Karen took her time before making a decision. "You'll be traveling with us, dear Princess."
Arianna was shocked. "What are you talking about, mongrel?! A woman of my station, living with a pack of filthy bandits? My father was right. You elves are more stupid than dogs."
Some of the bandits were clearly pissed off, because Kyrena could hear the sound of blades being unsheathed. She raised her hand, and they grudgingly stepped back.
"I don't know who you think you're calling bandits, Princess, but I can promise this: your life will be cut short much quicker unless you learn your hold your tongue. You belong to us now, and you will do exactly as you're told."
Arianna smiled. "No one tells me what to do except my father. And when I find him, he'll put all of you to death and feed your entrails to his dogs."
Kyrena smiled back. "No, he won't. Because he's glad to be rid of you."
Arianna kept smiling. "Lie all you want, wretched elf. It's all you have left."
"Really? Because I have ears and eyes everywhere. We've all heard the rumors of how the King sees his daughter as a disgrace. How she always embarrasses him in front of his own court, his queen, and the foreign ambassadors. How he secretly wishes she were dead so he could give his throne to a more worthy successor."
Arianna's smile started to slip. "You still lie! My father loves me! He would never-"
"He already has, Princess. Why do you think he ordered you away from the castle? Because he wants you far, far away from him, so he can pretend you don't exist. The second word arrives that your carriage has been attacked, he'll mourn your death."
Arianna would hear no more. "I command you to stop speaking! All you do is lie! I'm going to find someone to take me back to the castle."
But as she tried to walk away, two bandits grabbed her hands and tied them behind her back. One of them put his skinny arm around her neck.
Kyrena took a knife and a small vial from her belt. "You foolish little brat. You still think the world revolves around you, even when I have you at my mercy. Let's correct that, shall we?"
Arianna tried to worm free, but it was no use. Kyrena took a handful of her beautiful golden hair and cut it to shoulder-length, then opened the vial. A bandit pinched her nose so she had to breathe through her mouth, and the Bandit Queen took that opportunity to pour the sweet-tasting liquid down her throat.
The bandits cut her hands free and let her fall to the ground. Arianna coughed and slowly stood back up. "What poison was that, elf?!"
Suddenly, she found herself trying to cough again. It felt like a lump was forming in her throat. When she tried to talk, her voice came out deeper, like a young boy's.
"What's happening-"
Kyrena then grabbed the front of her dress and tore it open. Arianna watched in horror as her breasts shrank, while her body became more curvy and slender. And at the base of her crotch, a big, fleshy piece of skin was growing and expanding into a long tube, topped with a purplish-tan mushroom head. Underneath, two large testicles appeared, wrapped in a heavy sac that ripped through her linen undergarments.
As Arianna stood there shocked and unable to process what had just happened, Kyrena spoke up. "You are no longer Princess Arianna. Now, you're something better - a hermaphrodite. You have the face and body of a girl, but the voice and penis of a boy."
The former Princess tried to say something in her new voice. "Please, kill me. I don't want to be this disgusting thing."
Kyrena put a hand around her throat. "No. Death is easy and quick. You don't deserve it. Instead, I'm going to set you free, to do whatever you like. But now you are no longer a princess. No one will recognize you. Whether you live or die depends on whether you can find the strength to survive. Personally, I don't think you'll last a week, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it's time for us to leave."
The bandits slowly slunk back into the forest, until all trace of their presence was gone. Kyrena threw a bundle of clothes at Arianna's feet.
"I will grant you a small gift. This tunic and these trousers will suit you much better than that dress. You could probably sell it and your jewelry and make a decent profit. That's what I would do." Kyrena then turned and went back into the forest, leaving the former Princess alone.