PrincessKay
patreon
Hatching a Heroine - Chapter 7 - Who Better?
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 02:09:30 +0000 UTCMelissa
I shifted nervously atop my horse, one arm across my midsection - which is to say right under my new breasts - and the other clutching desperately at the reins.
Weâd left the city behind almost an hour ago, heading out and onto a forest road. Weâd been lucky enough not to pass anyone, yet, but I wasnât sure that luck would hold. In fact, I was pretty sure it wouldnât. I mean, there were witnesses, and thereâd definitely be a trail, seeing as how we werenât exactly taking pains to cover our tracks.
Not that I was all that sure what we could do to cover our tracksâŠ
There was another problem I was facing, too - one that was just a little more pressing, for me personally.
âLonna?â I called out, nudging my horse forward.
The woman in question had taken the lead in our flight, on a mare the color of roasted chestnuts. One my own, dun stallion, was more than eager to get close to, our two horses whickering to each other as we got closer.
Though maybe I was just focused on that because I didnât want to think about my actual problem.
âUh⊠Lonna?â I tried, again.
âYouâre going to fall off if you donât hold on,â Lonna warned, her yellow eyes flicking first to me, and then back to the road in front of her.
âLonna. I need to talk to you.â
âIf this is about what happened in town, then keep your mouth shut. I donât want to talk about it.â Lonnaâs lips twisted into a scowl as she spoke; she was still looking straight ahead, rather than at me.
âNo, itâs not that... ItâsâŠâ I could feel the heat working its way across my cheeks. âItâs just⊠Can we stop for a bit? Being on horseback without a bra is killing me, and also I really need to pee?â
Lonnaâs head snapped around to face me.
âYou⊠Weâre being hunted, and you want to stop and pee? And whatâs a bra, anyway?â
âWell, I usually go in the morning, and before bed, but with everything going on, I justâŠâ I trailed off, fully aware of how bright red my face was. âAnd uh. A bra is like. Something that cups your breasts, and stops them from bouncing all about?â
âYouâve been riding a horse without a breast band this entire time!?â Lonna demanded, voice rising in pitch. âWe were galloping! Have you just - have you just been keeping your arm under your chest, the whole way!?â
âMaybeâŠâ I admitted. âMy legs are pretty strong now, so I just sort of gripped the horse with them? And it seems to have been working, but my arm is getting tired, and my chest is really sore, and⊠I do kinda have a bra on me?â
â...You⊠I was under the impression that you didnât have breasts in your last life?â Lonna asked, raising an eyebrow.
âWell⊠I was sort ofâŠâ I gestured awkwardly, with the hand holding the reins. âThere was a laundry mix up? And I was holding it when you transferred me, soâŠâ Reluctantly pulling my arm out from under my breasts, I reached into the pocket of my sweatpants and pulled out a crumpled pink bra.
Lonna took one look at it, and then shook her head. âThereâs no way thatâs going to fit youâŠâ she pointed out. â...But I guess a too tight breast bandâs better than nothing, if weâre riding a horse.â Lonna brought her horse to the side of the road, stopping it there. I did the same, and Talith - seeing this - pulled his riding drake to the other side, before dismounting and walking toward us.
âWhy are we stopping?â Talith asked, his stone monobrow furrowing in worry as he looked about.
âThe Heroine needs to pee,â was Lonnaâs dry response. âAnd put on a breast band.â
âWell, letâs be quick about it,â Talith sighed. âIâll lead you into the forest, and you can take care of business.â
âUm⊠Actually⊠Can Lonna come with me?â I asked, wrapping a strand of hair around my finger and lightly tugging at it. âI. Kinda might need help putting on the bra?â
âAnd you want Lonna to do it?â Talith asked, arching his monobrow on one side. âYouâd rather have a woman see you without your top then another man? Is this because Iâm an androphile? Because trust me - you do not pique my interests.â
âWhat? No! I didnât even know you liked guys. Itâs just⊠Well⊠The hooks are kinda small?â I explained, awkwardly. âYour fingers are kind of. Huge. And yeah, I sort of didnât want to see a man looking at⊠You know...â
âThe body of another man?â Talith suggested, monobrow still quirked.
â...Sorry. You can do it if you want?â
âI swear by every Majesty Tree there is, if you two keep wasting time on something this stupid Iâll roast the both of you,â Lonna declared, scowling. âNow someone help me off my horse? Apparently I need to 'support' the Heroine.â
â...Fine.â Talith moved, even as he spoke, wrapping two hands and all six of his fingers around Lonnaâs waist, before lifting her up and placing her delicately on the ground.
I also dismounted, stumbling a little when my feet hit the ground. My inner thighs were a bit sore from riding, even though it had been maybe an hour, so far. I was not looking forward to riding more.
âCome on,â Lonna called, gesturing for me to follow her, off the road and into the woods.
I did as asked, following behind Lonna until we were deep enough into the trees that I couldnât even see the road. Only then did Lonna come to a stop.
âIâm just going to face away from you,â Lonna declared, âso take care of your business, and let me know when youâre ready.â
I nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks as I looked about the woods. I found a good spot after just a second of searching, quickly âtaking care of business,â while trying not to think about how weird it was to be doing this as a girl. Then, after pulling my boxers and sweatpants back on, I stripped off my pink shirt. Which was easier said than done.
Thanks to my new height, bigger muscles, and of course the twins, the fabric felt practically painted onto my skin. It wasnât that it was hard to get it off, but doing so without ripping it was another matter. Lonnaâs impatient toe tapping didnât help anything, either. Eventually, though, I managed to pull it up and over my head.
Then came the bra. The cups were too small, and the band barely reached around my back - I could get the hooks to touch, with a little effort, but I couldnât seem to maneuver them into position to clasp on.
âA little help?â I called out, turning so that my back was to Lonna.
â...What kind of heroine loses a battle against an elastic band?â
Despite Lonnaâs words, I still felt a pair of small hands pressing against my own, taking the clasps from me and slipping them into place. âThere. Done. Now put your shirt back on, or you wonât even be able to enter the next town.â
I did as asked - though that took a bit of effort, too, and in the end it was even less comfortable than it had beenâŠ
âWhat am I going to do with you?â Lonna muttered, shaking her head.
âYou could⊠try a little more respect, maybe?â
Lonna stopped, mouth opening and closing, before snapping shut.
âWhat did you say?â she asked, teeth gritted together.
âI said you could treat me with more respect? You called me useless earlier; Iâm not useless. Iâm just sort of⊠Iâm not used to this. But Iâm not useless. I might not be able to punch as hard as Talith, or use magic like you. I donât have anything youâd consider common sense, in this world, either.
âIâm also probably not the heroine you wanted. Even if I do end up being able to defeat Sorissa, I know I canât be the girl you wanted⊠I know that⊠but. Iâm smart? I mean, I think I am - I got into a good college, anyway, and Iâve always gotten good grades.â
âCollege. Like where the big brainy types go and learn? You were in one of those?â Lonna asked. She almost sounded impressed.
âItâs more common for people to go in my world, but... Yeah. I majored in botany, and minored in history, with a focus on medieval herbalism. So far, a lot of the plants around here seem the same as my world - so if you ever need help foraging for edible berries, or medical herbs, Iâm your⊠guy, I guess.â
I smiled, as I spoke, actually excited to talk about my interests for the first time with her. For some reason, though, Lonnaâs cheeks darkened, and she quickly turned her face away from me. âIâll keep it in mind. Plants are dangerous in this world, though - so donât go checking any of them out without me, alright?â
âOkay? I promise,â I agreed. âAre there a lot of poisonous plants around or something?â
âWhat? No. I mean how they sometimes turn into monsters and attack people,â Lonna explained. âNow come on. Talithâs probably wondering whatâs taking us so long.â
With that, Lonnaâs cloaked green figure began to move back toward the road.
I stared after her, hesitating for a moment, before following, catching up right before we reached the road.
âThe Heroineâs going to need new clothes,â Lonna declared, the moment Talith was in earshot. âWeâll have to pick some up when we get to Koleff.â
âKoleff?â Talith asked, narrowing his eye sockets. âI thought weâd be going off road, not traveling to a major town.â
âGoing off road would only slow us down,â Lonna said, dismissively.
âAnd if the Queen has sent word to Koleff?â Talith demanded, crossing a pair of arms long enough to hang most of the way to the ground.
âIâll look for a poster at the gate before bringing Melissa in,â Lonna promised. âBut I happen to know that the countess of Koleff has long hated the Queen, ever since Sorissa killed her brother. Whenever Sorissa sends her a missive, she always drags her feet.â
âAnd how do you know that?â Talith asked, the slit of his mouth pulling downward into a frown.
âI know a girl,â Lonna said, waving the question away. âLook. There are four major roads from Koleff, and a seaport. Itâs the perfect place for us to elude them.â
âWhat if theyâre using magic to track us, though?â I asked, a little concerned. âI mean. They managed to figure out what I look like? So maybe they have some sort of - do you guys know what âscryingâ is?â
â...Scrying?â Lonna shook her head. âWhatâs that?â
âLike. Looking people up in a magic mirror?â
â...That would be a nightmare, wouldnât it?â Lonna laughed. âIf Sorissa could do that, she would already have caught us by now.â
âShe does know what Melissa looks like, though,â Talith pointed out, concern rising in his voice.
âOkay, yeah, but we called her with an extremely powerful ritual spell. If she can do this âscrying,â she probably just keyed in on that. Trust me - If Sorissa could do magic of that nature? Thereâs no way any of us would be walking free.â
***
Sorissa
***
Laying back upon my bed, I cradled a crystalline egg against my breast, smiling at the three dimensional image held within: three figures, two horses, and a riding drake.
Within the image, Lonna was currently being helped onto the horse by the brutish Laspi - the one who she insisted on treating like an equal, for some reason. What was his name? Something with a T?
Lonna was shooing Tâs hand away, now that she was situated, slipping her boots into the stirrups. She looked so much like she did as a little girl, riding on that big horse⊠Before I knew it, I was smiling.
Of course, that smile quickly turned upside down when the door to my bedroom was thrown open.
A redheaded woman was standing on the other side, holding a sword and panting heavily. There was bright red blood splashed across the white tunic she wore, and her brown trousers held many dark stains.
Without so much as giving me time to speak, the woman lifted her sword arm, and pointed the blade straight toward me.
âYou took my sister!â she accused; her eyes, which reflected the light like polished jade, were filled with anger and hatred. âYou took Mona!â
âMona?â I frowned, pretending to think the name over for a moment. âIâm sorry, but if itâs been more than a week since I killed her, you really canât expect me to remember her name. Did she have any defining features?â
The woman didnât respond. In fact, she wasnât even looking at me anymore. Sheâd lowered her sword while I was talking, and was now staring at the maid standing by my bedside.
Said maid, who wore a black skirt and red apron, was another redhead with green eyes. Her gaze, however, lacked the fierce emotion present in the other woman. Her eyes were glassy, and her smile was complacent. Even as the intruder stared at her, she simply stood stock still and awaited instructions.
âMona...â The intruder ran toward the maid, shifting her sword from right hand to left so that she could grip the other womanâs hand. âMona, itâs me. Itâs Daphne. Itâs your sister. I came to rescue you, okay? I know you said not to, but I came anyway. I trained in the sword, and I fought against the Queenâs guards, and I⊠I came here for you, Mona. I came to rescue you.â
âThe guards would have let you in, if youâd only waited. I happen to accept duels, when Iâm not scheduled for relaxation.â I set the egg in its wrought iron stand, beside the bed, the picture turning pitch black as soon as I removed my fingers from it.
âWhyâŠâ Daphneâs voice broke, here, her voice coming out shrill. âWhy arenât you looking at me?â
âShould you really be ignoring me?â I asked, pouting a little as I stood up and strode towards the pair.
âMona,â Daphne repeated, tears now streaming down her face. âMona, please⊠I came here for you... Please!â
âShe can hear you,â I informed the stubborn woman, with a sigh. âShe just doesnât care anymore.â
âYouâre lyingâŠâ Tears dripped down Daphneâs cheeks, yet her words were spoken with surprising conviction. Eyes wide, she turned her fierce gaze toward me. âMona would never abandon me. Iâm her sister, and we love each other. You might be powerful, but even you canât defeat love!â
â...Love, hmm? Shall we put love's power to the test, then?
âMona - kill Daphne.â
Without hesitation, Mona drew a blade from beneath her apron, and slashed her sisterâs throat.
For a moment, all was silent; all was still. Then, with a faint gurgling noise, the swordswoman fell to the floor, knees striking the red carpet, quickly followed by the rest of her.
Mona wiped the blade on her apron, and put it away, not showing a hint of sadness, or remorse, orâŠ
Well, any emotion, really.
âWould you take care of that?â I gestured to the dead body. âDump it out the window, or something. The gardeners will find a use for it, Iâm sure.â
âYes, my Queen.â Mona dropped into a perfect curtsy, fingers pinching her black skirts just so, and smiled brightly for me. Then, straightening, she turned toward her sister's corpse.
I frowned, turning my back on the gruesome reunion. I couldnât help but think that, perhaps, Iâd gone a little far in stripping Mona of her emotions.
It simply wasnât as fun now that I couldnât hear the girl protestingâŠ
Perhaps Iâd dispose of her, and acquire another girl, at some point. Start the whole process over again. That almost sounded amusing. Maybe Iâd even pick sisters, again - to test another bond, but this time with actual emotions in play.
âMonaâŠâ I started, only to stop as I felt a shiver of unfamiliar pain in my stomach. Looking down, I was quite surprised to see a red splotch had spread across the peach colored dress I was wearing.
The blade of a sword was sticking out of my gut.
âMona,â I repeated, reaching down to touch the blade. With a whispered spell, the metal began to corrode and rust, until it was all too easy for me to separate the sword from its hilt. Then, I calmly reached behind me and pulled out the blade.
Mona was still smiling, but now tears were running down her face. âI - Iâm sorry, my Queen. I donât know whatâs gotten into meâŠâ
â...Why donât we find out together?â I suggested, a small smile on my lips. It seemed this toy wasnât quite so broken, after all. "Once you've taken care of the body, head to testing room three. I'll meet you there shortly. Understand?â
Mona nodded, misery now written across her features, as she turned back to her sisterâs corpse. Hefting it over her shoulder, the broken blade held loosely in her hands, Mona moved to toss both out the window.
I, meanwhile, turned my attention to the wound in my stomach. Or what had been a wound - while Iâd been talking, it had already gone and closed itself up.
â...A shame,â I whispered to myself. I got hurt so rarely, and it had been nice to feel a different shade of pain....
Sighing softly, I waited until the maid had made her exit before turning back to the egg-shaped crystal. The moment I placed a finger upon it, the image of Lonna and her friends once more lit up the void. Theyâd gotten back on the road, during that little tiff.
âStill playing the runaway princess, I see. Running as far away from me as your little legs can carry you⊠But youâll be back soon. You, and that so-called Heroine.
âI look forward to it, Lonna. After all - who better to plot my demise than my own daughter?â
~~~
Author's Notes
Finally done... Now I can focus on Naughty Magic! Maybe. We'll see. At the very least, I wanna write something that isn't HaH next... I know past chapters still need some editing, and I'll have all the typos people have pointed out fixed by the end of the night.
In the meantime, here's hoping you enjoyed chapter 7!
Comments
Meridian Prime
Whooo, I remember this one. I was honestly super unsure about Lonna and Talith given how they've been treating Melissa so far, and a part of me doubted their version of events - but Sorissa is CHILLING.
