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Catherine and Alexander by: Bruce Leach Although the children never knew it times had been rough in the castle. Their father, the Duke of Beaufort, had in recent days made a number of unfortunate alliances that put not only his fortune but his entire properties and even his own life in jeopardy. In these days after the king's death the wrong friends could mean accusations of treachery and the Duke had made all the wrong friends. Things looked bleak until he had an offer..... Although she was one year older than him, Catherine really did not seem to mind having her brother around. Many in the castle remarked that they seemed inseparable. Catherine being the oldest of the Beaufort children and Alexander the oldest son and heir; both children were given a remarkable amount of freedom. They would, much to the chagrin of their governess, disappear for hours in the large cavernous hallways of their families ancient estate. No one knew where they went but they always seemed to go together. Many sections of Beaufort castle had been closed off for decades. The family, like so many others in the country; simply did not have the funds to maintain such an estate. For Alexander this left a perfect world to play in. The ancient musty corridors could be transformed in his mind to the Royal Place, or the tombs of a mad sorcerer, or a dragons lair; the atmosphere was rich with mystery. Today the game was minotaur in the labyrinth. Alexander was the mighty hero sent to slay the evil beast (being played by his sister of course). With the rapier they had found in an empty room in his hand; Alex went slowly through the hallway searching for his sisters hiding spot. Her trail seemed to lead in to a dusty room that the children seldom used and he advanced with caution. He looked around the stacked furniture carefully when suddenly.... "Boooo!" screamed Catherine, jumping from behind a chair. Startled almost out of his skin Alexander leaped backwards and tripped over a small foot rest banging his head against the wall quite hard. "Ouch! Would you watch out! that really hurt!" "Oh, quit whining, if you had of watched what you were doing you wouldn't have fell." She replied helping him to his feet. "It was a good thing that wall seemed to have a bit of give or I would have cracked my skull open" he moaned, "you would have had trouble explaining that to Daddy." Catherine snorted derisively. "You just hate it when I win." "I do not, I....." She cut him off with a wave of her hand and pointed at the wall. "Look! There is something behind here." Alexander turned around and noticed where he had hit the wall a bit of a crack had opened. It was a secret door! The children had not found one of these in a long time. All these old castles seemed to be filled with hidden hallways and rooms. The last one they had found had yielded this rapier and a full suit of chain armor. The children fell all over each other trying to be the first one in. Eyes wide, Catherine pushed her brother out of the way and opened the door a crack. The smell of dust and some other acrid scent assaulted her nose as she stepped inside. Within she found what could only be described in her eyes as the greatest of treasures; books! There were literally dozens of huge leather-bound texts stacked around on shelves and on top of a table that held an assortment of other odd items. Overlooking it all was a portrait of a dark and brooding man. Catherine immediately moved over to the books as Alexander stepped in behind her to get a better look at the room. He was amazed at all the stuff in here. It looked like the room of some eccentric, none of the baubles and assorted whatzits seemed to bear any relationship to each other. He looked closer at things, his eyes finally coming to rest on that portrait. "Ooh! You know who that is?" "Hmm?" She replied obviously distracted by one of the books. "The portrait. That is David of Beaufort. You remember, our great grandfather, the one they have all the stories about..." That seemed to trigger her attention a bit. He was the one that everyone thought dabbled in the black arts. It was said that much of the families success and money dated back to his dealings. That made this find twice as interesting to her. "Let's close off this room and not tell anyone we found it. If we go back now no one will know we were ever in here." Alexander looked back at her. " Are you sure that is such a good idea? Dad will want to know about something like this. There might be valuables." "I am not saying we NEVER tell him. I only meant that we might want to explore it ourselves first. How would they know when we found it if we don't tell anyone?" She smiled. "I guess. But we better head back now." He still seemed unconvinced. "Trust me. I just want to grab a couple of these books and then we can go." "But..." he started. "Don't worry, I will bring them back." Somewhere inside Alexander knew this would be trouble. Alex never saw his sister all of that night or the next morning. She even had her self excused from evening meal. He was beginning to get worried, when his sister got things in her head she could be a dangerously obsessed person. Her schemes had gotten them into trouble before. He remember the lashing they got when she convinced him to go into town alone to see that minstrel. The problem was he could never say no to his sister. He was 12 years old, one year away from manhood, and he still could not assert himself around her. She was the leader and he the follower. When he was away from her at his sword lessons or lessons in governing the manor he felt totally adrift. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, he was never away from her for long. As if that thought had summoned her Catherine open his door and barged in. "You would not believe what I found in these books!" she exclaimed. "What?" he replied, halfheartedly, still worrying about their choice not to tell Dad. "These are spell books. Our great grandsire was a magician!" "You must be kidding?!" "Not in the least. This book is a copy of an ancient Latin manuscript on magic." Alexander warded himself against the dark one. "Ahh, we must dispose of that right away! I cant believe we had Satanism in our family. If anyone found out about this, it would be a disgrace." Catherine shook her head. "Who said anything about Satanism? I said this was magic. I read it last night and it did not say a thing about Satan." "But witchcraft is always part of Satan..." "Gods! You believe all that garbage they feed us? Superstitious nonsense. " "How can you say that?" "Look all I am saying is that none of these spells invoke Satan. The ones I tried did not call on any dark powers at all." He looked dumbfounded. "You tried some?!" "Yes I did a spells to convey luck, power, and wealth upon myself. They were some of the minor spells and I wanted to try them." she continued, "I have not worked any of the major spells yet but was hoping you would help me with one tomorrow." "I am not sure this is a good idea." His heart was beating out of his chest in fear and dread. "Don't worry. Have I ever led you wrong?" He didn't answer that. Catherine awoke Alexander early in the morning. She said they needed to get an early start as the major spells took some time. Still half asleep she dragged him into the dark musty room where they found the book and she begin her preparations. As he watched she slowly drew two circles on the floor and proceeded to inscribe them with some Latin phrases and some numbers. She then placed and lighted some candles in strategic spots around the circles and chanted a few words. She chanted some more and danced around a bit in a rhythmic motion. The whole ritual would have fascinated him if he wasn't so nervous about the whole thing. "Please move into the left hand circle." She said in a distracted tone. He complied. "What exactly is this supposed to do anyway?" He asked. "You'll find out." She moved into the right hand circle and began chanting and swaying in an almost hypnotic rhythm. Suddenly she stopped and said a phrase in Latin. He knew what it meant from his Latin classes: "Bring about the switch!" The whole world seemed to swim for a moment. It seemed he was floating in a void for a second and then he looked out and his perspective had changed. Firstly, he was staring out at his own body, which was smiling broadly. That was not right. Secondly, he was now in the right hand circle. Finally, and most disturbingly, he could feel his breasts heaving with fear. His breasts! "It worked!" His body cried out. "Catherine? What have you done to us?" His voiced sounded strange to him. Heck his whole body felt strange to him. He was beginning to panic. "I never expected that it would actually work!" She turned around and around in her new body feeling the sensations. "This is great!" He shouted at her. "You have to put us back! This is wrong, it's weird." "Take it easy. I will put us back in a bit. I just want to see how this feels for a sec O.K.?" "But..." "Just try to experience something new for once Alexander. Sheesh!" Suddenly a faint voice came from somewhere down the hall. "Children! Time for lessons!" Alexander look terrified. "Hurry you have to put us back!" "I'm sorry. I can't do it that fast. We will just have to find time later." "I can't go out there dressed like this!" He said looking down at the tight bodice of his dress. "If you were not dressed in something like that you would look suspicious. Remember you are me now. Don't fear, no one will suspect a thing. My lessons today are all book learning and you are almost as far as me in that. You know from our little practice sessions that I am better than you with sword work so just get a move on before they find us." she replied calmly as she moved out into the hallway and ran off. He was barely able to move with fear as he closed the door to their secret room and went down the hallway. Every step seemed strange to Alexander although he noticed that he was not walking like a man at all. For some reason his body just seemed to move in the normal feminine fashion that Catherine always used. It was very strange. As he reached the end of the hall the governess was waiting for him. "Follow me milady. There has been a bit of a change of plans for you. Your father needs to see you on an urgent matter." Alexander entered his fathers chambers nervously. Normally he welcomed any time he could spend with his Dad but this was not a normal day. Catherine never really liked their father but he was the firstborn son and his father's pride thus he was probably treated much better than her. Today would be different however. He walked up and curtsied and knelt before his father. Curtsied? He did it without thinking. Very strange. His father cleared his throat and began, "My daughter, as you know, even though you are thirteen I promised your mother I would not marry you yet." "Yes father." He replied with head bowed. "I fully intended to keep true to that promise. I, myself, had hoped that we could keep you long enough to grow you into some more feminine habits and to get you to quit running around with your brother. However it does not look like this will be the case." He looked up startled. I don't think Catherine is going to be very happy about this, he thought. "You may not know this but times have been rough for our family of late. Some ventures and alliances have not gone well for us." This news surprised Alexander. He had not heard of any of this before. "However, an offer has come to my hands which will secure the future for all of us. The High Lord Marshal, the Duke of Stanley himself, lost his wife sometime back. He remembered having seen you on a visit here to the castle about a year back and he was quite taken with you." Alexander remembered the Duke of Stanley. It had been at faire time and the Duke had come up to see some of the artistic performances the local area was famous for. What Alex remembered of the Duke was not favorable. He was a hard looking man of about 50 who drank heavily and was very abusive. He remembered that the girl who was with the Duke (she must have been all of 14 or 15?) looked frightened every time he glanced her direction. This was not good for Catherine; not good at all. His father continued, "At any rate he has made a proposal of marriage and in spite of my promise to your mother I feel I cannot turn it down." As much as the news of Catherine's impending marriage disturbed him Alex found it to be almost a strange sort of blessing; it gave him something to worry about instead of thinking about being in this female body. The afternoon was really not all that hard for him. He spent most of his time with Catherine's tutor learning languages and he was decently good at that. Any mistakes he made were just put off by the tutor as being accountable to today's news. It seems word had spread to everyone in the castle except for him and Catherine. He finally saw Catherine again at dinner. He found it very strange to find him sitting across from himself at dinner. By instinct he almost found himself sitting at the table for the male children and soon really wished he could. It was not just wanting his own body either; the male children were always served first, they were allowed to talk and be jovial, and they also were able to eat without having to tend to the younger children. Alex was less than overwhelmed when he found it was his responsibility to feed and change his 6 month old brother. He mustn't neglect his 'womanly duties' his matron chastised. Knowing his sister he made sure he cornered her before she left the chamber. If he let her leave now he would probably find himself spending another day in this body. "Catherine, can we go talk?" he whispered. "Don't call me Catherine yet!" she hissed back. "Come on." She led him out of the chamber and down one of the mostly deserted hallways. "Can we change back now?" he asked. "You sure you don't want to try things as me for a little bit longer? I think it is fun." "Of course you do. You don't have to change diapers. You don't have act ladylike all the time. I have had enough of the girl thing, thanks." "Oh come on, you haven't even scratched the surface of what life is like. Isn't this a good learning experience for you?" "Just give me my body back. You and I have more important things to deal with anyway." "What do you mean?" This peaked he interest. "Father told me today that he plans to marry you. Marry you soon in fact." She gaped. "To who?" "The Duke of Stanley." He grimaced." You remember him from the faire?" "God's yes! That is not good!" "I am really going to miss you sis. You don't deserve this." She looked back angrily. " I am not gone yet. I am not going to take this lying down either. So, Father thinks he can just ship me off does he? He is going to learn that his little girl is a force to be reckoned with!" Alex did not like the look in her eye. "Alex, I need your body for a couple more days." He started but she held up her hand and stopped him. "Don't worry, you will get it back. You have access to people and areas I don't. I need to stop this wedding and can only do it with your help. You will help me won't you? It is only for a little while..." He just couldn't say no to her. "All right, but what do you have planned?" "Just trust me", was all she said as she turned and bounded down the hallway. Completely at a loss as to what to do now, Alex went to the library and tried to lose himself in a book. After a couple hours he knew it was useless having only reached page 3. The one thought that kept haunting him was that Catherine might not want to give him his body back. He knew she cared deeply about him but she had a tendency to only think of herself until something really disastrous happened. He did not want this situation to come to that. He thought to himself, 'what exactly is the situation?' He was in his sister's body; that part was obvious. This didn't cause him as much problems as he expected. He thought back to the incident with his father where he curtsied and acted completely properly. Alex had also been carrying himself the way his sister did all day. It seemed whenever he tried to think about how he should act the information came to him. The only time he messed up was when he was distracted and unfocused in the dining room. He decided to put this to the test and tried to dredge up some information from his body that only Catherine would know. He tried to think about what she was planning when she cast this spell on him but the information did not come. Right at that moment when he was trying to think however; some strands of his hair were annoying him by getting in his eye and the information about how to put his hair back up popped right into his head Maybe that was the key. He was only getting information that he needed to take care of himself, the how to's instead of the why's. At least he could take care of himself and not stick out. That was good. As long as he thought before he did things he was not going to embarrass himself. He still needed more information, however. At that point he decided to get up and head for the one place where he could find out exactly what was happening---the secret room. Alex had trouble staying awake through Catherine's chores that next morning. He had spent the entire night reading some of the other books from the hidden room. He was unable to put the books down once he found what they contained; secrets of magic, unknown politics of the early kingdom, and personal remembrances of the man who had made Alex family what it was. He even found another copy of the spell Catherine had used to trade places with him. That book was filled carefully away for future use, if necessary. Being sleepy also dulled Alex' conscious mind enough that doing sewing, embroidery, singing and all the other tasks that Catherine needed to do, came almost perfectly to him. As long as he didn't concentrate too hard the spell seemed to provide with everything he needed to know. He still felt incredibly strange and unnatural doing all these feminine tasks but he was able to get through. He wondered how Catherine fared as him. It must be the same for her, he imagined. Catherine was having a great time being Alex. Everyone she came near treated with a respect she had never before experienced. I guess people are afraid to cross someone who someday will have the power over there life and death, she thought. Maybe it was just being male. Either way it felt good! She also loved the opportunity to practice sword play with a proper weapon master. Once she had become accustomed to her new equilibrium the weapon master even remarked that she was seeming stronger than normal today. Hah! Wait till I get to rub that into Alex! She grinned. It was almost hard for her to remember that she was not just having fun and games but was trying to accomplish an important task. She was meeting with all of Alex' teachers so that she could clear today and tomorrow to execute her plan. If she failed she would be married to the most brutal man she had ever met. The thought was not one she relished. However, so far, things were going as planned. The teachers were very accommodating, it was Alex she was afraid to confront. She wasn't sure how he would take her going off in his body... Alex spent the entire afternoon searching for Catherine to try to learn more of what she had planned. He had hoped she had figured out something that would keep her from getting married so she could give him his body back and he was starting to feel that at least the first part of that was true. It was the second part that was beginning to concern him. Everyone of his teachers that Alex talked to, had told him that Catherine had canceled the classes for that afternoon and for the next couple of days. She had apparently told them all that she was being sent to meet the Duke and escort him to the castle. Even more disturbing she had made preparations with the stable hands to have a horse prepared and provisions for 5-6 days. Worse than all of that, she had already departed! This could only mean one thing; she had run off in his body and left him to be married. Alex felt faint. Married....to a man no less! The Duke would obviously expect children. That meant... No, he must calm down Alex thought. Maybe he could still stop her. She had only left an hour ago, his Father's best horseman could still catch her, he figured. He had never ratted on his sib before but it was the only option. The Duke of Beaufort paced his study deep in thought. He was finally having a some good fortune after that little affair which nearly implicated him in the assassination of key nobles of the realm and cost him his head. Then, suddenly, his daughter comes to him and says that her brother had fled the castle for parts unknown and must be stopped. It was not unusual in itself for his daughter and son to be up to something; they almost always were. Yet somehow he knew that this was different. The timing bothered him for one thing. Why would his son try to leave the castle right after the marriage announcement? It was also unheard of for Alexander and Catherine to work against each other. It meant something and he had to figure out what. At the very least it meant he must keep an eye on his children. He saw that much immediately and put one of his men to the task of discretely following his daughter. His son could stay locked in the tower for his disobedience in leaving without orders. There was just one more precaution to take... the plans for the wedding must be sped up. The next few days were a nightmare for Alex. He had been there when Catherine was brought in by Dad's riders. It was obvious to her that Alex had played a role in her capture and thustly all she did was glare at him and said nothing. He tried to visit her while she was locked in the tower but she refused to see him. This also had the spin-off effect that he had to remain in Catherine's body for a few more days. The next day he also found out that the wedding had been pushed up and the Duke of Stanley had been sent for. He was forced to spend all his time being pricked and poked in order to fit and design the wedding gown. He felt like his arms would fall off after having to hold them in the air and perfectly still for what seemed like hours at a time. Worse than being without Catherine and fitting the gown; he was forced to sit through a talk by his maidservant about what he would have to do as a wife to please his husband. It felt like he would explode from fear and embarrassment. Mercifully, it was not his mother giving the talk or he would have never survived. Now things had finally come to a head, the Duke of Stanley had arrived and here he was to meet his future husband. As he walked through the door a chill went through Alex' spine... he looked just as he remembered him. "Hello milady" the Duke knelt and kissed his hand gently. "It is such a pleasure to be in the presence of such a beauty." Alex did not know how to respond. The smile and the sincerity in the voice almost made Alex believe him. "Thank you Lord" he muttered weakly. "I have already met with your Father and I felt it might be appropriate if we got to know each other before the ceremony. Would you be willing to give me a tour of the castle? I have been told you know it better than almost anyone." he smiled. "Me and my...uh...brother like to explore around." "So I have been told. I would have liked to meet your brother as well but I was told about his predicament. Of course I am sure you know all about it." "What do you mean?" Alex replied inquisitively. "I just have a feeling you and your brother know more than people might think" Alex looked up nervously. The Duke winked back. "Don't worry I won't tell. You are to be my wife after all, we need trust between us. Besides, I would love to hear your observations." He moved closer and whispered into Alex' ear. "I don't trust your Dad either." Later that evening Alex felt he should try to make another visit to his sister. He almost didn't want to; things had went so well he didn't want to spoil them. The Duke of Stanley had turned out to be not at all as he had expected. They talked and laughed and before the day was over Alex knew that he was somehow a changed man. This was not the cruel man he had seen at the fair. More than that he was someone you could confide in. Alex had discussed much of his apprehension about the marriage and speculated on what prompted his father into the rush marriage. The Duke listened to all of it. The Duke told Alex how he had been changed by losing his first two wives. He had been a hard man scarred by leading the nation through many military campaigns and this had led him to be more cruel than was proper. When his second wife died with child he realized that it wasn't worth this bitterness, there were more important things in life, like family. He was just happy to have another chance with her, he said. He also assured Alex that whatever business his Dad had gotten into the Duke had the power to get him out. Alex finally convinced his sister to talk to him and relayed all this to her. He was sure that this would put her mind at ease but it didn't. "You expect me to believe he has changed this much?" she asked Alex. "But he has....." "Look brother, I love you, but you have never been a very good judge of character." Alex began to tear up. "Love me, huh? How come you ran off and left me to deal with your life and your marriage? I would never do that to you!" "Hey! Calm down, calm down. I would never have left you to that." Catherine put her arms around Alex to try and calm him. "Then where were you going?" he asked. "I was going to ride to Mom. She is the King's sister, if she wanted to put a stop to this she could. I am sure she does not know about this; she would never allow it." "Mom? Really? I thought...." "Look I understand. I should have told you what I was doing in the first place. I guess I didn't realize how much stress this has been on you" She hugged him closer. "It's OK." he replied, "At least it is all over now. We can switch back can't we? The marriage is safe now." "No we can't switch back! First of all, I still don't trust the Duke and I would like you to watch him a little closer. Secondly, you want to try drawing a magic circle and doing a ritual here in the tower with guards looking in periodically? Hope you like being burned as a witch!" "But..." "You just have to get me out of here first." "I'll try, but the wedding is in just two days." She smiled grimly, "Then I guess you better hurry." Alex snuck downstairs into the kitchen. After talking to Catherine he needed to think seriously and that required privacy. At times like that he always went into his secret hiding place; a small crawlway, long forgotten, that linked the kitchen and his Dad's study. Not even Catherine knew about it. He made sure no one was looking and crawled in. He had barely made himself comfortable when he heard voices coming from the study. "Now that we have some privacy let's go over those plans." said the voice he recognized as his Father. "You realize as soon as I show you these plans you are officially involved in all of this?"---that was Stanley. "I was already involved when I agreed to give you my daughter." Stanley laughed, "She is hardly worth considering. She will amuse me for a time. I look forward to teaching her some lessons in obedience... after the wedding of course. Keep her happy until then." Alex froze with fear. This was bad. "Thank god the child's Mother isn't here, she would be a problem. I don 't know why I ever married the shrew." "Because she was the King's sister of course. Speaking of which; were you able to use her to get the information we wanted?" "Yes, between your maps and my maps we should be able to orchestrate the attacks in such a way as to leave the King helpless." "Then let us get to it" The time had come for Alex to act. Catherine was right; he was no judge of character. He had almost allowed his sister to be married to a traitorous scum like the Duke of Stanley and he had believed his Father cared about his family. They were at the brink of disaster and it had to be stopped. That meant he had to free his sister. Alex crawled out of the passageway into the kitchen. He open the cupboard and grabbed a brew that he knew the cook kept to keep himself out of it on those long long nights. This should take care of the guards, he thought. As he preceded up the stairs he failed to notice the man watching him from the shadows. There was a knock on the door of the study. "My lord, I have a report on your daughter." came the voice of the guard. The Duke of Beaufort could not believe he was being interrupted now! "What in god's name do you want! It had better be important." "You wanted me to report any suspicious moves by your daughter and I believe I have seen one." "What is it? She trying to sneak food to her brother? What? Be quick!" "Sir, I believe your daughter was spying on you from a passage next to this room." "What?!" The guard entered and pulled open a panel in the wall. "She was in there a few moments ago sir" Stanley sighed. "My god she must have heard everything." "Where is she now?" "Sir, I left her to report to you." "Find her and let me know as soon as possible." Stanley interrupted, "Let me deal with her" He smiled. It wasn't hard for Alex to get Catherine out of her cell but it certainly was embarrassing. The only way that he could get close enough to the guards to sneak the sleeping medicine into their drinks was to turn on a little "feminine charm". It felt very disgusting to be pawed at and stared at by two creeps like these but it had to be done. It really amazed him that even a girl barely out of childhood could cause them to react so. He barely escaped with Catherine's virtue intact. Once they had lost consciousness he opened Catherine's cell and explained to her everything he had heard and they agreed she needed to leave immediately. Unfortunately for Alex, this meant yet more time in Catherine's body. It was strange though, each time his stay was extended seemed to bother him less. Perhaps he was getting used to being a girl; he hoped not. Under cover of night Catherine knew she could get a fair distance before they could ever pick up her trail. She would make it to her Mother this time. What she didn't point out to Alex was that this meant he would have to take part in the wedding. Since there was nothing they could do about it there seemed little point in upsetting him. "Make sure you let mother know how much danger she is in." Alex warned. "Don't worry, I will tell her everything. I will be back as soon as I can." They hugged and Catherine went out the window. As she left Alex whispered, "I love you." and turned around in tears. The Duke searched the castle for any sign of the girl. The first place he looked was the tower, figuring she would run to her brother. Finding the guards asleep and the prisoner gone did nothing to improve his disposition. The girl would certainly pay for all of this. He finally found her in the library. He dismissed the man at the door and quietly moved up behind her as she read a book. "So, milady; I think it is time we had a talk." Alex looked up startled. He hadn't heard the Duke approach. He tried to get up and move away but the Duke pinned him in the corner. "I said we need to talk." There was a fierceness in the Duke's voice. "I am sorry my lord. You just startled me." The Duke bent down right in front of Alex' face, "You have good reason to be startled. Where is your brother?" "I don't know what you mean, sir..." He grabbed Alex and slammed him against the wall. "I am through playing games! It is time we were both honest with each other." Alex felt a fear he had never felt before. The Duke's size and his grip were overpowering. Even more than that, the Duke by virtue of his rank and his gender could do whatever he wished to Alex and there would be only minor repercussions. This was a sense of vulnerability so intense Alex did not know if he could stand up to it; but he must. Everything depended on it. "What do you want of me?" Alex stammered. "I want you to tell me where your brother went and I want you to tell me what you heard. Yes, I know you heard us." "I did not know my brother left; but I am glad he did. I do not trust you or Dad. I have no idea what you think I heard but I am sure it was bad." Alex tried to muster as much dignity as he could. Stanley grabbed Alex and pulled him in tightly. "I guess it does not matter what you heard. You will be my blushing bride in just two days anyway." He planted a fierce kiss on Alex. "I would kill you, but you still have uses....little girl." The kiss made Alex cringe. "We are not married yet so unhand me." "I take what I want." Alex could feel the breath on his neck, he could also feel the Duke's arousal on his stomach. "A good daughter of the church would wait until marriage. I fear if I did things...prematurely...I would have to confess it and then I would no longer be worthy to marry you." "Bitch!" The Duke slammed Alex' head against the wall leaving him seeing stars. "You would risk the shame and shunning of such a confession?" "There are many things I would risk to avoid you. I have no choice in the end; but until that final moment you will not touch me!" The Duke sneered, "Very well. Enjoy your two days. Then you are MINE!" Catherine rode as she never had before. She continued all night at the fastest pace she could maintain. On many occasions she almost rode into a ditch or got hung up on low branches but too late would be worse than not at all. Fortunately; her mother was nearby at the castle of her cousin the Earl of Warwick. She rode in the gate at noon and collapsed from exhaustion. When she awoke her Mother stood above her with a look of concern on her face. "Mom! Thank god! You must come immediately, Alex is in terrible danger!" "Alex? When did you start referring to yourself in the third person?" "Oh god! It's a long story Mom." "It can't be that much of a rush. You just awoke from passing out so take your time." "Awoke? How long have I been unconscious?" "About six hours..." "No! We have to hurry. Get saddled up and I will explain on the way. Let's just say that if we don't hurry the Duke of Stanley will be married to your daughter and Dad will be guilty of treason." Catherine's Mother looked seriously at her. "Your not kidding are you. I knew my gracious husband was up to something when he sent me away but I never expected this. Don't worry Alex, he will get more than he bargained for." Alex spent the next two days locked in his room. The Duke of Stanley knew he could not touch her until the wedding but there was no way he was going to give her free run of the castle. It was too much time for Alex to think. He was stuck in an alien body and, as he saw it, doomed to a life that would be short and miserable. He had seen the violent side of Stanley and it was terrifying. He knew that at best he would live to serve him sexually and maybe bear a couple children but not much beyond that. The Duke only liked little girls and the power that he had over them. As Alex aged the Duke would lose his temper at some point and that would be it. It would be worse if the plan with his Father worked. With Stanley as King not even his Mother's royal birth or the church itself could or would protect him. His only hope had been that Catherine would return with his Mother in time to save him but that hope was fading fast. Here he was dressed in his wedding gown mere moments away from becoming a bride. It is a nightmare he could not have imagined just days ago. The door opened. It was Catherine's chambermaid. "Are you ready milady?" she asked. "Can't you give me a bit more time?" Alex sighed. "I am afraid not, milady. Your Father has sent two guards to escort you to the hall." "Very well. Send them in." "I am so sorry. I wish there was something I could do..." Alex felt lost, "It's OK, I don't think there is anything anyone could do now." The servant brought in the guards which immediately moved to either side of Alex. He had no choice but to set out down the corridors to the castle's gathering hall. Each step took away a little of Alex' hope and resolve. By the time they reached the gathering Alex knew that he would not be able to resist any longer. The Duke had won. Alex' Father met him at the back of the room. "It is my task to give you away my dear." "Let's get this over with, please." He took her arm. "Very well." The local Bishop performed the ceremony. Throughout the entire event Alex kept looking to see if his mother would come in and stop everything. It never happened. "And now before God I recognize you as man and wife." Stanley swept Alex up in his arms and passionately kissed him to the applause of the crowd. Through the din he whispered into Alex ear. "There is no more escape. Tonight you shall learn what your place really is." ------ The Final Chapter Alex stood silently as the maidservants removed his gown and prepared his bedclothes. The shock of going from being heir to his father's estate to the bride of a monster was very hard to comprehend. He hoped that somehow during the wedding banquet his sister would arrive with his mother and a troop of knights and rescue him from his fate; but he was finally beginning to understand that would not happen. Even if it did happen he was not sure it would help. The wedding was complete and even if his sister returned it would be her facing this fate instead of him and he was determined that she should not have to face this. If he had not turned her in to father they simply would not be in this spot. It was his fate to bear. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Stanley. Without a word the maidservants quickly left the chamber. A smile crossed his face. "Well, well. It seems our night is here. No more pleas to father and church can postpone our plans. As I said before you are now mine." Alex turned away and thought about running but the spirit to fight was waning. Stanley sensed this and the power excited him. He moved up behind Alex and began massaging his newfound breasts. "It seems you have learned your place at last. You are very beautiful you know. You could do much worse than me." "Only if I married my father." Alex shot back feeling revulsion at the touch. This infuriated the Duke and he pinned Alex to the bed on his stomach. Alex found himself quickly removed of his bed robes as well. the feel of hot, smelly breath was on his neck. "Since you do not want to do this easily; it is time for me to show you your place." He hauled back and began beating Alex with his fist. Alex was too startled to defend himself. Repeated blows fell on his face until finally he gathered himself enough to fall to the ground and hide. Things became sort of fuzzy for Alex after that, as the Duke continued kicking him anyway. Catherine was exhausted but was determined to ride back anyway. Her mother insisted she ride double with her because she did not think Catherine could make it all the way herself. It would cost them precious time but Catherine conceded that she was probably right. It would have been easier had they been able to take some knights to ride with them but Catherine's mother explained that this was impractical. For one, Beaufort and Stanley's treason would have to be admitted to gain the aid and this would lead not only to their deaths for treason but a loss of the children's inheritance. Secondly, if the treason was true the knights would need to be sent out to warn the king of impending danger. Lastly, Catherine having explained the witchcraft, their mother knew that this must be kept as private as possible. Fortunately, she had a plan. Alex regained consciousness but almost wished he hadn't. His whole body hurt, even in places he did not even have a couple of weeks ago. He was naked on the floor with no hope and a brutal face staring down. At that precise moment Alex heard the door open and time seemed to slow down. The Duke turned to see who dare intrude. Suddenly a look of fear and anger crossed his face and he went for his sword. Alex was still in shock but he knew that this might be his only chance to escape. He reached to find a bedpost to pull himself up and his fingers instead landed on the stoke for the fire. With a strength he did not think he possessed Alex climbed to his feet naked and bleeding. Swords clashed and he saw Catherine attack the Duke. It was valiant but he knew Catherine was no match for him. He swung with all he had left; right at the Duke's head. Alex awakened again, this time to the sound of chanting. He was back in the hidden room inside one of his grandfather's pentigrams. Catherine smiled. "I am glad to see you in the land of the living again. You had me worried. By the way, you need to remember that swing next time you are in sword practice. You really clobbered that guy." she said; gesturing toward the Duke's unconscious form in the next pentigram. "What's going on?" "Mom's idea. You get to be the Duke, he gets to be you. You capture Dad, Mom gets to be Dad. No more conspiracy. Great, huh?" "But..." Alex muttered startled. "But what?" "Haven't we fooled enough with this magic?" "Don't worry." Catherine smiled. "Without the magic we would have never found out Dad's plan and I would be Dutchess of Stanley right now." "I hate to say this but you are the Dutchess of Stanley..." "No, in a few seconds he will be the Dutchess of Stanley." For the first time in days Alex smiled. The Duke of Beaufort stood in his study taking a stiff drink. He was finally beginning to feel secure but he had not gotten over how close he had come to blowing this whole scheme. He would still feel much better if the guards had managed to track down his insolent son. At least I have another son and heir if he becomes to difficult, he thought. "Good evening Beaufort." The Duke turned, shocked by the silent intrusion. It was just Stanley. "Good evening Stanley. I trust that my daughter has given no further problems?" "She has proven quite compliant. We need to talk some before I retire, but not here. Meet me in the abandoned area beyond the library and come alone. After your daughter overhearing us earlier I don't want to risk more slip ups." Alex attempted to look ferocious. Playing the Duke was much more fun than playing his sister. "I will be there in one hour." Alex smiled and left to make preparations. It did not take Alex and Catherine much effort to capture there father. There was no way he could have suspected that he really was not speaking to Stanley. Before long he was staring up at his wife wearing his face. "What kind of black arts are these? I knew you were treacherous Stanley but I would never have believed you would be in league with the devil." Alex as Stanley laughed, "It is time for you to quiet up and learn a few things. First I am not your friend Stanley, that is!" He pointed at the body of Catherine, who just stared hopelessly at the ground. He continued, "Second, you are both lucky not to be dead. We learned of your treachery and could have had you executed but we did not want to ruin our family names. However, we could not let you get away with it and therefore you must be punished." At this point Catherine in Alex' body spoke up. "The three of us have agreed, I'm Catherine by the way, if your keeping score; that you should remain as you are forever." Catherine's mother continued. "It's really very practical, really. You dear," she looked at Beaufort, "were never very good at business. That will now be my task. You can busy yourself with more feminine tasks like caring for your young son." It was again Alex turn. "After what you did to me, my good Stanley, I never want to be vulnerable again. I know that I am sacrificing some years to become you but I gain a good title, many lands, and most of all a beautiful young wife." Stanley cringed. "...and believe me you will learn your place!" Alex wanted to scare him as much as he could. He knew that he was incapable of hurting Stanley in the way he was hurt but let him imagine. If he was willing to accept his fate and learn the error of his ways Alex would treat him fairly; he would however always remain a woman. Alex mother called a couple guards and led the two men away. Alex turned to his sister and gave her, now him, a big hug. "Do you mind staying as me sis?" "No, I'm relieved really. You spent some days as me, would you really want to go back to that with the power and freedom you have now?" "Probably not. What are you going to do with the books?" "Destroy them. If Dad and Stanley try to say anything I don't want to risk the repercussions." Alex nodded. "I'll see you outside. You can toast my new bride." The both laughed as Alex left the room for the last time. Bruce