For as long as she could remember, she had drifted in and out of consciousness; never quite awake but never quite asleep. Her thoughts were sluggish and her mind was fogged, but for reasons she never could fully understand, she could always hear the whispered words of the realm.

It was always a nice engagement to hear the gentle murmuring of dragonkind when she herself was forever lonely and perpetually dozing.

There were legends told about her; she found that they were beautifully-woven tales of a slumbering princess trapped in an unbreakable curse, with scales made of the essence of the stars themselves. It was said that she was the daughter of a brave king whose name had been long forgotten by his successors.

She liked their folk-lore, their stories; how they painted a simple story into a unique legend of sorts. When they told their hatchlings of the cursed princess with the fierce spirit of a rushing river and ethereal beauty of the night sky, she found that she was just as fascinated as the ones listening below.

Of course there were those who argued that she was simply a myth, a fake star-printed dragon, made up simply to enthrall young hatchlings when they grew too restless at night-tide. But after eons (or centuries, she was always a bit mixed up about time), she found it was simpler to ignore the negative whispers; it did her no good to listen to them, nor could she change anything that was said.

That was one part of her curse, after all. Forever silent, forever destined to watch and not be able to change a single thing in the world....

It was her own fault, really, if she could recall correctly...

Receiving the curse was the only memory she had left, and even now, it was but a dim glow in her lethargic mind--perhaps simply a reminder of her folly.

Upon a flaming comet she had wished, asking for all the things everyone had warned her not to…how could she have been so foolish? She had dreamed of beauty and knowledge, of eternity and of a life where she wanted for nothing.

Her wish had been granted, by whom she never knew, and suddenly her life began to melt away. First it was small things: she found herself drowsy in the middle of the day, she found her hearing was sharper and her scales shone brighter. And one day, she was tired enough to fall asleep in the middle of the day.

She never woke up--not fully, anyway. From that point on, she had remained comatose, eyes never opening, mind torpid. But she had gained her wish: sparkling scales made of stars, the whispers of all of dragonkind, an everlasting life.

The whispers grew quieter after an eternity, the stories dying down until they were few in number. She drowsed more now than she had before, mind no longer occupied by breathtaking tales and adventures.

I wish for a second chance, her mind whispered in a silent plea, whether it was subconscious or intended, she wasn’t sure. But whatever it was, she found herself lulled into another sleep, one she somehow knew she would never rise from. But she was at peace. She had lived a long life, much longer than she had ever imagined, learned more than she ever would have before. Her thoughts grew dim, and soon they stopped altogether.

It was then that she opened her eyes.

lore by Aersolace 347860