There is a world amongst our own, a world that is full of gnomes,
leprechauns, fairies, elves, pixies, changelings, and other creatures that
are believed to only exist in our imaginations.
They call their world the "Seophine", and our world the "Upper Sun". Their world has an artificial sun, and it lays beneath our own. Entrances from the Seophine to the Upper Sun include up through holes in trees, in the ground, and sometimes through sewage pipes. The fairies and pixies rule the Seophine as a joint, and the changelings dwell at the bottom, lurking here and there, going to the Upper Sun, bringing things back, and selling them illegally. Anything from the Upper Sun is considered a sin if brought down to the Seophine. The only creatures that have the power to roam the Upper Sun unnoticed are the fairies, pixies, and most commonly the changelings.
Fairies and pixies have the power to not only change themselves, but others from different species also. It was used as the most intense form of punishment, once they were sentenced to life in the Upper Sun they could never return, returning to the Seophine was considered to great of an honor for someone has been previously banished. Many families were involved in a major smuggling ring. As it turns out food from the Upper Sun lasted longer, tasted better, and certain foods could heal the most common, but deadly diseases found in the Seophine.
"Did you bring it?" Rothley Northumber whispered through the crack in the doorway.
"Yesss" a snakelike voice responded, and a boney, scaly, changeling hand poked through the opening in the doorway, slowly opened and revealed the small brown velvet bag of food.
"May I come in?? To disscusss the order of.payment" This was the part Rothley was dreading. Supplies from a changeling never came cheap.
"Of course, of course. Come in." Rothley opened the door, and let the changeling in. All changelings dressed in long, dark, hooded robes. No one ever saw his or her faces. "Wha.. what, would you like this time? Perhaps a few feet of pure silk, or maybe a lov." Rothley was cut off.
"Ssomething different, thisss time.I want one of your daughterssss."
"What!? No, you can't have one of my daughters. This has gone way too far." Rothley was outraged, his daughters were known throughout the Seophine for their beauty and kindness they were his pride and joy and he wasn't about to hand one of them over to a changeling.
"Don't you want to sssave your wife?" Rothley could just sense a smile on the changeling's face after proposing something he could not refuse. His wife Arabelle was deathly sick, if he didn't get her that medicine she would die. He couldn't live without her.
"Let me talk to my wife." Rothley began; he was planning on talking it over, to see what her thought on the matter was.
"No, sshe wont agree. I have a propssition for you."
"What is it?" Rothley moved a little closer
"I will sstay here for a week, you may not tell your wife. I will choose which of your daughters I like the best, during the time I am here, I will supply you with just enough of this," He half held out the brown velvet bag, " to keep your wife alive. But at the end of the week after I have made my decission and leave with one of your daughterss, you will tell your wife that the daughter had.passssed away. And you may never sspeak of this again. I will continue to ssupply you with ssome supplies, your usual order. All of thisss, jusst for one of your daughtersss."
There was a long, awkward pause.
"Alright, it's my only choice, but only if you promise that you wont ever hurt her!"
"I promisse, changelingsss honor."
"Well alright, please wait here, let me talk to my daughters." Rothley went in to the main quarters were all his daughters were gathered around some painting, some playing the harp, and another singing. It was a beautiful sight. He had nine daughters and loved all of them with all his heart. At the sight of him standing in the doorway they all stopped what they were doing immediately and ran to him, calling
"Daddy! Daddy!". He embraced each of them. Each girl sensed the tension coming from their father and sat in a semi circle around him as he explained the situation. Later that evening before bed the girls discussed the matter.
"Can you believe what that horrible changeling is doing to us?" Naiden began
"It makes since, he's a changeling. Do you expect him to be nice? Well I just can't believe Daddy is going along with it!" Jarinnya the oldest responded.
"There has to be at least one good changeling, maybe this one isn't so bad." Amity always tried to make the best of a situation.
"You've got to be kidding Amity! You know just as well as the rest of us that the changelings are mean, ugly, and sniveling creatures. They are all the same! It's in their blood." Rynne was outraged at her younger sister.
"Karrinnie, do you understand what is going on?" Celestia walked over to the youngest and sat by her.
"Karrinnie, the changeling that brought the medicine to help mommy is going to take one of us away to live with him, and whoever he chooses at the end of the week will never come back here and will never see our family again!" Aurora began crying. After hearing what Aurora told her, Karrinnie, ran out of the room calling for her father.
"Aurora! You shouldn't have made her cry! She's only ten! Besides the changeling wouldn't ever take her! She's too young!" Naberrie finally spoke up; though she was a red pixie she was one of the most quiet of the daughters. Red pixies were most well known for their people skills, and talkativeness.
"Daughters, I need to speak to you all in the living room." Rothley began.
"Will the changeling be there?" Amity questioned her father.
"Yes, he will. He wants to ask you each some questions that you must answer honestly."
"But daddy! We are in our nightclothes!!" Rynne said, for she was a very modest young girl.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, but you all must come immediately, nightclothes or no nightclothes, it's all the same. Now come." Rothley spoke to his daughters in a way he never had before. The changeling was angering him, asking such foolish requests. Slowly the girls filed into a single line, oldest to youngest. Halfway to the living room her father pushed Karrinnie lightly into line.
"Welcome girlsss. Rothley would you kindly leave the room. You are not needed here." Slowly Rothley left the room. "Don't worry about them. I wouldn't hurt an invessstment."
As soon as Rothley left the room the changeling turned to the girls, "Now pleasse, ssince I do not know your names or agesss, please go from oldest to youngest and ssay those thingsss."
"My.my name is Jarinnya, I am nineteen years old and I am twins with Naiden. I am the first born." Jarinnya was slightly nervous; she had never seen a changeling up close before.
"And I'm Naiden, Jarinnya's twin. I am also nineteen years old." Naiden answered with more confidence than her sister.
"My name is Celestia, I am the third oldest at eighteen, and I also have a twin, her name is Naberrie. I'm the oldest." Celestia said everything very fast. Hoping she wouldn't have to repeat it. "Hi, I'm Naberrie as Celestia said. And of course, I'm eighteen also." Naberrie seemed over confident; she always could talk to anyone without showing stress.
"My n.name is Aurora. Like my sisters before me I also have a twin. Her name is Rynne, we are both seventeen." The whole time she spoke she looked all around the room. Never at the changeling.
"Yeah, I'm Rynne. I'm seventeen also, Aurora is the older of us." Rynne was angry and negative towards the changeling; she didn't even bother to be nice.
"Hello, my name is Amity, I'm sixteen years old, but unlike my older sisters I do not have a twin." Amity tried to be friendly with the changeling, but just to be nice, she never would want to go with him.
It was Tesarinne's turn. She never said anything about this, before in the room. She spoke slowly, keeping her eyes on the floor. She was the shyest one.
"I'm fifteen years old, and my name is Tesarinne. What's yours?" All eyes turned on her when she asked a question to the changeling. The changeling's head cocked a little to the side.
"My name? You want to know my name? What makes you think I even have a name, after all I'm just a changeling." Suddenly the changeling's hiss was gone, he spoke like a normal person.
"Yes, I would like to know your name. Just because you are a changeling doesn't mean you shouldn't have a name. You are a living breathing thing, even a changeling deserves a name." When she said things she looked up. And she could feel his eyes locked on hers.
"My.my.my name is Tek." Tek's voice sounded surprised and amazed. There was a pause, a long awkward pause. Until Tek broke it with his voice. "You," He said to Karrinnie, " may go to bed, you are to young for my liking." For a moment every girl in that room wished she were the youngest.
"Now, if you pleasse I would like to sspeak to Tesarinne.alone. None of you may alert your father, I sshal not hurt her." Slowly each girl stood and walked slowly out of the room.
" We love you Tesarinne." Amity said softly as she shut the door behind her.
"Oh! I'm just certain; he's going to choose her! Maybe just to get revenge or, or." Jarinnya did not know what to say next, she was lost in thoughts of worry.
"Jarinnya, think sensibly! Why would he want revenge? Just because she asked his name? I'm sorry but you are wrong. He can't want revenge. But I am certain he will take her." Naiden was worried, but she tried not to let it show.
"Now, what made you ask my name?" Tek once again spoke without a hiss.
"You knew mine, it was only proper for us to know yours. I was curious. Nobody has ever spoken to a changeling by their name." Tesarinne continued to stare blankly at the ground.
"Look at me." Tek's voice was not harsh, but it sounded handsome. Tesarinne couldn't help but obey. Tesarinne looked up, but her hair still hid her face.
"Please, let me see your face." Tek asked. Slowly Tesarinne obeyed once again. To Tek, when she uncovered her face, he room lit up. She was beautiful, even much more so than her sisters.
"Now please, let me see yours." Tesarinne moved closer to Tek, she was now so close she could almost feel his breath on her face.
"No!" Tek turned away suddenly, "No one has ever seen a changelings face but a changeling."
"Please, let me see. You can't be horrendous, nothing is really." Tesarinne reached up with her hand slowly. Just before she touched the side of his face she heard a disgusting noise. He was changing. Her hand froze in mid air. She couldn't move, she was so frightened. His own hand then reached up then, and Tesarinne couldn't breathe when she saw it. It was no longer boney and scaley. It was flesh, and looked no different from her own.
Tesarinne gasped, her hand froze where it was, she had been prepared for anything but this. When she had reached her hand up she had expected to see one of the most hideous sights possible. What she saw was not hideous, it did not have the scaled, dry skin she imagined. Tek's skin was beautiful, smooth, and tan. He looked much like one of her kind. She couldn't move, his sea green eyes had locked on hers and it seemed as if time had stopped. Tesarinne was still entranced as he reached his hand up and grasped hers and held her hand in his. The contact of warm flesh brought her out of the trance, she was still speechless.
"Tesarinne, are you okay?" Tek's voice was soft, caring, and strong Her lips moved but no words came out.
"I should explain, before your father comes back. This is what I really look like. Changelings are just like you and your family, except we can change. Sadly, we are known as evil. Originally we were once like you, but there was an accident. My ancestors gained these powers that were thought to be of the devil. So all of the infected were sentenced to the Upper Sun. As it turned out, the Upper Sun was a wonderful place. Beautiful and majestic. We didn't want our world to be polluted so, the way we fixed the problem of the, vistors, we got the idea of to make it seem awful and hideous. And we made ourselves seem like we were demon creatures." Tek's explination was cut short. Rothley could be heard from down the hall, coming. He quickly put his hood back up, and once again the sound of changing bones, and the stretching of skin could be heard. Just before the door opened with Rothley behind it, Tek leaned over and whispered into Tesarinne's ear, "Please, don't speak of what you saw. I know you are a good soul, so you wont. I want to take you with me, but I wont if you object. Just please, think it over carefully." Tek released her hand, and stood up to leave as the door opened.
They call their world the "Seophine", and our world the "Upper Sun". Their world has an artificial sun, and it lays beneath our own. Entrances from the Seophine to the Upper Sun include up through holes in trees, in the ground, and sometimes through sewage pipes. The fairies and pixies rule the Seophine as a joint, and the changelings dwell at the bottom, lurking here and there, going to the Upper Sun, bringing things back, and selling them illegally. Anything from the Upper Sun is considered a sin if brought down to the Seophine. The only creatures that have the power to roam the Upper Sun unnoticed are the fairies, pixies, and most commonly the changelings.
Fairies and pixies have the power to not only change themselves, but others from different species also. It was used as the most intense form of punishment, once they were sentenced to life in the Upper Sun they could never return, returning to the Seophine was considered to great of an honor for someone has been previously banished. Many families were involved in a major smuggling ring. As it turns out food from the Upper Sun lasted longer, tasted better, and certain foods could heal the most common, but deadly diseases found in the Seophine.
"Did you bring it?" Rothley Northumber whispered through the crack in the doorway.
"Yesss" a snakelike voice responded, and a boney, scaly, changeling hand poked through the opening in the doorway, slowly opened and revealed the small brown velvet bag of food.
"May I come in?? To disscusss the order of.payment" This was the part Rothley was dreading. Supplies from a changeling never came cheap.
"Of course, of course. Come in." Rothley opened the door, and let the changeling in. All changelings dressed in long, dark, hooded robes. No one ever saw his or her faces. "Wha.. what, would you like this time? Perhaps a few feet of pure silk, or maybe a lov." Rothley was cut off.
"Ssomething different, thisss time.I want one of your daughterssss."
"What!? No, you can't have one of my daughters. This has gone way too far." Rothley was outraged, his daughters were known throughout the Seophine for their beauty and kindness they were his pride and joy and he wasn't about to hand one of them over to a changeling.
"Don't you want to sssave your wife?" Rothley could just sense a smile on the changeling's face after proposing something he could not refuse. His wife Arabelle was deathly sick, if he didn't get her that medicine she would die. He couldn't live without her.
"Let me talk to my wife." Rothley began; he was planning on talking it over, to see what her thought on the matter was.
"No, sshe wont agree. I have a propssition for you."
"What is it?" Rothley moved a little closer
"I will sstay here for a week, you may not tell your wife. I will choose which of your daughters I like the best, during the time I am here, I will supply you with just enough of this," He half held out the brown velvet bag, " to keep your wife alive. But at the end of the week after I have made my decission and leave with one of your daughterss, you will tell your wife that the daughter had.passssed away. And you may never sspeak of this again. I will continue to ssupply you with ssome supplies, your usual order. All of thisss, jusst for one of your daughtersss."
There was a long, awkward pause.
"Alright, it's my only choice, but only if you promise that you wont ever hurt her!"
"I promisse, changelingsss honor."
"Well alright, please wait here, let me talk to my daughters." Rothley went in to the main quarters were all his daughters were gathered around some painting, some playing the harp, and another singing. It was a beautiful sight. He had nine daughters and loved all of them with all his heart. At the sight of him standing in the doorway they all stopped what they were doing immediately and ran to him, calling
"Daddy! Daddy!". He embraced each of them. Each girl sensed the tension coming from their father and sat in a semi circle around him as he explained the situation. Later that evening before bed the girls discussed the matter.
"Can you believe what that horrible changeling is doing to us?" Naiden began
"It makes since, he's a changeling. Do you expect him to be nice? Well I just can't believe Daddy is going along with it!" Jarinnya the oldest responded.
"There has to be at least one good changeling, maybe this one isn't so bad." Amity always tried to make the best of a situation.
"You've got to be kidding Amity! You know just as well as the rest of us that the changelings are mean, ugly, and sniveling creatures. They are all the same! It's in their blood." Rynne was outraged at her younger sister.
"Karrinnie, do you understand what is going on?" Celestia walked over to the youngest and sat by her.
"Karrinnie, the changeling that brought the medicine to help mommy is going to take one of us away to live with him, and whoever he chooses at the end of the week will never come back here and will never see our family again!" Aurora began crying. After hearing what Aurora told her, Karrinnie, ran out of the room calling for her father.
"Aurora! You shouldn't have made her cry! She's only ten! Besides the changeling wouldn't ever take her! She's too young!" Naberrie finally spoke up; though she was a red pixie she was one of the most quiet of the daughters. Red pixies were most well known for their people skills, and talkativeness.
"Daughters, I need to speak to you all in the living room." Rothley began.
"Will the changeling be there?" Amity questioned her father.
"Yes, he will. He wants to ask you each some questions that you must answer honestly."
"But daddy! We are in our nightclothes!!" Rynne said, for she was a very modest young girl.
"Yes, I'm aware of that, but you all must come immediately, nightclothes or no nightclothes, it's all the same. Now come." Rothley spoke to his daughters in a way he never had before. The changeling was angering him, asking such foolish requests. Slowly the girls filed into a single line, oldest to youngest. Halfway to the living room her father pushed Karrinnie lightly into line.
"Welcome girlsss. Rothley would you kindly leave the room. You are not needed here." Slowly Rothley left the room. "Don't worry about them. I wouldn't hurt an invessstment."
As soon as Rothley left the room the changeling turned to the girls, "Now pleasse, ssince I do not know your names or agesss, please go from oldest to youngest and ssay those thingsss."
"My.my name is Jarinnya, I am nineteen years old and I am twins with Naiden. I am the first born." Jarinnya was slightly nervous; she had never seen a changeling up close before.
"And I'm Naiden, Jarinnya's twin. I am also nineteen years old." Naiden answered with more confidence than her sister.
"My name is Celestia, I am the third oldest at eighteen, and I also have a twin, her name is Naberrie. I'm the oldest." Celestia said everything very fast. Hoping she wouldn't have to repeat it. "Hi, I'm Naberrie as Celestia said. And of course, I'm eighteen also." Naberrie seemed over confident; she always could talk to anyone without showing stress.
"My n.name is Aurora. Like my sisters before me I also have a twin. Her name is Rynne, we are both seventeen." The whole time she spoke she looked all around the room. Never at the changeling.
"Yeah, I'm Rynne. I'm seventeen also, Aurora is the older of us." Rynne was angry and negative towards the changeling; she didn't even bother to be nice.
"Hello, my name is Amity, I'm sixteen years old, but unlike my older sisters I do not have a twin." Amity tried to be friendly with the changeling, but just to be nice, she never would want to go with him.
It was Tesarinne's turn. She never said anything about this, before in the room. She spoke slowly, keeping her eyes on the floor. She was the shyest one.
"I'm fifteen years old, and my name is Tesarinne. What's yours?" All eyes turned on her when she asked a question to the changeling. The changeling's head cocked a little to the side.
"My name? You want to know my name? What makes you think I even have a name, after all I'm just a changeling." Suddenly the changeling's hiss was gone, he spoke like a normal person.
"Yes, I would like to know your name. Just because you are a changeling doesn't mean you shouldn't have a name. You are a living breathing thing, even a changeling deserves a name." When she said things she looked up. And she could feel his eyes locked on hers.
"My.my.my name is Tek." Tek's voice sounded surprised and amazed. There was a pause, a long awkward pause. Until Tek broke it with his voice. "You," He said to Karrinnie, " may go to bed, you are to young for my liking." For a moment every girl in that room wished she were the youngest.
"Now, if you pleasse I would like to sspeak to Tesarinne.alone. None of you may alert your father, I sshal not hurt her." Slowly each girl stood and walked slowly out of the room.
" We love you Tesarinne." Amity said softly as she shut the door behind her.
"Oh! I'm just certain; he's going to choose her! Maybe just to get revenge or, or." Jarinnya did not know what to say next, she was lost in thoughts of worry.
"Jarinnya, think sensibly! Why would he want revenge? Just because she asked his name? I'm sorry but you are wrong. He can't want revenge. But I am certain he will take her." Naiden was worried, but she tried not to let it show.
"Now, what made you ask my name?" Tek once again spoke without a hiss.
"You knew mine, it was only proper for us to know yours. I was curious. Nobody has ever spoken to a changeling by their name." Tesarinne continued to stare blankly at the ground.
"Look at me." Tek's voice was not harsh, but it sounded handsome. Tesarinne couldn't help but obey. Tesarinne looked up, but her hair still hid her face.
"Please, let me see your face." Tek asked. Slowly Tesarinne obeyed once again. To Tek, when she uncovered her face, he room lit up. She was beautiful, even much more so than her sisters.
"Now please, let me see yours." Tesarinne moved closer to Tek, she was now so close she could almost feel his breath on her face.
"No!" Tek turned away suddenly, "No one has ever seen a changelings face but a changeling."
"Please, let me see. You can't be horrendous, nothing is really." Tesarinne reached up with her hand slowly. Just before she touched the side of his face she heard a disgusting noise. He was changing. Her hand froze in mid air. She couldn't move, she was so frightened. His own hand then reached up then, and Tesarinne couldn't breathe when she saw it. It was no longer boney and scaley. It was flesh, and looked no different from her own.
Tesarinne gasped, her hand froze where it was, she had been prepared for anything but this. When she had reached her hand up she had expected to see one of the most hideous sights possible. What she saw was not hideous, it did not have the scaled, dry skin she imagined. Tek's skin was beautiful, smooth, and tan. He looked much like one of her kind. She couldn't move, his sea green eyes had locked on hers and it seemed as if time had stopped. Tesarinne was still entranced as he reached his hand up and grasped hers and held her hand in his. The contact of warm flesh brought her out of the trance, she was still speechless.
"Tesarinne, are you okay?" Tek's voice was soft, caring, and strong Her lips moved but no words came out.
"I should explain, before your father comes back. This is what I really look like. Changelings are just like you and your family, except we can change. Sadly, we are known as evil. Originally we were once like you, but there was an accident. My ancestors gained these powers that were thought to be of the devil. So all of the infected were sentenced to the Upper Sun. As it turned out, the Upper Sun was a wonderful place. Beautiful and majestic. We didn't want our world to be polluted so, the way we fixed the problem of the, vistors, we got the idea of to make it seem awful and hideous. And we made ourselves seem like we were demon creatures." Tek's explination was cut short. Rothley could be heard from down the hall, coming. He quickly put his hood back up, and once again the sound of changing bones, and the stretching of skin could be heard. Just before the door opened with Rothley behind it, Tek leaned over and whispered into Tesarinne's ear, "Please, don't speak of what you saw. I know you are a good soul, so you wont. I want to take you with me, but I wont if you object. Just please, think it over carefully." Tek released her hand, and stood up to leave as the door opened.