You knew your answer already. After all, you had promised to grant her this favor, and they seemed determined to treat you with kindness. Besides, while you had regained your identity as a dragoness, your memory of your life before being cursed was still fuzzy. All things considered, you stood a better chance of coping while surrounded by those who understood your condition.
“Alright, then. I’ll do it.”
Much to your surprise, Princess Alisa dropped her dignified manner and hugged you tightly. “Oh, thank you, Cilea! You and I will be good friends, I know.”
While this show of affection made you feel nice, you also found it a bit embarrassing. “I’ll do my best to serve, princess.”
Princess Alisa leaned back and regarded you with twinkling eyes. “Now, no need to get so formal all of a sudden. I’ve had little use for ceremony of late, and I have no plans to start now. Please, call me Alisa just like I call you Cilea.”
“If you insist, Alisa,” you sighed in mock resignation.
“Now, what would you like your form to look like?”
Drawing from your own experiences in the human world, you worked out a list with the princess. It did strike you as a little awkward discussing your intended body in this way, but Alisa embraced every detail with enthusiasm. For all her womanly charms, she reminded you of a young girl dressing up a doll, or rather molding a doll. No doubt dressing would come later. Soon, you had planned out every freckle, curve, and crevice, and if red dragons could blush, you would have been glowing like a neon chili pepper.
“And that ought to do it,” Alisa announced with a satisfied sigh. “Oh, you’re going to turn out lovely!”
“Thank goodness it’s over,” you mumbled.
Noticing your discomfiture, the princess gave you an apologetic look. “Sorry, perhaps I was a bit overzealous. Would you like to make any changes?”
You shook your head. “No need. I said I would go with whatever you requested of me. Consider this part of it.”
“Very well,” Drake cut in, appearing rather relieved as well. “With your permission, shall I get started?”
To be safe, you stretched out on the floor and braced yourself. “I’m ready when you are.”
With a nod, the wizard began to chant, and a familiar blue light flashed from his hands. All at once, the world seemed to twist and blur. And grow.
Thankfully, the process went more smoothly than at the fair. The most uncomfortable sensation was the sudden coldness as your armored hide became pale, delicate skin. The spiny crest that graced your head shrank into your dwindling skull before a mane of hair, red like your departed scales, sprouted in its place. Grasping talons were replaced by small hands and feet while your limbs reconfigured into slender arms and legs. Finally, as your torso settled into an hourglass shape, your transition into a bipedal mammal most prominently displayed itself in the development of two healthy breasts suitable for supporting live young instead of eggs.
“Finished,” Drake declared, the blue glow fading from his palms. “Lady Cilea, how do you feel?”
Slowly, you raised yourself into a sitting position. “Fine, I guess. Thank you.”
Curiously, you climbed to your familiar-yet-unfamiliar feet and approached a mirror. There, you saw a beautiful redhead blinking back at you with eyes the color of amber, just like your dragon ones. “Is…that me?” You asked, running a finger over your cheekbones and lips. “Wow!”
Alisa’s beaming face leaned in next to you. “I think we outdid ourselves! And now, we must get you dressed.”
Sigh.