What is it you really want, a Soulmate
or just a Perfect Warrior?

                Chapter the First

Where magic gets a little confused by the modern world

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Hi, I’m Alice, not that you'd believe me to look at me. I know my parents love me, but they only see Hans, they can't get past what my body looks like. Things wouldn’t be so bad if I could just shave all this horrible fuzz off of me, but my “failed suicide” made the shrinks insist I not be allowed near sharp objects, so if I did, they'd know I’d broken the rules and I’d be sent off to the ‘Happy House’ again. I only got out last time when an orderly noticed my hair wasn't growing back and got the docs to finally believe me when I said I’d gotten my friend
Carla to Nair it all off.

                Right yes, Carla, she’s my best/only real friend, her, her little brother and their mam's are the only people in real life who properly accept me as Alice, and their house is the only place I can be me, even if I don’t look it. I mean, yes, I am very jealous of Carla, and her
second mam, and how well both of their transitions are going, but even with how much it hurts seeing things going so well for them, it’s still better than being at home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

                “Are you sure this is a good idea? The last four known times someone has attempted this spell it has drawn an uncontrollable fighter whose first act is invariably to kill everyone involved in summoning them.”

                “That’s what the second spell is for, and why you need to be the first thing they see when they arive your highness.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

                So that’s me, a 15 year old, 6 foot 3 tall, 2 foot wide, 18 stone transgirl with as much bodyhair as a whole pack of dogs. thankfully
my voice hadn’t broken yet when I did... it, so at least I sound right, and it’s so fun watching peoples reaction when this soft feminine voice comes out of a lump like me. I much prefer dealing with people in cyberspace over meatspace, people hear my voice and accept me as a girl, plus I kick serious ass in games and it helps me forget about the hairy flesh sack I’m trapped in...

~~~~~~~~~~

                “I still don’t think that this is what that prophesy meant, even if it actually does refer to me.”

                “Please relax your highness, we have been preparing for this for 15 years, we have thought of every possibility, have faith.”

~~~~~~~~~

                “Allie, why don’t you let me do the Nair thing again? It worked really well last time, and it did come back thinner.”

                “Because I can’t risk them locking me up again, I couldn’t bear it, you don’t know just how bad it was.”

                “But, you got out last time, they wouldn’t take you straight back there, not if you tell them what’s going on.”

                “Right, because that worked out so well last time, I only got out because they only had one orderly strong enough to hold me
down, and he eventually noticed it.”

                “But but...”

                “Enough Carla, I just want to sit here and kill aliens, can we just leave the ‘dealing with Allie’s self image shite’ till the weekend, when we can get some booze.”

~~~~~~~~

                “We’re ready to begin your highness, please kneel down in that circle and press the tip of your left thumb to the spike.”

~~~~~~~

                After about two hours, and three changes of game, we both start to get fed up of the whining of the pre-pubescent idiots that seem to infest every online game, and things inevitably drift back to talking to each other instead of other players.

                “I’m sorry Allie, I know things are so much easier for me, but it hurts me too, watching you push yourself down when you leave here, I just thought it might make you feel a little better.”

                “I know, but you just don’t get it, maybe if I went to the doctors first and got explicit permission first. You didn’t see dad’s face when I came home hairless and he freaked, not angry, scared, and... AHHHH!!” blinding pain shoots through my body.

~~~~~~

                Upon the altar before the young prince and the royal court mages, magical energy begins to coalesce into a vaguely humanoid form.

~~~~~

                The pain is horrific, worse than anything I’ve ever felt, and I can hear Carla and her mams shouting for help and can feel them trying to hold me in place as I’m thrashing about. And then it all stops, and for a moment everything is completely peaceful, no sound, no pain,
and there’s just a muted sky blue glow that surrounds me.

~~~~

                As the magical glow fades, the young prince steps up to the scandalously clothed body curled up on the altar, covering her with a sheet to protect her modesty. “How long until she wakes?”

                “Every other warrior summoned with this spell has arrived fully aware, and, from their attitude, apparently straight from combat. I am not sure what has happened this time, I don’t see how either of the other spells would do this your highness.”

~~~

                ... What...

~~

                “She doesn’t look much like a warrior does she? Beautiful though.”

~

                I open my lower eye, just enough to see but hopefully not enough to be noticed. From where I’m lying, on what feels like cold stone, I can see what looks like an old stone church, a bunch of creepy old dudes in grotty robes and feel someone just moving out of my sight near my head. The person walking around me speaks up again, “well she didn’t immediately rip us all limb from limb, so at least that’s worked out better this time.” He, and he is definitely a He, steps into my eye line, and looks so... right, that I can’t keep from opening my eyes fully and locking mine with his.

                “Good morning milady, are you well?”

                “The fuck are you talking too?”

                “Well, you, obviously, you’re the only beautiful maiden here aren’t you?”

                “That patronising bollocks isn’t funny, I know how bad I look, you don’t need to make fun about it.” My body is still too twitchy and tingly-numb from the pain to get up, so I roll myself to face away from them.

                “I’m sorry if I have offended you somehow, that truly wasn’t my intention, but I really do not understand your hostility.”

                “Look, your highness, I know what I am, there’s no point taking the mick over what I’ll never be.”

                “I am just being honest, are you saying that you are not the incredibly beautiful girl laying before me? That that is somehow a deception?”

                “Are you blind?” I flick the sheet off of me, “what part of me looks like a beaut...” as I move, I feel my body move in an unexpected way and glance down...

                ...

                ...That’s different... that is very different... um... panic...

                “AAHHHHHHH!”