The Time I was Reincarnated as a Dragon

Touching down near the outskirts of the kingdom, Gallus and myself slowly make our way to a large stone wall. This wall circles around the entire kingdom. It wasn’t here when I had left, but I knew of the plans to construct it. The griffons manning the giant wooden gates opened the doors without hesitation, part in due to not just Gallus, but because they easily recognized who I was. As I walked through the gates, all the griffons bowed their heads or saluted me, and I returned with a small head bow.

Once through the gates, I was able to get a proper look at the kingdom and its improvements. As mentioned, the streets were paved with cobblestone. It wasn’t too rough on one’s feet, but not smooth enough that they could be slipped on. The sound of griffons going about their days filled the air along with the flapping of wings. Where the cobblestone didn’t cover, the ground grew grass and flowers, giving a very pleasant aroma as opposed to the smell of excrement and dirty straw that once littered the ground. Not only did the grass and flowers make things smell better, but they also added color to this one dull place. Before, the buildings and ground were mute colors that could make one depressed just by looking at it. Now, however, there was a feeling of joy. I could see some griffons resting under the shade of trees while they made themselves comfortable on the soft and lush grass.

It wasn’t just the ground that had new color, but the buildings and trees around us. The buildings, which once looked like they would fall apart if you even sneezed on them, were built sturdier and were painted with brighter colors, thus improving the mood greatly. Speaking of buildings, I noticed that there were also new ones, like shops and eateries. In one shop, they sold books, paper, and other items for writing. In another, I could see other goods, such as toys, tools, or other items one would buy. There were maybe two to three new places to eat, one looked to be a cafe while another was a family restaurant. This once depressing and almost godforsaken kingdom has now flourished into a place many would travel far and wide to see.

However, as I walked, I noticed that almost all who saw me bowed down to me. There were the few who looked to the other griffons with confused looks as to what was going on. I saw one griffon sit up to whisper into the ear of one of the few griffons who didn’t bow. Whatever she had said made the other griffon jump and quickly bow down. I wasn’t sure why this was the case, but I had a feeling it had to do with what Gallus told me about the new griffons flocking to the kingdom.

“I wasn’t aware there were other griffon settlements aside from Griffonstone,” I said to Gallus after greeting a pair of griffons out for a walk with their younglings.

“Yeah, but there aren’t that many, really. Those who lived in Griffonstone were those who had generations of family members who lived here before them, but they were just too stubborn to move. There’s only a small talonfull of towns throughout the kingdom. Some only have four to seven families living in them in total,” Gallus explained as we turned the corner to head to the castle.

As we walked, a thought occurred to me. “Hey, how come you haven’t freaked out that I’m able to talk? When I left, I was mute. I would have figured I would get some kind of startled response.”

Gallus shook his head, chuckling a bit. “Oh, I did, when you were with the trainees while I was still hiding in my cloud. When I heard you talk, my beak nearly fell off.” Right, I probably couldn’t see that since I was dealing with those kids. “Speaking of which, how did that happen?”

I gave Gallus cliff notes on what happened after I took off. I told him about the fight with the colossal dragon and how I got my voice back. I left out the part on how I was reincarnated and why I couldn’t speak before.

Soon, we reached the castle walls. There was a squad of four armored griffons protecting the entrance. Said squad quickly approached us and brandished their spears at me. “Halt! What reason do you have to be here, dragon?!” one of the guards demanded.

Gallus looked like he was ready to say something when a fifth griffon swooped down and smacked the armored griffons on the back of their heads with the blunt end of his own spear. “You idiots!” he squawked furiously as the other griffons held their heads, wincing in pain, their helmets doing little to protect them from the newcomer’s wrath. Said newcomer was none other than Godbrand, the general of the army.

Godbrand was built slightly differently than most griffons. He stood around a foot taller and his body was bulkier than most. He had the common body of a lion, but the head of a harpy eagle. Whenever he was angry, which was almost always, the feathers on the top of his head would stand out, making him look even more intimidating than he already was. He had a scar that stretched over his left eye down to the edge of his beak, but thankfully wasn’t blind in it. He was built to be a warrior.

“How dare you raise your blades to one of the saviors of Griffonstone?!” he shouted, making the four guards flinch.

‘Saviors of Griffonstone? Is he referring to me and Glenda?’ I wondered as the guards started to look at me again.

“You fools, I told you more than ten times to memorize the tapestry of the great dragon, Noir.” Godbrand extended one of his wings toward me. “This is Sir Noir, ally and best friend to our queen.” Godbrand then kneeled as he bowed to me.

The look of shock and horror on the guards faces as they now realized who I am was indescribable. They all trembled with fear before getting down on the ground as they repeatedly bowed their heads. “We beg for your forgiveness, Sir Noir!”

Godbrand looked like he was ready to lay into them, but I quickly stopped him when I raised my paw. “If I may, Godbrand, allow me to speak to them before you give them one of your famous lectures.”

Now it was Godbrand who was in shock as he heard me speak. His beak opened and closed a few times before he could form words. “I-er, yes, please, Sir Noir.” He bowed and stepped aside as I walked in front of the four cowering guards.

“Raise your heads,” I ordered, and they quickly obeyed. “I take it you four now know who I am?” I asked in a serious tone, watching as they furiously nodded their heads. “As of this moment, I am the acting ambassador to the ponies. If I hadn’t had prior history with this kingdom and its ruler, I could have taken your action as a delectation of war.” I could hear them all gulp audibly. “If I’m not mistaken, there is to be a gathering of other leaders, which I imagine would also extend to the dragons. They wouldn’t hesitate to take your actions as offensive and fly back to inform their ruler. They wouldn’t hesitate to go to war with us, all because you four didn’t take the time to think before you acted.” They flinched once more as my tone became more aggressive.

“I stand before you well within the middle of Griffonstone, well past the first wall where other guards are stationed. If I was an intruder, I would have already been surrounded by other guards, yet here I stand in no such situation. This meant I was allowed in, meaning you had no reason to think of me as an intruder.” My words dug into them, the look of guilt becoming even more obvious. “The only reason you acted this way was because I am a dragon, a critical mistake.” Their heads lowered in shame as I continued ripping into them. “As guards, your job is not only to protect this kingdom and its citizens, but to protect its image as well. I want you all to reflect on these words the next time you decide to raise your spears.”

With my piece made, myself, Gallus, and Godbrand made our way to the castle. “I’m deeply sorry for how they acted, Sir Noir. I promise to beat a lesson into them they will never forget, I assure you.” Godbrand and I were good friends, but it wasn’t always like this.

When we first met, it was two weeks after Glenda and I brought the Idol of Boreas back, and restored order to the kingdom. At the time, we were trying to find those we could count on to help lead certain parts of the kingdom, such as finances, stock and inventory, and of course, someone to help lead and train our fledgling army. Enter Godbrand. Before we began to rebuild the kingdom, Griffonstone had a small, if not shabby, defense force led by Godbrand. I say shabby because they would only get involved unless there was a major threat to the kingdom that the citizens couldn’t handle on their own. Glenda believed he was the most qualified to help build and organize a better guard than they already had. However, Godbrand himself didn’t seem to think so. He believes he and his small squad were enough to handle any threat that came their way. He even went as far as to boast that he could best me in battle on his own. Thus, leading to a one-on-one duel between the two of us, and only when one yielded was the battle over. The battle lasted over an hour, with me as the victor and Godbrand now respecting me. It was during that battle when he got that scar. It was an accident. I never wanted that to happen to him, but rather than hating me or wanting to inflict the same upon myself, Godbrand said he would use it as a reminder of my strength and the lesson he learned about not being so arrogant.

“So, pray tell, when did you start to talk, Sir Noir?” Godbrand asked as we walked down the halls of the castle.

“To make a long story short, after the battle with the colossal dragon, the princesses restored my voice,” I answered, not wanting to have to retell the whole story I already told Gallus. “Is Glenda in the throne room?”

Gallus nodded. “Yep! She’s working on some paperwork right now. We recently had a few non-griffon merchants wanting to do business here in the capital, but she wanted to review them before letting any strangers in.” I was glad to see that Glenda was managing things like this while I was gone. If what I’ve seen so far is anything to go on, she was born to lead this kingdom, and technically, she was, heh.

So we came to a set of large wooden doors, the guards stationed there bowed and slowly opened the doors. Gallus and Godbrand bowed as they decided to stay outside, giving me some one on one time with Glenda.

When I walked in, the doors behind me closed, and I looked up at the throne where Glenda was beak deep in her work. “I don’t have much time to spare, so please state your business and I’ll do my best to help,” She said almost mechanically, like this was a common thing to her, all while not looking up.

I grinned as I had a fun idea planned out. Carefully adjusting my voice to mimic an old man’s voice, I spoke. “Mmm, well, Your Highness, it’s about those darn youngsters of squad seven.”

Glenda growled, and I could see her lowering her head. “What did they do this time?”

Apparently, this wasn’t something uncommon as well, which will make this all the more fun. “Well, Your Majesty, they set fire to my lawn and smashed a hole through my darn roof!” It was becoming harder to not only speak like an old man, but to keep the act going without laughing.

Another groan from Glenda. “That’s the fourth time this week! Look, sir, I promise to deal with the damage they did to your home, but for the time being, I can’t do anything about squad seven at the moment.”

“Well, that hardly seems fair! And another thing! They were talking all kinds of trash,” I added for just a little fun.

She sighed and shook her head. “Sir, the damage to your house is one thing, but whatever they said to offend you is nothing but mere words. I’m sure you can ignore it, right?”

‘And now for the setup.’ Grinning, I adjusted my voice to maintain the old man persona. “Actually, they were trash talking about you. They said that your ass was getting so big, the pony princess of the night was gonna have another moon to move around.”

The floodgates burst as Glenda’s wings sprang up and she quickly stood on her back paws. “THEY SAID WHAT!?” Her voice boomed within the throne room, making some of the windows rattle. She hadn’t bothered to look down as she went into a rant. “How dare they?! I knew squad seven had their difficulties, but this a new low! I have been dieting the last month now and haven’t had so much as a nibble of any of Gilda’s delicious scones, and they dare say my ass is fat?!” Her movements became more animated as she ranted on. “Oh ho, just wait till I get my talons on those twerps! They are so gonna ge-!”

Finally, she looked down to where I was standing. Immediately, her eyes began to twinkle, and a smile spread across her beak. Tears began to well up before she leapt off her throne to fly to me. “Noir! You’re here!”

I was about to get ready to give her a hug when I noticed she wasn’t slowing down. I had little time to react before she collided with me, sending us both rolling over on the ground. We only stopped when I landed on my back, with her resting against my chest. She nuzzled her head into my chest and wrapped her wings around me. I smiled and moved my arms to hug her back. I could feel her shaking a bit and saw she was crying tears of joy before looking up at me with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re okay, and that you’re here. I was worried sick about you.” I smiled and leaned in to gently nuzzle her to help her calm down while still hugging her.

We stayed like this for a good while before she pulled her head up and started to look around for a moment with a puzzled look on her face. She did so for a little while before looking down at me. “Hey, Noir, did you happen to see some old timer just now? I was talking to one before I decided to tackle-hug you just now.”

I could only grin before finally letting the secret out. “Mmm, well, I can’t say that I have. Did you try checking behind your moon-size butt?” I spoke with my old man impression.

Glenda's eyes widened and her head almost made a creaking sound as she slowly turned to look at me, her beak wide open. “N-Noir?…Did you just talk?”

I smiled and decided to do my best Bugs Bunny impression next. “Eh, what’s up, Glenda?”

Her beak nearly unhinged before she shouted. “YOU CAN TALK!?