SolSombraYSoldados
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Adult Changeling: Chapter 8
🕑 Added 2022-11-22 20:47:56 +0000 UTCRoan gets an unexpected visitor - and her life acquires even more complications.
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The meal Bless had made for Roan was the most hearty she’d had so far, and it surprised her with how much it satisfied. Any time mortal food had been mentioned in Faerie, those who’d eaten it couldn’t criticize it enough. The complaints were always the same, it was tasteless, uninspired, and crude. Roan supposed that all those descriptors could be applied to the cheese-covered noodles and small sausages she’d been served. To her human body and tongue, the dish was heavenly. It had heft and bulk that filled the ache in her belly and more.
Humans make their own spice with their hunger, Roan thought, as she licked the smooth spoon Bless had given her. It was the first non-iron utensil she’d seen in the house and while its bright colors and large grip marked it as a child’s item, she was grateful to Bless for offering it.
After eating, Bless insisted that Roan go to bed for a nap. The idea was absurd, but Roan was wary of weakening the mortal woman’s oath by protesting baby treatment. It was easy enough for Roan to collect her hard-won tree branches while Bless was distracted and hide them in her room. With Bless satisfied that Roan was going to sleep, and Roan assured that she wouldn’t be bothered for a while, the changeling girl was finally able to start her ward.
Searching Mariah’s things, Roan found a curved pieces of the smooth material that had made up her spoon. The humans had a lot of that material, almost as much as they had iron. Whatever it was, it seemed versatile and durable. She wondered if the dwarves knew of the stuff. Certainly, she’d never seen it used in Faerie. Is it possible that human artistry is eclipsing fae craft? I’d love to see the look on the Queen or Princess’ face if they had to see humans as equals.
The object was a perfect size to put on Roan’s head, making a hair band that didn’t need to be secured with a strap. The tiny teeth on the interior were also perfect for cleaning the bark off the branches she’d gathered. In short order Roan was sitting in a pile of shredded bark with three clean branches in hand.
Carefully, she peeled the branches apart into long strips. Her fingers tingled as she wove the oak, ash, and hawthorn together into a circle. Her teachers in Faerie would have called it a basic ward, but that made it a fundamental one too. Even in the magic-starved human realm, a circle of oak and ash and thorn held great power.
As she was admiring her ward, Roan felt it shudder in her hands. She yelped as magic prickled across her skin, at once protecting and attacking her. The ward’s power cloaked her like a suit of armored clothing, but drove burr-like sharpness against her skin as it sought the faerie inside her flesh.
It’s not supposed to activate like this! My ward shouldn’t be strong enough to detect me at all, only an undisguised faerie should trigger it, and even then it would have to be someone strong…
The window over the bed banged open and admitted a ruthless winter wind. Snow swirled into the room and spun like a whirlwind into a column of white. Roan barked in fear and alarm, scooting back on her padded rear until she slammed into a wall.
The column of snow compressed itself into Princess Akinari, Lady of Glaciers, Heir to the Throne of Glass. It had been rare for Roan to gaze upon the perfection that was the Princess, she hadn’t been important enough to spend much time in Court. As always, she was awestruck by the perfection of the Princess’ body, shading from deepest blue ice to brightest snow, sparkling everywhere with silvery moonlight. A shroud of mysterious grey cloud wrapped tantalizingly around her, exactly enough to excite the imagination but not satisfy.
The Princess turned her eyeless face on Roan and the hound-girl’s terror returned. Colorless voids stood in for Akinari’s eyes. There was no way to read expression in them, yet the Princess’ power communicated her emotions all the same. Instead of observing contempt in Akinari’s eyes, Roan felt the emotion imposed upon her. The sharpness of Akinari’s distain brought tears to Roan’s eyes and made her crumple before the royal presence.
“You made a ward?” Akinari’s voice echoed like thunder between mountain peaks, rumbled like an avalanche. “How sweet. Are you afraid, little hound? That’s good. You should be.”
Trembling and flinching away, Roan realized she was soiling herself. For once she had the occasion to be glad she was wearing a diaper. At least I didn’t make a puddle on the floor in front of her.
“No greeting for your Princess? How rude. Do you think because you’re in exile that you’re beyond the reach of my mother’s court?” Akinari picked up Roan’s ward and rolled it easily in her hand, unbothered by it’s twisting as it tried to fend off her fae presence.
“I’m sorry Noble Lady!” Roan prostrated herself on the floor. “I didn’t expect you to come here.”
“Of course you didn’t. Why I would I ever be seen in a human hovel?” With a breath, Akinari sprinkled frost across the woven branches. Tiny bits of ice clung to the wood and hardened into brilliant gemstones. She flung the ward to the floor in front of Roan. “There, I have given you a gift to thank you for your hospitality. Hang that over the mantle, and even a Lord of the faerie will not be able to enter here. Lord Ehadenther and his entire Hunt would be repulsed.”
“Th-thank you, Princess.” Roan touched the ward and shivered at the power that hummed there. She was certain there were many exceptions in the Princess’ enhancement for herself and her own agents, but that Akinari had done it at all was mystifying. “To what do I owe such a generous gift?”
“Do not question me, dog.” With the speed of an avalanche, Akinari was on Roan, lifting her with fingers so cold they burned. Roan squirmed against the wall the Princess pinned her against, whimpering. “How has your tenure as a changeling gone, Roan? Do the humans accept you as their child?”
“I think so, Princess.” Roan shivered violently in Akinari’s cold grip, wishing she had her true shape’s coat of fur. “It’s strange though, this family doesn’t match what I had heard of human families – I even had to ensorcell one of them to get her treat me as a child.”
Gleaming teeth of translucent ice flashed in Roan’s vision as the Princess threw her head back and laughed. Akinari dropped Roan to the floor and tittered with a sound of shattering ice. “Even the pup of my disobedient Hound Master is more observant than the supposedly keen-eyed Master of the Hunt. What a fool Ehadenther is. Your suspicions are true, dog. The mortal that was taken from here was no infant.”
“She-she wasn’t? But, then why did Her Majesty accept the exchange? D-does the Queen know?”
“OF COURSE SHE KNOWS!” Akinari’s winter-tempest voice physically battered Roan flat on the floor. “Do you think that my mother, who served the Dagda in his own court, does not know every shape that these apes can take? Would she be fooled by anything a mud-footed monkey can be or do?”
“I’m sorry Princess! Forgive me!”
“It is an excellent humiliation for the daughter of the mortal that wronged me. It serves to show the superiority of my Mother and I to our Court, and it proves the stupid-blindness of the Master of Hunts. As a bonus, it makes an excellent punishment for a bitch in exile.”
“Can’t you please forgive my father, Princess? Please, I beg of you.” Roan pressed her flat, human face to the rough carpet and cried. Princess Akinari had the power to undo all the wrongs that had been done to her and Mariah in an instant, if only her whims would bend that way.
“Oh no, don’t even hope for that. Not this century.” The princess rolled Roan over with her foot and smirked at the whimpering girl. “I’m here to amuse myself, and because I know humans better than even the Queen does. Your little ruse won’t hold forever without some help – and I wish to see it continue.”
“Wh-what must I do?”
“You must continue your impersonation of the human for which you were exchanged, but with some more awareness of this world. Since your predicament amuses me, I will make it a true one.”
Before Roan could ask what the Princess meant, or beg for mercy, she found herself hoisted into Akinari’s icy arms. The kiss the Princess bestowed on Roan’s lips froze her with surprise and burned her nerves with pleasure. Magic flowed through Roan, melting and re-crystalizing her stolen human shape.
Akinari put Roan down on her feet, but the changeling girl felt unsteady, falling back to plop onto the bed in her squishy diaper. She shuddered, looking up at the Princess with questioning eyes. The Princess told me not to ask questions, but I’m sure she’s going to gloat about what she’s done to me.
“Everything you’ve pretended to these humans is now true. Your control over your bladder is gone in truth, and you are just as helpless as you’ve made them believe you are.”
“But not – not the other thing, right Princess? Please, I don’t want to use the diapers for – for…”
Akinari smiled cruelly. “Not yet, no. You still retain that much control. Think of it as incentive to obey me and play the game. Continue as a human adult in this household – one who is shamefully helpless. Fail me, and you lose your last shred of dignity.”
Roan whimpered and nodded obediently. This is getting worse all the time. I never thought the Princess would interfere directly. I’m barred from the only way back to Faerie that I know, I have the Princess on my back, and now I know why everyone’s been looking at my so strangely. A terrible wave of humiliation compressed Roan’s gut. She’d been inserted into a pack of humans and had immediately played the newborn puppy. The others in the house had to be disgusted by her. Bless’ reaction seemed mild, now.
“Perfect, you understand your place now. Don’t forget.” Winter wind slammed the bedroom window open again, this time carrying Akinari out as a sparkle of snow. The window crashed closed. Unlike Ehadenther, the Princess had left no trace of her presence, other than the jewels she’d embedded in Roan’s ward.
Sniffling, Roan stood up to test what capabilities Akinari had left her with. Though she was unsteady on her feet, she could stand and even walk, if slowly. Crawling seemed like a safer option if speed was needed. She didn’t need to use her diaper at the moment, but she didn’t doubt that the Princess had disabled her control there.
On wobbly legs, Roan made her way to the living room and hung her ward on the mantle. There was nothing to gain by not using it, and at least it would protect her and her humans from the Huntmaster’s wrath. With the Princess targeting him, he’d be looking for someone to vent his frustration on soon enough.
Roan took up her amulet and concentrated. I made so many assumptions when I used this before, she realized. Carefully, she queried the amulet about each of the humans in the house, specifically seeking Mariah’s relationship with them. The answers left her cringing in embarrassment.
They’re friends. Packmates. No one here is family, they’re a pack that banded together because they’re young and can’t stand on their own yet. Suddenly, one of their own became a useless baby – and I have to keep playing that part.
Whimpering, Roan wiped her eyes. She tried peeling her diaper off, but her fingers felt thick and clumsy. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Princess’s curse had been clear. She was stuck with every helplessness she’d pretended to, and not being able to change her own diapers was one of those.
A strain of a song made Roan look up in wistful surprise. It was her mother’s voice, singing a song she couldn’t remember her mom ever singing. That on it’s own was odd, as it was a common enough lullaby in Faerie. A wrench in her gut accompanied Roan’s realization, someone had stolen the song from her memories.
Why would they steal – the human girl! They gave my song to Mariah. If I’m hearing it now…
Roan grabbed the amulet again and sought a connection to Mariah. The song had already faded, and Roan lacked the art to create the connection on her own. With a sigh, she wondered what cruel games were being played with Mariah back in Faerie. She decided not dwell on it too much.
The front door opened, admitting Corey. Roan hopped up as he was taking off his coat and hurried over to him with a waddling gait. His eyes dropped to her diaper as she approached, Roan winced at the way it announced itself with its crinkling.
“Corey – I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
“Uh – that’s okay I guess. Are you feeling better? I see you’re still wearing a…”
Roan sighed and nodded. “I don’t know what happened to me, but I need it. There’s a lot of things I’m having trouble with.”
Corey sighed and motioned for Roan to follow him as he took a seat on the couch. “Mariah – everyone is dancing around what happened to you, but you need real help. You need to be checked out by a doctor… and if you can’t keep your jobs, you should move back in with your parents.”
Roan’s heart thudded nervously. The Princess was not going to like any change in her little game that she didn’t initiate. “I – I want to stay here. With my friends.”
“Of course you do, and we’d want that too – if you’re not sick and can pay rent. We have to face facts though, if you’re not going to get better.” Corey looked pained, but resolute. He was serious about ejecting Roan – Mariah in his mind – from the house. It was the practical, sensible thing, but it would also mean disaster for everyone involved, including Corey. The Princess wasn’t going to accept excuses or stay her wrath because someone was being practical.
Something of the terror Roan felt must have showed on her face, because Corey’s expression softened, and he reached out to squeeze her arm. “I’m sorry I’m being so blunt about this, but someone has to be. I’m trying to protect you, to protect all of us.”
Roan’s mind raced, combing through Corey’s words. There was something there she could use. His protective desire was going to doom the house, but it could be turned to Roan’s advantage if she was willing to enchant another of Mariah’s packmates.
“Would you protect us all, and keep us together, if you could?”
“Of course I would. I care about you, about everybody. We’ve been friends for a long time.”
“Do you promise?” Guilt stabbed at Roan’s gut, but she ignored it. It’s for his good, and everyone else’s – including mine. “You promise that you’ll protect us if you can?”
Corey frowned at Roan’s request. It was obvious she was pushing at the boundaries of their relationship, but all she needed was a careless word or two from Corey, and she’d be able to take care of the rest.
“I mean, of course. Like I said, we’re all friends. I…” Corey’s expression fluctuated between confusion, guilt, and concern. “Yeah Mariah, I promise. I’ll protect us.”
The second oath she’d cornered a mortal into was easier to catch and manipulate. Roan wove Corey’s words to her own meaning, making the “us” in his oath the pack of humans, binding him to keep them safe as they were in the moment. In mere moments she had tangled Corey’s vague promise of protection into one of keeping the household together and accepting Roan-as-Mariah’s current sate.
Corey shuddered and groped for the couch to steady himself as the oath took hold. Any faerie would recognized the power that had been laid on them, but for Corey, the awareness of his reaction seemed to leave him as soon as the dizziness did.
“Who’s watching you right now?” Corey took Roan’s hand in sudden concern.
“Bless is, but I was napping, so she’s doing work.”
“She shouldn’t have let you out of her sight.” Corey’s mouth crooked in a disapproving frown. He put his hand on Roan’s crotch and squeezed, making her jump a bit. Her face flamed when she realized what he’d been checking for. “You’re wet too. Come on, let’s find Bless. She’s your babysitter right now.”
Roan stumbled along behind Corey, her wrist firmly in his grasp. She was regretting seizing on his first oath-worthy statement. Clearly, Corey had some very strong protective instincts that were now empowered faerie magic.
Bless looked up in surprise from her carving when Corey barged into her room. “Don’t you knock?”
“You left Mariah by herself.” He pulled Roan forward, the final stumble drove her to her knees.
“You need to be more careful with her!” Bless knelt by Roan in a near-panic and hugged her. “She’s like a baby, she can’t walk very well.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry.” Corey knelt down as well. “I’ll be more careful. She’s wet though. You’re her babysitter right now, right?”
“Well, more like her mommy.” Bless said. “I’ll take care of her right now. Can you grab me some diapers from her room? I don’t want to push her around anymore.”
“I’m on it. We don’t want her getting a rash or whatever.”
Roan yelped in surprise as Bless pulled her legs out from under her and tore the tapes on her diaper. Now that she’d been re-oriented to her relationship with Mariah’s pack, it was jarring to be so easily handled. She bit her lip in embarrassment when Bless exposed her wet crotch. There would be no end of things to apologize to Mariah for, if she ever met up with the human girl.
Corey was back before Bless had finished wiping Roan down with a cloth. She finished her job with the wipes he’d brought and put Roan on a fresh diaper. Corey stood by, apparently supervising. It was a lot more attention than Roan wanted, and she squirmed as Bless put the lotion on her.
“You’re okay, baby girl.” Bless said, soothingly. Corey took the hint and knelt by Roan’s head, stroking her hair. Between the two of them, they were even able to pick Roan up once she was freshly diapered.
Roan had envisioned her ensorcelled mortals as minions, but they were the ones managing her as they tucked her into Bless’ bed. Her attempt to assert that she didn’t need a nap merely prompted bless to put the soft nipple thing in Roan’s mouth again. It was called a “pacifier”, according to Corey, and it certainly made her feel pacified.
In the end, the best course of action seemed to be to take a nap. After having the fur terrified off her by the Princess, Roan was feeling tired anyway. Under warm blankets, being watched over by two packmates, she found it easy to slip into dreams.
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“Guys, what’s going on?” Forrest’s voice pricked at Roan’s ears and woke her from her light slumber. She looked up to the packmate she’d been calling “daddy” and wondered how she could explain things to him.
“She needed a nap,” Bless said firmly. “You were right, she needs a lot of watching.”
“You say that, but you let her out of your sight twice,” Corey accused, making Bless duck her head bashfully.
“Seriously, what happened?” Forest put his hands on his hips. The other two packmates looked at him surprisingly submissively. If it was part of them being oath-bound, or if they were recognizing Forrest as Roan’s first caregiver, she wasn’t sure. Either way, I should take some responsibility here, since I enchanted them.
“I got confused and went out on the road. It wasn’t Bless’ fault, I was being bad.” Roan smiled hesitantly as all eyes turned on her. “Bless took good care of me, and Corey has been too. They helped me a lot.”
“You sound a lot more put together.” Forrest put a hand to Roan’s forehead. “Are you feeling better?”
“I still need diapers.” Roan blushed, she could feel the truth of her statement in the soggy padding on her butt. “A lot of stuff is hard for me. But I’m thinking better. I’m sorry I called you daddy…”
“You don’t have to be sorry about that.” Forrest looked – disappointed? Had he enjoyed playing the father? Roan wondered if he wanted children of his own. He looked at his packmates, “I’ll take over for now, okay?”
“We need to set a babysitting schedule, she’s not safe on her own.” Corey stood up emphatically.
Forrest blinked in surprise, then shrugged. “Fine, why don’t you and Bless plot one out. Come on, Mariah.”
Roan waddled behind Forrest to her room, where he put her down on the changing blanket. Unlike his oath-bound packmates, Forrest hesitated as soon as he saw Roan blushing.
“Are you okay? You can change this yourself if you want.”
“No I – I tried and I couldn’t do it on my own.” Roan covered her face with her hands. It hurt to admit she couldn’t handle something so basic.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll take care of it. Close your eyes and relax.” Forrest’s hands were gentle and soothing. Bizarre as it was, a diaper change was a comfort Roan had grown used to.
“Did it upset you to say I wasn’t going to call you Daddy?” Roan lifted her butt to accept a clean diaper.
“Uh – not really. I was caught off guard, because you insisted on it so much before.” Forrest said. “It was something unusual and intimate.”
Roan opened her eyes and smiled at Forrest. “You’ve been so caring. I appreciate it a lot. I care about you too.”
It was Forrest’s turn to blush. He was cute that way. When he leaned down to spread lotion on Roan, she sat up and stroked his face. “I know you’re not my daddy, but I like it best when you take care of me.”
With a cough, Forrest sat back. “Thanks – uh, I’m sorry Bless and Corey got all weird. I don’t know what’s up with them.”
“I think they’re fine. They’re trying their best.”
“It’s a big attitude change from Bless for sure.” Forrest dedicated himself to finishing the diaper change, carefully powdering Roan and taping her diaper up. As soon as he was done, she climbed into his lap and put her arms around his neck.
“I’m sorry I’m so much work for everyone. I know I used to contribute to the house, and I’ll try to do it again.”
“It’s okay, you got attacked somehow. We’re happy to help you out. Everyone is, surprisingly.” Forrest was holding Roan far more nervously than he had before. It was delightfully like the bashful way her first lovers had held her, when they’d all been too young to be experienced yet.
“Thank you, Forrest. I’ll be good for you, I want to make it easy on you.” Roan nuzzled Forest’s cheek. He nuzzled back, his breath catching. With reluctance written on his face and his gestures, Forrest carefully slid Roan off his lap.
“Mariah – I can’t tell you how much I wish you were in your right mind right now. Concentrate on getting better, that’s the best thing you can do.”
“I’ll do anything for you.” Roan met Forrest’s eyes sincerely.
“R-right. Um, Hannah will be home soon and we can talk about how things are going to work while you recover.”
“Good! I have to thank her too.”
Forrest chuckled. “Too bad it won’t be the way you thanked me.”
Roan cocked her head to the side. “Why not? She’s sexy, like you.”
The blush and lusty confusion that spread across Forrest’s face was delightful to see. Roan laughed and hugged Forrest, but mercifully kept the embrace to a simple hug. With the way he’d relaxed against her, she was sure she could have kissed him, at least.
“I wish I knew what happened to you. Did any memories come back?”
“I don’t remember. It must have been something very strange.” Something I hope you never have to find out about.
Comments
Paul Bennett
Roan becoming more aware of how things are in this pack is an interesting twist, and I wonder how it will play out. As I was reading this I was reminded of Laurell K. Hamilton and her series with Meridith Gentry; have you read that? If so does this story bare any similarities to that series in your opinion. Great work and I look forward to reading more.
