Eventually a godawful reek brings you around, and you find yourself in the dark, scrunched into a tiny space. Feeling about, behind you and and in front of your legs are what seem like hard surfaces, but below you and to the side you can feel something wet, soft, and slimy. And oh, the smell. Desperate to get out, you try to wiggle and move, but to no avail. Finally, you decide you are going to have to dig your way out. Managing to finagle your pocketknife out of your jeans, you open the biggest blade it has, then stick it deep into the bit of the soft thing that's on top of you, hoping that is the way out.
You elicit a response, but not what you expected. Suddenly, your little compartment is being shaken like it is in an earthquake, and you feel a big rush of odiferous wind blow past. Shaken, you wait a bit, but then try again, to the same result. Not seeming to get anywhere, you are about to give up, when suddenly you hear a muffled voice. As you strain to hear and hope to yell for help, the voice suddenly becomes much louder and clearer.
" ... - now SPIT IT OUT!" an old man's voice yells. Before you can react, the hard objects surrounding you move, and the fierce wind blows you out of your compartment, through the air, and leaves you to fall on the ground in a pile of sodden clothes and spittle. Dazed, you look up to see the dragon standing over you, accompanied by an older gentleman on a wooden stand, allowing him to be at the height of the dragon's head. Waving a stick around, the old man whacks the dragon on the nose.
"How many times have I told you, Highness, never eat something you find on the side of the road!" You stare up as the old man berates the dragon fearlessly, and the dragon, who treated you with such disdain, manages to look abashed. "Be grateful you ended up with nothing but a toothache! Why, when I was just a young acolyte, I once ate some berries I found in the woods. Couldn't sit for a week for all the - " Just then, the old man looks down and notices you moving. " - Hello, what's this?" He turns to frown at the dragon. "Highness! You know it is forbidden to hunt humans!! If your parents find out you crossed realms..."
"But I didn't!" The dragon pouts, running its tongue over its still-throbbing gum where you punctured it with your pocket knife. "That human was on my cloud, in our realm!"
"Now princess..." The old man looked sternly.
"It's true! Just ask it!" The dragon insisted. Sighing, the old man turns to you, while you, quite dazed, sit there with an unintelligent look on your face.
"I apologize for the rather rude welcome and the untoward circumstances," the old man speaks to you, much gentler than he spoke to the dragon. "But may I know why you intruded upon the dragon kingdom? All enchanted folk know these lands are forbidden to outsiders without express permission of the dragon lord."
"There was...this ladder, and I climbed it...and it went into a cloud...but the dragon chased me and broke the ladder...and I fell...and it ate me...and I just want to go home!" You babble incoherently. As you speak, the old man's eyes grow round as saucers.
"Ye gods, a ladder? A pathway between realms? But that means..." Something clicked, and the old man turned to the dragon. "You broke it?! Which means you did cross realms!" The old man yelled, then smacked the cringing dragon on the nose again. You quiver at the old man's ire and wonder if there is a way to escape, when suddenly the old man turns back to you with a thoughtful look.
"Mere mundane mortals cannot cross realms willy-nilly, which means this human is here for a reason..." you hear the man mumbling to himself. Looking as though he has made a decision, the old man finally focuses on you. "I believe you came here from the world below; however, there are rules about crossing realms, which have been put into place for the good of all realms. Therefore, I am sorry to say, you cannot go back. I'm afraid you are stuck here in the realm of what your kind call 'magic.'"
"But wait, what am I supposed to do? I have a life back home!" You yell, as it finally dawns on you what the old man is saying. Rubbing his stubbly chin, the man eyes you.
"Well, there's always the option of starting a new life here. And since the princess is partially responsible for your predicament - " the old man pauses and smacks the dragon again on the nose with his staff, " - she should personally ensure your well-being in this realm." The princess sneaks you a glare and you tremble, but the old man continues. "Now, is there a particular kingdom you would like to live in? Such as..."