That night Lin Chung couldn't sleep. His chest hurt as the spell was slowly making his body freeze from the inside out. He shivered as his breath came out like a fog.
"I'm going to die if I don't do something…" He thought.
The gray-haired teen got up from his bed and walked down the hall, trying to warm himself up. As he walked Lin Chung subconsciously stopped in front of Autumn's room.
"Maybe something in one of Autumn's spellbooks can help me." He thought as he opened the door.
The rooms First Squad had been given were just as big as Sonia's old room with large beds, vanities, and privet bathrooms. On the vanity sat Autumn's bag and spellbooks. As he walked towards her bag he stopped as he heard Autumn move in her sleep and mumble something about blue flying cats. After she settled back down he continued towards her bag. Once he reached her bag, he grabbed one of her spellbooks and attempted to leave but something compelled him to go over to Autumn.
Lin Chung walked over to the sleeping girl and watched her chest rise and fall with each breath. He wished more than anything that he could talk to her about what was going on but the stupid potion Lady Green was keeping him from doing so. As Autumn turned over in her sleep, he couldn't help but notice that Autumn was a bit chubbier than she had been earlier that morning.
"She looks gross," the part of him that was under the potion said. "Look how fat she is! Land whale ahoy!"
"She looks beautiful!" the other part of him argued. "Autumn is beautiful no matter what! So what if she is a bit on the squishy side? It's just more of her to love!"
"I think you're missing an important detail," A new animalistic voice said, making Lin Chung almost drop the book in surprise. "She's our soul mate."
He looked around and saw a figure looking at him in the vanity's mirror. He walked closer and noticed the figure in the mirror was him in his animalistic form! Looking down he noticed he didn't change into the form, so how was this possible?
"Open your eyes, Lin!" The figure said. "You know deep down that you think of her as more than just 'a girlfriend' and that you're more than just a normal human. When we get home, we should get father to perform the bonding ceremony. That way no one can take her from us. Not Twin Masters, not High Roller, not Tempest and not Wu Fan."
Lin Chung shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "This potion is making me hallucinate…"
As he left his reflection lingered for a bit and smiled at Autumn.
"We'll be back together soon, love." It whispered before disappearing.
The next morning Autumn dragged Mighty Ray out of his bed by his foot and out to the woods.
"Ugg…. Why are we up before sunrise again?" Mighty Ray whined.
"Because I need a training partner and since Lin Chung is under a spell you're my lucky victim," Autumn said.
"Uh, are you sure you can train in your uh…. condition?" He asked.
"You train with your's."
"HEY!"
Autumn stopped in a clearing. "Look if I can't use my physical attacks to fight then I'll have to use my magical attacks."
"Why ask Sonia to train then?"
"Because I don't trust her not to go easy on me. I know you won't," she said. "Also, have you tried waking her up at this early?"
Mighty Ray snickered. "Alright fine."
Autumn stood across from him and tossed him a banana. "Give me everything you got!"
Mighty Ray swallowed the banana. "I MIGHTY RAY! FEAR MY EYEBALLS!" He shouted.
The shorter warrior shot his lightning at the moon mage. Autumn created a shield around herself and smirked.
"Is that all you got?" She taunted.
Mighty Ray growled and reached into his pocket and pulled out the weapon he had chosen from the armory: A pair of brass knuckles. He channeled the electricity down is arms and into his fist. He ran towards the shield and punched it as hard as he could, using the brass knuckles as a conductor and shattered the shield and sending Autumn flying into the trees behind her.
"Whoa Autumn are you okay?!" Mighty Ray yelled.
The red-head shot a beam of moon energy at him sending him flying into a tree.
"I'm okay, how about you?" she asked.
Mighty Ray laughed. "I'm okay, but that was a cheap shot!"
The two continued to train until the sun was up. Autumn sat down exhausted and panting.
"You okay?" Mighty Ray asked.
Alex nodded. "Magical training takes a lot more out of me than physical training for some reason." She panted.
Mighty Ray nodded and sat next to her. "Are you worried?"
"About Lin Chung or my weight?"
"Both."
Autumn sighed. "It's not like I haven't been chubby before. If I have the lose the weight the normal way so be it," She said. "But Lin? I don't know what I'm going to do if we can't break the spell…"
Mighty Ray patted Autumn's shoulder. "Hey don't think like that! We'll save him!"
The red-head smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem. Now come on let's get back to training!"
Autumn nodded and got up.
When the two got back to the palace Autumn found a package on her bed with a note.
"I finished your clothes for you Autumn. Also, last night I received a pattern from someone named Dewei Dishi and I thought it would look really pretty on you. -Jasper
Ps. If you need any alterations to come see me."
Autumn unwrapped the package and found several of her old outfits altered to fit her new body along with a few new outfits. She pulled out a long bluish-green dress and set it on a chair before going to freshen up in the bathroom. Once she was out of the room Lady Green slowly opened the door and walked over to her clothes, took the dark red bottle and put a drop on all the outfits. For a second the clothes glowed dark red before turning back to normal.
"Phase one complete," She whispered. "Now for phase two."
"Shit I forgot the soap!" Autumn yelled.
Startled, Lady Green dropped the bottle and jumped out the window.
Autumn stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of soap off the vanity. Out of the corner of the mirror, she spotted the bottle lying at the base of her bed. She went over and picked it up to examine it.
"What's this?" she wondered.
She took the cork out a gave it a quick sniff and scrunched up her nose. It smelt overwhelmingly of catnip and rose water.
"Yuck… Must be one of Sonia's perfumes," Autumn muttered as she put the cork back in. "How she can stand the smell of that stuff I'll never know."
She placed the bottle in her bag and went back into the bathroom.
Outside Lady Green was plucking thrones out of her butt, as she had landed in one of Eros's rose bushes. Once she had gotten all of the thorns out, she walked into the woods and found Heiken and Wu Fan waiting for her.
"Did you put the potion on her clothes?" Wu Fan asked.
"I did," Lady Green said. "How's it going with Fu's potion?"
"He said it would take two days to make but I bribed him with an extra two hundred gold pieces," He said. "Hopefully it'll be done by tonight."
Heiken nodded. "It should be with Fu and Ah Cy's potion brewing abilities."
"Then all we have to do wait." Lady Green said.
Wu Fan smirked. "I can't wait to have that chubby red-head obeying my every command, cooking, and cleaning and carrying my children."
"Where's Autumn?" Mr. No-Hands asked. "It doesn't take her this long to get ready."
First Squad, Lady Green and the royal family were all waiting in the throne room for Duusuu and Stoic to show up, but Autumn hadn't come down yet. No one had seen her since she had gotten back from the training that morning.
Duusuu and Stoic had messaged them that they would be arriving in the afternoon rather than in the morning due to some unforeseen traveling issues.
"If she doesn't come down soon, she'll miss the festival!" Topaz said.
"She probably got stuck in a door." Lady Green said under her breath.
Tempest nearly lunged at her and strangled the vile red-head. Why they hadn't sent her back to Big Green in chains was beyond his understanding.
"Maybe someone should check on her?" Agate asked.
"I'll go," Jasper offered. "She might need some help with the new dresses I made."
"There's no need," A guard said coming in. "Lady Autumn is walking down the hall as we speak."
Just as the guard finished his sentence Autumn entered the room. She wearing the blue/green dress that Jasper had made for her. The dress complemented Autumn's new figure nicely, drawing attention to her chest and hips, rather than her round tummy budge. The bottom part of the dress, as well as the sleeves, was covered by a beautiful vine pattern that Jasper had stitched by wing. Autumn was wearing a pair of blue slipper shoes. Autumn also appeared to be in a daze.
"Autumn are you okay?" Tempest asked as she stood next to him.
"Yeah, I'm just hungry," Autumn said in a daze.
Tempest muttered something about her needing to stop skipping breakfast.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Duusuu the Snow Leopard Queen and Stoic the Ram King." The guard said.
The doors opened to reveal Duusuu the Wise and Stoic the Strong.
Stoic was a gray big-horned ram with dark wool and dark brown eyes. His front and back legs were as thick a tree-trunks with shiny black hooves. His horns were black with sharp tips, made for impaling things he ran into. When he smiled it was like being smiled at a pro-wrestler who just won the championship belt.
Duusuu was more interested in the book she was reading than watching where she was going. She walked right into the door frame.
"Ow." She said as she continued to read.
The snow leopard had bright white fur with grayish blue spots that covered her entire body and tail. Her eyes were all blue with a slit pupil like most cats, and around her eyes were two spots making it look like she had glasses on. Around her neck was thick gray scruff that looked like a fluffy scarf.
"Duusuu! Stoic! Its been too long." Eros said.
"Ay Eros!" Stoic laughed. "This must be the famous First Squad! Lin Chung, Mystique Sonia, Mighty Ray, Jumpy Ghostface, Autumn Moon, and Mr. No-Hands."
"And the other red-head must be Lady Green," Duusuu said without looking up from her book.
Lady Green smiled. "It's an honor to meet two members of the Warriors Ten."
"Likewise." The two animals said.
"Now that introductions are out of way, we should head down to the festival," Agape said.
The group went down to Shīqùle Hěnjiǔ, but Autumn trailed behind.
"Maybe if you lost some weight you wouldn't be so slow," Lin Chung said. The two were just out of earshot so no one could hear them.
"I know you don't mean that," Autumn said bravely, even though his words cut into her like a knife.
"You're even starting to waddle. You're disgusting." He continued, even though with each insult a little piece of him died.
"T-That's just the spell talking." She stuttered; tears were starting form at the corner of her eyes.
"You can't fight, your magic's weak and you're a fat-ass," He snarled. "The only thing you'd be good for is being some loser's wife. At least then you could raise some children and be useful."
Autumn started crying and ran off into the woods, leaving behind a very regretful Lin Chung.
As Autumn ran, she found herself on the shore of a large lake. She sank to her knees and cried until her tears ran out. Looking at her reflection in the water she no longer saw a brave, confident soldier she once was, instead, she saw a lost and scared young woman who was in someone else's body.
Flashbacks to Coconut Crab Island flashed in her mind as she began to feel a panic attack starting. If she had been stronger then Twin Masters wouldn't have possessed her. If she had been smarter, she wouldn't have gotten hypnotized. Her vision began to blur and her breaths began to shorten, making it hard to breathe.
"You should have let Wu Fan take you and make you a proper woman…" A voice said in her head.
"Maybe your right…." She wheezed.
"Autumn? Sweetie, why are you crying?" Ah Cy asked from behind her.
Autumn jumped looked up, tears still running down her face. "I can't do this anymore… I can't keep fighting.."
Ah Cy helped Autumn up and looked her over. Her dress was stained with mud and tears.
"Okay lets you cleaned up." Ah Cy said.
She brought Autumn to her home and gave her a robe to change into and had her sit in the area where she did makeovers for her matchmaking services.
"Here," Ah Cy said as she handed Autumn a cup of tea. "This will make you feel better."
Autumn muttered a thank you and sipped the tea. Ah Cy took out a comb and began combing her hair.
"I'm going to make you look so pretty that Lin Chung will choke on his words." She said.
Over the next hour and a half, Ah Cy gave Autumn a full makeover. She washed her hair and added some special hair oils to make her hair wavy and shiny. She put a light coat of foundation on her face along with a nice coat of orange/pink eyeshadow on her eyelids along with some black eyeliner. As she applied the blush an old woman came in with a very traditional looking turquoise dress with gold embroidery around the waist, hem, and sleeves.
"I couldn't get the stains out of the dress Ah Cy so a brought one of my daughter's old dresses instead." The woman said.
"Oh Autumn this is Heikin, she owns the apothecary down the street." Ah Cy said. Autumn gave a small wave.
"I heard you were having some boy problems, so I would like to offer my services."
"What kind of services?" Autumn asked.
"Why I can turn you into a proper woman, one that any man would be happy to marry. You already have the figure most women would kill for," She explained. "Perfect childbearing hips, a strong body for manual labor, and let us not forget your other 'assets'."
Autumn blushed a bit. "But I don't want to get married or have kids," She said softly, but Heikin was pretty convincing. "I like fighting and being a solider for Big Green."
"Do you?" Ah Cy asked as she painted Autumn's nails. "Being so…. Un-lady-like seems to have driven Lin Chung away and he can't fully appreciate your new body. Why not be someone who can fully appreciate your body? Haven't you always wanted to be a bit more feminine? Wearing pretty dresses, having men fawn over you, being able to enjoy the finer things in life? If you married the right man, he could have servants wait on you hand and foot."
"That does sound kind of nice," Autumn said as she thought about how nice it would be to be treated like a princess. "But who would love someone as fat as me?"
"My dear, many men would kill to have a full-figured woman like you on their arm. You'd be a sign of their wealth and power," Heikin said. "I have a nephew who is waiting outside, why don't you change your clothes and I'll bring him in?"
The red-head nodded and went to change into the dress. As she changed, she began thinking about how nice the make-over felt. If she did marry someone of high standing, she could feel like this all the time, and if they did like her body then that was a bonus.
Autumn looked in the mirror and smiled. The dress did make her look very nice, like someone's bride. She placed her hand on her chubby tummy and imagined what it would be like to be carrying a baby.
"Snap out of it, Autumn!" Part of her said. "This isn't like you!"
Autumn ignored the voice in her head and stepped out in her new outfit. She didn't see any guy only Heikin holding a small cake, no bigger than a cupcake, shaped like a rose.
"My nephew is shy but this is a gift of his affection, a rose cake." She said and placed the cake in her hand. "Why don't you enjoy it while I convince him to come in."
As the old woman left Autumn looked down at the cake. Part of her was screaming at her not to eat it, but the other part (the part that skipped both breakfast and lunch) told her to eat it.
Autumn brought the cake up to her mouth and took a bite. Immediately her mouth filled the sweet taste of the cake. Her body felt warm and tingly, as though someone had wrapped her in a warm blanket on a cold winter day. She took a second, more dainty bite, and let out a soft girlish giggle. Memories of her old life melted away and were replaced with etiquette lessons, dancing, sewing, and cooking lessons thought to her by Heikin.
After the third bite her posture straightened and her skin became much softer and more delicate. Her body gained a few more pounds, but this time they were centered in her chest, rather than her lower body. As she swallowed the last bite, gone was Autumn Lilly Moon. The woman that stood in her place was Lady Autumn Lilly. The only things that remained of the old Autumn were her moon marks.
"Autumn, may I introduce your future husband, Lord Wu Fan," Heikin said as Wu Fan entered the room.
The redhead bowed before her future husband.
"Oh dearest husband I offer myself to you so that we may further your noble bloodline," Autumn said in a soft, dainty voice.
Wu Fan smirked and tilted her head up. "My plump cherry blossom I have waited to hear those words from you for a long time. I shall take you to my estate in two days so that we may start our family, but tonight we will enjoy the festival. Why don't you touch up your make up before we leave? I must have the most beautiful woman on my arm tonight."
Autumn nodded and left the room. As she walked away Wu Fan watched his plump wife sway as she walked.
"You did your part well but what happens if the potion wears off?" He asked.
"Fu made plenty, but it does carry a few side effects if you give her too much, so be careful," Heikin said. "Also, why not take her tonight?"
"I want to rub it in the faces of those Big Green punks. Also, the servants need time to prep the wedding feast for our return."
Autumn made her way back to Wu Fan with a soft smile. "Shall we go, my generous husband?"
Wu Fan nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked. As they walked, he squeezed her fat, making the young woman squeak in surprise.
"M-My lord?" She asked timidly.
"I'm just teasing you my darling but," he leaned in close and whispered something in her ear, making her blush a red as a tomato.