by Ana Mardoll
A tense silence descended as only the child breathed, panting as they struggled to free the sword that was stuck fast. The dragon herself did not stir, nor did the knot of anxious watchers gathering at the foot of the hill to witness in helpless horror the certain death of one of their own. Still the child grunted and pulled, not noticing or caring for the audience below. There was only this one goal, their dream worth fighting for.
The dragon's voice broke the silence, booming at a deep pitch that carried on the wind to the city walls. "Thou hast pierced my weak spot, brave warrior. I am defeated, and one wish is thine that thou might spare mine own life in return. Speak thy desire that I might grant thy wish to thee."
Blinking up at the towering creature, the child stopped tugging at their blade as these words of surrender washed over them. Brown eyes open wide, they stared through a haze of dark curls; then the child inhaled a gulp of air and shouted as loudly as they could, trusting in volume to carry their words up to the faraway dragon.
"I want to be a girl!"
Silence again, now stunned rather than horrified; on the ground beneath the hill, heads turned back and forth as the watchers grappled with their surprise at both the unexpected victory and the wish that followed. The dragon's gaze did not falter, nor did the ancient creature blink; if anything, her reptilian eyes grew softer. Her voice still boomed but there was a gentleness in its timbre when she answered, abandoning the flowery words of her ancient ritual to address the tiny child.
"Little one, you are a girl."
The baby nodded at this, her lips pressed together in exasperation; the face of a child long made weary by the illogic of adults. "I know, but everyone down there calls me a boy! I want you to fix it!" A belated airy 'please' followed; a child's forgetful manners, inconstant as a playful spring breeze.
Staring down at her, the dragon nodded her ancient head in a slow, thoughtful bob. "Many things I can fix," she said, dipping her serpentine neck low to the ground until her head rested on the earth below and her eyes were almost level with the little petitioner. "Let me see your eyes, child. Tell me your heart's desire."
They spoke while the sun climbed to the highest point in its daily journey. The watchers strained to listen, but heard only the soft babyish cadence of the little girl in yellow and the low unintelligible rumble of the dragon as she questioned the child. Just when her parents were ready to faint from worry, the dragon began to wrap herself around the little one in the same way a cat might curl into a ball for a nap. A scream rose from the knot of watchers who moved to rush the hill with their pitchforks and carving knives, but the dragon's scales pulsated with an emerald light so bright that the humans fell back dazzled, covering their eyes.
Over yelps and cries, one sound floated above the cacophony: a child's happy giggle. As the adults rubbed at their eyes, they glimpsed the tail of the dragon slinking back into her hill, the light fading from her scales as she called a few final inaudible words to the girl behind her. One man had rushed ahead of the group and ascended further than the others before the blinding light struck; he later swore the dragon had said "Come again, if ever you have need of me." Then the great lizard was gone and the child was left behind.
She was unchanged, as far as the watchers could see. Her face was a child's face, her wild mane a child's hair. The soft, fat arms and legs that had carried her up the hill now brought her down with the same confidence. Her weeping parents fell on her, the father clutching the girl to his chest as her mother checked her hands and feet again and again for cuts, scrapes, and wounds that were not there. The child was safe and whole, unharmed by her experience and barely conscious of the stir she had caused with her morning's adventure. She beamed a warm smile at the watchers, pleased that they were happy.
"I'm a girl." She grinned at them from the comfort of her father's arms, her tone the easy one of a child who hopes finally to be listened to after all her trials and tribulations. "I'm a girl, and the dragon helped."
Faces stared back at the child in confusion, awe, and shock. Yet here and there were pockets of sympathy. The wish was unusual, even strange, but hadn't they heard wilder ones? They lived in the shadow of the dragon, many of them serving the wish-seekers and hearing their stories in the process. All their lives they had listened to the desires of men and women, selfish and selfless alike, each wish more outlandish than the last. One did not risk death at the claws of a dragon for anything less than the deepest desire of the heart.
In the face of all those needs and wants, was it so impossible that one child might wish to change... what? Her body? The clothes and colors which adorned her? What precisely had the little girl wished for in her whispered conversation with the dragon, and what had the ancient creature granted her? The watchers didn't know and the protective stances of the child's parents indicated the likely reaction if they were to ask.
The girl broke the silence again, brushing the untamed frizz of curls away from her face and yawning. "Can we eat now? I'm hungry. I want to go home, Papa."
Her father hugged the girl in his arms and kissed her hair. His voice was thick when he spoke, choking back the tears he hadn't dared shed when the child stood on the hill. Now that she was safe, his eyes watered and each word threatened to crack from the force of his relief.
"Of course you are, my brave girl; battling dragons is hungry work. Let's go home."
Note to the Reader
Thank you for reading this book! I hope you have enjoyed it and you are very welcome to leave a review or recommend this novel to a friend; reviews and recommendations are the lifeblood of indie authors and I cannot thank my reviewers enough for their kind words. If I may, I would like to insert a brief note on gender and ways to craft a review without harming other readers.
Many of the characters in the stories you have just read are transgender people, that is to say they are people whose gender does not match the gender assigned to them at birth. For example, Finndís is a trans woman who was erroneously assigned male at birth (AMAB). She was not 'born a boy', nor is she 'male', nor did she 'change' her gender at any point in her life; she has always been a girl, even if rest of the world has not always recognized that fact.
Please only refer to characters by their correct pronouns. For characters whose gender might be considered a 'spoiler', it would be better not to reference them at all in reviews rather than concealing their gender with incorrect pronouns. Thank you for being considerate; sensitive reviews for books with trans characters are easier for trans readers to navigate.
Bless you again for reading my work! More resources on transgender characters and how to write about them are available at GLAAD.org and Nonbinary.org for those who are interested. I owe a debt of gratitude to Vee (@FindMeReading) of GayYA.Org for sharing their poignant thoughts regarding how trans characters are handled in book reviews and how we can better serve our community.
Acknowledgements
I would not have had the idea for this collection of stories were it not for the friendship and mentoring I have received from authors Chelsea Cameron and Elliot Wake. Chelsea first suggested to me the idea of old fairytales written with transgender characters, and Elliot was a whirlwind of inspiration as he shared with me the achingly beautiful prose of his own transgender fairytale retelling project.
Nor would I have had the motivation to see this project through to completion were it not for my wonderful followers on Twitter and my blog, Ramblings. When I suggested the idea of combining trans characters with gendered prophecies and floated half a dozen one-liner summaries for the stories in this collection, hundreds of replies poured in urging me to write and offering to beta read. I was stunned by the strength of the response and realized there were people as hungry for these stories as I was.
Many of these wonderful volunteers stayed with me throughout the life of the project, and I am humbled and grateful for the work they've put into beta reading for me out of the goodness of their hearts. Those who consented to be thanked personally
in these acknowledgements include: Aidan, Alex Conall, Bailey Grey, Bay Gaillard, Blythe "Collie" Collier, Dax Murray, Dee Shull, Jess Steyn, Jules Bristow, Kayla Scheiner, Krista Grace, Kristy Griffin Green, Maeve Baruk, Michael Mock, NB Talkendo, Roo McClay, Samantha Tillman, Serenity Dee, Stephanie S., Teagan L, Thomas Keyton, and Tracey P.
I owe, too, a debt of deep gratitude to the friends and colleagues who read and shaped this work prior to publication. Kristy and Thomas, my wonderful writing partners in addition to beta readers, touched every page of this book and are my dearest friends who keep me writing through hard times. My sensitivity readers Ava Mortier, Jay, Lex Townsend, Mazikeen Wagner, and Serenity Dee were each worth their weight in gold. Elaine Kennedy is the most patient of editors, and Carolan Ivey provided valuable coaching over my cover copy and blurb. Much of what is good in this book is due to these people; anything bad which remains is on my head.
Lastly, I have been privileged to work with amazing artists as part of this project. Cori Samuel, who narrated the audio book, has the voice of an angel and is a treasure; I joyfully wept to hear her bring my words to life. Anna Dittmann, who created the book cover, makes the most beautiful art and it was an honor to collaborate with her. Claribel Ortega, creator of the lovely teaser videos used in the book's marketing, brought vibrant movement to my words and is in every way a delightful person and friend. Writing this book with so many wonderful people has changed me for the better and I am grateful.
Thank you for reading and supporting me in my work. Blessed be.
About The Author
Ana Mardoll is a writer and activist who lives in the dusty Texas wilderness with two spoiled cats. Her favorite employment is weaving new tellings of old fairy tales, fashioning beautiful creations to bring comfort on cold nights. She is the author of the Earthside series, the Rewoven Tales novels, and several short stories.
Aside from reading and writing, Ana enjoys games of almost every flavor and frequently posts videos of gaming sessions on YouTube. After coming out as genderqueer in 2015, Ana answers to both xie/xer and she/her pronouns.
Website: www.AnaMardoll.com
Twitter: @AnaMardoll
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/c/AnaMardoll
Version History
The version information for this book file is below. Please note that not all bookstores push updates automatically to readers. Feel free to email the author at [email protected] or visit www.AnaMardoll.com to determine the latest version release. Most bookstores will push updates to readers when asked through their customer support.
Current Version: 1.0
Version History:
1.0. Initial Release.