A bell rang through the city, the blacksmith's hammer beat on a piece of steel. The hoofs of horse echoed through the streets, wagons being pulled behind them jumped when they hit a bump in the road. Rufus almost glided down the bumpy stone road. I hung my legs off one side, allowing myself to enjoy the capital. Kids laughed in the streets and adults bickered over goods, dogs barked at cats. Some ducks waddled in the streets, being chased by a girl and a boy. People parted, some children looked at us with awe. The adults kept up along their day, unaffected by the Prince’s presence. The smell of fresh bread filled my nose, I let out a satisfying sigh.

“It’s safe to remove the hood now, people see a lot here. Plus they know better, as you can see.”

A young girl pointed to us and her mother glanced. She quickly swooped up the small girl and went inside the shop. I grabbed the hood and let it drop to expose my long blonde hair, a few men looked over but quickly turned away. I felt a small breeze meet my face, the sun warming it while the wind fanned me. We went down endless streets, windchimes led the way to a gate. The gate was built into a sturdy wall about 5 men tall. Trees lined the wall, shading it and blooming white flowers. Two guards stood on each side, they’re armor reflecting the sun onto the petal littered ground. The guards simply nod to us and signal to the men uptop to open the gate.

The tall wooden gates opened to reveal a lush green paradise. A garden filled to the brim with trees, bushes, flowers, and small streams and ponds. Rufus trotted through with his neck relaxed, the others still held their heads high. A few chipmunks were chasing each other across the stone path, scampering avoiding the horse’s hoofs. It was almost like a mini forest, with even its own population of birds. Bells again ran through the town, its sound barely carried over into the palaces garden. A few men walk over to us in a hurry, all in dusty jeans and plaid shirts. A young blonde boy ran up to us, his wide bright green eyes capturing my attention. The Prince’s lips pulled up slightly as Rufus started to rub up against the adorable mochi.

“Your highness may I take Rufus today!”

“Yes you may Zach, make sure he gets his special mix.”

“Yes sir! You can count on me!”

Zach grabs Rufuses reins and loosens them, Rufus gives the small kid a kiss. The Prince swings off and helps me down. He grabs my basket and lets me jump down on my own. He hands back the basket and grabs both of our bags.

“Alright, follow me Lina.”

He swings both onto his left shoulder, my dull small pouch against his thick rich black leather bag. We walk together, the palace doors growing taller and wider. The footmen grabbed the doors handles and opened them for us, bowing to the Prince as we briskly walked through. The doors shut quietly behind us, the room shining with warm light.

A tall and wide staircase sat in front of us with a crystal chandelier shining down upon it. The rails were dark wood with elegant carvings etched into them. The stairs were also carpeted with a rich royal blue lined with gold. A few maids clambered down the steps in a hurry, they came straight for me.

“Ok girls lets get her ready!”

“Yes lets go go go!”

The three maids grabbed me and pulled me up the towering steps, their arms held me steadily despite my attempts to escape. The Prince simply waved at me and smirked. Yelling to me,

“See you later Lina!”

Traitor!

The necklace buzzed and as the Prince started walking away, and he tripped. Just barely catching himself before he fell. The charm hummed as I lost sight of the Prince, being dragged down a long, tall hall. We finally turned into a room stocked with all sorts of dresses and accessories. I felt my heart beat faster in excitement over the latest skirts and the Gocha belts. Stuff I could only dream of buying for myself!

The maids pull me over to a chair and sit me down, then they all start taking measurements and looking at my features.

“Uhhh, what is the plan here…?”

“Oh! Sorry Miss! We have to get you dressed immediately to meet the King and Queen! By the way i’m Stacy, that is Mara, and this is our cute Monica!”

Stacy had her hair up in a tight chocolate bun, showing a small scar on her right ear. Her eyes were a milky brown along with Mara’s. Mara’s hair was also tied up in a sunny bun along with Monica, who was a younger girl. Monica looked to be around 10, her eyes still sparking like a kid with a blue base.

“I’m Lina!”

“Well nice to meet you Miss Lina, we hope we can find the perfect outfit for you today!”

“Yeah! I think a skirt would look good with a bra-less top!”

“Her bust would show a lot better!”

“Uhhh, could we do a shirt that covers…”

“Nonsense you have to show off that body of yours!”

“But I-”

“No buts! Now off with that dress! We are getting you sparkled up! We should do a bow too!”

They all grabbed at my dress and pulled it up simultaneously, leaving me wearing my boxers, my corset, and my make-shift chest. They all froze. Stacy took my old dress and folded it, setting it down on a table. She turned back towards me and took a deep breath, a smile went back on her face. Calm but a calculated one. Monica looked away, uncomfortable with the new discovery they made.

“This is a first, so let's be on the safe side and do a full blouse. The queen wouldn’t like it if it exposed anything...”

“Yeah, with a belt to…”

-

“Look at that sexy figure! I know we could get it right!”

“That bow looks so perfect!!!”

“I love the split in the front!!!”

They all twirled around me, blowing around the colorful skirt. The colorful patterns gleamed with pride as they were fussed over, swirling with delight. The simple white blouse puffed up, making it seem like my chest was bigger than it was. I looked to my hips and a simple black belt rested on them. My feet were slipped into a leather pair of sandals with straps coming up my legs. The charm peeked through the split in the blouse, looking around and exploring the room we were in. Seemingly taking a life of its own.

“Oh that just looks wonderful! No jewelry required! Also you already have that uhh…”

She looked at the ram pendent hesitantly, trying to find the right words for it. It confused me as well as it seemed to snuggle into my chest. It gripped to my bones, wrapping itself around them tightly. It was strange that I could feel it slithering through my muscles and wrapping around bones. I shuttered a bit and shook off the feeling.

“It’s fine, I don’t completely understand what it is either.”

“Well then! Let me guide you to the throne room!”

Monica jumped up, raising her hand. We both exited the dressing room and went back down the luxurious hall. Monica skipped alongside me, chanting rhymes and riddles. The walls are carved with different mythical creatures and heroes of the past. Festivals are painted on the ceiling with vivid color and design, showing every single pebble and grape. It showed people dancing holding hands and men drinking endless amounts of alcohol.

“We are here Miss Lina!”