Restoring Astra

"No, thankfully," Ingrid said. "You've suffered from many weeks of no food or water. When the Dragon's magic was removed, that caught up with you all at once. You would have died of dehydration and malnourishment. You were too weak to take anything but sugared water. Now that that has made you a little stronger, we can try some magic to restore you to your normal state of health. Fred and I will help you into a sitting position. That will be more comfortable for you and will also make it easier for you to imbibe something."

Once Astra was sitting with her back and head propped against the wall, she could see herself properly. It was a frightening sight. She was extremely emaciated, little more than skin and bone. She could count her ribs and her breasts were little more than flaps of skin. Her hair was much longer than usual - almost waist-length - and unkempt. Her fingernails and toenails were half an inch long.

"I need a hairdresser and manicurist," she said in an attempt at humour.

Ingrid smiled. "I think that you are strong enough now to risk giving you a magic potion. It will take a few minutes to have an effect, as your body needs to process it. Basically it will have the same effect as all the food that Fred brought, but much faster. In any case, your stomach won't be up to digesting solid food just yet, after so long with none."

1. The potion works perfectly, restoring Astra to her normal weight of 140 pounds within minutes. (Though beautiful, she is very tall and is quite well-built, so she's not overweight.)
2. But the potion has no effect.
3. The potion works too well. Astra balloons to 230 pounds. "That was always a risk," Ingrid says. "I'm afraid that you'll have to get rid of the excess weight the hard way over time. I don't have a magical remedy."

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree