Chapter Five

The ride to the Idzor Kingdom was long. I left my village twelve hours ago. We were on our way to the border. At the border we'll need to go by feet.

I sat in the carriage enjoying the landscapes of my dear home. We drove by a field which was full of perennial sunflowers. Their yellow was bright just like the sun shining down on us.

I had to leave everything behind. The guard dragged me out of my home even though it wasn't even the date of my departure. I couldn't say goodbye to Meya and had to leave Kyllan behind. I never could say those three words to him.

A single tear made her way down my cheek. I brushed it away and decided to nap for some time. I needed to have lots of energy.

-------------------------------------------------

Someone shoke me and my eyes fluttered open. Shockingly I looked at the guard which has woken me up from my slumber.

"We're at the border", he said.

I took a deep breath and got out of the carriage.

"There isn't any civilization nearby. You have four hours till you stumble upon the first village of Idzor. Before you get there you have to shift into a centaur. Good luck", he continued.

"Wait. You won't come with me", I asked with fear.

"No."

After this single word he jumped onto the horse he has been riding on since he literally abucted me and gallopped away.

"WAIT! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THAT", I screamed but he didn't even turn around. I looked to the carriage. The coachman nodded towards me and like the guard turned around and left me behind.

I was now the only person here by the border. With small steps I neared the border. Once I will step over it there would be no turning back. No there wasn't any turning back. The queen would behead me.

With a deep breath I stepped over the border. I felt a sudden change in the atmosphere. My body knew that I wasn't where I should be. The guard said that I had four hours till the first village appears. With that mindset I began walking.

-------*three hours later*-----------

My whole body hurt. My feet burned from the walking in my tight shoes. The corset was cutting my air and the dress was all muddy and getting heavier each minute.

I mumbled inappropriate words under my breath each time I nearly slipped. The road was muddy and slippery since an hour. But on my mind were only two things. Kyllan and shifting. I was worried about my shift into a centaur.

The landscape was flat and in the distance I could spot the village the guard was talking about. The houses looked giant but that is probably because centaurs are bigger than fairies. Fairies are slim while centaurs had the body of half a horse and were automatically taller and wider.

As I neared the village I thought about what to do with my clothes. Should I leave it behind and hide it somewhere because centaurs don't wear any clothes. It isn't in their culture and they don't need to cover anything. I decided on the first option and went behind a big oak tree. I stripped off my clothes and threw it onto the tree hoping they wouldn't fall down. Centaurs can't climb so the tree was the best option to hide my stuff.

Once the clothes were safe and no falling down I decided to shift. I didn't know how long I could keep my form once I turn into a centaur. I can shift into one and practiced for hours but after a little more than thirty minutes my body would give up and I would shift back.

I concentrated on my power. Feeling the tingle spread across my body and my body moving into weird directions. Bones began breaking and muscles ripping apart forming into new ones. I let out a silent cry not wanting to let the villagers know that I was near them.

The process was painful but worth it. Instead of two feet I had now four hooves. A dark brown fur covered me from my hooves till my breasts covering them.

I trotted towards the village. As I neared it I realised how gigantic this houses actually were. They were twice as big as the ones in Estreia. There were many other centaurs talking to each other on the streets. I saw a sign which said "Housing - chambers for all". I walked or better said trotted towards the big house and knocked. A female centaur openend the door.

"One chamber?", she asked me and I nodded. She then motioned me to follow her and I did. I walked into the house and it looked cozy. It was made out of oak wood and had a lot of space. She walked towards a light door and opened it.

"This ones yours. How many nights?" Baffled I looked at her. For a second I didn't understand a word she told me. She had a southern idzorian dialect which was hard to understand. She looked confused and I realised that I hadn't answered.

"Only one", I replied. She nodded with her head. "That is 5 estos." I quickly grabbed the small bag that I left with me and counted the estos that I still had. Before the guard has left me all alone he left a bag behind with some estos. I had 100 estos in my bed. Enough for probably two weeks. I gave her the 5 estos and she walked away. I walked into the chamber which more of like looked like the stall of a horse. There was some hay in a corner of the chamber which looked like the 'bed'. It smelled weirdly in the chamber and I knew that the hay was the cause of it. I bet they haven't changed it in a while.

I walked towards what looked like a table. There were papers and some feathers with ink. I quickly grabbed a paper and wrote a small message.

"I'm in Idzor now. Not dead yet

- yours only, Elyana"

I folded the paper twice and whistled in a high tone. A little bird flew to the window of the chamber. I took a string and binded it on the leg of the bihen it flew off and I knew that it would reach its destintation safely.

I then went over to the door and locked it. My body was getting weaker and I was out of energy. I knew that I was about to shift back. I went over to the pile of hay and shifted back. My nude body laying on the hay and trying to use it as a blanket for the cold night.

The kingdom was more up north than the Estreia kingdom. The temperature was colder and I questioned on how I should survive the night in my normal fairy form. I saw something that looked like a closet and quickly stood up from my position and made my over to it, avoiding the window in fear to be seen my some centaurs.

I opened the closet and saw some attire hanging there. Why were there clothes and even a blanket. Confused I looked into the closet. Without a second thought I grabbed the attire and changed into it and grabbed the soft blanket. I debated about going back to the pile of hay or just use the closet as my bed. I was petite in comparison to that closet.

I decided on the latter option and climbed into the closet making myself comfortable. Putting the blanket over my body trying to warm my body. Slowly my eyes fluttered close and I fell asleep.

-----------------------------------------------

A loud knocking woke me up from my sleep. I got startled and quickly stripped off the attire, climbed out of the closet nearly tripping and closed the closet. Shifting back into my centaur form I silently trotted towards the door. Unlocking it and opening it. A tall centaur stood infront of me. She had shoulder length black hair and mesmerizing green eyes.

"Breakfest is ready", she said in her hoarse voice.

I nodded and followed behind her. We went into a big room with a giant table in the middle. No chairs, no forks, no plates. The food was placed randomly on the dark table. A few centaurs were standing around the table grabbing aggressivly the food and munching on it. It looked gross. They were talking, munching and burping. I scrunched my noise and went over to a side of the table which didn't look too messy. Fairly-like I elegantly grabbed an apple and ate it in a normal pace not like the other which were literally eating away everything. After my apple I grabbed an orange. An other centaur grabbed my hand.

"This ones mine", he nearly growled out. Weirdly I looked at him and shook my head.

"No I had it first so it is mine", I snapped back. He then yanked my hand towards him so my orange slipped out of my hand and fell on the ground. Briskly he grabbed it and put the whole orange into his mouth an bit on it. The liquid swelled out of his mouth and partially splashed on my face. I shrieked and the attention was now on me. The other centaur stopped eating and looked towards us.

"You nasty, disgusting centaur don't you have any manners!", I nearly shouted at him. He looked taken back. The other centaurs snickered and made fun of him. He then got angry. I saw him clenching his fists and his whole body started to shake.

"Don't you have any respect you female!", he shouted at me. I just realised what I have done. In Idzor female are lower than males. I wasn't in Estreia anymore. Female and males weren't equal here.

He raised his fist and shut my eyes close not wanting to see him punch me.

Nothing happened. I squinted my eyes open and saw a woman holding his fist mid air. She wasn't a centaur. She was in human form. She wasn't a fairy either I would've sensed the presence of a fairy. So that meant that she was either a werewolf or mermaid.

I inspected the woman trying to find some features. She had gorgeous long wavy red hair which reached her lower back. She had an athletic stature and was pretty tall for a woman. Her head snapped towards me and then I knew it. Mermaid eyes stared into mine. Her eyes were completely white and her pupils were like the ones cat had.

"Don't raise your hand on a woman Felio", she commanded. He mumbled a silent yes and trotted away. The other centaurs went back to eating.

She looked straight into my soul. Her eyes squinted and she came nearer. She leaned in so that her mouth was near my ear. I felt her cold breath on my ear. Goosebumps erupted on my neck spreading till my lower back. "You're not a centaur", she whispered into my ear. My eyes widened and I started coughing hoping the other centaurs didn't hear the words she said. I'm not even 24 hours in this kingdom and the first person already detected my lie.

She grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the room. I followed her long strides and she went what I guess is her chamber. She shushed me inside and closed the door, locking it twice. "Shift back", she said. Nervously I stood there and decided to convince her that I was indeed a centaur.

"What do you mean? I can't shift. I'm a centaur", I said trying to sound as convincing as I could. She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Shift back", she repeated. "I already told you I-", I started off before getting interrupted by her again. "Don't you try to play any games with me."

I gulped loudly and nodded. I looked to the ground. My light brown falling down creating a curtain. Shielding myseld from her. Loudly I breathed out and shifted back. I was out of energy and fell onto the ground. Grunting noises were coming from me. She tapped her foot against the hard floor and shook her head.

"I would have never guessed that a fairy would even step a foot into Idzor", she laughed out loud. "Be quiet", I hissed at her. She smiled at me. I didn't know if her smile was a genuine one or a smile telling me that she would turn me in.

She held out her hand indicating that I should put mine in hers. I did what she wanted and she helped me stand up. I covered myself with my hands not wanting her to see me naked.

"I've seen plenty naked woman", she commented. Brightly she grinned at me. Her pearly white teeth nearly blending me. "And now tell me what are you doing here", she continued.

"I fled from my kingdom and stumbled upon Idzor", I lied straight out of my mouth. Skeptical she looked at me. Probably thinking if she should believe me or not. I shifted my weigth from one leg to the other.

"Okay", she said and nodded. "It was a pleasure to have met you but I have to keep going I have a long way", I told her and before I was about to shift back she asked: "Where are you off to?"

"The capital", I shortly replied. Quickly I shifted back into my centaur form and now I was the one towering over her. "What a coincidence me too."

She grabbed once again my arm and led me out of the house. We both walked out of the village. A lot of centaurs looked suspicious over to us. It wasn't normal to see a cheerful mermaid and a centaur walking around hand in hand.

The walk to the kingdom would take a while and I didn't know how I would survive it with this bundle of energy next to me.