The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight (10 page)

"I love you!" Ka-Ron shouted, almost crying. "I am genuine in my responses. I know what I know."

"And I love you, Ka-Ron."

They kissed.

Some men in the village witnessed the event. Both Ka-Ron and Jatel were aware of their amusement, and could hear each man as they stated how blessed and lucky Jatel was to have such a prize.

"We need to find a ship," Jatel stated, pulling himself away from Ka-Ron. He was finding it difficult to breathe. His excitement clearly visible to Ka-Ron.

"A ship?" Ka-Ron hungrily glared down at her lover's crotch.

"If we are to travel to The Fire Mountains, we will need use of a ship."

The suns were starting to set. Ka-Ron was tired, and her body seemed to ache from all the activities it had undergone. It was strange to the knight that she would be so sore. Her male body was at its peak of performance. Perhaps there was something more to being a woman than she had first believed.

"That we will, dear," Ka-Ron agreed. "But, for now, we have need of lodging."

Jatel shook his head in agreement.

Idoshia had only one port. It was ancient. It was known for its sailors. It was also man-made. For both Ka-Ron's and Jatel's good fortune, the port also belonged to the village of Teal.

Ammadon was created during the time of The Coughing to help make Teal's birth as a way station a success. A major requirement for a way station was a port of call. With a port, Teal was a blessing. And, it was due to the geniuses of the ancients, that the port existed at all. Huge armies of soldiers were used to dig out the harbor, allowing the Seas of Tyme to flood into the man-made gulf. The port was a fantastic achievement.

Both Ka-Ron and Jatel, however, saw only what was in front of them.

Ammadon Harbor had changed since the time of its creation. It was still important to Teal and Idoshia, but it was also quite dangerous. Piracy was rampant, and so was slavery. Although Idoshia had no slaves of her own, the politicians of the land turned their backs, allowing others to profit from their vile actions. It was the only fault Ka-Ron ever found in his king.

Three types of ships sailed in the harbors. One was called Sys'shalls. These were merchant ships. Huge seashell-shaped sails, nine in all, drove the ships. They were family vessels, allowing wives the luxury of traveling with their husbands. Then there were the Naughts: battleships loaded from bow to stern with cannon and swords and crowned with golden sails made of the finest woven steel. Luxuries on these ships were rare and greatly coveted. The last classes of vessel were the Anubi. These ships were created for exploration. These ships, by simple glance, looked similar in size and shape to that of the Sys'shall-class vessels. One major difference, however, was their six-deck high superstructures. The explorers on these vessels believed in comfort. They loved their jobs and rarely left the world of their confines.

This last was the kind of vessel Jatel was looking for.

The harbor was surrounded by a city built for mercantile activities. Ivory clad buildings betrayed the roughness of the harbor, by allowing travelers the comfort of seaside retreats. Travelers from across the globe would rent out apartments and beach homes, so that they could watch the slave parades and auctions. These auctions would take place in the town center, making it almost impossible to travel during the day. So, of necessity,
Ammadon
also became a tourist trap.

It promised to be a glorious morning.

Ka-Ron found herself amazed, watching the slaves as they approached their temporary living quarters. Most of the slaves were male, and, because of that, they were naked. Nakedness promised docile behavior. Since most slaves were unfortunate warriors who chose the wrong king or nation to fight for, they were regarded as dangerous cargo. Anything used to make them helpless or to help take away their spirit was considered a blessing.

Ka-Ron considered being a woman a blessing. For her, in her current state, the view was quite pleasurable.

"Enjoying the show?"

Embarrassed, Ka-Ron avoided eye contact with her squire. Out of good taste, she refused to answer the question.

Her life had changed considerably.

One of the changes she could not get used to was the staring.

Men lined the dirt streets of Ammadon, grinning from ear-to-ear, lusting over Ka-Ron's features.

"I do not like the way they look at me," Ka-Ron declared. Echoheart was slowly trotting along, and was quite complacent. Strange, for Echoheart.

Jatel gave his master a protesting glare. "Ka-Ron."

"It is true," Ka-Ron rebutted. "They act as if they have never seen a woman before."

"After glancing at you, my dear, they realize that they have not."

With this last comment, the knight stopped her horse and smiled deeply into Jatel's eyes. She was indeed acting more and more like a woman. The knightly warrior was fast becoming a thing of the past.

"Do you honestly think so, Jatel?" Ka-Ron found herself rising up and down slightly on her saddle. Her face was red from blushing. Ka-Ron, the warrior, blushing!

"Your breasts are the size of rose melons, dear!" Jatel remarked, laughing. "Male or not, people are going to stare."

On this last, Ka-Ron had to agree. Tilting her head from both right to left, and knowing full well that Jatel was glancing at her from the side of his vision, she proudly grabbed her breasts and lifted them, squeezing slightly.

"I hear no complaints from you, sir."

"And you won't."

Ka-Ron was surprised to feel a hand land softly on her thigh. It was Jatel's.

"I am off to find a vessel." Jatel glanced out towards the harbor. "I will try for an Anubi ship. They have the best sailors."

"Why not a Naught?"

"Nonsense!" Jatel explained, shaking his head. "You will be raped more times than either of us can count, and that will be before we leave the harbor." Stopping his horse, Jatel got off. He pulled out a small bag of gold. "No, we need an explorer ship."

"As you wish, dear."

The squire glanced up at Ka-Ron and gave her a wonderful blank stare. Ka-Ron's body flushed with a strange warmth as she wondered what the man was thinking. It had become quite a curiosity to Ka-Ron to discover that since her change to being one of the fairer sex, she was preoccupied with wanting to know what her lover was "thinking." As a man, her thoughts of her conquests were the farthest damned thing from her mind. Such polarized changes in her curiosities made the diplomacy of love quite fascinating, if not rewarding.

"I will return shortly."

Ka-Ron watched as Jatel walked away, marveling at the magical way his ass moved.

It suddenly occurred to Ka-Ron that she had never used a privy as a woman. This sudden truth became apparent after she had drunk three rose melon drinks before leaving the inn in which she had rested on the prior night. One thing was certain: the feeling of having to relieve one's self felt identical, no matter what sex you were. Ka-Ron just had to work her mind around the outward differences.

The knight was pleased to see that Ammadon had followed the good example of Teal and neighboring villages, in installing sanitation plumbing. This last was a new invention, borrowed from the Nowns - the unfortunate race killed off seasons ago by The Coughing. Taboo kept most people from visiting the dead cities, but investigations had proved that the Nowns were an advanced people with usable ideas. Plumbing was one of those ideas.

"At least I won't have to empty the bucket," Ka-Ron mused.

The woman entered a stall separated from the next by a thin wooden wall - a novel idea also suggested by the
Nowns
- and started to pull down her undergarments.

A cold wind blew up her dress, causing her to shiver. No matter how many times her sex organs were exposed to the elements, Ka-Ron couldn't get over the fact that they were so damn sensitive.

"Ohhh!" Ka-Ron said under her breath.

The knight sat on her stool, centering her attention on both the hole her ass was hanging into, and the sensation of urinating as a woman. It really felt no different. It was the same draining effect - no big deal. The only pleasurable thing was the fact that she could sit. To stand, at this early hour, was unthinkable. Still, there was a calming influence that she would not have experienced if she had been doing this simple act as her former self.

Finished, Ka-Ron began to stand up.

"Do not forget to clean yourself," A woman's rough voice whispered.

Ka-Ron took the advice and cleaned.

"Many pardons," Ka-Ron said to her unknown friend. "I am new at traveling, and the excitement of the day was in control of my nature."

There came no response from the other side of the stall's wall. Shadow play, however, informed Ka-Ron that she was not alone. Perhaps she was waiting to use the privy? The knight cursed her selfishness. Raising her clothes, she adjusted them for appearances' sake.

Ka-Ron left the stall.

"I am sorry if I have&"

The knight's flesh began to crawl, as her hearts, Ka-Ron was sure, skipped a beat or two.

"Kai?"

The Wicca Master was sneering at Ka-Ron, sticks away from the knight's face. Her whole appearance was strange. Gone were the warm, inviting eyes the young knight used to stare into as a boy. Gone was the friendly stature of a noble and wise woman. All that seemed to radiate from Kai was the sorrow and pain of having lost a daughter.

"It would not be wise to seek me out, child." Kai stated.

Ka-Ron tried to say something, but her horror was in total control. She glanced out the only window in the building, hoping to spot Jatel. It was far beyond her to realize that she could protect herself - she was, after all, an Errant-Knight.

"Do not follow me to The Fire Mountains," Kai said her voice a solemn hue of warning. "It was not right for my order to inform you where I take my leave."

"P-please," Ka-Ron finally said.

"Oh, the knight speaks."

"Change me back."

Kai laughed. Not a giggle, not a chuckle, but a full comedic roar of surprise.

"But you are such a beauty, my dear."

The Wicca Master paused only long enough to notice the knight's current state of appearance. Kai started to see errors.

"What have you done to yourself?"

Ka-Ron trembled, glancing down at her dress.

Although still beautiful, Ka-Ron knew that wear and tear had started to take their toll. The huge breasts she had were stretching the edges of her dress. Dirt clung to the bottom of her skirt. Lastly, Ka-Ron was not wearing the paints and colors for a woman of her age and beauty.

"I am still learning."

"Of course you are!" Kai's voice calmed her and sounded sincere.

That made Ka-Ron urinate all over herself.

"Do not&" Ka-Ron started to say, pausing only after the embarrassment of being so frightened.

"You are nothing but a mess!" the Wicca Master shrieked. Kai shook her head in disgust. "Look at the beauty I have given to you, being wasted by your ignorance. You do not wear striking colors, your dress is a mess, and you aren't even wearing a corset!"

Ka-Ron turned towards the window.

"Jatel!" she shouted in desperation. "Jatel! Please!"

Kai laughed. "Ironic. You, the most-skilled knight in Idoshia, begging for your squire to come to your rescue. The change is complete. You are a woman."

Ka-Ron found herself reaching up, her hands pleading.

"Let me do my part to help you maintain your best appearance, my dear."

In terror, Ka-Ron fell back into the stall, landing squarely on her bottom. Try as she might, she could not escape Kai's attention. Her hearts were in her throat. To the Gods! What more could this evil viper do to her?

"Lovely you are and lovely to see. Constantly perfect and delightful you'll be!"

Kai poured a concoction of liquids out, surrounding the knight with both their properties and odors. Striking a match, she set the entire privy ablaze.

The fire was not ordinary.

Ka-Ron wanted to scream, realizing that the blue flame engulfed her body, but she remained calm. Something was happening. But, to the knight's amazement, it was not the pain of burning. In fact, Ka-Ron was starting to feel quite delightful.

Perfect.

"Oh, my!" Ka-Ron whispered.

The knight's body soon became engulfed in a bright globe of light. Although it was morning, and the suns were still below the horizon, the inside of the privy shined with light as lovely as the noonday. Ka-Ron's body began to both itch and tingle. Her dress became tighter - better fitting - and the cut of her clothes conformed exactly to the shape of her body.

Her face became brightly painted, and the paint helped magnify her beauty. Rouge and hints of softer colors brought out both eyes and lips. The hand that had placed these cosmetics upon her aura was done with an expert touch, but they were not Ka-Ron's. Where she had once been lovely, she was now beyond ignoring.

"Please, stop this!" she pleaded. Ka-Ron took a deep breath, reached up to grab a support rod in the stall, and raised herself to her feet.

To Ka-Ron's surprise, she found herself a little taller and perfect in stance. Glancing down at her feet, the knight discovered that she was wearing brightly polished shoes, feminine in nature. High heels and open-toed, the shoes allowed her toenails to peek out, brightly painted and manicured to match those of her fingers. Her fingernails grew outward, more than they had been, proving that the rest of her former self was completely and forever gone.

"Truly, you are quite beautiful, brave knight." The hate and sarcasm dripping from Kai's words were too horrifying for Ka-Ron to challenge.

"Kai, you were like a mother to me." Ka-Ron pleaded.

There was no reply. The Wicca Master closed her eyes, concentrating. She was completing the next phase of her spell.

"Lovely in shape, and lovely in speech, Jatel's love will be yours, easy in reach."

Fright had caused Ka-Ron to start heading towards the privy's door, but the knight was soon stopped by an invisible force, which violently pulled her back into the room, shaking her body as if it were in a mad dog's mouth.