A Brief Time as Synia
Ian S. McClure
We had arrived at the city of Vulkhel Guard—a beautiful place, where the cultivated gardens of Summerset flora meshed with the distinctive Elven architecture—around three days after I wrote the last entry. Immediately, the sailors began to disembark, probably headed to the local tavern for merriment. But I had other things on my mind—namely, my unwilling transformation. Elereth accompanied me as I followed Mastengwe through the city, arriving at the guildhall of the Mages Guild. Though, seemingly, some form of class was taking place in the hall, leaving many of the mages occupied, we were soon approached by the local Magister, a stern-looking Altmer by the name of Curinure.
Though initially highly skeptical of Mastengwe’s tale of how she found that damned staff and how her attempts to study it ended in disaster, he soon cast a spell at the two of us, and his eyes widened in shock. He said, “The magical contamination on you two is… astounding. The Wabbajack caused this, you say? Do you have it with you still?”
Mastengwe shook her head. “No, Magister. It vanished after the explosion. I believe it relocated itself, though to where I cannot say,” she said, eyes downcast.
Curinure hummed. “Well. Though I have never encountered it personally, there are cases of accidental transmogrification in the Mages Guild records, though I am uncertain how, precisely, the Daedric nature of the magic will react to counter-spells. I will study your unique cases closely—you may expect results in a few days.”
“What do you mean, a few days!?” I cried in my too-high voice, incensed. “I’ve already spent four days like this!”
Curinure sighed. “Please, Miss—ah, Mister Larethbinder. I will work on this with the utmost haste, but you must understand that such things are not instantaneous. When I have formulated a solution, I shall inform you,” he said, before inclining his head and walking off.
Elereth sighed, reaching up to place a hand on my shoulder, which she just barely reached. “Hey, you’ve made it this long. What’s a few more days, eh, Ardolan?”
“It might as well be an eternity,” I responded testily.
“Excuse me,” said a young-sounding female voice from behind us. “Did I hear right? You’re actually some bloke called Ardolan?”
Embarrassed, I turned my head. “Er, yes. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread the word around town,” I said. Only then did I notice who I was talking to. She was quite a young Altmer, about fifteen or sixteen years of age. But it was her face that caught my attention—a face that, while far older than I remembered, I recognized well.
“Lilinastre,” I said, wondrously.
She smirked, crossing her arms. “I’m surprised you remember me, brother,” she said, before growing serious. “I think we need to talk, Ardolan. About a lot of things.”
And talk we did, for quite a few hours. I told her of all that had transpired after I left home: my time fighting the Longhouse Emperor under Varen Aquilarios; my subsequent capture and imprisonment in Coldharbour, where I lost my soul; my recent escapades on Khenarthi’s Roost with Elereth; and, of course, my recent unfortunate transformation. Lilinastre, in turn, told me of her life: how she discovered magical potential at a young age, some two years after I had last seen her; how our parents insisted she study at the Mages Guild to hone her craft; and how she had eventually convinced them to leave the main island for Auridon, and eventually the mainland—or so she hoped.
“You crave adventure,” I noted, as she fell silent for a bit.
She chuckled. “I guess it runs in our blood. Still, I suppose you’ve seen a lot more than I have since you left. I mean, fighting those Maormer, helping those Khajiit—that must have been exciting. Plus, I can’t say I’ve had my gender swapped!” she said merrily.
I frowned. “Well, I didn’t fight the Maormer ‘just because’. I fought them because I thought it was the just thing to do. And don’t get me started on this business with being—like this.”
Lilinastre rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, looking at Elereth, who was still present. “Pfft. He’s acting like it’s such a big deal.”
Elereth quirked a brow. “It… rather is a big deal. I mean, I’m sure everything’s different for him now. Doesn’t it bother you a bit, not seeing your brother for years and then having a sister instead?”
Lilinastre lifted her shoulders, casually crossing her legs. “Not really. Curinure will fix things up soon. He’s a genius of a mage. Besides, always wanted a sister growing up—even if this won’t be permanent, it should be a nice experience to have one.” Suddenly, her emerald eyes lit up with excitement. “By the way, Ardolan. If you’re going to be staying as a woman for a while longer, you’ll need a new name. How’s about ‘Synia’?”
“You’ve clearly put some thought into this already, Lilinastre,” I said, slightly amused at her enthusiasm.
“I have, actually,” she said with a grin. “Oh, by the way, just call me Lili. Everyone does. Much easier that way, eh, Synia?”
“Very well,” I said, sighing. “Synia it is, then. Admittedly not a bad name, I suppose.”
Lili nodded, rising to her feet. “Great! So, what do you two want to do, now? I can show you around Vulkhel Guard, if you like.”
Elereth hummed. “Actually, I think I’m gonna grab a drink or two. Maybe more. You two want to join?”
I smiled, but shook my head. “Sorry, Elereth. No offense, but the Bosmer idea of drinking is quite distinct from the Altmer one. Your people tend to drink to get drunk.”
“Altmer don’t do that? Damn,” Elereth said, surprised. “What point is there to drinking, then?”
Lili chuckled. “Supposedly to ‘enjoy the intricacies of a good wine’, according to Father. Though I agree with your people more—actually, I rather enjoy spirits in excess. Particularly rotmeth.”
As I stared at my sister, aghast, Elereth grinned. “Great!” she said. “Feel free to join me, then. Any place around here that serves Bosmer brew?”
“There’s a place in town that sells rotmeth, among other things—a tavern called Salted Wings. I know the owner there, Oinara, so maybe I can convince her to reduce the price a bit. She’s a pretty casual person, so we shouldn’t have issues with her,” Lili explained happily.
Here, I interrupted sternly. “Lili, you’re only sixteen years of age. I don’t think Father would approve of you getting hammered on this ‘rotmeth’.”
She waved a hand airily. “Is Father here? He doesn’t need to know. It’s just a bit of fun—won’t kill us.” she said, before smirking. “And you won’t be telling him. After all, he still doesn’t know about your current situation, Synia.”
“Oh, so it’s blackmail, is it?” I asked, angered.
“Oh come on, Ard—er, Synia,” Elereth piped up. “It’s just a few drinks. Won’t kill her.”
I groaned, resigning myself. “Fine. But I’m coming with you two.”
Three hours later, Elereth’s laughing face was in sharp detail as I drank another glass of rotmeth. It was mostly their fault I had gotten inebriated on the strange brew, for both Lilinastre and Elereth thought it’d be best I ‘relax’ after all that had transpired. Clearly, their definition of relaxation was different than mine. Of course, I was partially to blame as well; after all, I was the one who succumbed to their incessant nagging.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, hiccuping as I did. “Alright, I’m done, I’m done,” I said, shaking my head and placing the empty glass on the table. “No more of this rotmeth business for me.”
Elereth scoffed, swigging her own glass of the drink. “Lightweight,” she teased. “Is that the transformation messing with you, or are all Altmer so weak when it comes to drink?”
Lili mumbled, slumped in her chair. Her face was quite reddened and her gaze quite unfocused, no doubt due to the fact that, amazingly, she’d consumed more than even Elereth had. Eventually, she managed to say out loud, “Not all Altmer, damn it. Not my fault my bro—my sister, can’t handle her rotmeth.”
“I think you should lay off a bit,” I said as she downed another glass.
“Oy! I will lay off when I damn well feel like it, Synia! Or—or when I pass out. Whatever comes first,” Lili slurred as she beckoned a server over.
“Lilinastre, no. You’ve had enough,” I said as forcefully as I could manage. Of course, my tone was somewhat ruined by another hiccup.
Elereth shook her head, grinning, and finished her own drink. “How much do we owe you for tonight?” she asked the arriving server. He was an Imperial, surprisingly, with jet-black hair and a charming smile.
He procured a piece of parchment from somewhere, reading it over. “It’ll be one-hundred and seventy drakes for all the drinks, miladies,” he said politely.
I procured a bag of clinking coins, which I handed the man. “That should be sufficient,” I said with a smile.
As the server took the bag, inclining his head and walking to count out the coin, Lilinastre stared at him go, giggling a bit. “He’s cute. You should—should go talk to him some more, Synia. Maybe he’ll like you too,” she said with a smirk.
I blinked. “What? No, no, stars no. I don’t ‘like’ him like that. And I am not flirting,” I said quickly.
“Why in Oblivion not?” Lili said, shrugging. “With your body, you can get any man you please. And a fair number of women, too. Seriously, have you seen the size of your chest?”
I felt myself redden as I looked down, most of my torso obscured by said ample bust. I finally said, “And why would I want to get a partner? I don’t want to sleep with anyone—not like this, and much less with a man.”
Elereth sighed, looking at me. “Well, I think you’re cute; I’d sleep with you. In any form,” she said, before immediately blushing and looking away.
There was a sudden silence. I was uncertain if this was merely the rotmeth speaking, or if Elereth felt that way without the influence of alcohol. I looked at her, and perhaps this was the drink as well, but I was noting, perhaps for the first time, that she was, in fact, quite attractive. Her slender, short frame, which curved pleasingly where it was needed; her bust, which while not as impressive as mine at the moment, was still above average; her face, the large golden eyes and full lips beneath a tangle of curly red hair. I had never felt attracted to a non-Altmeri woman before, and yet I could not deny that this little Bosmer was quite beautiful.
Finally, I said softly, “Thank you, Elereth. I’ll… take that as a compliment.”
She nodded, and then stood up rather quickly. “Well! I think it’s time we’re off. You got a place to stay, Lili?” she asked loudly.
Lilinastre responded with a snore, passed out in her chair.
Elereth clicked her tongue and shook her head. “She’s out. I’ll see if this place has a room available,” she said, walking over to Oinara. They conversed for a bit, before Elereth handed the other woman some coins. She then returned to the table. “Top floor. There're some beds available,” she said without looking at me. She then shoved Lili’s shoulder slightly, bringing her to.
“Come on. We’re headed for bed,” she said, helping my young sister to her feet. Lili mumbled incoherently again as Elereth took her upstairs, before collapsing onto a bed and resuming her snoring. Elereth glanced at me, then silently climbed into another bed, quickly drifting into slumber as well.
I… believe that will suffice for today. I will write again when this situation with the transformation is resolved. Until then…
-Ardolan Larethbinder
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Comments
TBH though, I don't really blame you.
TBH though, I don't really blame you.
In all seriousness, though, I like to think I'm keeping in vague enough to be interesting. We don't know *how* things will happen. Still, I'll be sure to avoid such comments in the future.Â
And whoa man, spoiler alert! I didn't want to know what would happen!