By

Gwen Brown

This Short Story has been laying in one of my SSDs, neglected and unfinished for years. It seems that my protagonist is deeply confused about their gender. That’s not the half of it. What can we do to fix that? This is a story of secrets, deception, abuse, and war.

After a long, painful struggle, Mother died very early in the darkness of Wednesday morning. It was pouring down rain. The lightning and thunder made it seem like a war was going on outside. The farm was out along Burnt Ridge Road, West of Clinton, Arkansas, so at least we were high enough, so we hadn’t flooded in my memory.

She’d been laying there very quietly and breathing shallowly. Suddenly, she took in a big breath of air and sat up. She hadn’t sat up or eaten in days and hardly drank, so this was a shocking surprise! She started speaking like she was out of breath. Sean had been attending to her and sleeping on the couch beside her home hospital bed for more than a week. His father was somewhere between Nashville and home, driving a gasoline tanker.

“Sean, there is so much I wanted to teach you and now it is too late. Remember all I taught you? Don’t forget because you will need to know. In a little while, you will start getting power and direction and those things will help you control many things around you. After I am gone it will all make sense. I am not your mother and Jason is not your father. We were supposed to be your protectors in exile from our planet, but when we arrived, he revealed that he was one of the enemies who would imprison you. He let me live to raise you. I wanted to teach you much more, she repeated, but he forbade it and would have killed us both if he found out. Perhaps you wondered about the family secrecy? Sean had always resented the way that he was forbidden to have friends at home or to go to anyone’s house. It angered him that school was his only activity, and no sports either!

When I am gone, my spirit will alert those who sent us. We are refugees a very long way from our home world, and it will take a long time for your followers that remain to get here. I do not know who is in power now. The enemy may have won for now and they will be very anxious to locate you and kill or imprison you. Sean, you are very special. Know that and never give up or yield to fear. You are a Princess and your Family ruled until it was overthrown by treachery. This Solar system is at the “fingertip” of a Galaxy in the Laniakea Supercluster that I taught you of. Our home planet is over in another arm of the Pices-Persius super space. I don’t know if they teach you these things in School. That is why we had those talks on Astronomy.

After I am gone, and you drink the fluid in the little bottle, it will begin to magically free you and allow you to use the forces within you. You are not a boy. The spell that conceals you makes others think you are. Again, you are the Princess of our people, and we have hidden you away here to protect you.

Sean’s life had just taken a huge turn and she knew that things would never be the same. It felt strange but right to begin to think of herself as a girl. She would not miss Jason, the man she had thought was his father, and she most certainly would not miss that place they called school. The 7th grade felt so stupid to him. Very early in school, he learned to pretend he didn’t know much, and to answer enough questions in class wrong. Mother had taught him so well, and he was so much more intelligent than the other children in school. He hadn’t been told his IQ but an incident with his science and math teacher was comforting.

This year he’d done too well on a science test and the teacher took him aside, badgering him because he frequently got questions in class wrong, yet getting perfect scores on tests. He eventually convinced his teacher that he had to appear to be dumber or the bullies would beat him up. Finally, the teacher understood and sent him back to his desk. “This will be our secret.” He said with a wink.

Sean had been having very confused feelings about his gender all winter and now that it was late Spring, it had gotten worse, though he had expected his feelings to get better with puberty, he’d learned about in health class, and they hadn’t. There was no puberty yet, but he hadn’t talked to anyone about that, other than his mom. She just said to be patient but offered nothing else.

Sean’s only friend in school, or anywhere for that matter was Julie. When he looked at her, he always felt like he was seeing something in her that he felt was impossible. He adored her, and she knew it, but he could not understand her devotion to him. She was the one person that gave him the strength to withstand the bullying at school and the brutal, rough handling of her father at home. More than once she had placed herself between Sean and someone at school who meant to beat him up. Amazingly, she almost always put a stop to it.

“In the basement, under my sewing machine is a small backpack. On top of it is a letter, and an Amulet. He can’t trace it, but the guardians can when they get here. I hope that they can find you along the way. Follow the instructions in that letter. You will begin to change in wonderful ways, so don’t be frightened. You are a Royal Princess, remember that. Sean just assumed his mother’s mistake was due to her being very ill, but deep inside he felt a strong stirring. You will sense where you are to go through the Amulet, so start there immediately, and waste no time. The animals and other forces will help you as they can.

Mother began to weaken, gasping more than before. Suddenly she seemed to sag and stopped breathing. It was amazing that her back suddenly arched, and a light blue beam shot out of her chest. It made a hole in the ceiling and shot right out into the night. A little ball of light about the size of a soft ball rose out of her chest and shot out through the hole in the ceiling.

Strong emotion seized Sean, and he wept for what seemed a long time. Sean’s entire world had crumbled in a moment. What would he do without the woman what he thought of as Mother? Sure, now he knew she was not actually his mother, but he still felt like it. After a while, feeling wrung out from weeping, he began to accept more that she was female. She went down into the basement and retrieved the backpack and letter.

On top of the letter, under the sewing machine, was a little vial of amber fluid, and a necklace with a little blue stone hanging from it. Setting the things aside, he opened the letter. “Sean, if you are reading this alone, it means that I am gone, and your rapid escape is vital. Drink the fluid in the vial now, and then put the necklace around your neck. This is important, do it now!” You are the lost Princess but have been magically made to look male. The fluid will eventually erase that deception. Also in the pack was a thick bundle of currency; Thousands of dollars in 100’s and 20’s. Sean had never seen as much money!

Sean quickly drank the fluid and his whole body began to tingle. He reached out to pick up the amulet and little sparks passed between it and his fingers, making her stop for a second but then knowing of the urgency, she did it. The transformation had begun.

She picked up the letter to finish reading it, but all the print was gone. In tall letters appeared Run! And then that burst into flame. It was obvious that the fire from the letter was intense enough that it was dangerous. She almost forgot the backpack, but then grabbing it, she was up the stairs and out the door as fast as she could go, grabbing her jacket and hiking shoes on the way! She stopped on the rear steps and slipped her insulated Barn pants on, and then hi top socks and shoes. She started to run across the neighbor’s corn field but felt guided to get out on the pavement and head up that road. She would leave no tracks on pavement. She just went where she felt guided. At times, it seemed that the Amulet was actually pulling on her neck. Sean felt silly when she found her night shirt sticking out the bottom of her long coat, so she stopped and fixed that too.

Sean was a small 12-year-old, and the backpack felt heavy very soon. After only about a half hour, Sean knew she needed to rest, so she ducked into a thicket. She sat there, looking back at the farm. There was a tremendous glow from it as if the house and all the outbuildings were burning. Wow, she thought. “My family is even stranger than I feared”.

Rested now, she got moving again. There was almost a full moon but increasingly clouds swept across it, blocking its light. Another hour of walking was bringing her close to the tiny town of Shanksville. She knew her friend from school, Julie lived there, so perhaps she could stop there if there were lights on. Even in the predawn hours, the air was very warm, but she could feel it getting ready to rain again, by the wind and the feel of the air, and by the looks of the clouds, it would rain hard. Sean stopped and took her rain slicker from inside the pack, and she’d just gotten it on when the heavens opened up. The slicker was past her knees, but in short order her lower legs and feet were soaking despite the barn boots.

It was well lit, past dawn, by the time she got to Julie’s house. They had been friends at school. She didn’t think that anyone would be up, but she wished he could at least say goodbye to her. The lights were on, and Julie’s Mother was at the sink getting breakfast. She seemed to take notice of him passing and then Julie was there too. In just a moment, the Front door was open with Julie calling out, “Sean, you must be soaking. Why are you out here? Get in here now”.

This is exactly what Sean had wanted to happen, so it took him time to get up on the porch and set his pack down. “Here Sean, let me get a towel for you to drip on.” It only took moments for Sean to be standing in the hall, on a towel, and then her dad was pulling Sean’s boots off. It didn’t take long for him to be sat at the breakfast table, eating oatmeal, eggs and bacon. Julie’s Dad had moved his pack into the hallway to drip on the towel now that Sean didn’t need it. His rain slicker was dripping on a wall hook. As they ate, the predawn storm was passing.

Julie asked, “Is it your dad again.” Sean nodded but didn’t say anything. Then, finally, “It’s all a huge mess. I think that you always thought I was different and now I can say that I am vastly more different than any of us knew. I can’t tell you how right now because I’d fear for your safety if he somehow read your minds or something.”

Sean could feel itching on her shoulder blades but had no idea of the cause.

Neither Julie nor her family disagreed. “We want to help you in any way we can”. Julie’s Mother said.

Sean explained that he had a lot of traveling to do, but he must do it alone. He didn’t know exactly where he was going.

He felt so much better with some breakfast in him. Julie’s family got everything dried and helped him to get dressed in a way that would keep him warm. Julie gave him her black rain pants, and pink boots, which Sean accepted without question. His rain Jacket would be fine, as long as he got the hood up and the cuffs pulled closed. Fortunately, Julie’s Father had a rain proof backpack cover, and that set him.

Julie’s Dad, Mark sat across from Sean eyeing him, waiting for an explanation from Sean. Mark had seen bruises and limping on both Sean and his mother when they had grocery shopped in town but had not interfered no matter how much he wanted to. Under Mark’s silent scrutiny Sean knew that he’d have to say something but was just not sure how. It was, after all, very strange for him to be out with a backpack at this hour.

Finally, “Mother died in the night. She spoke to me and left me a letter and pack. She told me to run and get away from here as fast as I could. I know this sounds crazy. The letter she left me started to burn as soon as I read it. It said in big letters to Run, and then started burning. I think it burned the whole farm.”

“When Mother died, a ball of blue light came out of her and went right through the ceiling. I wasn’t surprised when it happened. Mother had been teaching me little sayings and tricks for a long time.”

“Sean, we knew because something got Marcie and Julie up early this morning.” He spoke. “When they woke me up, everyone seemed to know that it was about your family, but not what.”

“We aren’t magic believers, but we always knew that you were special, so we will help you as much as we can.”

Sean said, “You can’t help me too much because if HE finds out, he might harm you.”

“Thank you for saying that Sean. We know he is dangerous.”

In the next hour, Sean finished eating, and Julie and her mother got her into warm socks and some rubber barn boots. Julie showed him the clips on the lower side of the boots so that when he took them off, they could hang upside down on his pack to dry as he walked. His wet shoes were hanging on his pack right now, after a “heated” session on the boot dryer. Looking down, Sean could see flowers on the light blue boots. Then he looked at Julie. “Sean, you need those boots worse than I do. Do they fit well enough?”

Sean looked at her and he could tell that they had a connection that could never be broken. “Thank you, Julie,”.

Mark looked at Sean. “There is a power about you that his helping you to deal with the way your world is falling apart. If there is ever anything else we can do …”“Sean, if it were anyone else. But we knew that something was wrong.
Mark then handed Sean a leather envelope that was stuffed with money in small denominations. “Sean, there is about $200 there and if you need help along the way, call us. I feel like I am not supposed to put you in my truck and take you anywhere. Somehow you are protected, but we are not.”

The time was almost 7:30 AM and the busses would be on the road very soon.

Thinking with a maturity that was not his own, Sean thanked everyone, and got on his way again. As they stepped out on the porch to say goodbye, they could all hear the sound of the roar of an enraged monster a long way away. Sean looked at Julie and her family and ran down the steps and off up the street.

With haste, Sean moved down the street and out the West side of town. The Amulet seemed to be talking to her and felt comforting. She didn’t yet know where she was going but she felt it could take her a while to complete the journey.

The fall day got warm and steamy. He had taken off the boots and put on his almost dry shoes. Mother had put lots of trail bars, made with her recipe in the pack, and no matter what she drank, her water bottle seemed to stay almost full. Just before noon she felt a foreboding and ducked under a tree. Fear nearly overcame her and then a huge shadow swept past. She got a glimpse of a huge black dragon, one as big as an airline.

The Amulet felt warm, almost hot, and when he looked at it there was a pale blue glow coming from it. He watched the huge dragon, fearing it would circle back, but it continued on. Sean did not know that the Amulet kept her invisible from the dragon. Some would glimpse the black Dragon and quickly forget. The Amulet also put out a field that made others around her disinterested, so they mostly ignored her.

That night, Sean walked into a Burger joint and ate more than she’d ever eaten before. Of course, she’d walked a long way, and because of the fluid she’d drank her body was using energy to change. After she’d eaten, he continued to walk until almost dark. She found an empty barn alongside the road, so went into it. There was an old, very dusty tractor and several bales of hay. He was so tired, that he just laid down on his, now dry, rain slicker and slept immediately. Something large made a noise outside the barn just as it was getting light, and Sean was awake right away.

She quickly got her shoes and socks on and crept to the door, only to find a horse rubbing his butt on the side of the barn. “Sorry to disturb your rest little Sister. I was trying to relieve this itch and had no idea that you were within.”, the horse seemed to say in her mind. Sean was surprised for a moment but as she thought, everything seemed as it should be. There seemed to have been changes as she slept, though she was not fully ready to accept that she was becoming she now. The itching on her back were now lumps, perhaps the size of half a Grapefruit. Her nipples itched and her bits had noticeably shrunk. She dug around in her pack and found a soft t-shirt. That should help some, she mused.

Shawn had a trail bar and drank some water as she woke up. It was full dawn now on a cool morning and almost cloudless sky. The horse continued to speak into her mind, “I regret that I cannot accompany you on your journey, but I am bound to this place. I hope that you find a companion soon.”

Sean thanked the horse in her mind and got on her way. She seemed to have a new sense that guided her sometimes across fields and through wooded areas. For now, the storms seemed to have moved off and the day was at least partially sunny. He continued to spend his nights in the woods, or thickets. Sometimes there were abandoned barns and one night she spent in a culvert under a railroad track, which was good until a train rumbled past over his head. After it passed, he managed to sleep until dawn without further interruption.

One morning he wakened to find dozens of butterflies sitting on the bushes surrounding him. They didn’t talk to him but sort of “purred” To him. As he got up and stretched, he saw a wolf like dog sitting and watching him. The Wolf seemed to speak to her and indicated that he would be her guide and protector as long as he could.

She’d been out for days now and felt the need for a bath and clean clothing. She was walking through a small town along a large river. Along one of the quieter streets, a woman sat on her porch eying her. She’d almost passed, when she called out to her, “Come here child, you look like you need some rest.” Sean was surprised but only hesitated until she felt the Amulet warmly seeming to reassure her. “The refugees are all very excited to find that the lost Princess is on her way to finish this ugly business. Please come in and make use of my hospitality”. She spoke.
The Wolf led the way up on the porch and laid down. The woman identified herself as Anne and Sean likewise. In the house Anne had her in the tub almost before Sean knew what was going on. The tub quickly filled, and Anne put in fragrant oils and salts. Sean must have been quite tired, and she found herself dozing in the heavenly bath. Anne got her out of the tub, draping a huge fluffy towel around her shoulders. Sean was astonished that her bits were nearly gone, and her breasts were budding. Anne quickly dressed her in a very pretty cotton top with a camisole under that. She helped Sean put some soft cotton tap pants on but let her put her Carhart like insulated pants back on. Sean felt almost hysterical due to the rapid changes that she was experiencing.

Looking down, his bits were mostly gone! Stripping off her shirts, there were the first buds of new breasts developing. Sean sat heavily, feeling extremely confused. “What is happening to me”?

Anne told Sean that she was one of the lost refugees of their garden planet, Marton. She quickly told her the story of the evil war on Marton and the dark Dragons had won for the time being. As she talked, she realized that Sean did not seem to know hardly anything. Sean did not realize that posing her as a boy was a magic ploy. She was actually the blue princess.

Your Majesty, you need to stop soon and get a training Bra. Your breasts will hurt, even bleed until you do it.

Sean felt almost like waddling from the full meal and felt like napping, but Anne warned her of the danger from the black dragon. “You must flee toward your destination lest the evil one catch you.” She spoke. The wolf led her into the darkness until well after the moon rose after Midnight. The huge dog led her into the underbrush beneath a tree where it lay down and Sean quickly found herself snuggled beside him. It was a foggy dawn but not too cold. The wolf drank from a small creek near them, and Sean ate a trail bar and water from the camel pack the woman had given her.

She was dressed warm enough to get through the morning and would stop if it rained. It took a month to cross Oklahoma and start into hillier Northern New Mexico. It was a surprise to her that the Native Americans that lived along there were so caring. One group practically dragged her into a Pueblo up around Taos and forced her to rest for a few days. Rather than Sean, they called her Dragon Nabawi (Warrior) and that confused her, but any argument was fruitless. When she was fully rested a man named Elu put her on a horse wrapped in blankets and in a Leather skirt and top and led her for several days. When he stopped, he made sure that her belongings were well packed, and she wore good hiking shoes given to her by a member of the Tribe. In a week, Sean made it to the mountains of southern Colorado. In a particularly mountainous area, she found a large, unmarked cave and felt that she was to remain there until her transformation was complete.

The cave inside was Cavernous. One morning she wakened to the Sun streaming directly into her face back in the cave. She felt funny and soon saw that she was a small pearl colored Dragon and only about 12 feet tall, with a wing spread of only around 20 feet. Most surprising to her was that she could levitate without even flapping her beautiful wings. They weren’t stiff and ridged but hung from her back like a split cape and had a slight blueish tint. There was a long wing and a shorter one on each side. She sat so long admiring her beauty that she lost track of time. The pool in the cave seemed magically reflective. She got lost in it.

She felt astonished to find that she could morph between human and dragon very easily. Of course, she was naked in her human form, with smallish Breasts that barely jiggled at all. “What is my real name? Sean does not cover it, the way that I am now.” She thought. Later, after a pleasant afternoon nap she knew she was Nizhoni, and saying it made her feel beautiful!

As she reclined there, hunger pangs began to plague her. Nizhoni had never flown before, but hunger drove her. It amazed her that as soon as she swept from the cave, she was flying and soon soared to glorious heights but with hunger driving her, she quickly spotted a small deer below. Folding her wings, she dropped on her prey almost silently. Just before crashing into the deer, she flared and quickly gobbled up the unwary prey. It didn’t take her long to arrive back at the cave. She laid down and slept. When she awakened, a rather un-lady like burp brought up the left-over bones and fur. Feeling more energized, Nizhoni swept back out of the cave to search for clothing for her human form. She had hoped to find something to take from the clothesline of a home but instead, she came to a small town. It was early and there weren’t many people out yet. She drifted into an alley and morphed into her very naked human form. Her skin was very light, almost Pearl colored, and her hair was almost Pearl Blond. Later she would see that she had bright blue cat eyes. Nizhoni wondered what her eyes looked like to normal humans.

There was a used women’s clothing store across the street and down a half block. She wished that she could be invisible on her run to the store but that didn’t happen. She curled up on the porch behind a potted plant as much as possible. Her wait did not seem that long when a woman unlocked the door from inside the store. Nizhoni quickly scrambled up and ran inside.
When the woman saw Nizhoni, she removed something from a rack and draped it around the girl’s shoulder. Then looking more, she said, “I am Liz and I have never seen anyone like you. Your complexion is so shiny and pretty. Where do you come from and what is your name?”

“I am Princess Nizhoni, and I am fleeing from those who would kill me.”

As the woman turned the Princess, she saw that what she had thought to be a cape on her back were actually pearl-colored wings and part of her body. Seeing that, Liz quickly helped Nizhoni get the cape under her wings. Then she helped with under clothing and finally a dress. Getting a Camisole on her was a lot of work with scissors.

As the women were working another woman walked in and began browsing. Spotting Nizhoni, she walked over and said, “My dear you are a boy magnet! That hair of yours is completely astonishing.”

“Hi Hanema, I am trying to conceal her, she is in hiding.” Liz said.

“Is that so, I have the perfect idea. We can cover her in a Headcovering called a Hijab and cover her body in an Abaya. No one will know. I have it all at home. I still hang onto those items when Mother and Father Visit. The women chatted for a few minutes while Nizhoni stood by. Finished, Hanema said to the young Princess, “Come home with me child and I will hide you.”

The trip home was short and when the two women were in the house, she fed Nizhoni Lunch. Finishing with her meal, “Nizhoni thanked Hanema gratuitously.” I was starving”. When they finished with the mess in the Kitchen, Hanema led her into her bedroom and pulled out a pretty, silken garment and a big loose dress with long sleeves called an Abaya. Hanema went to work with scissors and her sewing machine. In a short while she had slit Abaya up the back and sewn in a hidden magnetic fastening.

Once Nihoni was in that garment, Hanema draped her head with a one-piece Hijab (Women’s head covering). Only her very pretty face was exposed. She was fully concealed from her enemies now.

“Now you are concealed from your enemies. I know that you can divest yourself of those garments in time of need.” She spoke. “You, how did you know. Please don’t hurt me, am I safe?” Nihoni said. “No one knows that I too am a refugee and as soon as I saw you and your complexion, I knew that our time of exile was almost up!” Hanema emoted.
Instinctively knowing how, Nizhoni momentarily half morphed into her dragon form, a mere shadow, and then quickly back to her human form. She knew that garbed as she was, almost anyone would take her for a Muslim woman. Somehow Nizhoni now knew that she could keep her pack, Abaya and Hijab hidden between her two states. She was thankful that her naked streaking would no longer be necessary.

The need to move on was pulling at her, so Nihoni made her excuses and moved out on foot at Sunset. She had no further directions than to move Northwest. Later moving along in the near dark, a white van passed her. She sensed evil surrounding the vehicle and slipped off the road into the woods. She saw it stop and then reverse to about where she had been. It pulled off the road onto the shoulder and two men got out. A bottle fell onto the road as one of the doors were opened, and one of the men swore, perhaps because the container shattered.

Not having been in this situation before, as the men came into the woods in pursuit, she shouted at them to leave her alone. That just egged them on and soon one of them had knocked her down and had her pinned on the needled forest floor. She could feel him pawing at her legs and she became terrified. Without really thinking about it, Nihoni morphed into her Dragon form and promptly burned him to a pile of ash. The other one, now hysterical fled out of the forest and toward his Van. Nizhoni burped a long flame at him, but she was so short of Sulfur it did not go far. Her flame had ignited a small fire and she quickly patted that out.

Remaining in her Dragon form, she took to the air, but was almost too hysterical to fly. Down below, she spied the fleeing Van, and it was being driven in an erratic way. She was about to swoop down on the van when it left the road and down into a stream that was of sufficient size to submerge it. She circled once and seeing no life, flew on.

She flew Northwest through the night. It was a waxing moon, and the skies were mostly clear save for clouds near some mountains. After landing, Nizhoni morphed into her Human form near a large city. Looking around, she found a sign that said Boise.

Nizhoni found a room at a nice Motel and stayed there for two days. There was a nice Restaurant close by and Nizhoni became their best customer. Eggs, Hashbrowns, and milk were her favorites. For some reason, she found Bacon to be abhorrent to her.

Rested now, Nizhoni left Boise and wandered down a large river between steep mountains that formed a deep canyon. Later she would learn that it was the Snake River. Flying was exhilarating as long as she stayed high enough to not be identified. She was Flying along, about even with the canyon top when she felt a stab of pain in her chest. Looking down she could see her almost black blood seeping from a wound there. About that time, she heard the report of a large firearm. She climbed as fast as she could, and that carried her into some clouds. The pain was awful, and she flew along in the clouds as long as she could. Weakening, Nizhoni descended, almost too weak to continue. She saw a larger city to her left but just below her was a smaller one. She came down quite fast in an only partially controlled landing. Too weak to Morph to her human form, she lay there on mowed grass between several buildings only semi-conscious.

As her fortune developed, she had arrived in a Nez Pierce reservation town of Lapwai, Idaho. There were those around who still believed in the old ways and were not alarmed by the presence of a wounded Dragon. In her case, as we know her pearl color made her very beautiful. Someone quickly brought an equipment trailer and women spread blankets on it. Nizhoni was only about 300lbs so working together, they got her onto it. The Village infirmary was close though she was too large to get her inside, a canvas tent cover over her and the trailer quickly went up. Working together, the women and a medicine man eventually had the bullet out and used cautery to stop the flow of blood. Fortunately, it had lodged in a meaty portion of her shoulder and once healed, they hoped that she could eventually fly without pain.

When Nizhoni wakened, it was very early in the morning and almost everyone around her was asleep. Someone had applied a Sulphur and mud Poultice, and when one of the women looked, her wound was looking much less angry and red. She laid there without moving for several days, speaking minimally. Two of the women attended to her obvious needs and kept her clean. She was slow to eat but when they brought her a dozen pounds of boned, raw beef, she quickly wolfed it down.

Providentially, a man with a large hunting rifle that had been out on “Hat Point”, Oregon that day, had been bragging over too many beers, about shooting a Dinosaur. The story had gotten around, and Native Police had quickly confronted him where he lived in Enterprise, Oregon. When Nizhoni found out, she wanted to eat him, but she was still too feeble and had calmed before she could fly again. She was most distressed that she couldn’t morph back to her human form.

One day, a helicopter began flying up and down the valley where Lapwai was located. Soon it was obvious that it was a News Copter. When it made to land, tribal leaders met them and they were quickly told to leave and that the FAA would take their license if they bothered the Nez Pierce any more.

It was weeks before she felt well enough to move about. The people of that village were quite protective. After that, reluctantly Nizhoni had to agree to only fly at night and to keep that to one half hour. They had put up a spotlight shining straight up if she was late. She felt cared for if not too restricted, but eventually gave her word that she would obey tribal guidelines for her.

Finally, after months of convalescence, Nizhoni wakened one morning and shivering in the cold. She had morphed into her human form in the night, and the early morning fog made her so cold. The Tribal Elders did not seem surprised, and she spent the day eating and feeling happy.

While still too weak to be active she dreamed frequently of various Dragons flying past her sleeping place. Upon waking, Nizhoni wondered if those were wishful dreams or if her people were coming?

Some Native Americans have no problem with seeing dreams as prophesy. In my case they were prophetic. One morning, Nizhoni wakened to find what she knew was her father sitting by her bed, still in his Tarragon form. He looked ready to give her a severe scolding, but when she jumped into his arms, he melted. Her hosts had not moved her indoors because of the fear of her morphing back to her dragon form.

Her spirit told her that her people had come for her.

Sean, now Nizhoni did not know how to act around males without feeling fear. Previously, the man that she thought was her father was cold and fearsome, beating her and her mother, often for no reason.

He and his entourage would rest for a few days.
Nizhoni went to the members of the tribe that had been so kind to her and thanked them graciously. She was invited to return to visit as often as possible.

The Journey home would be tiring. In the meantime, her father told her that the incursion had been put down. He was still the King, and she would be schooled to become queen when a suitable mate was found for her. Her people from Marston could all Morph between what appeared to be a human form to a dragon form. The same wings that allowed them to fly in Earth’s atmosphere also allowed them to drop into another dimension and fly place to place in space at great apparent speed. Even so, the trip from Earth to Marton, in a pack to conserve energy would be quite a test. The trip home to Marton felt tiresome and perilous. Nizhoni followed her father obediently. On either side of her and behind were faithful soldiers of the King. She had come to Earth as an infant, in a vessel designed to protect her, so she did not remember the trip. At times she felt weak and frightened, but her guards would draw in very close to comfort her and assist her.

Upon arrival at Marston, Nizhoni was strongly invited to Morph into her human form by her father the King. This was almost her first encounter with a forceful male, and she found herself tearful and frightened. She was shaking in fear until a woman approached her and put her arms around Nizhoni. “I am your mother and have waited so long to have you home again.” That overly loud man there is King Harold. “See here now, you are terrifying your daughter”.

The woman walked right up to him, getting in his face. “You have frightened your youngest daughter until she is in tears. Stop this right now!” The king turned to look at his wife and within moments was looking quite repentant. “Your daughter just got here and has no familiarity with our culture at all.

Nizhoni was so shaken that she morphed into her dragon form and jumped into another dimension. She was uncertain where she was going and in time, she found herself falling toward scenery that seemed familiar to her. She was so exhausted that her landing was hard. She landed in a swamp that seemed to cushion her rough stop.

She had returned to Earth, but not in the same place, being close to 200 miles south of Lapwai in a shallow lake in Southeast Oregon. She laid there, exhausted and lost until she felt like she could stand. Flying seemed out of the question at least for a while. Still in her Tarragon form, the idea of Morphing to her human form was repulsive. Nizhoni shakily stood and walked out of the water onto a sandy shore of volcanic origin. She laid down again, tucking her front limbs beneath herself. Slowly she lowered her head and slept.

Something, a noise wakened her slowly. It had been so pleasant sleeping there on the shore in the afternoon sun. Smiling inside, Nizhoni raised her head and looked around. In shock she saw a Dragon twice her size that frightened her as much as the evil one who she thought was her father when she was growing up. She laid there quivering, not knowing what to do. Calm yourself Princess, I am your royal guard, Captain Haro. You will never be out of my presence again. You were lost and now that you have been found, there is boundless joy in the kingdom.

“But that man, the King is so scary to me. Will he hurt me? I should stay away so he is not angry.” “Oh no,” he said “He knows that I followed you and will bring you home again. If you don’t return with me, he will come for you because he loves you. The Queen was very angry that he was so gruff. Actually, he is very kind, and he will be to you also.” Captain Haro Said. Nizhoni heard a tone, and the captain held his right ear for a moment.

A blinding flash came and then the King and several guards were there in their human forms. Nizhoni had thought she was far too tired to Morph into her human form but when the king pointed at her she did it. Too frightened, she stayed on the ground. The King walked over to her and hoisted her into his arms. “Child, you have been away from the palace for far too long and it is time for you to come home.” He said, but this time he was gentle. “Captain Haro, assume your place beside my precious daughter.” The captain said, “Yes your majesty”.

Suddenly the group had shifted dimensionally and were on the way home. Nizhoni had no idea that the people could travel in space in their human form. She felt secure for the first time ever in her father’s arms and somehow the journey seemed to take less time. They suddenly landed on a wide parapet on top of the palace wall. Nizhoni expected to be put down and walk where they were going, but he carried her inside through a wide door then he placed her on the thickly carpeted floor on her feet. I will leave you to rest and to be cared for by your maids. Members of captain Haro’s company will be outside your door. With that, the king exited the suite and left her in the presence of her four attendants.

Nizhoni had no idea what to expect. In the last months she had slept under bushes, in barns and been made soaking wet by rain. Suddenly she was going to live the life of a royal princess, whatever that was. It did not take her attendants long to introduce themselves. There was Hala, Rama, Noor, and Bisht. The Queen told them that Nizhoni had no training at all and had been enduring very hard circumstances for years. They were to be kind to her without fail. With suitable curtseys, they all agreed.

In short order, Nizhoni was naked and in a huge tub filled with nearly scalding water and all sorts of oils and salts. Later she was out, dried and they were working her hair over. When they finished, she was wearing a soft, silken gown that allowed her wings to lay along her back.

Then came instructions for Nizhoni. In the presence of others when she met the King, a curtsey was mandatory; If alone then not. She never curtseyed to her mother. Instruction went on for days and days until it felt like weeks. Thankfully the women did not use heels. Nizhoni’s shoes were more like Moccasins, soft and comfortable.

She’d seen others about, but they were never close enough to talk to at length. The women seemed nice enough. The males seemed attracted to her, but they stayed at some distance. So far, no one had pressed her about seeking a mate. She was unaware that Haro was keeping other males away.

One morning she awakened at sunrise and knew that breakfast would not come until the day had warmed. Nizhoni was tired of staying in her rooms, so decided to sneak out on a self guided tour. She’d descended several flights of stairs, quietly avoiding Haro’s sentries she rather proudly thought. At the bottom, seemingly in the basement, Nizhoni found the kitchens. They seemed to be just starting Breakfast; some were bringing firewood in to stock the stoves for the day, though they were stocked up late at night in chilly weather. The smell of breakfast was making her hungry, and she momentarily thought to sit with the cooks to eat. She had just begun talking to one of them but suddenly the woman looked past her in astonishment. Nizhoni turned to see what was behind her and there was Captain Haro.

“It is not safe for you to be out alone my princess”, He said. She immediately curtseyed and apologized, despite all her instruction. “I was getting bored” Nizhoni said. She found him mesmerizing. A Curtsey was not recommended for him but she felt so enthralled in his presence, she did it.

Princess Nizhoni walked along feeling secure in his presence. She had no idea that his blood line made him more than suitable as a royal husband and King. As Queen she would share power with him, but she would feel that her primary purpose would be to mother her children.

Nizhoni sat in the nursery caring for her twins, one a girl and one a boy. What a strange life it has been she mused. How odd it was to have been soaking wet and fleeing in that downpour all those years ago. She and Captain Haro had enjoyed a decade long friendship, knowing that they would marry but being in no rush. He had sensed that she was not and would not be ready for a long time. The morning sun streamed through the windows of the nursery, bathing she and the babies in the warm glow. The door opened and in strolled her mate. She smiled and rose to greet him. Who would have expected such a lovely morning in such a joyous life?