You wake up with a start - you can feel the power returning to you, slowly. You lie back down and look around the room. This must be a dream, you think. Even as you do, though, you know it is true. The drawers on your nightstand are full of your clothes and you are an adult.
You stand up and walk around the room. You are not in a castle, a bed, a room, or anything like that. Instead, you see a beautiful forest. In the distance, you see a man driving a carriage.
The man looks at you and smiles. "Welcome back, Frederic," he says. "Feast upon the trees and flowers, young dragonslayer."
You do so. In the world, you were a very skilled hunter and were instrumental in tracking down some dangerous criminals. Normally, you enjoyed the hunt, but lately, you have been finding it boring. Before you knew what you could do with your gift, you decided that you had no desire to follow in your father, who was not particularly skilled at hunting creatures. You did not even want to hunt anymore.
As you approach the man, who has stopped the carriage, a young girl in pink and white jumps out of the carriage and runs towards you. She hugs you tight and cries. "I'm so happy to see you," she says. "Alright, let me look at you." She looks you up and down and then gives you a big hug. "You are more handsome than handsome!" She laughs and hits you in the arm. "See, I knew you'd come back. We can't go on without you."
The man in the driver's seat of the carriage, who you now realize is your uncle, rolls his eyes and then claps his hands together. "Ah man! What are you going on about? His Majesty already informed you that we are on our way to a faraway Island, far away from here to rest and heal for a few months. So scold him! Don't make such a fuss."
The girl looks at you and frowns. "Don't scold every new dragon I see," she says. "The last one was perfectly fine and you never scolded him."
The man sighs and looks at the man driving the carriage. "Don't tell her that, Jacob," he says quietly. "And stop the carriage. Frederic will have to go back later."
The man on the carriage looks at the driver. After some hesitation, the driver nods and steps out of the carriage. He walks up to you and says, "Evening, Frederic, I'm Will. It's an honor to meet you. You'll find that there are only a handful of hunters that are willing to train you and your father ordered that he is to train you. You'll also find that some of the hunters will treat you with respect and such. You are, after all, part of the royal family of the king with the dragons. I myself will be happy to assist you in any way that I can." He pauses and then looks at you as if asking a question.
"Thank you, sir," you say. "I understand. That honor is... overwhelming." You bow slightly and then smile. "And you can just call me Frederic. The whole king thing is a bit too much for me, honestly. Though there is a small part of me that is curious what it would be like..." You trail off.
Will laughs. "Ah man, you are going to be a whole lot of fun!" He turns to the driver. "Jacob, you were not driving for nothing. Rotate with me. Let's teach this young man some of the ways of the world."
The two of you wave goodbye to the pink and white girl, who is named Lucy, and wave goodbye to your uncle, who is named Ferdinand, with a full beard and mustache, who, much to your surprise, is only the second most handsome man you have ever met. You begin to wonder if you are in heaven.
"Are we going too fast?" you ask.
"No sir," says Will. "We're perfectly safe and the Island is actually quite close. So what do you want to know?"
You think for a moment and then turn to Will. "Actually, it is quite strange. I noticed that cities are walking," you say.
"Ah! Cities were walking because they were not born in cities," says Will. "So many of the dragons had difficulty with their new body and souls. But of course, you would notice that. Not so many people noticed it because they could not see it, but they could feel it. What is more, though, is that they are not always walking. When they are told what to do, they will stop in place."
You try to keep your excitement in check. "How do they know what they are to do?" you ask.
Will laughs. "Good question. I'm honestly not sure... But they always know. They always listen, no matter how long they have been in their new bodies."
After a few more minutes, you and Will came to the edge of the road and you hold out your hand to the ground. The ground becomes vertical and you stare at it confused. After a few moments, you pull your hand back and turn to Will. "This is nowhere near the manor. How did we get here?"
Will's face lights up with a wide smile. "Ah boy! Have you not been told that his Majesty sent me to take you young dragon? His majesty needs you back in the capital and to stay with us because that is where you need to be." He glances into the sky. "We are getting close now. Maybe you can learn something while you're here." He pats your shoulder. "So I'll leave you there. Please don't make any trouble. If you do, you will be sent back."
You nod and watch as Will steps back into the carriage and the carriage drives off. "Well, that was interesting. Not too far into the forest. Do you feel like you were followed?"
You turn and look at Lucy, who's approach hearing the sound of the carriage. "No, I don't. Thank you," she says with a nod.
"Well, let's go," you say. "It's not far now."
You and Lucy walk until you reach a clearing and high above you, there lays a castle with many rooftops and windows. Your eyes linger on the castle for some time, and you sigh. It is beautiful.
