Marge frowned at the mighty river blocking her path. Its dark currents swirled treacherously, and she could barely see the opposite shore. Even for a powerful Amazon warrior like herself, this was impassable. If only she could turn Robin into a gryphon and ride him across, she thought as she scowled at her submissive squire, who had collapsed to the ground panting hard from overexertion.
Further up the shore she could see a bridge, but it was guarded by a forbidding stone fortress. The last thing she wanted was another confrontation with whatever was in there, but she knew she was being pursued by a mass of wizards and warriors, and there was no other way across. Sighing with resignation, she headed towards the bridge. With luck, it would just be a garrison of muscle heads, soon to experience the simple joys of prepubescent girlhood, she smiled as she fingered her transformation stone.
Trying her best to slip past unnoticed (a plainly unrealistic goal for a hulking Amazon), she soon heard shouts and the noisy clatter of armor. Readying her stone, she turned to face the small group of heavily armed troopers approaching her. A tall, imposing man wearing rich velvet robes and a fur-lined coat stepped out from behind.
“I see that you come from Lavenguard. Did you by chance spot my son Henric? He set out weeks ago, and I haven’t heard anything from him since.” the nobleman asked in an imperious tone.
“Henric?” Marge blanked for a moment. Oh yes, wasn’t that the arrogant young nobleman who had taken every opportunity to grope her butt and chest? She had been especially pleased to hear that Robin had made his stableboy-wizard change him into a Clydesdale stallion.
“Never heard of him.” she replied unconvincingly.
“You’re lying.” The nobleman’s eyes turned cold and flinty. “I’m going to keep you prisoner here until you tell me what happened to my son!”
“I don’t think so.” Marge clasped her rock. The nobleman’s fine clothes vanished, replaced by a tattered loincloth. His powerful, muscular body lost its tone and definition as he started to shrink, his limbs becoming lanky and thin. The deep chestnut hair on his head turned light and sandy, his beard vanished and his body fur receded, making him smooth all over. Within moments, he was just a pretty boy in his late teens. Scampering forward, he prostrated himself before the Amazon and started kissing her feet.
With a loud cry, the troopers charged, but a chill wind abruptly blew out of nowhere, paralyzing them. A raven spread its wings and swooped down from the parapets above, morphing into an elegant enchantress, with emerald eyes and high cheekbones, clad in a black iridescent gown.
+++++ +++++
Esmeralda struggled to get up, but her stableboy body was no match for Amber’s orangutan form. She watched as the young animagus pulled out a vial, then replaced it and grabbed an orb which she pressed against the witch’s forehead, absorbing a copy of her memories. Next, the animagus pinched the witch’s nose, and when she opened her mouth to gasp out for air, she felt the contents of the vial emptied down her throat.
Amber grinned as she watched Esmeralda’s panicked eyes glaze over as her mind was permanently alerted to match her stableboy body. Morphing back into a faun, Amber waited for the stableboy to scramble to his feet, scratching his head in confusion. “Where da stables? Gotta get ta work…” he stuttered.
Amber laughed as she dispatched the now submissive and obedient stableboy to the bestiary to shovel out the wolf dung, and then turned her attention to the memory orb. I wonder if he knew anything about my past, she thought as she activated the device.
The orb flickered, and she found herself staring at an image of Esmeralda yelling at Erik, who was carrying a baby girl she recognized as herself. “You went and stole LADY ATELIA’S baby? Are you NUTS? If she finds out…”
“She won’t.” Erik replied confidently. “I planned everything very carefully.”
“But why go thru all that trouble?”
“Well, only an animagus can gain a beastmaster’s ultimate power. With my training, this child will become the most powerful animagus in the realm. She will be my legacy…”
“If Atelia finds out, your legacy will be becoming her personal chamber pot!” Esmeralda snorted. “So what are you doing here if so you’re so confident about your kidnapping strategy?”
“I need a way to hide her. And you’ve been pretty good with hiding… whoever that is.” His gaze shifted to a toddler boy enthusiastically chasing a squealing piglet around the room. “Tobias, GET OUT!” Esmeralda yelled. Turning back to Erik, she continued “How about I transform her into a faun? And you make up a story about how you rescued her from evil forest spirits….”
As the orb’s image dimmed, Amber felt her rage rise like a tidal wave, and glared malevolently at her pet rabbit.
+++++ +++++
Lady Atelia glared malevolently at Marge, and then smiled. “I rather like this new form you gave my husband. He’s a tiresome old coot, and just like my boorish stepson, always flaunting his high born status to get under women’s robes.” she sniffed. “So much for Duke Nicholaus Alston III. I think Nicky will be a more appropriate name for his new role, don’t you?” she watched as the former duke slavishly massaged the Amazon’s back. “Anyway, you can keep him. I have no further use for that fool.”
Stepping forward, Atelia took a long, hard look at Marge. “You’re a strong & powerful warrior. Would you like to join me on my quest?”
“Quest to what?”
“Why, to take my rightful place as Queen of Arlor of course! I’m tired of being a mere Duchess.” she laughed, green eyes flashing. “All I have to do is to find and dispose of the last remaining heir to the throne, and my way is clear! The soldiers in this fortress are loyal to me, with the exception of the duke’s personal bodyguard,” she gestured at the immobilized troopers behind her. “Now, what shall we do with them?”