Chapter 5: Friends

Well rested, I awake at dusk to Peggy shaking me.

“The sun is almost down. Pubert is ready for you.”

Drowsy, I look at the open door on the other side of the house, letting in the last remnants of sunlight. “I guess it’s going to be goodbye now,” I sigh, having come to appreciate the times I had with the family.

Granny walks up to me, “Well, it doesn’t have to be goodbye forever. Your kind far outlives ours deary, you can come to visit again. Provided I’m still alive by then, of course, hihihi,” granny snickers, while secretly pushing an old bag into my hands. Intrigued, I look inside and find a full jar of honey in it. When I open my mouth to try thanking her, Granny puts her finger over it and whispers, “This is our little secret,” while giving me a mischievous smile.

I nod and stand up, gathering my belongings, few as they may be and step outside, feeling a slight rash on my body as the last rays of sunshine touch my skin before fully fading into the depths. The snow has mostly melted by now, with patches of grass and a few flowers peeking out of the ground. The air is also noticeably warmer. It seems Granny wasn’t kidding when she said the snowstorm was the last outreach of winter.

While taking in my surroundings, Pubert waves at me from a distance and shouts, “Good morning! Or evening, whatever is right for you. Dad and I got the cart all fixed up, we’re ready to go!”

Still a little tired, I walk towards his voice and find a donkey with a carriage full of different yarns and furniture, hidden under a thick layer of hay, most likely to insulate it from the weather… And hopefully the sun.

Suddenly feeling a hand on my shoulder I turn around to look at Dick who seems furious.

“You’d better not do anything to my son while you’re out there, or I will find you, and I will rip your a…”

“All right, that’s enough brother,” Shaggy interrupts, dragging Dick away from the cart with a gentle, yet firm grip on the shoulder, giving me a stern look and telling Pubert with a smile, “Have a safe trip, nephew,” before going back to the house.

“Don’t take dad too seriously, he cares I swear,” Pubert tells me in a nervous voice, “It’s just his way of saying, ‘stay safe’."

I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe that himself, but he probably just wants the trip to start on a happy note, so I just smile and nod, which seems to put him at ease.

“Oh also, I made some things for you so you don’t burn up!” Pubert tells me in an upbeat tone, “If you look here, I made you a sun-proof sleeping space.” He peels away at some of the straw, revealing a table and some Tetris-like stacked chairs with a blanket over them, creating a nice little place for me to sleep in.

“Oh nice, it's like a Japanese capsule hotel! You even made me a little bed in there. Thank you, Pubert!” I say while patting his shoulder and watching all his blood rush to his face as he stands there embarrassed, smiling like an idiot.

I guess this is what boys look like from the view of girls, huh? No wonder no one dated me back then. Although it is a bit adorable seeing him like this, so no surprise girls like teasing boys a lot.

“Ehm could… Could you let go now…” Pubert says, looking at my hand on his shoulder, “I’ve got to tell the family we’re leaving…”

“Oh sure, sorry about that!” I say while taking my hand off him and watching him awkwardly scuttle away to the house. “Well, let’s hope this trip goes well, I’d rather not have any more surprises,” I mumble to myself, blankly staring into the fields to pass the time until something catches my eye.

There are two sparkling lights in the grass, a few feet away from the cart. Maybe I should check them out?

“Yeah, no. I’ve seen too many horror movies to know where this is going,” I say provocatively while taking out my dagger and pointing them at the bushes. Probably in reaction to that, the two lights start coming closer. Shit, that was stupid. I should have just shut my damn mouth. “I’m armed to the teeth I have ya know! Also, I did Tae Kwon Do!” I shout at them.

Even if it was only up to the greenbelt.

The lights then come closer. They’re almost at the end of their hiding places now. I can hear and see the grass about to part, but right before it does, they stop and the lights disappear.

“Yeah, that’s right back off, you’re scared now huh!” I yell into the dark, triumphantly, before feeling a weight on my shoulder.

“Will ya ever shut yer trap yer dumb baby?”

“EEEEEEEEk!” I screech for the first time in my life, trying to get whatever is on me off of my shoulder. But before my hands can slap away whatever is on me, it’s gone. And from the wagon behind me the same voice chimes up again.

“What’re ya doin out here alone with the Humies? Where the fuck are yer parents, kid?” Still alarmed, but glad that whatever this light is can talk, I turn around slowly, prepared to strike if I need to. The first thing I see from the corner of my eye is light. No, multiple lights. Like a prism, or a rainbow, and inside it… A small, bearded man, the size of my hand. He is wearing a giant green hat too big for his head, so it obscures half his face, and rather than on his scalp, it rests on his big potato-like nose. He’s also wearing dirty-looking farmer's clothes that seem like they haven’t been washed in ages.

But before I can talk to this little man, another slightly higher pitched voice says, “Probably got lost,” from the inside of my bag.

“Hey, don’t go sneaking around my bag will you!” I yell at the bag. But as I open it, there is nothing inside. And then suddenly, when I look up, there is another one of those little people there, but this time with long blonde hair, a pink hat, and a blue dress on.

As I look in bewilderment at the two, the bearded one snaps his fingers a few times at me, “Oy. Oy, are yer listening kid?”

“Ehm yeah. Who… And what are you guys?” I answer, somewhat puzzled.

“Are ya shittin me, kid? Is this yer first time outside of the crib, or something? Or are ya fuckin with me?”

“I, Uhm, no? I have just never seen something like you before,” I answer, sheepishly.

“Really, now?” He seems to have calmed down a little after hearing that, “Lass, how old are ya? Like fifteen hundred years or something? I can tell that yer pretty young from yer glimmer, but it’s somewhat hard to tell with ya for some reason.”

Did he just say fifteen hundred years? Nah he must have misspoken. He probably meant fifteen.

"I'm fourteen but my mind is basically that of a twenty-two year old."

“Fourteen to twenty-two hundred, huh? Guessing ya snuck out of home and got lost?”

“She probably followed the Humies around and got separated,” the lady says to the bearded one.

Confused, I answer again, “No, I meant fourteen and twenty-two years, not centuries. Also, what’s a glimmer?”

“Oy, oy. Yer not shitting us here, right kid?” the little man says, somewhat frantically, while the lady one seems to have put her hands over her mouth in shock.

“What? No, why would I? Is there something wrong with that?”

Panicked, the bearded man walks in a circle thinking of what to do, while the lady one has tears crawling down her cheeks and says, “They left a baby out here all on their own?!? Yer poor lassie! Do yer have any idea where yer parents are?!”

“Forget the parents, it’s a crime to leave an infant out in the Humie plane unattended, should we call the Quicklings? Or maybe even the Court of Four!?”

“Calm down husband, yer gonna scare the baby!”

“Yeah, yeah, yer right. But we oughta do something!”

Confused and slightly annoyed, I ask, “What the hell are you guys even talking about? I’m not a baby, and I’m pretty sure I don’t have any parents here either!”

“Great, look at what you’ve done, Husband. Now she’s going to cry.”

“What are you talking about!? I’m not cr–”

“What have I done!? We should look at what sort of a monster would leave their baby unattended, rather than blame me for scaring her!”

“What the fuck are you guys even talking about! I’m not a ba–”

“First of all, before we go to the authorities, we have to make sure the baby is taken care of, husband!”

“But if we do that now, then those boofin dobbers might get away unpunished! Those numpy jobbies might only be a bawhair away, If we go search now we–”

“All right STOP!!!!! Shut the fuck up!!!!! I’m not a baby and I’m mostly fine. Stop talking like I’m not even here and at least include me in the g...go… damn conversation!”

“Aaw, we’re so sorry for talking so loudly and saying all these scary things, lassie,” the lady says.

“Look, it’s alright. Let's just talk this out, ok? Maybe you can help me. I’m actually lost and this isn’t even my real body!”

“Yeah, we know, kid.”

“What do you mean, ‘you know’? How could you possibly know that this isn’t my real body?”

“Well, yer using a glimmer, and a pretty powerful one for yer age even if ya ain’t doing it correctly. To be honest, it’s way too powerful, considering yer obvious lack of skill and young age.”

“Ok, so what is this glimmer you keep talking about?”

“It’s how ya disguise yerself from the humies, see. Ya can see the light on us, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s the glimmer. Us Fey Folk usually can see right through it. But yers is kinda weird… Almost natural? As if it’s grown into yer body? So it’s hard to tell what yer real body is. Wait a minute… Say again lass, how did ya get here?”

“Well, I went to sleep and then I woke up naked in this body, on a stone tablet on a mountain over that direction. Then, I went down the mountain and ended up in a village with a bunch of dead humans. They had some sort of festival planned, and in the chest behind their altar, I found these clothes, a bit of money, and this necklace.”

The bearded one asks, “I have a bad feeling about this. Can I see yer necklace, Lassie?”

“Sure,” I answer him and squat down for him to see it. But the moment he does, his wife starts crying.

“Woah, wait. What’s up, Miss? Is everything alright?” I say to her, confused.

“Husband… You know what this means, right?”

He sighs and turns his back to me, “Aye…I do. Lassie, we can’t help yer… Yer on your own.”

“Wait, what? Why? What’s wrong?” I say anxiously, looking for an answer.

“I’m sorry…” The lady tells me, as she disappears back into the grass with only the light of her glimmer shimmering through. “Wait stop, where are you going? You can’t just leave me like this!? At least explain what you were going to tell me!”

“We’re sorry lassie, but we can’t get involved,” the bearded man answers with a heavy sigh before disappearing into the tall grass with his wife again, growing more and more distant until the light is gone.

Ok so… What the actual fuck was this all about??? And what’s wrong with me and that necklace!? Like, what!? And what did they mean, baby??? I know Granny said Fey Folk grow old, but still?! I’m basically an adult already, my IQ test said I have the intelligence of an adult so I'm basically twenty-two. And what is this whole glimmer shit about? Did someone curse me with a glimmer to look like this?! Did I piss off a Gypsy or something? None of this high fantasy ass shit makes any sense!

“Gaaaah this sucks,” I say while kicking the wagon. “Is everything all right, love?”

Startled by the sudden voice, I turn around only to see Peggy, Rose, Scarlet, and Pubert standing behind me, looking at me in bewilderment. Great, one of those sitcom scenarios, huh? I put my hand on my forehead, letting it glide over my face to calm down, and tell her, “Look, you probably won’t believe this, but I just had a very frustrating interaction with a little man, about the size of my hand, with a long beard and huge hat, and his wife.”

“Oh! So you met a Brownie?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s hard to be– wait, what did you just say Peggy?”

“I said you probably met a Brownie. They’re usually very helpful, though… If they gave you trouble, maybe it was a Boggart?”

Scarlet chimes in, “Could have been a Kobold too if she got bothered by them, right?”

Rose counters, “True, but Kobolds usually don’t live out here in the sticks…”

“Wow, you guys know a lot more than me on the topic. So, what are Brownies, Boggles, and Kobolds?”

Peggy explains, “Well, Brownies are usually friendly Fey Folk. They tend to live around Humans and help out with chores. Or finding lost things for you. In exchange, they sometimes nibble on our food though, so we humans tend to leave out designated little gifts for them instead. You can usually see them in the corner of your eye, or when they’re sleeping. If you do see one, it’s best to ignore them though. They like company, but they’re shy, so they tend to leave when they think you’ve seen them.”

“As for Kobolds and Boggarts, they’re somewhat similar,” Rose interrupts. “Kobolds often live in the same houses as Brownies. They tend to try and keep the unseelie from entering houses and ward off evil, but they also tend to play tricks when they’re bored. On the other hand, Boggarts tend to live out in the wild looking for humans. And when they find one, they try to follow them home and torment them with bad luck, misunderstandings, and the like. They’re also hard to get rid of once you have them. That’s why, even though Kobolds can be annoying, it's important to keep them in your house to keep threats like that away!”

“Also, they’re really ugly and scary,” Scarlet shyly adds.

“Hmm, so from what you guys told me, I probably talked to some Brownies then… They mentioned something about my glimmer being infused in my body and that they can’t help me after seeing my necklace. Do you know why?” I ask the group.

“I can’t say that I do, love. I’m pretty sure we told you everything we know about the druids and that symbol… Peggy, do you know anything?”

“Hmm. No, I can't say that I do… So since there is nothing we can do, it’s best to not dwell on it. We came here in the middle of the night for a different reason after all! We wanted to say goodbye to you!”

“Right! I almost forgot.” Rose adds, “I wish you good luck on your journey, Sam! And you, Pubert... Don’t forget what we talked about,” she says with a wink, as if it’s some grandiose secret that I couldn’t deduce on my own.

“Don’t worry mother, I've got this.” He says with a smile, winking back at her.

These two are made from the same cloth, aren’t they, I think to myself as I wave them goodbye.

“Alrighty, it seems like we’re on our own now, Pubert.”

“Yeah, I guess it does… Haha,” he tells me with a sudden loss of confidence. But before he can turn red in the face again, I take my place in the driver’s seat in front of the wagon and pat the seat next to me.

“All right let’s go, Pubert! Time for adventure!” Looking at me somewhat confused for a second, he sits down next to me and takes over the reins after lighting a lantern hanging from the donkey. I wonder why though; the night seems extremely bright today, “Must be a full moon.” I comment, without much thought, only for Pubert to look up and say, “What do you mean? It’s almost a new moon.” And sure enough, looking up there is only a small sickle of the moon to be seen.

Then why is it so bright out?

I think for a few seconds before slapping myself on the forehead.

Of course, my dark vision eyes! I can probably see better than before because the sky is no longer cloudy. To be honest, it’s kinda creepy how far and well I can see. It’s like that one show I watched… What was it called again? Serengeti by night? I wonder what it looks like for normal people? Like how far can…

“Ehm, Sam? Hello?”

“Uh, yeah? What’s up, Pubert?”

“I don’t know. You just mentioned a full moon and when I told you there was none you just stared into the dark. Are you ok?”

“Oh yeah, sorry my bad. I just forgot how well I can see in the dark.”

“Ok?”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Say Pubert, how far can you see into the forest over there?” He looks at me slightly concerned before attempting to get a few looks into the forest, trying not to steer off the path.

“Ehm, not very far. About up to that stump over there,” he says, pointing at a moldy stump about thirty feet away from the cart.

“Really?! So, you don’t see that pond over there? Or that huge boulder over here?” I ask him, watching him struggle to squint in the general direction but ways off from where I saw the landmarks.

“No, I can't say that I do.”

Then an idea comes to my mind for a little prank. “Then how about that bea… That bea…”

“Are you all right? Do you have something stuck in your throat?”

Annoyed, I say, “Eh, no I’m fine…”

So is ‘bear' one of those things I can’t say either? Wait, no… I slap my forehead. It’s because I tried to lie, isn’t it? I guess I can’t say ‘How about that bear over there. Can you see it?’ because that would be lying… Hmm… Maybe I need to be a bit more creative about this.

“Oh Pubert, you might not have seen the other things, but have you seen a bear family over there?”

He opens his eyes in panic, “BEARS!?” Before covering his mouth, going into a whisper, “There are bears there???”

I smile at him and say, “Nope, get pranked hahaha.”

Relieved, he lets out a big sigh and says, “Ok, please don’t make jokes about things like that in the future. Bears are very dangerous!”

Turning my smile into a frown, I say apologetically, “I’m sorry Pubert… You’re right, I shouldn’t make jokes about stuff like this. I’ll try not to in the future, ok?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I forgive you.”

A few minutes without talking pass with an extremely awkward silence building between us.

Man this ‘road’, if that’s what you want to call it, sure is bumpy… And it’s pretty boring without any talking or radio…

“So ehm… Pubert?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you guys not want to share your real names?”

Looking away he answers, “I mean you didn’t tell us your real name either, right?”

“Well, I kinda did? It’s a short form of my name.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah… So, is this the only reason why you guys didn’t tell me your real names?”

For the first time since my failed prank, Pubert looks at me for a few seconds and says, “I think I can trust you with this information. You don’t know a lot about Fey so even after we found out you had no idea about your abilities, we thought it’d be better to not tell you…”

Feeling my heart race a little I just stare at him and listen.

“So apparently when the Fey Folk know your real name, they have some sort of power over you. What kind of power it is, depends on the Fey Folk, but from what I heard there are some things all of them can do when they know your name. But this also works the other way around, so when a human knows a Fey Folk’s true name, they can lord over them. This is why there is an unspoken rule for Fey not to tell their real names and Humans to not to share their names with strangers.”

Baffled at my secret power, all I’m able to say is, “Oh wow, that’s kinda cool and terrifying at the same time.”

Seeing my reaction, Pubert can’t hold back his giggle, “Yeah… I guess it is." Not knowing why, I join him in his giggling. I don’t even know why I’m laughing but his giggle is infectious.

“My real name is Samuel by the way. Samuel Gardner.''

Shocked, he stops laughing, “Are you sure about sharing your name with me after I told you all this?”

I lean back looking at the sky and say, “Yeah, I do. I think I can trust you with it. Also, it’s only fair since I know yours too, Morgan.”

Surprised, he tenses up a little when hearing his name before chuckling, “How long did you know?”

“Since your dad was angry at you.”

“That long, huh? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Well, I just thought you had a good reason for hiding it, you know. And it turns out you did. And since we know each other’s names now, let’s be friends!”

“Eh, sure! Let’s be friends.”

“All right, let’s get to know each other better then. Do you already know what you want to do in the future? Do you have any dreams?”

Thinking for a bit he answers, “Eh… Well, I do have dreams, but it’s already too late for them.”

“Nope, you’re wrong,” I say to him, confidently.

“I am?”

“Yup! It’s never too late to follow your dreams! You only live once and the time to live the life you want to live is always now, never later.”

“But they don’t accept squires at my age. I would have had to work myself up at eight from a pageboy to a knight.”

“Well, maybe if you just go and insist on it, they’ll take you in? Or maybe prove yourself some other way?”

“I don’t know Sam… It seems unlikely. Also, I doubt my family would let me become a knight anyways.”

“So?” I say, prompting a baffled face on Morgan.

“What do you mean, so?”

“Who cares what your family wants?”

“What?”

“What does it matter what your family thinks? It’s your dream, so go follow it!”.

There is a little bit of silence before his eyes flicker like he just had an epiphany, “Yeah… I guess you’re right. I never thought of it that way.”

“Well, that’s what friends are for!” I say, patting his back, “Sometimes, you just need a friend to point out the obvious, or give a different perspective.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right… I never had a friend before, I barely even speak to people my age and I've never talked this long with a girl before. Most guys live too far away from the farm to bond with and girls...they're just so different.” Morgan tells me in a somber voice.

To be honest, I still get a little annoyed at being called a girl. But I guess it’s accurate, at least until I get this glimmer curse off, so better just accept it for now. “So… Say, Morgan. If you never had any friends, what would you do with them?"

"I...I'm not sure."

"Then what have you been doing so far for fun?”

Keeping a somewhat distant look on the ‘road’, if you want to call it that, he answers, “Eh, mostly just been working. Sometimes I play with my cousins or sister, but that’s about it. We also have the dog, and my uncle lets me play catch with him sometimes, or go hunting with him. Oh, and I also carve figurines! If you look in that bag over there you should be able to find a walking stick with an owl carving that I’m working on.”

Rummaging through the bag, I find what he’s talking about. Currently, it seems he’s mostly cut out the face and started working on the body a little. It reminds me a little of the carvings of my buddy, Manhu. He is really into Native American art, although to be honest I have no idea what tribe he’s from. I just know he looked it up online a lot to get, ‘Back in touch with his roots’, or something. Either way, Morgan's carving looks pretty decent. It’s still a work in progress, but he’s got talent. At least from what I can tell, with my two left hands.

“So Sam, how’d you like it?” Morgan interrupts my thoughts.

“Oh, yeah, I like it! Still a little rough, but I think you’ve got talent.”

My praise seems to have put him in a good mood as a huge smile covers his face.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, obviously you still gotta practice and all, but I think you got a good pair of hands for this sort of stuff.”

He doesn’t say anything in response, but I can tell from his body language that he is proud of himself. I don’t think he's used to compliments, not surprising with a father like that. It must have been hell being stuck with that man all your life, not even having school to escape him.

“So, Morgan?”

“Yeah?”

“How long till we get to Inverness?”

“Oh, we should probably get there either tomorrow night or the day after.”

“Hmm… That’s gonna be a long drive then. Especially since we don’t even have a radio.”

“What’s a radio?” Morgan asks me.

“It’s a device that lets you hear music or stories when you travel.”

Baffled, he looks at me and says, “Wow, you Fey have it good, don’t you?”

“I mean, is it that great? You guys gave me a magic auto translating necklace after all. There must be music magic as well, right?”

Morgan thinks a little before answering and says, “Well, magic is really rare. The only reason we have something magical is because Granny happened to befriend a Fey Folk. I’ve never met an actual magician or seen any other magic. Unless you count miracles, of course.”

“Miracles?! Like, from g- g- higher powers?”

“Yeah, priests of both the old and new ways can do them occasionally, if their god favors them.

“Wow. So… Are you sure they’re miracles, and not just tricks, or sleight of hand or something?”

He looks a little offended when I bring up that possibility and just says, “It’s real.”

Damn, it seems like I hit a nerve there. Better not bring out my fedora and talk about g-g- HIGHER POWERS. This stuff is so annoying… I wonder if this is related to why I can’t say the words related to it. I should keep an open mind. Whether I am right or not for my old world this place is very different from Earth, and with magic being a thing g-…sigh higher powers, might also be a thing.

“So… Sam, do you have any more stories to tell for the ride?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, probably. Hang on, I’ll tell you about my favorite book series!”

“You can read books?!”

“Eh, yeah. Can’t you?”

“Nope. I can read my language, but not the one they write books with.”

“So, they write books in different languages?” I ask him.

“Yeah, this way, it’s more universal. Everyone can read the books, no matter what country they’re from.”

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense. But what use are these books if not everyone knows the language? Doesn’t that kinda defeat the purpose?”

Morgan thinks a little at me pointing that out before answering, “Yeah, I guess it does. But why would you need to read anyways if you’re not some big shot, like a noble or merchant? What use is a book to a farmer?”

“Well, books teach knowledge and can provide entertainment. A book could teach you how to farm better, take care of your livestock, or even educate you to become a merchant yourself!” There is a bit of silence before Morgan chuckles and throws his head backward to look at the stars for a bit.

“Well,” he says, “It’s a shame that no order of monks has written or copied a farming book for the common man. I guess it’s just not worth the effort.”

It is then that something dawns on me, “Morgan, have they figured out the book print yet?”

His trademark look of bewilderment already confirms my suspicions before he says, “No? What’s that?”

They don’t seem to have had their Gutenberg figure yet. Perhaps I could exploit that?

“Sam.”

If I created the first printing press, I would most likely gain untold amounts of money… Maybe even become a lord.

“Sam…?”

From then on, I could take over the entire country in the long run. But what would I even do with all that money and influence? If I am presumably immortal, then–

“Sam!”

“Huh, what?” I ask at the noticeably annoyed Morgan.

“You were staring off into space again after I asked you a question.”

“Oh… Yeah, sorry, Morgan. I was just thinking about stuff.”

“So?” He asks, expectantly.

“So… What?” I ask him back.

“What’s a book print?”

“Oh yeah. Well, a book print is using a machine to copy books easier. That makes books cheaper and easier to access for the public.”

“And you know how to do that?” He asks in a hopeful tone.

“No, but I have a general idea of how it’s supposed to work, so I should be able to figure it out. Maybe once it’s done, I’ll find different farmers to share their knowledge of farming.”

“You would do that?”

“Yup! And I’d even finance your knight career and training!”

He chuckles and answers, “Well, if that does happen, I’ll be there with you.”

I don’t know why but hearing that made me feel warm and fluffy inside. Honestly he's kinda cute.

W-Wait! Hold on! I'm not into Morgan, am I!? I mean, he’s a guy and I’m straight! No. No, no-no-no. Think Samuel, you’re not gay so what’s going on here??? Wait… This is a girl's body… If it works normally… That means my brain is female too and so are my hormones! Am I– Am I going to turn female in my brain too now!?!?!? G- damn it! That must be it!!! I’m being influenced by my new biology… Oh no. Am–am I a straight girl now??? Quick Samuel, think of boobies, caressing them, fondling them… Nothing… Uh, oh. Ok, maybe it’s just because I’m stressed. Let’s try the other way. Imagine men, smelly men. Yeah, they’re dirty! Taking a shower… Smiling at me… Their… Uh oh.

"Morgan!"

"Y-Yes?"

"Stop for a second, I need to take a walk and think!"

"I-Uhm- Okay?"

Going into the woods for a bit I slump to the ground… completely defeated.

I… I’m a straight girl now…The g– truly cursed me.

No Samuel, think of it differently… How often have you found a guy that was chill, and you were best friends, and you just wished you could find a girl like that. Now I am that girl! I just have to find a cool dude to hang out with! Yeah, we can go on adventures, slay dragons, celebrate, lie together in bed, kiss…

This body is dangerous. If I keep going like this, I’ll be married with children before I ever go on a quest. Wait...Can I even have children...Would I be a mom if-

Oh g-I gotta turn off the horny and start thinking again. Usually, I’d just jerk off and be done with it… But I can’t do that right now. I don’t even know where to start. This is all going to take time to figure out. Time and privacy.

To be honest, it’s a miracle I lasted this long before thinking of the naughties like that. How long has it been so far? Two weeks? Two weeks in a girls body and I never even thought about anything sexual...I'm not sure why but...This body feels surprisingly...Normal? Either way, let's go back to the cart and not think about it.

Getting back to the cart, I see Morgan waiting there already, stretching his legs, “Oh, there you are, Sam. Ready to keep going?”

Embarrassed, I nod and give him an awkward smile. We get back to riding the cart while I try clearing my head, thinking of grandmas, kittens, anything to distract me. But my mind keeps wandering towards Morgan. His smile, his personality, and of course… His body.

He is quite ripped. Must be due to his diet and constant farm work. Maybe gyms are a scam and you should just do farm work instead. I wonder how strong Morgan is. He could probably carry me the way I am now. Just pick me up whenever, hold me close, ki… G– damn it, Sam! Compose yourself.

“Sam?”

I've got to get used to all this. The first thing I’m going to do when I get to Inverness is rent a hotel room, or Inn, or something.

“Sam…”

And I’ll try figuring this out. Because I CAN’T keep going on like this. I’m completely dysfunctional…

“Sam!”

I jolt up, hearing Morgan scream my name.

“Eh, yes?”

He looks at me concerned, “Are you ok?”

Why is he saying that? Is something wrong with me? “Eh, I think so? Why are you asking?”

“You haven’t said anything since we had a break, you’re all red in the face, and you keep breathing heavily. Do you have a fever? Is it some Fey Folk disease?”

“I don’t think it’s a fever, but I do feel really hot,” I answer, trying to conceal the real reasons for those things happening.

I think I’m starting to understand this whole lying by omission thing. I should practice more in the fu–

My thoughts get disrupted again, seeing Morgan lean over to me and holding his hand out to my face. Is this one of those romantic scenarios where he’s gonna kiss me??? I mean he’s a teenage boy but isn’t that a little quick to do before a first da–

”Ouch!!!” He yells, after touching my forehead.

“Wait, what happened? Morgan, are you ok???”

I feel the cart stop abruptly as he jumps out of his seat to the ground, holding his hand and putting his mouth on it. Then he walks in a circle shaking his right hand around looking like he's in massive pain, screaming, “By the Lords’ big hairy testicles, that hurts!!!”

Did I do this? Did I hurt him? What even happened?? Didn’t he just touch my forehead??? Carefully I try touching my forehead, expecting it to be hot as a stove but no. If anything, it’s a little cold. I don’t know what to do. What happened?

What are you doing, Sam? Just talk to him and find out, not sit here in shock!

“Are you ok, Morgan!? Can I help you?”

“No! Just stay away! I’m fine,” he says, trying to walk off the pain. Unsure of what to do, I get off my seat as well waiting for Morgan to calm down. After a minute or so, he seems to have calmed down a bit, so I slowly approach him.

“Is everything ok? What happened, you just screamed suddenly and jumped off the cart.”

“Touching your forehead burned my hand. Look,” he shows me the back of his hand. There is a huge red spot on it with some pieces of skin missing. It doesn’t look like he bled much though.

“But, how did that happen? I checked my forehead right after and it wasn’t hot at all,” he looks at me, not in anger, but a little fearfully.

“No, it wasn’t hot. It was cold. So cold it burned me.”

“I… I… But how? I don’t know what happened. I didn't feel that cold, if anything I felt a little warm.”

“I don’t know Sam but this is exactly why Dad warned me about getting close to Fey Folk. Maybe I should have listened to him…”

“Nope.”

“What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

Getting angry, I point my finger at him, “We’re not doing this bullshit. It was an obvious accident. There is no need to go think like your dad after we had so much fun together. Imagine if you accidentally shook my hand while wearing an iron ring and I was just like, ‘Oooooh, this is why you can’t trust humans, my dad was right.’ Get the fuck over it, Morgan.”

“Why are you putting this on me!? YOU were the one that just hurt me!”

“But it was an ACCIDENT! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“It doesn’t matter! YOU still hurt ME!”

A deep gravelly voice suddenly comes up from behind me, “Well, well, well. Lookie what we’ve found ere boys. A lovers quarrel.”

“Shit, get to the cart, Sam!” Unsure what’s happening, I watch Morgan run towards the cart, standing still in confusion before another, “GET IN THE CART NOW!” brings me back to reality. I start running towards the cart but before I get there, I feel a pull on my hair, making me slip on the frozen ground.

Before my ass can touch it, I’m being held up by my hair from something behind me, “Where d’ya think yer goin missy?” I hear behind me as a meaty, hairy, arm points a knife at my neck. “You’d better come back ere boy if ya want yer girlfriend back in one piece.”

I can see Morgan hesitating, unsure whether to save his own life riding off, or stay here for my sake.

“Just run, Morgan. Don’t play the hero! I’ll be fi– Mpf,” I feel his other dirty hand covering my mouth, smelling like piss and dirt. “What cha think, lover boy? Riches or love? The age-old question innit,” he says, playfully. As Morgan is hesitating, I can see two more guys passing me, walking to the cart. One of them is rather short and carrying some sort of spear and wearing what looks like a chain shirt that’s poking out his brown linen shirt. The other, a taller guy, pretty muscly, is holding some sort of tomahawk type of weapon in one hand and a leather shield in the other.

“Last chance, buddy. Either you put cha wee handsies up and leave the cart, or we cut the lassie’s face up beyond recognition.”

After a few more seconds of contemplation, I see Morgan about to leave the cart and put his hands up.

No, I can’t let this happen… I might get away but not with Morgan here.

Using all the force in my jaw, I bite into the meaty hand, digging my teeth deep into the man’s flesh, licking the blood of this hand. It’s different from the wolf, this is even more… EXHILARATING.

The man behind me then screams in pain, loosening his restraint on my mouth, prompting the other two men to turn around and run towards me.

“RUN, MORGAN!” I scream at him, “BECOME A KNIGHT, LIVE AND FIND ME!”

In reaction to this, Morgan takes back the reins and mobilizes the cart. “I’LL COME BACK FOR YOU,” he yells, “I PROMISE!!!”

I smile, seeing Morgan get away before feeling a sharp pain in my rip. As I look down, I can see a knife embedded in me. One of these asshole’s arms is still around me holding me back.

But this isn’t just about escaping anymore, I think as I feel my mouth salivating. It’s about DINNER.

I start laughing uncontrollably, struggling, shaking around in his grip before I feel the strength to push his heavy arm away.

“It's just like last time, hahaha,” I scream at him, thinking back to the wolves.

I remove the knife from my wound and lick the blood off of it while staring at the one that held me captive. He's a tall muscular man, wearing a full set of chain armor over his red shirt and yellow pants, with a long red beard and short hair. Feeling invincible, I run back into him with my knife, trying to use my intense strength to pierce through his armor, but to my surprise, it doesn’t. I push the knife in as hard as I can, pressing it into his stomach, but it doesn’t pierce. Feeling another sharp pain enter my back, and then my chest, I look down at a spearhead poking through me.

This isn’t how this was supposed to go. Why can’t I beat them? I’m strong! I beat the wolves! These are just three guys, I think, as I cough up blood. But I won’t let this wound kill me. I refuse to die! I will take them down and suck them dr–

I hear a loud crack as I fall to the ground face first. I see blood pooling down my head as things grow darker. The last thing I see is the red-bearded guy leaning down to my face. With a gurgly voice from the blood in my lungs, I ask him, “Who… Are you?”

He grins, “Just a group of friends,” and then, darkness.