By FoxFaceStories

A Commission for Slayerangel

Darian Mitchell is a depressed young man with zero prospects and a hidden desire to be a woman. Struggling with a toxic family and an uncaring girlfriend, Darian’s life changes when he receives a fantasy novel that seems far, far too real. In fact, Darian begins to find himself transported into this other world, where he is a gorgeous redheaded princess named Dinah. But as reality starts to become uncertain, which world will he choose? And which life?

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Chapter 4: Pronouncement

I blinked, and I was on the couch again, lying back with the book spread across my face as if I’d just fallen asleep like that. It took me a moment to get a handle on my surroundings, to realise that I was no longer Dinah Aurelian but Darian Mitchell, and that I was most definitely male again. The first indication was that I no longer had a pair of surprising weights upon my chest, nor long red hair that fell over my shoulders in tresses. The second indication was that, rather embarrassingly, I had a hard member tenting my pants.

“That - that wasn’t real!?”

I sat up, adjusting myself down there so my erection wasn’t so uncomfortable. I checked over myself, then quickly rushed to the bathroom. Sure enough, I was me again. Average-looking me, below-average really, given how tired I always looked. Though, funny thing, I didn’t look that tired. The blue bags beneath my eyes were gone, and my eyes were no longer bloodshot. Hell, for the first time in a long time, I actually didn’t look half bad. I actually looked, get this, healthy. Or at least not unhealthy.

“Tila, you magnificent witch,” I murmured. “Your magic book is helping me already.”

I already looked like a more handsome man, and it left me feeling all gooey inside. Still, when I cupped my chest there was no real breast tissue there, and something about that left me a little disappointed. I’d wanted more time with my rather big boobs. I’d appreciated that they were large without being excessive, and they looked damn great! If only I’d had more time to feel myself up, could I have experienced a female orgasm in that other world?

“Wait,” I said, pausing my self-inspection. “How do I know that wasn’t just a weird dream?”

It had seemed so real, but then dreams often did. Unlike a dream, though, I had a perfect memory of all of the events, and the logic of that other world had been totally internally consistent apart from my own social faux pas. I moved back to the living room and grabbed The Shards of Freedom: A Princess’s Journey. My hands trembled a little as I opened it up, but then my eyes widened as I took in the text.

‘Dinah explored her naked body, shivering at the sensations of her sensitive flesh. She was only eighteen years of age, but that had been more than enough years for her body to become womanly, and her own urges to ri se to the surface. She had restrained herself in the past, fearful of her desires. A woman of her status must find attraction in a man, and only one she is betrothed too, naturally. And yet ever since she had crossed the threshold into womanhood at the age of thirteen, Dinah had found herself observing not just the handsome beauty of men, but the feminine grace of women as well. She fondled her breasts and thought of her closest friend and lady-in-waiting, Mirya. The woman was four years her senior, and though Dinah knew it was wrong to think in such a scandalous way about her own maidservant, the thought of Mirya’s slim, tall form and her elegant grace excited her.’

“Woah,” I said out loud, turning the page. “This is what I went through. Well, sorta. I didn’t even know Mirya existed at that point. Wait, does it follow everything I just did?”

I turned a couple of pages ahead, catching up on where this other me was.

‘In just a few minutes, Dinah’s beautiful form was covered by an elegant purple dress, one with a neckline that managed to hint at her breasts, a hanging emerald jewel upon her silver necklace emphasising her ampleness. She smiled in her girlish way, turning her body this way and that, observing her reflection. Part of her noticed Miyra noticing her back, and that too flooded her with good feeling, though she knew better than to act upon it just yet. It was the day of her King father’s pronouncement, after all. Now that she had reached the age of eighteen, it was tradition for the monarch of Varkath to announce his or her chosen heir, and there was only one person suitable for that.

“Me, a future queen!” Dinah announced. “Can you imagine it, Mirya?”

“All too well,” Mirya said, a little bit of jealousy seeping into her voice.

Dinah paid that tone no heed, however. She knew that Mirya dreamed of being more than a servant, which was why the two had developed such a bond; the princess who often behaved like a servant, and the servant who wished to feel more like a princess. They were perfect for one another, though was it as friends, or something more?

I put down the book. There was more writing, but Tila had warned me not to read ahead, and that those who disobeyed the rules of her magic items and the like often came to regret it. Well, I wasn’t stupid, it was one of the few saving graces I still possessed. 

“It was real,” I said, taking a deep breath and letting the relief wash over me. “It was real and I was there. I didn’t follow it all exactly, but it’s the same thing I went through. And Mirya must be my love interest! Woah, that’ll be weird.”

But good. It would be good. 

I wanted nothing more than to dive right in, but just as I was about to open the book, I yawned long and loudly. I checked the time, and sure enough, over an hour has passed. Which was strange, because if this other experience I’d just had was real, I should have lost nearly three hours. I’d spent quite a bit of time exploring my surroundings and my body at the beginning, and the time it took to get a princess ready for the day was no joke, as it turned out!

“Maybe . . . time works differently there? Or is it just a story? But it felt so real . . .”

I decided to let it be, for now. It was already so much to take in, and besides, I needed to prepare myself for the next time I went into the book, if I even could do so again. I didn’t want to come across like such a total fish out of water when I was Princess Dinah again.

But I did want to be her, that was for certain. In fact, I dreamed about just that very thing just an hour later.

***

Selina hadn’t returned. I’d not even received a single message from her, and part of me was actually relieved, even though it had been lonely to wake up alone in my bed. She was playing the guilt trip game, and it was sadly working. No doubt she wanted me to experience the swelling and pain of that clawing slap before I -

Oh. Huh. I hadn’t realised the night before while inspecting myself in the mirror, but the mark from the slap, even the clawmarks from her fingernails, were all gone, as if she’d never hurt me at all. The book really had been magic. Yet another thing to thank Tila the Wandering Witch for, if I ever found her again.

It was Sunday, and I was thankful for it. Normally I dreaded Sundays; they didn’t feel like a day off at all, so much as the day to prepare for the gruelling week of dehumanising office work, not to mention the horrible advance towards Thursday Family Night, where I’d have to put up with Angus and Robbie’s cruel comments, and my own mother’s increasing distance from me. In fact, I’d already received a couple of messages from my mother and stepfather. The former was asking me to come on Thursday for an important announcement, and the latter was . . . telling me to man up and hit the gym. Asshole. Sometimes, when he drank or had just had a night of drinking, Angus liked to text me these little passive-aggressive comments that pointed out what a failure of a man I was, or that I needed to stop ‘acting so faggy.’ The man couldn’t be more crass if he tried, yet somehow it always got under my skin. He was successful, and I was not. What the fuck did that say about the world we were in?

Yet this time, it barely got under my skin at all. In fact, after showering I put on my blonde wig and my bra and ladies underwear and posed several times. I wasn’t even ashamed of myself this time; I was simply observing the differences between myself and Dinah Aurelian, particularly the way she pulled off the feminine look much, much better than I did.

“Maybe I need a red wig,” I noted. “Or . . . maybe I need to do my lashes again. Fuck it. I was a girl in another universe. I can at least psyche myself up for another free reading by trying it on in this life.” That was the excuse, at least. To tell the truth, I was actually rather keen to put some red lipstick on my lips, and dabble with some minor eyeshadow around my eyes. I couldn’t claim I was particularly talented at it, but I had my phone on the bathroom bench playing a number of tips for makeup application and feminising techniques, and I observed and listened closely before replicating the effects.

Finally, I actually managed to achieve a look that wasn’t half-bad. I was still obviously a man, and I had to remove the bra because man were the straps starting to cut into my shoulders, but I looked kinda . . . cute. I don’t know, I was pretty proud of it, at least! I looked this way and that, and then laughed out loud: how many times had I stared at my reflection in the mirror lately? How many more times would I be doing that?

“You don’t look so bad, Dinah,” I said, before blinking a couple of times. “Darian. You don’t look so bad, Darian.”

I wiped the makeup off and then washed my face. What was I thinking? You get one crazy magical book and you start going off the rails, trying to make yourself look like a woman rather than getting over your stupid little feminisation kink. Ugh. That’s all it was, just a kink.

“It’s different as Dinah,” I told myself. “That’s escapism.”

And it was time to escape. I had the shitty little apartment to myself, and more than enough hours in the day to really dive in. I just prayed that it would work again. I settled on the couch and grabbed my book, only for my phone to buzz again.

‘Big announcement on Thursday night, sport,’ the message read. It was from Angus. Fucking hell, that wasn’t a good sign. I really needed to get my head out of this reality, and pronto. So I opened the book, found the place I was at, and started reading.

***

I nearly stumbled right over, but managed to catch myself. The last time I’d entered the land of Varkath, I’d been lying down on the couch and woke up lying down also, making it an easier transition. This time I’d gone from lying on the couch to immediately walking down a grand hall, and in heels, no less! Thankfully, I righted myself, and Mirya who was walking beside me quickly took my arm with a subtle gesture.

“Distracted again, my Lady?”

“Y-yeah,” I said. “I mean, yes! I was looking at the gardens. My God, they are beautiful.”

They were indeed. We had clearly left my room and were venturing down a hall, but beyond the marble railing, it was an open-air structure several floors up and between two enclosed buildings, perhaps part of this fantasy world’s usual architecture. Either way, it allowed me to view the gardens beyond, including what appeared to be a royal hedge maze. The sight was grand, the sky blue and glorious, the air warm, the spring season giving bloom to the brightly coloured flowers of the garden.

“It is beautiful, but which God did you mean, my Lady? Surely it was Nephys, Goddess of Flowers and Natural Beauty?”

“Y-yes, that’s the one, alright. Do you have any idea what the King’s pronouncement will be? I’m going to be his heir, is that right?”

At this, the beautiful lady-in-waiting smiled and held her tongue for a few moments. “That is the speculation, yes,” she finally said. “Though I dare not talk matters of politics when all I know is mere servant chatter, my Lady.”

“Oh, of course.”

She looked a little annoyed by my response. Had she been sarcastic? Was I meant to reassure her? Damn, that extra time in my real life hadn’t helped me; I was still very bad at this. I looked down, only to be confronted by the sight of my bosom. The dress did well to support my new ‘girls’, because I wasn’t jiggling at all, though part of me was disappointed by that. I rather liked the jiggling. Just like I liked the gentle swaying of my hips, the looseness of my sleeves, and the way the dress moved with my legs, offering a kind of airy freedom that pants never had. Despite yet another faux pas when it came to interacting with Mirya, I couldn’t help but smile. I felt wonderful again.

“You seem rather joyous today, my Lady.”

“I’m just . . . so very happy,” I said. “I can’t explain it Mirya, but it’s like everything has just slotted into place.” “I see,” she replied. “Well, let’s hope it remains that way for you, my Lady. You are indeed most beautiful this morning, and it clearly reflects your sunny disposition.”

I blushed at this. The novel version of me that I had read was apparently infatuated with Mirya, and I was starting to feel it. Her hair was long and silky and straight, a contrast to my fiery red curls, and she had a way about her, a kind of confidence and calm beauty that made me jealous of how easily she adopted a feminine repose I was having to strive for.

“Mirya, you look . . . you look very, very beautiful as well.”

“Thank you, Princess Dinah. You are very kind.”

“No, I mean you look very beautiful. To me. If you don’t mind me saying.”

At this, she smiled brightly, then immediately ceased her smile. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, then lightly shoved me in a surprisingly firm way up another corridor before shutting the door behind her. The garden was out of view now, and we were in some kind of study or lounge area, one that was empty. The lady-in-waiting shut the door, and then before I could react she placed one hand on my hip and the other on my cheek and then pressed me against the wall. Her lips were planted upon mine, and then we were kissing. God, we were kissing! It was enough to make me moan, and when I moaned, I sounded much more sexual than I’d imagined. I felt like I’d lost all of my breath, and then she backed off.

“Couldn’t help myself . . . my Lady,” she said, winking in a rather sexy manner.

“Woah,” I responded. “That - oh my God. Gods, I mean. Mirya, I had no idea  you felt that way.”

“Oh, enough playing about!” Mirya said with a giggle. “We’ve been touching lips for weeks now, my Lady. Or is this another game?”

“N-no game. I just . . . that seemed very passionate.”

“Enough to make you moan, eh? I do like to hear a royal moan. But perhaps next time leave the flirtation to when we’re not in the public halls of your father’s kingdom. I’d rather not have my hide torn by his whips if we’re found out.”

“Of course,” I said. I was trying to keep up with it all. “I would never want to get you in trouble.”

“Quite the opposite,” the dark-haired beauty said, taking a moment to fondle my breasts and make me moan again. “I’d much rather you become the official heir to your father, so that you can acquire more of that lovely noble power of yours and elevate me to a higher status with you. I’d love to have some stylish new dresses and a stipend when you’re our queen, or preferably even before that!”

“I’d be happy for you to have that,” I said, grinning eagerly. “This is like a dream come true. Do - do you want to kiss some more, Mirya?”

God, I sounded pathetic. I was definitely infatuated with this woman already. She was meant to be my servant, but I felt like putty in her hands, especially when she bit her lip and then lowered her face down to smooth my left breast. She rubbed her thumb over the area where my right nipple was, and I moaned once more.

“I wish that I could, my Lady, but I can’t quite yet. Alas, the pronouncement awaits, but it signals great things for us. Let us go bathe in your brilliance, oh mighty future Queen of Varkath! I shall be blessed to stand in your shadow!”

“Don’t say that,” I replied, giggling and still feeling all warm and gooey. “I’m - I wish you were a noble like me, Mirya.”

“Ah, but wishes are for the Lord of Stars, not for the likes of even a princess, alas. Come, I shall have my hide torn if we’re any later. I just wanted you to know where I stand, my Lady. Always with you. Always by your side . . . and hopefully one night, nestled with you in the sheets, if we get enough privacy.”

Well, that made my new plumbing just a little damp. I had to shake off my arousal as she escorted me back out into the open-air hall and towards a great chamber. People were starting to fill the area, though we took a privileged walk-way presumably reserved for only royal members of Varkath. I couldn’t stop looking at and appreciating the rich marble construction of this palace. It was like something out of Lord of the Rings, like Rivendell only not so elvish in its architecture. It really gave off the vibe of a world that truly didn’t exist in reality: even the immensely tall statues in the garden of royal ancestors had carefully curated plants growing around them, and the grand sun dial that dominated what appeared to be the main forum of the palace looked like it was constructed of gold. Birds flew in flocks through the sky, their tails like long streamers behind them, like dancing rainbows. They were a species that certainly did not exist in my world.

“This place is amazing,” I said.

Mirya clutched my arm excitably, only to retract once she realised how forward she was being. “Just wait until you are the official heir, Princess Dinah! Then you shall have real power over it. I can hardly wait!”

We advanced towards the central chamber, and a pair of servants opened them for us. Mirya had adjusted her position so that she lagged a little behind me, her head slightly bowed. I took the cue and acted the role of the princess, keeping my head high. I’d never felt so important, or indeed so female; my dress was so beautiful it took a real act of willpower not to keep admiring it. I wanted to touch my hair as well, just to feel the jewellery and ribbons artfully weaved through it, keeping it pinned up. But if this truly was another dimension, I knew I had to act my role.

“Presenting for the King’s esteem, his daughter the Royal Princess Dinah Aurelian, First of Her Name, She With Hair Of the Falling Sun.”

There was a polite applause, and I struggled not to let my jaw fall to the floor. It was like stepping into a world of fantasy, even more so than the sights I’d already seen. The immense chamber was circular, with rows upon rows of nobles, ambassadors, and servants in vibrant colours and numerous styles from across this strange world. Their seats rose up behind one another, making the interior like that of a grand theatre, like something from ancient Rome. A huge chandelier hovered by magic from the ceiling, and gemstones appeared to glow and literally sing a classical-sounding tune to announce my arrival. Jutting out from the opposite wall was a huge white rock, shaped not unlike Pride Rock from The Lion King. Upon it was a magnificently decorated throne and various fashioned seats beside it on a dais. The royal family was there; the father of this body sitting upon the throne, black-bearded and adorned in a red coat with a gold trim. A similarly-coloured red carpet lined the way between the hundreds of assembled peoples, and to my surprise I was able to note that a few of them did not even appear human. One woman stood proud and tall, the only non-guard to hold a weapon: an enormous battle-axe that was planted against the ground. Her skin was green and tusks jutted up from her lower jaw. 

“An orc?” I whispered.

“I know, hardly fitting your company,” Mirya whispered to me.

But there were others. Elves with light purple skin tones, their hair white and their eyes red, with clothing that looked like it was woven from black spider silk. On the opposite side of the aisle were their compatriots; tree elves or forest elves or somesuch, with the most gorgeous almond-coloured skin and coppery-coloured hair, their complicated clothing constructed from leaves and vines and strips of dyed leather. There were even some rather short ladies that were like gnomes or hobbits or halflings or somesuch. They wore very tall hats, as if trying to compensate for their short heights, but each removed them as I passed, prompting a smile from me. 

“This is crazy,” I whispered to myself.

“This is your inheritance,” Mirya said, her voice almost hungry. Well, I was more than happy to inherit it, especially if it made my beautiful handmaiden happy. Goodness knows, I didn’t mind sharing all of this with her . . . especially if she was going to make my new girly body as aroused as she had earlier!

I was let up to the end of the carpet, and then directed up a flight of stairs that disappeared me from the view of the crowd, until I reappeared before them upon the white rock. It was taller than I’d assumed it was - at least two floors high in this enormous chamber - but there were wooden bannisters of very fine make circling the rock’s edges, which thankfully lessened my anxiousness. Mirya helped direct me to my seat among my royal family.

“Finally, sister,” a snide voice said as I sat down. “We were starting to think you’d fallen into a coma, which might well have been a superior version of events.”

I narrowed my eyes as Mirya took her place behind me. The woman who had just spoken looked like a petulant teenager, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen. She had brunette hair and was quite beautiful, though, with a smug sense of pride, I saw that she was not quite so beautiful as me. Even though her aquiline features were indeed pretty, it was clear that the teenager was still growing into them.

“I’m sorry for being late,” I murmured back to her as the announcement music continued to play.

“Don’t be such a pushover, stepsister. You’ll never be fit to rule this kingdom and you know it. Guess there’s good news on that front.”

“Hush, child,” the King said, right before giving me a warm smile. He looked like a truly regal man, barrel-chested and powerful, his beard refined and kingly, his violet eyes piercing. Instantly, I felt kinda safer just being in his presence. I smiled back at him, and he gave me a friendly wink. 

“Father,” I said, bowing my head a little.

“Just know that this is necessary, daughter,” he replied, a little less warmly.

I hesitated, not quite knowing what he meant by that. I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly the Queen, sitting beside his throne close to me, suddenly snapped at me.

“Silence, child,” she spat, turning her grey eyes upon me. Her hair was raven black and elaborately done up, and she was indeed very beautiful, the image of what her daughter could become, I supposed, but there was something cold about her. Something familiarly cold. “If you were fit for these proceedings at all you would have been here on time. Thankfully, your father has seen fit to rectify things, finally. Isn’t that right, Robyn?”

The stepsister I had in this strange fantasy world smirked in a highly smug fashion, lifting her head up a bit not even acknowledging me.

“Exactly right, mother.”

Something was off, but I couldn’t tell quite what. I was still questioning what it could be when the music ended. An elaborate servant, likely the chief of staff to the King, suddenly strode forward to the lectern at the end of the rock’s dais, overlooking the enormous procession.

“Countrymen, ambassadors, dignitaries, delegates, special guests and people of note, King Alaric Aurelian will now give the grand pronouncement on the subject of the future of Varkath and its royal line. Please rise.”

They did so, with those who were clearly Varkathians bowing on their feet as my fantasy father rose and strode to take the spot that his secretary had just left. His royal cape swept behind him, his golden crown glimmered, and I won’t lie, I was impressed by the spectacle of it. I found myself fidgeting a little until my stepmother snapped at me again.

“Foolish child, maintain your posture and listen. You would do well to listen, in fact.”

I placed my hands back in my lap. That woman needed to give me a break. I was still getting used to being a girl, let alone being a freaking royal. Still, I maintained my posture as the King spoke.

“The future of this most glorious kingdom unfolds before us,” he spoke. “I have led this country as its monarch for nearly twenty two years now. I have seen the twin moons perform their dance thrice upon the twilight. I have helped brokered the peace between the Light Elves of Solaran and the Dark Elves of Nyx. I had overseen the wars that held off the Praythan Empire’s advances into our region, and taken a darling Praythan wife after the tragic loss of my first wife, thus securing peace between our realms. I have done much for this kingdom, just as my father did when he was King, and his mother before him when she was Queen. But as time came for each of them, so too does time slowly claim me. I grow older, and though I have many years of kingship ahead of me, the Day of Pronouncement now stands before us. The day when I declare the heir who shall henceforth be involved in my affairs, who shall provide me with wise counsel, and who shall have the executive powers of my divinely ordained office.”

I no longer needed to fidget. This version of my father was a remarkable speaker. Was he . . . was he like my original father? Like Phil? I still remembered how Dad told me all those wonderful stories at the bedside, captivating me and taking me to other worlds, even when I was sick. Was this the Wandering Witch’s way of healing me? Bringing me closer to my Dad? I could almost hear the cadence in his voice.

“However, recent guidance has given me pause on my initial consideration,” King Alaric continued. “For while my daughter Dinah is of the proper age, a good king must consider the wisest and most prudent course of action at all times. My secondborn, Princess Robyn Aurelian, is a highly intelligent young woman, blessed with beauty, wisdom, patience, and all other principles of strong leadership. She is a true heir in the making! So though it grieves my heart that my firstborn shall not possess the duties I once envisioned for her, I know that I must steer Varkath like a great ship towards calm and welcome waters. I hereby pronounce, by Royal Decree, that Princess Robyn is my royal heir and first counsel!”

My jaw fell, I couldn’t help it. My stepmother reached over and squeezed my hand, apparently in a comforting gesture, but she squeezed so tightly that it began to hurt. I caught her expression, and it was one filled with cruel satisfaction. I wasn’t going to be a Queen in this world. I wasn’t even going to be a leader. I was being cast aside and replaced with . . .

“Oh God,” I whispered, even as the chamber broke out into a magnificent applause and Robyn strode forth to stand beside her father, taking his hand and bowing to the crowd as they bowed in return. “No. No, it can’t be . . .”

Alaric wasn’t my father. This world wasn’t an escape. It was a mirror of my own.

The King was my weak mother.

The Queen was my stepdad Angus. 

And fucking Robyn really was Robbie. 

This damn book had taken me out of one pit of misery and cast me into another! And just like in my real world, no one seemed to care.

To Be Continued . . .