[ WP ] A Knight is tasked with rescuing a Kingdoms long lost princess that was taken by a witch years ago , when he arrives at witch 's lair and asks where is them princess the witch reptiles you are then princess

What set the witch's lair apart from the woods was how Sam got there. Wander blindly, or follow trails, or listen to the crackle of a distant fire, and nothing more than ghosts would be found. Look for the cat, Sam knew, though did n't quite know why. But, when the cat slinked from one shadow to the next, Sam saw and knew. 
 
 An old forest rich in rotting wood, a place where life and death mingled. Many places had balances, a notion of the cycle of life. Witches lived amongst the specific places that embraced the cycle. With how man had twisted and distorted the world into new images, few remained for witches to live. Yet, that too followed life, which required witches to adapt or die out. 
 
 Many had come before Sam, eager to slay the witch and rescue the princess. A more beloved princess there seemed not to be, though Sam could n't remember much of her. She had disappeared at the same time Sam wound up in an orphanage, and had no memory prior beyond a name. Sam sought her nonetheless, eager to please the kingdom that had become a home. 
 
 Truly, Sam had been blessed to have found work in the palace, and make many friends of kind and diligent people. To know that they would be overjoyed to have the princess return was reason enough to embark on what had been branded a futile task. 
 
 So, Sam followed the cat. Metal armour had been left with the horse and squire at the camp on the edge of the forest, serving no purpose against witches nor roots and vines; leather and a sword, for any beasts that lay inside. Fortunate, for the cat moved swift and cared not for well-trodden paths, and nary was there a beast more fearsome than nettles and holly. 
 
 Deep into the forest they slinked, and yet the edge of the trees never looked more than a short walk away. Day turned to dusk, and, rather than continue into night, the little light left hung in the air. Despite the time training with heavy armour, and the flatness of the terrain, Sam became short of breath, and what entered the lungs threatened to drown, such was the humidity. More than anything, Sam felt a dream had been entered, and reality left behind. After all, shadows did n't move, and no animal howled in such a way, and the feeling of being watched could n't be true in such thick foliage. 
 
 Just when Sam thought the cat had won, the pressure dropped, and sweat chilled, wiping away the fatigue. Deep, clear breaths gave Sam a second-wind to follow the cat to the edge of a clearing. 
 
 Though, at first look, it was n't so much a clearing as a place where several trees had fallen at similar times. The footing still proved treacherous, wood rotted so it could support little more than the weight of the cat. Still, Sam followed to the slight mound at the centre, upon which some trees had lain to rest, some sprouting anew. Though green, it was a mossy colour, rather than that of grass. Where the moss broke, muddy hues leaked. 
 
 Truly, nothing set it apart from the rest of the forest, except the nearby crackling of a fire. 
 
 Sam did not dally, instead keeping no more than a pace behind the cat. A challenging task before, now requiring even more dexterity to clamber over trunks and avoid the sticky mud. 
 
 They circled the mound not once, nor twice, but thrice, and upon that third lap a sheet of knotted wood occupied the space where moss had been before. Sam paused at the entrance, even as the cat entered through a window, where before had been none. Listening, Sam heard the flames, and a repetitive creak, and a purring. 
 
 So busy listening, was Sam, that spoken words were missed. 
 
 “ Must I repeat myself? Come in, child. ” 
 
 The door opened with a groan, and closed in much the same way at Sam's touch. Looking around, Sam thought that the same could be said for most things inside. The kettle, for instance, Sam was sure would squeak when the top opened, and the boughs that supported the thin mattress were certainly no better. Even the rocking chair, now that Sam knew it, sounded expected—familiar. 
 
 Swallowing the question that reached the lips, Sam returned to the mission. “ I have come on business pertaining to the kingdom. ” 
 
 “ Considering you found your way here, I fear you may be mistaken, but do continue. ” 
 
 The words rattled around Sam's head, giving substance to the discomfort felt. “ A princess, nearly thirteen years ago, was last seen heading into this forest. Considering you lay claim to it, it is believed that you know of her fate. ” 
 
 The witch laughed, and not the cackling laughter Sam had expected. Rather, much like her speech, it seemed rhythmical, or, rather, following an unheard beat. “ A dozen years, a dozen months, a dozen days, a dozen hours, a dozen minutes, a dozen seconds, and another minute since you entered. ” 
 
 “ You know the dates that well? ” Though reluctant, from what the tales spun, Sam looked at the witch's face. True, it did look leathery and wrinkly, large blemishes and liver spots aplenty, however her eyes looked as fresh as any Sam had seen. 
 
 “ She fled on her thirteenth birthday, did she not? Shortly before lunch? ” 
 
 Sam stared for a moment longer, and then shrugged. “ Perhaps? I have not asked much of the day, beyond confirming that she had been seen heading into these woods. ” 
 
 “ A request from a child on her birthday, who would turn her down? Not I. So, a spell I weaved, a spell I wove. Twelve years and twelve months and twelve days and twelve hours and twelve minutes and twelve seconds was she when we met, and so in another twelve the spell would wear thin, and she would meet me once more. ” 
 
 “ Then, given what you said prior, she is here now? ” 
 
 “ Aye, she is, though she may take some time to show herself. ” 
 
 Sam leaned forwards, expression curious. “ Pray tell, why is that? ” 
 
 “ Time shall make it clear. To hasten the wait, may an old lady question ye? ” 
 
 Taking a moment to peer around the house, Sam said, “ If it would please you. ” 
 
 “ A handsome one, are n't ye? Calm, and generous with good faith. No doubt, many a lass has shown interest, have they not? ” 
 
 Split between a polite smile and a grimace, Sam replied, “ Thank you for the compliment, but I'd rather a topic less personal. ” 
 
 “ Yet, ye have n't laid with one, have ye? ” 
 
 Looking away, Sam offered no reply, though the witch laughed. 
 
 “ Strange that. Surely, there must be one of beauty that has caught ye eye? I wonder, has there been moments where ye are on threshold, and though she invites ye in ye turn to leave instead? ” 
 
 “ It is not something for strange women in mud houses to wonder about. ” 
 
 “ My, my, I seem to have struck a nerve, ” she said, voice light with laughter. “ Perhaps, ye have thy eye on some lad instead? ” 
 
 “ No! ” snapped out Sam. No. ” 
 
 The witch chuckled some more, and the cat purred as though laughing too. “ Ye are right. A different queer are ye. ” 
 
 “ I'll say again that the strange one here is you, who is so curious about a stranger's private affairs. ” 
 
 “ To be curious of the affairs of strangers' privates is only natural. ” 
 
 “ Then it is thankful most men and women are unnatural. ” 
 
 “ Some more so than others, ” the witch said, and the words as good as hooked Sam by the ear. 
 
 Taking a step closer, and in a soft voice, Sam asked, “ What do you mean by that? ” 
 
 “ Nothing beyond what I said, though I am sure you have taken it rather personally. ” 
 
 “ And what do you mean by that? ” 
 
 She stroked her cat, scratching behind its ears. “ Do you think it is unnatural for a man to dress as a woman? ” 
 
 Sam felt none of the heat from the fireplace. 
 
 “ Words like natural have no place amongst society. The distinction between natural and not is tradition. What is done, and always has been done, is natural. Change is unnatural, just like the unnatural way the seasons pass, and the unnatural way animals grow from babes to beasts, and the unnatural way seeds become towering oaks and pines. ” 
 
 The witch stroked her cat, a smile upon her lips. 
 
 “ So I ask the better question: do you think a man should be able to dress as a woman, if he so wishes? ” 
 
 “ What answer other than,'No,' do you expect? ” Sam replied, in a soft voice. 
 
 “ Then, I shall instead ask the question: what of a woman, who dresses as a man, who dresses as a woman? ” 
 
 Sam turned away once more, taking a step towards the door. “ I have no time for this… philosophy. If the princess is not here, my time is wasted. ” 
 
 “ Oh, but she is here. ” 
 
 Stilling, Sam took a careful breath. 
 
 “ When she came to me thirteen years and thirteen hours ago, she asked of me a wish. Do ye remember what that wish is? ” 
 
 “ She wished to be a boy. ” 
 
 “ And how, pray tell, would ye know that? ” 
 
 “ You said as much, with your strange questions. I have my answer, so I will give it to the king, and we can begin the search anew. ” 
 
 “ Search anew? Ye have found her, have ye not? ” 
 
 After a look across the room, Sam said, “ I see her not. ” 
 
 “ Ye did n't see her in the mirror, when ye wore a dress? ” 
 
 Sam's fist clenched tight, nails digging into flesh. “ Pray keep your fancies to yourself. ” 
 
 “ Ye wished to become a boy, yet do ye remember why thy asked? ” 
 
 “ She… the princess, she loved to walk through the towns, and play all sorts of games with the children. But, as she got older, she became pressured to act like royalty should, to act like a princess should. So, she wanted to become a boy who could mess about and the like. ” 
 
 “ That is what she said, but a witch is clever enough to ignore what people say. ” 
 
 Sam chuckled. “ Then pray tell, for what reason did she seek to become a man? ” 
 
 “ She fell in love with another woman. ” 
 
 Sam smiled softly. “ What an issue that would be, the princess a lesbian. ” 
 
 “ A mind and body at odds, the spell wears thin. Come here, ye have, to make a choice. ” 
 
 “ And what choice is that? ” 
 
 “ Whether to align thy mind to body, or thy body to mind. ”
