You gasp as you curl up in discomfort, not sure if the tingling is from pain or the sheer absurdity of what is happening to you. If it weren't for the blue flames dancing in and out of your vision, you might assume everything was just some horrid nightmare. However, just as you resolve to try to close your eyes and ignore everything in hopes of waking yourself up, you hear an unmistakable tearing sound and feel as though your innards are being rearranged.
Whether from adrenaline or something else, you suddenly manage to break your bonds. However, you are now unable to extricate yourself from your position in the fire due to the changes happening to your body. Instead, you hug yourself, laying on your side in the fetal position. Something odd has happened to your back, and your balance when lying down is off because of it.
"Why have the changes halted?" you hear the fae queen ask annoyedly.
"The guardian appears to be resisting. Fear not, Your Majesty, while it may take more time, the change is inevitable once it is begun. I suggest ending the process for today," an old voice replies, apparently someone with a degree of authority.
You are in so much worry and confusion about your situation that the fae's words do not register, and as you hold yourself, you see the blue flames fading, and finally your vision goes dark.
By the time you come to, the sun is fairly high, casting dappled shadows through the trees. Your head throbbing, for a moment you do not understand why you are in the woods and not your simple yet comfortable bed. As your memories come back, you try to convince yourself it was just a nightmare.
Which almost works...until you attempt to sit up. Your tattered shirt should make you shiver, but it's actually dread that causes you to quake. Something bulky is attached to your back, an odd shape that is throwing off your balance and making it hard to sit up on the ground. You feel something twitch, then extend, casting a large shadow over you. Hesitantly, you finally look over your shoulder.
Sprouting from your back are two large, leathery....wings.
Your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. Does this mean you are actually turning into...a dragon? Why should you become a dragon? Can someone turn you back? Hundreds of questions scream through your mind, but one above all. What do you do now?