You come closer to the treasure, kneeling down and trailing your fingers wistfully through the gold coins. If only you had some way of getting out of here, you'd be set for life. Besides which, this stuff is... beautiful. You can't think of a better word for it. You feel the smooth gems, pick up a string of pearls and let it slide through your fingers.
Then one piece in particular catches your eye. Almost as soon as you see it, it's in your hands. A fillet of gold, scalloped at the top, small white and pink cabochons set in the filigree tracing along the outer rim. On the front is set a large red faceted stone, seeming to burn with the light it catches from the pool. A ruby, you presume.
Standing again, you turn it about, admiring the circlet. Thinking how beautiful this will look on you. Which... is an odd thought.
Unease stirs in you. You want to question these circumstances, the pull you feel from the shining diadem. But... you want it. You want to be beautiful. What could be the harm? You follow the impulse, lifting the crown and sliding it over your hair. It fits... perfectly, the red gem resting on your brow as if it were made for you.
Comforting warmth flows through you. You feel imperfections melting away from your body, your skin becoming flawless, smooth and supple and sensitive. Your mind also is gently freed of the worries that drag at you; they drift away, replaced by a certainty that all will be well; and wonder at the lovely changes overtaking you.
Your nondescript male form loses all hair except that on your scalp, which fades out from the roots, brown becoming sky blue, silken tresses growing past your shoulders, down to your waist. Which pulls in, together with your shoulders, your hips tilting and spine curving to push out your developing chest.
You lay now slender hands atop your bust, admiring your long fingers and the delicate pink polish on your nails. Beneath them you feel your bosom grow, gently swelling with each inhalation. Your breath catches as your fingers brush against much larger, lifted nipples, making them harden; then a smile curves your full lips. Pleasure mixes into the magical calm as you slowly massage your new breasts.
Your stomach takes on slight definition, your core gaining a healthy firmness as your hips continue to expand. Femininity flows into your buttocks and thighs, filling them out into soft curves, even as your legs grow longer and stronger, lean muscle hidden under the fat. In the enchantment's warm embrace, you are safe, free to enjoy your flesh blossoming into elegant female grace.
Quietly your masculine identity dissolves into the flow of magic. But your cock, gently pulsing with your blood, does not diminish; if anything it gets bigger, bulging nicely against your underwear as that turns into silk panties trimmed with lace. Your smooth-skinned scrotum expands into a hand-filling pouch, cradling your balls as they even out into a perfect pair of large ovoids, full of life-giving seed. You just no longer see them as male equipment -- you have a woman's thick penis, and a woman's heavy testes.
And behind them a more traditional feminine slit forms, pink petals opening on a channel that leads up into you, your innards gently fluttering as they make room for the new members. Making you capable of taking in and nourishing life inside you, as well as giving it to others. You sigh in happiness, running your hands down from your breasts to caress your belly above your new ovaries and womb.
Your shirt and pants have meanwhile merged into a dress of white, gauzy gossamer. Light and loose, it is discreetly slit up the legs to allow ease of movement. A bra, white silk trimmed with lace to match your panties, has formed around your heavy bosom, holding it close almost like a sports bra. Your shoes have turned into short, soft white leather boots, tooled in whorls and sprays of leaves. Within, your socks have changed to long silk stockings.
Finally a white brocade girdle forms around your waist, stitched with pink and gold. It emphasises your new figure, while a sewn-in belt holds an empty money pouch.
The physical changes complete, a new name settles in your mind. Espera. You know that is your name now, and accept it -- your old one hardly fits the woman you have become, after all. Briefly a vision fills your mind: a white city, capital of an unknown kingdom. An intense longing fills you.
You breathe deeply as the vision fades, the magic receding with it for now. Worry about being stranded on the beach mixes with yearning for the city. Although you feel like a completely different person, you still remember who you were, and your smile becomes bittersweet as you reflect on your wish to escape the complexities of modern life.
It seems I have... if not quite how I wanted. A wry laugh escapes you, and you place a hand to your throat at the feminine timbre, confirming the absence of Adam's apple.
Stirred from your thoughts, you notice one of the weapons along the wall seems to be glowing. Hesitantly, you reach out for it. It's a slim, straight sword with a gilded basket handle, held in a white leather sheath. As your fingers close around the sheath, you feel a connection. This is your sword -- Espera's sword, waiting here for her together with the circlet. You shiver, wondering just what you've stumbled into.
But you take the sword and affix it to your belt, letting it hang at your left hip. Then you turn to the chests. You take the pearl necklace and clasp it around your neck, place some gold bracelets around your wrists, and scoop as many of the heavy gold coins into your new belt pouch as you can comfortably carry. At the last minute you notice a golden ring, a ship graven on the turquoise bezel. This you slide on your right ring finger.
Sadly there's no mirror for you to check your appearance in. But, as you turn to the water, you see that the clear liquid has become opaque and reflective. You stop closer, and softly gasp. You look as beautiful as you feel: taller than when you were a man, your body at once lushly sexual and regally poised. You grab a lock of your oddly shaded hair, marveling at the soft texture, and notice your eyes have become a vivid sea-green.
Beneath your feminine charms, your muscles now pack more power and much more agility and endurance. You know how to fight, with the sword or without it. You know how to lead -- if anyone were around to be led. Nonetheless, while the lack of knowledge or provisions remain concerns, you feel much more confident in yourself. Not just because of your abilities. You feel freed of a weight you never knew you carried. You are right now in a wonderfully inexpressible way.
Nodding to your reflection, you turn and leave the treasure chamber, walking back down the cave towards the beach. This adventure has just begun, you are sure of it. You can't deny still feeling a sliver of fear, but you are also excited more than you've been in a long, long time.