5

Fortunately, Master Oringel settled down to the game right away and didn't pay me any attention at all except when he occasionally got an exceptional hand and felt obliged to show me. Needless to say, he was running low on coins after only three games -- and that was only because of a generous donation from Sir Ruvano. The Spymaster was doing much better, though several of the servants were giving him quite a run for his money. He revealed in the challenge, however, and seemed to be greatly enjoying himself. The Chamberlain, on the other hand, was limping along with a sour look on his face, barely able to keep his head above water. I'm not sure I could have done any better in his place -- which was how I ended up in debt to him to begin with -- but I have to admit I almost smiled each time he lost a hand. It would serve that fat bastard right to lose his shirt for a change.

"Well, that's it friends!" Master Oringel, said as his last game came to an end.

He eased me from his lap as he stood. Never had I been more greatful for anything in my life. As all the players adjured to refresh their drinks, I stood by his side like a faithful puppy. All we needed now was to get out of that room. As Master Oringel continued chatting, I began fidgeting, bouncing on my toes. The journey up to that point had been so long, but this last tiny step still seemed so far away.

"Excuse me, my dear," someone said.

I turned and found Sir Ruvano standing alongside me. His talent for sneaking up on people must have served him well as the king's spymaster. He had a mug of ale in each hand and offered one to me.

"Would you like something to drink?" he said. "You looked like you could use it."

"Um, thank you." I accepted out of reflex and took a small sip. The cool drink definitely felt quite refreshing, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time. My head had cleared considerably since them and I had enough sense not to gulp the whole thing down at once.

Sir Ruvano remained at my side without saying another word, simply looking at me, not like the others, but certainly in a way that made me want to get away from his gaze. "Um, you are most gracious."

"I try to be," he replied. "At least with girls as pretty as you."

"Well, I, um, thank you, I guess. Master Oringel, you're out of the game, shouldn't we be on our way?"

"What? Oh." The wizard turned away from the conversation he'd found himself in as if he'd forgotten all about me. His dark eyes flashed as he looked from me to the spymaster and then back. I didn't like that smile that spread across his lips one bit. "That game might be over, but the festivities have just begun. I plan on staying a little longer. But don't give me that look, I'll get to you eventually. Why don't you keep Sir Ruvano here company until then?"

"I would be honored if you would join me, Stephanie," he said, offering me a slight bow. "The next hand is about to begin."

Had I ever been driven that crazy simply by a pretty face? Master Oringel's mischief certainly wasn't helping matters any. "I'm not really sure...I mean, um, my luck hasn't been all the advantageous tonight. Perhaps you'd fair better without me."

"Nonsense. I can't imagine that a game of cards could ever be made worse by the addition of a comely woman sitting on my knee. Besides, I don't believe in luck." He took my hand in his like a lord escorting a lady to a ball and coaxed me back toward the table. I shot Master Oringel a withering look, but he merely smiled and waved me on my way.

Back at the table, Sir Ruvano took his seat and I stiffly lowered myself onto his lap. I'd survived an hour or so on Master Oringel's knee, I was sure I could do the same now.

"Please, Stephanie, most of the stories about me are completely false, there's no need to be so scared," he said. As the cards were dealt, he rubbed my back. "Why don't you just relax?"

I did my best to smile, taking another sip of beer to hide my true feeling, and slowly eased into his encircling arm. He seemed pleased enough, laughing and rubbing my thighs. If this was the last thing I had to do it end this curse, I would have to endure it.

The games flew by. The spymaster did indeed appear to have little need for luck. He played each hand the same, no matter how strong or weak. Never did he reveal any indication of which was which. Only I knew but only because I had a fine view from my position seated in his lap. One by one, the other players were reduced to only three. No longer was there any boisterous talk or loud bragging. These men were focused exclusively on the game, studying their opponents and their cards to divine some previously unrealized advantage.

I'd seldom seen so passionate a game of cards. Despite the situation I was in, I couldn't help but be drawn in by the intensity. Each time Sir Ruvano attempted a bluff with a weak hand, I held my breath, hoping that he would be successful. When his hand was strong, I watched the others with glee, just waiting for the moment when all their posturing would be crushed in an instant with the final reveal of the cards.

Sir Ruvano would occasionally stroke my thigh or squeeze my waist, but his attention seemed focused primarily on the game. If those were to be the extent of his attentions, I knew I could survive. It was when his hands occasionally brushed against my breasts that I would suddenly go rigid again. Each time, he merely turned a pleasing smile in my direction as if to say it was an accident and I would once again try my best to relax. In order to keep from losing my mind, I continued to sip the beer a small bit at a time, but eventually even that controlled moderation eventually drained the entire mug. Sir Ruvano was quick to have it replaced, despite my insistence to the contrary. And with a fresh mug in my hand, I couldn't help but maintain the habit I'd gotten into.

However, the drink only helped to exasperate the growing pressure on my bladder. The players were well into the fifth game of this second set when I could take it no longer. There was no way I was going to be able to hold out until Master Oringel was done with his tomfoolery. If I didn't relieve myself soon, I was going to end up doing it in Sir Ruvano's lap.

"Please. You'll have to excuse me," I said, standing with some difficulty. My muscles had grown stiff holding myself so rigid in his embrace and my bladder was near bursting. "I...really need to go fresh up."

"Yes of course, my dear," Sir Ruvano said, guiding me gracefully on my way

Though still showing no signs of ceasing entirely, the revelry had died down since earlier and I was able to get to the door without running afoul of anyone. Before leaving, I paused and looked back over my shoulder. Still seated at the card game, Sir Ruvano had followed me with his eyes and now smiled warmly. I felt my cheeks flush red once again and hurried off toward the latrines.

I made my way to the ones down by the stables, hoping that they would be too far out of the way on a night such as this to see much use. I did pass a number of couples in dark corners, but they paid me no heed, far too engrossed in their own private celebrations to care about one fleeting shadow in the night.

At the far end of the stables, the latrine sat dark and empty. It was a single narrow room with a continuous bench along the long wall with five seats each separated by a simple wooden barrier. Now that relief was in sight, I could barely hold it in any longer.

Unfortunately, apart from knowing that women sat down to piss, I had no real idea of how exactly they did so. I was sure nature would take care of things by itself once I managed that, but there were other things that first needed to be dealt with -- like the matter of how best to get that stupid dress out of the way. I hadn't even stopped to consider what I was wearing underneath.

With a final glance back toward the door, I gathered up the front hem and lifted it until I could see what I was dealing with. A pair of tight-fitting hose rose up to my shapely thighs where they were held in place by garters. Above that, the smooth white skin of my legs disappeared under a lacy white pair of panties. Moist with perspiration, they clung to the skin and I could see the outline of what was lying beneath. I'd seen that same kind of puffy, bisected mound before, but never between my own legs. The emptiness there was disheartening and it gave me pause. However, dancing urgently on the tips of my toes, I didn't have time to worry about such things. I grabbed the top seam and pulled the panties down. The fabric clung to that moist flesh between my legs, but when it finally fell away and revealed a smooth, hairless mound beneath, I felt a cool breeze against my skin.

Now I just needed to figure out these skirts so I could sit down. There was so much fabric, however, all my attempts to move it out of the way only made it more tangled. And I didn't have any time left. I had to go now. Holding the dress as high as I could, I leaned forward over the nearest seat and just let it all go.

A powerful stream of piss shot forth. Under such pressure, a great deal of it splattered back on my legs, but now that I'd started I couldn't stop until I was finished. I also had no way to direct the stream without moving my entire body. At first I missed the hole entirely and all of it splashed across the bench before I finally managed to find my target. But then, as the pressure eased, the stream lost it power and slowed to a comparative trickle which seemed much more interested in running down my legs rather than going down the drain. I could feel the warm creeping sensation as the urine soaked my hose and trickled all the way down to my feet. In hindsight, I should have held my legs father apart but it was too late to do anything about it. The whole thing was almost over already.

As the last warm drops ran down my skin I let out a long sigh. It felt so good to have relief from that. If only I hadn't also made a complete mess of myself in the process. There was no way I'd ever be able to go back to the festivities like that. This day just kept getting worse. To complicate matters even further, I couldn't even figure out how I was supposed to keep the dress out of the way and clean myself with only two hands. Undressing entirely crossed my mind, but even if I wanted to risk explaining what I was doing if I was caught, I wasn't entirely sure I would know how to undo all the fasteners. How could I have let this happen? I wasn't even sure I could blame this on Master Oringel.

Holding the dress up and out of the way as best I could, I hobbled across the room and found a clean towel hanging on a hook. I rubbed it across my legs, soaking up as much of the mess as I could. My pussy was still soaked but I couldn't quite bring myself to touch it. I could barely even stand to think of it as MY pussy. I could already feel it as a part of me but the thought confirming its existence with my fingers as well seemed like it would somehow make it more real than it already was. However I couldn't leave myself in this state. Spreading my legs wide, I took a deep breath in preparation for the what had to be.

But then I gasped as I felt someone behind me. Much larger than myself, it had to be a man. He was on me before I could so much as scream. With one hand he reached around from behind and held the dress out of the way, his fingers brushing against the bare skin above my pussy. The other hand he set atop mine that was holding the towel.

"Why don't you let me help you with that?" he whispered in my ear. I recognized his voice instantly as belonging to Sir Ruvano but that knowledge did nothing to alleviate my fright.

"Please, I...I"

"No, it's really no bother, my dear. Just relax."

Slowly, seductively, he drew the towel across my inner thigh. Higher and higher it went until it brushed against the warm folds of my pussy. I squirmed and tried to break free, but his grip was like iron. 

"Just relax," he said again.

This time he drew the towel across my swollen mound. I tried biting my lip to stifle the whimper it produced but it did no good.

"See, isn't that better?" he said.

Gently, he continued rubbing. I couldn't believe I was letting him do this. I wanted to resist but I couldn't deny that it felt really good. I also didn't have much of a choice in the matter did I? I knew I wouldn't be able to get away from him. Each time he teased my sensitive flesh, I could feel my resolve weakening. 

As he dropped the towel away, the cool air rushed in against my skin. If it was possible, I'd gotten even more wet than I'd been before. His hand seemed so large as he cupped the mound of flesh and ran his middle finger along the slit. His skin rough and slippery at the same time -- and oh so good.

"Oh no," he said, lifting his hand in front on my face. "I think I may have made things worse."

I could smell the female arousal on his fingers. It didn't matter that it was my own. My nipples were starting to feel like two little pebbles in my dress. When he ran his fingers across my soft lips I didn't even hesitate to suck them into my mouth. It tasted just like every other woman I'd ever sampled. How would this really be any different? Before I was finished, he pulled his fingers from my mouth and then I heard him sucking on them as well.

"Mmm, you truly are special," he said, holding his lips against my neck so that the murmurs of his words quivered though my skin. At the same time, he cupped my breast, pinching the nipple through the fabric. Meanwhile, his other hand returned to massage my pussy. My juices were flowing freely now and he rubbed them across the folds, tracing the contours, and finally circling the hard little button of my clitoris. My whole body shivered and I melted into him. 

"Ohhh, yesss," I moaned, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I was so horny, it no longer mattered how I got my pleasure. Tonight I would let him finger my pussy. Tomorrow I wouldn't even have one.

"I want you, Stephanie, I want to be in you so badly." His muscular body pressed back against mine. He ground his hips into me and I felt the stiffness of his cock rubbing against my lower back.

Suddenly my eyes snapped open and I jerked out of his grasp.

What the hell was I doing? I was a man, not a woman. I was letting him touch me, press his cock against me. Would I have even let him have sex with me if we kept going. The very thought of having his cock inside me turned my stomach. For a moment, I thought I might actually be sick. 

"Stephanie, what is it?" he said. "Please forgive me if I was to forward but I thought that was what you wanted. If you'd like, we could return to the festivities. I only want to be with you, it makes no difference what we do."

I backed away from him, clinging to the wall to keep my balance. After what we'd nearly done, I couldn't even stand to think of remaining in his company. I had to get away, put the entire incident out of my mind. 

"Is it money you want then?" Sir Ruvano said. He was starting to look desperate, flustered. It didn't seem to fit with everything else I knew about the man. "I thought you to be different class of woman than the rest, but here," he pulled a sack of coins form his belt and held it out to me. "Five hundred gold for just one evening of your company. I'd gladly pay that much and more just to be given the privilege of sharing a meal with you and taking you for a walk in the gardens."

That was a lot of money for something so mundane. I'd always known that some of the women in the keep seemed to have more extravagant dresses and pieces of jewelry than their pay should have allowed. Was this how they managed it?

"Alright then," he said suddenly growing calm once again. Untying the silk cravat from around his neck, he stepped forward and gently laid it across my shoulders. I cringed as he leaned down and kissed me tenderly on the forehead. "I can see you're reluctant, but for one such as you, I can wait. For the time being, consider this a token of my feelings. In the meantime, my will remain open as long as you like."

"I--I'm sorry," I said as I rushed out of the room, leaving Sir Ruvano behind. I didn't even know why I'd said that. I wanted to be angry with him but I was actually feeling sorry for having lead him along like that. My mind was so addled I couldn't even think straight any more. There had to be something wrong with the curse. I had to convince Master Oringel to change me back right now.

I hurried back to the festivities and found the wizard chatting with several overly-buxom women. If that was the kind he preferred it was no wonder I'd ended up in this body. I rushed through the ebbing crowds and grabbed hold of his sleeve, all but pulling him off his feet. Maybe it was the suddenness of it, maybe the urgent way I was acting my he actually allowed me to pull him away.

"Please, hasn't this gone on long enough? I can't take it any more, you've got to change me back right now! Surely my embarrassment this day has been more than enough payment for your services!"

He considered me for several long seconds, his smile wavering from one form to another but never disappearing completely. I knew I must have looked a fright, my hair hanging in a tangled mess, my face panicked and on the verge of tears, but I no longer cared. It certainly wasn't an act just for his benefit. I'd never been more sincere about anything in my entire life.

"Oh, very well," he said at last. Then, turning to the room, he lifted his hand in oration and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Well, my dear friends, it seems the time has finally come to settle up for that little agreement I made with Stephanie to get her a job in the kitchens."

I quailed while everyone else laughed. They no doubt thought that we were going away to have sex. For all I knew, that was, in fact, the wizard's intention. He was the only one in the castle who knew my true nature but that hadn't stopped him from coming onto me. Maybe this night wasn't anywhere near being over. I was even starting to fear that he might have been planning to change me back in front of everyone, but then he moved off toward the door, slipping his hand around my waist and holding me close. Fortunately, Sir Ruvano was nowhere to be seen. No doubt he would hear about this eventually, but if he'd been there to witness me leaving with Master Oringel right after turning him down, I could easily have seen a scuffle breaking out.

Master Oringel, occasionally singing or humming quietly to himself, lead the way though lower reaches of the keep I'd seldom, if ever, seen. From the mustiness in the air, we must have been very near the dungeons. I doubted if many at all had ever been down there. Eventually we arrived at massive wooden door set into a curved portion of wall that encroached out into a wide section of the hallway. For a time, Master Oringel fumbled with a large ring of keys hanging from his belt but eventually gave up and simply kicked the stone jamb two times and gave the door ring a hard pull. With that, that door swung inward and he motioned me through with a flamboyant gesture. He followed right on my heels, closing the door behind him.

On the other side, I wasn't entirely sure what I was seeing. We were in a small half-domed bay which lead into a large circular room with a high ceiling. Other alcoves opened off of that larger room, but on the far side was a massive chamber with a high vaulted ceiling that was filled with all manner of strange esoteric instruments. The air was warm and dry and smelt vaguely of cinnamon, nothing at all like it had been in the hall right outside.

"This...is your tower isn't it?" I said. That was a place everyone in the castle knew well to avoid. Very few had ever seen the inside. After all, it was never a good idea to intrude on a wizard's inner sanctum. So what was I doing there?

"Backdoor," Master Oringel said, pointing with his thumb toward the door we'd just entered though. He stumbled into the central room and fell heavily onto the edge of a large bed sitting right in the center.

"I could have sworn it was on the other side of the castle," I said. With mouth agape, I wandered after him, staring at everything like some dimwitted tourist. In one of the other alcoves three darkened windows appeared to look out on a starry sky. I couldn't help but take a closer look. Through the wavy glass I could see the entire castle stretching out below me and the village beyond at the bottom of the hill. "How did we end up so high? I thought we were still in the basements."

"We are. We're also at the very top of the tower. We're also everywhere in between."

"I don't understand. Is this some kind of trick?"

"Yes, but not in the way you mean." He pressed his palms to his forehead and fell back on top of the bed covers. "Oh, I think I need another drink. Would you be a dear and pour me something?"

"Look, I've put up with your games long enough! I think it's time you changed me back!"

"Do you now?" He stood and came wobbling toward me. "Well, I for one think that the night is not yet over. Now how about you get down on your knees and finish paying me back for saving your life."

"What!?" I backed away as I knocked his hands off of me, nearly causing him to lose his balance. It was strange to think that even in my long dress I was more coordinated than he at the moment. "You do remember I'm still a man don't you? Do you really want me to suck your cock?"

He gazed at me lustily through veiled eyes. "You don't look like a man to me, Stephanie. That's all that matters. Now come here and give me a little taste."

Wizard or not, I slapped him hard enough that he flopped back down on the bed. After nearly giving myself to Sir Ruvano, I wasn't about to let this perverted fool anywhere near me. I shuttered at the very thought and pulled myself back to the matter at hand.

"I'm not your whore or any one else's!"

"Gods, you're even worse than the real one was," Master Oringel muttered as he rubbed his jaw.

"Real one? The real Stephanie? Do you mean you gave me the body of some hussy you used to know?" It would certainly start to explain these overblown features I'd been dealing with.

"No, just the name. I didn't have time for anything fancy earlier. That body, that face, everything about you; it's what you would have been if you were born as a woman instead of a man."

He couldn't have been serious. As Natalie had noticed earlier, there were similarities, but as a man I was merely common. There was no way that simple form could have translated into this shapely body with all its nicely rounded curves, its soft skin, its perfect features, its willing pussy... Again I shuttered. What might have I done with Sir Ruvano if I hadn't caught myself at the last moment? Was this really the kind of woman I was, just another stupid whore who wasn't even any good at all the jobs the other women excelled at?

"Please, just change me back," I pleaded. There were even tears in my eyes when I said it, and I wasn't the least bit ashamed of them. "I can't put up with this any longer."

Master Oringel suddenly grew serious. "Did something happen to you?"

"What? No, of course not," I said, turning away from him and wiping the tears away. How could he have even picked up on that? He must have been guessing.

"Really? Well, in that case I suppose we can bring this little game to a close." From his cloak, he produced the same wand as before. With a nonchalant flip of the hand, he waved it in front of me and then tossed it down on his night stand. "There, done." 

I looked down at myself but nothing had changed. My heaving breasts were still right there in front of me, I was still wearing that long dress, and my tangled hair still fell halfway down my back. The last time, the change had been instant. He must have been aiming for one more laugh at my expense.

"You didn't do anything! I'm still a woman."

"The effect of the transformation wand takes longer to reverse. By morning, I assure you, you will be back to your old self."

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course I'm sure," he said, dropping onto his bed and pulling one of the covers over him. "Now get out of my chambers, I can't have rumors getting started that I have enough courtesy to let a girl spend the whole night in my bed -- chivalry is for knights, not wizards."

"I...very well..."

Maybe there was a slight change starting to take place. Were the hairs on the backs of my hands becoming more coarse, or was it just my imagination? My chest might have felt just a little less heavy as well. I could only hope he really knew what he was doing. I made my way to the door and paused in the opening. Thanking him seemed out of the question after what he'd put me though but it still felt as if I should say something.

"Um, good night," I said.

"Out." Without looking up, he raised his hand and flipped his wrist. At the same moment, the door slammed shut in my face, sealing off the light from inside the chambers. I was suddenly alone in the darkness of those dank subterranean passages. Hugging my arms around my midsection, I began backtracking my steps toward the servants quarters.

Fortunately, I didn't get lost. The sounds of revelry still going on certainly helped me find my way, but I didn't return to the party. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. The halls that lead to the barracks were not all that occupied so I was able to make it to my room without having to cross paths in anyone. Still looking more like a woman than a man, I really didn't want to have to explain what I was doing in the men's wing alone.

Ramzi, one of my bunkmates, was passed out on his pallet. Griffith it appeared was still out. I slipped into my own bed, pulled the covers all the way up over my head, and turned my face to the wall. It was a little uncomfortable with my still sizable breasts squeezed between my body and the mattress, but I could definitely feel the changes starting to take effect now. I just hoped that they really would be finished by morning. Otherwise, I would have a hard time explaining what the hermaphrodite that looked vaguely like Mathis was doing in his bulk. Even those worries weren't enough to keep me awake, however. After the day I'd had, I was exhausted. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was dead to the world. 

To be continued...