be yours and one day you will rule.”

Perex stiffened himself once more and did a quick bow. “Yes, Father.” Again, it would come to him to rule. “Thank you.”

The King nodded. “Then rise, Prince Perex. Rise and a man.”

And then the Prince rose and was greeted with another wave of applause. Funny how it was. He realized then that it was around this same age that he was thinking his life was over and that he was going to die a slow and painful death as he withered away into nothing. Now, it was the beginning of his life.

After the ceremony, the whole of Embershire began to feast. There, Perex was greeted by a number of figures from his past.

Leandra was there, no longer serving as his babysitter and having matured into a fine dragoness in the interim, though the Prince doubted she would be doing any fighting of any sort. His doctors were there, too of course, although Perex did have trouble figuring out who used to be the apprentice.

But there was one figure in particular that Perex wanted to see, one that he hadn’t really had time to visit, not in a long, long time.

He found a black dragon, exactly the same as the day they had met. He seemed to be in the middle of something with two silvery white dragons, some sort of discussion, apparently. When he saw the Prince, he stepped away from them and said, “Alright, ladies, I’ve got to take this.”

Both of them seemed to be against that and rolled their eyes. “Again, as always,” said one.

“He won’t decide, not even after a hundred years…” said the other.

“Ladies, please…” Kezoloc said to them before turning to his new visitor. “... Uh can I help you with anything?”

“Sorry,” said the Prince.

“Sorry for what?” said the black dragon.

“For how I treated you… earlier,” he added after thinking about it. It was something that he believed only he would realize.

The black dragon blinked and then after a moment of comprehension nodded his head. “Oh. That. Yes. Uh. It’s fine,” the black dragon shrugged.

“I was rude then,” said the Prince.

“Oh, but you’ve grown up much since then,” said Kezoloc adding a humorous inflection.

Perex let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, I did. I did so much.”