Author Notes: Inspired by the announcement back in 2019 that a TV series was in the works for one of my favorite fantasy series I started writing this story. Because of what was going on in my personal life, I decided to try a Self Insert this time. I got quite far, but I wanted to focus on my original writing again and so it remained in my ideas.
However, with the TV series coming out I decided to start writing it again. I will be posting one chapter a week on either Saturday or Sunday.
Book 1
The Eye of the Dragon
Chapter 1
Eye-Opening
It was the birds chirping that woke me up, or maybe the sensation of a breeze against my body. Had I thrown the covers off in my sleep? And why was the mattress so lumpy? Where was my pillow?
Cracking open an eyelid, the questions only multiplied as I saw not my curtains, not my desk, or the repurposed hamster habitat that held my turtles, but trees. There were small trees dusted with snow all around me. That was when I took a deep breath and my nose was filled with cold air and the smells of wet forest, hammering home that I was not in my room.
But that was not the last surprise, as when I bolted awake I found myself naked. My head lifted up far further than it should, unknown muscles twitching in my shoulders and lower back. The trees around me weren't small, I was that big.
My fingers were sharper, I found, as they dug into the earth. I stared at my hand, my clawed hand, covered in reddish scales. What?
My neck twisted far too easily, allowing me to look down my back to confirm the awareness that had begun to leak into my mind. I had gone to sleep with four limbs, now I had seven. I counted them again, two arms, two legs, two furled wings, one long tail that ended in a somewhat flat end.
Was I dreaming? My first attempt at pinching myself failed, my claw skidding off the scales, but eventually I found the right spot. Ouch. That definitely hurt, but I was still in this forest, I was still a dragon. How had this happened, where was I?
Looking around, I noticed the debris I was standing on. Examining the scene, I got a tentative answer on how I'd ended up on this spot, at least. It looked like I had fallen from a great height and landed here, destroying several trees in the process and creating this clearing.
"Doesn't tell me how I became a dragon, now does it?"
My own voice surprised me, deeper than it had been. And also, I could talk. I did appear to have lips, but my jaw was a totally different shape now, yet it felt like I could easily form the words. "Okay," I said to myself, trying to stave of the panic. It felt good to speak. It was something human. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. I don't recognize the place, but it could be a forest near home. Yes, dragons don't exist on Earth, but that doesn't mean I'm somewhere else. Get your bearings first."
My immediate surroundings offered no clue, though I could hear flowing water. No cars, no planes, wherever I was it was far from civilization. If it existed at all wherever here was. I inhaled deep, my nostrils flaring. The air was sharp, it was freezing, but I barely felt it. It hadn't been winter last night.
I shook my head, thinking like that wasn't helping me. I took another look at my wings. They looked functional, and dragons were supposed to fly. An aerial view of the place might get me some answers. Of course, just because the body could, didn't mean I knew how.
"And there's only one way to find out." I crouched down, wings unfurling on reflex, before pushing off with all my strength. Wings beat, slower than I expected, but every flap pushed me further away from the ground and it took me only seconds to rise high above the canopy.
I laughed as a sense of exhilaration and rightness overtook me. Even looking down, I only felt satisfaction. It seemed that my fear of heights had not survived my transformation. But that joy was quickly dashed when I looked further out. It was early morning, the sun rose in what I assumed was the east. There was what looked like a vast swamp, the river I'd heard earlier seemed to flow into it. But when I looked in the direction that river had come from, I saw high mountains in the far distance that stretched from one end of the horizon to the other. Several of their peaks hidden in the scattered clouds that dotted the sky.
My country had a lot of things, mountains weren't one of them. Also, it had been July when I'd gone to sleep. Still, I could be somewhere on the southern hemisphere, it should be winter there. Maybe I was looking at the Andes or some mountain range in Australia. And since I could fly, distances weren't such a big problem as they might otherwise be.
However, a dragon flying about was bound to attract attention. So perhaps I shouldn't go flying off until I had a better idea of where I was and how people would react. That left the question of where to go.
I circled around, looking at the more immediate areas. I saw forest, and swampy forest, but when I got a little higher I saw something else. It wasn't much, but between here and the mountains the forest seemed to turn to scrub land and I could see what looked like a wisp of smoke. Not the billowing cloud of a factory, but perhaps a campfire or a hearth. Either case meant people.
Banking, I headed back for the only spot I could see that would allow me to land. The clearing I'd woken up in. My gaze roamed from east to west, hard to estimate, but it looked like quite the journey through some tough terrain. No easy paths or roads that I could see.
But I had no confidence that I could stealthily approach whoever had made that fire and my current form was bound to spook them. Which raised the question, could I do anything about it. Because if I couldn't, then I was worrying for nothing. I had no choice but to approach as I was so why bother walking?
Right, I need to look human if I-
Hiding one's greatness
There was a shiver, pressure, and suddenly I was falling, clothes flapping in the wind. Instinct caused my wings to flare, catching me. Okay, I think I know how to do that now. And looking myself up and down, I did appear to be clothed in my usual attire, including shoes and my winter coat.
My now human neck couldn't twist far enough, so I couldn't see exactly how the wings worked when I was like this. It didn't feel like there were slits in my coat or sweater, but then I didn't know how real my clothes were. They felt like they were there, but I knew they hadn't been there a minute ago.
The lack of a tail didn't seem to hinder me, I easily circled down and into the clearing, only to stumble on the landing, nearly eating dirt. Right, that needs practice. The wings no longer needed, they folded out and away. Again, hard to see, but I could feel they weren't … visible anymore.
Well, then, things were looking up. Time to find civilization.
VVV
I regretted everything. As it turned out, my landing spot was one of the few dry areas. While these woods weren't out and out swamps, they were littered with ponds, streams, and snowdrifts. My shoes were coated in the stuff, and ice had formed on the lower ends of my pants legs.
My legs were already tired as I couldn't walk straight for more than a meter and I had to clamber and jump as much as walk. But if I wasn't deluding myself then things were drying up around here. So maybe I had the hard part behind me.
That thought died as I emerged from some bushes and past another tree. To my right and a few meters ahead, there was another little pond with clear water. And something was pulling a pot full of it out of the pond, turning as they heard me.
And I do mean something. It looked strange, a mix of man and beast. It wore clothing, it had tools and a big knife on its belt, but it had clawed feet like a bird, and it had a beak instead of a mouth. It was big, too, towering over me as it stood up. The pot it had been carrying fell to the ground as it went for its knife.
"Uhm, hi?"
It screeched something I didn't understand and charged at me, the knife, or small sword, raised high. If this had been one of my stories, the hero would of course have been ready for battle and a quick exchange of blow and counter-blow would excite the reader.
But it was just me there. I screamed and flayed about with my arms as I took a step back. One step wasn't enough to save me, but I got lucky anyway. My arm met the steel blade and instead of getting lobbed off, the big knife deflected off of the limb.
Both of us froze, neither of us had expected that to happen. I snapped out of it first, helped by the horrid stench of my attacker. Right, dragon. My disguise was just that, even if it felt and looked otherwise I was still clad in those tough scales. And if I did have all of the power of my true form, then I had a chance.
My punch wasn't very good, poor technique. I just didn't have much experience with fighting. Still, even though the monster wore mail, I barely felt it. On the other hand, I had imagined I'd send it flying. But all that happened was that the creature stumbled back, bent over as it gasped for air.
Adrenaline pumping, I clasped my fists above my head and delivered a classic Captain Kirk attack, right on its unprotected head. I felt it crack under my blow, the monster collapsing with its eyes rolled up.
"Ha, ha, ha." My heart racing, lungs screaming for air, I half-stumbled to the pond and washed my hands. Only after did I think to take a drink, but while the water looked okay, I knew it couldn't be. There had been blood and what I hoped was sweat clinging to my hands.
I checked the pot, but it seemed that it hadn't been properly scrubbed in some time. There were things clinging to the sides, crusty remains of past meals that I couldn't identify. I glanced at the dead creature, the person I'd killed.
I fought down the urge to throw up, focused on breathing, on thinking of other things. It had looked familiar, its appearance niggling at my memory. But that was ridiculous, nothing like it existed on Earth. Probably. Dragons weren't supposed to exist either, but here I was.
Solving that mystery, however, had to wait because the monster had friends. Friends that now emerged from the forest, all of them armed, armored, and huge. Though none of them looked quite like the first one I'd encountered, but all had animalistic features. Goat, wolf, boar, you name it. They spared their friend but a glance, jabbering amongst each other as they eyed me with undisguised hunger. I was starting to have some ideas about what those unidentifiable remains could be. And why did I feel like I knew what these things were?
Maybe some anime? Yeah, that slime isekai one had pigmen for orcs. Wait, was that my situation? Had I fallen into another world? Was I in an anime? Though they didn't sound like they were speaking Japanese.
Never mind that, they were spreading out and brandishing spears, axes, a billhook. Five of them, one of me. And they looked like they knew their way around with those weapons while I barely knew how to punch. But I was a dragon.
Dragons were supposed to be able to do more than fly and swipe with their claws. I tried to reach inside of me, it was easy, too easy. I could feel power there, though hard to define. I was looking for fire, I think, a breath weapon. Or magic, lots of dragons could sling spells, too. But it was a jumble, I had this feeling of power, freedom, but it was a tangle and I didn't know what bit did what.
I took a step back, one of the monsters laughing as they closed in. Okay, don't focus on the how, focus on what I want. I want to take them out, in one go. I want to live. And to live, I have to kill them. So … kill!
Breath of the Wyrm!
I sucked in air, my chest expanded as heat blossomed, then it all rushed up my throat and out my mouth. A spout of flame, twisting and enveloping the five monsters who howled, screeched, and danced as they caught fire.
Two of them fell down where they were caught in the flames, the others managed a few steps before they fell to the forest floor, writhing. All I could do was stand there, the foul stench of their roasted flesh strangling the breath out of me.
Finally, when the last one stopped moving, could I take a step. I ran, struggling for air. Don't know how long I ran, my thoughts only starting to work once I couldn't see or smell them anymore. I … I needed to get out of here, before more of those things came.
Looking around, all I saw was forest slowly emerging from winter, patches of old snow lingering here and there. But I could hear the river, that should help. Just follow that upstream to that fire and hope it wasn't more of those monsters.
As I resumed my journey, I found new strength flooding back. I hadn't noticed at the time, but that fire breath attack had taken something out of me. I'd spent energy to do it, or maybe I should call it … effort?
"Ah, hell no."
I concentrated on the feeling again, touching power, my power. Was it one, or multiple, three perhaps? Hard to tell, it was all mingled and flowing, but it did feel like there was more than one aspect, one axis.
I'd been running only one campaign before I woke up. Was I a Godbound? If I was, then the good news was that I had an idea of what I could do. But it also raised some issues. The Godbound universe was falling apart and had some truly frightening things running around in it.
And then there was the question of how. I looked up and around, a horrifying notion creeping up. Was this, was I, real? Or was this some story I'd come up with, had I jumped on the self-insert bandwagon?
Surely not. This all feels real to me. And besides, I have plenty of other things I should be writing. Right, yes, I've just been transported to some place that has monsters and turned into a dragon godling in the process. That's the better option. Though I can't help but pinch myself one last time before I set out again.
VVV
I don't know how long it took, hours probably. The cloud cover had thickened so I didn't know exactly where the sun was, but night hadn't fallen yet so it couldn't be too long. I'd chanced taking a drink from the river. Water was clear, and it hadn't tasted bad, though it had been very cold. So far, I felt fine.
The last few minutes, I'd finally seen some hints of civilization. There had been a path leading away from the river that I was now following. I could hear chickens clucking away. And up ahead, I could now see that the trees were ending.
Beyond them the trees were bare fields, and what I belatedly recognized as rustic buildings. They were made of whitewashed daub and had thatched roofs. The cluster of buildings were ringed by a wooden fence while the chickens I'd heard earlier walked around the yard.
It all looked old, too, but well maintained. So, was this operated by humans or would I find more monsters? Caught by indecision, mind tired from everything that had happened already, I just stood there and watched.
Eventually, something happened that startled me out of my trance. Rounding what I thought was a barn, a young child carrying a sack appeared. He couldn't be any older than ten, and he was most certainly human.
Though was that a good thing? For all I knew, those creatures back there had been the good guys and humans were the real monsters here. Though it hadn't felt like that back in the forest.
Studying the boy, I became even more certain I wasn't on Earth. He looked North African, maybe, light brown skin with short black hair. But the clothes, even from here I could tell they were different. An old style, like really old. I was reminded of pictures of medieval peasants.
Looking down at my own clothes, I tried to imagine a few changes. Had to look more like a medieval traveler, or an adventurer in Dungeons & Dragons.
One more face among the crowd.
A cloak settled on my shoulders, the coat changed to a woolen vest somewhat like what the boy was wearing. The shirt underneath lost its pattern, becoming simply off-white. I kept the jeans, just with buttons instead of a zipper, and my shoes. I might still look strange, with only one far off example I had no way to know what the local fashions were.
"Nothing for it. If this doesn't work out, if I get in danger, I can fly out of it. But I might need some money too."
I checked my pockets but found nothing. So this ability hadn't extended to pocket change. I fed my need to my power and an answer came to me. I searched for little pebbles and collected them in my hand, then I set another ability to work on them.
The world's true worth.
Gold caught the light of the morning's sun and I couldn't help but stare at it with a growing grin. It took me a moment to remember I couldn't just stand here appreciating the pretty little stones. With a shake of my head I slid them into a pocket of my coat.
Wearily, and weary, I made my way to the farm. The boy had stopped in the yard and was now feeding the chickens. I neared the gate, but hadn't reached it when he spotted me and froze. After a moment's hesitation, I waved and smiled.
Tentatively, and after some more hesitation, he answered the gesture. I decided not to enter their property and speak from where I was. The distance wasn't that great. "Ah, good morning. Or afternoon, whatever the time is." I'd opted for English rather than Dutch, better chance that would be understood. If I was on Earth, however unlikely that had become.
"It's morning." The boy blinked owlishly at me. And he was speaking English! Or, I thought he was.
The silence lingered, only broken by the chickens who didn't care about anything other than the fact that they weren't getting fed anymore.
"So … can I talk to your parents?"
That startled him. "Uh, yes." He turned towards the barn and yelled, causing the poultry to scatter. "Father! A stranger!"
The man that came out was dressed similarly to the boy, a little taller than me and slim of built. There was gray in his curly black hair and he stopped for a moment when he saw me, before walking across the yard a little faster than how he'd come out of the barn.
"The Light illumine you," he said.
"Uh, yes. And you." Was I really hearing English or just interpreting it as such? "I was wondering if you could help me. I appear to be somewhat lost. Could you tell me where I am?"
The man's eyebrows rose up. "You're near the Waterwood. Uhm, Emond's Field is about half a days travel that way." He pointed down the path that followed the river upstream.
That … sounded familiar. Like I'd heard something like it before. Was I somewhere on Earth after all? Yet nothing looked right, I saw not a hint of modern textiles or technology anywhere. Even hunter-gatherers in the Amazon could be found wearing T-shirts these days. Then again, there were people like the Amish.
"Sorry, that doesn't ring a bell. Uhm, could you tell me what those mountains are called?"
"The Mountains of Mist. Are you feeling alright?"
I shook my head. "Not particularly. I woke up in the forest, with no clue on how I got there or where I was. And with every name you give me I'm more certain I'm far from home, indeed." I thought about mentioning the monsters, but I have no idea how they'd react, or if they'd believe me in the first place. I didn't even want to believe myself.
"You woke up in the Waterwood?"
"If that's the forest to the east, than yes. Had nothing more than the clothes I'm wearing. Haven't even had breakfast. So could I trouble you for some bread or something? I can pay."
The man looked conflicted, then my stomach grumbled. The farmer, and I only now realized we hadn't exchanged names, shook his head and gestured. "We can talk about that later. Name's Con, this is my boy, Paetram." He gave me a significant look.
Right. I could give him my name, but that might sound even more alien. Maybe something to refer to my new draconic nature? Though I was drawing a blank there, neither Tiamat or … Bahamut sounded any better if I was trying to fit in. And hesitating like this wasn't doing me any favors either, come on, say something.
"Shen! I mean, Ron Shen. Nice to meet you." Guess I'm going with Dragonball. Eh, Shenron is cool. "But please call me Ron."
Con waved it off and shepherded me into his home, though not before reminding his son to finish his chores. He introduced me to his wife, Joslyn, his daughter Adora, his sister Neain, and his aunt Ealsin. An old woman with a sharp nose and eyes that seemed to take my measure in a flash.
I did my best to be polite and not fall upon the food Joslyn put in front of me. Bread, a bit of cheese, and a cup of water. The meal was an experience. The bread wasn't sliced, I dimly recalled that it had been a 20th century invention, and I'm not used to cheese that isn't hot and melting on pizza or pasta. Not that I'm complaining to my hosts, it tasted fine and it stilled the hunger.
"Thank you, that hit the spot.," I said, washing the last bits out of my mouth with some water. "Here, for your trouble." I put a gold pebble on the table.
Joslyn blinked owlishly at the transmuted pebble on her table. "You're carrying gold nuggets around?"
"Yes. I'd, uh, gone out with some friends to pan for gold. So at least I didn't get robbed. So please, take it."
"I couldn't possibly, this is far too much."
"I disagree. I'd say its poor pay for your hospitality." I slid the pebble over the table towards her. "But perhaps you could give me a few tips to equal the scales? Where to go, for example."
"Only one way to go," Con said. "Head west to Emond's Field. You can get a room there at the Winespring Inn for a good price. If you are looking to leave Two Rivers, you'll need to head north from there. Taren Ferry is the only place you can cross the Taren. Then it's several days travel to Baerlon, but I don't know where you'd go after that. I've never left Two Rivers myself."
I absorbed the names, some of it kept ringing bells. It wasn't an anime, but I was sure I had heard these names before. Though where?
Perhaps some of his feeling of being lost leaked through, given Con's next words. "If you'll wait a while, we were planning on heading into town. It's Winternight tonight, I can put in a good word with him for you."
"Thank you."
VVV
I ended up not so much waiting as helping out, which went strangely well. I had grown up on a farm, but a modern one and that had been nearly thirty years ago. Yet as I assisted Con and his family with some small chores I found my hands working as if they'd been born to it. As long as it included producing or making something, I could do it. However, when it came to handling the old nag that was going to pull the family's cart, I found myself floundering. Tractors might not be self-maintaining and a lot more polluting, but at least they didn't kick you if you looked wrong at them.
Thoughts of home inevitably led to what my family would think once they discovered me gone. The panic, the worry, I didn't want them going through that but it wasn't up to me. And there was an even worse possibility, that they wouldn't notice. That a me had woken up in the morning and had gotten on with his life. Maybe I wasn't even really me, just a copy.
I struck up a conversation to distract myself, though I didn't learn much of value. Apparently there would be a festival tomorrow, something called Bel Tine. I was surprised to learn that it was the beginning of spring, not early winter. Winternight was about the end of winter, though the way it was described to me it sounded more like Christmas. Visiting family, exchanging gifts.
I also met Eward and Magde, Con's brother, and his wife and their children. The two adults looked alike, down to their stout build, which they'd passed on to their children. Neain, it turned out, also had two children though her husband had sadly passed away. It was a very large and extended family and they apparently all lived on the farm.
I almost forgot Deselle, Con's other daughter, who looked at me with big wide eyes whenever I turned around. Apparently, Con had a son living in Emond's Field as an apprentice as well which was half the reason they were going to Emond's Field to celebrate Winternight.
But they were worried about the unruly season, the way winter seemed so very reluctant to end. What he didn't complain about was monsters in the forest, and I didn't want to bring them up. I kind of wished I could convince myself I'd imagined the whole episode, but the memory of burned flesh was too vivid for the lie to work. Maybe I should warn these people, but I couldn't quite think of how to bring the topic up. And if they all went into town anyway, they should be safe.
And maybe I killed all the monsters. Yes, if they were rare than that small group might have been all that was in the area. Had been in the area. I really wanted to believe that.
With so many people coming, they couldn't all fit onto the cart. So the men ended up walking besides it while Joslyn took the reins. Paetram insisted he would walk, too, though that only lasted half an hour before he got lifted up onto it without protest.
"So," Ealsin said, one arm resting on the raised side of the cart. "You really can't remember how you got to the Two Rivers?"
"I don't have a clue." I truly didn't. And why was that name so familiar? "I take it you don't get many visitors in these parts?"
"Merchants and peddlers. Though we had a murderer last year." Her eyes seemed to bore into me.
"I'm no murderer!" That got me looks, I rolled my shoulders. "I know it is strange tale, but I have no answers."
I still didn't when the cart rolled into Emond's Field. It was a small village, maybe a couple of hundred people were living here if that. All of the buildings were wood, with thatched roofs. The exception was the inn, a reasonably sized building whose first floor was made of smooth stones and had a roof of red tiles. It also sported like a dozen chimneys.
There was a ruined structure behind the inn, one of two I'd seen. It didn't look recent, the first ruin, the crumbling remains of the foundation of some large structure, had a big oak tree growing in the middle of it with wooden tables set in its shadow. The second one was a little more substantial, but the stone walls were held together by moss.
All in all, it looked very rustic and medieval. And familiar, somehow. The people walking around looked much like the Aybaras, they'd told me their family name on the way here. Some had a paler complexion, though still heavily tanned, or brown hair instead of black. Con parked the cart next to the inn.
"Alright then. We're here."
I looked around and shook my head. "None of this looks familiar. I don't think I came through here. Or I wasn't conscious when I did."
"You didn't come past our farm on your way to the Waterwood," Ealsin said. "I'd have spotted you."
"Come along," Con said. "I'll introduce you to Bran and explain your situation."
"Thank you."
"Think nothing of it." I followed the older man into the inn, only to falter when I caught sight of two people leaving the building.
A man and a woman, dressed far more fancy than anybody else I could see. He was tall, looked to be Chinese or Korean with gray staining his hair at the temples, and wore a sword at his side while his cloak rippled with color. She was short, paler than me, carrying a staff, and wearing a blue stone on her forehead. Her age, I had a hard time estimating it.
Suddenly, I had a sneaking suspicion of where I was. What world I found myself in. The Aybaras, with a son who was apprentice to a blacksmith. I nearly asked Con if his son was called Perijn.
How had I not put it together sooner? I knew this place, those people. I'd never seen them before, but I knew them all the same. Moraine the Aes Sedai and Logain, no Lan, last king of … Malkir? The monsters I faced were Trollocs.
I should have realized it sooner, but I had last read the Eye of the World a decade ago, and in Dutch. Honestly, I'd always imagined Trollocs as more having animal heads, rather than a mixture of human and animal.
Certainly the cover art had looked different, so had the characters. But thinking of it, both Carhin and Aiel were noted as pale, compared to others. Yet I had pictured everybody as looking like, well, like me. That was what threw me off initially, I'd wager. But this meant that I was at the start of the Wheel of Time, and this town was going to get attacked real soon.