Becoming a Dragon

by Holland, Andy

  Crystal screamed and fell backwards, landing seated on the ground. She wasn't sure whether to be terrified or excited. The creature that had saved them, the Dragon the others had questioned whether was real was standing in front of her and it was John! He stood motionless, head lowered to stare at her, the light from the setting sun reflecting from his scales, his golden eyes fixed on hers. He was much smaller than a Red Dragon, and his calm demeanour and intense expression wasn't at all threatening. Crystal held his stare for a minute, studying his face and body. He could have passed for a golden statue, were it not for his alert, intelligent eyes that bore into her.

  In a blur of gold scales, John transformed back, landing crouched in front of her. She looked up in him in disbelief.

  "You've been brought up as a Red Dragon, taught to hate all other races," said John. "I couldn't share this with you without first changing the way you think. As it is, I think I'm right in saying that this still comes as a bit of a shock."

  Crystal said nothing for a few seconds, staring at him in disbelief. "It was you that saved Seth and me? You were the one that attacked those Blues that were following us?" John nodded. "And you can take the form of any dragon?"

  John nodded again, letting it all sink in.

  "Those Blue Dragons, the ones which were crushed and chewed up. You did that as well?"

  "There are no living examples of the dragon whose form I took," John replied, "but knowledge of how to take that shape has been passed down for many generations. It was a giant walking dragon, the largest and most powerful of all of the high dragons."

  "What happened to them?" Crystal asked, half expecting the answer.

  "They were all murdered by Red Dragons a long time ago," John replied. "Murdered in their sleep, as they were too powerful to fight as dragons. They're not recorded in your history. Although, that's not really true. They're recorded in your history, just not Red Dragon history. And that's why Golden Dragons aren't in that book. They wrote it."

  Crystal shook her head. This was too much to take. "What about my mother? What was her story?"

  "She and your father were working as spies, living in the land of the Blue Dragons. We don't know exactly what happened, but they were discovered, and your mother was poisoned. It was a slow acting poison—one that killed slowly and painfully—as a punishment. She managed to escape with you, but only to the border with the Red Dragon kingdom. She transformed into a Red Dragon to convince anyone who found her that you and her were Red Dragons. She died as a Red Dragon. It's likely that the transformation accelerated the poison and killed her."

  "And my father?"

  "We suspect that he was killed before then, when they were discovered. We have no more spies in the Blue Kingdom; they were the last. Our unique ability is known to them now, so spying is too dangerous. The Red Dragons, however, still don't know who we are or what we can do. We have had spies in this Kingdom for many years, although unfortunately none of them knew where you were, not for many years, and at the moment I'm the only spy here."

  "Why do you do it? Why spy at all? We can't be at war with you if we don't know who you are."

  "Not yet, true, but Red Dragons might be one day. It's good to know what your neighbours are planning on doing, just in case. But self-defence isn't our only goal, or even our main one. We strive to stop wars, between all races. This is for everyone's benefit, not just our own. Our spies are in place to try and influence their host nations as much as glean information from them. Influence them in a way that avoids conflicts. A voice of caution, of moderation. We have had spies in prominent positions in many of the nations over the years, as well as the Red and the Blue Dragons, who have advised against attacking your neighbours, and have probably helped avoid much bloodshed. It has not been easy or with much success, and sadly now we have no spies in the Blue Kingdom and none of influence in the Red Kingdom."

  "Except you. Well, I suppose you are on the path to becoming influential, are you not? Is that why you are with Daisy?"

  "Of course not," John replied indignantly. "I would never do something like that, not to someone like her. I had no intention of having a girlfriend while I was here, it just happened. You were my only objective. Besides, any influence I could have had is far too late to be of use. The Blues will wipe out the Reds unless alliances can be agreed—alliances with races who rightly fear the Reds as much as the Blues, and have reason to hate them."

  "What about the Golden Dragons? Couldn't you join the Reds in an alliance?"

  John shook his head. "We never take sides, not as a nation anyway. Our laws insist that we remain neutral. It's frustrating when we see what is going to happen, but our laws are there for good reason."

  Crystal paused, taking it all in. "But hang on a moment. When I first transformed, I changed into a Red Dragon, not a Golden one. If I'm the same as you, why did that happen? Shouldn't I have transformed into a Golden Dragon by default?"

  "I worried that might happen, which is why I wanted to train you. I wish I'd met you sooner; then I might have persuaded you."

  Crystal shook her head. "My mother would never have allowed it." She paused to reflect on her first transformation. "Just think what would have happened had I changed into a Golden Dragon in front of my mother. That would have been a nasty shock for both of us. I can't believe you didn't watch to make sure I was alright."

  John smiled mischievously. "Do you recognise this statue?"

  He stepped backwards before transforming into the small worm dragon she had thought was a statue. He changed back just as quickly, as the last rays of sunlight were about to disappear.

  "That was you? The statue? Hey, you were watching!" She punched him on the arm. "I was walking around wearing absolutely nothing! I can't believe you were watching me all that time!"

  "There's no pleasing some people," he said. "You complain when you thought I wasn't watching, and hit me when you find out I was!"

  She glared at him. "You should have found a way that didn't involve staring at me with no clothes on."

  John shrugged. "Seemed the best way to me." He dodged as she tried to slap him. "I thought you might have realised at one point. I could see you staring at me and wondered if you had realised I wasn't a statue."

  "I thought there was just one statue originally!" Crystal cried in realisation.

  "You were right," John replied with a grin. "I couldn't risk you changing into a Golden Dragon without me there to back you up."

  "What was the plan if that had happened?"

  John shook his head. "Nothing that would have worked out well. More importantly, now that you know everything of importance, what's your plan? Will you come with me? I know you've grown up in this place, but your real home is where I am going. Oh, by the way, there's one other thing about Golden Dragons that I haven't told you."

  "What's that?" Crystal asked.

  "There's another way in which we are unique. For every other dragon, the race of their offspring is the same as their father. If Jenna or Daisy were to marry a different kind of dragon, their children would not be Red Dragons. But you're different. If, for example, you were to take a Red Dragon as a husband, your offspring would not be Red Dragons. They'd all be Golden Dragons. Eventually, your secret would be found out. Knowing this nation, I think you would be seen as a threat. Many other nations are uncomfortable about it as well, even our few friends, and interracial marriages are rare. I'm sorry, but I think this can never really be your home."

  Crystal shook her head, remembering the biology lesson at the beginning of the year. "Kal doesn't realise how wrong he was." She sighed. "I can't make a decision now. I need to sleep on it. It's a lot to take in. What will my parents say?"

  John shrugged. "If they find out what you are, things may spiral out of yours and their control. This is why I couldn't tell Daisy or anyone else anything yet. I had to wait until you knew."

  "Maybe you don't need to tell me anything," a quiet voice said from behind a tree. Daisy stepped out in
to the half-light and stood in front of them both, regarding them quite calmly.

  "Daisy! You followed us!" John almost shouted.

  "Did you hear everything?" Crystal asked in horror and disbelief. "Did you see?"

  She nodded. "I wanted to talk to you. I didn't want this to be our last night. I was going to ask if I can come with you when you leave."

  John stepped towards her cautiously and took hold of her hands. "Are you alright? I'm really sorry, I didn't want you to find out this way. I was going to tell you, I swear, but when the time was right."

  "What are you going to do, Daisy?" Crystal asked nervously. "You know what we are now. Are you afraid of us? Should I be afraid of you?"

  Daisy shook her head and smiled reassuringly. "Of course I'm not afraid of you. You're still John and Crystal. You haven't changed. Besides, the sun has just set. Neither of you could transform now."

  Crystal shook her head in disbelief. "How can you say that? You saw John. He's not a Red Dragon."

  Daisy reached out and took Crystal's hand and squeezed it gently. "No, but I guess he never has been, so nothing has actually changed other than what I know. But he's still John. He'd never hurt me."

  "Daisy, if anyone finds out, you know what will happen, don't you?" John asked her.

  She nodded. "I guess I do. But I don't care. I still want to go with you."

  "You have no idea where he's going," Crystal told her.

  "Neither do you," she replied. "But John expects you to be able to make that decision. Why can't I?"

  "You don't have to!" Crystal exclaimed in disbelief. "You belong here, you have a family here."

  "And the same is true for you, Crystal," John pointed out. "Your family are just as real today as they were yesterday. You have friends here and a place in this society. You do have a choice as well."

  "For how long? As soon as someone finds out it'll be all over."

  "I would never tell," Daisy assured her. "You can trust me to keep a secret."

  "No one has found out for sixteen years. It doesn't need to change," John added.

  "Wait, so you're telling me not to go with you?"

  "Of course not. I want you to go with me. I'm telling you that you have a choice. My task was to get you to this choice, to keep you safe up to this point, to help you stay concealed. Where you go from here is up to you."

  "And up to me?" Daisy asked, a slight hint of bitterness in her voice. "Do I get the same choice as she does? Don't I deserve that as well?"

  "You do," John agreed reluctantly. "But not like this. You should have enough time to think it over properly. What I really am and what our children would be. What it means for your family. It's not fair on you to have to make this decision so quickly."

  "I've thought it over. There was never any question."

  "You're really alright with him being...being different?" Crystal asked.

  Daisy smiled. "He was always different. That didn't stop me loving him before. Why should it now?"

  "But your children would be—they wouldn't be the same as you," Crystal argued.

  "They'd be like me in the ways that matter," Daisy retorted. "I've been listening to his lessons too, remember? It's a little different for us in the West anyway, being further removed from the conflicts on our borders. But for me, it's even less of an issue. I never hated in the same way as everyone else. This isn't that hard for me."

  Crystal nodded. Daisy was different in that way; she did see the best in everyone. Suddenly Daisy seemed to be much more mature than the rest of them, quite different from the little girl she had always been before.

  "What about your brother?" Crystal asked. "Would he let you go?"

  Daisy shrugged indifferently. "He couldn't stop me. Remember, I'm only weak when I'm like this; as a dragon I'm his equal. Besides, he has no real authority, whatever he thinks. Gerald is legally my guardian while I'm away from home, not him, and I think he would actually let me go. Not that I would give him the choice."

  John frowned. "Arthur couldn't stop you, but you wouldn't be able to stop him either. He wouldn't let you go on your own; he'd insist on coming. And you can't just sneak away. You owe him more than that."

  "Could he come with us?" Daisy asked hopefully. "I could explain it all to him. He would understand, I know he would. He's like me really, on the inside; he just keeps it well hidden."

  "If he comes, then he'll know about me as well," Crystal pointed out. "Yet another person. How long can this remain a secret?"

  John looked at her wistfully. "I don't know. But what choice do we have? I have to go. If I don't go, or if I am unsuccessful, then everyone here, everyone you care about will die. If I go, so will Daisy. I could try to stop her, but I won't. She'd just try and follow me, and put herself in more danger and I won't allow that. Either way, her brother would go with her and she'd have to explain why. You still have a choice whether to come or not, but for me, for Arthur and Daisy, the decision has already been made."

  Crystal turned to Daisy. "That's not true. It's out of his hands but not yours. You could stay. You're being selfish. If you do this, you put me at risk of being found out. You'll also put yourself and Arthur in danger. That means John will have to protect you and you'll be putting him in danger too."

  "And you're not being selfish? You want me to give up John? For what? So you can continue to pretend to be what you're not? John will need me when he gets there. He doesn't realise yet but he will need me. You forget who I am. I'm the granddaughter of a prince, the ruler of the largest and richest principality and the most powerful man in the Kingdom after the King. Who could be a better ambassador than his granddaughter? John is many things but he can't represent the Red Dragons because he isn't one. How could he strike an alliance on our behalf? I could. Especially with Arthur with me. We need allies, Crystal. Look what John can do on his own. Just imagine what an army of Johns could do! Now, my mind is made up already. You can do what you like, I don't really care, but you won't change my mind. I'm going to speak to my brother now."

  She turned and headed back along the path towards the campsite, but John ran after her and caught her arm. "Wait, come back, Daisy."

  "I'm not changing my mind, John," she replied firmly. "I'm coming with you."

  John smiled at her and took both her hands in his. "I know that, but that means I will have to keep you safe. So I'm not letting you out my sight until we arrive safely. Starting now."

  Daisy wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his. "I think I could put up with that," she said with a smile.

  "Ugh," Crystal said in disgust. "Are you going to be like this for the whole journey?"

  John laughed. "So you're coming?"

  Crystal raised her eyes to the moonlit sky. "I'm sure I'll regret this, but yes, I'll come. Just don't do that any more."

  "Do what?" Daisy asked innocently before kissing John on the lips and laughing.

  "Yes, I am definitely going to regret this," Crystal declared, walking past them and back to the camp.

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