By Donna and Abby
A foam-capped wave washed up onto the
beach of Coral Island just as yet another day began to dawn on Edan. The foam
swirled, and as the first rays of the rising sun touched it, a swirling column
of sparkling light and water began to lift up from the incoming tide. As the day
dawned, the column separated and solidified into two young girls, who hugged
each other as they danced happily in the shallow water before moving up onto the
beach.
Both of the girls were petite. They both
had fine, short hair and slender, almost boyish bodies. But it was there the
resemblance ended. One was blonde, a light spray of freckles over her nose, and
the other was Oriental in appearance. Laughing, they collapsed on the sand, the
morning sun warming their naked bodies and making the drops of water and specks
of sand on them sparkle. "Have they left yet?" Iola asked the other,
her blue eyes searching what seemed to be an endless sea before them.
Oki smoothed her glossy black hair back
from her face, tilting her head as she communicated with her far off sisters.
“Not yet. They are loading their ship. If they leave later today they should
be here tomorrow morning!”
“Father said he would provide some
coverings for us,” Iola said, standing up and brushing the sand off her body.
“Let’s go see if we can find them!”
“And then find something to eat!” Oki
laughed. “I’m starving!”
****
With its Captain at the helm, the square
sailed schooner glided smoothly over the waves. They had left Edan early in the
afternoon, and after rendezvousing with the port bound Bounty in one of the
coves along the coast, headed out to the open sea. The plan was to visit some of
the islands they had found on earlier journeys, and to harvest as much of the
tropical fruit that they could to bring back with them. On the way back, they
would stop at the Oriental settlement and the various coves along the way, just
to make sure that there wasn't any more refugees that had found themselves on
Edan, rather than the world they used to know.
As night closed in around the Dňchas,
John Blackthorne came up from below decks to relieve the Captain. "Steady
as she goes," Connor told his First Mate. "It's a nice quiet night.
When we get to Coral Island, just lay anchor in the cove. Come morning we will
go ashore to harvest the fruit."
"Aye, aye, Captain,"
Blackthorne replied with a grin. "Go get some sleep, sir! We've got
it."
Connor made his way to his cabin, nodding
to Samurai Duncan, who was standing watch on the other end of the ship, peering
out into the night. After making a few entries into the ship's log, Connor slid
onto his bunk under a tartan blanket, and within a few moments, was sound
asleep.
****
After their simple dinner had been eaten, the stable
master sat in his favorite chair by the fire while Jean went out to the stables
to do one last check on the horses to make sure all was well. There were soft
nickering sounds of welcome as the stable lad walked up and down the aisles,
checking each and every one of the animals. Jean had company. The tawny colored
cat kept pace with the lad, waiting patiently as Jean went into every stall to
make sure the horse had water and was bedded down for the night.
When all was checked, the lad went back
to his bed, the cat at his heels. Seems
the puss wanted company tonight!
Not that the stable master minded. When
she jumped up on his lap, purring loudly, he stroked her soft fur as he told her
what a good puss she was. "Looks like ye wa' ha' a foot warmer tonight,
Jean," he said as the cat jumped off to follow as Jean made for the small
bedchamber that was his.
"Aye father," the lad called
out. "I dinna mind at all. She is a good cat! She caught a great big rat in
the grain room this afternoon!"
Of course, the cat purred and strutted
proudly, as if inordinately happy she had done this very wonderful thing!
Once the door was closed, the cat jumped
up onto the bed, kneading her paws as she made herself comfortable. Jean stroked
her, and then started to undress. When the lad pulled the rough-cut overshirt
off, the cat looked up in surprise as Jean's hip length hair was released from
beneath the hood. Jean was not a lad! Jean was a lass!
The cat seemed to smile, as she heard a
deep, rumbling laugh in her head. The
Old One was having a chuckle on her! But
he also said a word into her ear. It was time for her to take human form!
Jean slipped a nightgown over her head,
and as she turned to pick up a brush for her hair, Faline took the opportunity
to change.
So, when the young lad turned lass turned
around, she was faced with another lass, though this one as light as she was
dark, and nude as a newborn!
"Holy Mary Mother of God!" the
girl gasped, dropping the brush. "Who are you? How did you get in
here?"
"I'm Faline," she said, not at
all upset with her nudity. She did
seem worried about her hair, though, and wiped a hand across it to smooth it.
When that did not suit her, she licked her palm and used that.
The action was so cat-like Jean knew at once who she was.
Or who she *had* been.
"Here," she said, picking up
the brush and pulling out another gown from the little chest where she kept her
clothes. "Let me help you. Are ye one of the wee folk that inhabit this
land then?" she asked as she sat down beside her and started to brush her
hair for her.
Faline looked at herself.
"Not so wee!" she said. "But
yes, I am fae. I've been watching
you. And the other stable boy."
"The one they call the Mouse?"
Jean asked. "He's a nice boy. Talks to himself a lot though."
Faline giggled.
"I know! Maybe I can
get him to talk to me, though," she added with a sparkle in her eye.
"Are ye stayin' in the stables
then?" Jean asked hopefully. She had been masquerading as a boy for a long
time, and now she found it enjoyable to have another girl to talk to!
"Of course. I have my eye on that
one. And I don't think I want to do
the lady in waiting thing," she said with a roll of her eyes. "The
jewelly girls can do that."
"Father said girls don't belong in
the stables," Jean said with a sigh. "Are you going to pretend to be a
lad like I have been?"
"What fun is that?" she asked,
amused. "Girls are better with
horses; everyone knows that. And
how do you get a guy to look at you if you are dressed like a boy?
That nice looking la-dee-dah is confused as hell over you," she
giggled. "I don't think Mouse
will come near me if I am dressed as a boy."
“Not likely,” Jean giggled.
She frowned as she thought for a moment. "Well..., maybe Father will
agree to it if there are two of us watching out for each other," she said
as she slipped her gown over Faline's head. "The men will be scandalized at
first though. Especially if we wear britches. Can't ride properly in a
dress!"
"You'll have to show me how,"
Faline said. "I saw how you took care of the horses, and could copy that,
but I just got this human body." She smiled, yawning and stretching as she
seemed to get used to it. And the
new feeling of wearing clothes. "I
think I will get used to it fast enough."
"I'm sure you will," Jean told
the fae. "Let's get some sleep. I get up before the sun! Lots of work to be
done in the stables!"
***
The girls on the island had spent the day
playing in the surf and having fun. By the time night fell, they still hadn't
found the promised clothing that the Old One had said he would send.
Finally they did locate a chest with
coverings inside. But when they took them out, they were puzzled. "These
are not coverings for girls," said Iola.
Instead of dresses, there were loose
fitting trousers, boatmen shirts, leather vests, sturdy shoes and bandanas for
their hair. As they tried the clothing on, they could feel the Old One's
amusement as he told them to pretend to be boys for a few days, so they would
have time to mature before revealing their true selves.
"You are going to a place full of
men, Little Ones," he told them. "You
well know what that can mean. Even
good men are ruled by their passions, and while I am sure you will want to join
with them eventually, perhaps you will need some time to settle in?"
The two girls looked at each other and
then shrugged. "It might be fun to see how long we can fool them,"
Iola said to Oki, who giggled in reply.
"Let's get some sleep then!"
the dark haired fae said, a far away look in her eyes as she communed with the
ocean to check on the position of the Dňchas. "Our ride will be arriving
before the dawn!"
Far off, The Old One watched as these
three daughters, separated by miles and circumstances, seemed somehow joined by
the mutual idea of cross-dressing, and he smiled. What would no longer work in
one place seemed just fine for the other, and he silently thanked the human girl
for the idea. And he wished her
well.