Art by  TransformationAnonymous
Colored by  Seda

This was never how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be living in the lap of luxury, married to a literal princess. I was supposed to be prince, possibly soon to be king, or even a duke. It didn't really matter. Either way it would have been better than the life of a merchant. A well off merchant sure but hardly nobility. But now, I was in a hole in a dark cave where some great creature presumably live, ready to stalk its new prey.
It all started with an invitation. The princess was in need of a suitor. Rather than seek out others of noble blood, her kingdom had a rather unorthodoxed tradition. The unwed nobility of their kingdom would seek out a suitor among lower class. The very concept of a humble artisan, or even a commoner being able to climb the social ladder so quickly by marrying nobility should have raised alarm bells in anyone with a shred of common sense. However the chance at a better, more comfortable life completely overrode any concern, including within myself. And so I dressed up in my finest clothes. And with what money I had, I managed to rent a carriage to take me to the ball.
The venue was beautiful. People from across the land filed into the castle. Everyone was dressed their absolute best. The ballroom floor was of finely polished. Chandeliers flickered beautifully and illuminated the whole room. Men and woman danced and sang everywhere, and observing it all at the end of the room was the princess, perched on her throne and looking like a queen in her own right. It was a revelous affair. One by one the chosen suitors were led up to meet the princess. Each were given their moment to make an impression on her. If she found any of them to her liking, she did an incredible job at not tipping her hand. Finally it came to me. I couldn't even begin to tell you what she saw in me, but she certainly saw something worth it. Before the night was out, the princess announced her pick and to my surprise and delight, I was the one who was picked. Not only that, we were to be wed in 3 days time.
The next few days were a blur as I was brought in to live at the castle before the wedding. I was fitted into much finer clothes, finer than anything I ever had the pleasure of even touching, much less wear. I also spent time meeting the family, learning proper noble etiquette, and sneaking away with my fiancee to have some alone time with her. I told her about my life. She in turn shared some of her interests. We connected through music and appreciation of nature. It'd only been a few days and understandablely I still felt I barely knew anything about her. Still I held hope. I would have plenty of time to get to know my wife after the wedding.
The day of the wedding, the only ones there to witness were the royal family and some servants. The priest gave the usual inspiring fare about love and the symbols of marriage. We exchanged our vows, and just like that, we were married. What I didn't expect was one more tradition. After the wedding ceremony, I was led up by the royal family into a cavern on a large hill. I was pulled into a sense of security as the king and queen thanked me for the service I performed and how important what I did was for their kingdom. And before I knew what hit me, I was thrown down a chasm, leading deeper into the cave with no way out.
Once my fall was broken, I looked up through pain and confusion. The lights above looked so distant. And in front of me lied nothing but foreboding darkness. My clothes were soaked and covered in dirt. My muscle and bones aches, but I got up, scavenged material for a torch, and pressed forward into the cave. As I wandered, I heard a roar echo through the cave. Whatever lived here was huge. Fear racked my body. But with no other choice, I proceeded further hoping to eventually find an exit, somewhere somehow. I wasn't sure how much time as passed but I found myself exhausted. My torch was dying, and I needed rest. Like an oasis in the desert, I came up on what could only be described as a large nest. Inside it was empty, fragments of shells long since hatched were strewn about. Whatever laid here, likely had no use for it anymore. It was abandoned, and it was about the safest place I could be. Or at least it seemed to be so far as I could figure.
The nest was surprisingly cozy. It was so easy to just lay down and fall asleep; deeply asleep. My concerns about being lost in this cave were quickly melting away as I drifted into dream land. I'm not sure how long I was asleep before I found myself somewhere. Somewhere different than before. Where I was there was nothing, nothing except a door. I grasped at the door then tried to pull. Then I tried to push. I continued to push. I pounded against the door a few times. I wasn’t sure why but all I could think about was getting out and this door was my way out. I continued to push at the door. Cracks appeared on its edges and spider webbed their way towards the center until I finally broke through the barrier.

I found myself awake again. I was groggy but I felt like I had the most relaxing nap of my life. I was still in the cave. The darkness stretched out as far as I could see. As my eyes adjusted, I could feel a warmth within me. It stirred in my belly as if alive. My half awake mind demanded air so I breathed in deep. That same warmth then started to rise up through my body, past my lungs, through my neck until finally out from my mouth came a mote of flame. It lasted barely a few seconds, but in those few moments the flame danced through the air, it illuminated something I did not expect to see right in front of my face; a long blue scaled muzzle. There it was, one moment clear as day, the next once more obscured by shadow. Still its shape was outlined in my vision. It was impossible not to see it, even in the dark.

I tried to stand up but something was wrong. My feet weren’t flat to the ground. I had to stand on my toes but even then it was difficult to maintain my stance as my body begged to fall over. I tried to over correct by standing taller and straighter but all that did was force me to fall back onto butt. I sat there for a moment with my hands pressed to the ground and my feet at either side of them. Feeling that warmth still within my belly, I breathed in again, encouraging it to rise up. Another flame escaped my mouth, lighting up the space around me once more. I looked down and got a better look. My clothes were gone and my body was covered in the same blue scales that my new muzzle was. My legs were very clearly shaped for a quadrupedal stance and my hands weren’t hands. They were scaled paws with sharp claws at the end. In the brief moment of light, I also saw around me a hollow stone.Stone may not have even been the right word for it as it looked too thin. I stepped out from between the stone. By now my eyes had adjusted better to the darkness. I stood up, this time on all fours and took a few tentative steps forward. I turned back. Now that I could see better I saw what it was. It was an egg, a dragon’s egg. One much larger than I ever expected to see. In fact it was just large enough for-

My thought process was interrupted by a rumbling coming from further within the cave. I should have been frightened by it, but I felt drawn to it instead. I padded across the cave floor towards the sound. It should have gotten darker as I proceeded but at the far end of my sight, I saw a faint flickering glow. And this glow only grew brighter as I got closer to it. Eventually I stepped into a large chamber. The ceiling was open letting in sunlight to illuminate the space. Treasure was scattered across the floor, from gold coins, jewelry, chests adorned with chains like garland on a tree. Every step I took echoed with the jingling of riches.

Among the treasure I happened upon a mirror ad for the first time since waking up I got a good look at myself. What stared back at me, wasn’t me. It was a dragon, and a hatchling at that. It stared back at me with its eyes almost too big for its head, small horns just barely sprouting on the top of its head, a muscular tail that swayed back and forth idly, wings that sat neatly folded, and pristine, sharp claws. A sound escaped my mouth somewhere between a growl and a mewl. The mouth of the beast in the mirror moved at the same time mine did. I tried to form words but all that continued to escape my mouth with grunts and growls. I moved my arm up watching the hatchling in the mirror do the same. I swayed my head right to left and to right again, still it did the same in perfect sync. I reached my paw out to the hatchling’s, and all it touched was cold glass. And suddenly what looked back at me wasn’t a dragon hatching anymore. It was me. Or I was it rather.

As the realization set in, the rumbling returned once more. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was lifted up into the air. I was caught between a set of jowls lined with large imposing fangs. I squirmed against them but I was kept securely nestled within. I wasn’t long before I was deposited on a small pile of coins . I looked up and saw what grabbed me. It was another dragon, this one much larger than I was. Its neck craned up high and proud even as its gaze focused down on my small form. The dragon folded its wings in , and the coins beneath its paws ringed throughout the chamber as it layed down, first its body, then its neck and finally its head. Its neck curled around me and I found myself eye to eye with the dragon. A frightened mewl escaped by mouth as I backed away. The dragon didn’t do anything in response. It just gazed back calmly. I stopped where I was. I gazed back at it. The dragon's eyes were gentle, reassuring even. The dragon then vibrated with what could only be described as a long extended purr. It was comforting. I stepped forward, staying low to the ground. I took it one step at a time. One foot, then the next, then third, and forth, then back to the first until I was up against the dragon again. Its expression changed to happiness and seemingly relief as I returned. Its purr took on a happy tone. A large paw brushed up against my body, encouraging me into a warm cuddle, scales brushing against scales. Then a single wing loomed over, sheltering me from the light above. The dragon body radiated with heat, and its wing trapped that heat within this small space. The heat wrapped me like a warm blanket. I yawned as my body relaxed more and more while this comforting presence watched over me, my guardian, my new family.