[Draft] Astraea Part 2 (TG Comm) (Patreon)

Peter sighed as she put down the book she was reading. It was a book talking more about the kingdom she was in. She had learned it was called Tamlin and how her family came into power after years of bloody war with small kingdoms, until her ancestor, Damocles the Defender repelled a large invasion, on his western neighbors. Not only had he proven to be able to be a commander of great ability, but what rivals he did have were in no real position to deny him. She wondered how much of that was true, and how much of it was propaganda. It might have been a mix of both, or it could have been completely true. She had no real reason to question, but it gave her something to do.

She looked out the window and stared at the city below. Most of the buildings she saw were made of stone, and made her think of this city closer to the industrial period, but the horse drawn carriages she saw and carriages made her think more of a renaissance.

It had been a challenge to call herself by the new name she now had and even more so to respond to it. She had grown for years as Peter and now had been thrown into a new life with a completely different body, with new rules. She was still waiting for the moment she would wake up in her apartment.

She wanted nothing more than to go back home to her real family, and be back in her old body. She knew the first thing she would have done was hug them as tight as she could. She would have been grateful just to see them again. To know they were okay and living alright. She wondered what happened, did she simply vanish from her original world, or through some strange magical mishap another her, in her original body was there.

Being stuck here she missed so much of the food there, and her favorites. She had never been crazy about burgers, pizzas, and milkshakes, but now she felt like she would gleefully kill a man for some. She still could have mashed potatoes, chicken, and more, but it was different from what she was used to. It was small things like this, which made her wish for her old home even more.

The idea of running away and trying to escape was an idea she had considered, but stopped. It had been something she knew she couldn’t just rush in to. It was something which galled her and her mind reminded her who she was and what it could mean if she didn’t act fast. When she slowed down and thought it over, she had thought of three big reasons why she had to stay here, at least temporarily. There were three large reasons which killed whatever idea she had about going out into the world.

The first reason was because she did not know about this world. Haggling was no doubt going to be used in the market and she had no idea what was considered expensive and what wasn’t. She would have been like a dumb naive girl easy for anyone to rip off until all she had left was the clothes on her back. There were also the locations for places. She might be able to find a map, but what wasn’t on them could be the end of her. The creatures in the woods or the plants somewhere could mean the end of her.

The second was her new family would no doubt send guards after her, and have to live the life of a fugitive. She would constantly have to look over her shoulder, and not be able to stay too long in one place. If she was brought back to them then they would no doubt lock her up, or place her under heavier guard, making it harder for her to escape. It would also give her more attention then she already had and would probably make attempts to stop her from gathering what she needed to escape.

The third and final reason was the possibility of being captured. As a princess she had value, to all, both in this kingdom, and out of it. From the lowest of crooks to the highest of noble and even royalty. She could be used as a bargaining chip to extort a deal out of her new family, or be forced to marry someone and use her like a broodmare. It was easy to imagine, so they would have a strong connection to the throne and use her children to gain it.

The idea of being put in such a situation and being the cause of a war made her ill to say the least. The thought of being treated like a whore and used as a plaything in someone else’s rise to power and everything it entailed made her shudder and her stomach churn like she was about to throw up. She placed those thoughts aside and focused on the now. She hadn’t left yet, and if she did decide to leave in the end she would make sure to properly prepare so she wouldn’t be in such a situation.

Before she could think or do anything she needed to learn more about this world and how it worked, the economy, the creatures who live here and magic. It was the only way she was going to get anywhere in this world when she finally made a decision. It would be disastrous if she left too early.

As much as she didn’t like it, her new persona did give her several advantages. Being a princess gave her a level of authority she wouldn't have and many layers of protection.If she had been a woman in a lesser position it could have been disastrous, depending on the ruler and the law of the area. It also allowed her to easily get what she wanted without raising too much suspicion. She might have to give them a tip or something to make sure they would keep their word, but someone in her position could easily get more from the treasury or grab some of her personal savings which were stored in the room. If needed she could easily sell some of the jewelry or use that as payment instead.

Just as her new position had given her plenty of security from what was happening, it had its downsides. The way people looked at her and no doubt the fantasies centered on her. She had

There was also the fact, as a princess, she had to regularly go to parties with other nobles and be mindful of how to act. It had given her a set of responsibilities and a certain standard she had to live up to and was taught to  make sure she wouldn’t do something horrible, or embarrassing.

She had to go through daily lessons, almost as if she was back in school, or college again, though what she was being taught was not anything she would have chosen. She had to learn how to sing, and while there were some songs she liked, the ones she was being taught were not her interest.

The most annoying ones to her with her were the etiquette lessons, mainly because of how many small rules there were in everything. She felt she already had a good understanding of manners before but the manners they wanted were more intensive. They actually told which utensil was for what. She had hoped it wouldn’t be like how it was on TV, but the reality was it was much worse, especially when you’re one who has to be in it.

Her back had to stand up straight almost as if she had been standing. Eye contact was when you spoke to each other, and small motions determined how it continued. Turning one’s head meant the conversation was over. It made her wish she could just find a place she could relax and eat normally whenever she wanted, but someone of her ranking was bound to get attention.

She could order some meals for herself when she wanted, but she was expected to dine with visiting nobles with her family and eat with them. It made her much more grateful she didn’t have to keep those rules in mind when she was dining with her parents. She would have gone insane if she had to try and remember all of those as she ate.

The most painful lessons to her were the dancing ones. She had never been a dancer before, and she felt like it was showing now. With every rebuke of her footwork, Astraea couldn't help but feel more self conscious of how she moved. She felt like an idiot and wanted to improve just to stop being told how she moved it. It was frustrating and made her want to just stomp out of the room. Still she had little delusions about her skill. If she was dancing with a partner she no doubt would have been stepping on their feet repeatedly.

She had a faint recollection of the lessons spent in this world, but they were clouded, foggy as if she hadn’t done them in years. Every word of admonishment she received for picking up the wrong utensil or not keeping her back straight enough made her want to sigh. It would have been strange if the new her suddenly had zero knowledge of how to act out in public with other nobles.

She would have liked nothing more than to just leave the pirates and go somewhere else to blow off steam and read some books. What stopped her was the fact of her current position and as much as she didn’t like it, it would help her. It would set up a bad precedent if she left and word got out.

A knock at the door caught her attention and made her stop. She placed the book down after placing a bookmark in between the pages so she could easily come back to it later.

“Come in,” Peter said as she turned to the door, wondering who it was.

The door opened and a young woman who came in the other day stepped into the room. Now, that Peter thought about it, it seemed like she was her main aide. She would commonly tell her when the food was ready and what time it was. She was also one of the people who would help her get ready. The realization of how much she had done for her, made her feel guilty she didn'tidn’t know her name.

“Dinner is almost ready, and your parents are waiting for you,” the servant said.

“Shit,” Astraea hissed under her breath, so quietly the servant wouldn’t hear her. She went over to her closet and pulled out a dress, which would work perfectly.

“Is this the dress you want to wear my lady?” the servant asked.

“It is,” Astraea answered and braced herself for what was about to happen. She raised her arms and allowed the servant to undress her. She blushed slightly when she felt the cold air go over her nakeds body and wanted nothing more to crawl into a hole somewhere.

She held back a sigh as the servant helped her get dressed into a fine blue and white dress. She moved to how she looked, so she could get this done as quickly as possible. The former young man held back a gasp as the maid helped get her in a corset, mushing her breasts and making her look even skinnier. She didn’t bother with any jewelry, since it would be just the three of them. When she was finished getting ready she looked herself over the mirror with a faint blush. She honestly looked like a knockout model in a dress, and wouldn’t have looked out of place on a show in her world.

It outraged her, she had to let other people dress her when she was a full grown woman.

When she said that to them, they looked at her like she was the crazy one. After that, she sighed and begrudgingly let them do their job. She could have ordered them not to, but she didn’t want them to get in trouble because of her. Not to mention there was the chance one of them might talk anyway.

She hoped it wasn’t anything related to a ball or party. She had been receiving invitations from so many lords of various standing, who no doubt wanted to get in her good graces. She thanked them for the invitation, but declined, partially to pursue the knowledge needed for this world. The second reason being she had little atual experience with politics and didn’t have the skill needed for now to safely navigate whatever ploys. The chance of accidentally insulting a noble and giving them some ammunition to have her make amends was not something she wanted to do. The most experience she had with politics was from whatever TV shows she had seen which dealt with them. Seeing those didn’t really count as experience to her.

Still, it hadn’t been all bad she supposed. Peter raised her hand and a white light appeared the size of a golf ball. She was learning magic at the very least, and was the one lesson she was actually eager to go to. She had hoped in her lessons she would have been learning more offensive magic or some swordsmanship, but she didn’t. Instead all she was taught was healing and defensive magic. As cool and interesting as it was, she couldn’t deny she was hoping she would be able to lobe fireballs at her leisure.

Healing magic was useful and filled her with excitement. It could heal the body like she thought, and cleanse poison inside someone’s body. It used energy, and depending on the severity of the wounds and poison would determine how long it would take. If she was ever in a perilous situation or decided to leave then she could at least make a living as a healer. It wasn’t her ideal job, or one she even considered really due to her being the squeamish, but it would help her.

“Please lead me to it,” Peter said. “By the way could you tell me what your name is? I’m sorry, but I’m drawing a blank.”

“Yes, my lady,” the woman said and left the room. “And my name is Mya Reinhardt.”

The former young man followed the young woman to the dining room. She had been here for a while and still had trouble moving around the place and finding everything. This palace was just so large and massive she got turned around because of where everything was. If it wasn’t for the guards standing around she would have been lost for even longer. She wondered how common it was when the guards were able to neatly and quickly tell her where to go.

When she arrived at the dining room, Peter saw her new body's parents standing around the table. A nervous pit formed in her stomach and she wanted to make herself look as small as possible. She didn’t know what to say to them when she was around them out of fear of getting their suspicion. The possibility of being called some sort of imposter and punished scared her more than anything else. She tried to imitate the vague memories she could call upon in her head, and guide her to acting like the one she recalled. It was a challenge and she worried she wasn’t doing well, but the fact they didn’t seem to suspect anything made her feel more relaxed.

Her father was a large man who looked like he was built like an with red crimson hair. He had bright blue eyes filled with life. He was handsome with a strong jawline and cheekbones which would have made it easy for him to get a woman’s attention. There was a small scar which ran down his cheek to his chin, where a small beauty mark was. Every time she saw him she couldn’t help, but think she was a younger female version of her father.

Her mother had long brown hair that went down to her back, a beautiful heart face shape, green eyes, and a small pointed nose. She had an alluring figure, though not quite to the extent of Astraea’s own, with slightly smaller breasts. If it wasn’t for the dress she would have a greater idea on what her figure looked like. Looking at her mother’s figure she was surprised she hadn’t had any siblings. If she was still a guy and this woman was his wife was even half as curvaceous as her’s he would have been aching to do it every night.

“Mother, father,” Peter said respectfully, just like how she recalled from the memories.

“Astraea,” her father said and hugged her, which Peter returned. Her mother did the same, and held her lovingly.

Peter returned it as best she could, feeling weird holding people she considered acquaintances at best. It felt weird to do so, but she knew she needed to do. She didn’t feel comfortable around them as she should have. What through her off was there was a part of her which did, and wanted to mend this metaphorical gap between them. She didn’t understand where this was coming from, and why she wanted to.

After the hug they continued to talk as they sat around the table. Servants started to bring out plates of food. There were large trays filled with cut pork, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, and bowls of cut up fruit. Soup was brought out and placed down for them. They placed them down at the table, and stepped off to the side out of the way.

Peter's stomach growled at all the food in front of her. It all looked so good and she almost didn’t know where to start. The spread in front of her was worthy of a feast. In her old life her family wouldn’t have eaten like this unless it was some special holiday. Her family here usually did eat this much, they did have a large amount of food set for their meals, but this seemed a little excessive. She worried what would happen in her later years if she got hungry and ended up pudgy like her normal body. Her breasts entered her vision and wondered if all of the fat or fatty stuff would go right to her breasts or butt. Still she would need to get some exercise in, so she wouldn’t end up fat. She was in a younger healthier body and didn’t want it to end up like her old one.

The servants helped make Astraea’s meal, something she didn’t mind too much. She could have done it herself, but with all the food on the table it could have ended up a little messy.

When her meal was ready, they started talking about their days and what had happened. Any thoughts they might have had. No matter how random or out there it might have been. They followed it until they went off to the next subject, which almost seemed to have

It was a wonder how they bounced from one subject to the other. It reminded Astraea of her time with her original birth family in a way. Mainly the ease they talked about anything. Whenever she spoke, she felt like she was disrupting the flow of the conversation with her input. It made her keep quiet and wait for something to distract from everything. It didn’t help how they tried to keep bringing her in and making her feel uncomfortable.

“Astraea are you alright?” her mother asked.

“I’m alright,” Astraea responded. “I just have been doing a lot of thinking lately.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“I’m sorry, but I feel like I have to think of this on my own for a little while,” Astraea said. It was the easiest answer she could come up with.

“If you feel comfortable enough to talk to us about it, then come to us when you're ready,” her father said warmly. “We will always be ready to listen.”

“Thank you,” Astraea said. She could say what her problems were entirely. In the future if she reached the form of comfort to do so she would speak to them about some of her fears. They continued to talk, and the former young man would give their input whenever she could.

When Astraea finished her meal she felt like there was a lead weight in her stomach. She couldn’t have stopped herself from eating more then she should, but the food was too good to pass up. She knew for certainty she was guaranteed wonderful food like this everyday didn’t help her restraint. It was going to be a challenge limiting herself, but she would do it.

“Have a goodnight my dear,” her mother said and placed a kiss on her forehead.

As she was leaving, Peter snuck a look at them, hoping they didn’t notice. No matter how many times she ate here like this she couldn’t help but be unnerved by eating with the other servants in the room. It might have just been her old experiences, but she felt almost as if she was on a pedestal to be gawked at.  Dinner with them was somewhat stressful and couldn’t help but feel guilty with how she had to pretend. Right now she felt like she needed to decompress and do something productive. She walked to her room, intent on doing what she wanted.

The moment she was back in her room, she locked the door, wentdoor went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a large book at the end of the bookcase. It was a book on elemental magic she had taken from the library.  She sat down at her desk and started to intently read the book. She needed to get her mind off of what was happening, and focus on something else. It was a welcome reprieve and filled her with joy she was able to get something more focused on offensive abilities. If she was in a situation she was going to need a wide assortment of skills if she was going to get out of trouble.

She had thought of taking one of the swords, but if a weapon had gone missing it would have got people’s attention. Not to mention it might start a search for it. If she was caught with it, it would no doubt raise people’s suspicions and question her. Not to mention there was the skill needed to use a weapon. She could swing whatever weapon she had as much as she liked, but she would have lost horribly to anyone properly trained. Not to mention finding someone who was willing to teach her would be a challenge in itself. With the way things were currently in the country, most wouldn’t even give her the time of day.

So she had to practice more with magic, and the more she thought about it the better it was. If she was going to get a weapon it would be hard to hide from anyone. The moment they saw it, they would know something was wrong. Books were not only easier to get a hold of because of the library and could get people to run some errands. It would also be easier to hide any books she might have from people. She could even hide it in plain sight, and people wouldn’t think too much of it. Not to mention it would take a much longer time before anyone noticed they were missing.

She didn’t dare actually see the destructive power of her magic. Her room was the last place she should try and see what she could do. The thought of being the cause of a great fire, was enough to make her stop any attempts and only practice making small orbs of fire or elements in her hand. She would

It was almost like she was lighting a match, or flipping the switch. The only way she was comfortable practicing it was making the ball larger. Still there wasn’t much she could do without an actual instructor, or practice. The only thing she was really learning now was how to minimize and channel her power offensively. Without a training field there was no way she would be able to properly work on her aiming, or destructive abilities. As small as it was, it was better she was getting some training in rather than none at all.

She continued like this for some time, and continued to form the balls of magic on her finger. Sometimes she would form one on one finger, and sometimes multiples. She would make various poses like a hand gun, the spiderman web shooting, and everything else. It continued like her, timing herself and seeing how fast she could make it and timeline it. The more she did, and the more fingers she used the harder and longer it was. It was only a few seconds, and at the start it would have taken her a second or two longer than simply using one finger.

The idea of trying to make figures appeared in her head multiple times, like a figure eight, a diamond and others, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It just felt too different, too risky to try. No matter how expert her control over her magic seemed to her. She felt like she was going to hit a wall like this soon, and it would only be a matter of time, before she wouldn’t get any better.

She really needed to find a better place she could train without running the risk of destroying everything around her. It was the only way she would be able to start getting better.

When her eyes started to get too heavy she stopped her practicing and put heer magic book back in the corner of the book case. It was best not to try and continue practicing when her mind was tired. A single lapse of concentration could result in her losing control and fire going anywhere in the room. She breathed heavily, almost as if she had run a marathon, and did an exercise right after.

Astraea went over to her bed and took off her dress. She threw her dress on the ground, and crawled underneath the covers. Her bed felt like paradise had come. It almost felt like it was calling out to her. She closed her and started letting out an unladylike snore as she entered the realm of dreams.

Astraea woke up, feeling much more refreshed than from the night before. Her legs felt like they were softly hugged by angels, so much so the idea of staying there all day sounded like a very real possibility to her. The first thing her mind went to was the night before and her training session. She still had a long way to go before she could use her magic in a real fight. At least, her magic was growing stronger and one day would be to use her power more effectively should the need arise.

Despite how good she had slept, something felt off to her.

There was a feeling in her stomach, as if she had gotten the flu. She knew something was going to happen which would change everything. She couldn’t explain it, but knew it was on some instinctive level.

“My lady,” a female voice asked.

“You can come in,” Peter sighed, wanting to go back to sleep.

The door opened and revealed Mya. She cleared her throat and said formally. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Right,” Peter said and forced herself out of the bed, her legs wishing to go back to the soft pillowy slice of heaven.

Peter got dressed in a simple dress and went down to the dining hall. The feeling in her stomach grew worse and felt her stomach churn, as if she was going to barf. She didn't know what it was, and hoped she wasn’t going down. She remembered getting sick wasn’t a good thing at all, and it was possible for people to die from the simplest of diseases back home. She wasn’t sure how true it held in this world, considering magic was here, and magic potions did as well. Still she hoped it wasn’t anything serious. She stepped into the dining room, and saw her parents sitting at the table, her father a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Mother, father,” Peter said with practiced ease.

“Good morning,” her father said absently.

She took her seat at the table as her parents took their time before she did. The young woman noticed there was a tension in their bodies, which wasn’t there before. They looked like her parents did when they had received some heavy news. It made the feeling in her stomach churn even more, and the feeling in her gut grew worse, to the point she might vomit. She curled her hands and flexed her fingers as she gulped.

“Mother, father is something troubling you?” Peter asked. It was best to just nip this in the bud, instead of letting it fester like a bad smell. Whatever news they had, hearing it now would be better than letting her mind wonder what it might be.

Her parents looked at each other as if asking what they should do. The expressions they made, made it look like they were having a mental conversation. Before she would have thought they were until she learned telepathy wasn’t possible. They were simply communicating in the way people who truly loved each other did where words were not necessary.

“I suppose it really would be best to just say it,” her father sighed tiredly. He said slowly, as if he himself was testing the words as they left his mouth. “We have managed to secure a match for you with a prince from the neighboring kingdom of Charvignon, Prince Alexander.”

Astraea felt cold as the words continued to bounce in her head, as if a recorder was playing them on a loop. She had known the possibility of marriage, especially with her current age was quite high. In fact, it was a bit of a miracle the more she thought about it, and thankfully for her she wasn’t married yet. It would have made trying to keep some sort of act up much harder to do so. She knew it was possibly going to happen in her future, but no matter how much mental preparation she had made it did nothing to stop the shock of hearing it.

The fear and unease grew when she started thinking about him and realized she knew nothing of the prince. She hadn’t heard anything about him, and her lack of knowledge made her nervous. For all she knew, he could have been some sort of sadist or terrible person. Whatever reputation he might have outside for the people to see, she wasn’t naive enough to think he was always like that. It was far more likely he had a different face in private with those he was close.

She would need to ask around, or have people start learning more about him. If she was going to meet him, then she wanted to at least have some idea before they actually met.

“What can you tell me about him?” Astraea asked tiredly.

“Well for starters he’s a young man, who is the same age as you. He doesn’t have any siblings, and from what we know and have been told he is a bright young man,” her mother said.

“We also know he’s a great warrior. I have seen him fight in a few tournaments and he is proven commander. He has taken command in battles against as well, and has emerged victorious,” her father continued.

Astraea let out a breath. She could take some solace in the fact she wasn’t marrying a man who was at least twice her age. There was no way she would be able to get out of this. With her position and who she was she was expected. As nice as they seemed, there was the chance they could and most likely would have forced her to go and be his queen. The thought of her new relationship, and what it would make her want to do nothing more than wretch, but couldn’t. She wasn’t sure if it was the responsibilities she would have, or what her other duties which sickened her more.