As Gillian stared at herself in the mirror, she became entranced by her newly developed form. A specific aspect remained unchanged, and she speculated it being the final piece to perish should time run thin, but beyond that she was unmistakable for a woman. In fact, she was rather beautiful in her personal estimation, cute even. Her long auburn hair seemed more vibrant than before, with deep darks and radiant golden strands that caught the light. Her form was distinctively shorter than it had been a week before, likely only taller than the small Mable now, and her body was smaller in all regards. She was petite and slender. She was almost taken by the apparent beauty her form now held and hesitated to wonder why such a thought was met with a strange fluttering sensation within her, causing her a significant deal of embarrassment.

She tried mimicking the actions Ciri made regularly, like placing her hands on her chest finding she was positively demure when doing so. She experimented a more, twisting her body in a variety of ways that felt new and unfamiliar, placing her hands in all manner of positions she imagined befit a lady. Eventually landing on a one where she looked innocently at her reflection, her hands cupped together against her mouth, her emerald eyes shimmering in the mirror.

She blinked a few times as she held that pose, then quickly pulling them down to her sides in a knightly fashion. What had come over her? She was not truly a girl, she was a man, a knight at that, and such behavior was unbecoming. She puzzled as to why she was acting so girlishly and childishly now. Reflecting upon it, her behaviors had been changing rather abruptly since the other day when she awoke in her feminine body. Ever since she cried to Ciri, she had struggled to maintain her regimented control at most times, her body acting as if shedding the years of routine, which she had performed and caving to some unknown impulse.

She distinctly remembered holding her hands in ways she never had before all throughout the past few days. At the time she disregarded it due to her elevated emotions. She was too unstable to retain her composure. But what if there was some deeper meaning? Of course, it had to be the curse, correct? After all, before when off duty she was calm and collected, and remained stoic. A prince and a knight must always remain dignified, stable, and level-headed, at all times. She did not lose control as a man. Her emotions were stern and solid. She tried to reassure herself that it must be the fault of the transformation. She began looping through the logic again and again, becoming increasingly confused. Why did this logic not sound correct to her? What was off about it?

“Gilly?” a voice beckoned, breaking her from her thoughts. She looked over to see Xenia in her own nightgown standing beside her bed. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine, just woke up a little early,” she responded stowing her train of thought for later, although she was not too enthused about resuming such thoughts. “Although, I seem to have changed again,” she once again returning her clenched hand to her breast, blushing slightly.

Xenia looked her over before her face shifted from her realization. “Your hair, it has gotten so long.”

“That is not the only thing,” she said tugging at her nightgown around the chest.

Xenia tilted her head slightly before sighing. “Tis not that noticeable through that nightgown,” she said with a calm gentle voice. It was rather apparent that she was trying to underplay the situation which bugged her a little for some reason. “At any rate, we have a long day ahead. This morning we depart for the nearby city of Gelin. They should be much better stocked, so we will make our proper preparations there.”

“Remind me, why we did not take more time to prepare back at the Castle?”

“In all honesty, I did not want to linger at the Castle. I was afraid Father might change his mind or that you may face some difficulties there due to your showing at court. And I will also remind you of the outbursts from the nobles,” she explained. “Besides, I wanted to stock up at Gelin anyway. We will be in a better position to gather information and purchase equipment based on that. Gelin is a city bustling with merchants going all over Dracluce, carrying all manner of goods and information. It is particularly famed for its prosperous farmland and artists, so many people travel there to trade and buy artworks of all sorts.”

“It sounds like a nice place,” Gillian chuckled as she approached the chest she had been provided, bringing it to the bed.

“It truly is,” Xenia smiled. “When I went there last, I learned a great deal from some of the locals. Tis a major trading post for many caravans as well as they travel through the Kingdom from lands as far as Biosia as they travel farther West or North, as well as returning towards the East. I must say, it has ravishing scenery as well.”

“I cannot wait,” Gillian giggled. “I have always been jealous of you and Aurith being allowed to travel. If there is a silver lining to this whole event, tis that I finally get to see our Kingdom,” she glowed as she opened the trunk. She came to a sudden realization as she scoured the chest causing her face to be consumed by a furious blush.

“What seems to be the matter?” Xenia asked realizing Gillian suddenly seemed very apprehensive.

“I… uh…” she murmured. “Ciri helped me get dressed yesterday. I fear I do not know how to go about some of this,” she said as she fished out a bra.

“Oh, for goodness sake brother,” Xenia rolled her eyes. “Tis a bra, not some complex magitech,” she said with an edge of irritation to her voice.

“Be kind,” she said with a whimper, “tis new to me.”

“Very well, come here,” Xenia called her over. “Take off your clothes and I will help you get it on. But you are going to learn in the process. I am not allowing this to be a daily occurrence.”

“Yes sister,” Gillian let out a yelp as she fetched her selected clothes.

Gillian was initially rather embarrassed and stressed as her sister had her undress before her, particularly given certain particulars. Fortunately, Xenia was rather respectful about the whole ordeal in the end, and much to her surprise, putting on a bra was a rather quick and easy experience, although it required a little trial and error due to her overnight developments. Modern bras were quite more convenient than the showy coresets that seemed necessary for formal wear. Once it was prepared, she found it rather simple and easy to do, struck by the simplicity. It was even a little comforting in a strange way. Next was the corset, which she also needed help tying up. She was less embarrassed about that after, as Xenia explained that she often needed help with that as well, though she did learn how to go about it herself.

Finally, Xenia instructed her on maintaining her hair, using a fine brush she had obtained from Ciri using the hairs of some exotic animal from a far-off land. She pulled the brush through her hair as instructed, initially flustered by the pulling and tugging at her scalp, but as she continued, she found it oddly comforting and enjoyable, spacing out as she continued to brush with a smile on her face. When she came to, she was unable to tell if it felt like she had been doing it forever or barely any time at all.

“There we go,” Xenia declared. “Now you are all finished,” she stated, putting a green floral ornament into her hair which draped down the left side of her head, just above her ear.

Gillian stood there in a long forest green dress. It had a series of white ruffles at the bottom of the skirt and sleeves, each decorated with gold trim crossing around the green fabric, like arches made of golden grass. Around her stomach it had a lovely deep red sash, and around her chest was some loose white layered fabric, which gave her chest a nice frilly look. To complete the look, Xenia insisted upon a simple necklace that had been included with the clothes. A Peridot pendant with pink crystals surrounding it, like a flower, both simple yet strikingly gorgeous, at least she thought as much. She was initially hesitant, but something about it seemed comforting.

Gillian took a deep breath and then once regaining her balance she felt the compulsion to do a quick spin around. As she did, she could feel the dress part from her legs and rise into the air. Surprisingly, it was a rather pleasing sensation. As she stopped, she felt her chest bounce slightly prompting her to look down in embarrassment. “They really have gotten quite large,” she traced her new cleavage with her finger as she blushed.

“You were telling the truth when you mentioned them this morning. They are…” she hesitated, coughing to conceal her embarrassment “quite sizable,” she expressed, trying to contain herself.

Gillian fought off the urge to move them, feeling rather uncomfortable with the idea. Surely it was not the proper thing for a maiden to do, much less a former prince. Her curiosity could wait for now. As she tried to think about something else to distract herself, she heard an audible growl from her stomach.

“Tis about time for breakfast, would you not agree?” Xenia smiled. “I still need to dress myself, so you head down and fetch us some food. I shall meet you down there shortly.”

“Yes sister,” she nodded. She swiftly slipped on her simple brown boots and the accompanying white wool stockings and ventured to the stairs, descending to the tavern in the Inn’s entrance.

“Good morning miss,” one of the inn staff cheered as she approached the desk, an odd sense filling her as the woman addressed her with ‘miss,’ which resulted in a quiet blush, surely of embarrassment. “Feel free to sit at one of the tables, one of our wait staff will be with you shortly.” Gillian gave a nod and then followed her instructions and sat at one of the tables near the center of the room, facing the window parallel to the entrance. She looked around, noticing that a few of the soldiers were up and gossiping at a couple of the nearby tables, but the room was otherwise largely empty, the early eaters yet to arrive.

“It must still be fairly early,” she said to herself, looking out through the window to see that the busy street was rather quiet itself. It was a beautiful sight, nonetheless. She had never had the opportunity to be in a place like this. Even when allowed to leave for town she was restricted to business and rarely had the time for leisure, so she cherished the opportunity to take in the otherwise mundane scenery.

“Gily,” called a familiar voice, Gillian looking up to see Aria. She was fully suited in her the proper armor of the Lumina Knights. “Good morning!” she waved with a smile. Gillian nodded as she eyed the armor. It was a work of beauty. The armor was a regal white with radiant red trim bordering its lines, shiny reinforced plating guarding the abdomen. The white gauntlets were ridged and had a feathered embellishment which parted around the mid of the forearm, making them look like a pair of wings resting on their arm. The greaves were also white and had a similar wing embellishment around the top with gold embellishments around the ankle which Xenia had explained was designed to be lightweight and durable to help her knights remain agile and effective, several key engravings granting an amount of magical support. The armor distinguished itself from common armor with the flowing red ribbons that came off the shoulders and mid back, symbolizing the famed heroine for whom the knights were named. The armor was always breathtaking to see, and today it looked particularly extravagant as it twinkled in the morning light. No matter how many times she saw it, she was still in awe of the wonderful design and beauty, and it did an impeccable job of making Aria’s blue eyes and honey like hair pop, a truly enchanting image.

“Gaia to Gily,” Aria waved her hand in Gillian’s face, she jumped in response.

“Sorry, I was taken aback by your armor is all,” Gillian blushed and looked toward the ground. “Tis very beautiful.”

“Ah, that’s right,” Aria chuckled. “This is the first time you’ve seen me in this armor. I only recently got accepted into the Lumina knights, and this is my first proper deployment. Thank her Highness for allowing me to come in spite of me still being in-training.”

“So, you are finally a proper knight? I thought you had to wait until Spring?”

“Well, sort of. That is when I will be formally sworn in, but Princess Xenia allowed me to bypass that for this mission,” she explained.

“Congratulations then, tis very exciting.”

“Speaking of excitement…” she said looking at her, before being suddenly distracted from behind.

“H-hello” another voice chimed. This time it was Mable, wearing much simpler teal cloak matching her long bouncing hair, an amount falling between her nervous blue eyes. Her cloak had a simple flourish of what Gillian assumed was Elven script made of yellow thread along the edge. Underneath her cloak she was wearing a simple green blouse with a large drooping red bow at the center and a simple black skirt. “I’m not interrupting, am I?” she asked hesitantly.

“Of course not,” Aria reassured her as they both took seats at the table. “Was just about to ask Gillian about something was all.”

“So, I was interrupting,” she said, her long ears falling from embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

“Come now, you need not apologize,” Gillian joined in, “we were just trading greetings.”

“Oh!” Mable jumped once more, “th-then I’m sorry for making a big deal out of nothing.”

Gillian and Aria giggled setting Mable’s nerves at ease as she began giggling herself.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask something,” Aria resumed sitting down next to her, with Mable promptly following, sitting on both sides of her.

“What would you like to ask?” Gillian asked, suspecting she already knew the question Aria was about to ask.

“You changed again last night, didn’t you?” Aria asked, confirming Gillian’s suspicions.

“Yes,” she said somberly. “As you can see my hair is much longer now,” she dragged her hand through her hair, the hair falling to her shoulder before she was halfway through it. “And my chest grew again last night, as I am sure you can also see,” she said as she placed her hand on her chest.

“It’s hard to believe that you’ve changed so quickly, you don’t even look like the same person,” Aria said with a bit of a sorrowful look.

“Aria…” Mable pouted a little bit.

“Sorry, it’s just a lot to process.”

“Tis okay, I know you did not mean anything by it,” Gillian said warmly. “You are correct though. I truly am unrecognizable. Tis funny though, that the ‘Pretty Prince’ would turn into such a ‘Pretty Princess,’” she gave a quiet chuckle trying to make light of her situation.

“Yeah, you’re really pretty Gillian,” Mable said, reaching her hand to pet her, Aria rubbing her cheek with a slight blush. Their affection felt strangely comforting.

“Mornin’ girls,” a gentleman approached them, Gillian shyly hiding behind her menu “I’ll be your server this morning.”

The three began to order a variety of food each different from the last. Mable ordered their Elven Sweet Toast, a delectable treat of bread fried in egg with sugar and cinnamon, topped with blueberries and syrup, with a side of sausage. Aria ordered a hearty meal of a ham and cheese omelet with spinach and some other healthy vegetables, with a side of bacon.

As it came to Gillian’s time to order for herself and the absent Xenia, she began to feel an overwhelming feeling suffocating feeling. “I… uh… um…” she attempted to speak, feeling as if an impossible buzzing was flooding her senses. She squirmed in discomfort as she tried to regain her composure, ignoring the pit in her stomach. She had begun to instinctively hide behind her menu. “I-I will have the crepe with banana and honeydew, p-please, a-and a side of ham…if that is okay,” she slumped in her chair feeling a great desire to disappear. “O-oh, and another omelet…f-for my sister please,” she muttered.

“All, right,” the server answered, seemingly oblivious to her behavior. “I’ll get that right out to you,” he smiled, walking away.

“That was nerve wracking,” Gillian sighed.

“Why’s that?” Aria inquired. “It’s just breakfast.”

“T-this is the first time I have ever done this,” she said sheepishly.

“Wait, you’ve never ordered at a restaurant?” Mable asked very vexed

“Remember Mable, Gily didn’t venture out of the Castle very much,” Aria pointed out. “… uh… she never really had to interact with commoners much.” Aria said, briefly biting her tongue. “Although I am surprised that you didn’t know so much of the menu.”

“Tis not my fault,” she pouted. “My meals were always determined by my teachers and trainers. I do not know much about what commoners eat. Tis exciting to finally try for myself though.”

“Tis quite an enjoyable experience, is it not?” Xenia said as she finally arrived. Her Captain’s uniform was a remarkable majesty. A blazing crimson chest piece with gallant white shoulder pads and gauntlets, matching the feathered motif of the regular armor, with an elegant red dress underneath, complete with a dark red open skirt, which resembled a cape, shorter in the front than the flowing back. Her armor was striking and inspiring, made to make her position clear to all her units at any time, it was both rather practical yet retaining maneuverability for royal duties. It is told that it is a direct recreation of the original Lumina’s armor itself.

“T-tis,” Gillian nodded.

“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?” Mable asked concernedly.

“Tis just… quite stressful.”

“Stressful?” Aria asked with a perplexed look.

“I… tis rather…intimidating interacting with others in this form,” she said darting her eyes to the side.

“I didn’t even consider that,” Mable frowned. “It must be quite upsetting,” she said rubbing her fingers.

“I am… I shall be fine. I would rather not talk about it,” Gillian said. “Let us change the subject. We are departing for Gelin, correct?”

“Y-yes, that is correct,” Xenia confirmed, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. “From here we shall be heading further North. Gelin is not too far off from here. It will take a couple days, so we will have to set up camp along the way, but it shall be a rather comfortable trip.”

“Right, and once we’re there, Princess Xenia, the other knights, and myself will set upon gathering intel about the Northern regions and supplies,” Aria added. “Which reminds, Mable, would you be alright watching over Gillian?

“Certainly,” Mable nodded. “We could go shopping or just go sightseeing,” she smiled excitedly.

“That does sound fun,” Gillian giggled before consciously trying to tame her expression and give an elegant smile instead.

“Hello again ladies,” the waiter said as he returned, Gillian doing her best to act casually at the greeting. “I have your food here.” He went about distributing the food with a flow and grace that impressed her. The way he seamlessly moved and kicked the nearby stand open next to him and placed the wooden tray down, then gracefully moving their respective plates in front of them in a quick and graceful fashion. Aria and Xenia’s omelets looked well fluffed and brimming with delectable cheese, both thanking his action with a joyful nod. Similarly, Mable’s toast was fluffy and covered with ripe fruit, and glistening with syrup, she gleefully clasped her hands together as she eyed her meal. Finally, Gillian’s crepes were placed before her. They were foreign and fantastical to her, light golden brown thin discs folded upon themselves with fruit stuffed inside and sprinkled on top, with powdered sugar on top and some whipped cream to finish the delicacy. Her eyes glittered with fascination as she took her first bite, overwhelmed with a fluttering feeling and a tear brimming to her eye as she savored the taste. The sweetness and light texture, it was like biting into a cloud of wonder, carrying her on a delectable whirlwind of sweet flavors. She was so lost in the glee that she lost track of the conversation as she lapped up her meal, and oblivious to the ham sitting beside her, giggling all the while.

“You really enjoyed that, didn’t you,” Aria grinned.

“It… I-I apologize, I must have acted so indecently,” she blushed as she pulled her hands to her face bashfully, the others looking at her with dumbfounded expressions before they all gave a refreshing smile. “W-what?”

“You did nothing indecent,” Xenia said shaking her head gracefully.

“It’s just, you looked so happy,” Mable giggled.

“H-happy?” Gillian repeated. Was this sensation washing over her happiness? She knew how happiness felt of course, but this kind of glee, it felt greater than she remembered. She was even more puzzled over the fact that she was so confused to start.

The group continued enjoying their meals. Upon finishing, they set to rendezvous with the other knights, preparing to embark once more. The day before Gillian had been caught up in her thoughts, thoroughly distracted with the news of the witch Phordata, the curse she had set upon her, and her new identity. Her stupor was deep, so much so that she largely sat in the corner of her carriage as they left the castle behind, thinking to herself the whole way, and this morning she considered the same, a ride destined to be alone with her tumultuous thoughts.

She approached her personal carriage. While the others were typical and simple wooden carriages, designed for simple and effective transport of large amounts of people and belongings, hers was far more elaborate. It was a beauteous red carriage with the iconic hippogriff on the corners of the upper rim, while the windows had elegant white borders mounting them, and gold trim along the contouring lines. Inside it was a veritable suite for her and Xenia to use, yet, as Xenia was much too busy leading the knights and coordinating their defenses from her personal horse, she was unlikely to step inside. She prepared to enter it alone, her only company being the three sisterly knights driving it in the front of the cab.

“Gillian!” Mable called out as she prepared to enter. “Would it be okay if I rode with you?”

“Mable,” she looked at her confusedly. She considered her proposition. “I-I am not certain. I think I may need some time to myself.”

“Please,” Mable said running up to her. “I don’t want you being alone right now,” she said, her eyes, lips, and ears seeming to tremble.

“Mable,” Gillian looked into her pleading eyes and wondered what moved her to this. She was uncertain, but she was moved, nonetheless. “Okay,” she nodded. “I would love to have your company.”

Mable hopped in placed with glee as she nodded, Gillian leading her inside. “Wow,” Mable said, looking along the lavish light green interior, lingering on the dark wooden table attached to the wall of the cabin, and then landing on the plush velvety seating lining the carriage. “It’s so nice in here.”

“Yes, tis quite nice,” Gillian smiled gently. “W-was there something you wanted?” she asked as she sat down.

“Oh, Gillian,” she frowned sitting down next to her. “I… it’s just so hard seeing you like this. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling, but I want to be with you. I want to help. I’m not too good in combat, I get all jumpy and afraid, and my magic is slow, but I can at least be here and listen to you, or talk, or whatever,” she said pushing her fingers together shyly, each suggestion losing muster and confidence. “I… I just want to help.”

“B-but, I am okay, there is no need to…” Gillian stammered.

Mable nodded to herself and took a deep breath before staring Gillian in the eyes intently. “Gillian, it’s okay. You don’t have to carry this alone. I’m here for you. We all are. You don’t have to do this alone,” she said, taking up her hand. “Even if you’re not ready now, I’ll be there for you when you do.”

“I…” Gillian whimpered. “Thank you,” she smiled she said with a warm gracious smile. Mable giggled as the caravan began to move, their carriage at the center of the pack, setting the more jovial tone their trips had begun upon.

Their carriage swiftly cruised through the rural roads, the two regularly pointing out things they saw through the window. “Aww, look at how fluffy they are,” Gillian said cheerfully as they passed a bunch of sheep, Mable giggling. Mable’s presence did plenty to lift Gillian’s mood, spending a great deal catching up about many things from their time apart. A particular type of story they shared were those at William’s expense, Gillian complaining about his mocking attitude while Mable similarly complained about how he would boss her around and try to get her research. Both took particular joy in Mable’s story about her latest inventions getting more positive attention that his. “Did it truly?” Gillian laughed as Mable described a recent showcase.

“It sure did,” Mable nodded. “They just gave this super cringy look at him when his magiphone started spewing gibberish. When they came over to award me for my frost lamp, he nearly smashed it on the ground in anger,” she laughed. “It was so funny.”

“It sounds like it. Brother has such a bad temper,” she giggled.

“Oh, wow, it’s gotten so late,” Mable commented looking out to see the twilight sky. “I guess we’ll be stopping soon.”

“Yeah,” Gillian nodded. “Um, Mable?”

“Yes’m?”

“Thank you for spending time with me today. It was a lot of fun.”

“Of course,” she nodded as she looked out to the sky, the blanket of darkness stretching on. “Oh, I just had an idea!”

“An idea?”

“Yeah, while everyone’s making the camp, why don’t we go stargazing?” she suggested.

“Stargazing? I have always been curious about it. It sounds fun,” she smiled. As the caravan slowed to a halt, and the knights unloading their gear, the two quickly set about asking Xenia’s permission, who granted it so long as they remained nearby. The two quickly ran off to a neighboring hilltop at Mable’s suggestion, as Mable explained the basics of it.

“And that over there is Orion,” she said, drawing Gillian’s attention to a certain batch of stars.

“Oh, I read about that one. The hunter that managed to shoot the ancient goddess Artemis and won her affection, right?”

“That’s right,” Mable cheered. “You sure do like your history, don’t you?”

“Yes. Tis so fascinating reading about how people used to live. It was like a fantasy story, but real. I have always wanted to travel to experience what the world, and often those tomes were the only way that I could,” she explained. “I think that is why I find comfort in this journey. I finally get to explore the world, as I have always wanted.”

“Yeah,” Mable nodded. “Even if the reason we’re on this journey isn’t the most pleasant, let’s make the most of it,” Mable looked at Gillian with a big smile.

“I agree,” Gillian smiled back, the two giggling into the night. “I hope that this can be a journey that we can all enjoy.”