The Kidnapped (transfusion book one)

Chapter three - Phoebe

Back and forth. Left and Right. Pacing a well-worn path in the carpet. A nervous princess awaiting for her to be called for her first animal transfusion crafting, what would she be? She wasn't brave enough to be a lion, nor was she as cunning to be a snake, she guessed she was smart, and a ruler needed to be smart. Her pacing stopped, what if she was a dragon? They lived for centuries, they were intelligent but, they were also dangerous and deceitfully wicked, so no, not a dragon either. But dragons are spiritual, and she often prayed to the gods, and...

"Miss Phoebe, could you please calm down, your working yourself into quite the state," said her hand maiden. "But Jan, what if I am like my brother, like Janus? He had such notable traits when making his crown, he knew what he wanted he was leader material, and he was stubborn in his ways, and now look at him."

She remembered the event like it was yesterday...

" 'anus, wha' you doin'?" She asked, her big brother looked down at her, "going to my crowning silly, I'm fifteen, and I must get ready to take my place in case father can't do his duty anymore. Come on little monkey, I'll carry you to it." Grinning, Janus swung her onto his shoulders, proudly carrying his giggling little sister to the main hall, once there he gently placed her down and confidently strode up to the stage, where an anvil and forge was placed for the ceremony.

Looking out at the crowd, beaming with pride, the crown prince started a speech that'd allow his animal to start crafting to fuse them. "Friends of the kingdom, I stand before you as Prince and heir to the crown, well, my own crown, what an honour it is, to come of age, and prepare for ascension." He twitches a bit, as his animal starts taking over. "We are only strong if we stick together.." after a huge twitch, a sneer replaces the nice smile on his face. "If we have strong subjects, with strong animals, we must destroy the weak." Amid the gasps, he begins crafting his crown from black metal and gold.

It flared out like a lions mane around the edges, with a snakes head sneaking out the back, goats horns poking out either side of the side. As he puts on the crown, he changed completely from his normal sweet, caring side, the animal exploding out of him with reckless force. "Its all your fault and our laws making me like this, our unfair laws and treatments, conscious or not of various shifters, ones who may be dangerous or destructive are exiled instead of helped to control themselves, you see it everywhere. We all have this incredible power to shift shapes, we should see each other as equals, but the 'weaker' shifters instantly get thought of as weak and unable to do anything. The predators, the bigger ones, are treated with fear, like they don't trust the human nature to curve the animals natural instinct which breeds these damage goods, these ones dominated by their animal. It needs to be changed, we..." He stopped, mid sentence, face twisted in a grimace, before levelling to a look of fear and concern, speaking in a soft tone, a complete change from the harsh voice used moments before.

"I'm sorry, my shift got the better of me, I'm fighting him now, but its only a matter of time before he returns, I'll flee now, but know, its not the last you've heard of him. Your my only hope Phoebe, I have faith in you."

"..Miss Phoebe! I've been calling you for some time now miss, its not the time to be day dreaming, its time to become one with your animal." Shaking her head, Phoebe took a deep breath to calm herself, walking to the hall, head held high, hiding her emotions, entering with a grin, to applause, waiting on the stage for it to die down before speaking. "Uh, I haven't prepared a speech, mainly because I've been so worried about the last time we were all gathered for a transfusion ceremony." A few nervous chuckles echoed through the sudden complete hush that fell upon the room, before she plows on. "But then I remember the family Emblem, my fathers shape, his shape, and so forth. The noble loyal lion, full of courage, and I knew I shouldn't be scared anymore, yet, I am." As she finished speaking, the familiar glaze that accompanied the crafting fell upon her.