The Changeling

by Jennifer Lyndon

  “What do you think those are?” I asked, pointing down at the dark shapes.

  “Orka,” she replied. “They’re extremely rare. I haven’t seen one since I was a young girl, standing on the cliffs beside my mother. They’re supposed to bring good luck.” I nodded.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Now leave me. I prefer to be alone.”

  “Lore, please don’t be angry with me,” Pet said gently. “I was frustrated, and hurt. I don’t like being kept in the dark.” I nodded again.

  “I told you the truth, Pet,” I said. “If you won’t believe me, I have no choice but to tell you nothing.”

  “So, there’s no father,” she said softly.

  “I told you that already, and so did M’Tek. You should have believed her, if not me,” I replied. “You know I lived before, and that I was reborn of a woman who was not actually my mother. As bizarre as that is, you believe it. Why is it so difficult for you to believe this?” I asked. Pet said nothing, only shook her head. “Do you honestly think M’Tek would allow anyone to touch me in that way?”

  “No,” she said, relaxing finally. “M’Tek would kill anyone who tried.”

  “Then why would you suggest that she brought a man to our bed?” I asked.

  “I wasn’t thinking,” Pet admitted. “I just reacted.”

  “You’re lucky she loves you,” I said quietly.

  “I’m lucky if you love me,” Pet replied, grinning sideways at me, her arm tightening across my back. “You do love me a little. Don’t you, Lore?”

  “Of course I love you, Pet,” I agreed.

  For a while I watched the orkas gliding through the water, grateful for my heightened eyesight. There was a time I would have hardly seen a dark spot in the water, and yet I could make out the white markings on the sleek black creatures. One blew air and water from the back of its head as it surfaced, and then it dove, obscuring my view of it.

  “This is going to be a difficult situation to manage,” Pet said, breaking the silence that had grown up between us. “We have the season commencing in a few weeks, and my cousin smells pregnant. You both do, actually, but she smells especially sweet,” Pet said. “How far along are you?”

  “Nine weeks,” I offered, “and two days.”

  “You know exactly when it happened?” she asked.

  “Exactly,” I replied. “You remember when we rode out to check the eastern border,” I added. Pet nodded. “M’Tek has had an awful time with nausea,” I observed. “Maybe that’s why she has more of a honey smell.”

  “No,” Pet said. “It’s normal for a Fae to smell this way, and she’s Lemu, so the effect is even greater. It’s abnormal for a Noge woman, however.”

  “My child is half Fae,” I offered. Pet nodded.

  “Is this someone who has lived before?” Pet asked.

  “No. These children are ours,” I said. “They are formed from both M’Tek and me, as you were formed from your father and mother. You’ll understand when you see them. They’ll resemble both of us.”

  “M’Tek knew you before, when you were Sarane. Did she bring you back into this world? Is M’Tek a sorceress?” she asked. “Does she have power over creating life?”

  “No. I’m the one who made this happen,” I replied.

  “I see,” Pet said, shaking her head. “I’m not certain how this will go over. It might be better to parade a young nobleman out and tell everyone he provided you both with stud services,” Pet observed. “But then again, your virtue is important to the Fae,” she added. “It’s one of the reasons you’ve become an icon, that and your rebirth,” she explained. “It’s said you’re a living goddess with the power to restore health to the dying through selfless love,” she whispered, making me think she was losing perspective on the situation. “Apparently, you also have power over fertility.”

  “You know perfectly well that I’m no goddess, Pet,” I replied, growing vaguely irritated by her description of me. “Well, I should head back.” I smiled at her. “I imagine M’Tek’s wondering why I’ve taken so long. Would you like to walk back with me?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course,” she agreed, offering me her arm. “Will you try to keep this quiet for a few more days while I lay the groundwork?”

  “M’Tek would keep me sequestered in our apartment for the remaining seven months if I let her,” I replied. “She worries.”

  “My cousin has reason to worry, sweetie. We’ll increase the number of guards around the two of you for the next few months. A certain faction of Vilkerlings will be really angry when they find out you’re carrying a Fae child,” she observed. “I have a feeling word will spread quickly once I start releasing information.”

  “Do what you have to do,” I said. “I trust you.”

  -CH 19-

  Pet worked tirelessly over the following weeks, disseminating information about our pregnancies. Lotus flowers began arriving, as well as round crystal bowls with beautiful exotic fish swimming around inside them. Pet took inspiration from the gifts, and decorated the ballroom for the opening ball with Noge and Fae fertility symbols. There was an enormous crystal bowl filled with brightly colored fish, and lotus flowers covering every surface. She had the walls painted white with chalk, and employed every fertility symbol imaginable in decorating the vast space. The ceiling was a marvel, with the shadows of fish swimming across it.

  “Pet has truly outdone herself,” I whispered in M’Tek’s ear as we danced the first dance of the season.

  At three months, my stomach was beginning to protrude, while M’Tek had only just begun to gain weight, due to her aversion to almost every food imaginable. She had to force herself to eat most days, and until recently, had trouble keeping anything down. M’Tek loved the slight bulge in my belly. Her hands found the little swell often when she wrapped her arms around me from behind.

  On this evening I had done everything I could to disguise that little protuberance. While everyone knew we were both pregnant, I was still shy about calling attention to the situation. We danced, and received far more notice than either of us wanted over our news. Privacy was a luxury neither of us would ever be afforded.

  As the weeks passed, and my belly expanded, M’Tek finally began to gain a noticeable amount of weight. It was odd watching her belly expand, even stranger for me than seeing my own waistline ballooning. We attended fewer balls that season, preferring to stay in our apartment together. Of course, we were forced to attend the two we hosted, but on each occasion, we found a moment early in the evening to sneak away, making our way down to Cliffside to enjoy a few hours of solitude.

  I’m not certain everyone believed we had conceived through magic, but thankfully, no one actually brought up the circumstances, or asked the whereabouts of the nonexistent father. Still, by the time the season concluded, we were more than tired of being the focus of so much attention. Unfortunately, it was only just the beginning.

  In the final two months of our pregnancies, M’Tek and I spent most of our time working. My Vilken council was adamantly petitioning for the birth of the Vilken heir at Vilkerdam Palace. Even Aunt Kessa was becoming sentimental. She reminded me that she had witnessed my own birth, and requested the right to be present at the birth of the future Prince or Princess of Vilkerland. I couldn’t deny her. As cold as Aunt Kessa had been when I was a child, there was no denying that she had saved my life, and sheltered me until I was able to reclaim my throne. I quickly sent off an invitation, and a contingent of our guards, to escort the older woman to Lareem. I knew she would be unhappy my child was born in Faeland, but at least she would be able to perform the traditional Vilken rituals during the birth.

  As the final weeks passed, our bellies became huge. It was difficult sleeping at night, as we both took up too much space. It was also too hot in our bedchamber, and we were both constantly overheated, and sweating. I missed having M’Tek’s body wrapped around mine as I slept, yet could hardly stand to be touched. The best we could manage was sleeping with our ba
cks aligned, or holding hands as we fell into slumber. It was not enough.

  In the end, M’Tek was the first to go into labor. I began the ordeal sitting at her bedside, but quickly found she preferred having me on our bed close to her, even with my enormous belly crowding her, as she went through sixteen hours of labor. I cradled her head in my arms when she was still, and kissed her often, as I whispered encouragement, desperate for her pain to be over. Toward the end I was growing frantic, and terrified that something was wrong. After all, M’Tek’s sister had died while giving birth. My gaze returned continuously to M’Tek’s narrow hips as I encouraged her. Eventually, she delivered a tiny baby girl with striking grey eyes and pale blond hair. Even after all the trouble she had caused, I was in love the moment my gaze rested on the sticky little beast.

  Pet lifted the little creature the instant she was free of M’Tek and carried her across the room to clean her. It was as Pet washed my firstborn daughter that I noticed Sarane’s birthmark marring the child’s shoulder. I claimed my daughter from Pet and then placed the infant in my exhausted mate’s arms before ordering everyone from the room. I tried not to react to Sarane’s mark as I noticed the child’s beautiful eyes. The three of us lay together on our bed for the following hours, as I wondered how much of Sarane was in our daughter. Gradually, as I watched M’Tek feed her, and witnessed the adoration in M’Tek’s expression, I forgot the birthmark, and grew more fascinated with this creature that was so clearly made from both of us. We named her Aurelia, for the golden wisps of hair sticking out all over her head.

  Three days later it was finally my turn. After watching M’Tek struggle through hours of agony, I was terrified, and anticipating hideous torment. In truth, it was easily the most horrendous pain of my life, but it was finished in little over an hour. Marania was born with a striking crown of thick black curls, and the brightest blue eyes imaginable.

  As Aunt Kessa anointed our infant daughter with particularly pungent Vilken oils, she swore the child was the image of my dead mother, except for those beautiful blue Noge eyes. I smiled, hoping my former guardian would always see the Queen she had loved in the daughter of the one she could not. Aunt Kessa was immediately enamored with Marania, fussing over her, and promising the child would be a great Vilken Queen one day.

  M’Tek watched with the fierce eyes of a wolf, as Aunt Kessa cooed at our daughter. I indulged the older woman, allowing her to dote on our child for over an hour before I let M’Tek command her to leave. Still, Aunt Kessa glared at M’Tek, refusing to acquiesce, until I firmly insisted upon it myself.

  Once we were alone, M’Tek called Pet from the other room to bring Aurelia, and the two sisters met for the first time, though neither seemed remotely interested in the other. M’Tek held Aurelia beside me on the bed, as I cradled Marania in my arms, fascinated as she took her first meal. M’Tek had been exhausted after Aurelia’s birth, passing out in my arms within minutes of regaining our privacy. In contrast, I was wide awake, watching both of our girls, and enjoying the affection M’Tek showered on me, smoothing my hair and kissing my forehead as she told me how brave I had been. I considered explaining that her sixteen hours of labor required far more courage than my one, but thought better of it, as she intermittently rewarded my bravery with the gentle press of her lips against mine.

  ****

  The following months passed in a blur of sleepless nights, diapers, feedings, and daily social obligations. What appeared to be every noble family in Faeland, and most of the great families of Nogeland, made their pilgrimages to Lareem Palace to view the Princesses. M’Tek would willingly lift her daughters, allowing them to be seen, but would permit no one to come near them. One foolish dame attempted to touch Marania, and very nearly lost an arm in the process.

  To describe M’Tek as protective would be like describing the Abyss Canyon as deep. Her protective nature was so powerful, I doubt a fly managed to land on either of the girls during those first few months. M’Tek loved them both equally, but she seemed to dote on Marania to distraction. This may have been due to Aurelia’s peculiar attachment to me. The child screamed whenever anyone, even M’Tek, tried to take her from me. I avoided the problem by always placing Aurelia in her bassinet once she fell to sleep, and never handing her off to anyone.

  Aurelia, or Lia as we were calling her by that point, was a beautiful baby, and perfectly docile as long as she was either in my arms, or at the very least, able to see me. She had a beautiful mixture of M’Tek’s Fae and my Noge features. Her chin was slightly pointy, like M’Tek’s, but her lips were like mine, as was her pale hair, and her skin was lighter than you would expect of a Fae baby. Her grey, almost white eyes were the feature everyone focused on, the telltale trait that caused one to recognize instantly that this infant was the daughter of Queen M’Tek.

  Marania was named for the Queen who carried me, and Aunt Kessa claimed emphatically that the child was formed in my surrogate mother’s image. I knew it was only love that made Aunt Kessa see any sign of Vilken heritage in my child. Marania had dark hair similar to the Vilkerlings, but it had that slight silvery shimmer common to the Fae, and after the first few months the ringlets began to lay flat. Her eyes were like mine, light blue with that peculiar metallic sheen that indicated heightened visual acuity. Her nose was long in her child’s face, and her forehead broad. In spite of having my eyes, one could not look at Marania without seeing M’Tek.

  Pet had done an admirable job of handling the issue of paternity. She circulated rumors of my great powers as a sorceress, since M’Tek had been denying her own use of magic for almost two and a half centuries. The Fae seemed to accept it as natural that a reincarnated Noge Queen might have the ability to produce offspring with the Fae Queen they had long believed barren. This apparent miracle elevated my position within the Fae religion from that of a minor love goddess, to a full-blown fertility deity. As a result, my effigy began appearing everywhere. My likeness began protecting crops of wheat and berries, and herds of farm animals, all while wearing a demure smile. Young women seeking motherhood lit candles to me. It was all very strange.

  Soon a story began to circulate about a barren, middle-aged, woman I happened upon while out riding with M’Tek. I could not remember coming across this woman, but I rode with M’Tek, out beyond the village, almost daily during that period. It’s possible I passed her. Regardless, it was claimed that I smiled at the woman, instantly making her pregnant. The child’s father sent a beautiful white yearling colt to the palace to show his gratitude when a strong son was born to them nine months later.

  After that, young, newly joined girls began making a pilgrimage to the Village of Lareem in the hopes of receiving a smile from me, and the promise of fertility. Our once peaceful Lareem Village became chaotic, the population swelling to accommodate the sudden influx of pilgrims.

  As the months passed, I worked hard to ignore the strange behavior of the people around my small family. M’Tek and I only allowed a handful of those closest to us near the children, and only Pet, Shiroane, and Aunt Kessa were ever allowed to watch over them during our brief absences. The one time we were foolish enough to take the girls beyond the palace walls, we were immediately surrounded by strange Fae faces. Our guards made a barrier around us, holding the crowd back as we retreated within the palace grounds.

  I felt trapped, hiding behind the walls of Lareem Palace, and so M’Tek and I rode out early every morning, seeking peace in the quiet countryside. It was during one of these excursions that I made the mistake that finally brought that blissful period at Lareem to an end.

  Twyneth and Sabea were hot from running along the cliffs and we were cooling them down. We ventured into the Village of Lareem, expecting the streets to be quiet. It was a special day in the Fae religion, the day Deus lauded the water and brought life to the Fae people. Naturally, the Fae were all at temple, worshiping their god. This left the square delightfully empty.

  M’Tek and I rode into the deserted square, and I dismoun
ted to lead Sabea over to the fountain. She seemed reluctant to drink from it, so I cupped water in my hand and raised it to her velvety muzzle. Sabea accepted the water from my hand, and then dipped her nose deep in the fountain bowl for a drink. I sat on the lip of the bowl, happily watching the beautiful mare I doted on, as she splashed water over the rim and onto the cobbled street. After a moment, I dipped my hand in the water, cupped some, and splashed my face with it. All this time M’Tek remained astride Twyneth, waiting to ride on.

  “Lore, get back on Sabea,” M’Tek said firmly, causing me to notice the environment around us changing. M’Tek positioned Twyneth between an approaching congregation and me, as I quickly clambered back into the saddle.

  The High Priest, holding aloft an effigy of me, was leading the worshippers toward us from the temple. They chanted a song I’d never heard before, about my powers of fertility and healing through love. One look at M’Tek’s fierce expression told me she was not pleased. I saw her hand go for the hilt of her sword, and I quickly brought Sabea around in front of Twyneth to keep her from trying to protect me, and possibly hurting some moronic celebrant. Once the priest reached us, hands moved over my boots and legs as people chanted. Sabea started stomping her feet in irritation as they crowded her, and I grew concerned the mare might kick or bite one of the people.

  “We did not intend to disturb your worship,” I said calling out over the chanting. The crowd fell silent, as wide Fae eyes focused on me from every direction. “M’Tek and I must return to the palace to attend to our daughters. Let us pass,” I commanded calmly. In my peripheral I saw M’Tek’s hand still gripping her sword.

  “We beg of you, Deus. Love us. Will you laud our water, as you did so long ago, in the time of rebirth?” the priest asked, meekly lowering his gaze in reverence.

  I glanced at M’Tek again, because I was uncertain of what I should do. If I agreed to laud something, I might as well confirm their belief in my divinity. If I didn’t, M’Tek was likely to threaten them with violence, and on a holy day no less. I decided I could tolerate being a minor goddess, if it was required to avoid bloodshed.