Craius flinched as the noon-day sun moved across his face. As much as he wanted to roll away from the brightness and wait for his head to stop pounding, he knew that he would have to push himself to get moving. He was surprised that one of the household staff had not wakened him earlier. After all, there was a celebration tonight for tomorrow's announcement that he would be his father's successor to the throne.

He lay on his back for a few more moments, letting his headache settle, and just looked up at the stone ceiling above him. He reflected that he had not really looked at his room in some time and noticed it. Things like how each massive stone was relatively smooth and how well each one fit in with the stones around it. His walls were covered in colorful woven tapestries designed to keep the rock from pulling the heat out of the room.

In the corner stood a partition and his chamber pot. One of the household staff must empty it each day. He didn't know about that. It was always full in the morning when he left the room but empty and clean when he returned at night or the early morning, depending upon what he and his friends were doing.

He didn't feel like dealing with one of his servants trying to dress him today and he stumbled over to the closet. Opening one of the cabinet's doors, he drew out the soft linen shirt and pants that he wanted to wear. He tossed them on the bed before going over to the chamber pot and doing his business. He was glad that he didn't have to clean up this mess. It was good to have servants; that was their job…to clean up after him.

He strode down the corridor to the family dining room. He passed a couple of maids sweeping the floors and spreading rugs. He ignored their cheery wishes of good morning, passing them as if they did not exist. The boy cut a handsome figure these days and he had been told by more than one of his friends that he could have his pick of any girl around. He missed the looks the two women exchanged behind him, expressions that were part sadness and part disgust at his behavior.

The dining room was a cozy place, with a large dining table at one end and chairs around a fireplace at the other. He squinted in the bright sunlight that lit the room. He saw his elder sister, Selene, seated in a pillowed chair by one of the windows, studying a book of some sort. Once he informed the servant who hurried over to him what he wanted to eat, he walked over to where Selene sat.

"Are you reading Selene or just looking at the pictures?"

Even though they were the royal family, they owned only a handful of books. Of course, most people in the kingdom had not time to read, let along the knowledge. Life revolved more around survival. Their father was working hard to help the citizenry to improve their way of life. Other kingdoms had instituted new farming methods and ways to accomplish work more easily. Craius had not paid much attention to that though.

Selene looked up at her brother, an annoyed look on her face. It seemed that he liked to find ways to bother her. They were only about three years apart in age, but they seemed to be decades apart in maturity. She would be celebrating her nineteenth birthday in the coming week, but she usually conducted herself as if she was ten years older than that. Craius seemed to act like a child most of the time.

"No Craius. I'm reading about our family history. Brother Falk brought the book down from their mountain monastery. It was just finished."

Craius looked into her lap where the large volume lay open. He could see the flowery script that seemed to be in every book in the library, surrounded by the illustrations that went with the script. He knew how to read as well as Selene could, he just was not interested. He preferred to be riding or hunting with his friends. The young nobles who were his friends liked to hunt as well, so his days were usually filled with hunting stag or boars.

At the end of the day, he could be found in one of the taverns in town. He was careful with the money he was given from the treasury, but he seldom had to spend it. His friends were often the ones who were buying the rounds of drink.

Selene dearly wished that she could believe her brother was merely a passive bystander to the antics of Harolde and his companions but word had reached the princess that the young prince was just as active as the rest: causing misery, mischief and throwing his title around like a bludgeon; beating others about the head with it to win his way.

The contrast was that these stories came from many who who already believed young Princes Crauis to be a lout, a brat and a thug. An unfortunate set of titles that were not entirely undeserved.

Crauis certainly was spoiled and selfish; offering the serving staff no recognition unless he required something. However, Selene had never seen her brother raise a hand to punish one. Usually it was a glare or gasp of exasperation.

In the same breath, Harolde and his little gang of nobles were very aggressive. They abused the servants shamelessly, and Crauis did not lift a finger to stop it, though he took no part himself.

Seeing that Crauis was indeed the crown prince, many of the servants blamed him and titled him a cruel creature...when the truth of the matter was more that he was indifferent.

Craius just shook his head at his sister's hobby and went back to the table to eat his meal that had been set out for him. Selene watched him as he walked away. He might be annoying, but he was her brother. She had tried to help him grow up properly because their parents always seemed to be gone to meet with the rulers of other kingdoms or visiting with some noble. That meant that they had been left in the care of minders who were often over-awed by the status of their charges.

She remembered when they had been good friends, but she had gained responsibilities as she became an adult and had been inflicted with the duty of meeting every eligible male nobleman for hundreds of miles around. She and her brother had drifted apart in the past months. He listened more to the ill-mannered sons of nobles in the town than he did to her these days.

Craius never did anything really wrong, so that she could correct him. But he seemed to get worse as the weeks went by. The advisor their father had appointed seemed to let him get away with things as well. She had not tried to talk to her parents about Craius as yet. Even though she was the eldest, Craius was first in line to the throne because he was the first male heir.

Selene was afraid that anything she said about her brother might be taken as an attempt to undermine his position as the next king. All she could do was accept her brother's disdainful comments and superior attitude. And hope that he would grow out of this phase of his life.

* * * * *

Tradition had it that there was a reception the night before the king's heir was announced. It was usually a foregone conclusion as to who the heir apparent would be, so there was really no problem with having a party.

King Walter and Queen Diana were present at the beginning to welcome the guests, which filled the reception hall. To feed everyone would have been very expensive, so the king and queen provided chickens, turkeys, and breads to go with watered wine which passed as a punch. Walden was not a poor kingdom, they had mines that provided precious metals and fertile farmlands. This all allowed the kingdom to export much of what they produced. At the same time, they did not have surpluses that would allow excesses in waste.

The king and queen stayed at the celebration for about an hour in order to greet their equals who were present for the presentation the next day. Then most adults decided to take their leave and go to bed. Most of the guards had been dismissed as being unnecessary. After all, the guests had been vetted in advance and only friends of the royal family had been invited. Everyone in the kingdom would be present in the courtyard for the king's announcement tomorrow.

The party continued for several hours with just the younger generation present. Things remained calm for an hour or two as people would get tired or bored and leave for their beds. Selene tried to stay to keep an eye on her brother and to safeguard him, but she finally had to give up and leave herself.

At some point, one of Craius' so-called friends produced drinks that were more potent than the watered down wine. The inevitable happened when alcohol was mixed with teen-aged hormones.

Craius' group of just rowdy friends gradually became a gang of hoodlums. Sadly, the men who had elected to remain as chaperones were less than stellar role models themselves and did nothing to reign in their behavior. What young ladies who had stayed late at the party were wise enough to leave before things could get out of hand and then find themselves in trouble.

The same could not be said for the girls who were present to serve refreshments and help clean up. Out of sight of their chaperones and the few guards who remained, one of the girls was grabbed by an older boy. Harolde was really more man than boy, being at that point where he was not old enough to be included with the men as yet. He was also one of the bigger youths present. He stood over six feet tall and was broad of shoulder. Everyone could see that he would be a prime candidate to be a field officer in the military.

A small crowd of boys quickly formed in the alcove where Harolde was holding the girl, Muriel. A couple of boys were appointed as roving lookouts, moving about near the alcove so as not to draw attention to the number of boys casually disappearing behind the drapes. Another boy was sent to fetch Craius who had consumed just enough wine and brandy to be feeling no pain.

He was seated at one of the tables, trying to carry on a conversation with one of the few chaperones who were still left. The messenger bent close to Craius' ear to whisper that Harolde had a present for him. His response was to nod jerkily and he managed to make his way over to the indicated alcove. Meanwhile, the boy who had delivered the message slipped into the vacated chair and engaged the man with a question in order to distract him, almost as if it had been planned.

In the alcove, Muriel was terrified. She was new to the palace, having been hired for general housekeeping only a couple of weeks ago. She had thought that it was a great honor to be helping with the party, after all Prince Craius was a handsome man and he looked like a nice person. She was surrounded by leering teenagers not much younger than herself. The big one held both of her wrists in one hand while he covered her mouth with the other. Her cries of protest were muffled to a point that they could not even carry to the drapes. All she could hope for was that one of her co-workers would notice her absence and rescue her.

The curtains parted and the other boys made way as Craius stepped in. There were several candles on the walls, set into sconces, so the lighting was not too bad. Still, Craius had to squint to see what was going on. Of course, the squinting did not improve the lighting but did help his bleary eyes to focus.

He saw Harolde and one of the maids standing in the back. In his state, he could not see that the girl was a prisoner and frightened for her life.

"Hey Craius," Harolde drawled. "I got you a present for your big day."

Craius frowned. He did not understand what the boy was talking about. Nothing was said about gifts and he didn't know what Harolde was getting at.

"Huh?" was his highly intelligent response. Some of the more sober boys snickered under their breath.

"I got you a woman," Harolde explained. "Now you can man up." Muriel tried to struggle when she heard what he said. Prince Craius was a handsome boy, but her choice of partners was hers.

Harolde's intent finally worked its way through Craius' addled mind and he grasped what he was talking about. He dimly recalled admitting to his friends that he was still a virgin. The reason was not because the girls weren't interested, after all, most girls would want to attach themselves to the future king, but because he was afraid that was the only reason that a girl would want to be with him.

"No, thank you, Harolde," Craius answered. He had enough common sense left to know that ravaging the girl would be wrong. "I have to keep in mind the woman who will be my wife when the marriage is arranged." His reasoning and speech sounded fine to him, but came across more like the rambling of a drunkard. This time, there were several outright laughs at his expense.

Harolde had been holding Muriel close for several minutes and her scent and softness were arousing. When Craius declined to take advantage of the situation that was fine with him.

"Do you mind if I have her then?" Harolde asked.

If he had been sober, Craius' response would have been totally different and Muriel would have been saved. Instead, the boy said, "I don't care. She is a maid. That is what she is here for."

His statement was like the stab of a knife for Muriel. She had only seen him a couple of times, but she thought that Craius was a pleasant, good-looking boy who just needed a bit more maturity. But he had just revealed himself to be thoughtless and uncaring for her well-being. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she slumped in Harolde's grip. There was no hope for her and she did not know how she could face her mother after this.

Everything changed in an instant though. The lookouts that had been posted turned out to be less than reliable as they threw themselves through the drapes to bring a warning only a moment or two in advance of the four guards who followed closely behind.

Realizing that they had been caught, the ten or so boys made a break for it, only to run into all eight of the guards who had been left to watch over everyone. It appeared that the adults were content to leave the teenagers to their own amusement unless their fun became dangerous. The men were experienced with this behavior, possible even having had participated in it themselves at some point in their lives.

"All of you line up against the wall!" the squad commander barked. Most of the boys obeyed without an argument, but there was the inevitable one or two who tried to stand their ground and overawe a low level soldier with their royal rank.

"Do you know who I am?" a proud-looking youth said, walking up to the commander. The squad leader kept his expression calm as he looked the young man over. In any other situation, he would be saluting the boy and according him the respect his family commanded, but the boy was now a suspect in some form of assault, in the palace no less. While he would not be treated like a peasant in a tavern, the young man would not be walking away from this. The king did not countenance this kind of behavior among the peasantry and he had made it clear in the past that he would not accept it from the nobility either.

The commander already knew that Prince Craius was involved and he had sent a runner for his captain and for the king. Responsibility for policing the prince's conduct needed to be bumped up the chain of command as quickly as possible.

The guards quickly had all of the boys out of the small room and lined up against one wall of the banquet hall. Everyone that was not involved had been herded to one side of the hall or made themselves scarce when it became clear that something was going on. There had been a few tense moments when Harolde found himself alone in front of hard-faced guards, with his arm around Muriel's throat. They might be trained fighters, but they considered noncombatants to be off limits when it came to violence. Their silence and stern expressions told Harolde that he would not be allowed to leave with Muriel and that his health and safety was directly tied to hers.

After a few moments of hesitation, he pushed the girl forward and stepped back with his hands raised. One of the men gently pulled a weeping Muriel over to a chair and stood beside her with a hand on her shoulder. While Harolde and everyone involved were being lined up, Craius was taken back into the alcove and put in a chair as well. Craius sat staring down at the table, not really focusing on anything because of his dizziness. Muriel sat across from him, weeping. Craius did not notice that she did not look at him even once.

The captain of the guards arrived quickly. His men often wondered if the man ever slept. He assessed the situation quickly and saw that the services of a witch might be necessary to ensure that justice was done. He knew that he might be overstepping his authority, but he sent a runner for Lady Margery.

The king and queen showed up about an hour later, knowing that the captain and his men needed time to interview witnesses and to take statements from anyone who might be directly involved. Everyone rose to their feet when they were announced. They had received updates from the banquet hall and they were fully aware of everything the captain knew. Captain Benet reported privately to the king regarding his summoning of the witch, Margery, and he was assured that it was a wise course of action.

By the time Walter and Diana had taken their seats, Margery had arrived at the palace and was quickly escorted to the banquet hall. It was a rather grim tableau that confronted her. The royals were seated at one end of the hall and all of the boys that had been taken from the alcove were seated tables that had been pulled into place. The feeling was of a makeshift courtroom, rather than an audience with the king.

As Margery was announced and she stepped forward, she curtseyed before Walter and Diana in a sign of respect. In response, they rose and bowed to her. They were all accorded the respect or obedience of the people because they did not place themselves above their citizens.

"Lady Margery," Walter said in greeting. "We need your assistance to ensure that justice is done." He gestured to the group of scared boys at the tables. It was apparent that they understood the trouble they were in. Even Harolde had the awareness that he was in serious trouble.

Only a couple of generations ago, the events of the evening would have been considered normal. People with power at all levels thought of it as their right to take what they wanted or use people in any way they saw fit.

From the corruption and decadence of those years, it seemed as if people across the land had matured. While greed and graft were still common in the land, it was regarded as unacceptable and the king and queen agreed. Justice was expected to be fair and impartial, meted out quickly without regard for political influence.

"Yes, your Majesty," Margery replied. The messenger who had come to get her had been able to give her a quick sketch of what she faced and she came prepared to read the truth from everyone. It was not in her purview to punish the guilty, only to assist in determining who was telling the truth or what they believed was the truth.

"I was told what the situation was on my way here," she continued. "Would you like me to perform an examination of everyone?"

"Yes please, if you would. I don't know what the burden on you might entail however."

Margery smiled at the king's deference to her. "I believe that I can perform a quick scan which will tell you which boys would bear further attention. There will be no cost to me to scan them." Magic was not as simple as brewing a potion or invoking a spell. Some acts of magic took a physical toll upon both the spell caster and the target. But the reading of minds was something that would not tax her or the person she was reading.

"Thank you," Walter replied. He omitted the use of an honorific as he never knew exactly how to speak to someone of Margery's station on a casual level.

Over the next hour, Walter and Diana presided over an impromptu court acting as the judges while Margery acted as the prosecutor, defense, and chief investigator. After she had spoken to Muriel and sat quietly with her for several minutes, she met with each boy and Captain Benet to read what they might know of the night's activities and how it compared to the statements they had given. In the end, Margery succeeded in extracting the story from each participant as they wanted everyone to believe it, as they actually perceived it, and as how it was seen by everyone else.

This placed a great deal of responsibility and authority in Margery's hands. A corrupt magic-user could manipulate situations such as this to their own ends. However, both Walter and Margery trusted each other. More importantly, everyone in town and the surrounding countryside trusted her as well.

Thus, Walter did not question Margery's narrative when he, Diana, Margery, and Captain Benet met together in one of the alcoves.

"Your Majesties," Margery began. "All of the younger boys were witnesses only and were drawn in out of curiosity only. They had no idea of what was planned and no time to call for help. None of them thought that they could do anything to help the maid." She pointed to three names on the list and said, "These three boys were knowledgeable about everything." She went on to explain how the plan had been to use the brandy to get the younger boys drunk and watch how they behaved. They would have been collateral damage, so to speak, as the real intent had been to assault a maid. Harolde had actually thought that involving Craius would somehow protect him from a serious punishment.

With the exception of Craius, all of the other boys were taken to detention cells. Those who were only guilty of being present would be released later on in the coming day to their parents with a warning to be more careful. The boys who had assisted Harolde would have judgment passed on them the next day as would Harolde himself. His case would merit special consideration and might even mean a year in the infantry as a regular soldier. A rather sad comment on a promising career.

At Margery's suggestion, Muriel was given a draught of wine with some herbs mixed in. She was told that it would help her to relax. The girl was definitely high-strung at the moment and had broken down in tears multiple times. The girl was asleep within moments of draining the cup. Once she was out, Margery stood behind Muriel and placed a hand on either side of the girl's head. It was the work of only a few minutes for Margery to change Muriel's memories of assault and a near rape to only a dark dream. Captain Benet summoned another maid who helped him transport Muriel back to her room.

This finally left Margery standing with two parents in the alcove looking down at an unconscious Craius. Without looking at Walter, she said, "Your Majesty, some of the things I picked out of Muriel's memory are of some concern and you should know of them." She proceeded to relate how Craius had been quite intoxicated when he had callously told Harolde that he could have his way with the maid.

Walter nodded in acknowledgment. He had frowned during Margery's recitation of everything she had gleaned with her powers. He and his wife had not intended to raise their children to be like this. As much as he wanted to deny that his son had grown up with attitudes that were commonplace almost a century ago, he could not. He had seen signs of this, but he had closed his eyes to it.

He looked at his wife. "There cannot be a declaration of succession tomorrow. Craius is not ready to be king. He may never be." Diana could only nod in agreement, tears in her eyes.

Margery understood their grief. She had seen how parents in the past had been confronted with the same thing. It was hard to raise children with good values. Walter and Diana had fallen into the trap of believing that their duties as rulers of the kingdom took precedence over their responsibilities to their children. Thus, Selene and Craius had been relegated to second place, being raised and educated by a variety of care givers.

"Sir, I could offer you a way to show your son the error of his ways and give him a closer appreciation of his future subjects. Even though he was not awake, I did get a sense that he is not a bad man at heart." Margery spoke softly, almost against her better judgment. She did not want to offer hope for something that might not succeed, but she wanted to offer what help she could to save Craius as her future king.

Walter looked up at the woman, his heart full of hope. Margery was an older woman, one who wore her years of experience upon her face. The witch dressed in a plain dress, fastened at the waist by a leather belt, and greying hair tied into a bun.

In some ways, Margery was the very image of a witch from tales, but lacked the warts and typical garb that storytellers described.

"What plan do you have?" The aged King Walter probed, "A spell of some kind?" The moment the words left Walter's mouth, the ruler knew that he had spoken foolishly and knew the witch's scolding words even before they were spoken.

"Magic is not a cure, it is a guide. It can aid in solving a problem but cannot solve it by itself." This had been a sore point between the King and Queen, and the witch for a long time; they didn't understand the limitations of magic, and Margery did a poor job of explaining said rules.

"Alright," Diana stated, trying to soothe the annoyed witch, "What do you suggest?" The witch glanced at the boy, passed out from the night's excitement and excessively powerful alcohol his system was otherwise unaccustomed to.

"I can craft a spell, one that will change the boy into a young woman," Margery held a hand to forestall any protests or questions, "As a woman he would be treated as a maid, no better but no worse. During this time, he would learn the plight of those born without privilege"

Walter mulled the offered solution over; it certainly had merit, however...

"There would have to be a way to keep him from talking to others, if only so he wasn't seen as insane."

Diana nodded in agreement with her husband and looked back to the greying witch, "Is there any way to prevent him from speaking of it?"

Margery frowned deeply in thought, they asked for much and while it may be possible, it wouldn't be in quite the way they believed it to be. Like many, they did not realize that magic had great limitations.

Making the boy to be unable to speak of his plight was possible but could not be accomplished in the time they had; it had too many variables to consider.

"I could," The witch suggested after a long pause, "Alter his speech and writing. That he can understand words but cannot write them, and while he can understand spoken tongue he cannot speak it. His attempts would result in a garbled tongue most would assume to be a foreign language."

"But, what if he was in danger..." Of course a mother would consider such a thing and indeed it was the first thought that came to Diana.

"I could alter the spell to break if he was ever placed in serious danger" the witch suggested, impressed by the Queen's insight.

"Which brings me to my second point. All men are born of the sun, women the moon," began Margery, looking to the royal couple, "The act of altering a man to a woman is one that comes with danger."

Now she had both royals attention, as she assumed she would.

"The body is not meant to be changed, as its form is decided at birth. A temporary change will tax his body and leave him weakened. However...should the moon go through a full phase and the new woman have a feminine cycle...then the changes will be permanent and irreversible. Any attempts to reverse the spell will kill The Prince after that time."

The royals looked horrified, "Isn't there a way to do make it a timed spell? Like you're doing with the speech spell."

Of course, the father was concerned with his dynasty even if his question was a legitimate one.

"No King Walter, there is not. The difference between the speech spell and the gender spell is the difference between a hole and a catapult. To stop a man from walking, the hole simply needs to be there and he falls into it. Similarly, the trigger for the speech spell only turns it off. However, just as the catapult needs to be loaded to be fired, the gender spell cannot be undone but rather must be reversed. Do you understand?"

The royals were slightly perplexed by the chosen metaphor however they seemed to have some grasp of what the witch was trying to warn them of.

The prince groaned and shifted slightly.

"Whatever your decision majesty's we must hurry, if the prince were to hear of the plan he would realize that his punishment has an expiration date and would make no attempt to change his behavior."

King Walter and Queen Diana shared a look, as they contemplated the most important decision of their young son's life. However, they could not know how far reaching the effects of this choice would be, else they may have made a different choice...or maybe not.

"Yes, do it Lady Margery" The Queen confirmed.

The witch gave a nod and moved to the Prince's side, tearing off a segment of her sleeve and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Now hold his limbs."

The two Royals looked alarmed at her instruction, to which Margery explained, "This is not a gentle spell." Also, her thought was that they should be part of what was about to be wrought upon the boy. It would not be pleasant for any of them.

Out of options, they gripped their son's arms and legs and watched in growing anxiety as the woman placed her hand on the young prince Craius' head.

"I have put a spell of sleeping upon him, that he will not awaken during the change...but he will remember the pain. Even asleep...he'll remember," The witch warned gravely then bowed her head, closed her eyes and placed both hands upon the chest of the young Prince Craius.

A sound like a branch being snapped filled the hall and the prince released a strangled moan from his sleep.

His face looked as if two giant, invisible hands were squeezing it, molding it and forcing it into a new shape, terrible cracking noise accompanying it.

His throat compressed with a loud, though temporary gagging noise from the prince, as the changes rippled down his unwilling body.

The arms and legs compressed inwards with jerky and loud snapping sounds, his fingers curling as they were changed and thinned to the hands and arms of a young woman.

The prince's shoulders buckled three times in rapid succession his ribs popping as two mounds drove themselves upwards beneath his shirt.

Prince Craius let out a strangled wail as his hips drove upwards then crashed to the table beneath, a stain spreading across his thighs and growing into puddle as the most awful noise of bones breaking and popping filled the air.

Then finally, after five full minutes, he went still...she went still, her breathing coming in rapid, shallow, agonized gasps.

The King wore an expression of being silently stunned while Queen Diana looked horrified, sinking into a chair to stare at the girl before them, and struggling with her part of the transformation. She had not truly understood what she was agreeing to.

Craius had changed into a beautiful young woman, with angular features and shoulder-length black hair. She looked so delicate laying on the table, so...vulnerable and helpless: quivering like a terrified, wounded kitten.

Margery was rather tired from the forces she had manipulated to cause this change, but she felt that more was needed. "Please King Walter, pick up the girl...I wish to give her fresh clothing before you retire her to her quarters...It's a small mercy I can afford."

The King was too shaken by what he had beheld to argue, and carefully picked up the petite form of his...daughter.

Witch Margery removed the gag from the now female Crauis' mouth then waved her palm over the young woman.

The clothes rippled and changed in an almost boring fashion, melting into the simple dress and blouse of a palace servant.

"She will be exhausted and confused come the morning and probably in a great deal of pain...I advise you make the most of this opportunity to help your son majesties, I do not believe you will have a second chance."

Judging by their expressions, Margery surmised that both royals had a lot to consider and come to terms with, staying here any longer would be worthless.

"By your leave, my daughter needs me and I grow weary: I have spent a lot of power this night." After waiting several moments, Margery realized they were not listening, too consumed in the actions of the night, and quietly left.

It was a long time before King Walter, feeling every second of his age, carried his now female son to the servant's quarters. Muriel, the king realized, slept without a roommate and so there should be an empty bed.

Muriel was a kind soul and perhaps the two of them would be good for each other.

Entering into Muriel's room he found it strange to see...so spartan and small. Void of any personalization or real comforts that they as royalty had come to rely upon.

Muriel herself awoke, the mousey brunette looking terrified at first, then confused and alarmed at the King and his package.

"She needs a place to sleep, and you have an empty bed."

Muriel nodded in understanding and watched the strange looking maid be put in the bed opposite her.

"She will need lots of sleep...she is not to be disturbed until she awakens naturally, am I understood?"

Muriel nodded quickly. Seeing the King carrying a young girl around, followed by the Queen, confused her. She was not sure of the time of day, but she assumed that the girl was a new hire, like her, and the King must have been present when she arrived. She knew that the King was a good person and had probably decided not to awaken someone to welcome the new girl.

His heart tight in his chest, the King longed to stay and comfort the transformed child...but it would be a fruitless and suspicious act, so he turned and left, shutting the door quietly before taking his leave to comfort his shocked and soon-to-be-crying wife. It was all he could do for his son right now.