As Orchid was getting increasingly forlorn, wondering what happened to the human slaves on sales that did not get purchased, she felt like she was back in gym class, where she was always, always chosen last. Minus the snickering. Were there a lot of other people waiting to be bought? Was her case normal? Should she worry? Did the goblin ask too much for her? Should she be flattered? Especially when no one wanted to buy her? Then another creature came over and this one really scared her silly. It was a goblin. A green being like the one that had captured her. Or rather, to whom her big brother had sold her without an ounce of remorse. No! Not that! She so did not want to become a goblin! Why couldn't the vampires come back? Or someone else? Anyone else would do!
"Hello," said the unknown goblin.
"Hello, my friend. Care to purchase the little girl? My price is honest. And she must be what you are looking for."
"Well... The purchase is not for me," said the goblin.
At that, Orchid breathed out in relief.
"Not that I would buy her if I wanted too. Too scrawny. Plus, a girl. Except cooking and nagging, they're not much use. Especially at her age. I'm glad my mother drowned all of my sisters at birth and kept just us boys."
Orchid did not know whether she should be vexed or not. As the speaker was a mean, stupid and ugly goblin, she decided to feel pride in his words. She was glad not to interest this jerk! And it appeared mothers were just as awful in this world too!
"So who is the purchase for?" the goblin asked.
"I work for dragons residing in the Southern Isles. Deep in the austral regions. They don't come jherre too often. Too far. So people like me buy the things they like or want. One commissioned a little one. So I'll deliever. I'm part of a specifisc order to gather what the dragons want."
He showed off a medal, and indsignias upon his coat. It was true that he was much better dressed than the other goblins around. He asked the selling goblin how old Orchid was and it seemed to agree with him.
"Young enough to be correctly affected by the potion. Well enough," he muttered. "Good. I'll take her."
They haggled at length on a price and when the god coins exchanged hands, the buying goblin smiled widely.
"Much less than what the dragons gave initially. I can keep the difference. I'll hit the tavern as soon as I take care of that opne."
"Dirty jerk," guffawed the seller.
The globlin with the nicer clothes took oiut a tiny vial from his pockeryt.
"Drink this. I bought it from the warlocks alreaduy. Come one. Don't make this difficult."
"NO!" screamed Orchid, flinching away.
What was that poytion going to do to her? Turn her into a dragon? Miles better thaen a goblin, but a long shot, but she was scared!
"As long as you bought her and gave me the privce asked, I'm good. I'll help you out."
"Thanks."
They had both slapped and seized her. Orchid had screamed, shouted pitiful insulyts, the best she knew but the globlin had smacked her repeatedly when she had bit his fingers when he wanted to pry her jaws open. The ones with the nicer clothes had advised another method. The goblin had kicked her in the ribs and as she gasped and cried more, the better-dressed goblin had poured the potion down her throat. She spluttered and coughed but it was too late. She clutched her head as the world went dizzy. She slumped to the floor, suddenly too tired to do anything. She could feel her body changing around her. Not really painful, though. Like a slight muscle cramp that still allows one to move. But she knew she would leaving behind her humanity and her life. And she felt too feeble to shed more tears. And the weirdest was the hard strange encasing that enveloped her as her consciousness faded for good. It was the shell of an egg, that hardened fast and slowly filled with yolk, all to protect the baby dragon she had now become. She was young enough that a regression to a dragon hatchling within the egg was relatively easy and doable by magic. Orchid was now a female dragon hatchling within a clear blue egg with streaks resembling cracks of pink and gold.
The goblin sent by dragons rubbed his hands. Perfect! This had turned out even better than he had hoped for! Not only had he made a very good profit, but the egg was very pretty! Not to mention that he was no connoisseur but the color and shape of the human as she transformed appeared to be quite cute too! Doubtless her new dragon family would adore and dote on her. She'd retain her memories, but they would become dimer and dimer as time went on (dragons lived insanely long) and as new urges, instincts and concerns became more pressing and demanding. Also, new memories easily replaced the old ones for children. The dragons would be happy. Nothing could beat for integration and docility the transformed human raised in the home or better yet, born into it. Every fay knew that and the saying never got disproved.
He placed Orchid's egg in an elaborate round wicker basket, setting clothes of velvet and silk, as well as soft false flower petals. There were delicate bows attached to the basket too for the best effect. The trip would be long but the egg well-protected as the goblin traveled with his friends and the wares to give to the dragons a few continents away. As for Orchid, she would rest in a continuous slumber, only to hear faint noises and words from around her. But reassured by the warmth and softness surrounding her egg, she'd turn around in the yolk holding her own embryo as if from under blankets to drift back off to sleep. The true words she'd be aware of would be sounds from her new dragon family as they nestled her egg near them, many months later.