The Former Demon Queen Wants To Enter The Town

Shortly after finishing both their breakfasts, and after Mary had quickly washed up using water from the nearby well, the adventurous duo were ready to head into town for the first time in broad daylight. Almost ready, anyway. There was just one thing left to do: convincing Gustav to cooperate.

"My lady empress, I implore you to reconsider this decision of yours. Surely you see the risks involved with directly interacting with humans as you plan to do. And this form, this reduced, shrunken state you wish me to take, is beneath a familiar of my standing. I am, may I remind you, one of the most feared beasts in the demon realm. I cannot take on such a weak appearance. What if I am seen by my enemies?"

"Come on, Gustav. Stop your whining, you big baby. You will be fine. Nobody will recognize you, I promise. Most importantly, if you let me do this, the humans won't be terrified of you, or me, and won't try to hurt us. Now sit still, okay?"

Mary meant everything she just said. Her mother had raised her around humans, and Mary got to see first-hand their kindness and compassion. They were not the vile, warmongering beings her uncle had made them out to be. They were just trying to live their lives. And that was all Mary wanted—to live among them, to be like them. Even if she knew she could never truly be one of them.

She had already flipped open her grimoire, looking for an incantation that would disguise Gustav's appearance and make him look like an ordinary, less ferocious creature in the eyes of humans and other races down in town. She had found one, a simple transformation spell.

With the magic she already knew, she was confident she could pull it off. But before she could even begin preparing the incantation, Gustav was already trying to flee.

The giant beast bounded around the compound, dodging away from each shot of sealing magic she fired from her finger.

"Transfomios catasimos!"

"Transfomios catasimos!"

"Transfomios catasimos!"

"Gustav, would you just sit still? Stop being difficult!"

Despite his massive size, he was surprisingly nimble in his dodging, leaping from one corner of the compound to the next before eventually landing on the roof of her house. He turned to face her.

"My queen, I must refuse this! I am Gustav, the terror of the Abyssal Plains! I have faced armies, I have devoured demons twice my size! I will not be reduced to some weak, tiny, fragile thing!"

"Gustav! Come down right this instant!" Mary yelled up at her familiar, pouting as she huffed. Her cheeks were flushed with frustration. "You're being ridiculous!"

She could have easily caught him. She was faster than him, nearly as fast as the speed of sound when she wanted to be. But the fact was, she didn't want to ruin this dress. She had one nice dress, the only one she owned, and she needed it for today. She wasn't about to get it dirty or torn chasing and wrestling with a stubborn oversized feline around her own yard.

Gustav stomped a massive paw on the roof, rattling the old wooden planks. "I will not be reduced to a common house pet! I will not!"

Before he could finish his protest, the old, rickety roof gave way beneath him. He crashed through with a loud crack and a cloud of dust, landing in a heap inside the house.

Not letting the opportunity pass her, Mary quickly walked into the cabin, raised her finger, and hit him with the transformation spell while he was still dazed on the floor.

The magic took about thirty seconds of her concentration before it finally initialized.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and let out a relieved sigh. Then she watched as the spell took effect, shrinking the once-mighty lion beast into something much smaller. He shrunk down further and further, his massive form diminishing until he was no bigger than a common house cat.

"See," Mary said, panting softly as she tried to catch her breath. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

She gazed down at the small creature and he looked up at her with those familiar bright red eyes.

Gustav sat up on his tiny legs and proceeded to examine his new body.

"This is absurd," he grumbled. "The mighty beast of the underworld reduced to this little... thing."

Gustav's voice echoed in her head as he continued his complaining. Mary was relieved their telepathic link was still intact. It had been the way they communicated ever since the beginning. Gustav's lips never actually moved—he only needed to think what he was saying and Mary would simply hear it in her head.

She was concerned for a second that the spell might have disrupted the link, but as it turned out, she didn't need to worry about that.

Mary smirked at his continuous griping. "Anyway," she said, "since you made me work up a sweat, I have to take another shower before we go. I'll be right back."

***

After their brief morning squabble, the two finally left the house and began making their way down the hill toward the small neighboring town of Blendingbrook.

Although she had occasionally flown over the town during her nightly pursuits, this was going to be the first time Mary would officially visit the town in person. She could barely keep her excitement in check as she beamed with joy and practically skipped along the path.

"My lady, please be conscious of your posture. This childish display is not elegant for one with your former high council standing."

Mary rolled her eyes at her familiar's words but kept skipping anyway, enjoying the motion of prancing with the wind. To tell the truth, she didn't have to bring Gustav along. She just didn't want to be alone.

"Lighten up, Gustav. Nobody's watching," she said.

"You are a former empress," he grumbled from beside her, his small black paws struggling to keep up with her pace. "You have a reputation to uphold. You must carry yourself with the utmost might, pride, and confidence at all times."

She laughed and slowed down just enough for him to catch up, watching him breathe heavily when he finally did.

"Relax. I'm just a regular girl named Mary Fields, remember?" She reached over, scooped up the little cat, and placed him on her shoulder. "Nobody expects pride from a regular girl looking for work."

"Arguable, my lady, but you degrade yourself by placing me upon your person! This is unbecoming of a former ruler with your grandeur! Please put me down this instant! I am not worthy!"

"Come on, Gustav. It's okay. This way we can get there much faster without you getting tired or exhausted."

"My lady, what are you trying to do?"

"Hold on tight," she warned.

Before her familiar could protest further, Mary suddenly increased her pace as she ran down the hill at near blinding speeds. She jumped over rocks and skipped over loose roots and branches. She was cautious enough not to use her full speed, only about ten percent. Fast enough to get them where they needed to go quicker, but not so fast that it would ruin her dress or mess up her hair.

Gustav continued to cling onto her shoulder as he hung on for dear life.

"M-m-my lady! Such frivolous display of your abilities is utterly undignified!"

Mary just laughed in response at her familiar's frightened objections, her dress and hair blowing in the wind as she continued to keep pace down the mountain.

A journey that should have taken them roughly two hours to come down the hill from her cabin was completed in just under a minute and a half. She came to a stop behind a large tree at the edge of town.

Catching her breath, she proceeded to smooth down her dress and also made sure her hair was in place, letting the strands fall naturally to cover the small stubs where her horns had been. They were mostly healed now, smooth as skin, but she still felt the need to hide them.

From on top of her shoulder, Gustav snapped out of his momentary daze by shaking his head. After he was settled, he jumped down, landing gracefully on the ground by her feet.

"All right, Gustav," Mary said, dusting off her hands. "You ready?"

He let out a low sigh, but nodded. "Yes, my empress. I'm ready."

"Okay," Mary smiled. "Let's go."