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Princess Sara’s POV
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Andrew folded his arms, looking like he was actually thinking for a change. "We'd better not risk losing the little gold we have."
"Good idea. Plus, Maedel needs to buy me truffles." Connie nodded her chubby pig face vigorously in agreement. I was faintly aware of Maedel beside me trying to signal Connie to keep quiet.
"But... I've never worked a day in my life? I don't know how? What if I mess up?" I worried. Work was something entirely alien to a Princess. There was a loud tut from Hazel and she rolled her eyes like I'd just said something incredibly daft thoug it was a perfectly reasonable grievance!
"Pfft! You rich Princess' are so spoilt," Connie derided me.
"You're a Princess, too!" I countered.
"Yeah, but I'm not rich. I had to get a Saturday job in fathers bank when I turned sixteen! He said I couldn't quit until I found a rich husband." The pig girl said and it seemed to me that iot was incredibly unfair and cruel treatment of a Princess. I patted her on the head in sympathy.
"Okay. It's settled." Hazel said before turning to the peacock girl and bluntly asked, "Who do we see about working here, then?"
"Well, I can take you to Mistress Heron and she'll decide what you'll be best suited for." the colorful girl offered, "I'm not sure we have anything suitable for your pig and monkey, though."
Connie looked as pleased as a pig at the thought of not having to work while we did. Though it wasn't hard considering she actually was a pig.
"You look as happy as a pig in shit, Connie." Hazel said thinking the exact same thing which was unsurprising really, though how she expressed it was incredibly uncouth!
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Mistress Heron was a tall, pale woman with the strangest bushy black eyebrows that jutted out past the sides of her face like insectoid feelers. They gave her a very stern look which lived up to her title of Mistress.
Without so much as a greeting she asked who we were.
“I am Princess Hazel of the West Kingdom and this is my twin, Sara, my brother Andrew and my step-sister Connie,” Hazel introduced us, “As you can see, Connie has suffered an unfortunate curse. Part of the reason we are here is to cure her.”
“My, my! Four of royal blood.” Mistress Heron produced a large magnifying glass and peered through it at each of us in turn and each time the glass took on a pale green shade, “The Regal Glass confirms it – this is truly a profitable day!”
“We are accompanied by our friend, Maedel and the witch Morgana who has also been transmuted into a monkey.” Hazel spoke.
“You, with the tanned skin. Remove your hood,” Mistress ordered Maedel who refused until Hazel urged her.
“Pig ears? How novel for a human girl. You certainly have a strange sense of fashion or perhaps it is a fetish of yours?”
“No. No, no, no! I’m totally not into that stuff,” Maedel’s already reddish brown skin burned a brighter shade of red, more like she’d been caught red handed than embarrassed, or perhaps she was both? “I’m an elf and I didn’t choose to have pig ears!” the unfortunate elf, said.
“I’m sure some of our kinkier guest would appreciate them. A pig’s nose might complete the look.” Our potential employer mused aloud.
“NO!” Maedel said, firmly.
“As stubborn as a pig, as well. I think we could make quite a profit from you, too.” Mistress Heron remarked, seemingly talking to herself. “It’s decided you shall be…