Chapter Two
"I talked to Rinslet." Sven said as he lit up a cigarette. "She said that she'd look up some possibilities for us."
"Possibilities?" Emerald asked, looking up at him.
"Of what could do this to you and Train." Sven replied. "And more importantly: who could change you back."
"She can get that kind of stuff?" Emerald asked.
"She's a thief, remember?" Train asked as he managed to tip a bottle of milk over and then began to tug at the foil lid, using his newly obtained kitty canines. But he was too weak to open it. He growled in frustration.
Eve took the bottle, opened it easily and poured the whole contents into a nearby bowl. Train instantly began to drink, having already missed his morning bottle of milk.
Emerald sat by Eve, staying far away. She still felt the heavy weight of guilt on her chest and shoulders; she didn't feel as though she had the right to share anything with him anymore.
Train looked up after a long moment, the fur on his upper lip coated in milk. "Hey, Em, aren't you thirsty?"
Emerald shook her head. "No, I'm not." She lied. She jumped down onto Eve's lap and decided that it would be best if she just stayed away from Train from now on.
Train frowned and looked up at Sven who merely shrugged. He walked over to the edge of the table and looked down at Emerald. "Em, what's the matter?"
Emerald turned her head away. "Nothing."
A week passed and Emerald avoided Train any chance she got – even if she had to resort to sitting on Sven's knee, a place that Train would never go near. She felt horrible about it, knowing that it hurt Train dearly – the dull look in his gold eyes whenever he looked at her. But she knew that it was for the better. She'd only caused frustration and inconvenience – no matter how much she wished she could sleep beside him as she had used to.
One day, she woke, curled in the folded blankets of Eve's bed, to find that the young blonde wasn't there. She sat up, frantically looking around the room. "Eve?"
"She, and Sven, aren't here."
Emerald turned to the familiar voice, her heart aching. His arms were crossed; his eyes fixed on her in a stare at told her he wasn't going to mess around. "Where did they go?"
"Out."
"Why?"
"Because I need to have a private conversation with you." Train replied, walking up to her and then sitting down. "I'm concerned, Em. You're not talking to me and if I say anything you downright ignore me. I'm worried that I've done something to hurt you and I have no idea what it was."
"Train, it's not something that you have done." Emerald explained desperately, wishing for him to just understand. "I've hurt you too much and caused too much trouble. I'm no use to this team, so the sooner we get turned back to ourselves the better."
"What do you mean 'no use'?" Train asked. "You're so special to all of us."
"Yeah, well, when I leave I'd rather not have to take a broken heart with me." Emerald said.
Train tilted his head to the side. "A broken heart?"
"I need to separate myself from all of you so that then the break off with be easier. Do you understand?"
"Yes, but…why wouldn't you want to savour the time you have with us before you leave?" Train asked.
"Because then I might want to stay."
"And if I want you to stay?" Train mumbled.
"Pardon me?"
Train caught onto his friendship ruining question and quickly changed it. "What if we don't want you to leave?"
Emerald sniffed. "I have to. I told you, all I cause is trouble. You don't want me around."
"Why do you assume that? If you left…I'd have to follow you."
"Why?"
"Because you're my best friend…I'd always worry about you." Train admitted. "The last time I felt this way….she died…and it hurt." He looked down, feeling the pang in his chest as he thought of Saya – the woman that changed his life. "I don't want to feel it again."
"I'm not going to die."
"But I'll always feel that you're going to. Do you understand this? I'd miss you, Em."
Emerald clutched her head, confusion and pain driving her mad. "But I can't. What use would I be to you even as a human?"
"I could always teach you how to fire a gun." Train said with a shrug.
She studied him, trying to work out what he was saying. "Do you mean that?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die. Besides, I'm one of the best gunmen in the world." Train said, puffing out his chest proudly.
Emerald chuckled and pushed him over. "Okay, okay."
He rolled around on his back for a little while, putting on his 'come and rub my stomach' kitten ruse – which had been used a lot in the past week to attract suspects. "So you won't leave?" He asked.
"I'll see."
Train jumped up and tackled her. "Good enough for me!"
Emerald giggled as he nuzzled at her stomach – causing her to be ticklish. "I'm ticklish?" She asked.
Train grinned. "Oh, you are?"
"No, Train, no."
When Sven and Eve returned they encountered the kitty play fight that had turned epic, with Train one bed and Emerald on the other, they were launching anything they had to the other side.
"What are you two doing?" Sven demanded.
The cat's froze and looked up at Sven and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Sven sighed. "Rinslet called."
Both of them stopped instantly and sat up.
"What did she say?" Train asked.
"There's a country where these kinds of transformations have become quite common – not just animal transformations. But she found this elderly woman who sells potions to the most desperate – taking only the minimum to give people whatever they say they need." Sven replied. "I have an address, but not photo. So we'll just have to hope that Rinslet is right."
"And she usually is, right?" Emerald asked.
"Impeccably so." Eve replied.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem?" Emerald asked.
"None." Train replied.
"So, where are we going then?" Emerald asked.
"The country of Ourania." Sven replied, pulling out a map and showing them where it was. "And their capital city is Anthea – there's a small village a few miles out from it. The woman lives there."
"So that's where we're going?" Train asked.
Sven nodded. "I already have flights booked."
"We don't have enough money for that." Train muttered.
"We caught a bounty while we were out; we used most of that to charter our flights out." Eve suddenly grinned over her book. "You and Emerald will have to ride in kitty carriers in the baggage section though."
Train and Emerald shared a look, not at all looking forward to that.
. : . : . : .
The flight was short, a blessing to Train and Emerald who were very shaken when the plane finally landed and they were given to Sven and Eve – they had to be carried as they were quaking in fear.
The city of Anthea was bustling in the middle of the day, the streets and markets were filled with people and horses. The city was a strange mixture of modern and olden day styles – the homes, transport and way of life were stuck in the old, yet the people dressed, acted, talked and had very modern ideas, but not morals. There were teenage girls with young children and older men for husbands.
"This is disturbing on so many levels." Train muttered.
"They live in the stone age." Emerald replied. "They don't know any different. We probably look like freaks."
"Probably because we have two talking cats." Sven said. "Stop talking of you'll attract attention."
"In this part of the world, magic is common. Nearly everything can talk if it can walk." Emerald explained. "Train and I are no different."
"How do you know so much about this place?" Eve asked curiously.
Emerald didn't reply straight away, caught up short by the question. "I don't know. Maybe this is my home town?"
"It could explain how you managed to get put under this spell in the first place." Train replied.
"But is everything talks here, how can you know that you're not a cat?" Sven asked.
"Because I feel as though I should be a human." Emerald replied.
All over the city there were posters proclaiming a hefty reward to the person who discovered the missing Princess, most of them were damaged from wear and rain – they had been up for a long time.
"We have to head out of town, don't we, Sven?" Eve asked.
"Yep, and there's the gate out of the city." Sven agreed.
Once they were out of the thriving city they rented a horse and rode down the dirt path, Eve handling the reigns while Sven held on for dear life – Train was on the head and Emerald was in Eve's lap.
Emerald watched as they rode on, staring out at the countryside that went on with barely a horizon to speak of, only one mountain and a few barns breaking the flat farmlands. Animals grazed in the fields beside the road, several speaking perfect human amongst themselves. She sighed in contentment, closing her eyes.
'A storm raged and the girl clung to the reigns of her galloping mare, holding her hooded cloak close around her slight form as the hurricane force winds threatened to pull it from her.'
Emerald threw her eyes open in fright. What had she just seen? A memory? A dream?
"Is that it there?" Eve asked, pointing to a small run down cottage separated from the village a few extra yards in the distance.
A tree shaded it perfectly from the midday sun – the windows falling from the hinges and the door hanging ajar. Over all it looked a little suspicious.
"Do you know much about this place?" Train asked the stallion, with whom he had been speaking with the whole trip.
"Not a lot." The horse replied with a thick British accent and a huskiness that came from a typical horses neigh. "I have heard nothing bad of it."
"Thanks, pal." Train said.
They dismounted the stallion and left him by the tree so that he could graze on the yellowing grass.
Sven walked right up to the door and knocked on it as he pulled it opened. "Hello?" He called. "Megara Turpis?"
Lights suddenly lit within the room and they shielded their eyes for a moment to adjust. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" A hoarse voice demanded. She sounded elderly – timid – afraid for a reason that they couldn't quite imagine.
However the room was still empty. Containers of all kinds were scattered around the floor and on counter tops, everything covered in a thicker than normal layer of dust. The table in the centre of the room was perfectly dusted and cleared, save for a purple silken sheet with intricate golden designs covering it.
Emerald stepped forward. "Megara Turpis? I believe that you may be able to assist us in a matter of transformations. Please won't you come out and speak with us."
From a dark room across the room they heard the creaking of floorboards as a person stepped over them and a woman, dressed in robes of deep purple – white hair hanging from under her hood, waddled in. She was hunched over, holding a walking stick shakily in one hand – the other holding her hip as though it was going to fall apart. "A transformation you say, young one?"
Emerald leapt from the floor and onto the table, stumbling a little upon landing. "Yes, if you please." She said as Train landed beside her.
Megara squinted at Emerald. "I know your voice."
"You do?" Train asked.
"Being a little blind can heighten one's hearing, young man." Megara replied. She turned around and began to open cupboards. "So, what kind of transformations are you after?"
"We want to be human again." Emerald replied.
"Ahh, yes. I believe I may be able to help. But I will require payment for such a transformation. It is far more complicated than turning a person into an animal."
Train and Emerald shared a look. "I don't think we have much." Train muttered.
"Sven?" Emerald asked.
"The horse rental took the rest of our money." Sven replied. "I'm sorry guys."
The woman looked over at them as Emerald let out a sob, yet no tears could flow. "My dear, I believe I know who you are. You paid me too much for a potion that I provided for you."
"I did?"
"The potion I gave you wiped you memories, as you wished. You will retrieve them when you are human again." Megara explained. "You were quite adamant to be rid of them."
"I was?"
"You were quite a sad young woman; I couldn't refuse your plea." Megara replied. She then settled her strange blue eyes on Train. "And you kissed this young man who doesn't share the same feelings that you have for him."
Emerald's cheeks darkened under her fur. "It was an accident. I hadn't meant to kiss him."
"It was hardly a kiss at all." Train added looking away.
The woman chuckled – a tone that made Emerald and Train avoid eye contact with one another.
"Please, can you help us?" Emerald pleaded.
Megara sighed. "I can't refuse your plea." She stood up and walked into the dark room.
Train and Emerald grinned at one another – they were going to be human again.
As Megara returned, she carried a small silken sack in her long, wrinkled fingers. "You might want to remove those collars, dear ones. You'll choke to death before you even reach your full transformations."
Eve and Sven immediately reached forward to take the bell collars from the cats as the woman opened the little sack and pulled out a brown strip of substance – it looked like a piece of jerky or nearly burnt bacon. She snapped it in half and held one half in each hand. "Now, please get off the table, I don't want to have it broken." Train and Emerald jumped off the table and walked over to her as she awkwardly knelt down. "Now, chew thoroughly and then swallow all of it at once." She said offering them the substance.
They chewed it carefully, being sure it would be swallowable. They looked at each other as they swallowed the potion. A brilliant blinding light filled the room, and everyone but Megara shielded their eyes.
Emerald had her eyes tightly shut, fighting the cries her throat wished to unleash as her body changed shape, fur retracted and hair grew to a great length, claws changed to nails and fingers grew. Her limbs changed shape and organs shifted and grew, whiskers fell off and sharp teeth began to flatten.
She opened her eyes as she felt her transformation come to an end; she was wearing a short black dress with pleats that reached her mid-thigh and a neckline that hung in a square and had thick straps over the shoulders. Long, golden hair flowed down to her lower back. She looked up at Train – who was in black pants and a brown shirt – he was shaking his head a little in discomfort as he adjusted to being a human again. Sven handed him his usual shirt and jacket and also Hadis and Train quickly changed, glad to be back to his old self.
She opened her mouth to speak as she took a step forward – all at once she fell to her knees, wincing as her legs were not accustomed to walking without the front legs for support.
Train instantly knelt in front of her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She looked up and stared into his gold eyes. "Train. I know who I am. I have to leave this country at once."
"Why?" Train asked, astonished at her immediate wish to leave. "What's the matter?"
"I can't explain it now." She insisted. "I promise you, I will, but I can't." She said as he gave her a look. "Not here, not now." She tried to force her legs to cooperate as she began to stand.
Train held her arm as she made it to her feet and she took several tentative steps until she no longer needed assistance. "Em, are you okay?" he asked.
She sighed. "Yes, yes. I'm okay. I just – I feel uneasy."
"So you remember who you are?" Sven asked.
"What's your true name?" Eve asked.
Emerald opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly there was a high pitched whistle and the rumble of approaching marchers. "No." She muttered. "No it cannot be."
She turned to where Megara had been standing, and she wasn't there, but a tall man in royal decorated armour was. He had his helmet under his arm and a sword on his belt. His greying black hair was short and his beard was freckled with grey.
Emerald breathed out her nose with frustration, straightening her back. "Captain Carolos." She greeted dryly. "Good to see that you're going to gain that reward."
The man grinned. "I won't be getting the reward." He said. "That pathetic witch will be receiving it."
"She helped me, and she was kind to me." Emerald cried. "Don't speak of her that way."
The Captain raised his eyebrows in amusement. "If you say so."
The door crashed open and soldiers entered, capturing Sven, Eve and Train before they could react or fight back. Eve was about to transform her hair to retaliate, Train was reaching for his Hadis.
"Don't resist!" Emerald cried. "That'll only get you killed. I assume the laws are still much the same." She said, casting a sideways glance at the Captain.
"They are." He nodded.
"Then, I, Princess Fayette Callista Yvonne Alvarez, of Anthea, Ourania – command that you release these innocent Sweepers, the people who saved me from death and brought me back to Ourania."
Train was staring wide eyed at Emer-Fayette, unable to comprehend that she really was who she was saying she was.
"Ahh so they really deserve the reward then, don't they?" Captain Carolos asked as he waved a hand and the soldiers dropped their hold on the trio.
"I request that Megara is given compensation and reward for restoring me to my human form." Fayette replied.
Captain Carolos pulled a jingling bag of money from his belt and dropped it onto the table. "There. She has been paid. For agreeing to let us hide out in her home." He sneered.
Fayette's eyes widened. "No."
"Of course, we had to threaten her with her life. Pathetic old woman."
Fayette was baring her teeth – a habit picked up from her cat days. "I warned you, Captain!" She said, her voice seething with an anger that no one had ever seen. "Never speak of her that way!"
"Em…" Train whispered.
Fayette turned to Train, smiling at the familiar shortening of a name that she would forever reply to. "I wish I had known, so that I could have told you." She explained. "But I remember now, that was the purpose. But I guess I never counted of wanting to be a human again so badly."
Train smiled. "You're a Princess then, huh?"
"It sounds so cliché, I know." She looked away, the guilt in her heart rising and growing heavy – because she knew that there was no chance of her getting away this time and she would no longer be allowed to fall in love with Train. "You three should join me at the castle. You can take advantage of my family's hospitality until you can get your reward and get out of this cursed country while you can."