The herald ushered them into the throne room. It was opulent with high ceilings and tapestries on the walls.
"Your Majesty, may I present the Marquis of Wildwood, Lady Theresa, Countess of Waldwick, The Honorable Sir Thomas of Harding, and The Honorable Lady Daphne Waldwick, Baroness of Tyndale."
"Theresa ignored the herald's words; instead her attention was drawn to the king. He sat in the centre of the room upon a richly decorated throne. His features were as her vague recollections had shown her, he was dark featured and he wore deep blue clothing with a heavy looking crown upon his forehead.
Theresa felt quite nervous. His face wore a rather bored expression, but her impression he missed little was reinforced by a canny gleam in his eyes. The rumors that he was a fool seemed obviously untrue.
Beside the king, in an equally exquisite chair sat the queen. She was wearing a high waisted gown and a crown which matched, but was smaller and more delicate. She looked incredibly serene, as if she were completely confident in however the king would decide.
Theresa hoped that the king's decision would allow her to share the queen's feelings.
"Lady Waldwick, what is it that you desire of us?" the king asked with disinterest. Theresa felt a twinge of annoyance but pushed it down. He was the king, after all.
She rushed forward and curtseyed before her sovereign.
Theresa stood up. "Please forgive my appearance. We have travelled far today and we were disguised for safety up until now. Your Majesty, we beg a boon of you," she said, hoping that her voice sounded steady. She rather doubted that it did.
Theresa could feel her knees shaking and she wished that her legs were hidden by her normal long skirts.
He nodded. "What is this boon?"
Theresa rushed forward with her explanation, "We beg that you remove the Dowager Vicountess of Rytham from power over our estates. She has used coercive magic upon my sister and I to control us for years and she transformed me against my will."
The king was silent. Theresa desired nothing more than to flee from the room. It was difficult to remained standing rigidly before the man who held her fate in his uncertain ringed hands.
"We've heard a story similar to this one before," he commented. "Have you any proof?"
Wildwood had been standing behind her silently, but he moved forward and bowed briefly. "Your Majesty, Lady Waldwick is still under the effects of the spell. She beard a counter transformation and the spell must be maintained as long as she is to remain human."
The king looked towards his queen. She smiled and said to the king, "She blazes with magic. There are certainly powerful spells upon her."
"Indeed," he agreed.
The queen looked at Wildwood and smiled. "My dear Lord Wildwood, could you remove the counter transformation so that we might see the effects of the original spell?"
Theresa felt her stomach plummet. She did not want to be a cat and most especially not in front of royalty.
Wildwood glanced at Theresa. She forced herself to nod, feeling only slightly better he had wanted her consent for the change.
Of course, there was no choice, not really. She felt the familiar unpleasant tingling, but remained silent as she felt the cat's mind flood back into her own.
The cat part of her mind was startled for a moment, but quickly realized she was not overly impressed by her surroundings. She did not know where she was and was aware of unfamiliar humans around.
There were three she recognized, two of which had fed her in the past. Her cat side decided she was rather as bored as the king looked.
Theresa felt the cat's calm and let it soothe her own mind. She sat with her paws neatly under her and waited to hear what the king and queen would say.
"How fascinating," the queen said breathlessly. "Seldom will we have the opportunity to witness such spectacularly powerful magic! Would that I could have advanced so far in my own studies. Keaton, I can barely believe that you have reversed such a complex spell!"
Theresa's sharp hearing perceived the king's sigh. She wondered which part of what the queen had said bothered him.
"Can you tell whose spell has transformed her into a cat?" he asked his wife.
"Unfortunately, the only spells that one can identify are their own, your majesty," the queen explained. "It could be any wizard. Of course, only a wizard with an incredible amount of magic available would be capable of casting and maintaining a spell such as this, which could narrow it down."
The king nodded again. "Perhaps we might call the dowager countess to speak with us. We would have this matter over quickly if possible," the king said and gestured to the herald. The herald quickly left the room.
The queen spoke again, "Please return her to human, Lord Wildwood."
"Yes, Your Majesty," he agreed. Theresa felt her body changing once again and she found herself sitting on the floor. She quickly scrambled to her feet, wishing that she looked more dignified. Her embarrassment almost made her miss the nonchalance of her feline mind.
"Have you any proof that it was Lady Francine who cast the spell?" the king asked and Theresa felt her heart plummet still farther. He did not seem convinced and she dreaded seeing her aunt.
Any remaining calm that she had gained from her cat form fled as she imagined the moment that Francine walked in the door.
What if she immediately started dominating them again? Surely she would not do so in front of the king, but the thought did not really calm Theresa's fears. She shivered.
Wildwood spoke again, as if sensing her fears. "Your Majesty, it is true that Lady Waldwick has no direct proof of the identity of the one who cast spells upon her against her will. That does not change the fact that someone has violated your laws. Their aunt has control of their estates and is the single person with the most motive to keep them isolated and unmarried."
"Indeed," agreed the king and Theresa smiled gratefully at Wildwood. She was increasingly glad that he had come with them.
The doors opened and the herald announced, "The Dowager Countess of Rytham."
Theresa watched stiffly as Francine entered the room. Her aunt looked exactly as she had the last time Theresa had seen her. She was wearing a demure, well made dress and her greying brown hair was pulled off her face into an intricate knot.
She looked good for her age, Theresa thought resentfully. She had not had to make a harried escape as a feline from a wizardress who was controlling her mind.
Even looking at Francine gave Theresa a sour taste in her mouth.
"Theresa! Daphne!" Francine said in an excited tone that gave every impression of a relieved loving aunt.
Theresa cringed.
"Oh, my dears! I am so glad that you are safe!" She rushed forward and hugged Theresa before Theresa could do anything to prevent it. She then turned to Daphne and did the same thing. Theresa felt disgusted.
Francine then turned towards the king, "Oh, Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness. I was just overcome..." Francine dropped in a curtsy before the king.
"We understand," the king said. Theresa hoped that he was not taken in by her aunt's theatrics. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking since his face remained impassive.
"You have been accused of unlawfully using magic to control the will of my subjects. Have you anything to say in your defense?" he asked.
"I, pardon me? Your Majesty, I do not know what it is that you speak of," she said. Theresa listened to the perfect mixture of fear and confusion in her aunt's voice and was appalled.
The king continued to focus his gaze on Francine. "It has been suggested that you have used magic to turn Lady Theresa, Countess of Waldwick into a feline form," he explained.
"And also that you have previously used coercive magic upon the same lady and also upon her sister, Lady Daphne, Baroness of Tyndale. Perhaps you have even lied to us." His face looked dour.
Theresa felt her hope lift reluctantly. Perhaps the king truly would punish Francine for her crimes and Theresa would be free of her forever. Francine would have no further motive to keep plaguing them if their lands were removed from her control, surely.
In spite of the king's serious demeanor, Francine looked completely innocent.
"Your Majesty, I have always told you the truth to the best of my ability. I did not know that magic can truly transform a human. I had thought that my beloved niece had left on her own accord. If I had only believed that Daphne spoke truly when she said that the cat was Theresa... Perhaps she would not have felt the need to run away..." Francine trailed off forlornly and Theresa swore she saw glistening tears forming in the woman's eyes.
Theresa stared at her aunt, rage filling her. How did the woman dare to stand before the king and lie about what happened? She was perjuring herself before the most powerful man in the Edelland!
"I beg your mercy for my error, your majesty," Francine said, curtsying before the king again.
"You did not cast the spell, Lady Francine?" he asked.
Francine's look of wide eyed surprise would have been convincing if Theresa had not been aware of her aunt's skilful deception. It was understandable, Theresa had fallen for it herself when she was young, but she would believe Francine's lies no longer. She knew what Francine was like on the inside from experience.
"I would never hurt my nieces. I'm barely even a wizardress. Certainly, I can manage small spells, but I imagine changing a human into a cat would take great magic, would it not, Your Majesty?"
The queen nodded, "Indeed it would. What sorts of spells can you manage, Lady Francine?"
"Just the most simple spells, such as heating objects or slightly modifying appearance, your majesty. I never had the advantage of formal training."
"I see."
The king spoke again. "How do you explain the presence of your nieces here today?"
Francine smiled as if she were overjoyed, Theresa noted bitterly. "It's a miracle, Your Majesty. My nieces somehow managed to arrive here safe and sound and I am eternally grateful to those who brought them here in one piece." She smiled at Wildwood.
It was more than enough. Theresa could not remain silent any longer. "She's lying, Your Majesty! She is a wizardress and an accomplished one at that! She controlled Daphne and I for years! She transformed me into a cat and maintains the spell even now!"
Francine broke in, "Your Majesty, I believe that someone has framed me as the one who cast the spells upon them! Some sinister person clearly wishes to leave my nieces vulnerable to manipulation. Remove me from control over their lands if necessary, but please, protect my nieces! I just wish for them to be safe!"
The king seemed to consider both their words. "I shall think upon this matter. Lady Daphne, have you anything to say on the matter?"
Daphne quaked. "My sister speaks truly," she said, but sounded disappointingly unsure.
Theresa wanted to force Daphne to be confident. This might be their only chance to remove Francine from their lives. If the king decided in Francine's favor they would never be free again.
"We shall reconvene tomorrow afternoon. Until that time, neither party is to approach the other in any form, neither verbally, physically, nor magically. You are dismissed," he said, addressing the room.
A chorus of agreement rose from the assembled. Theresa felt sick as she watched Francine walk away, her stride confident.
How could the king not clearly see through Francine's facade? Certainly Francine was crafty, but the king seemed to be a more clever man than people claimed.
Wildwood extended his arm and began to lead her away.
"Keaton, but a moment," the queen said. Wildwood turned.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.
Daphne continued to walk from the room. Theresa knew that she should as well but she wanted to hear what the queen would say. She had addressed Wildwood by his given name several times; a symbol of familiarity that Theresa had been surprised to hear.
"Oh, Keaton, I don't see why you must bother with all the formality," the queen complained in a teasing tone. It was another indication of an intimacy which made Theresa distinctly uncomfortable and rather unhappy.
She would not consider why that might be.
"You are the queen now, Your Majesty," Wildwood pointed out dryly.
"He is quite right, my lady," agreed the king.
"Oh, what rot," she said with a frown. "My dear, you are being ridiculous if you are suggesting that I cannot be informal with my dear friend and cousin," the queen said with a sweet smile on her face.
Theresa could not help but feel a little bit lighter at the word 'cousin'.
She turned to Wildwood. "Come, Keaton and let us sojourn to my sitting room. It is past time that we caught up on things. I also would like to meet this lady you are championing."
The queen looked at Theresa curiously and Theresa tried to look as uninteresting as possible.
Theresa wished that she had left along with her sister, but it was too late by far. She could hardly ignore a direct invitation from the queen. She obediently followed the queen and Wildwood to the nearby chamber.
The queen sat down and Wildwood did likewise. Theresa mimicked them; feeling distinctly unsure of herself.
"So you are the Countess of Waldwick?" the queen asked, looking directly at Theresa.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Theresa said quickly, hoping the other woman's curiosity would be quickly sated.
The queen smiled. "You are already quite aware of who I am, but I do not believe that we've met before."
"No, I do not believe we have," agreed Theresa.
"Do tell me about your original transformation, please. I am a wizardress as well as queen and I find myself curious. I went to Rothforth's a few years behind Keaton, so perhaps I might offer some insight. Not to say that I am anywhere nearly as accomplished as he, but even Keaton is not omniscient. And I, unlike Keaton, have the ear of the king."
Theresa smiled at the queen's light words. Theresa explained exactly what had happened the night she had been transformed. The queen listened attentively.
The queen commented, "You were lucky to have stumbled upon Keaton."
Theresa nodded. "Actually, the Wizard Jim directed me to him."
"Jim also travelled with us from Wildwood to maintain muting spells and such upon our party," Wildwood commented.
"Jim is here? Dear Jim! I should like to see him. I must have him summoned because he certainly will not present himself willingly of his own accord!"
She turned to Theresa and explained, "Jim was wary of me when I was merely The Honorable Lady Katrina. He's positively terrified now that I am queen."
She turned back to Wildwood. "Is Jim still tinkering away in the woods?"
"He is indeed," Wildwood agreed.
"Jim is so very cautious. He likes to experiment with novel spells, so he stays far from people who might accidentally become casualties of his magical experiments. He inherited his home from his father," she explained to Theresa.
"Is that why he keeps his horses far from his house?" Theresa wondered.
"Oh, isn't that just like Jim? He's always so worried. No doubt he would have loved to attempt to remove the transformation spell from you himself, but he would not have wanted to risk hurting you. Really, he rates himself too poorly," the queen complained.
Theresa rather agreed with the queen's opinion. Jim did seem excessively modest.
"He's always believed he is a mediocre wizard, but I suppose that is a hazard of knowing this one," she said, gesturing to Wildwood.
"It's very difficult to have a high opinion of yourself for being a few lessons ahead when you glance over at Keaton and find that he is a dozen lessons further still and having an easier time with his advanced lesson than you are with the one that you are working on."
"Katrina—" Wildwood began cautiously.
"Aha! So you do recall your cousin's name! Everyone I knew before I married still insists on constant formality now."
"Your Majesty," Wildwood continued, only to be interrupted again.
"You would think, Lady Waldwick, that it would be permissible for my childhood friend to call me by my name, would you not?"
"I suppose," Theresa said noncommittally. She did not really want to comment on formal speech when she had developed such bad habits herself.
"Indeed. This ridiculous collective amnesia is most vexing."
Theresa simply smiled.
The queen paused, inspecting Theresa. "But I can see that you appear to be exhausted. Let me call a maid," the queen said, ringing a little bell. A few seconds later a woman entered the room.
"Please see Lady Waldwick to her room," she commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We'll have tea later and get to know each other properly, Lady Theresa," the queen said.
"That sounds lovely, Your Majesty," Theresa lied.
As Theresa followed the maid from the room, the queen's voice followed her. "I have a few suggestions you might consider for dealing with the problem of transformation, Keaton."