My name is Claire, however, it has been a long time since anyone has called me by it. I grew up in a world where the roles people play in life are dictated by things like gender, nobility, or magical gift. I got the short straw on the first two, born female and with no nobility to speak of in my family history. However, what does run in both of my families is a long line of magical prowess.

From my father, I received a gift for changing muscles composition within my body. He came from a long line of warriors with the ability to be hulking muscle bound terrors in battle, but then revert back to a more normal size for social interaction or fitting through doorways.

From my mother, I got size manipulation. I can, at will, change my height, bringing all of my proportions to fit the new height. I have never know where the mass comes from or goes to with either or my gifts, but I suppose that is why it is magic.

My mother was a shrine worker, fulfilling her role of talking to the gods, of very womanly thing to do. I, however, longed to follow my father’s path, but was told that it would not be suitable. So, I left my family and travelled to the city of Graum, where I abandoned the name Claire.

I spent many moons perfecting an altered look. I made myself taller, so that I was well above average for a male. I shifted the structure of my muscles, bit by bit, to take on a mare masculine physique. I widened my jaw. I tightened the muscles in my chest while decreasing the fat composition of my breasts, effectively flattening them. I made sure each muscles group was defined, but not overly bulky, so that I was not expending too much energy just trying to hold the shape. Exercising regularly made the process a lot easier, as there became less for me to change. I even went so far as to elongate the muscles in my throat so that my voice deepened. To the outside world, I was the ever clean shaven man named Seth.

After perfecting the ability to hold my shape for up to a week at a time, I applied to join Graum’s mercenary guild, where I could be trained to fight and eventually be given assignments. I made my way up through the training regiments as a cadet and was soon given the rank of official guide member. I had no plans of achieving anything higher than a senior guild member, but knew that such a title required years of service and excellent credentials. I was just glad that I passed as male and got to participate of my own free will.

My first job took me outside of the city, to a desolate and not heavily populated town to the north. There, I and a number of other first timers were needed to stand in as the town’s policing force. Bandits had been integrating into the town and the officials in Graum did not want them getting a foothold in a town. It was miserable work, but I learned it quick and did it well. After a year I was given leave to return to Graum to look for new employment with better conditions. That town to the north, Felle, became the place where the guild sent its newest recruits to learn the ropes. I was just glad I had learned them enough to return.

Which brings us to my current situation.

I was standing in the guildmaster’s office, staring at my shoes, trying not to show the frustration that colored my cheeks. “This is a babysitting assignment, sir.”

“That it is.”

I joined the guild to be able to use my gifts to help people, to fight off bandits, and keep peace within a city, so I was taken aback when the guildmaster had told me I was being assigned to a noble household as the personal bodyguard of the daughter of the household. “Is there no one else?”

“No. The father requested a member of the guild, not a cadet. You showed promise in Felle and, frankly, all of our more senior members are busy or over qualified.” He sighed. “I can see about making it a short term contract, rotate you our when someone new comes along, but the father seemed to think that one guard for a few years would be best.”

I flinched at the idea of being stuck in such a job for years. “Sir, I would very much appreciate any effort you can spare.”

He chuckled. “I know you would, son.” He stood from his desk. I saluted, as was customary. “You will need to report to the LeBlanc manor, on the west residential district. Do good work and I will see about getting you out.”

I sighed, but nodded, heading from the room. My internal fuming made me lose track of time and I found myself at the gates of the manor well before I had time to prepare my own introduction. I made my way up the long walkway to the front door, knocking with more force than might have been necessary.

The door was opened by a maid who conspicuously avoided my eye. She directed my through the foyer to a sitting room to the left. There I was made to wait, sitting in the lusciously adorned room that made me feel foreign to that way of life.

A commotion drew my attention, first as distantly loud voices, but they were moving closer, and soon I could make out what was being said. “Would you listen?” one voice yelled.

“I have heard quite enough, young lady,” came the equally loud reply.

“Fine, I am leaving!”

I rose, following the noise back into the foyer, looking up the stairs at the people who were coming down. First was a woman, who I guessed to be about my age. She looked as if she had been in the process of doing her hair when she had gotten into the altercation she was having.

Following her was a man well past his prime, who I determined to be her father. His hair was greying and he looked like he had been put together before he worked up a sweat in the yelling match with his daughter.

She had made it to the ground floor and was headed for the door. Her father rounded the corner on the stairs, still a full floor behind her. He noticed me, standing just out of the way of his daughter’s path. “Stop her!”

The command spurred a response and my hand flashed out to catch her wrist as she passed, and a smooth tug shifted her momentum towards me. “Gah, you men are all the same,” she spat.

“To be fair, he is paying me,” I offered in my own defense.

“To be fair,” she mimicked, “you still have your hand on me without my express permission.”

I was taken aback by the venom in her words and a sense of guilt, but did not release my grip. The woman tried to pull her arm away from my grip, but to no avail. I could hear her father almost to the base of the stairs, behind me. She thrust her hand against my chest and I felt a shift in my body. I knew what was about to happen, but it was entirely out of my control.

The world began to shrink away, in a quick burst. I hastily released the woman as I dropped to my knees, huffing with strain such a rapid shift had on my body. I felt the power ebb drastically, releasing me from its grip. With a clearer head, I was able to survey my change, estimating that I was thirty feet tall, hunched over the bewildered woman. Her father was not moving, stopped in his tracks.

“What did you just do,” I exhaled the breathy question.

“I have never seen anyone with a gift like yours,” the woman replied, already recovered.

“Never have I not been able to control my gift,” I retorted, still wary.

She was not listening to me, her thoughts apparently elsewhere. She skirted around my leg so that she could see her father. “I have changed my mind. This one can guard me.”

I mental berated myself. That was what they were arguing about?! So, if she had just, you know, gotten passed me, I might not have had a job to do here?!

I lost track of the woman and her father’s conversation, still too stunned by everything that had happened. I had, until that point, tirelessly trained myself to be able to maintain control of my gifts.

“You will have to excuse my daughter,” the man addressed me, catching my attention. He and his daughter had moved so that they both stood before me, looking up. “She has a gift. Hers is different from your own, in that it allows her to control other people’s magic within them.” I gave a nod, but my main focus was on trying to gather up my magic once more, pulling it inward and bringing my world back to normal. “My name is Nolan LeBlanc and this,” he motioned to the woman, “is my daughter, Autumn.”

“I go by Seth, sir,” I responded when I was standing once more. 

"Come! Let us discuss the terms of your service!"

Talking terms of service is just rhetoric. It is basically myself confirming that I know my place within the household, that is to say, not much higher than the service staff that works for housing more than wage,  and Nolan confirming that he is paying me what he had agreed upon with the guildmaster. It was the constricting leash around my throat, pulled taut and leaving no room to wriggle free or do anything on my own terms.

The first day was peaceful, as I got acquainted with the manor and its staff. Autumn had been content and thus not combative. I had been given the run-down of Autumn’s general schedule, which consisted of private tutoring and more private tutoring. It was agonizing to witness, as I both pitied her existence and was bored out of my mind. When I talked to Nolan that night, he did not seem keen on letting me do other things in the meantime, while Autumn did her studying. He insisted that she would need watching – although I got the feeling that I was his insurance that she would not run away. I would have been inclined to let her, if she tried, but I know that a bad review on my first solo job, even a babysitting job, would not bode well for my career.

The next day, I caught Autumn stealing glances at me while I sat by the door of the study. I wrote off the first few as being unused to the additional presence while she was being tutored, but as the day went on, I realized her eyes were expectant and increasingly dejected. It struck me that she was expecting me to use my gift to grow, as if I did it regularly, without cause.

I could not understand why she would want to see it – it would make her insignificant within my presence, physically speaking. I spent much of her lesson turning my thoughts over in my head trying to determine her motivation. I was so engrossed that I had not noticed the lesson had ended until Autumn and her tutor rose from the table.

The next days followed a similar pattern, with Autumn’s mood steadily souring, until she had regained the opinion that she did not want me around. That night, at dinner, she fought with her father again, making it clear that she did not welcome my presence, despite me being there in witness. I continued to implement a stoic approach to her, never speaking unless spoken to, not wanting to provoke anger.

“Why do I need protecting? It is not like I ever leave the manor – you do not allow it!”

“You are a young woman and need protecting.” I found her father’s argument to be baseless, but was not about to draw attention towards myself.

“That is asinine and without support. You do not know that I cannot take care of myself because you have not let me prove myself to you!”

Autumn’s mother, the ever present but rarely vocal woman who sat unflustered eating her dinner, cleared her throat. “Darling, why not let me talk to Autumn?”

I was intrigued and Nolan nodded. Autumn did not protest, perhaps thinking she had better chances of swaying the woman. Nolan took his plate and left.

“Seth, would you mind giving us the room?” I knew Nolan would not agree with me leaving, but there was something in the way that Marion LeBlanc spoke, when she did speak, that made you oblige.

“I will be in the hall,” I announced, bowing my head in deference to Marion.

From the hall, I could still hear them and wondered if I should move farther away, but something in the way Marion had watched me leave told me she wanted me to listen. “Mother, why is this all forced upon me?”

“Sweetie, there are things about life we cannot control. One of these things is the common view of woman and the roles they fit. I have always known your father’s devotion to such ideas and it is not something I can change. He is a stubborn man.”

“What should I do?” Autumn was a lot calmer in conversation with her mother.

“Well, perhaps you should start by considering the opportunities you might have with a bodyguard.” I heard Autumn make a sound that was akin to a strangled snort. “And,” Marion pressed, “think about the image it presents. You look so much more important with a bodyguard.”

Autumn groaned in exasperation. “Beyond being a constant reminder that Father does not trust me, he is so bland. He never talks!” My jaw clenched as I heard that.

“Would you talk to yourself?” There was a long pause. “Honey, think about the way you treat him. Do you not treat him as if you expect him to be just like your father?”

“Are you suggesting he is not?” I almost laughed.

“I think you should give him a chance to prove otherwise.”

Another long pause followed, before Autumn groaned again. “Fine.”

I heard their chairs slide back and then I was summoned back into the room. They were approaching, so I remained by the door. “Mother, I am going to retire for the night.”

They bid each other good sleep and then Autumn left. I made a move to follow, but Marion’s hand on my arm made me stop. She looked me in the eye and said, “if you two work together, this arrangement could be a lot better for both of you. Think on it.” She let me go and I caught up to Autumn, Marion’s words playing in my head.

I felt for Autumn – I knew what she was going through, to some extent. It had been dictated that she would be raised for one purpose – marriage. From the staff in the kitchen, where most of the gossip happened, I found out that she had caught the eye of Roland Denrus III, the heir to the throne of Jemra. It was something Nolan could not pass up on, but that gave no consideration to the fact that Autumn just wished to attend a college in the nation of Sumre, where gender dictated nothing in someone’s life.

I could see why Roland would be attracted to Autumn. She had silky platinum blonde hair, fierce blue eyes, and a pallor that verged on flawlessness. These were highly sought characteristics in women. I found myself very physically attracted to her. If it were not for the fact that she treated me like the enemy, I might have been even more attracted to her.

I have known for many years that I am more attracted, sexually and romantically, to women, but with the way I had altered my body, I saw no future for myself that included a romantic and/or sexual partner. It was something I willingly gave up for the sake of pursuing a life as a mercenary.

~*~

The next morning found me too early. I had not slept well, kept up by my thoughts and Marion’s words. I went in search of Nolan, finding him in his study. “Sir,” I said to announce my presence.

“It is Lord,” Nolan replied, not having looked up from his work.

“Lord LeBlanc,” I amended.

He looked up, after another moment. “Oh, Seth, come in.” I do not think he had realized it had been me when I had first spoken. “What can I do for you?”

“I was told that the Lady’s tutor is given today off and I wondered if I might suggest an activity for Autumn.”

Nolan looked wary. “You may make a suggestion.”

“I think a ride might do her good.”

Nolan’s eyes darkened. “Did she put you up to this?”

“No, Lord, she refuses to talk to me,” I assured him. Nolan did not look convinced. “She would be perfectly safe. Open space is perfect for me using my magic.” He looked thoughtful. “I will guard her with my life and she will have less reason to hound you about keeping her locked up.”

“Alright, you have convinced me. Tell the stable hand to prepare your horses.”

I bowed, knowing that I was dismissed. The stable boy was utterly confused when I told him Autumn was going out for a ride. It had never before occurred without Nolan or a large party present. I left him to do his job and likely spread gossip about how the unthinkable was happening.

I went in search of Autumn. A helpful maid pointed me towards Autumn’s rooms. I rapped my knuckle against the wood. “Enter,” she called. I strode through the door and was accosted by the view of Autumn half naked, in the process of dressing. I was already turning away when she realized who I was, apparently having expected someone else. “Why are you here?!” I heard the frantic movement of fabric.

“I-“ I lost my voice in my throat. I could feel the blood suffusing my cheeks.

“Get out!” I was obeying before she even finished speaking.

Moments later she emerged from her room. I could not look her in the eye, the fire in my ears making it hard to concentrate. “My Lady, I did not mean to intrude,” I hastily apologized.

“What did you want?” Her voice was glacial, colder than it had been up to that point.

“I talked to your father,” I announced.

“And that merits a visit to my private chambers while I am dressing?”

I swallowed, hoping to wet my rapidly drying throat. “That was not my intention,” I insisted. As a ploy for my life, I continued, “I convinced him to allow you to go for a ride, should you want to.”

“You did?” I nodded, not daring to let my voice fail me. “This does not absolve you of your offense.” I did not respond. “Will you look at me?” Hesitantly, I obliged, finding a small amount of warmth in her eyes, unexpectedly. “Thank you.” I nodded again. “I am going to finish getting dressed. Wait here.”

When she rematerialized, she had donned a outfit better suited for riding. I could not help but think it looked good on her, but that was perhaps because she looked more comfortable than she normally did.

We ate a small meal to break our fast and I packed some of the left over bread and cheese for our day away from the manor. The ride through the city was tedious, but once we had made it outside of the walls, be broke into a canter, branching off from the main road. I freely grinned as we rode, loving the freedom the speed brought.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a vast field, stretching out towards the forest of Rigus, which acted as the border between Jemra and Sumre. It was unpopulated land, as people feared the forest.

Wanting to let the horses rest, we dismounted. There was nowhere to tie the horses, but I was not concerned that they would be able to wonder far enough to be out of view.

“Would you care for some water,” I asked Autumn, offering a water skin. She accepted.

Silence filled the air between us. Finally, I brought up the one thing I was fairly certain she might be interested in. “Have you been waiting for me to use my gift?”

I saw color in her cheeks as her gaze shifted to me. “I just expected it to be part of your everyday life,” she explained.

More than you know, I let the thought die on my tongue. “It is not useful for most of my everyday activities.”

She chuckled. “I suppose not. I am trying to imagine you standing guard while I am tutored and all I see is Helga fleeing for her life.”

“Yes, that would not be an effective way to watch over you as you are taught your lessons. There would be a constant need for new tutors and it would never end.”

The levity died as we did not know how to continue the conversation. “It does fascinate me,” Autumn admitted. “I imagine you growing so big that I fit into the palm of your hand.”

“I would never pick you up,” I assured her, hastily.

Her brows knit together. “Why?”

“It would be dangerous!”

“It could be an exercise of trust,” she suggested with a shrug.

“What need have we for such an extreme exercise?” I was beyond baffled by the way she seemed to truly be pushing for it.

She chuckled in a disbelieving way, as if my concern was beyond reason. “Am I the only one that noticed we have a strained relationship?”

“Our relationship? We are owner and owned. I would think you would not want to talk to me.”

She looked taken aback. “I do not own you.”

“Not in the literal sense, but I have to do everything you and your family want or it could end my career. That seems a lot like ownership.”

A muscle in her jaw jumped as she tensed. “You could walk away.” She did not seem certain of her own words.

“And give up my dream?” She flinched. “I know what it is like to have the world working against you.”

“Alright,” she conceded. “Then, from now on call me Autumn.”

I was taken aback. “What?”

“You heard me. Neither of us is in this situation of our own volition, so, we are equals.”

“I do not think that is how it works,” I said.

“If I do own you, then it is within my rights to relinquish my ownership.”

I was beginning to realize that she was social justice minded. “So then what?”

“As an equal, I will explain why I would like you to grow.” My brows shot up, inviting her to continue. “The idea excites me.”

“If I do it once, will that satisfy you?”

She nodded fervently. There was a light in her eyes and I could tell she had not been exaggerating when she said she was excited.

I tugged at my magic, manipulating it so that my body expanded. The world shrunk away slowly, but soon I towered high in the sky. I stopped at around thirty feet. “Can you go higher?” Autumn called up.

With a sigh, I forced my body to grow more, hearing the excited trill of Autumn below me becoming more faint. The forest that had loomed in the distance now seemed significantly closer and far less ominous. I knew even without being able to hear Autumn what she wanted next. I knelt, careful to keep my legs away from her. I flattened the back of my hand against the ground.

She hesitated only a moment and then darted forward, lifting herself up onto the flesh of my palm. She settled into a sitting position, centralizing herself. I lifted myself slowly, back into a standing position, lifting her up towards my face. “Wow!” she screamed to me. She was shifting about on my hand, looking in all of the possible directions before turning right back around to face me. “This is beyond belief!”

I smiled softly, but dared not speak, for fear of what my voice might do to her ears. “I wish I could stay up here forever!” My smiled faded and I shook my head. I lowered her back to the ground, but she refused to get off of my hand. I pulled my magic inward, beginning to dwindle. I could feel her magic resisting, urging me to stay large. I shook my head again. I slowly shrank as my control of my magic over powered hers.

When I was about twenty feet tall, her magically presence suddenly vanished and, without the resistance, I suddenly diminished beyond my natural state. By the time I realized what had happened, I had already shrunk to under a foot tall, situated below Autumn, who had shifted into a standing position.

“Seth!” she cried, looking down at me. Her voice caused me to flinch. “You can shrink too,” she gasped. 

I struggled to bring my knees out from under myself so that I could rock backwards. I was magically exhausted and for the time being, stuck at my diminutive size. I could feel the shakes starting in my limbs as my overuse of magic started taking energy from my physical body in order to maintain the magic I wanted to keep in place. I collapsed backwards, laying on the ground, staring up at Autumn’s face, seeming to be about a hundred feet above where I lay.

“Seth, are you alright?” Autumn’s voice boomed and reverberated through me. She had gotten on her knees and was bringing her face down low. All I could do was shake my head. “Why have you not changed back?”

“I do not have the energy,” I croaked. A puzzled look overtook her features. I knew she could not hear me.

“Um, may I lift you?” I groaned, but nodded my consent. Carefully, she maneuvered the fingers of one hand under me and then used her other hand to slowly turn my body so that my head lay on her fingers and my body in her palm. She deliberately asked her next question before lifting me towards her face. “Can you repeat what you said?”

I nodded and she lifted me up, turning an ear towards me. “I cannot shift so much without becoming exhausted,” I called as loudly as I could muster. “I will need to rest.”

She lowered me away from her ear, her hand coming to rest on her legs, as she sat cross-legged. “You can rest. I will keep you safe.”

I had little choice and welcomed the moment to shut my eyes. The warmth of her hand was comforting at my back and lulled me into a half sleep.

A twitch of Autumn’s fingers woke me. “Riders approach,” she whispered. I craned my neck to see and cursed. Three bandits rode towards us.

I lightly tugged on my magic, checking my reserves. The sun was much lower on the horizon, so I had slept nearly two hours, I estimated. Autumn stood, the bandits already within shouting distance. They split to circle Autumn.

I banged my fist into Autumn’s palm to get her attention. She looked down to find me holding out my hand in a manner that denoted the hand she was using to hold me. Then, I flicked my wrist, making the motion of throwing. Autumn looked appalled and shook her head. I nodded and made the motion again.

“What do you have there, lass?” one of the bandits inquired.

“You look like you might have something worth our time,” another said, from behind us.

Autumn was not looking at me anymore and I slammed my fist into her palm again. “Do it!” I screamed. She made a pained expression and pulled her arm back, then pitching it forward, releasing me to sail through the air.

I waited for my body to spin so that I was facing the first bandit and then sharply called upon my magic, my body rapidly expanding. By the time I reached the first bandit, my feet were on the ground, I was fifteen feet tall, my body jacked with thick muscle, and my giant fist was driving into his body. He flew from his horse, which fell with him. I spun, my eyes locking on the other two bandits, one behind Autumn to the left and the other behind her to the right.

They were stunned, unsure what was happening, but as I brought my hulking form up to full height, they decided they wanted nothing to do with Autumn or even assisting their comrade. They fled.

“Impressive,” Autumn called out. I was already bringing my body back to the optimum Seth state. “Where do you hide those muscles normally?”

“My biggest muscle is my brain and I just pull from those vast stores,” I commented, receiving a laugh.

“Sure, I totally believe that!”

The strangled noise of the man behind me drew my attention around. The man’s horse had recovered, but the man still lay in a heap. “I may have broken a few of his ribs. He will need medical attention.”

“Can he even ride a horse?” Autumn asked, and as I considered how to answer, I realized that even if he were tied so that he was laying on his horse, the jerk and bounce would likely be very painful. I got the sense that Autumn was of the same mind as myself, not wishing further harm on him, despite the fact that he had sought to rob us.

“Not likely.” I sighed, knowing she would suggest what I was already considering.

“You could carry him.”

“Are you comfortable leading both of the horses?” She nodded. “The closest town that would have the adequate medical practice would be Lumin. We passed it on the way here.”

“You do not like the idea?” She was studying my face, which I tried to keep impartial.

“It is not that I do not like it, but that is two additional shifts today,” I reasoned, “and I have already been magically exhausted once and just shifted moments ago.”

“We can wait before departing,” she offered.

I nodded. I knew our options were limited by our own morals – having nixed both forcing him onto a horse and just straight up leaving him. “Have you had any of the bread and cheese?” She shook her head. “Would you like to?”

“Please. I got caught up when you were tiny and forgot my stomach.”

“Caught up?” I went through the pack I had removed from my own horse, retrieving the food. We sat together and I began pulling the bread apart before she responded.

“You know,” she pressed. I shook my head, denying that I knew what she meant. “Well, at first I got this rush of energy – I felt powerful and in control.” My brows knit together as I slowly chewed the thick bread crust. “But then I just felt at ease. I was holding another creature, a sentient creature, a beautiful creature in my hand, but the feeling came from the fact that I was trusted.

“I was certainly tempted to poke and prod, purely out of fascination, but there was such peace in letting you be.”

“It was certainly more peaceful for me,” I said.

She looked ashamed and diverted her eyes. “I am sorry.”

“You did not do anything,” I said with a half chuckle.

“But I wanted to. I would compare it to curiosity, a nagging urge.”

I shrugged, trying to be reassuring while also trying to calm my nerves. “You resisted,” I said plainly. “I would trust you to do it again.”

Her eyes shot up to meet mine. “You would?! You would shrink in from of me again?”

“I am not saying I want to, but if it had to happen, I would trust you.”

Our conversation shifted away from my gift and Autumn seemed a lot happier, making things flow easily. I was beginning to enjoy her company.

When I felt like I had enough reserve magical energy to make at least two major shifts in a short span of time, we began collecting and saddling the horses. My horse and the bandit’s horse were leashed to Autumn’s. She mounted and got a head start. We were in agreement that I could not be close to the horses, for fear of spooking them. I counted under my breath, giving her a two minute lead, before I let my magic rush through me, shooting me into the sky.

The man was unconscious and had been for some time. I stooped to pick him up, knowing that there was no way of lifting him so that he would feel no pain. His expression twisted as I used one hand to turn him on his side, allowing the other to side in behind him. Once he was in my hand, I followed after Autumn, making sure not to move too fast, not wanting to startle the horses with my approach.

As we had guessed, they were skittish having me walking next to them, one of my strides covering a massive spread of land. We kept pace together, with much of my concentration going into keeping my hand steady as I moved. It was not long before Autumn saw the first building break the horizon, soon allowing her to see much of the town. I, however, had seen it a lot sooner, having had the height advantage.

We slowed our pace, which became difficult for me. There was commotion within the walls and armed men were coming to the gate to prepare to fend off the potential threat – me.

A man called to us from atop the wall. “State your business!”

Autumn responded for us. “We come in peace. My friend is carrying a man who is injured and in need of medical aid.”

“How was the man hurt?”

“He and a few others tried to rob us and we defended ourselves.”

The man looked skeptical, but shouted back, “you will not be permitted to enter our town! We will send people out to you!”

“Fair enough.”

I knelt down and placed my hand against the ground. Two brawny men and a nurse came out after a few minutes. Each was shifty, hesitant about approaching my hand. The nurse inspected the man while the two hovered over her shoulders, their eyes staring up at me, waiting for me to become violent. One of the men had a stretcher on hand and the nurse instructed that they move the bandit onto it. They laid it on the ground, next to my hand, and each stepped up onto my hand, taking a side of the man’s body. They hoisted him up and hastily moved him onto the stretcher. They soon vanished back behind the walls of the town as I erected myself to full height.

Autumn had informed the nurse that one of the horses belonged to the man and it had been brought inside the walls. Autumn looked up to me expectantly and I nodded towards a distant cluster of trees that thickened into a forest. She rode towards it and I walked along side. I entered the woods by myself and when I could not see the town through the trees, I began to shrink myself, slowly walking back through the woods so that by the time I reached the edge, I was back to normal.

“So, why did you not shift back there?” Autumn inquired.

“Size changing is specific to my family. I am not ready for them to find me,” I commented.

“Someday, you could tell me why, if you like,” she offered. I gave a weak smile. She nodded in understanding.

I mounted my horse and we began the ride back to Graum, as the sky darkened. 

Nolan was not particularly pleased by our late arrival, but it was not until a week later that he called me into his office, with Marion being our only other company.

“I have heard a rumor,” he said as I shut the door behind me, “about a woman who commanded a giant and delivered a thieving bandit to the city of Lumin.” My jaw tensed, a twitch the only sign that I was affected by what he said. “I would assume that is my daughter they speak of.” Again I refrained from responding, letting the assumption be made, but not affirming or denying. “Pray tell, why was my daughter, my most prize possession, in the sights of a bandit?”

I was perturbed by the way he called Autumn a possession. “She was never in any danger during her ride, Lord LeBlanc.”

His lip curled at the way I did not directly answer his question. “I am finding it hard to trust that she is truly safe.”

“Lord, I assure you that in my care, she could be no safer.”

“Ha!” he laughed, but there was no joviality in the sound. “Who protects her from you?”

“Nolan,” Marion cooed, her hands coming from behind him to rest on his shoulders. “Do you not think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself? Autumn is within our home; she is safe.” He grumbled but seemed to relax. “I, myself, need to turn in for the night. I am going to have Seth escort me.” As Nolan’s face shifted, she added, “we woman should never have to fend for ourselves.” I watched Nolan’s eye twitch as he realized he could not deny her escort without admitting that women could fend for themselves or doing it himself, neither of which he seemed inclined to do.

Marion moved out from around his desk and I opened the door for her, bowing slightly, to keep up appearances. When we were alone, she sighed. “He thinks you are going to woo Autumn away from the path he sees for her.”

“Woo?”

Marion’s face sagged into a sad expression as she shook her head. “Women are so susceptible to the influences of men that she will not even know that you are taking her for yourself,” she said in a tone that matched her expression.

It took me a moment to realize she was pulling my leg, imitating what Nolan might say. “He is on to my nefarious plot,” I sighed. “So, what am I twisting her away from?”

“Roland. She is staying from him, towards you, in Nolan’s eyes.” I think my confusion must have been plainly written on my face. “I cannot say that she was ever truly on that path, but, you certainly are more appealing to her. You are a choice she would be making, to start.”

“I shall have to make myself appear more feminine and then I will not be a lure,” I joked, my statement’s irony holding its own humor for me.

“It would not change her view of you,” she said. Her tone was serious and oddly knowing, making me want to backpedal away from the conversation.

“So, what has given him the idea that I am influencing her?” We were nearing the private quarters and I knew we would soon be in the presence of the night guards that stood vigilant outside each room worth guarding.

“She is smiling a lot more, has not complained in three days, and is adamant about garden walks.”

I lifted my brow. “And that is proof enough that she is poisoned by the likes of me?”

“Why not just try to keep your alone time more alone,” Marion suggested with a smile. With that, we were in sight of her room. “Thank you for your assisting me to my room.” I bowed in response.

~*~

I found Autumn in the morning and escorted her to break her fast. She brought her meal to the study, under the pretense that she would be awaiting her tutor. We were relatively alone, but there was plenty of reason for sudden intrusion. “I hear that my father spoke to you last night.”

“He did, Lady,” I said, knowing it would result in the miffed look that Autumn then wore. She did not like when our status difference was vocalized. It did not sit well with her. However, it was my way of letting her know that we needed to keep up pretenses.

“And, what did he have to say?” Her tone was neutral.

“He was concerned about your ride a week ago. He heard a rumor.”

“Oh?”

“About a woman who ‘commanded a giant’.”

She looked up from her food, concern coloring her eyes. “And what did you tell him of this woman?”

“I did not tell him about how she threw the first punch, so to speak.”

A snort broke our charade and we grinned together, before each struggling to regain our composure. “Was there anything further?”

“Yes, he seemed concerned that we spend too much time together, Lady.”

She groaned, rolling her eyes. “That is his own fault.”

“It is not my place to say.” At that point, I was mostly poking fun at her dislike at the situation.

“What do you suggest we do?”

“Your mother suggested we be more private.”

Her brow raised. “Mother approves of our behavior?”

“So it would seem,” I replied with a grin.

“I do not have studies tomorrow,” she offered.

“I have duty every day. I do not know if I will be able to get it off.”

She chuckled. “So you will be all mine?”

I felt warmth in my chest invoked by her phrasing. “At your service,” I said, keeping with the charade to hide the way her words affected me.

“Perhaps that is all we need,” she said, her eyes distant, thoughtful. I recognized that she was plotting.

I was forced to wait patiently until the next day to find out her plans. I went to her room, but was directed to the bathing room by a maid who had set about cleaning her room. I was confused, but it just became harder to comprehend as I arrived. Two guards stood outside the entrance, barring my way. “No one is to enter,” one said, his voice monotone. I did not recognize the guard, nor his companion, but was saved having to explain myself by Autumn opening the door.

“He is permitted, but no one else. He is my bodyguard, after all.” The two moved aside, letting me pass. I hesitantly entered the chamber.

The chamber was comprised of two separate rooms. The first was a room that was more similar to a sitting room, but had standing screens for the purpose of changing behind. The room was for getting oneself ready for special occasions after bathing. Beyond it was a room with a massive sunken bath. I had never been in either room, but the lay out had been explained when I was getting a rundown of the manor’s layout.

“No one is to enter,” Autumn repeated the man’s words, smirking.

“Clever,” I offered.

“We can talk without the charade,” she exclaimed, grinning.

“Are you supposed to be bathing? Is that going to happen while we talk?”

“It was not within my plan, but if you would like, we could soak in the water.” My breath hitched. She was offering something I had not expected. I wondered if I had missed some step in our relationship. “The water gets cloudy, so, as long as I enter first, we are just two people sharing a bath. It has plenty of room.”

“Um, maybe another time,” I declined, the idea of my being nude not sitting well with my image as Seth.

“I look forward to it,” she chuckled, and I felt my stomach flip over. Did she know how much it hurt to say no? I knew my liking for her was expanding.

She moved to the couch, sitting down. I slowly moved to sit across from her. “So,” I said, but my voice died as my thoughts lingered on the idea of being in the bath with her.

“We have to come up with a better way to live,” she prompted.

“Yes! Your father is wary.” My brows furrowed as I recalled our predicament. We saw each other as our only companions in the smothering grip of our own statuses. Our time to talk was our only escape from these confines, but our statuses did not even allow for that to be easy.

“Why was it that he got all concerned about woman and bodyguard being together?”

“Um, he thinks I am going to influence you away from Roland.”

“Huh,” she let me wait for her thoughts. “He could be more wrong.”

“Excuse me?”

“I think I have been fairly clear,” she stated.

It felt both straight forward and convoluted. “Could you say it plainly?”

“I thought your biggest muscle was your brain,” she chuckled, unperturbed by the conversation.

“Yes, but sometimes it overthinks things, this being a grand example.” There was a tightness in my chest. I had been receiving hints, I knew, but I always overwrote them with new meaning.

“I like you.”

“And I like you. That is why we are able to share conversation.”

When she blinked, it held for a moment longer than normal, in time with her breath being held before sharply released. “I find myself attracted to the possibility of viewing our relationship as something other than comradery or even friendship.”

“Oh.” My brain had halted, momentarily overloaded by what seemed like something suddenly thrown on me, but as I began to cycle through the events of the past days, I began to conjure incidents where Autumn’s hand lingered on my back or the seemed to be smiling without cause while meeting my eyes. I was aware of my own feelings, but had not considered them a possibility.

“Is that as far as your overthinking goes?”

I chuckled, broken from my own overwhelm enough to recognize that I felt strongly enough to forgo my own fears, at least at this point. “I do not know that I would have put it so well, but I feel the same.”

She grinned. She rose, her movements like a cat, stalking towards me. I rose to meet her, as we collided in an embrace, our lips tangling, further communicating our feelings, in a way that words could not. I felt a weight I did not know I was baring lift off of my shoulders.

When we split, there was a silence that lingered between us. “We are really going to need to find a solution,” I murmured.

“No one enters my rooms at night,” she responded, her breath playing on my neck.

“I am included in that,” I chuckled.

“But you could get by the guards, right?”

It took me a moment to understand what she was implying. “It would not be easy.”

“Are you willing to do it?” She was looking up at me with a pleading expression.

I had already decided I was, nodding to convey the message. Which is how I found myself at the corner of the hall that led to Autumn’s room, later that night. The night guards could not see around the corner. With that in mind, I pulled at my magic, tugging it into my body, forcing my world to expand rapidly, until I stood half as tall as the trimming that lined the bottom of the walls. I peeked around the corner, noting that my journey had expanded from about ten paces to a sizeable hike. I kept myself close to the trimming, walking the distance while the whole time looking up at the gigantic men that stood guard over my destination.

The closer I got, the more strained my nerves became. I did not like being at such a great disadvantage, even though the men had no inclination that I was there. All it would take was one wanting to shift their gaze, studying the floor for a new pattern, and my predicament would become far worse. I made myself smaller, less noticeable, and eventually my journey took me passed the boots to the first man. The sole of his boot reached further into the air than I. I was just glad to see the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door. Passing over the threshold brought me to the next leg of my journey – traversing Autumn’s room.