“Kind of.” Our host’s lips twisted into a small smile. “My nature is more complex than you can imagine. Either way, my situation aside, you have to make the best decision for yourselves.”
As I saw it, we had two options. One of them was to leave Larue somewhere I knew he would be safe and go to Morganna without him, perhaps taking my family along. That way, Larue wouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of the curse at all and wouldn’t be in danger either.
But could I be sure that my castle would keep her at bay? If she was as powerful as the Fairy Godfather seemed to suggest, very few things could. She might easily use Larue against me.
On the other hand, we would be taking a huge chance if we went through with the other idea. Where did that leave us?
The Fairy Godfather seemed to guess my predicament. “Here’s a thought,” he said. “It’s not my actual spell that would transfer the curse, but the one on Victor. If I change Larue, but you two don’t mate, you’re all set.”
My mind just about melted at that. It was, of course, the perfect solution. Larue would be safe, and still with me. We could go to Morganna together to find the witch. Why hadn’t I thought of it?
Oh, I knew why. When Larue had been pixie-sized, I’d managed to keep my libido in check. It would have been awkward for the both of us if I hadn’t, and trying anything different had been out of the question. But if those physical limitations vanished, the walls keeping my natural desire for him in check would undoubtedly crumble.
I needed to get a grip. I wouldn’t allow my cock to deter me from our purpose. “You’re right,” I said to our host. “It’s the best way.”
Larue didn’t look entirely convinced, but he jumped off my shoulder and landed on my knee. “Okay,” he said, his little wings trembling as he prepared himself for the impossibly huge change he would do for me. “I’m ready.”
“It will be a little confusing at first, but it’s completely safe,” the Fairy Godfather said softly. “Close your eyes and relax.”
My mate did as he was told, taking a few deep breaths and obviously struggling to obey the instructions to the letter. I was one step away from calling the whole thing off, but suddenly, a flash of white blinded me, making it impossible for me to move or even speak. The Fairy Godfather’s voice drifted into my head, whispering, “Worry not. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
The moment passed before I could even attempt to reply. Suddenly, a heavy bulk seemed to land on my lap. Pixie dust exploded in my face, and Larue’s scream echoed in the room.
As if of their own accord, my arms went around his waist, and I hugged him close to me. “It’s all right,” I whispered, doing my best to calm him down. “I’m here.”
Of course, I didn’t feel very calm myself. In fact, my brain was on overload, moving in bursts as it computed that one, my mate had suddenly become human-sized, two, he was naked, and three, he still sat in my lap. In one single logical statement, my not-so-coherent conclusion was the following. My very naked mate sat in my lap, now human-sized. Yes, I could be brilliant sometimes, right?
“Well, I’m going to have to apologize for my words,” Philippe said idly. “I was completely wrong about your mate. He’s quite a catch.”
Impossibly, Larue’s wings fluttered even harder. I wondered how the Fairy Godfather had dealt with that problem. It hadn’t seemed so bad while Larue had been small, but at the rate we were going, we wouldn’t have much trouble defeating the witch. Larue would just bury her in pixie dust. Of course, by that time, the whole thing would be useless, since I would have long ago suffered the same fate.
“Oh dear,” the Fairy Godfather said. “Sorry about that.”
He waved his hand, and the quantity of dust emanating from my mate’s wings diminished a little. “There. Much better, don’t you agree?”
Larue was still trembling, clutching my shoulder in a death grip. He seemed far more powerful than I’d expected, and I guessed that upon along with Larue’s size, everything else had increased as well. I’d never realized it before, but given their minute size, pixies were quite strong.
Unfortunately, Larue’s proximity had quite an effect on my disobedient body. My cock hardened, and I forced myself to think at anything else except how silky Larue’s skin felt under my fingertips. Goddess above, if I slid my hands a little lower, I’d be able to cup his buttocks. I’d be able to find the little virgin hole hiding so many delights. Fuck! Bad dick, bad. You’re not helping.
The only thing that did help was the knowledge of Larue’s apprehension and the obvious shock my mate had gone through. Honestly, how could I focus on arousal when faced with his fear? My sexual excitement melted into protectiveness, and I caressed his hip, shushing him and continuing to murmur endearments and promises.
At one point, Larue finally relaxed. “You didn’t mention I’d be naked,” he told our host with a huff.
I couldn’t hide a smile. It was so like my mate that I wanted to dance. Okay, what I actually wanted to do was to fuck him, but since that couldn’t be possible, I’d settle for dancing and having him in my arms.
“My spell didn’t actually eliminate your clothing,” the Fairy Godfather said. “They just tore naturally.”
Indeed, I could spot a few scraps of white material on the floor of the room. For some reason, it made me sad, because they could easily be considered as the remnants of my mate’s old life. I wished I knew what to say, how to thank him and truly make him see how much I valued and appreciated his sacrifice.
He didn’t give me the chance to do so. Instead, he slid out of my embrace and gathered the pieces of what had been his tiny white suit. When he looked at me, he was beaming widely. There was absolutely no sign of regret in his gaze. “We’ve finally done it, Victor. We can be together now.”
A weight I hadn’t even fully acknowledged lifted off my chest, and I grinned back. It must have encouraged Larue, because he boosted himself with his new, much larger wings and he launched himself at me. His momentum was such that when he landed on me, the armchair fell back and we collapsed together on the floor. I couldn’t have cared less, not when he crushed his lips to mine in a soul-devouring kiss. It was our very first, a little clumsy, and a lot desperate. We’d waited for this moment for what seemed like forever, and nothing could have kept me from burying my fingers in his soft hair. The silvery strands fell over us like a silken curtain, with a unique perfume that simply intoxicated me. I licked across the seam of his lips, demanding entrance. With a soft sigh, he gave in, and I thrust my tongue into his mouth, tasting him greedily.
For a few seconds, we lost ourselves in the need that had been piling up for the past weeks, ever since we’d first met. However, the moment shattered when I heard my brother say, “That’s quite a show you’re giving us there, little brother.”
I reluctantly broke the kiss and glowered at him. In spite of still being in panther form, he looked smug.
For his part, the Fairy Godfather tilted his head at us inquiringly, analyzing us with those fathomless silver eyes. “Well, it seems like my plan might not work after all,” he drawled. “In fact, I can’t even begin to imagine what made me suggest it in the first place.”
I stared at them, wanting to be angry, but unable to muster any sort of negative emotion. “Thank you,” I said honestly. “Thank you for giving us this.”
Our host smiled. “It was my absolute pleasure. And now, since we’ve all acknowledged the urgency of your situation, let me point out your foe.”
Out of nowhere, an image bloomed to life. It looked like a carriage, one bearing the mark I recognized as belonging to the Morgannian royal family. It rolled through a courtyard rich in vegetation, with so many decorations that I instantly suspected it must be.
The carriage stopped in front of a staircase, and its driver leapt from the perch and rushed to open the door. A lovely dark-haired woman stepped out and was immediately intercepted by a blond young man.
Still in my embrace, Larue gasped.
“That’s Kirril’s brother,” he whispered.
The young Arthurian prince seemed tense, but when he approached, the woman’s eyes shone briefly. It was only an instant, but Medwin instantly changed attitudes. He beamed and kissed her hand like a man in love.
“I guess that answers some questions,” Larue said. “So now what?”
As much as I hated it, I answered, “Now, I suppose we go to Arthuria.”
Chapter Nine:
In Which There is Good News and Bad News
The Fairy Godfather didn’t let us leave just like that. First of all, he gave me clothes which mimicked the ones that had been destroyed and boots to compliment the outfit. Once that problem was solved, he offered me a pouch of something that looked a lot like pixie dust. I wanted to say that I had plenty of my own, but I held my tongue and waited.
“The first thing you need to do is to trap the witch using this. It won’t keep her at bay for long, though, so you must work quickly. There are two things you need to understand. First, Anelah hates true love. She wove this into the spell, so that no one affected by it could be truly happy. Second, you’re going to have to fight fire with fire. Go to Arthuria. You’ll find an unexpected ally there.”
At his words, Philippe released a tired sigh. “Can we stop beating around the bush? What ally, and what exactly do we have to do?”
“Tsk, tsk. So impatient.” The Fairy Godfather shook his head, as if disappointed. “You really must learn to control your temper, Philippe.”
“He has a point, though,” I said, not really wanting to agree with my mate’s brother, but eager to know more. “A trap isn’t enough.”
“No, it isn’t. What you have to do is strain her powers so that she won’t be able to hold onto her spells any longer. She’s very old, Larue, almost as old as I am. As a human, Anelah should have long been dead, but she’s only half-Morgannian, so the limitations on age don’t apply to her.”
“So I gather by your words that she’s not really a Morgannian princess,” I concluded. After all, how could the current queen have given birth to her?
“There never was a Morgannian princess. They only had a son, and he’s the one who can help you best under these circumstances. His name is Snow, and you will be able to find him in Arthuria. But back to your question. Break the spell on Medwin and trap her with the dust. This is something only you can do, with Snow and Rapunzel’s help. I will do the rest.”
That sounded easy enough…maybe. All we had to do was get Rapunzel to join us on our quest. Sadly, we had no real way to contact him. On occasion, he did come and visit, as he had promised Kirril to do so. But those instances were so rare, and we could not afford to wait this time around.
Obviously, the Fairy Godfather must have guessed our predicament. “He will know,” he assured me. “Now go. Meet Kirril and Dineiro. You’ll need their help to enter Arthuria discreetly.”
He led us back to the foyer of his peculiar home, and I couldn’t focus on asking anything else, because I had trouble orienting myself and walking on my new legs. My wings felt far too big, and when I tried to fly, I accidentally hit the ceiling. One time, I fell against a vase that looked more expensive that Victor’s entire castle, and only the Fairy Godfather’s prompt intervention saved it from destruction.
I felt so mortified, but no one, not even Philippe, pointed out my inability to adapt to my new body. I guessed that, to a certain extent, all of them understood it, as they’d had to go through the same thing because of the curse.
In truth, though, I had it much better than my mate and his brother. As far as I could tell, I looked exactly the same, except there was more of me now. Naturally, my perspective had changed a lot, and it scared me a little, but I didn’t regret it in the slightest.
I wondered what my parents would think upon seeing me. Now that we were headed out to see Dineiro and Kirril, I’d have to visit the village, too, if only to show them. I’d told my mother that it was likely to happen sometime in the future, but to my mind, she hadn’t really thought it was possible.
Oddly enough, once I stopped worrying about embarrassing myself in front of my mate and began to think about other things, I found a measure of balance. Walking became a little more natural, and I managed to fold my wings behind myself like I would have in my previous shape.
“Thank you,” I told the Fairy Godfather again.
The pixie-looking man chuckled. “Don’t mention it.” His expression sobered. “Now, remember, be very careful when you face your opponent. Do not underestimate her. She has been around for far longer than you think. Do not try to engage her in a direct magical battle, because you will not win. Strain her spells, and I will step in.”
Something in his tone made warning bells ring at the back of my mind. “So you know her then? Is she more powerful than you?”
“It’s…complicated,” he replied with a sigh. “Nonetheless, I will help you. This has gone on for long enough.”
I didn’t understand his cryptic words, and I nearly stumbled as I tried to figure out the answer. I righted myself at the last moment, and by the time we reached the exit, I felt confident that I’d achieved a little control over my current body.
That confidence faltered when I stepped outside the hovel-cum-palace and found myself straight in front of my village. I was speechless, while Victor and his brother simply looked confused. “Err…Where exactly are we?” Philippe inquired.
“My village,” I replied automatically. It was a few feet away from us, just beyond the trees. I could only imagine my people’s reaction upon seeing us enter. “You need to stay here,” I hastily added.
My mate seemed concerned. “Are you going to be okay?” he whispered.
I knew he worried about me, and about the fact that I’d changed my very nature to be with him. Therefore, I brushed a brief kiss over his cheek and grinned. “I’ll be fine.” Turning toward the Fairy Godfather, I nodded. “Thank you. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it,” our benefactor answered. “You have a loving family.”
Feeling a little more encouraged, I stepped toward the grove that had been my home for countless years. My family must have sensed something, though, as when I approached, a large number of pixies fluttered out of the grove and flew toward me.
It was disconcerting to see the people I’d lived with and known all my life looking so small. Intellectually, I realized I was the one who’d grown, but it didn’t fully compute. With Victor, the situation was tempered by the fact that I’d imagined it over and over, imagined the moment when I could finally kiss him. Even so, the strangeness of the moment shocked me so much I swooned.
Fortunately, Victor was right there to catch me. “Sorry about that,” I said sheepishly.
“Don’t ever apologize to me,” Victor replied as he kissed my temple and steadied me.
As he did so, my mother and father flew to my side. “Are you all right?” my mother asked. Had her voice always been so airy? Probably. It somehow sounded different now.
“Yes,” I answered. “It just shocked me to see you all so small.”
“We’re not any different,” my father answered. “You’re the one who changed.”
The words might have come out as accusing, but he was smiling as he said them. In fact, he seemed very pleased with the way Victor was holding me. “But I think it was worth it, right?” he added.
I just nodded, unable to say anything different. The rest of the pixies surrounded me, throwing pixie dust all over the place and celebrating my good fortune. My mate relaxed visibly, and even Philippe joined in, despite the fact that all the dust made him sneeze. My parents were thrilled to meet both Victor and his brother, and they didn’t even seem to mind that Philippe remained in his feline form.
Bowie and the Fairy Godfather must have been up to their old tricks, because a few minutes later, Kirril and Dineiro showed up. Once more, I was struck by the difference in my friends. I was practically Dineiro’s size now, maybe even a little
bigger in our human form. To think that once, I’d hidden in his pouch. It seemed mind-boggling.
“You did it!” my friend cried out with enthusiasm.
As he embraced me, I hugged him back, laughing. “It’s so strange, isn’t it? But a good strange.”
Unfortunately, we didn’t have too much time to celebrate, as neither my mate, nor I had forgotten about the witch who’d cursed his family. “There’s something very serious we need to talk to you about, Kirril,” Victor said to the former slayer.
Instantly, the Arthurian’s expression went guarded. “What is it?”
“I haven’t mentioned this to you before, but my shape-shifting problem is caused by a curse. We’ve recently learned that the witch behind it is your brother’s fiancée.”
“Anelah?” Kirril asked. “There must be some mistake. I know her. She’s probably in her twenties, and not in a dragon way.”
“No mistake, Prince Kirril,” the Fairy Godfather offered, for the first time stepping closer to us. He’d been quiet and allowed us to have our moment, but now it was time for more upsetting matters. “I assure you no one would have attempted to encroach on your brother’s happiness had we not been convinced it was not real. Why do you think you were sent to hunt down a dragon in the first place? I assure you, it wasn’t random.”
I gaped. It hadn’t occurred to me that the demand could have been linked to a more insidious issues, but suddenly it all made sense. “No wonder she went to see Medwin when it didn’t work out,” I said.
“She’s there?” Kirril asked. “If what you say is true, then my family is in danger. She needs to be stopped.”
“Indeed, Prince Kirril,” the Fairy Godfather answered. “Time is of the essence. I could get you to your home, but I highly doubt your parents would appreciate that. You still have influence in Arthuria. You must get Victor, Larue, and Philippe there at once. I will guide you to Snow.”
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