Too loud, too loud, his footsteps were too loud!
Zola’s brow furrowed as he continued down the familiar halls of Castle Krakenburg. He hadn’t expected to feel guilty about Peri, and yet here he was. His heart pounded in his chest and his mouth felt far too dry.
He was immediately glad that Corrin wasn’t here. The child had been the only one of the royal family to treat him with anything close to kindness. Having the abducted royal see him like this might be too much to bear.
“Maybe… Another way, maybe I’ll need to find another way.” He muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Another way to do what, jester?” A haughty voice interrupted his privacy, and he looked up to find the Crown Princess herself walking towards him.
“Ah, my lady! Nothing at all.” Zola bowed, his cap jingling faintly. “I was simply working on another act.”
“Well, I do hope I’ll enjoy it more than your usual faire.” Camilla spoke dismissively, trailing a hand through her amethyst hair. Her full lips pursed into a slight frown that deepened as Zola followed her hand to her hips.
He realized he was staring and cleared his throat. “Sorry, I don’t mean to stare…” He began, only to realize that was exactly the wrong thing to say. “Or, rather, there’s something else that I should ask. What do you mean, ‘my usual faire’?”
Honestly, he hadn’t expected to get so offended by the implication she’d made. However, he’d performed for her for years, and the thought of her having hated each of his shows was a slight on his honor. He had to be sure that he was right to be offended.
“You know? Your little ‘illusions’. I mean, I thought they were somewhat impressive until I became a malig knight, but… well, they’re rather commonplace, aren’t they? You don’t even need a tome for the incantations!” She giggled, no doubt intending for her words to sound less harsh than they were.
“I don’t use a tome because I’ve practiced my art to the point that I could be called a genius at it!” He snapped, his hackles raised. “I have spent my life devoted to this, and there's a reason why King Garon himself has chosen me to be his entertainer of choice!”
To her credit, she looked surprised for a moment. The sight of her being almost modest was one that warmed Zola’s heart. But, like all small mercies, it passed. “You would do well to remember who you’re talking to, knave. A mere fool could lose their head for addressing royalty in such a way.”
On the bright side, that guilt he’d felt earlier had passed. “Ah, pardon me. I'm afraid that my latest performance has left me on edge. If you would like to see it, I’d be more than pleased to show you.” He bowed deeply, looking up to her with a wry smile.
She broke into a laugh. “All that for a performance? You should show that fire against the Hoshidans! But please, I insist. I would love to see what sort of illusion gives a man such as yourself the courage of a lion.”
She would see indeed… He cackled to himself as he strode purposefully towards the stables, with Camilla in tow. “You see, this performance requires the assistance of your wyvern.” He explained. No response came, and he noticed that she wasn’t so much as listening to him, off in the clouds of her own world.
Reality seemed to come to her as they headed into the stables, the blue-and-pink mane of a particular charger drawing her attention. “Oh my! Related to your new trick, I suppose?” She sniggered at the distressed animal. “I think Peri will be delighted.”
Thankfully, she had no idea that the mare was indeed the girl she’d mentioned. “I’d imagine that she is, hee…” He giggled, turning towards Camilla’s own mount. “And now, for this little trick… What say we work on your steed. Tell me, does she have a name?”
“Nirroc.” Camilla purred, smiling up to her wyvern. “It’s Corrin, backwards.”
“Of course.” Zola replied flatly, forcing a smile as she sent a sharp glare his way. “Because you love the darling royal so very much, of course. Now, allow me to make your mount disappear…” He closed his eyes, making a show of his new power.
He waved his hands and chanted a few nonsensical syllables, smiling as the wary draconic beast glowed a bright purple, condensing itself into a small orb of energy. It drifted towards his palms, and he cupped it gently.
Zola could feel its ferocity, its raw and untamed power. He looked up to the princess to find her staring at him with a shocked smile. “This is the essence of your mount, of your noble Nirroc.”
“Goodness!” She clapped, eyes twinkling. “You’ve never done anything like this, Zola! This is certainly the most astounding trick I’ve ever seen from you!”
“And it isn’t even done.” The man chuckled, pressing the orb with both hands into the princess’s voluptuous chest. “Because the real show is about to start.”
Zola's sudden invasive action and menacing eyes must have given away his intent. The second after the orb slipped into Camilla, she knocked him aside with a fierce backhand to his temple in a fit of rage.
“Zola! You dare to betray your princess?” Camilla thundered, raising her outstretched hand at the crumpled mage. Arcs of lightning gathered at her fingertips as she glowered menacingly at her foe. “Whatever feeble magic you attacked me with earlier is nothing compared to what I'll do to you! It's insulting you even thought you'd stand a chance against me!”
“HeeHEE!” He coughed, lifting himself up weakly. “Perhaps… but that’s about to change. Peri thought much the same as you, you know.”
“Peri?” She blinked in confusion, her composure slipping a bit as she considered the mage's words. Camilla wobbled unsurely in place, glancing to the man, then to the subdued mare that had been a warrior just earlier that day.
“Hm, yes… I see what you mean, it’s not quite recognizable as her, is it?” Zola sighed, flexing his hand towards Camilla. “I’ll need to work on that here… Tell me, what makes people really recognize you as the Crown Princess?”
“Hngh… I… I feel funny…” Camilla grunted as her concentration waned and her spell fizzled out. The aggravating sensations made her unable to focus, and she began pawing at her armor. The sound of claw on metal made her wince, and she looked down to her hands in shock. Her fingers were slowly drawing out to claws, the hard enamel of her nails overtaking her palms.
“And you look funny too, dear. Positively purple.” Zola sniggered, watching as her skin began to darken to a deeper shade. He knew the Nohrian nobles favored their banner colors of purple and black for their armor, and he believed it'd be appropriate for the princess to also sport those colors in her new form.
Camilla yelped as her whole body shuddered, gaining a massive amount of bulk in a single spurt, enough to snap her out of her clothes and plate alike. The armor clattered to the ground, and Zola beamed as he saw the startled expression on her face. The princess was stunned to see her skin changing color, more so than she was to find herself having grown. She lifted her hand, turning it back and forth and watching as the last of her cream skin was overtaken by thick, violet hide.
But it was more than hide - she could tell that from how the light glinted off her skin. There were faint ridges, shimmering outlines that caught the torchlight just so. “These are... scales…” She breathed, grunting as her belly cramped.
The woman looked down, a faint whimper of shock escaping her mouth as she saw the center of her body gaining a creamy shade of peach. Unlike the scales growing on the rest of her body, her naked torso had developed into a smooth, leathery underbelly. She pressed her clawed hands to her stomach and felt the snake-like texture worryingly.
“Best not to let an archer catch sight of that. Funny, isn’t it? A wyvern's hide is strong enough to resist lances, and yet it’s so very weak to arrows…” Zola sniggered, looking up to the princess. “And I do hope you won’t mind being a warbeast from now on… Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep your breasts. They are, after all, your most recognizable asset."
Camilla growled lowly, echoing the low rumble with another as her neck began to stretch. Her slender neck grew longer and more muscular, and she could feel her vocal cords aching. “ZRRRola!” She growled, taking a step towards him only to fall onto her hands.
Something had unbalanced her, a pain in her backside sending her to a clumsy fall. Her tailbone was stretching back away from her body, creaking and cracking as it grew a foot in length at a time. She wiggled her bulging hips as her tail stretched further away, its tip aching madly.
She looked back to the scaled appendage in time to see a trio of talons burst from its tip, the distinctive claw of a Nohrian Wyvern flexing behind herself. She swayed it from left to right, trying to stand only to fall to one of her knees.
“HnGHRR!” She glowered, eyes watering as her pupils slitted into a reptilian gaze. Her feet bulged and strained as they grew larger and wider, her big toes shrinking away to nothingness. Coarse, black claws covered her toes, not unlike those which covered her fingers - though her hands still had far more changes in store.
Zola watched with a grin as her index fingers grew and solidified into distinctive sharp talons now dominating each hand. She waved her arms feebly for a moment before her remaining fingers began extending in length, revealing the truth to her of what was happening: her arms were becoming her new wings. Her fingers fanned out from her wrists as leathery, webbed hide grew between them and to the sides of her back.
“Stawrrrp thrrraws!” She demanded, feeling her beautiful face begin to ache. Tears dewed at her eyes, and she watched her nose become more and more prominent in her peripheral vision.
“Stop? My dear, I find you far more suitable like this. A beast, such as you are now, is hardly fit to look down on my work, HEE HEE!” Zola sniggered, watching her teeth sharpen to fangs. “Though I can't find it in myself to strip you of your stunning visage, so you'll keep those lovely locks as well as the generous bosom. Your subjects need to recognize you despite your change in species after all, Lady Camilla.”
“NGGGHRRROOOAR!” She bellowed, the snaps and cracks of her growing muzzle echoing in her head. She could feel all of it, especially the agonizingly slow sensation of her tongue lengthening and growing pointed within her maw. As the changes seemed to slow in momentum, two long, curved horns unexpectedly burst forth from the back of her head before the princess was finally given a moment to collect herself.
Camilla whimpered and lifted her wings awkwardly, looking to them in a stunned shock. She was a wyvern now… albeit with some human traits. Her body still displayed her voluptuousness, thick thighs, and human hair, but she was still mostly a wyvern, a beast of war… And there was war to be waged on a certain treacherous illusionist. “HGHOOOAAA!” She roared in his face, spittle flecking from her jaws.
“Oh my, you're quite ferocious now! But still a beast...” Zola pointed to the ground, and Camilla found her head lowering submissively to her own dismay. "And a well-trained one at that!" She immediately recognized Zola's gesture as the one used by wyvern-riders to calm down and reign in their mounts. Camilla wanted to rebel against it, but it was like the wyvern's instincts had merged with her own mind, making her far more receptive to his commands. She growled meekly as she lay on the floor, dreading this unexpected power the magician held over her.
“Now that you've settled down, we can have a civilized discussion! So let’s hear some more of that beautiful voice of yours...” Zola spoke patronizingly, knowing fully well that would get on Camilla’s nerves.
The wyvern glowered at him, knowing that he was baiting her into a making a fool of herself. Despite knowing this, Camilla struggled to form words with her new maw. “Yrrou've beaten mrre and turrned hghmrre into this crreaturre... What do yrrou even plan to do now, yrrou trreachrrouss whelp?”
“As seductive a voice as ever, though you’ll need to get used to speaking with that muzzle of yours. You see, I’m not here to kill you, to erase who you were forever. I simply wish to punish you for looking down on me - for the humiliation. And once I get your siblings as well… Well, we’ll need to move onto Hoshido next, won’t we?”
The mention of the Nohrian foe sent a surge of adrenaline through the transformed woman. Despite herself, her wyvernian instincts and bloodlust made her experience a momentarily rush at the thought of tearing apart Hoshidan scum.
“Oh, you like that, don’t you?” Zola could tell from the look in her eyes, even as she began unconsciously preening her wings in anticipation. “Why don't you use that new ferocious form to strike terror into the hearts of the Hoshidans with me? Honestly, you should be thanking me for this.”
Camilla raised her head and growled dubiously at the smaller figure beneath her. "And iff I coopuhrrate, will yrrou undo... thiss?"
"Oh, no, of course not! That would diminish this outstanding performance I just gave you!" Zola's retort incensed the wyvern even further until he brought his hand up in placation. "I am a pragmatic man, however. So instead of parading you off as a beast in chains for the rest of your days, your service will guarantee you freedom over the skies of the battlefield as well as the best suitors the aeries have to offer!"
The smug magician's gall at suggesting such a thing caused Camilla to raise her scales in outrage and take a wyvern's attack-posture towards him. However, Zola's clear indifference to her reaction confirmed that he held all the cards. Something about the offer enticed her merged subconscious as well...
“Hrrrmph... Iff thiss iss to be my life, then I supposs... yourr termss arre ahkssseptable...” The wyvern princess craned her neck to look away while responding - as if to display her displeasure at conceding and to guard her remaining dignity. There are some things about royalty even magic can't change, Zola mused humorously to himself.
“See? A little positive thinking does wonders.” The illusionist chuckled while rubbing Camilla's neck patronizingly, already plotting his next victim...