==================
Princess Sara’s POV
==================
The low murmur of a crowd stirred me to wakefulness. I’d been having the strangest dream about rolling in the hay with a farm hand or something. I couldn’t quite remember.
Opening my eyes I was dimly aware of the cloth that muted the light and prevented me from seeing the source of the hushed conversations going on around me.
“Ladies and gentleman,” a songbird like voice spoke to the murmuring crowd, “I’d now like to present to you our first auction of the day and we do expect it to be the beginning of a very exciting day indeed.”
Auction? My eyes sprung open wide and I sat up straight as a board. I could see the bars now. Thick wireframe bars covered by a simple white cloth sheet. I was in a cage.
“Oh no.” I whispered, memories of our capture quickly returning.
“Without further ado, we present for your consideration, Princess Sara of the West Kingdom.” The blue haired peacock girl announced as she tore away the only thing hiding me from the crowds’ hungry eyes. The sheet was pulled away, expose my eyes to the brightness of the casinos lights.
“She has been tested as a genuine Princess of Royal descent. Her hobbies include farming, sewing, dressing up and obeying her betters.”
Those are not my hobbies! Aside from dressing up. I do like that.
”Sara came to our fair city to try to help her failing nation but unfortunately came upon hard times and so she now seeks a new home and master or mistress,” Cyan winked, “to take care of her.”
“I am not for sale!” I shouted but my voice seemed somewhat muted. It just didn’t seem to carry as far as Cyan’s in the large casino function room. The gathered crowd just seemed to ignore me completely. As my eyes adjusted I got a good look at the crowd seated before me. Though I was in a cage raised above them their eyes seemed focussed intently on something even higher above my cage. What’s more is that something looked very off. They looked like they were closer than they ought to be from me for such a wide distance. They should definitely look smaller… at this distance.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own your own Princess and, as per usual, the lucky winner will have the option to transform their new acquisition in any way they see fit. All transformations will be carried out, at no extra cost, by our head sorceress, Mistress Heron!”
“Now see here! You will not be transforming me!” I turn towards Cyan to berate her and gasp. All I can see of her are her womanly hips and the base of her peacocks tail as she faces the crowd. Her head and upper body are much too high above the top of the cage for me to see! This can’t be right, I think and stretch my arms as wide as they will go. From front to back her bottom is as wide as my entire arm span! I rush to the edge of the cage and grab the bars. Looking down I can see a long drop to the floor and Cyan’s high-heeled feet. Her shoes alone are as big as horse carriages!
“You’ve already transformed me,” I mutter and look up to see Cyan’s enormous bosom and smiling face as she finishes addressing the bidders. Behind her is a magical projection of myself that is drawing the eyes of the punters. It shows me but many times larger. In it I am in a birdcage, peaking out through the bars. I gasp and the projection gasps. I’ve been shrunk!
Cyan interrupts my awe, “Bidding starts at 1,000 gold pieces. Do I hear 1,000?”
=============
Maedel’s POV
=============
Sara’s auction was frenetic and difficult to keep track of from inside my cloth covered cage with only my elven ears to help. I had no idea who had won in the end but whoever they were, they would be forking out hundreds of thousands of gold. The second auction was for Princess Connie and although it was a little less hectic there was only a few thousand gold pieces between the final bid on her and Sara’s price. If Sara had heard Connie’s auction I imagined she’d be fuming that a pig had sold for more than she had.
Not long after the second auction ended and the applause and congratulations to the winner ended it was our turn. Our cage shook as it was lifted and moved into the centre of what I supposed was a stage. My chest tightened as my anxiety heightened. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned to look at Andrew in the dim light. I smiled and hugged him. At least we were in this together. He held my face in his hand and leaned in for a kiss. Our noses met awkwardly in the dark before our lips could meet.
"Your nose is wet," Andrew said and moved his hand to feel my nose noticing it had turned upwards and taken on a triangular shape. "You've got a pig nose!"
"Aww jeeze that flamingo bitch went and did it!" I said angrily.
"I dpn't think she was a flamingo, her name was Mistress Heron after-all," Andrew corrected me.
I scowled and grabbed him by the ear saying "Whose side are you on anyway! Hang on, your ears huge and floppy!"
Andrew grabbed his ears and nose and sighed, "I guess we're a matching pair now,"
Our conversation was interrupted when our cage stopped moving and we heard several hushed voices out side.
“We’ve reached the halfway point in today’s auctions and I can tell you now that they are no less spectacular. Introducing, Mabel! The elf cursed with the features of a pig!”
“It’s Maedel! With a ‘D’!” I shouted. As if being sold at auction wasn’t enough of an injustice already! My eyes quickly adjust to the light when the cloth was drawn away like a curtain but I don’t see Connie or Sara.
“Up for grabs with her is her lover and the brother of Princess’ Connie and Sara - Prince Andrew of the West Kingdom!” The peacock girl pauses, waiting for the applause to die down.
“At least we’re being sold together.” Andrew sighs.
“Yeah, with both of us we’ll have a better chance at escape and rescue the others.” I raise my fist and say with all the confidence I can muster.
“Does she have a pigs tail?” I hear one of the patrons ask. I practically deflate as my confidence is sucked out of me as I’m reminded of my embarrassing curse. I slump over onto my knees, burying my head in Andrews lap. He pats me on the head and covers my pig ears for me.
“Oh there it is!” the patron points. I’ve unwittingly raised my butt to reveal the corkscrew pig’s tail pointing out from my shorts.
We sell for one hundred thousand gold pieces.
=============
Hazel’s POV
=============
I’m back in the halls of the castle in Westwater, my home. I can feel the soft, red carpet beneath my bare feet as I walk. I look around, taking in the home I haven’t returned to in years. The stone walls are so very high and gleaming suits of armor tower over me. It feels so nostalgic and yet quite alien to wandering such gigantic halls. I notice the warmth of my hands being held and I feel safe. I turned to see who is holding them and just see an arm stretching up above me. My eyes follow it up and past the shoulder. I’m looking directly up at her upside down face as she peers over me holding both my arms, I gasp and drool runs down my cheek – it’s my step-mother! I continue to totter along on unsteady feet with her help. “Good girl!” she beams at me delighted and I smile back toothless, gummy smile. She guides me into a familiar room, in the centre is a white porcelain throne. It is gilt with the golden crest of my family. It is the royal lavatory! The large toilet looms over me, much too big for me and I feel funny in my tummy.
“Gotta potty!” I say to mummy she smiles down at me and turns me. There is a white duck sitting on the floor. It’s almost as big as me and… it has handle bars! As I get closer I see the seat with the bowl in its centre. It’s a potty. I shake my head. This isn’t right. I’m a big girl! I don’t want to use the potty. Mummy looks at me, knowingly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to use it yet.” I feel a tinkling feeling ad look down between my legs and see a thick, crinkly diaper. As the warmth spreads I begin to cry.
I spring wake from the dream and quickly check my shorts. Thankfully they are dry but I feel embarrassed for even having to check. What the heck kind of dream was that?
It takes me a second to forget about the dream and analyse my situation. I’m in a cage.
“Grr! Those peacock bitches!” I growl through gritted teeth and punch one of the cages bars. I’m certain the dream was their doing. When I get out I intend on bending them over my knee and reddening those feathered butts of theirs.
Outside I hear an auction. It sounds like people are bidding over a monkey? Morgana! The slam of a gavel ends the auction. Morgana the witch turned monkey – sold for a measly 200 gold.
“And now for our final auction of the day. Some say she is the long lost older sister to Sara and Andrew. Some say she’s herald from the future sent back in time to prevent a great catastrophe. She is the mysterious, Princess Hazel!”
My cage begins to move and before I know it the veil that covered it was lifted away revealing the full auction room.
“When I get out of here I’m going to beat every last one of you!” I grab the bars and shout.
“Now, now that is no way for a Princess to behave.” The cyan tailed peacock girl says before snapping her fingers.
“Baby doll,” She said forcefully and my world briefly began to spin.
I was back in the castle, in the throne room sitting down before hundreds of chattering guests. I looked down to see my stubby legs poking out of a chunky diaper. Then I noticed I wasn’t sat on any sort of chair but a flowing, turquoise dress. I turn to see the soft bosom of my step-mother. I was just a small babe sitting in her lap. I popped my thumb into my mouth and waited patiently for the nice lady with funny feathers on her bum to stop talking.
“Sold for ten thousand!” the lady said.