Once upon a time...

Those four words have such intrinsic meaning. They take one somewhere far away from the humdrum, everyday place where they live. They take one into a land of magic, of beauty, of fiery adventure.

For me, those words take me into the past.

Once upon a time, I had a sister.

* * *

Sylvia was her name.

She was my little sister.

She was three years younger than me. She was wilder than I was, and that made her quite annoying, to me at least. She could do whatever she wanted to me, and if I retaliated I was always scolded by my parents for not behaving as I should. But I loved her, of course, and we did have fun in spite of our differences.

She was happiest when she was playing with me, I think - either that or when she was pestering me. She rarely combed her hair, and I'd often hear yelps from her room when Mother had cornered her with the brush. I, on the other hand, was happiest when reading a book, and I spent a lot of time in the library. But if we had to talk to people she didn't know, she'd hide behind me. I'd talk, because I knew that talking was among the many things a queen should do, and therefore the heir to the throne should learn. She relied on me to take care of her, and in spite of everything that's a job I would never have given up.

In the end, it didn't matter.

Because one morning, I woke up to the sound of panic. Screams, shouts, the sound of my father demanding something from a servant who was unable to give it. My mother entered my room at a run and, catching me up in her arms, whispered that Sylvia was gone.

She had vanished.

She had been stolen away from us... from me. She was gone; someone had crept into the palace in the dead of night and kidnapped my little sister.

Oh, we searched. The entire kingdom searched, but we never found Sylvia. My parents and I were all devastated. I certainly was. My playmate, my other half, my sister, my Sylvia, she had gone, and I think we all were sure she would never come back.

* * *

Some years later, I thought I had discovered what had happened to Sylvia.

Because it happened to me.

I was seventeen, young but older. I had grown up, and many people were telling me that I was quite the beauty. My parents told me so quite a lot, also saying how proud they were of how much I'd grown. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see beauty. All I saw was myself, with golden hair and gray eyes.

The gray eyes. They were exactly like Sylvia's, which was why I didn't look in the mirror if I could help it. It hurt too much still, to see Sylvia's eyes looking back at me.

There was a royal ball that night, but it was still early in the afternoon, so I didn't need to prepare. I wandered around the royal gardens, humming to myself, not really aiming to go anywhere.

And then a shadow fell over me. Looking up, I saw a sight that I will never forget as long as I live.

A dragon was flying over me.

It was blue in color, but its wings were gray. As it turned around, its eyes fixed upon me, and I tried to scream but couldn't. Its eyes were gray too, and they burned into me with a ferociousness unlike anything I had ever seen. In that moment, I understood that it wanted me and me alone, and that it would stop at absolutely nothing to steal me.

I turned and ran, tripping over my dress in my haste. But it caught up with me all too easily. I began to register the screams of other people who had seen the dragon just as I felt its feet wrap around me.

And then my own feet left the ground, and the scream that I hadn't been able to give voice to before burst from my throat. More screams came to join mine as people saw me being carried away.

"NO!"

"Princess Lina!"

"Your Highness!"

"Help!"

People in the town ran after me and my captor hopelessly, knowing that we were too far up for anyone to catch. A few men of the army loosed arrows after us, but the dragon was too high, and the men shooting were immediately stopped. "No! Are you out of your minds! You could have hit Princess Lina!"

But their cries soon faded away, as the dragon carried me further and further away from my home. I knew it was pointless to struggle - at best, it would ensure that I fell to my death. What was going to happen to me after the dragon landed? All the gruesome tales I had heard about dragons came into my head. Probably it would eat me, maybe even alive. Or perhaps it would keep me for its own sport. Neither thought was remotely comforting; on the contrary, I could feel myself sweating.

We had left the kingdom by now, and I could no longer see it. Instead, I could see a long snaking river, which the dragon followed as it wove its way through fields. As we flew on, the river entered a huge forest, a field in itself. I couldn't see it anymore, but the dragon must have known the way, for it kept flying. The trees were tiny below me, and I felt a horrible vertigo looking down for the first time. I shut my eyes tightly.

After a good half hour of flying my arms were truly starting to ache. Still, the dragon flew on, and I had no mode of release. I didn't know if it would even understand me, but I shouted up to it, "Would you please stop for a moment? My arms are hurting."

A moment later, I realized that the dragon was descending. Before I'd had time to recover from the shock, it spoke, in a distinctly female-sounding voice.

"We're nearly there, Princess Lina."

"You can talk!" I gasped.

"Yes," the dragon said, sounding rather annoyed. "And before you ask, no, I'm not planning to eat you."

What was it about her voice? It sounded alien, and at the same time almost familiar.

"Then... what are you planning to do with me? Why did you take me away from my home?" I shouted. "What do you want with me?!"

"Something only you can provide," the dragon replied, sounding weary.

Before I could ask what this something was, I felt my feet touch ground as the dragon released me. Falling to my knees, I inhaled gasps of air, my cheek against the ground. The dragon glided directly over me, coming to land gracefully a few paces away. Folding her wings, she walked towards me. Instinctively, I heaved myself to my feet and backed away a few paces.

She was expressionless, even as my mouth fell open. I hadn't really had the chance to look at her properly, and it was only then that I realized how beautiful she was. For some strange reason, I knew she wouldn't hurt me, and I wasn't afraid. But it didn't endear me to her, and I was still quite wary, not to mention somewhat dazed at the events of the past few hours.

The dragon jerked her head to the side, and I looked where she indicated.

We had landed in a large clearing in the forest. Trees still surrounded us, but for the most part, we were shielded from view. In the clearing, a large stone tower dominated the scene. It was clean, shining, and majestic, very like the dragon in those ways. It was large and tall, wide enough to admit the dragon. No flags flew atop it, and nothing could be seen from outside, though there was one window at the very height of the tower. Yet it still bore the aura of an emblem, a symbol of something. Perhaps of the dragon.

"My home," the dragon said tonelessly, striding past me to the tower. The seamless wall parted soundlessly, leaving an opening large enough for her to squeeze through. Turning, she nodded at me.

Why didn't I run, escape? The thought flashed through my mind, but I knew it was pointless - the dragon could fly far faster than I could run, and could probably run faster, too. I would be caught before I had time to relax. So instead I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and walked into the tower after the dragon.

Was that a flash of admiration I saw cross her scaly face?

I looked away hurriedly, but there wasn't much else to see. The walls were bare, although clean, as was the floor. There were no carpets, no pictures. There was no adornment at all. There was a few lamps hanging from the ceiling of the room we were in, casting long shadows over the floor. The flight of stairs spiraling upward led only to darkness as far as I could see. The place looked lonely, as though no one lived in it. It was also forbidding, and I had to suppress a shiver as I looked around it.

If the dragon saw, she didn't say. She merely pointed with her tail up a flight of stairs.

"First door on your right," she said. "Go rest." Her words carried a ring of authority that I didn't dare disobey. But before I left, I turned to her.

"What is your name?"

The dragon slowly turned to look at me, and the fire I saw in her eyes made me hurriedly take a few steps back. I was on the verge of running up the stairs when she answered.

"I have none, at least none that I can remember."

* * *

The room she had allotted to me was spacious and comfortable, there was no doubt about that. But I didn't take much of it in; I simply raced to the bed and collapsed upon it, beginning to weep as soon as my face touched the pillow. My parents, my friends, my home - all gone, and I would probably never find them again...

When I'd had my fill of weeping, though, I sat up again. I knew I had to escape, but I didn't know where to go. In any case, I'd need food, and I'd be unable to procure it for myself - I was no hunter, nor did I have the materials to hunt.

But then what should I do?

I sank back into the pillows hopelessly. I had no idea what to do, where to go. And I had no one to confide in.

* * *

"Princess?"

The dragon was clearly outside my door. Well, in a manner of speaking - she was large enough for her nose to touch my door while she was still on the ground floor of the tower. She had left me alone for a week, while I sat alone and brooded. Food appeared magically every day, whenever I was hungry, though that was not very often. Water appeared as well, whenever I was thirsty. A large tub of it appeared as well when I wished to bathe, and clean clothes appeared as well. I was grateful for this, since for the most part it enabled me to avoid my kidnapper. Whatever strange knowledge I had that she wouldn't hurt me, my feelings toward her were far from friendly, and the last thing I wanted to do was to talk to her or listen to her. Instead I spent most of my time gazing out the window in the room, even though it was useless; all I could see were trees, trees, and more trees.

"Go away," I said listlessly.

"Princess-"

"Please, go away!"

"Lina!"

That stunned me. This dragon had kidnapped me away from everyone - well, almost everyone - I loved. She had no right to call me that!

"You shut up!" I shouted. "Shut up and go away! I don't want to talk to you! You stole me away from everyone I care about! And make no mistake, I'm going to escape you -"

"And just how will you do that?" the dragon snapped. "You have no clue how to hunt, nor do you have any clue how to fight. You wouldn't last a day out in that forest. Believe you me, there are creatures there far less forgiving and kind than I, but even without them you'd last a few hours at best. You have no hope of surviving if you do escape."

She was right, but that didn't make me feel any less furious. "Well, whose fault is that? Why'd you kidnap me in the first place? What purpose do I serve for you? Well, whatever it is, I'm not doing it, not after what you've done to me! What if..." Suddenly, a horrible thought hit me. "Do you know Sylvia? Princess Sylvia, my sister? Did you kidnap her too?"

Suddenly there was silence. The dragon had apparently been struck dumb.

"Sylvia?" she whispered. "Princess Sylvia?" Her voice was hoarse with ... fear?

"You know Sylvia?" I gasped. "Wait! You know my sister? What happened to her? Where is she? Did you... did you eat her, you monster?!"

There was no answer. Instead, I heard the dragon move away from my door. Frustrated and now terrified, I flung myself back onto the bed.

* * *

"Princess, I'm sorry." The words came in the night, when I was lying on the bed with no sleep inside me.

I didn't respond. The words were dead, empty, or perhaps I was.

"Listen, Princess Lina. I want you to know I have never done any harm to your sister. I ... her name sounds familiar to me, but I can't remember any Sylvia."

"But you said you can't remember your name either," I said quietly. "Maybe you did meet her and forgot about it. You seem to be notorious for forgetting."

There was a short pause, then, "No. That is not my fault."

And then the dragon was gone again.

* * *

I was somewhat intrigued by this dragon, much as I still abhorred her. Who was she? Why couldn't she remember her own name? And did she know something about my sister? For some reason, I knew that the dragon was not lying. I couldn't explain how I knew it; I just knew it. And the knowledge didn't frighten me.

I opened the door, only to see what my ears had confirmed - that the dragon had left. Cautiously stepping out of the room, I crossed the short hallway towards the stairs and peered over the railing. There was the dragon, curled up into a ball. And from what I could hear, it sounded as though she was whimpering in her sleep.

I didn't know what made me do it, but I found myself walking back into the room. Taking the blanket off the bed, I made my way back out and down the stairs, tiptoeing.

I stepped off the last stair onto the ground floor. Slowly approaching the dragon, I began to hear her whimpers more and more clearly. She was shaking in her sleep, her face contorted and the only part of her body not hidden by her wings, apart from her tail. My fingers, acting almost of their own accord, reached out to touch the scales of her face. It was cold, almost as cold as ice. I snatched my hand back.

Then I took the blanket and gently spread it over her neck. Keeping one hand buried in it, I touched her face again, the blanket muffling the cold.

I felt a strange sense of rightness, sitting beside this dragon who had taken me away from my home. I couldn't explain it, but the strange pull I'd felt to her from the beginning had finally pulled me to her, and I was not horrified by it.

The night moved on, and by dawn I was fast asleep, my head buried in the blanket and the rest of me huddled up against the dragon.

* * *

When I awoke, I was back in the bed, the blanket wrapped around me.

Naturally, I thought that the whole thing had been a dream. So why did I feel so disappointed, then?

As I sat up and stretched, I realized there was a piece of paper sitting on the floor beside me. Seizing it, I held it up and read the two words upon it.

Thank you.

* * *

It was not particularly difficult to figure out who had written those words. How the dragon had written them I didn't know; all I knew was that she had written them. There was something almost familiar about the handwriting - it was quite clear and readable, not fancy, but nice. Still, there was something unique about it, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

So, for the first time, I left my room during the day.

I crept down the stairs, feeling rather foolish, but doing it all the same. The dragon wasn't on the ground floor, but the giant doorway was open. Rather hesitatingly, I stepped through it.

There she was. Her eyes were fixed upon me, and in that instant I realized she'd been waiting for me.

I didn't quite know what to say to her, so I decided to reply to her note. "You're welcome," I said awkwardly.

She smiled a wide, toothy smile that made me laugh in return. I didn't know why - I was never sure of anything around this dragon, it seemed. But right then, I suddenly felt fond of her. Something told me that she was not my enemy, despite everything she'd done.

"Would you like to fly?" she asked.

I gasped, surprised. "Really?"

"Really," she said, sounding rather amused. "Don't worry, I don't have plans to throw you into the sea."

"Wait," I said slowly, beginning to approach her. I wanted to ask about Sylvia again, but I didn't know how to. "About my sister... are you sure you..."

Her face darkened, and I almost regretted asking. "No," she said shortly. "I'm not sure. I'm not sure about anything right now, Princess Lina."

I wanted to kick something, I was so frustrated. Instead I somehow managed a small smile. "Well, that makes two of us, then."

She rather halfheartedly returned the smile. "So, do you want to fly?"

There were so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to go home, for a start. I wanted to see my parents again. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, instead of the one in the tower. I wanted to see Sylvia again, for this hope that she wasn't dead to not be in vain.

"I'd love to," I told the dragon.

* * *

I did wonder if I would be hanging from her claws again, but she thankfully had different ideas.

"Climb up," the dragon instructed, obligingly lying down. "Come on, I won't set fire to you."

Hesitatingly, I placed one leg over her shining blue shoulders and swung myself up. Immediately my skirt was pushed up, and even though I knew she couldn't see I felt myself blush.

"Don't put one leg on each side, it's unnecessary," the dragon said, perhaps sensing my dilemma. "Just lie flat, though you do have to keep your feet on each side. Cling to my spines."

I did as she instructed, and I felt much better. It was surprisingly comfortable, the dragon's blue back. I wondered how it felt for her, having me on top of her.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," I answered.

"Then hold on tight."

And without warning, I felt her wings beat on either side of me, and she was off into the air.

I gasped for breath as we rose above the trees, higher and higher. Slowly the tower grew smaller and smaller, until it was only one small thing in the forest. It was only here, as we hovered, that I realized how large the forest was - it was easily several hundred acres, I would think. It was a vast sea of green, stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. The sun was directly overhead, and with a burst of pleasure I realized how much I'd been missing it. Being in that tower room for as long as I had been, I hadn't gotten the chance to see the sun or the sky in what felt like forever. The wind swept through my hair, and I laughed at the sheer delight of it. The sky was a clear blue, without one single cloud, and I didn't think I could want for anything at that moment. For the first time since the dragon had kidnapped me, I felt free.

"You like it, then?" the dragon asked, clearly pleased.

"This is amazing!" I shouted, still laughing.

"Would you like to go fast?"

"Yes!"

"All right, then." Was that a mischievous tone I heard?

One moment later I regretted my rashness. The dragon swooped down like lightning, bearing down upon the trees. Then she shot upward, then to the side, then she surged forward at such speed I actually felt myself slipping on her back, and redoubled my panicked hold on her spines. My mouth was open, and I could feel myself screaming, but oddly enough, I couldn't really hear it.

"Would you like me to-" the dragon asked next.

"NO!" I screamed before she could finish.

"All right, all right!" She sounded rather overly affronted, which suggested she was struggling not to laugh. "Would you prefer to slow down, instead?"

"Yes! Please!"

She slowed down, giving me the time to catch some longed-for gulps of air. Then I realized I was laughing. "That was also amazing," I admitted, "but please, keep it to a minimum while I'm riding you. And..."

"And?" she asked, now not even bothering to keep from laughing. She had a strange, wild laugh that sounded both familiar and alien, just like her voice.

"And don't call me Princess Lina. Just call me Lina. I'd prefer that."

She stopped laughing, and so did I. For a moment, we hovered there in total silence. I didn't really know why I'd said it, but for some reason I had.

And then...

"All right... Lina."

I smiled. "Thank you." Without really thinking, I reached out to pat her head.

She gasped at my touch. Then, without warning, she surged back down.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed as we plummeted, but she didn't seem to notice. She was muttering wildly to herself. I caught a few words. "Lina... Lina... Lina... Sylvia... but no, that can't be... Lina and Sylvia... Sylvia and Lina..."

Then we hit the ground, and I realized something.

We were not alone.

* * *

"What..." the dragon whispered. I slid off her back, but kept a hand on her shoulder.

"Who is it?" I shouted. "Who are you, what do you want?"

And a young man, not much older than me, stepped out from behind the tower.

He was tall, taller than me. He was handsome, too, with his dark curly hair and his bright blue eyes. But the way he was looking at us... it made me shiver. His eyes moved from the dragon to me, and they looked over me, from my mussed golden hair to my eyes, where they stayed for quite some time. Then he answered my question.

"I'm Prince William," he said with a rather cocky grin, "but you can just call me Will. And as to what I want, I want to rescue you from this horror."

The dragon drew herself up, my hand slipping away from her shoulder. She glowered down at Prince William from her great height. "I don't think you should be here, Will," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why don't you run along, avoid poking your weapon where it should not go."

"It's a sword," he said impressively, drawing it from its scabbard, "and don't call me Will. Only the beautiful princess may do that. I've come to rescue her from you, and rescue her I will if I die in the attempt."

"How did you come to know she was here?"

"News travels between kingdoms, dragon. I heard of your deed and wanted to rescue the beautiful Princess Lina." He bowed to me, but it made me feel naked, revealed.

"No," I said, stepping between him and the dragon. "You should ask me what I wish to do before presuming to rescue me."

He turned a look of what looked like genuine surprise on me. "You want to stay with this horror?"

"Don't call her that."

Silence. Both the dragon and the prince were staring at me as though I'd gone mad.

"I'd much rather stay with her than go with you."

His eyes flared fury. "You're obviously deluded," he said. "That creature's addled your brains. I'll fix you now, or die!" And with a roar, he charged at the dragon, sword held out.

I shrieked and ran at him, trying to push him out of the way. Instead he knocked me to the side, and I fell hard on the ground. Spitting hair out of my mouth, I realized that the prince had reached the dragon, and that they were fighting.

She slashed at him with her long talons, but he parried her lunges with his sword. She did not breathe fire at him, though... was she not trying?

"No!" I screamed. Getting to my feet, I raced toward them again, but the prince shoved me again, and I sprawled on my back in a huge sword fern.

He slashed at the dragon, but she effortlessly picked him up by the shirt and threw him about ten yards. He got up, though, and with a murderous glare in his eye, he charged straight at the dragon for another bout. This time, though, he had lost all finesse he might once have had - he was merely slashing and stabbing wherever he could, though she parried each one with almost lazy ease.

"Get away!" I got to my feet again and raced at the two of them. This time, though, it was the dragon who stopped me, not even touching me. She looked deep into my eyes, and I understood her sorrow and guilt and anger and... something else.

"I remember," she said.

I stood and stared at her, lost for words, stunned, rooted to the spot. The dragon did not take her eyes from me, and the prince took advantage of it immediately.

"AAARGH!" With a lunge forward, his sword sank straight into her.

She screamed in agony, stumbling backward away from him and collapsing on the ground. Where once she had been so graceful, now she flopped, all her grace and beauty and... life... all gone. She had fallen from grace.

I raced over to her, pulling her head into my lap.

"No," I whispered, and then my jaw dropped as I realized what was happening.

The dragon was growing smaller. Her wings folded of their own accord, melted into her back. Her two front legs turned into arms and grew hands, while her hind legs shrank and grew feet. Her scales vanished as pale skin replaced them, and dark brown curls sprouted from her head. Her face flattened, her nose grew shorter, her eyes smaller, her lips smaller and redder.

She was older, there was no doubt about that. But as her gray eyes stared into mine, I knew beyond a doubt who she was.

"Sylvia?" I whispered.

"Yes," Sylvia whispered feebly. "Yes, Lina."

I looked down, at the wound in her chest.

"I'm sorry, Lina," my sister whispered. "I was trying to save you... to save all of us... but it's too late now. I'm so sorry... but you'll understand when you..." Tears were sliding down her face.

"Sylvia, what - how..." I whispered weakly.

"You'll see... you'll understand..."

"Sylvie, no. No, no, please don't die, please, I've got you, I'll help you. Please, Sylvie, stay with me!"

Sylvia smiled faintly, through her tears, and through mine I saw it. It was her old, trusting smile. "Lina, look... please... forgive me... you've got to do what I couldn't... I know this isn't fair to you but please, Lina..."

"Sylvia, no!" The tears were streaming down both of our faces, and as I leaned down to press my forehead against hers, our tears mingled. "Sylvia, please! I can't lose you now, I only just got you back!"

"I love you, Lina..."

"Sylvia! SYLVIA!" I was sobbing aloud, not caring about anything besides the fact that my sister, my other half, my Sylvia was dying in my arms.

"Lina."

I pulled away from her, and she was looking at me. Her fierce gray eyes met mine, and something passed from her to me - I couldn't say what it was.

"You'll know," Sylvia whispered, "everything... when I'm gone."

She took one last heaving breath, and then she was still.

* * *

I stayed there for years, maybe. Maybe for eternities. I don't know. And I don't care.

I wept into my sister's body, I wept into her shoulder. I wept and wept until I had no more tears left to weep.

Finally I looked up. Prince William was still standing there, his mouth open. Clearly, he'd had about as much knowledge of this as I had.

But I would never forgive him.

A powerful rush of hatred swept into me, so strong it almost blinded me. I couldn't see anything but the killer of my sister. Gently laying Sylvia's head down on the ground, I got to my feet and faced him, trembling with fury.

"You killed my sister!" I hissed.

"I..." He looked at a complete loss. "I... I didn't know she was..."

"You monster!"

I rushed at him, not knowing what I was going to do, only knowing that I wanted to hurt him as much as I possibly could. And to my own surprise, I found I could.

A rush of pain swept through me, and then, through a delirious haze, I thought I was suddenly much taller than him. When I opened my mouth, fire poured out. And when I roared in hatred and grief and anguish, the voice was not my own. Then I looked at the prince, and without further ado I opened my mouth once more and breathed out. Fire poured from me, burning its way through me, out of me, and roasting the prince to so much ash. He had no time even to cry out.

Then I realized...

I was no longer Princess Lina.

When I looked down, I saw scaly feet. Four of them. They were golden in color, but when I twisted my head around, I saw wings as red as blood. I felt them, flexed them. Then I looked at Sylvia's body, still lying quietly there.

But then pain swept through me again, and I sank to my knees, feeling the clash of scales on ground.

When it subsided, I realized I was human again. My hands were hands once more, and had soft skin upon them rather than scales. My long hair was back, as was my face.

There was a piece of paper in Sylvia's hand, one I was quite sure had not been there before.

Slowly walking forward, not knowing what to do or think, I knelt down beside my sister and pulled the paper from her hand. Unfolding it, I realized it was a letter, a letter written in my sister's handwriting.

Dearest Lina,

I know I won't be able to say this to you in person, so I wrote it down for you the night I gave you that first note. Dragons have several special abilities, and one of them is to be able to predict the future. I knew this was going to happen, Lina. I have only so much time available to me, and my memories, though they are returning, are slow. I remember what I need, though, and that is enough.

This ability you have now, to turn into a dragon at will. It's the result of a curse on our family. It was made by a wizard who saw evil in our ancestors, and as a result of their wicked deeds against the kingdom, cursed them forevermore. They, and the youngest of their children, would always be cursed to become dragons.

They would be banished, to this tower. It was built for their use. And as they lived here, their memories of their lives before would slowly fade away, until they had no memories left save those of being dragons. Only if they could capture someone whom they had once loved could they possibly regain their memories; the magic was such that people who had once known the cursed could, simply by the fact of their presence, recall old memories long forgotten. If they succeeded in doing this, the curse would be lifted.

People did not know of this; it was kept very secret among the royal family. Therefore, people of other kingdoms, when hearing of dragon attacks, set out to help. They would attack and kill the dragons, though the dragons killed far more of them, and in doing so would ensure that the dragons were unable to regain their memories.

I was taken, as you know. And once I'd gained all this knowledge - the transformation gave it to me - I knew that I had to find you or someone else from our family. But I'd not been a dragon very long, I was weak, tired... it could wait. I was not strong enough or big enough to make the journey home alone, so I decided to wait and prepare for some time. But soon my memories began to fade, and I forgot everything... our parents, our home, our kingdom... as you know, I even forgot my name.

But, for some reason, I remembered where I had to go, even though I didn't know why it was special to me.

So when I finally journeyed to the kingdom, helped only by the rough map I'd drawn when I'd first transformed, I saw you out in the garden, and I remembered your name, though I didn't realize then who you were. So I took you.

Lina, I remember now. I know I'll have remembered everything before I die. And I don't mind it. It's all right.

He will have killed me by now, just as I regained all my memories. You must have turned into a dragon. But you won't have to suffer as I did. I broke the curse - I remembered, even though I was stabbed before transforming. So the dragon won't leave you, Lina, but it won't dominate you as it did me. You'll be able to change into it at will, but it won't change you and take your memories from you.

Don't feel guilty on my behalf. You saved me, Lina, even if I'm still dead. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be alive, but I wouldn't be. Lina, I don't care about this. All I care about is that you're okay, and now that the curse is broken, I know you will be.

I love you, sister, and I hope you have a wonderful life.

Your sister,

Sylvia

I read the letter through three times, and each time I read it, more tears slid down my face and onto it.

Sylvia had thought I'd saved her, but she was still dead. But... maybe I had, in the end.

Now I had to go home... I had to fly.

Sylvia thought of the dragon as a curse. I would think of it as a blessing, because it was a piece of her I would always carry with me.

I looked at the pile of ashes that were all that was left of the prince. He could stay where he was. I had no plans to bury him, or even to touch those ashes one more time.

But Sylvia? What was I to do with my sister?

I looked at her and knew. I couldn't leave my sister here, in this place where she lost all her memories. She needed to come home with me, and there was only one way she could.

Moving closer to her, I leaned down and slid my head under her back. I closed my eyes, and at my wordless command, the scales began to grow again. My neck lengthened, and Sylvia slid down it onto my back, which was growing spines. My legs and arms lengthened, growing scales and claws. Wings sprouted from my sides, large and red.

"I don't know if I can carry you properly, little sis," I whisper, "because I've never flown before. But I promise, I'll get you home, even if it means I have to carry you in my claws."

The first beat of my wings sent me upward, and it felt natural, like I'd been doing it all my life. And maybe, in some way, I had. My sister had, almost all her life.

I didn't know what explanation I'd offer to our parents when we got back. Probably the truth would be best, and the fact that I could now turn into a dragon at will would certainly back it up. But would they really believe everything? I didn't know, but I knew I'd have to try.

Up I flew, up, up, above the forest. The sun was setting now, and as I flew toward the glowing colors of red and orange and pink, I felt a strange peace glide from it to me. My grief for Sylvia would never die, unlike her. But I'd gotten to see her again, at least. And I knew that she'd be all right, wherever she was now.

And I flew into the sunset, the quiet wind blowing beyond as my sister slept on my back.