To the hall

Kelly walked in the direction he had been instructed, the tapping of his boots the only sound in the hallway with him.

The audience chamber was empty at the moment, no one seated at the throne in the hall center. Often times the Lord would be sat there, flanked by his personal guards while he listened to the plights of his people. He often did this alongside a bowl of freshly picked and juicy grapes, eating them and sharing them with his subjects in equal measure.

It was one of the many things that had made him so beloved, after all. Kelly couldn’t allow anything to happen to him. He couldn’t allow-

“Oh? And what are you doing here? The Lord is taking his midday nap and not currently providing counsel.”

Kelly felt his spine chill. That voice was-!

Lazaro the court magician stepped from behind one of the curtains in the room, his flowing blue robes lined with tiny stars giving the impression he was gliding, not walking. Lazaro placed a hand to his chin, stroking the short black beard there.

“I…um…need to speak with your Lord. Please, ser. It’s urgent.” Kelly attempted to calm his nerves as he replied, keeping his expression as pleasant as possible.

“Anything that you need tell him, you can tell me. I am his adviser, after all.” Lazaro came closer, his eyes unfazed and fixed upon Kelly, almost as if he saw right through him.

“…Well…I…”

Lazaro slid past, stopping just behind Kelly as he rubbed the ball of crystal atop the stave in his hands.

“So…a squire of another fief who insists that he must see my lord and absolutely cannot tell me why? Please, dear boy…do you honestly think you’re the first?”

A lump formed in Kelly’s throat. I-impossible! Lazaro had found him out so fast?

The magician was not of an imposing build. He wished he had his sword, but if he could get his magic wand away from him, he could still win if…

“Why don’t I show you what I’ve done with all the others!”

Kelly ducked as the wizard spun suddenly, his wand thrust out. The spell flew high, knocking a torch off the wall as Kelly swiveled into a run, tucking behind a vase to blitz Lazaro from the side before he could get his bearings.

“Not so fast!” The magician was faster than he looked, his free hand lifting the base of his robes so that he could spin around before Kelly could take him unawares.

Kelly closed his eyes as a bright flash lit up from the end of Lazaro’s wand. He could feel something happening, a strange swirling sensation all over his body as the whole world felt like it was shifting around him.

“Heh heh heh. Good try, little squire, but you made a mistake coming here.”

Kelly slowly opened his eyes and immediately realized something was wrong. Lazaro stood over him, yet he was towering over him in a way far greater than he should.

This was bad enough, yet there was another issue.

He was naked. Or at the very least, the mound of clothes he was now surrounded by were much too big. Even his hair tie lay a few feet away but it was so big it would fit around him like a belt!

“W-what? You…?”

Lazaro chuckled. “At this size, I find you heroes so much easier to manage.”

He stepped forward, scooping down his hand to grasp the now tiny squire.