by Dave Kirk
The very last time the stone glowed brightly was when King Tobias arrived to greet his daughter. That last hope ended, mere moments after it began. It did make Sonya lie down with a sick headache for hours after ward.
The new court physician gave a distraught, screaming Daphne a sleeping draft. As she fought the drugged sleep, Daphne heard Captain Blake recount how upset the princess's earlier headache had made her devoted little one.
That night, Daphne tried to run away. She didn't get far, Sonya could have called guards, or, just magically stopped her at any time. Instead, Sonya made fun of Daphne's frantic escape efforts by proclaiming Daphne's every hiding place as Sonya strolled to slowly catch her. It was by magic Daphne knew. After punishment, her sandals were locked away leaving Daphne barefoot for the day of the wedding. She knew she would not runaway again.
Chapter 16: The wedding.
Today, Sonya had used a hot curling iron to tease Daphne's shoulder length hair into tight corkscrew curls dangling down on all sides from the flat of her skull. The top was decorated with a floral daisy chain. The back of her hair sported a huge pink bow. Today, the dyed hair famed her face in molten gold. It made Daphne's face seem even smaller and more childish that usual.
When finished, Sonya gushed. "The picture of innocence. It makes you look so CUTE!"
Daphne frowned before the mirror, behind her, Sonya waved a spanking hand. "SMILE, and often, today little one. That, is important to me."
Daphne quickly forced a smile, picking up kitty. Kitty was a soft, brown floppy shape with a vaguely feline face. Daphne held kitty for the scant comfort it afforded as she saw her destiny usurped by Sonya. Sonya had given kitty for Daphne's ‘birthday' the same evening their room had acquired a small cot. "Three year olds sleep alone. Anyway, no shared blankets after the wedding. Better get used to this now." Sonya explained.
Daphne was sure that the cot was introduced to force her to love the infantile toy. She had cried into kitty that first night, but not since. Despite herself, she talked to it, which made Sonya smile. It had become her best friend. She hugged kitty tight, she would need it this day.
"Leave that toy little one, both your hands will be busy today." Daphne sighed as she put aside her sole possession.
After breakfast, Daphne dressed for her place in the wedding procession. Just another flower girl, one of a nameless many, serving the princess. She felt the ‘pull', so hurried to her mistress.
Sonya had waved off the royal barber. Daphne tidied errant hairs disturbed by the veil and wedding gown under Sonya's fussy supervision. It was an unimportant task, a whim used solely to waste time and humble little Daphne for the amusement of her mistress. It was all so pointless for Daphne knew the barber would soon be recalled to finish the job properly.
As she fussed, Sonya's exposed neck showed the thong. Moving swiftly, Daphne snatched up clippers and snipped the thong, only to see the ends disappear into the gown. Daphne sighed, there would be punishment later when Sonya found out. How she hated that stone!
"Little one? Is something amiss?" Sonya enquired idly.
"Nothing mistress. Almost dropped a pin. Fine now." Daphne returned to combing, it was soothing, absorbing, one of the few true pleasures of her current servitude and diminishment.
*******.
Soon, enough the procession lined up outside the palace chapel. Other toddler flower girls marched in front scattering their rose petals. Daphne was alone at the rear, holding the train ‘in the tall shadow of her great lady' as Sonya liked to say. When the other flower girls reached the altar they would file off left and right to receive a sweet and sit on the floor. Daphne alone would continue to stand, ten feet back and follow as the royal couple exited.
The music started and everyone stepped in sync then paused, and stepped again.
They turned into the chapel and moved out of sight with agonizing slowness. Then as Daphne prepared to turn in also, her bare foot found a lump. It was the stone! It had slipped down Sonya's dress and silently fell to the carpet. She snatched it up and held it tightly.
Sonya had walked forward unaware that it was gone. Daphne smoothly stepped without losing her place. She wondered what should she do? Dance? No, she didn't know how. No, far more important that Sonya never use this again. Gown was so white and flimsy, she didn't dare hang onto a black stone, it would show. Hide it? Sonya would force her to tell any hiding place.
Daphne abruptly filled with rage. She wanted the stone to smash itself into uselessness!
Suddenly, the stone blazed, glowing hot in her hand! She convulsively threw it away. The stone flew through the Chapel door jam but it's thong fouled on the hinge. The thong pulled taunt, then stone and thong wrapped around the hinge, swinging and stopping with a soft clank. It hung inside the hinge pin at eye height. Eye height for an adult, beyond the reach of a child. Daphne had lost.
"Little one! Come a-long! You hold everything up. And smile." Sonya sotto voiced without turning around.
Many in the pews noted the bride's little one weeping as a forced smile came and went upon her face. Several nodded knowingly and whispered. "Such great love and devotion from a mere serving girl." Or. "A treasure. The prince simply MUST keep them together." Even. "Little one is so cute, pity she is sad." What Daphne overheard only made her weeping worse.
As the bride neared the altar, the great doors of the chapel were ceremonially closed. The massive wooden doors brought the metal jam leaves of its hinge together on the magic stone like a nutcracker on a walnut. There was a sudden booming discharge as if lightning struck the left door. It left a large smoking hole where hinge and magic stone once were.
Only the bishop was facing the right way to clearly see what happened next. The bride suddenly crumpled, disappearing into her wedding gown. At the end of the train, the little girl suddenly erupted upwards, her gown falling in wisps and tatters leaving a starkly naked woman! He gasped as the colours exploded towards him.
Daphne glanced over to the door and her helpless weeping ended. Her rank did not matter. Her identity did NOT matter. Only ONE thing mattered. Daphne would put that child witch over her knee and give her the spanking of her life!
Daphne's singular intent bored though the kaleidoscope of coloured sparkles pouring from the ruined door that distracted her sanity with visions of other times and places. In this blizzard of sparkles she could only see the outlines of the people in the chapel. There! There was the wedding party, the royals and ...Sonya. All she wanted was that witch! She strode forward giving the surprised onlookers not a glance.
She pulled at the wedding gown. It came off easily, revealing a skinny wasted crumpled form but it was not the child Sonya. Instead a shrunken, wizened ancient looked up at her, wheezing and helpless. Dying. Daphne couldn't hit her. She spoke loud for all to hear. "It is over WITCH. You lost!" With great satisfaction, Daphne took back her tiara and put it on.
Her Father, King Tobias, stood transfixed, staring at the crone he had been arm in arm with, marching down the isle. He whispered. "This, this... Last month... this sorceress... I, I ...executed her. ...For plotting insurrection."
Daphne shook her head sadly, still looking at the feeble old one. "No father, you killed a three year old innocent who looked like her." The oldster seemed to waste away as Daphne watched in horrified fascination. So old... she had switched ages before? ...how often?
King Tobias looked up in shock at the voice. "Daphne? Daughter! But... she... no... did... no ...did NOT look like you? ..At all? ...Daughter, ...I'm so sorry. Uh." His face went though contortions as he tried and failed to deal with all that had happened. "You're naked?" He finally whispered, averting his eyes.
The old crone wheezed a long shuddering breath, then, breathed no more. She lay eyes open.
At the altar, the king of Galt looked shocked. "The door? What just happened? The bride... huh? Wait. You are also his daughter Daphne?" He was about to say more
but he looked directly at Daphne and froze shocked. “uh...” His eyes widened as the moment stretched.
The storm of sparkles had greatly lessened, Daphne began to see more and more clearly. The normally stiff and formal Lord Chancellor Scurryfunge was pointing and looked ready to faint? Everyone was gawking at her! Glancing down she blushed. Of course, none in the pews had been blinded by any lights! She curled up around her knees. She held her bare breasts modestly, staying crouched. Her newly long hair cooperated by cascading forward over her frontage. "Your majesties must forgive my appearance. That is, a ...very long story. For after I get some clothes."
"The true princess Daphne used the power of the holy church to end an evil threat to both your kingdoms by the forces of darkness." The bishop spoke hysterically staring at the damage to the door. "Yon holy chapel door broke the great power of your witch dissolving all her dark spells." His eyes were wild as his head bobbed between the girl and the door.
"Or not so long a story." Daphne allowed.
The Bishop had seen the child throw something at his left door, now a smoking ruin. Something that seemed to sparkle and leave a coloured trail. He had thought little of it, until now. Now, sparkles were everywhere. He'd been seeing the sparkles off and on, all month but had largely ignored them. The rest, he, ...just knew. What and how he knew, frightened him. Visions of dark magic at work flooded his mind. He blinked as normal vision returned.
An open-mouthed castle guard peered into the chapel through the ruined door's new opening. He added to the reality of all the strangeness by coughing as he waved away the smoke. In response, the Bishop's face began twitching as he muttered insanely. "It's real. All real. Magic. Miracles. Oh God!"
Bishop John Kern had been the third son of a baron. As such, he would neither inherit rank nor wealth. His father had enough political power to arrange for a good career for his sons in either the army or the church. John had chosen to clerk for the previous Bishop, not out of any love for God or beliefs, but because the work was indoors and quiet. Now, as Bishop, his mind struggled to make sense of all this... this... this...
"Sorcery." King Tobias sighed. "Tis our lot in this life. My family has been plagued by sorcerers for over a century since my grandfather Tombore the Pious smashed the pendant of that first accursed one. Over a hundred years forgone. Freed our valley from the rule of an evil tyrant. Haven't had a witch for a generation. Supposed it was over." King Tobias shuddered at the corpse. "Alas not."
Daphne looked up startled. Pendant? Sorcerers? Or, ...just one long lived witch. That's how a former three year old knew so much! How many children had Sonya condemned to old age? How many has she killed? Where did the... A vision came to her of pieces of a large but empty ornate circular pendant setting with shards of a black stone amongst the wreckage near it. Small hands picked up the largest shard. She recognized it. The magic stone! Sonya was just a child then?
While she was lost in thought the two kings had been talking. "... such tall mountain legends. Shaping things like clay, transforming even people with but a gesture. How did a mere mortal, even of noble blood, win against such sorcery?" He spit at the corpse for making such tales real.
King Tobias shrugged. "He claimed to ‘see' magic at work, when no one else did. No one knows how this was, nor why the evil witch failed to en-spell him. A mystery." He spent a goodly potion of his reign tracking down witches for the stake."
"He WAS Tombore the pious ...his faith..." They turned away becoming inaudible.
Daphne hearing this exchange, was speechless. Then, she heard the crowd muttering, of purging Galt of witches by fire and decided to keep the correct answers to herself, for now.
Prince Adam gallantly ripped the long bridal train from the discarded bridal gown and used it to cover Daphne. She looked up from knee height. "Wow. You're beautiful." He was jolted as he noticed the golden blonde curls and pink ribbon bow at the ends of her hip length brown hair. "...Sweet thing? You?" He asked incredulously.
"Afraid so. Last few weeks anyway. That old one was going to usurp both our kingdoms and enslave us all, she just started with me. My prince, I have loved you since I was little." Princess Daphne smiled at her humour. "For weeks now."
Prince Adam went down on his hands and knees equalizing their heights. "Brave princess, slayer of monsters, saviour of two crowns. Do we start over? Wait. You should have a choice. Never liked being ‘arranged.' First, will you be my wife?" They were face to face kissing close.
"Yes." She gripped the train tightly, then pulled herself alongside him and hugged him. He hugged back. His arms felt very comforting. Then, their mouths found each other and it became more than comforting.
As she lost herself to pleasure, Daphne realized she saw colours swirling in both their bodies. The sight! Something must have passed from the stone to her, she could strongly sense magic all around.
King Tobias noticed the couple. "Daughter, this is your wedding, you can't kiss him like... um ... uh"
The bishop was oblivious to the entwined bodies, his eyes mesmerized by the smoking door. "Hole in door... It's real. Magic, dark forces, stopped ...door holed... no holy door.... witches... all real, good evil...all real, ...in my church... no, not in the church ...stopped at my church door...by god ...by THE god...smoking hole... holy smoke...made by god himself ...all real...oh GOD ...my door no ...his door ...his church ...real" he chuckled insanely, as he stood rigidly holding his rostrum in a death grip. The sparkles had all but faded, but now strange colours abounded in all present.
The king of Galt waved a hand in front of the bishop's face, the bishop's only reaction was to mutter anew. "All real, ...why am I here, ...what am I doing... real."
The king of Galt firmly believed in folk performing their duty no matter what. Blacksmiths worked metal, farmers worked land. In war, famine, fire, or flood. He felt the bishop surely could grant guidance in this bizarre mess, that is a job for a holy father after all. Guidance. The king of Galt slapped the distraught man's face in a final attempt to make sanity appear. "Pull it together man! You're here, doing YOUR service in the castle chapel, YOU are marrying MY son!"
The bishop's face acquired a strange mad smile. "DEARLY BELOVED WE ARE GATHERED HERE..." He started his ceremony at the top of his lungs to no one in particular.
Nearby, King Tobias was scratching his head and nudging the wedding couple with his boot. "Um. Daughter, ...you can't ...do that ...this is church... you need... a wedding ...uh clothes for... uh... bloody hell..."
Both kings threw up their hands, then ordered the church cleared. Soon only the bishop and the royal lovers were left. The Kings went off to get very drunk. The royal couple eventually slowed their ardent kissing. "Milady... We should ...retire... to ...your room." Adam breathed.
"Soon. ...Milord prince, I ...undress you ...there, but... I want.... mm." Daphne was lost to kissing again. She knew, somehow, she causing their ardour, but didn't much care. For weeks she had only wanted three things. Sonya stopped, marry Adam and do right by Ellen.
"Anything, ...command me ...my lady. ...Mmmm..." Adam's mouth became busy again.
Daphne gasped for air. "Later, I want you to ...put slippers on Cinderella. ...the drudge girl..."
Part of Adam puzzled at the strange request. Cinderella? His ageing arms master told of such pretend games, between man and wife ...needing costumes ...later for such. He murmured, “Perhaps some night I could be the big baaad wolf.” He continued smooching.
“What? Oh! Oooh. I meant, uh later. Oh that's good. Talk later. Kiss me now.”
The bishop's smile had never wavered as he performed his standard wedding service. As he finished he intoned. "you may kiss, uh continue ...uh ...that. ...Its OK. You are married, carry on." He had decided to give his confession to the local Monseigneur next, resign and then join a monk's cloister that grew cabbages. Nice, quiet, safe, and above all non-sparkly cabbages. His face twitched as he left.
&nbs
p; Chapter 17: Aftermath. Or they lived happily ever after?
Daphne allowed herself to lead away from the formal presentation of the Burgundians by the royal court of Galt. Top of the stairs, her two handmaids slowly towed her greatly gravid form to a bench. Marie put shoulder to armpit to lower her mistress gently down the final bit. Ellen tried to shoulder her half, but was too short.
"Squirt! I lower!" Marie growled straightening up. "You guide me so Milady lands square on the bench, not bounces her head off the wall behind."
"Sorry. Forgot."
"No harm done this time. That time earlier was my fault." Daphne spoke mildly.
"Ya is most largely kind to y’all servants great lady." Ellen ducked as Daphne swung at her.
"Another crack about me being bigger than you. Huh? Children honestly." Daphne chuckled. "And its YOU ARE most kind..." then she shuddered. "Ooh, she's kicking. Feel her! Quickly! Feel her!" Her face near bursting with joy.
Both children eagerly placed palms on the half moon belly. "Wow." Both chorused.
"Milady. If you won't consider more able servants, at least ask my men to steward you up the stairs." Corporal Justin, her head bodyguard pleaded. "Milord, your husband, worries."
"Corporal. These two have ears close to the object of your concern. Unlike the rest of the folk in this castle." Daphne sighed, tilting her head to look at the tall Royal guardsman. Corporal Justin was much younger than others who had earned the honour of watching over her. Like the others, the assignment brought his personality to the fore. So earnest!
At least he listened to reasonable requests. Others had acted like she should be tied down and packed in straw like fine porcelain. "Adam discussed this with me, this day, in your presence. As he does most days."
"My liege lord worries for you too Milady. Your time grows near. Please Milady."