A light cascading upon the lip of my eyes shines through, waking me from my rather comfortable and first dreamless sleep. Two bodies are cuddling me. Looking down, I see them.

  Dizzy and Minfilia. I purr to myself, then realized something. Am girl now. Though knew poly when Min explained it to me when we started to date. Think that applies to me to? The bodies at my sides adjusted and smiled at me when they woke.

  Yep. Poly, and I think...I’d like to invest in these two. Well I already did for Min, but Dizzy has been...by my side all this time. All through the troubles, the trials, the midnight study sessions, and everything else.

  “Cmooon, let a wounded cait sleep longer, M.” She said drearily. Her usual crankiness when woken up. “It’s only…” She blinked twice, then yawned. “Never mind. We gotta get up.” She untangled herself from me, leaving me cuddling Min. Min was just a severe sleepy head.

  The chestnut hair and sharp features of her only highlighted her beauty. Her eyes, those of wonderful Jade, started to flicker open. Her eyes trailed my body, before untangling and yawning. “Still an amazing cuddler.” She booped my nose, which caused me to giggle, before I turned around and stretched.

  I felt several bones pop in conjunction, letting the tension that my entire being had drift away in a sea of cracking noises. Take that carbon bubbles. I crane my neck to the window to see where we were and suddenly I realized that it wasn’t Kamalein.

  It was so high up that the clouds roll past the window we had. Moisture collected on the surface, and the land was so far below one could possibly see the curvature from here. And the other towers of the world for that matter.

  “Holy shit!” I quietly yelped. “I heard Loyiel was built into the old towers, but I didn’t know they were THIS HIGH UP! I wonder how the clouds feel up here.”

  I heard Dizzy mumble a damn, but Min...started to hyperventilate. SHIT! I used my massive body as I tried to shield her from the view of such a high place. “Let’s get checked out.” I quietly said.

  A nurse came in, holding a clipboard. “We need you to sign some stuff. All covered thanks to the emergency funds left by the train company, but we need the name of the dragon here.” She pointed at me.

  That...uhm, that’s a difficult problem. “Eheh, I kinda awoke to this on the train.” I pointed out. “And it came with a lot of changes, like changes with my gender and name.” Can’t really use the old name.

  “We still need a legal name, but if you want, we can use your new name in the system as preferred name.” Doesn’t help much. I sigh, letting out wisps of amethyst power flow.

  “Fine, Michael Gagnon.” I huff out. “But put it under Melinoe, please.” She nodded as she wrote it down on her clipboard.

  “Thank you, and sorry for that. It’s basically the ticket system and the college system at cross with...well, I guess the new you.” Uuuuuggggghhhhh.

  “Are we free to go?” I asked petulantly. I am tired. I want to sleep in a not hospital and not deal with problems today. Fucking bureaucracy is so stupid and awful like TAKE ME AT MY WORD.

  “Yes. The checkout is on the first floor of this building. While Minfilia and Dizzy will be released without much, especially since Dizzy’s leg was healed by our team of doctors, you will have to come back every so often. Mostly because since this is a new form for you, we’d like to make sure you’re healthy in the coming…” She flips through some of the papers on her clipboard. “...months. Also you might want to change back into human form.”

  I shake my head. “That was sealed away somehow. So stuck as a dragon.” She stared at me a moment, then sighed.

  “Of course it is. We’re also dealing with a jilted lover curse and a spontaneous fur sweat curse.” She said curtly. I heard Dizzy gag at the secondary part. “And wings are a no go. So...cardio for you then.”

  This day was already fan fucking tastic. “How many floors?”

  “Just three. Big enough to accommodate you.” She said.

  “And the elevators can accommodate trolls.” I pointed out as the big elevate let out a troll nurse with their text to speech device. Big elevators.

  “You are far bigger length wise. Even for a juvenile dragon, you are...big.”

  Minfilia chimed in. “You did have a growth spurt over night.”

  ===Isolde===

  Waiting in the lounge only feeds my anxiety more. My child is hurt possibly, plus the fact that Eloise told me that the train has my fuckhead of a father. Fiance is here, holding my hand.

  Then I spy Dizzy and Minfilia leaving the elevator, with...no M in sight. My blood begins to rush a bit faster. She has to be here right. If they are here, then she is too. Yet why why whywhwyh.

  I blink again as they walk past us. I glance at them as they moved to the stairwell, Minfilia pulling out her likely heavily customized gaming console. Dizzy is doing some shadow boxing, as if waiting for something…

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Then a big amethyst dragon pops out of the stairwell door, bigger than a cantaur. They swivel their head around to look for something, then...spot Minfilia, who hugs the big...dragon…

  Wait...M was mentioned to be a...so that’s my daughter now? Or is it Jackie. I walk over, tugging my fiance along to make sure she gets introduced, and breathe deeply. One. Two. Three. I can do this. I am fourty two years old, despite being mush when called a good girl and NO STOP FOLLOWING THOSE LINES PLEASE I NEED TO BE A REASONABLE ADULT but its hard and…

  “Can I help you?” I heard from the big rumbly dragon. Feminine, but also kinda familiar. “You look familiar…”

  In. Out. In. Out. One. Two. Three. “hi.” That’s the best I can muster? Agghghghgh. Come on come on brain this is your daughter right here. Just say something please. Please. “Is your favorite food honey comb pie and Annelian style roast beef?” DAMMIT CMON YOU STUPID FUCK UP!

  “...I...wait a minute. YOU’RE MY MOM NOW!?” She screamed surprised. I wasn’t good at hiding it but I nodded. I need to be here but also I need to be away holy shit body move MOVE!

  “Damn girl, you pull it off! You don’t look your age.” Dizzy complimented, oh god please my face can’t take it. “Wait holy shit you have a puppy girl for a mother, Melinoe.” AHASFHHHGHDSJF wait Melinoe?

  I hug my daughter tight. Hard. I am so happy she’s free from the chains. “MY GIRL IS FREE FROM HER CHAINS! OH MY GOODNESS YOU LOOK AMAZING HOLY SHIT WE NEED TO actually do you need consultation or is that dragon form already going to do the necessary stuff WAIT HOLY SHIT WE NEED TO GET YOU CLOTHES wait are you stuck like this we can’t house this that well BUT THOSE SCALES LOOK BEAUTIFUL wonder how this affects relations OH HELS WE NEED TO TELL GREGORY!”

  “Moooom. You’re embarrassing me!” She mumbled out, but no! NO! My child is free and I will do everything I can to make sure she has a good one! CLICKER SIT!

  ===Melinoe===

  My mom, who went from over excited hugger to sitting like an actual dog, stared at me, then blushed. “Good girl~.” I heard from Julie!? Wait, my mom is dating Julie, the fucking champion of Mag duel!? That Julie!? And like that the trigger for my mom was set and...oh my fuck.

  “Okay, please release mom from the pavlovian...whatever that is.” I implied with consternation. Please oh god I want to go to a place to rest and eat.

  “Oh, right, sorry, public. Just...you looked like you were getting smothered.” She mentioned, and then snapped her finger. Mom’s eyes returned to kinda normal, the same bright pearl they’ve always been.

  “Yeah, but she does that. Even before all of this, it was...a lot.” Mom gets up from her position and blushes a deep shade of ruby. “I mean, well, wanted to do the better than her deadbeat dad.”

  “Yeah, never talks about him. Or his mother for the matter.” That I know way more than I should. Julie looked at me like I could answer, and much as I wish I couldn’t, well, sorry mom.

  “Her mother was a prostitute in Toltz, before the incident.” I sighed. “Met her. Grandmam was what she wanted to be called. Had these unique citrus candies she made.”

  Mom pouted. If I wasn’t so much bigger than her I’d be embarrassed for somehow being more mature. Then again, I am reasonably certain mom’s finally expressing herself I think. Letting the tension go and being in the moment.

  Dizzy chimed in with her own thoughts. “Nothing wrong with it. Also, I met her, didn’t know she was a former prostitute.” I remember when she visited the shop. “I’d never have guess.”

  “I miss her candies. They were the really good shit she made at home.” Minfilia nostalgically said.

  “Oh, I don’t talk about it much anymore because she’s selling her formula to a candy conglomerate. Her face and name on it and I wanted to respect that.” Mom explained. I nod along, then double take.

  My family is the most confusing mess in existence at times. Grandma happy is now part of a candy company?? SHE’S OLD AS SHIT. Three times my age and yet doing stuff still. I slow blink, trying to process that.

  “All four of you were spoiled rotten by her.” Mom pouted again, before nodding. “Anyway, coming outs done, lets head to Julie’s home. Or something...I think you can fit in the trolley.”

  ======

  I twitch. The place cannot fit me. Apparently I have to find a solution really fast to the fact that I am big. I liked when I was smaller back on the train. Like way smaller, lither. Can I do that? Please? I try to will myself to that, but I curse as I only feel myself growing a tiny bit more.

  I mean, being stuck having to walk the distance to the place instead of the riding the trolley was not a concern at least. The problem was housing. The hallways of the condos here aren’t big enough. If anything, they’re claustrophobic, tight, and well I’m am a very big girl whose the size of a centaur.

  And if I have to hear about a centaur’s granddaughter again while he jogs past me because he wanted to talk to another quadruped, I am going to scream. Tried to pair me with his grandson, mentioned I was a lesbian, then started to pester me about saving his granddaughter.

  Sweet, but please understand I am under duress from the walk and I am DO NOT have my nomad stamina. So I am sitting in the lobby, waiting for my bags to be put away while they figure something out. That’s where I spy someone odd.

  The annelian man that manhandled Katarsis, or Jackie, or whichever, was there, staring at me. I huffed and turned over, looking away, but why is he here? I could here the footsteps of his heavy boots come near me.

  “So, you’ve returned.” He said with a seemingly relieved tenor. “...memory sister.”

  I crane my neck at him and glare. “The fuck does that mean?” Who starts an introduction like that.

  “Ah, sorry, I am still old. I might request to go somewhere private, but considering your state, that would be hard to do.” He chuckled. “You’ve had the dream where your wings were cut off and the woman with rose hair was there with you, right?”

  “Wait, how the fuck would you know that one?” I turned my body to him, really peeved by that. It’s a fucked up dream.

  “I was there when it happened. I was the one that murdered the knights that day for what they did. Eloise was there too. I am the dragon of Pearl.” He gives a bow. “And I can help you at least adapt in that form.”

  ===Gauthier===

  Gauthier sat in his office of the college. Much as he would like to grab the dragon right now, he was still a tenured professor. Course work, student list, schedule, the works. Father would be rather curious as to why he became a professor.

  To him, the course of history is fascinating, if a bit strange. There were events tied to certain people that appeared over and over again. Archetypes of sorts, but he couldn’t quite place what they were.

  The Partisan, such as the Whore that destroyed the first empire. The Magician, she who created the archaic arts and later provided the modern arts of magic. The Maiden, whose own light protected humanity through all its ills. The Sage, The Master, The Killer, The Hero, The Messiah, The Vilelord.

  And the Lover. The one who seduced the original king Lothair the first into that war that killed him. The one who kidnapped Renoir into the dark night. Gauthier’s ancestors according to the birth records. These archetypes shaped history, and this one seems to be the one most adept at taking the rightful rule away from their blood.

  The dragons are a means to an end for him. Power like that might allow even the lowliest of peasants to rewrite history, and if his predictions are true, the lover is already out there on him and his.

  ===Eloise===

  The bus was quiet. The few other people who couldn’t get through the portal were more than stressed about their ride being taken away. Meanwhile I am too used to it. One place with no way to travel faster than what machines we made.

  Its fine. I mean I get to see the countryside and hills roll by, plus all the neat things this world has. Our world is too beautiful, and I am glad the anti-pollution movement went and succeeded. Would be cruel.

  “Soon we are coming up on a world heritage site. I am at the limit of my union hours, so I am dropping all of you off there. My replacement will come pick all of you up, but in the mean time, the company extends a free pass to see the site while you wait, plus a voucher for the gift shop!”

  I squint then pale. The heritage site was my home. My old home from long ago, when I fled finally from the bastard I called family. Nostalgia passes in a wave over my body, and I realize I can take a break.

  I pull my phone out and call who I am honored to call my wife.