Amelia's Birthday - Chapter Thirty Five

Amelia woke up from her nap. She made a pitiful face at James, who was playing quietly in the room.

The lady got Amelia out of her crib and placed her on the floor. She immediately went to James and gave him a big hug.

James sat down before he had to do his studies. He played peek-a-boo with Amelia. She would jump every time he moved his hands. She loved to play games with him.

Playtime was over, and James had to do his studies. He took his studies very seriously. He knew that one day he would be king and would have to rule the kingdom.

The lady sat down with Amelia to teach her how to talk. She would need to learn the basics before she could learn the important stuff.

Amelia was a fast learner. She picked up on walking faster than anyone believed she could. At first, she was a bit unsteady but soon was on her way to walking on her own.

After a bit of practice, Amelia learned how to use the potty.

James returned from one of his lessons to find Amelia walking to greet him when he came into the room.

"Oh! I see you finally learned how to walk! Did you miss me?" James asked her. With a little voice, she replied, "Me miss you."

James sat down to tell her some of the stories he had read. She listened to him with such surprise and interest.

"Let us build a castle fit for a queen and king," James told Amelia as he grabbed some blocks and started stacking them. "Me make a castle for me and you!" she replied. James began to giggle."You're so silly, my little Amelia," James said as he smiled at her.

Now it was time to go back to his studies, and Amelia had to play by herself. So one of the ladies took Amelia outside to enjoy the night air.

It was dark outside, and pretty much everyone was asleep by now, or at least indoors for the night. She took her on walks through the gardens where no one would see her. 

Amelia played in the dark with no problem as one of the ladies watched her close.

After some time, the lady brought her back inside to get her ready for bed. When she entered James and Amelia's room, she found the queen there. The queen held out her hands to receive Amelia from her lady. "Here, I will put her to bed," she told her. She dressed Amelia in her nightclothes and then placed her into her crib.

The queen looked down at Amelia, and deep down inside, she wished she was her own child. She wanted to have a girl one day, and with her having the same curse, she felt a closeness to her like she felt towards James.

Morning came, and Amelia was wide awake. She wiped her eyes so she could focus to see where James was.

He was waiting for her to wake up. The lady got her dressed and then placed her on the floor so she could run to James. "It's your birthday today!" James exclaimed as he hugged her tight.

Amelia was dressed in a cute dress for her birthday.

Then Amelia stood, and with a few sparkles, she grew up.

James was so excited to see Amelia, now a child like himself. "We are going to have so much fun now!" James told her excitedly. "Oh yes! We can now do all kinds of stuff together," she replied.

"It's almost dark. Let's get ready to go play outside!" he told Amelia.

When they got outside, James gave Amelia a hug."What was that for?" she asked as she giggled at him. "I'm just so happy to have you around," James replied.

Amelia sensed that she was not James's sister, even though they were raised together. There was something else she could not quite put her finger on. She wasn't allowed to go down into the throne room or any other public rooms where the guests would be in the castle. "Surely I'm the queen and king's daughter?" she thought. The castle was all she knew. So why did she have this feeling of uncertainty?  

Kara's Transformation - Chapter Thirty Four

The queen decides to visit her son in his room. He was playing with the little girl and with Amelia. "How are you doing, my son?" Kristen asks her son. "I'm doing well, mom. We are playing inside until it gets dark. I want to go out and play." James replied.

Kristen looked over to the girl standing beside James. "I have come to tell you that you are to return to your parents when the wizard comes for you. Prepare your belongings and be ready for the trip." the queen told her. Before Kristen left, she spent a little more time with the kids. Kristen picked up Amelia and began to tickle her. She giggled and squirmed with delight. The queen seemed to enjoy playing with her and seemed to have more and more to do with her each visit.

Kristen took Amelia to her bed, which was placed right next to James' bed in his room. Amelia reached up for Kristen as she reached over to stroke her cheek.

James was sad that the little girl had to go back to her parents. She was now one of his best friends. "I wish you didn't have to go. I will miss you. I will see if I can visit you or arrange for you to come to see me. I have enjoyed the time you and your sister have been here." he told her as he gave her a hug goodbye. 

The wizard came and took the little girl to the cottage where her parents were staying. It didn't take long for them to arrive after being summoned. Beth was the first one to arrive. 

"Nice to meet you," Beth told the little girl.

There stood her family; her mom, dad, and her sister. She was so happy to see them again.

She ran across the room to her parents, who were waiting for her. "Oh, how we have missed you! We have been waiting for you to come home to us!" Kara told her daughter.

She ran into her mother's arms and hugged her tightly. I have missed you so much," she said softly.

It didn't take long for the wizard to place the bottle on the table. "We have kept our word and let you have your daughter back. Now it's your turn....drink up," he told Kara.

"I want you to take care of our girls if I don't survive this. Promise me you will," she told her husband. "You will be fine, my love. The girls will be fine. I will take good care of them." he replied to her.

Kara walked over and picked up the bottle on the table. Everyone stood around in hopes of a happy ending. She hesitated in dread of the pain and possible death. After a few minutes, she got the courage and drank it.

The pain ripped through her body like it did before when she first became this monster. She screamed out in agony as her body tensed up. She felt like she was on fire as the potion spread throughout her body.

Slowly the color began to come back to her cheeks. She stopped screaming, and her body slowly eased up from the spasm that she was in. She opened her eyes and looked over to see the wizard staring at her. "I'm pleased to see that you have returned to normal. One day I will cure your daughter, and she may return to you if the queen wishes it," the wizard told Kara. "So your not going to test it on her while she is young?" Kara asked. "Not yet. I don't want any harm to come to a child. I think the queen has agreed that it is not safe to test the potion while they are young," the wizard told Kara.  

Kara ran into her husband's arms. "I thought I was going to lose you there for a second. You scared me. I don't remember what I did when I took the potion." Mark told Kara as he wrapped his arms around her, hoping to never let go of her.

"The pain was so horrible that I thought for sure I was dying. I'm glad this is over. I hope the queen takes pity on us and lets us leave with our girls and start over." she told Mark.

Kara stood and looked over at her girls as she thought about the little baby that the queen had taken. 

Kara looked at the wizard."Will the queen give her back now that she has found a cure, or will she get impatient and test it on the baby to cure her son sooner?" Kara asked the wizard. "You are not to speak to anyone about the baby in the queen's care. I would suggest that you forget about her if you still want to stay alive. If she chooses to give her back, she will have her brought here." he told Kara and turned to walk away.

The Wizard's Potion - Chapter Thirty-Three

"What brings you here?" Beth asks the wizard."The queen has sent me here for business purposes," he tells her.

The wizard opens the door and brings in one of the little girls. "I need you to summon the parents," he commanded Beth.

Beth found them and told Mark and Kara to go to the front room of the cottage. When they entered the room, their daughter ran over and hugged her mom. Kara grabbed her daughter and kissed her with tears in her eyes. "I have missed you so much, my sweet daughter. Have they treated you well?" she asked. "Oh yes, they gave us our own rooms and even let us play with the prince. He's so nice," she told her mom.

"Where is your sister?" Kara asked her. "She's not with me. She's still at the castle with Prince James. They told me I was to come along with the wizard." she replied.

The wizard walked over to the table and placed a red bottle down on the table, then approached the girl's parents. "I need one of you to drink this potion," he told them.

"What is this?" Mark asked the wizard. 

"If all goes well, you will be free from this curse, or it may not work." the wizard replied. Mark looked at the red bottle and knew he had no choice. "I will do it. Just don't hurt my family," Mark told the wizard, who handed Mark the bottle. He drank the whole bottle while everyone was watching to see what would happen.

Mark finished drinking the potion and could instantly feel his body warm up. He started feeling a tingling sensation go through his body. With a sudden pain, he began to grab at his chest and lose his breath. 

Then everyone watched as Mark's skin became a pink color. The wizard continued to watch him, and eventually, Mark slowly started to look normal. But to make absolutely certain that the potion had worked properly, he examined him. His fangs were gone, and his skin was warm to the touch. "So, how do you feel?" the wizard asked Mark. "I can't believe it, but I feel great. I feel like I did when I was normal." Mark replied.

Kara ran over to her husband and hugged him. She was so afraid that he would die. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him."I will check in a few days to see if you stay the same. If all goes well, I will cure your wife." the wizard told them. Before the wizard left, he reminded them if they continued to do as the queen told them, they would see their other daughter soon.

The wizard returns to the castle to bring word that he has found a potion that worked. "My Queen, I have cured the man, and he is doing well so far. All signs of the curse are gone. I will go back in a few days to make sure everything is still ok with the man," he told her with enthusiasm. "Let me know when you head out so I can see for myself this man you have cured." the queen replied.

The next day they arrived at the cottage. "I will wait here while you summon them," she told the wizard. "As you wish, my queen," he replied as he went off into the next room.

After a few minutes, they arrived to meet the queen. Kristen walked over to Kara and Mark. "So I see you are still alive and doing well. You appear to be normal," she said as she looked at Mark. 

"Come closer so that I might see for myself that you do not have any signs of this curse," she told him. Mark stepped close to the queen. He let her examine him in detail. She could find no signs of him ever having had the curse. She was excited and amazed at the results. She then walked over to have a word with the wizard.

Kristen asked the wizard to put together another potion and to do the same on the female. "I want her cured, too, before I will try this myself. If it succeeds, then we will proceed to the next step," she told him. "I will return to my cottage and prepare it at once," he replied.

"I will then report to your majesty the results. Do you want me to return the other girl to them when I return?" he asked. "The older girl, you may, but Amelia is to remain at the castle," she ordered.

"If this works, you will be a very rich man. However, Amelia is not to be spoken of by them. We still need a cure for my son. I will not put his life in jeopardy. This potion might kill him since he's so young. I'm sure you will find a cure for him, too." the queen said firmly, making sure he understood her orders. "Yes, your majesty. I will do as you command," he replied and bowed.