Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 219: Hard Truths

For Sidhe, there was no walk of shame, we didn't assign morality or condemnation for sexual release, shame simply didn't exist. We were creatures of nature so embarrassment after a night of debauchery and revelry would never occur to us. But Saanvi had not been born and raised Sidhe.

Her life experience was one of shelter and control. Hindu daughters were protected, seldom exposed to some of the starkest and more primal realities of life. Saanvi was one of those protected and cherished daughters, the flower of a Rajah. The wanton excess that she had experienced the previous night was as alien to her as her new form.

Her identity had experienced a seismic shift, and it would take time for her to understand the breadth of that change. She would have to relearn what her abilities were, what her body could do, and what was culturally acceptable.

I hadn't realized that the woman Saanvi had hired to care for her children, the woman that had remained steadfast, her only remaining retainer, had also been present and transformed. Not until I entered the nursery, the Sithern had created, transforming the home that had existed into a nursery creche where those children formed by merging spirit and magic had been placed.

Those children would be claimed by parents still lost in a stupor, but for now, they were being tended by Volar-Fey. The Fey were closer to Fairy, some whispered that as long as one Fey existed, Fairy could never be defeated. King Teigh's revitalization of the Volar-Fey had done much to establish his bonafides as the true King of the Tuatha de Danaan.

I wasn't sure what Caste the Hindu retainer had come from, who she had been before her transformation, but she was most likely part of the Shudras Caste, relegated to the most menial of jobs and levels. She would have been restricted from leveling, only gaining experience that was earned from those skills related to her tasks.

Those restrictions were lifted now. She and Saanvi may try to keep the tenets of their faith in Brahma, but the changes to form and function would make that impossible. Slowly, they could replace the worship and practice of Hinduism with a belief in Danu. They had no place in Hindu society now and would be considered tainted and unclean.

"How are the children?" I asked looking on fondly at the two sleeping forms. It was easy to tell that they had changed, there was a change in ear shape, a sharpening, and a change to the helix that marked them as part of the Seelie or Unseelie race.

"They are well, Sri Irvin," the young woman answered. Although I wasn't familiar with her, not even knowing her name, I knew she was trusted and valued. I had admired her adamant refusal to abandon Saanvi, the tenacity she had practiced in the face of such overwhelming pressure was perhaps more impressive coming from her than it had from Saanvi. She didn't have even the tenuous protections that Saanvi, as the daughter of a Rajah could call on.

The changes that she had undergone were remarkable. Fairy had been kind to her, not only remaking her as a Brownie but restoring her youth. Her transformation to Brownie made sense. They were well known for skills with Hearth and Home, duties that she had held fast in the face of opposition.

Hers was a will forged by duty to her charges.

She had lost height, barely standing as tall as my waist now, but that was nothing compared to what she had gained. Immortality wasn't standard for the Hindu people, even the most powerful Rajah could only expect to live a few hundred years. Some Saints, Swami that were venerated as holy, almost worshiped as minor deities. had achieved a kind of immortality, but even they were susceptible to disease and wounds.

"Did they wake at all during the night, Manju?" Saanvi asked entering the room, her question directed to the woman she had entrusted to keep watch over her children. Acting as if the events of the past evening were of no account.

"No, Sri Saanvi," her servant answered. "Whatever happened last night, to change them was quick, they never stirred from sleep as the magic created cocoons that cradled them until the sun rose.

"Perhaps the magic was protecting them as the changes were made?"

"It was," I agreed. "Which you would have known if you had made your intentions known ahead of time.

"I will not gainsay your choice, but there are repercussions for your decision. You, your children, and Manju have become part of Fairy.

"You are Sidhe.

"Changeling born.

"The first of your kind.

"The Sidhe have known this was possible, but we have taken precautions and steps to make sure it never happened. Because while you are Sidhe and immortal, the price for this change comes at a cost.

"You can never leave the boundary of Fairy. The instant you or your children step past the realm that Fairy holds sovereign, the magic that has changed you is dispelled. You not only change back but your body ages, withering away until only dust remains. Your body paying the cost of transformation with your life's energy.

"There is no surviving outside of Fairy for you or your children, now. I hope you don't come to regret your decision. I find it impetuous, but the choice was yours and if you had asked, King Teigh would have most certainly allowed this," I promised.

"But you made that choice for your children too, and that would never have been allowed. If you had done this with full knowledge and foresight, His Majesty would have had no other recourse but to put you to death.

"You have taken choice, their freedom from them, that sin is squarely yours to atone for," I warned.

"I'm sorry," Saanvi said beginning to sob. "I knew that this was foolish, even stupid, but I was desperate. I only thought of protecting my home and children."

I understood why she did what she had, and she was the one that was going to have to live with the ramifications, probably sooner rather than later. Especially considering she had taken part in the sexual revel that had occurred last night. The chances of her being pregnant now were high, a gift from Fairy for those that had taken part in Fairy's expansion.

"Saanvi?" I said trying to get her attention, hoping that I could get her distracted enough to stop her tears. "What level and Rank are you now?"

She made a cursory gesture making part of her status menu available for me to see.

[Name: Saanvi Patel]

[Race: Kelpie]

[Rank: Knight] [Level 1]

I was surprised that she had been made Kelpie, most of the knowledge we had about changelings suggested they would never be made Kelpie or Selkie. The magic of transformation these species embraced was thought to be difficult to embrace. The change was already a major conflict of identity. It would be hard to learn how one form worked; she would need to learn three.

But Fairy knew the heart and soul of the person Changed, and no matter what the Sidhe had believed, she was now Kelpie, a gift from Fairy. That she was Kelpie meant her children were too, despite my assumption that they were Seelie based on the shape of their ears.

Fairy could be cruel, but it was fair, and it would never ignore ties of blood and heredity. Saanvi had not only become the first person in history to become Changeling, she had become part of the first family to bridge that divide.

I felt a certain relief, sending a grateful prayer to the Tuatha de Danaan, especially Danu, for their kindness. As a Kelpie, I would be able to mentor her. And because we were both Ranked: Knights, our abilities would be on par. She could be enrolled in training, an intensive course load needed to get her up to speed.

That training would have to be extensive, not only would she need to learn to embrace her other shapes, she would have to learn the magic intrinsic to Fairy. The power of Illusion was the life's blood of our people. While we could and did become well versed in magic and skills, our immortality guaranteed that, the Sidhe at their core were nature spirits that commanded those elemental forces.

Kelpie, to become powerful, needed to understand and master the trinity of shape. As a woman, horse, or water serpent she would need to gain insights into what it meant to be Kelpie and the elemental forces they controlled. There were magic and fighting forms unique to each shape that she would need to master, or she would be crippled, reliant on those stronger for her and her children's survival.