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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hello, I'm The Shrunken Scholar or just Scholar for short. I will be your writer for chapter two of Insect Nobility. After a rocky couple months, it's finally here! This is my first time doing a collaboration or anything like it, so I'm kind of nervous. Sadly, I had to put a rush on this chapter because I was moving this month. Hopefully it didn't damage it too much. Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Please leave a review telling me how I did.


Lady Melissa awoke slowly the next morning. Her eyes blinked open to rays of sunlight shining through a window. She rose up to a sitting position and suddenly realized she was stark-naked.

" Where the devil have my clothes gone? " Melissa wondered, pulling the blanket up to cover her breasts.

It was then she noticed something else was incredibly wrong. The blanket stretched much further than her feet, traveling down the length of the massive object she laid on and ending just before two large, pale feet poking out from underneath. The events of the previous day came flooding back into her mind. That damned spell had reduced her to a measly two inches tall. Quite the change for the normally tall Melissa.

She turned around to see her now titanic attendant, Taryn, sleeping quietly. The shrunken noble recalled she was sitting on Taryn's massive right breast and quickly scrambled off. This was no time to be dwelling on what had already happened. They needed to get to the castle as soon as possible and find a way to reverse the spell. Melissa walked up her attendant's chest to her chin and began hitting it.

" Wake up! We have to go! " she yelled.

Taryn mumbled something incoherent and raised her hand to swat away whatever was bothering her sleep. Melissa tried to dodge out of the way, but she was not fast enough.

" Ahhhhhhhh! " she cried out, falling to the bed.

At the sound of tiny woman's cries, Taryn shot up in bed.

" Milady! Oh, my... What happened? " she asked, reaching to pick Melissa up.

" Do not touch me! This is your fault! You swatted me as if I was an insect. " Melissa commanded, smacking her fingers away.

" My apologies, Milady. I did not mean to. " Taryn blushed slightly, attempting to hide a grin.

" There is nothing amusing about this! Now get out of bed, put some clothes on, and take me back to the castle! "

The grin disappeared from her face and she got out of bed.

" Of course, Lady Melissa. " she said and scurried off to prepare for the day.

Melissa breathed a deep sigh and sat down on the uncomfortable bed. A short time later, Taryn reappeared in a brown dress that went all the way down to her ankles and leather sandals.

" Finally, " the diminutive noble said standing ", let's get going already. I do not want to be in this state any longer than I have to. "

" One moment, Milady. I was thinking and I believe it would be in your best interest not to let anyone see you like this. Perhaps I should hide you somewhere until we get to your library? "

Melissa opened her mouth to make a snide remark, but paused. The peasant girl was right. If anyone from the castle saw her in such a compromising state, there could be dire consequences. Someone might try to take her position of power for themselves! That could not be allowed to happen.

" Very well then. What did you have in mind? " she asked, putting one hand on her hip.

Taryn walked over to a table and held up a cloth bag with a shoulder strap.

" I could put a blanket at the bottom of the bag so you would be comfortable. "

Melissa frowned at the idea. Sitting inside of a sack while her attendant walked to the castle did not sound fun. Truth be told though, she had no better plan.

" Fine, but you had better be careful with me. " she warned, pointing a small finger at the much larger woman.

" Yes, Milday. " Taryn said, smiling.

__________________________________________________________

TARYN

Ten minutes later, Taryn was walking down the dirt road to Castle Mykin. A few other people were also on the dirt road. An older man riding in his cart filled to the brim with hay, two women who she recognized as servants from the castle, and a couple more. Lady Melissa was safely tucked away inside the bag under her arm. The shrunken noble had made many complaints about how uncomfortable she was, but she quieted down after awhile.

Taryn looked ahead to the looming castle. Castle Mykin stood atop a hill at the center of a large clearing. A twenty foot tall wall surrounded the entirety of the castle, complete with four watchtowers at each corner. The main gate was open allowing workers and visitors to come and go. Four guards stood in front of the gate stopping visitors and asking them to state their business.

The castle itself was a large, solid structure lacking any towers. It was comprised of four stories and multiple rooms. As Taryn approached the gate, she realized the guards were turning away the visitors. One of the guards saw her coming and walked out to meet her. He was wearing a tunic with the symbol of Castle Mykin, a raven on a field of maroon, on the front. The usual attire of the castle guards. He kept one hand on the pommel of his sword.

" You are Miss Taryn, correct? Lady Melissa's attendant? " he asked, arriving before her.

" Yes, I am. Is something wrong? "

" Captain Lockheart would like to speak with you immediately. He told me to escort you to him. "

" O-Of course. Please, lead the way. "

The guard walked back towards the castle and Taryn followed. She had never even considered that the whole castle would be aware of Melissa's sudden disappearance by now. She gripped the strap of the bag on her shoulder nervously. The guard lead her through the gate and into the castles main hall. They walked through maze-like halls and up stone stairways before finally arriving at a door. The guard opened the door without hesitation.

" Captain, I have brought Lady Melissa's attendant as you asked. " he announced.

Taryn peered around the guard into the room beyond. It was a long room without windows and a large wooden table at the center. Seated at the table were some nobles Taryn recognized and a man dressed in guard's attire.

" That will be all. Return to your post. Close the door as you leave. " the man Taryn could only assume was Lockheart said.

The guard put a fist on his chest, gave a slight bow, and left the room. Taryn stood with all other eyes in the room on her. There was an unmistakeable air of seriousness. She felt almost as small as the woman in her bag. Captain Lockheart was an average looking man with a shaven head. His stern expression and steely gaze showed he was someone not to be trifled with.

" The reason I had you brought here is to talk about Lady Melissa. Namely, what has become of her. It is my understanding that you were the last person to see her yesterday. Another servant found you weeping in the halls saying that Lady Melissa was gone and sent you home. Guards have searched the entire castle and the Lady-Duchess is nowhere to be found. Only a pile of her clothing has been discovered in her library. What can you tell us about the events leading up to her disappearance? " Lockheart asked, folding his hands on the table.

Taryn's eyes darted to each of the people sitting at the table one by one. Some of Lady Melissa's political rivals were present. Melissa would often go on for hours about how two-faced and underhanded they were. She couldn't give them any reason to be suspicious.

" Yes, sir. I was the last person to see Lady Melissa. Yesterday was a normal day until she vanished. I did all the usual chores and other jobs Lady Melissa wanted done. The last thing she had me do was wash her bathtub while she was in the library. When I finished, I went back to the library and Lady Melissa was gone. All that was left was a pile of her clothes. That's when I went running into the halls yelling for the alarm. " Taryn explained.

It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either.

" What made you suspect Lady Melissa was gone? That this wasn't one of her... games. " Lockheart said, searching for the right word.

" Lady Melissa is very particular about her clothing. I knew she would never leave them on the floor. Even for one of her games. "

" I see. We appreciate you telling us all of this. If you learn anything about the Lady's disappearance, do not hesitate to inform us. You may return to your duties. "

" Sir, you don't think Lady Melissa was... kidnapped do you? " she asked, making herself sound worried.

" I cannot say for certain. Our hope is the Lady-Duchess has taken an unscheduled trip. We have received no ransom letter if someone has kidnapped Lady Melissa. "

Taryn nodded in response, curtsied, and exited the room. Once on the other side of the door, she let out a sigh of relief. The meeting with Captain Lockheart could have gone much worse. She didn't have to time to waste though. Lady Melissa had to be returned to normal as soon as possible. She hurried off to the library.

__________________________________________________________

Upon entering the library, Taryn closed and bolted the door. They couldn't have a guard walk in to find a shrunken Lady Melissa. She went to one of the library's tables and carefully set down her bag. Looking inside, she saw Melissa staring up at her.

" Get me out of this damned bag! " her tiny voice shouted.

Taryn gently took her out and placed her on the table.

" It was dreadful in there. I have never sweated so much in my life. " Melissa complained, sweat glistening all over her body.

Taryn looked at Melissa's naked form, blushing slightly.

" Apologies, Milady. " she said.

Melissa saw the strange look on her face and immediately realized what it was.

" We do not have time for you to drool! Pick me up so we can find the book with the shrinking spell. "

Taryn blushed even deeper and picked her up. Melissa looked around the library before finally spotting the book exactly where she left it on another table.

" The book's on that table over there. Open it up and flip through the pages. I'll tell you when to stop. " she said, pointing to the table.

Taryn sat down at the table, holding Melissa in one cupped hand, and opened the book. The book's contents were foreign to Taryn, full of strange symbols and a language she didn't know. She slowly flipped through pages, letting Melissa get a good look at each before turning to the next. The process went on for a few minutes until Melissa found what she was searching for.

" Stop! This is it! This is the spell I used. "

She began to thoroughly read through the page. Taryn waited patiently for her to finish.

" No... No. This can't be right. No! " Melissa cried, slapping her small hands on Taryn's giant fingertips.

" What is it, Milady? "

The tiny woman started to shake and collapsed onto her attendant's palm.

" The book doesn't say anything about how to reverse the spell. There's nothing... I'm stuck like this. "

Tears began to form in the noble woman's eyes.

" Milady... "

Taryn wanted to say something to comfort her, but she could think of nothing to say. She stroked her index finger down Melissa's back in a comforting gesture.
Chapter End Notes:
Cue the dramatic music. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's all yours, WrittenVoreArt. See y'all next time!
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