the love-stricken young woman tightly hugs her lover's huge, scaled leg. The expression on his sharp-snouted face turns from dour and grave to confused and surprised.
"Are you not disgusted by my true form? Do you not feel betrayed that the man you thought was your lover was a monster in disguise?"
She only hugs his leg tighter. He's flabbergasted, but he continues the speech he had been turning over in his head for days. "Analise... I brought you here to tell you the truth, because lying to you was tearing me up outside. This is my true form. Iren isn't even my real name - just an alias. My name is Irhenânol - a dragon of tempests. A beast of the sky. You and me can never truly be together, for we are of different worlds. Our love will never be accepted." His huge, slitted, blue-purple eyes fill with tears. "I'm sorry for lying to you, for fooling myself into thinking that our love could work."
But Analise just reaches upwards, grabs his huge head in her hands. She draws close, and plants a kiss on the crying dragon's nose. Her own eyes start to fill with tears. She doesn't care if he's a dragon. She knows the kindness, wisdom, and gentleness behind those eyes. Her heart is torn by his words. More than anything she wants to be with him. Even if it means leaving everything else behind. She wishes, wishes with all her heart, to be together with him forever.
And somewhere far, far, far, far away, a glowing flower petal falls onto a calm, still pond, in which an impossibly starry sky is reflected. A scaled hand picks it up. A goddess of fate and passion, patron of dragonkind. She gazes into the petal, and smiles as a tear also falls from her eyes. What a beautiful wish, wrought from a sheer, heartfelt passion and selflesssness uncharacteristic of humans. Many wishes fall through the garden of the divine - mortals and immortals alike wish for so many things, after all - but few are as pure, as beautiful, as this one. The goddess gently exhales, incinerating the wish-petal in a plume of glimmering dragonflame. The petal's ashes fly to the wind of the realm of the divine, scattering into the fabric of all that is, imbued with her power.
Analise is still cradling her beloved's snout, still crying heartfelt tears at what seems like a sure seperation. Irhenânol cries with her. The two are saying final farewells, coming to terms with their doomed love.
But then, Analise feels something ignite in her heart. She staggers back in surprise, as a glowing aura of flame surrounds her. She feels full of energy; she feels strong, like she could pick up boulders and run up mountainsides with ease. Irhenânol's nose picks up a familiar scent, all of a sudden. He is just as stunned - convinced his nose is lying to him.
Analise stares at her arms, watching in wonder as beautiful green scales spread across her skin. She feels herself growing, bursting outwards, her form shifting and warping. It's painful, but she grits her teeth and withstands it. She feels a strange sensation on her back - and... extending outwards, from her back?
Irhenânol watches in rapt wonder. The scent is unmistakable, now - the scent of flaring dragonflame, of hidden strength released. He's just witnessed a miracle.
Analise glances at him, visibly dazed, gazing into his eyes with brand new ones of her own. Despite her sharp claws and massive, lightly feathered wings he still sees that gentleness in her eyes. That warmth and kindness that made him so smitten with her.
He steps forward, and nuzzles his lying love's neck, growling gently. No need for human words, now. There will be time to speculate on what happened, to wonder how such a miracle could occur. But his love - his mate - is confused, dazed. She needs comfort, to be eased into her new form.
Analise has been knocked wordless, too. She's overwhelmed with strange new sensations, reeling from the intensity of her transformation. Irhenânol gently nuzzles her, growling and chirping. Without thinking, she replies with a weak little screh of comfort.
He lies next to her, and she feels his body heat. He's only a little bigger than her, now; but he's a comforting presence still, keeping her safe and warm. It feels even better than cuddling in bed in their human forms ever did.
With every moment and every one of her mate's heaving breaths, Analise feels more at home. More at peace.
She presses the tip of her snout against his, and his eyes widen with tears. She lets out a relieved, quiet chirp.
No more goodbyes. No more worries. The two of them will be together always now - reshaped by love, and forever free.
