// Standard Disclaimer and Warning (SDAW): This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental and should be treated as such.

// This story contains (some) strong language, and adult situations. If you are under 18, or are legally a minor in your place of residence, do not continue. This story also contains a transgender (TG) theme. If such offends you, or makes you uncomfortable, I highly recommend that you do not continue.

// This story may be freely distributed as long as its contents (to include this header) remain unmodified. Charging a fee to access this story, or placing it within a "members only" area is strictly prohibited.

// Authors' note: thoughts are enclosed in tildes ~like this~ to distinguish them from regular conversation. Emphasized/stressed words are enclosed in underscores _like this._

  

Heraldic Echo Gaming and Anime: Emily's Quest

by Autumn Winters and Jaime Hasten

Chapter 1

  

Alex yawned, stretched, and blinked. He remembered messing around with the game site, but he certainly didn't remember falling asleep at the keyboard. He was pretty sure that he hadn't been _that_ tired.

Then he blinked again, for he wasn't at his computer desk. Rather, he was sitting on a stool behind a counter... As he hopped off the stool to look around, a number of different things sent klaxons blaring in his mind.

There was a little bounce where there should not have been a bounce. And there was a swish of fabric past his legs in a manner completely unlike the jeans he had been wearing. Furthermore, he felt a sensation at the back of his head, like his hair had swished around a bit and tugged at the scalp; it felt like something had bumped lightly against his back, between his shoulderblades. Also there was the fact that everything seemed to be a bit bigger than it should have been - bigger stool, taller counter, and so on. His stance felt a bit off, too.

But it was the bounce that got his attention the most. Not much of a bounce, but definitely noticeable to him, though perhaps not to someone who may have been watching. Tremulously looking down, he could see the fabric of his blouse (~blouse?~ his puzzled mind wondered.) pushed out further than it should be. Breasts?

He came close to fainting from shock at that moment.

After a few minutes of standing stupidly and looking down at an unfamiliar body, he dazedly made his way over to a full-length mirror mounted on one wall, passing several displays of clothing on his way, ~some of that clothing is pretty colorful...~

The reflected image was definitely more than unfamiliar, but it was far from unattractive. A pretty girl stared back at him from the silvered surface, her expression one of silent surprise, a reflection of his internal bewilderment. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled back into a braided ponytail, though a few wisps framed her face. Blue eyes, long-lashed and wide with shock; dainty nose; delicate cheekbones; fair skin...

The girl in the mirror was wearing a light green, short-sleeved, embroidered blouse and an ankle-length, pleated, emerald-hued skirt that complemented her figure - which was neither flat and waify nor full and curvy - well.

Touching one breast lightly with a well-manicured hand confirmed that it was not a disguise, illusion, or hallucination. They were real. He was a girl.

Alex gasped. "Holy.... What the...? How did I...? That website...! I've turned into the character from the game...? Maybe...? What else could it be...? But how...? I don't mind playing as a girl character, but I didn't say anything about _being_ a girl character...!" Trying to get his mind around the idea, he rattled off the questions in a quick-fire murmur, not that he expected anyone to answer, or was even really aware that he was speaking.

However, before he could puzzle out any answers, or even do more than note the distinctively feminine (girly almost) quality to his voice, there was a chime from the front of the store. Without expecting it, Alex found himself turning and greeting the customer.

"Welcome to The Silken Wish. My name is... Oh! Miss Naomi, Hello! I haven't seen you in a while; how's little Tobin doing?" The voice was just a bit different; not modulated by shock and fear, it was almost musical - not quite soprano -

and had a cheerful undertone to it, almost as if he (she?) was a carefree soul.

Alex was more than a little surprised to find his body and voice reacting without conscious control. Still without willing it, his body glanced over a shoulder at the mirror; ~daydreaming again?~ Alex wouldn't have expected to rationalize his (her?) behavior that way (or to even be rationalizing it), but the mind can work in mysterious ways.

Naomi - a tall, attractive woman with red hair and a fair complexion - smiled at the blonde girl. "Oh come now, Emily. You know everyone in the village and everyone in the village knows you. There's no need for that silly introduction. And Tobin's doing fine, thank you. He cut his first tooth last week and hasn't even been fussy at all."

~Emily? Well, that is the name I chose for my character. I guess I did become her, then? At least it's an easy name to remember, not like that one elf I had, Adrinxixonalaya... Still...~

His body shrugged. "Well, it's what Mother wants. We do get the occasional customer from far away, besides just the traders. She _is_ a world-famous seamstress, you know." There was a surge of pride that welled up in Alex's chest: here he (she?) was, an orphan girl - an orphan girl with blonde hair that stood out like a sore thumb among all the flame-headed villagers - and not only apprenticed to a world-famous seamstress, but her adoptive daughter as well. His body cast another glance back at the mirror, smiling at the cheery girl reflected back at him (her?). And as Jennifer's daughter, Emily had status. She may be different, but it wasn't a bad different, more like slightly exotic than strange.

~So nice of the game to provide me with a bit of the back story, even if it's in the form of a funky flashback memory... So I'm an orphan, healer girl who sews and sells dresses. If I had known I was going to be a girl, I wouldn't have chosen that. I wouldn't mind being a witty, _male_ bard, or perhaps a buff, _male_ martial artist, or something, but...~

He (she?) continued to speak to the customer, "But you didn't come to visit, did you? You're looking for a new dress?"

~It's a dress store, isn't it? She's a woman isn't she? Of course she's looking for a dress. Why am I asking such silly questions?~

She nodded, "I need to find something for the Peach Blossom Festival; I thought that I could get by with the dress I wore last year, but I just haven't quite gotten back down to that size after having Tobin. Besides, I think that everyone else is getting new dresses this year, so I guess I can't be outdone."

Alex's body nodded, "That's right. Miss Isadore and her daughters were in just yesterday. And, a lot of the other local women were in the past sevenday buying new dresses for spring and the festival: Miss Elaine, Miss Catherine, Miss Anna, and others. If you come this way, Miss Naomi, I'm sure that we can find something just perfect for you."

The flame-haired customer nodded. "I'm sure you will, Emily dear; you have a great eye and a true talent with fabric. Jennifer must be quite proud of you. Have you given any thought to your future, yet? Are you going to take over The Silken Wish when she retires, or...?" She paused, eyeing a high-collared, corseted gown sewn from midnight blue silk and embroidered with thread-of-silver. "This is very pretty. Do you think that it would work?"

Alex's body blushed at the compliment, and he felt a strange sense of pleasure and pride, which only served to confuse him even more. Not only had he been turned into a girl, but also he was apparently more than a passable seamstress at that. Before he could formulate his thoughts, he found himself responding to the customer. "Oh, Miss Naomi, that's for something a bit fancier than just the Festival, like a handfasting ceremony. Though maybe you know something that I don't?" Alex found himself giggling.

As he talked to the customer about things that he thought that he had no right knowing, a stray thought flitted through the back of Alex's mind, "I wonder if I could ever afford such a beautiful dress." The thought was accompanied by a mental image of his new body in the midnight blue dress, an image that would resurface in his mind many more times in the next several minutes...

Miss Naomi shook her head. "No, can't say that I have any gossip like that to share, though I have seen Tarl walking past here and peering through the window more often than I'd expect to see a guy looking at a dress shop. Unless he's decided that he wants a dress for the Festival..." they both shared a giggle at the image of the burly baker's son in a fancy gown.

~Wh-what's going on...? First I picture myself, well, this body, in a dress; then, I picture some other guy in a dress?~ Alex mentally boggled, ~What's happening to me? Well, I guess I _am_ a girl now, at least physically, so at least a dress isn't that strange for me, er, for my body. But for him? Nuh-uh! That's just silly... And what is with all the giggling? I'm acting like a typical ditzy blonde...~

"... I'd say that he might be smitten with a certain blonde seamstress." Naomi gave the girl a conspiratorial wink.

Again with reactions that he couldn't control - a blush, a nervous giggle, and a rush of several strange emotions. "Don't be silly. He's much too old to be interested in me. I'm only fifteen, you know. Anyway, since there's not going to be a handfasting, you'll probably want something a little less elaborate. I think that this dress would suit you. What do you think?"

Alex's body led Naomi to a pale aqua, silk dress. It was high-collared, sleeveless, not terribly clingy, and with a long, straight skirt. It was high-slit on the right, to just over the knee, for ease of mobility. Starting from the lower left hem of the skirt, an embroidered pattern of blue irises and white forget-me-nots rose in a gentle curve to the right side, just near the waist, wrapped around behind, still curving upward, and joined with the flower embroidery upon the dress's bodice. The high collar was inspired from an Eastern design and was secured with two small loops of ribbon that hooked around small, blue iris buttons.

Needless to say, this whole situation was highly confusing for Alex - the gentle teasing, the rush of strange new emotions, the image of his new body in the dress Miss Naomi had pointed out, and wondering if he could afford a similar dress. Thus, he scarcely noticed as his body continued on "auto-pilot," taking the redhead's measurements so as to be able to alter the dress to fit. The image of his new body in the midnight blue dress captivated his attention; the way that the embroidered bodice emphasized the girl's smallish bust, the swirl of skirts as she twirled, the blonde braid undone and the girl's hair arrayed in honeyed curls that framed her delicate face... Viewing - more than viewing: experiencing - the image for so long only compounded his confusion at the situation. When Alex finally became aware of his surroundings again, his body was humming a cheerful tune while finishing up the alterations on the dress that he (she?) had persuaded Miss Naomi to buy.

Somewhat started to discover that beyond being a good seamstress, he was a good seamstress even with his mind otherwise, ah, occupied, Alex found himself looking over at his customer, who was sitting nearby and watching him work. She may have said that she hadn't lost all the weight she had gained from her pregnancy, but he wouldn't have been able to tell. She was tall and very pretty and she carried her curves well, perhaps a touch on the voluptuous side, but far, far, far from being overweight.

Alex couldn't help but notice how flattering Miss Naomi's garb was; though simple, her working clothes were far from plain. The redhead - together with her husband Victor - ran the village's only tavern-slash-inn, The Crimson Gosling, and she could afford more than just homespun clothing for regular wear. All the village women bought their fancy clothing at The Silken Wish, but few could afford many different outfits from here, even with the deep discounts that locals received on Jennifer and Emily's work. In fact, Alex recognized Miss Naomi's dress; the soft blue fabric that matched the innkeeper's eyes was a dress that he (she?) had fitted for her just after Yuletide.

~Yuletide? But... I just got here. Oh. I get it. More flashbacks.~ Alex mentally frowned. ~Helpful, perhaps, but they're really disorienting. It's bad enough I'm stuck in a girl's body, and that it seems to be acting on it's own, but now I've got new memories as well? Where's the reset button? I want out!~

Alex noticed his (her?) gaze drifting to Miss Naomi's hair - a cavalcade of gentle waves, a crimson waterfall that brushed past her shoulders. As he struggled with an emotion akin to envy, another stray thought crossed his mind, ~I wonder if I'll grow up to be that pretty?~

_That_ made him sit up and take notice, so to speak. His body continued with the stitching, but his mind was awhirl with confusion: a dizzying array of confusing and conflicting thoughts vying for attention. He felt as if his consciousness was lost at sea, trapped in Charybdis's whirlpool, spinning round and round and round...

There were several other thoughts in that vein, and gradually Alex became aware of a slight difference in them. In his initial confusion and fear at finding himself transformed into a girl, he hadn't noticed, but some of the thoughts that had startled and worried him so much "sounded" different. There was a hint of something foreign to them...

Another image assailed his mind: his body grown up and noticeably more curvaceous, blonde hair streaked with strawberry highlights and in a style identical to Naomi's. ~Maybe I will be, but I still wish I had red hair, too...~

There it was. Another thought, but this carried a different "sound" to it than his own confused thoughts; it was almost as if he was overhearing someone else's thoughts.

Then it struck him. That's exactly what was happening. The "different sound" to the thoughts reminded him of his new voice - Emily's voice. _That_ was the explanation for his body doing things on its own. It was _not_ his body. He was inside _her_ body. And she _did_ have a mind of her own.

Alex wasn't sure which concept frightened him more - being trapped as a passenger in someone else's body as it seems he is now... or being transformed into a girl and having new memories implanted as he had previously thought. Either way, it seemed that he had no control over his situation.

While Alex struggled with these concepts, his body (~Emily; I should think of her as "Emily," not as "my body..." We're different people... I think...~) finished the alterations on the dress.

"There you go, Miss Naomi, all prettied up and sized just right for you. That will be..." Emily paused, flipping through a small book at the counter, "sixty-five kronar."

Naomi counted out the coins - one large golden coin and fifteen smaller silver ones - while Emily wrapped the dress in a protective cloth. "Only sixty-five? I would have thought that it would have been closer to ninety. Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

Emily nodded. "A hundred and five, if you hadn't been a local. It's Mother's policy. She doesn't sell for much higher than cost to locals and friends, but we make a really good profit off the traders and travelers." She pocketed one of the silver coins, and deposited the rest in the safe. "Five more, and I'll be able to afford _my_ dress." She smiled brightly.

"Oh?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. In addition to my allowance, I get one kronar from every sale I make, whether it's a simple 5-kronar shift or one of the _really_ expensive gowns. I've been saving the commissions since the Harvest Festival to buy an expensive dress."

Alex would've rolled his eyes if he could. ~No, no, no. We're not starting this off with buying fancy clothes. You need a weapon, and armor.... And maybe some healing supplies. Don't waste my money on a dress!~

Emily continued, completely oblivious to the other mind inhabiting her body. "Do you want to see which one?" she asked with exuberant enthusiasm.

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Not only did Naomi nod, "Certainly, dear," but also Alex felt his curiosity piqued, as well as - strangely enough - sharing her enthusiasm.

Emily led the woman to the front of the store, to a display near the window. "I've been tempted to hide it away so no one will buy it before I can, but that doesn't seem honest to me." She lightly fingered the deep green fabric of the dress. "I could have bought it already, if I only paid the local price. But that seems like cheating, too. That's why I'm only using the money from what I sell, that way I _earn_ it, and not just have it given to me. It wouldn't be fair to Mother."

The dress was simple, yet elegant in its simplicity. From quarter-length sleeves to an off-the-shoulder neckline to a long, loose skirt, the dress was a cascade of delicate, elfin silk dyed a rich green - the hue of sunlight through a canopy of leaves. Other than the subtle embroidery of daffodils along the neckline, the dress was unadorned.

Naomi smiled. "It's lovely, Emily. You'll have it in time for the Festival, right?"

The blonde nodded. "I hope so!"

"Looking to catch anyone's eye in particular?"

~_No!_ She isn't!~

"Or do you know something that I don't?" Naomi gently teased Emily, repeating back the girl's earlier question.

Emily giggled and blushed faintly, "Don't be silly. You know everything that happens for miles around!"

"That's not an answer."

Alex couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at Naomi's persistence and line of questioning, but he was also frustrated with Emily's non-answer. ~No, it isn't. Come on, do you have a boyfriend or not? Don't be shy about it! This is very important information for me here...!~

Emily turned to look out the window. "I help sew and sell dresses all day. I just want a couple really nice ones for myself."

With that for an answer, Naomi dropped her teasing, and the two passed the next several minutes in idle chitchat and gossip.

Just outside the window, several young boys, none older than about ten, broke off into pairs and staged a mock sword-tournament. Some of the older boys brandished broomsticks or mop handles, but the rest made do with somewhat-crooked sticks. Emily giggled, watching the young boys; they were highly energetic and swung their sticks about enthusiastically, but the younger ones rarely managed to hit each other, except by accident. A handful of young girls wearing flower garlands cheered and watched from just outside the range of the swinging sticks.

~Spring. How typical. Love in the air and all that. And there's this silly festival coming up. And I'm stuck in a ditz's body. _Why_ did I ever chose "Ditzy Healer" as a character type if I was making the main character a healer...? She had _so_ better not have a boyfriend...~

Naomi and Emily finished their visit and walked to the door while Alex continued his musing. ~And we're not sticking around to look for one either. This is an RPG, not a relationship sim. There's supposed to be _adventure_. Selling dresses and going to dances isn't very adventuresome.~

"Thank you, Miss Naomi. Please come again." Emily waved.

"I certain will, Emily. If you don't mind, I'll stop by in a couple days for another visit."

"That would be wonderful. Miss Naomi, can you bring Tobin next time? He's such an adorable baby. I hope to have a son like him someday." Emily smiled brightly.

~No, no, no! Stop that thought right there! I don't care what you do after this game is over and I'm gone, but don't you even _think_ about babies while I'm here! You hear?~

While Alex could "hear" some - but apparently not all - of Emily's thoughts, it seemed that it didn't work in reverse. Just as before, she gave no indication, inwardly or outwardly, that she was aware of either Alex's presence or his thoughts, even the ones directed at her.

Miss Naomi smiled. "I'm sure you will, Emily. And at least one lovely daughter, too."

~Don't encourage her!~

Emily waved again as Naomi walked down the path toward the rest of Rushy Shore village. The dress shop was located outside the village proper, which made it slightly inconvenient for locals - or for Emily, when she had to run errands - but the location had two main advantages.

First, the Silken Wish did receive many customers from far away - traders, merchants, and the occasional traveler - as well as those that delivered the supplies needed for the making of fine dresses. There were at least three or four different groups a season, and it was more comfortable for the secluded villagers if they didn't have to deal with "foreigners" too much.

Furthermore, the somewhat isolated location was very scenic. The shop stood almost on the shore of the lake, and afforded a beautiful view in the evening, when the sun slowly sank into the rushy waters. Not too far away, the road leading from the village meandered into a small wood, no doubt where some of the young "swordsmen" got their sticks. Other than the children that occasionally wandered out this way to play where they wouldn't disturb their parents, it was even a fairly quiet place.

Emily sighed softly and went back into the store. She kept herself busy with chores for a while - sweeping, dusting, rearranging a display or two... During this time, Alex continued to try and exert influence, but was unsuccessful in even getting Emily to look down at herself, or go back to the mirror.

Time passed slowly for Alex, though Emily seemed to be enjoying herself. After finishing with the cleaning, Emily worked a bit on sewing some of the simpler, cheaper dresses as well as trying her hand at sketching out a couple designs for a new style. The Silken Wish wasn't just known for high-quality dresses and gowns, but also for imaginative, innovative designs, and if Emily was to follow in Jennifer's footsteps, she'd need plenty of practice in designing dresses as well as sewing and selling them.

She did, however, have a bit of difficulty translating the images from her mind into something that could be expressed on paper. It was a dress inspired by Eastern design, much like the one she had sold to Miss Naomi, with the high collar, close-fitting but not clingy cut, and straight skirt, but modified slightly. It helped if she pictured herself in it, though it wasn't really a style that she would wear. Alex, of course, had more than a bit of difficulty with repeatedly seeing flashes of his new body, or rather Emily, in the dress.

The dress was a deep green fabric, not silk, but something similar. It was like in cut to the other dress, but where the aqua dress was slit on just one side, this dress had slits to the mid-thigh on both sides. From where the slit began, the skirt narrowed slightly inward on both the front and back, so that it tapered to a wide point just below her ankles, and exposed most of the leg, from just above the knee, down.

Rather than being sleeveless, the dress had short sleeves - reaching a quarter of the way down her upper arms - that extended from a slight poof at the shoulders. The hems of the sleeves, as well as those of the skirt, were trimmed in a rich, golden fabric that almost matched the shade of her hair. The dress itself, from bodice to lower skirt, front and back, was elaborately embroidered with thread of silver and thread of gold, displaying a fairy-tale scene.

It was a positively beautiful dress, if only she could commit the design to paper.

Emily was more than slightly frustrated and Alex was more than slightly confused, and both were more than ready for a break as the afternoon faded into evening. The version on paper didn't quite accurately represent what Emily had envisioned. For his part, Alex felt surges of pride, wistfulness, frustration, and carefreeness all afternoon, all of which served to heighten his internal bewilderment. Repeatedly visualizing his body, or rather Emily's, in the dress all afternoon was hard to get used to. It was quite difficult, at times, to maintain point-of-view, especially since the mental images were almost all from looking down at his (her?) own body, rather than from an outside perspective, such as from a mirror, picture, or looking at another person.

So, it was with relief that Emily looked up as three shadows were cast into the store by the light of the setting sun. Looking into the sun, Emily couldn't discern features (nor could Alex), but the silhouettes were somewhat large - men, not women. ~Traders or merchants, then.~ Emily decided, ~Which means they'll probably buy several dress and I won't have to make any alterations.~ She smiled, ~And it's about time to close up too. Even if I can't get that dress design down, it's still shaping up to be a good day. I like easy jobs like this.~

Emily set aside the paper she had been designing on, and cleared off the counter. She stood and smoothed her skirt, stepping around in front of the counter. The door chimed, three men entering. "Welcome to the Silken Wish. My name is Emily. Can I help you?"

"Emily, huh? Such a pretty name..." one of the men commented.

"Such a pretty girl..." another said.

"The boss will be pleased," the third replied.

"Well, I'm pleased already," the second man spoke again.

The three men spread out and advanced toward Emily. She blushed a little, at first, at the compliments, though she was a bit confused, as the men's behavior didn't match up with what she expected. ~They don't even look like traders,~ she thought, ~but more like caravan guards... The "boss" must be the head trader...?~

"As you can see," she began hesitatingly, "we have some of the finest dresses and gowns this..."

The men kept speaking - and advancing - paying no heed to Emily's comments.

"It doesn't matter if the boss is pleased," the first said. "I'm more concerned with the boss' bosses. You know how _they_ are. They want the goods faster than we can get and prepare them."

Every video game instinct that Alex had was screaming bloody murder. He didn't trust these men. He didn't like their look, the way they looked at him, err, Emily, and he didn't like the way they were advancing. ~It's the first fight! Gods above, but I... we... she... doesn't even have a weapon yet! Where's the "run away" option? I haven't seen a save spot, either. And I'll be damned if I have to play through _that_ intro again...~

"Um, maybe your boss, or his bosses, would care to come here then? I'm sure that he would be able to see the quality of our dresses and we could work out a deal?" But Emily was doubtful. These men hadn't even looked at the dresses yet. It almost seemed as if they weren't here to buy clothing, or even with someone who was here to buy clothing...

"Hah! She thinks the boss would come _here_..."

"Not quite, little girl, but we'll be taking you to the boss instead..." With that, the three men lunged forward.

~Not if I have any say in the matter,~ Alex thought, helplessly. But at that moment Emily let loose with a little squeal of fear and almost fainted, and Alex found himself in control of his (her?) body, though somewhat uncertainly and much closer to terrified than merely afraid.

He leapt back, narrowly avoiding being grappled by the closest of the trio. "Damn it! The UI stinks! Where's the menus!" Visibly shaking with fear, he ducked and dodged the men to the best of his ability, and made an attempt to run for the door. Though smaller and quicker than the men, still he found the way blocked and stumbled headfirst into the biggest of the three.

The large, brawny man didn't even budge from the impact. He reached out and seized Alex by the shoulders, "Gotcha!" Still feeling the upsurge of terror, Alex reflexively twisted at the hips, driving his (her?) knee up into the man's groin area. He grunted in pain, releasing his grip and doubling over; Alex mentally winced, even as his gaze darted around, looking for another exit. Noticing the nearby window, he broke into a mad dash for it, darting around a rack of clothing that was in the way.

"She's headed for the window! Stop her!"

Hearing one of the men brushing past that same rack of clothing spurred Alex on, and he put on a burst of speed, managing to reach the window moments before any of them could stop him. Alex started pushing the window up in order to get through it, but just as he managed to get it open just enough to squeeze his body through, a pair of coarse hands grabbed his shoulders again and suddenly jerked him back away from the window.

"Oh no you don't, bitch. Get back in here!"

Alex was too startled to make a grab at the windowsill, but as he was hauled backward, his eyes fell upon the nearby rack of clothing. He grabbed a dress at random from the rack and threw it over the ruffian's head. Accompanied by a muffled curse, the grip on his shoulders vanished, and Alex darted back to the window and started squirming through it, trying to get outside and away from the threatening men.

"Dammit! Don't let her get away," the man that Alex had kneed grunted, reentering the fray.

Alex was not quite halfway through the window, when he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and start hauling him back in. "Oh no you don't..." one of the men muttered as another cursed. Alex kicked backwards with both legs, but hit nothing but air. Although he frantically clutched at the windowsill, the ruffian's grip was too strong for him to resist. Peculiarly, the grip changed once he was mostly inside; one of the arms holding him shifted up to just under his chest, as if trying to keep him from falling.

"Feisty little girl, isn't she? The boss is going to have fun with this one," the man that had grabbed Alex muttered.

"To hell with the boss. _We_ do all the work."

Having another person's arm resting just under the curve of his (her?) breasts was quite an unsettling experience for Alex. His body stiffened slightly, and then he twisted around in the ruffian's grip, slapping and clawing at the man's face to try to force him to let go. Although the man leaned back and uttered a startled oath, he didn't actually release his grip on Alex's body. Before Alex could do anything else, another of the ruffians was next to him, grabbing hold of his wrists.

The leader glared at the one who had been speaking. "Enough of that talk. We'll have our fun in time. You know that. Being boss has its privileges; privileges that I intend to have when we boot his sorry arse out and take over. One of those is 'no spoiled goods.' "

Alex found his wrists easily pulled behind his back by the second ruffian, who started wrapping something around them, presumably a length of rope. "Aye, then we'll be the ones calling the shots." Meanwhile, the man holding onto Alex shifted his grip again, moving the one arm back down around his waist and shifting the other down further, midway down his thighs, at that point wrapping the beefy limb around both legs, pinning them. Still struggling, Alex glanced down and saw the third ruffian pull out another length of rope, starting the process of tying it around his ankles. He redoubled his efforts, but with his arms tied behind his back, and his legs pinned like they were, it accomplished nothing.

The comment was followed by an evil chuckle, shared between the three men. "Indeed," the leader replied. There was a ripping sound - the sound of fabric being torn - from behind Alex. A sudden flash of terror seized him, and Alex stopped his struggling. Glancing awkwardly over his shoulder, Alex was somewhat relieved to see that it wasn't his clothing being ripped; instead, that ruffian who had bound his arms was tearing strips from a dark-colored dress. It took but a moment for Alex to recognize the dress; the midnight blue fabric had all too recently graced his - no, Emily's - body in the memory-slash-daydream sequence that had so affected him earlier. It was the dress that Emily had deemed too fancy for just a Festival.

Alex felt tears welling up in his eyes, and he found himself shaking his head as if to clear away the fog of sleep. There was a momentary hint of confusion, modulating into terror. An inarticulate thought, bearing the somewhat familiar "voice" that Alex identified as "Emily," accompanied the emotions, and Alex found himself, once again, no longer in control of the body that he inhabited.

Emily's eyes widened as she took in the situation, and she opened her mouth to scream, only to have a wadded-up strip of fabric from the dress get stuffed in her mouth, stifling the budding scream. Before she could think to spit it out, the ruffian wound a wider strip of cloth around her head and mouth several times and tied it off. Though Emily found herself unable to speak, at least her nose wasn't covered, and she was able to breathe.

The talk amongst the men continued in that vein, as the three split up and started performing different tasks. As she was carried outside like a sack of grain, Emily could see one of them start tearing dresses off of the clothing racks and scattering them on the floor. The other picked up the can of fuel oil that was used for the lanterns and started emptying it on the fallen dresses. Following this, both left The Silken Wish, and one took up an open - and lit - lantern sitting just outside the shop and tossed it in. The kerosene-soaked dresses caught fire very quickly, and The Silken Wish itself was a mass of flames in only a moment.

A low, keening sound came from Emily's throat, about the only sound she could even make, gagged as she was, and tears started running down her face. At the same time, an image of the dress Emily had been so excited about - the one that she had _almost_ been able to afford - flashed through Alex's mind, along with a mishmash of emotions; sadness, fear, and terror being strongest among them.

~Fear.... Terror... I don't blame her. I'm scared half to death too. And this is a lot more real than I had bargained for! But sadness...? I feel about ready to break into tears too... But... Why?~

Tucked under the largest ruffian's arm, Emily was rapidly carried into the forest. Though she could still see the smoke through the trees, and vaguely hear someone ringing the fire bell, Emily quickly lost track of the burning building. She twisted a bit in the man's grip - as best she could - and looked ahead, spotting a foreboding wagon on the track ahead. One of the other ruffians (~No, they pretty much have to be bandits, with the kidnapping and burning things and stuff~) strode into her view and started fiddling with the door, which had a small, barred window set fairly high in it. After a moment, he pulled it open, as the bandit holding her took a step inside and set her down, none too gently, on the straw lining the floor of the wagon. In a deep, gruff voice, he said, "You just stay there, little girl; you'll be serving us soon enough."

The other two bandits joined him in a rather nasty-sounding chuckle, followed by the speaker stepping back out and the door swinging shut. As the door thudded shut, Alex felt a fresh surge of fear as a chain rattled against the door for a moment. Several heavy footsteps passed around to the front of the wagon. ~Aren't they going to untie me?~ Even with his growing familiarity with Emily's mental voice, Alex honestly couldn't tell if that had been her thought or his. With the crack of a whip, a horse's whinny, and the groaning of heavy wheels, the wagon started rolling forward.

~It's a good thing that there's straw in here, or else this would be _really_ uncomfortable.~ Alex felt the strong emotions running through his mind start to recede slightly, enough so that he could start thinking rationally again. ~Let's see, Emily gets kidnapped by these bandits...what could they want with her?~ He paused, and a chilling thought passed through his head. ~No, they couldn't want that...could they?~

Emily rolled onto her side to get her hands out from under her. Even though the wagon bed was lined with straw, it wasn't exactly thick, and having her hands pressing into her back as they were would get to be quite uncomfortable in short order. Lying on her side wasn't much better, but trussed up like she was, Emily simply did not have many viable alternatives. Her thoughts were scattered and fleeting; she could not concentrate enough to focus on any of them for more than a few moments.

Meanwhile, Alex mentally wrestled with the unsettling realization of what exactly bandits might want with a cute young girl for several minutes. He finally resolved to not think about it: not at all an easy task considering that Emily was bound hand-and-foot, completely at the bandits' mercy. ~I take it back; I don't need "adventure." I'll spend the rest of the game selling dresses if I can get out of this.~ His mental voice took on a wheedling tone, as he tried to project his entreaty to whatever entity had put him into this situation. ~_And _ I'll even go to a dance...or something—if I have to...~ he paused, ~ but I won't like it.~ Another pause, this one considerably longer, ~I hope~

The hours dragged on. The light outside faded. Evening became dusk. Dusk progressed to twilight. Night fell. Finally, the wagon stopped. Emily started slightly; though her bound position was too uncomfortable for sleep, she had been lulled into a slight trance by the motion of the wagon.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside the wagon again. They seemed to split up; then the chain at the door started rattling again. After a short while, the door opened, and Emily looked at the silhouetted figure in the doorway. The man stepped in, grabbed ahold of her waist, lifted her off of the ground without effort, and carried her outside. She was set roughly down and forced to kneel, as another of the bandits walked over to her, stooping in front of her. "Alright, little girl, time to eat," he sneered.

Though it was hard to tell in the minimal light from the fire off to the side, his face seemed to have a sneer on it that matched his tone. Shortly, Emily found her arms free from the bindings, but they were still firmly gripped by the bandit behind her. Her arms were quickly pushed in front of her body, and the bandit kneeling in front of her started retying the rope around her wrists, forcing them flat against each other, palms inward. Emily was too sore and dispirited from hours of lying in the same position to put up any kind of a fight. When her hands were bound, the bandit behind her started tying something around her waist. She tried to crane her head around to see what exactly he was doing; however, her head was quickly forced to face forward again by the bandit in front of her. "Ah, ah, ah, little girl. You'll learn soon enough to do only what we tell you."

There was a length of rope left from the retied binding around her arms, and the bandit in front of her started fastening it to the rope tied around her waist. After a short while, he seemed satisfied, and lifted her bound wrists up. The rope attaching her wrist bindings to the length around her waist pulled tight at the level of her abdomen, and she winced slightly from the pressure he was exerting. "That'll do," he grunted, and glanced at the bandit behind Emily. "You done?"

The other bandit grunted back, "almost," and Emily suddenly became aware of the bandit fiddling with the binding around her ankles. It seemed almost as if there was a bit of slack between her ankles now, but before she could puzzle out why, the bandit in front of her suddenly grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. Emily would have gasped from the pain of her sore muscles complaining, if she was not still gagged. She also felt a pull from behind. Glancing backwards quickly, she saw that the bandit behind her was holding onto a length of rope. He tugged on it, and she felt herself being pulled backward.

Once again, the bandit in front of her grabbed her head and pulled it back around to face him. "Time for your first lesson, girl. You make any noise, or say anything without being spoken to first, and you don't get to eat anything for a day. Nod your head once if you understand." Emily stared blankly at him for a moment; then her stomach rumbled, reminding her of exactly how long it had been since she had eaten, and she nodded slowly.

Sneering evilly, an expression that seemed to come naturally to his face, the bandit quickly undid the gag around her mouth and pulled the damp fabric out. Suddenly able to breathe without restriction, Emily licked her lips nervously and stared at the bandit, not wanting to say anything and risk the bandit following through on his threat. "Food's over there, one of the boys will get you something." He pointed towards a figure kneeling by a campfire, sneered again, and turned away.

Emily felt a sharp nudge in her back, and stumbled forward. She felt the bindings pull tight between her ankles, and would have fallen, except that the rope held by the bandit behind her pulled tight against her waist and kept her in a mostly upright position. Somehow managing to regain her balance, Emily started taking short steps towards the fire and the promised food. It seemed to take an eternity, but she finally made it.

Eating while bound like this was a humiliating experience for Emily (and Alex). Her wrists simply wouldn't go high enough to reach her mouth, so she had to both kneel on the ground and bend over almost double in order to eat anything. (~At least it isn't soup, or something like that...that would have been impossible ~) Fortunately, one of the bandits held a waterskin for her, and, though the water was flat, she drank thirstily until the bandit took it away from her.

The gruff voice from behind her spoke up again, "Back to the wagon, girl, time to sleep." She felt another sharp nudge in her back, but she was able to keep her footing this time. As they approached the wagon, the sneering bandit came out of the darkness. "Better not forget this, girl," he said, holding up something that she couldn't quite make out in the darkness. "This will help you remember who you now serve."

~If they wanted someone to serve them, why didn't they get a waitress?~

Alex groaned at the Emily-thought. ~Bound hand and foot, being taken to who knows where, and she thinks that they're wanting a waitress? _Why_ did I have to get stuck in this _ditz's_ body?~

His hand came forward, and grabbed hold of her jaw, pressing his thumb and forefinger into the gap behind her teeth, and forcing her mouth open. With his other hand, he stuffed the gag back in her mouth, silencing her once again. He wrapped the other length of cloth around her head again to hold the gag in place. Caught by surprise, she made a very muffled protest, barely audible past the wad of fabric in her mouth. Once more, she was roughly pushed into the wagon. One of the bandits tied the rope around her waist to her ankle bindings, almost totally immobilizing her, and finally the door was shut and secured with the chain.

The events of the terrifying day finally caught up with Emily, and she curled into as much of a ball as she was able, almost the only movement she was capable of, tears streaming down her face with abandon as her body was wracked by silent sobbing. Alex felt like crying, too; of all the things he might have thought would happen by visiting that website, he never would have expected this horrifying experience.

One terrifying day blended into the next, and neither Alex nor Emily could tell if it had been days, weeks, or months since the capture. Bound and gagged day in and day out, the monotony only heightened the fear that both felt - Emily more at being captured and being out away from everything familiar...Alex more at the impending sense of dread of what would happen to him-slash-Emily.

Though Alex dreaded what he considered the reason a group of bandits would kidnap a pretty girl, aside from the rough handling and sneers at mealtime, nothing ever happened to Emily. This, though, seemed only to make it worse. Every time that the wagon stopped, Alex found himself mentally paralyzed by the thought that _this_ time would be the time they raped him, err... Emily.

The only event that broke the monotony was one that served to subdue and terrify Emily and Alex even more. Emily had asked, one night, for more food. She had felt that she was starving on the meager morning meals of gruel and water and the ridiculously small servings of whatever was for dinner - old meat and dried vegetables, usually. Rather than increasing her rations, the bandits carried through with their threat. Her dinner was cut short that night, and she received no meals the next day. In fact, she wasn't taken out of the wagon until the next morning for breakfast. Though the portions were smaller than before, Emily didn't dare ask again, and ate in silence.

Then, one day came that the wagon stopped before dusk. Before either Alex or Emily could wonder why, harsh greetings were shouted and she was quickly hauled out from the wagon.

No more than a fortnight had passed, though to Alex it felt like an eternity since he had wound up in Emily's body - an eternity of fear, dread, and despair leading up to this moment...

Her captors carried Emily to a small cell, though after weeks confined to the wagon's tiny compartment, it almost seemed luxuriously large to her. Surprisingly, one cut her bindings before shoving her roughly into the cell. The door clanged shut - locked.

"The boss will see you in the morning, little girl. Stretch out, rest up, and make yourself pretty for him..." The bandit sneered through the bars in the door at her before turning and leaving.

Emily tore off her gag, spitting out the wad of fabric in her mouth. "Wait..." she called piteously out after him, "Wh- why? Who?" But the heavy footsteps had receded.

"Why..." she whispered, before curling up into a ball and crying herself to sleep.

*****

The authors would like to thank Griever, Quyden, and Musashi for their invaluable assistance in pre-reading and pointing out things that could be phrased differently or clarified. Without their assistance and editing, this would have been a much poorer work. We would also like to thank our clothing consultant, the Dark Siren, for assistance in designing a look or two here and there, as well as checking that the looks already made weren't too "out there."

(Jaime) I, personally, would like to thank Autumn for coming up with the original idea behind Heraldic Echo. Without that, this story would likely not exist. I would also like to thank Griever, Akemi, and anyone else who encouraged me to try writing out for myself.

(Autumn) Thanks first to my Muse, Aurora, even when she's being fickle. Thanks also to Jaime who saw the intro languishing in my journal and said "Hey, we can do something with this," and then took it fifty million different directions than I had ever thought possible. And finally, Klip, for occasionally prodding me, "When are you going to keep writing?"

  

  

  

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