I woke up with a start, shivering and confused, a dizzying multitude of sensations threatened to overwhelm me. My thoughts were in disarray, I fought to understand what was happening to me while everything felt... raw.

-” Ay. “ An involuntary, high pitched yelp escaped my mouth when another shiver racked through my body. I was freezing cold, the feeling brought my attention to a smooth, hard surface on which I was laying. It felt like a polished stone, cold and unyielding, an image of some kind of altar rushed through my mind... In a brief moment of clarity I managed to consider the situation clearly, but I was hesitant to accept the reality that my memory seemed to suggest, despite all of the cues…

Abruptly my concentration broke, overwhelmed by discomforting cold. -’ I better get moving or I will get hypothermia… ‘ Urged by the prospect I focused on exploring the situation. I used an elbow to help myself up to a side sitting position, the motion seemed to confirm my suspicions as I discovered a notable absence when I was pulling my legs to the side...

I pushed the notion away and tried to seek some warmth by hugging myself, in hope that the mane of a soft hair that engulfed me would help me with the task. Soon, another shiver dashed my hopes, on a bright side it stopped me from paying an undue attention to a silky smooth sensation of hands rubbing over my arms. -” … “ I took a deep breath to clear my mind, the action backfired by making me aware of a particular sensation when my chest expanded, it was a feeling of squishy softness on my forearms coupled with something like having a cloth pad affixed to my chest, though there was much more to the feeling...

As I was trying to fight down the indecent thoughts, another sensation dwarfed everything else. The deep breath evoked some sort of a reflexive reaction, which abruptly took over all of my attention, making me unable to stop myself from trying to encompass all of the smells that suddenly assaulted my nostrils. Abrupt loss of control scared me. -’ How can a simple smell take away...! ‘ I had a last, panicked thought just before the compulsory reaction took over.

I could feel a rich scent of an old dust, mixed with thick taste of earth and spice of aged wood, that bore a slightly sickening tang of rot. Underneath the compound smell, I found an alluring aroma of beeswax and clean fire… I could almost lose myself in the sensation of trying to find every slight nuance hidden in the heady mix, fortunately my attention was brought back to reality by a cold, bruising feeling on my… bottom. I shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard stone, but to no avail.

I shook my head, grateful for the distraction, and forcefully went on with analyzing the facts. -” It seems to be true, I really became… a girl. “ I affirmed my thought using the softest of whispers, inadvertently noticing how cutely it sounded. -” And a half elf one at that. “ I appended quickly, acknowledging my newfound senses. I was still keeping my eyes closed, I didn’t want to complicate the overbearing mix with additional stimuli, it was hard enough to not get swept away by the smell alone...

-’ Hmm... ‘ Since it was almost crippling, I decided to solve the mismatch of sensations first and with no better alternatives meditation seemed like the best option, though, to avoid the scent problem, I opted to breath solely through my mouth.

...

After a while spent on careful reflection I somehow managed to reach a semblance of clarity.

Thanks to the enforced discipline I concluded that sensations coming from my body weren’t going to subside anytime soon, rather I was guessing that the reason behind my problems was likely related to being overwhelmed by all of my senses at once. I theorized that there’s a lot of sensations that we learn to subconsciously ignore, paying them no heed, and I was quite sure that it was not the case for me. -’ This is a new body, there should be some getting used to… ‘ I thought carefully, I was wondering on how it was possible for me to be so overwhelmed by my new senses while not finding my new body alien, just strange and overbearing...

I let the thought pass and continued to meditate for a while, after a surprisingly short amount of time I managed to shut down many of the distractions, sitting on a hard stone while on a verge of freezing likely helped a great deal in ignoring other things. -’ Not the stiffened nipples though… ‘ I forcefully squelched the shameless thought and concentrated on the task, until I finally felt ready to proceed further...

Eventually, after regaining some clarity and deeming my inner turmoil pacified for the time being, I slowly opened my eyes to explore my surroundings.

My earlier expectations were confirmed as I found myself on a smooth, granite block that could indeed pass for an altar. What surprised me was the location, as I was in some sort of a small, seemingly abandoned, underground cellar. Few wooden pillars, boards and beams supported walls and ceilings, preventing them from caving in; there was a partition made of old, rotten planks replacing one of the earthen walls. A skewed, dilapidated door blocked an opening in the middle of the partition. The door seemed to be the only way out of the cellar. I could see that cobwebs, piles of wooden rubble and dust occupied most of the rectangular room.

I was surprised to realize that I could see everything clearly, despite dim illumination provided by a single beeswax candle nestled on a shelf made of a horizontal plank. The candle was nearly spent, its stump slowly oozed a trail of wax down the wooden partition, it made me wonder how such a small flame could be so blindingly bright… Suddenly, I noticed that even the deepest shadows couldn’t obscure my vision, it made me realize that the apparent brightness was relative to my eyesight...

Suddenly, yet another shiver made me aware of how cold and discomforted I was. When I was meditating I was able to somehow subdue the shivers, but now, urged by my numbing limbs I was forced to move. I bent to the side of the stone block and retrieved a pile of clothes that I noticed on the floor. With bundle in tow, I lowered my legs from the altar’s edge and began putting on a white linen shirt, it was so big that it was more like a tunic, which reached to my knees, rather than a shirt. Absentmindedly I rolled up the long sleeves.

-’ This is going to take a while to get used to. ‘ I thought to myself hopelessly, as I took note on how rough and scratchy the cloth was, I had a sneaking suspicion that it was my skin that was too sensitive and, to avoid chafing, I would need to get something better in the future... which probably meant a sizable expense...

I let out a sigh and distracted myself with considering my reaction to the cold, normally I should have been covered with goose bumps, but there was nothing like that, my skin was perfectly smooth. -’ Of course, elven bodies are hairless it seems. ‘ I concluded and smirked at the thought, carefully avoiding the subject of other hairless parts of my anatomy.

I pulled on a pair of breeches made of a soft leather, it took a lot of concentration not to dwell on the smooth sensation caressing my legs. If it wasn’t for my self restraint and frigid coldness of the place I would likely succumb to the urge of just stroking the marvelously soft skin... I shook my head and proceeded to a pair of soft leather boots, which instead of a sole had few layers of cotton and leather. The boots reached to my calf, where I affixed them in place by wrapping leather cords around my legs. Despite being a bit too big the boots were soft and really comfortable. -’ Hopefully it haven’t rained recently and I won’t step on any sharp pebbles. ‘ I thought idly, considering downsides of my footwear.

Afterwards, I wrapped a simple leather belt around my waist, to secure the shirt and to keep breeches from sliding down, it was a bit distressing to find out that I was so small that I needed to use a knife to make an additional hole to fix the buckle in place. I silently thanked the power above that said knife was a part of the bundle. Satisfied that baggy breeches were no longer sliding down my hips I affixed a scabbard, with the knife, to the belt.

When I grabbed a large cloak I realized that the whole attire was probably assembled with unknown sizes of the recipient in mind. -’ At least it's rather comfortable… ‘ I let out a sigh struck by another realization, being without any kind of undergarment felt rather... awkward.

I distracted myself from the thought by checking out the last item, it was a small pouch that contained two small silver coins. I used a spare leather cord to hang the pouch from my neck, as it would be much safer that way. I dreaded the thought of loosing my only livelihood in a medieval world…

I shivered again, but not from the cold. After getting clothed I found out that the cellar wasn’t as cold as it seemed… -’ Ah, if I remember correctly body hair helps to keep people warm… and laying on the cold stone probably didn’t help much in that regard. ‘ After I reached that conclusion I was struck by a stifling realization…

My addled mind finally caught back with the recent events. A premonition of doom dawned on me when I finally understood that this was not a game and I was really stuck in some medieval world, for life. I hugged my knees insecurely, while my overactive imagination started to work overtime. Unwanted images made me vividly aware on how really, really stupid I was to choose my current form…

My breath got held back by a rush of anxiety, as if an iron girth encompassed my chest. Struck by a rush of panic I hugged my legs harder and rocked my body slightly. I could feel my eyes tearing up and reflexively bent down to rest my face against my knees, to hide them. Terrifying things mentioned in books that I read made me shiver with dread. Remembering horrific things drilled everyday in the modern news, I had no illusions to people's goodwill, especially since ones from the medieval times were likely much rougher....

-” I…? “ When another tremble racked my body, a small sound escaped my mouth, making me realize, with a start, that I was sobbing. -’ Wai… Why am I crying? ‘ I asked myself in surprise, as it was unusual for me to get swept away by emotions…

Abruptly, I blinked my tears away and my mouth inadvertently bent into a crooked smile while I held back an outbreak of a mad laughter evoked by a final piece of a puzzle falling into place. -’ I forgot how young this body was… No, how young I am. Teenage hormones... ‘ The maddening influx of mirth was hard to deal with, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to calm down if the candle didn’t go out at that very moment, leaving me in sudden darkness.

-” Damn. “ I cursed passionately, sobering up instantly. -’ At least now I know that I have a low light vision rather than some sort of dark sight… ‘ Contrary to my unconcerned thought I wasn’t amused by the prospect of fumbling through the dark in search of an exit.

-’ Nothing beats the present… ‘ I let out a sigh and slid from the altar. With small, careful steps I began to tiptoe in the direction of the partition, hoping that the dilapidated door wasn’t leading into some sort of underground complex. -’ ...or maze. ‘ I quickly dismissed the unsettling thought.

I reached the partition without tripping on anything, broken furniture blocked my way few times but I managed to pass over it without accidents. My hands rushed to explore the splintered wood and soon, I managed to find a small iron loop that served for a handle. I pulled on the loop, but was rewarded only with a loud squeak and a small give. Changing the approach I tried to push the door, to no avail.

Exasperated, I tried to shoulder my way in. This time I was rewarded with a rumbling, whooshing sound when the door scrapped on the earthen floor. With renewed effort I forced the door further and finally managed to push it far enough for me to pass through. -” This is ridiculous, this door didn’t look so damn… “ I exclaimed my thought in exasperated whisper despite sinking feeling that I had, that the dilapidated door could challenge my strength.

I shook my head and focused on an area ahead of me. The next room was of roughly same size as the previous one and similarly *furnished*, though I was mostly guessing since my low light vision could barely discern anything. Still, it was a small windfall that I could see anything at all - a tiny ray of light coming from the ceiling made me really happy, especially since it shone on a ladder placed against a wall below it.

I had trouble with containing my excitement while I approached the ladder, somehow I managed to avoid an unsightly fall when my feet stumbled into something. Soon, my hands grasped the rough wood and I began to climb briskly, my heart swelled with excitement at a thought of the new world outside. Though I was stopped by unexpected obstacle, I could hardly move the trapdoor above the ladder with my arm. A bit disheartened I climbed as high as I could and rested my back against the wood. Then I tried to straighten up with all of my might.

With a hard heave, I managed to force the trapdoor upwards, so it fell back on the ground behind its hinges. I was engulfed by the flood of a warm light that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than sunshine. Enticed by the small victory, I took a carelessly deep breath...

Everything narrowed down to a single feeling of being. To a crispy scent of grass, living earth, sun and dew, the mix was like a balm that burned away the depressing scent of the underground. My newfound compulsory nature, made me notice that the mix contained a distinct smell of smoke and heat combined with impossibly complicated array of smells that I knew from the kitchen, like gravy and cooked vegetables, also there was a hint of sweat…

-” Hey, are you alright? “ A deep and gruff voice startled me, bringing me out of my reverie.

Upon seeing a leather clad, scraggy bearded giant with a mane of gray hair I panicked. It would be strange not to, it is not an everyday sight to meet someone who seemed taller crouching than I was standing, and with a profound musculature to match. A long knife, or rather a short sword, in his hand wasn’t helping. On reflex I almost jumped down the ladder, but luckily I somehow managed to retain enough clarity of mind to stop myself from going into a dead end, instead I scrambled upwards to get out of the hole as soon as possible.

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-” Er... What are you doing? “ He asked in a surprised voice. -” Please don’t be alarmed… “

I climbed out and was about to start running when the giant’s question finally registered in my addled mind and stopped me in my tracks. I looked around, noticing overgrown ruins of a house, a campfire, a small cauldron and a half peeled parsley root in the man’s hand. I blinked in surprise, he didn’t seem inclined to give chase and had a concerned expression on his face. Abruptly, my cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

The area looked like an abandoned farm located near the edge of the woods. The house was in ruins, consisting of nothing more than few half standing walls covered with thick vines, there was no signs of a roof save for a thick and half rotten wooden beam lying on the ground. The campfire was burning in remains of a fireplace and a steaming metal pot was hanging over the fire.

I suddenly remembered god’s promise to have someone help me and an old warrior peeling a parsley root in the middle of nowhere seemed to fit the bill. I barely stopped myself from stepping from foot to foot in embarrassment when I took in the nonthreatening scene. Also, I realized that the man wasn’t as big as I initially thought, rather it was me who got smaller. Still he was likely around six feet tall, while I lost more than a feet from my old height, the difference felt devastatingly striking.

-” Y-you wouldn’t be waiting for someone? “ I asked with a slight stutter.

-” Not anymore. “ He smirked and turned away, to cut the vegetable into the pot. -” You might want to make yourself comfortable, it needs to simmer for a while more. “ He waved towards a makeshift bench, made of cloak spread over the wooden beam.

-” Thank you. “ I said carefully and took the offered seat, the man didn’t seem concerned about exposing his back to me. -’ Not that I could do much even with such an opening… ‘ I sighed while banishing the thought. Scores of questions were rushing through my mind, but I was too unsettled by recent faux pas to start the conversation.

-” I expected you to show up earlier. “ As if noticing my hesitation he spoke out in a non committal tone. -” I have been doing this gig for a while, but this is the first time I had to do more than prepare a ritual, not to mention that it usually doesn’t take three days… “

-” What do you mean? “ I responded reflexively, before finally letting go of my hesitation and getting to the heart of the matter. -” Who are you exactly? “ I had a suspicion on why it took three days, but it was nothing that I wanted to share.

-” Name’s Ethan. “ He said casually while stirring contents of the pot with his dagger. -” Vagabond, sell sword and someone as close to a follower as Fatebreaker allows. As to why I am here you should probably know that better than me. All I had was a vision to help the one arriving. “ He let out an amused sight before asking in a mirthful voice. -” Any advice on how to garner the god’s favor? What’s your name anyway? “

-” Um… “ I hesitated, as stating my old name would be just plain wrong.

-” Haha, don’t be shy, girl. “ Misunderstanding my reaction Ethan laughed out loud, despite being somewhat prepared for it getting called by a combination of *shy* and *girl* in a single sentence caught me off guard and thrown my thoughts in disarray. -” Though if you don’t want to or can’t… “

-” N-no! “ I interrupted with a stutter, flustered by how strong my statement turned out to be. -” I mean my name is Almisha. “ On reflex, I used one of the names from tabletop sessions to salvage the situation and to diffuse another growing misunderstanding. Somehow I kept getting thrown out of my pace.

-” Don’t worry. I won’t be asking who or where are you from. Fatebreaker rarely cares about the past. “ He said reassuringly and stirred the stew some more. His attitude made me curious.

-” Why are you doing this? “ I made a gesture encompassing the area and myself. Before he could answer I decided that being too careful could end badly in the long run and it’s better to ask important questions now. It was unlikely that I would find anyone else that I could trust anytime soon. -” Is it normal for gods here to dabble into affairs of mortals? “

-” Oh. So you are not from around here… “ He stated openly but seeing that it could be misunderstood he let out a low grunt and continued reassuringly. -” Khem. I meant to say that gods aren’t interested in what is happening here unless there’s something to gain. “ He smirked. -” Each god has a different domain and interests, if you can appease a god he might offer a blessing in return. For example blessing of the God of Light keeps monsters away from his temples, that's why there is at least a shrine in most of the hamlets. “ He gave the stew a final stir before taking out the dagger and wiping it with a scrap of cloth. -” Anyway, gods are fickle beings and it's not easy to get on their good side, best to steer clear if you ask me. “

-” But you seem to be doing precisely the opposite. “ I pointed out the inconsistency.

-” Bah, of course. “ He let out a loud sound, startling me a bit. -” I am something like a priest, I like getting my fingers burned and whatnot. “ He replied smugly and gave me a wink. -” Well, even the mighty Fatebreaker needs to get some things done, like rituals. “ He continued calmly and put his cleaned dagger back into a scabbard on his belt. -” He might be a bit hard to deal with, but his blessings are usually worth the trouble. “

-” I see. “ I said evenly, opting for a matter of factly approach. -” So what now? “ I asked.

-” Firstly, we eat. “ Ethan bent to retrieve a pair of wooden bowls and spoons from a nearby backpack. -” Then we will go east, we should get to Dawnbridge village before night. I believe that we will reach the elven kingdom within two to three weeks. “ He let out a sigh and filled the bowl with stew. -” I take it you don’t have anything apart from two silvers? “ His question confirmed my theory that he was the one who left the bundle in the basement.

-” No, how much are they worth? “ I used the opportunity to ask about the currency.

-” Hmm, should have figured that she knows nothing. “ He muttered under his breath before answering. -” Those small coins that you have are called silver shillings, a worker usually earns one for a day of heavy labor while a good craftsman can earn a few. A silver shilling splits into a dozen of copper ones, one copper can buy you a bread while two to three will get you a meal or a good ale, a room for a night takes around six to ten coppers. There are also full silvers and golds that nobility uses, typically a full silver is worth fourteen shillings. Whatever you do just remember that full silver is big and heavy, don’t get tricked by someone claiming that some small coin is worth that much. “ He rose and handed me a bowl full of stew and a spoon. -” Also, there are other currencies, which are valued differently, just stick to the ones with king’s crown on the reverse or have someone trusted explain their worth to you when the need arises. “

-” Thank you. “ I replied with gratitude and took the steaming bowl. I wasn’t hungry but considering the journey ahead I decided that it’s better to eat. -” Ah, why are we going to that elven kingdom exactly, if it’s that far away? “ I voiced my doubts.

-” Cos you are an elf and a girl. They have a thing for that. “ He responded half jokingly while taking a seat on a nearby stone. Seeing my furrowed brows he continued. -” Don’t give me that look, it's not my fault that… “ He paused and made an exasperated gesture. -” I don’t believe that I am having this conversation, I don’t even have a daughter! “ He muttered under his breath.

-’ What’s his problem? ‘ I asked myself upon seeing his strange behavior.

-” Er, hmm… “ Ethan began again in an awkward manner, it made me wonder what was going on.

-” You see… “ Ethan began slowly, but suddenly picked up the pace and finished the sentence in one continuous barrage of words. -” ...when human women have children they can have them every year but elves can’t they need several decades between each one. “ He finished and took a deep breath, red on the face. I could relate to his conundrum, but as funny as it was I had a pressing question to ask.

-” What about halfs? “ I asked uncertainly.

-” Halfs? “ He asked stupidly, not understanding my question.

-” I am pretty sure that I am a half elf. “ I said matter of factly, though I began to have a bad premonition about the whole thing.

-” Are you sure? “ He asked in a serious tone. -” Could you show me your ear? “

I nodded my agreement and swiped back my hair, exposing the ear. Ethan approached and took a long hard look at it, though I was still puzzled by the whole thing.

-” I don’t see an earlobe, you really sure that you are a half? “ He sternly asked again.

-” As sure as I can be? “ I answered hesitantly, I had to grudgingly admit to myself that his towering form and pursed face were somewhat scary.

-” Damn. “ He cursed passionately and I almost jumped, scared by the sudden outburst. To my relief he took a step back and continued in a calmer voice. -” We definitely can’t go to the elven kingdom then. If what you say is true and you really are a pure blooded half elf then mark my words - steer clear of high elves. “ He stated sternly and looked insistently into my eyes to make sure that the message got across.

I was surprised by the turn of events but I solemnly nodded anyway. -” Are half elves that persecuted in the elven kingdom? “ I asked after a slight pause to sate my ever growing curiosity.

Surprisingly, Ethan haven’t responded at first. He just put a hand over his face and heavily sat down, letting out a deep sigh. Several seconds passed and I was about to ask him if everything's alright when he suddenly raised his head. -” Not exactly, they are rather well off there. The problem is you are not one of them. “

I tilted my head, puzzled by the statement. -” Is there some other kind of elves or something? I don’t understand. “ I voiced my doubts.

As I looked at him I noticed that for some reason he has grown embarrassed again. -” You see… “ He started, but his voice trailed off. I patiently waited for him to collect his wits.

Finally, after a while, he continued. -” Normally the father is an elf and the mother is human, from what you said it appears that it was the other way around. Also, considering your looks it appears that elven blood is mostly passed through the maternal line. “ I was impressed by how tactfully he introduced the whole idea, though by his ragged look I could tell that it was not without a price.

-” Is it so bad that my mother was an elf? “ I asked innocently, having purer blood than other half elves didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

-” Yes, girl! “ Ethan suddenly lost his composure. -” Half elves are like mules, totally sterile, and high elves are total freaks when it comes down to offspring, because they can have it only once every century. So if they hear about some of their precious women bearing a human child you might imagine them being Not very pleasant. “ He concluded his speech on his feet, agitated.

I was surprised by the sudden outburst. -’ It seems that I stepped on a landmine… ‘

Ethan suddenly calmed down and had an embarrassed look on his face. -” I am sorry. Please do excuse me. Me and high elves got a history and it’s not a pleasant one. “ He sat down and took the bowl. -” You should eat too. “ He pointed to the cooled stew in my hands.

-” Um, I will. “ I responded uncertainly. Sudden change of the mood caught me off guard and I had trouble focusing. Hesitantly I took the spoon and brought the thick liquid to my lips. Despite being somewhat prepared I was still caught by the swirl of sensations when my nose picked up the smell of the stew. To my surprise I noticed that there was pepper and few other spices inside, which was unexpected for a medieval world. -’ I am not gonna complain about better tasting meals… ‘ With that thought in mind I took a spoon into my mouth... and instantly got swept away by a multitude of sensations...

...

-” How is it? “ Ethan asked in an amicable tone, interrupting my stupor.

-” It’s passable I guess… “ I responded absentmindedly, still not fully sentient. When I realized my mistake I really wanted to say that it was good, but couldn’t. The stew wasn’t bad, but I could somehow tell that the meat could take a bit more simmering while potatoes were a bit overcooked. And the spice balance was a bit off, not to mention that I hated parsley and could vividly tell its taste now… I shook my head, I wasn’t a picky eater, but that was before the change. -’ I guess I am a picky eater now. ‘ I sighed to myself.

-” Haha. “ As if seeing my inner turmoil Ethan let out a small laugh. -” Don’t worry I will take it as a compliment. It’s not easy to cook for an elf, I have met enough of your kind to know better. “

Embarrassed and glad for the return of a peaceful atmosphere, I concentrated on the bowl, an action that evoked another hearty laugh from Ethan. I continued to eat and found out that if I didn’t dwell on each spoonful I could somewhat pass over the small imperfections of the taste, I still didn’t like parsley though. I dreaded the thought on what it would be like to eat at a random inn.

When I was done, Ethan took my bowl and went to wash the dishes at a nearby ruined well. -” We are burning daylight, so you better get ready Almisha. If we want to get to the city before the gates close for the night we gotta get moving. “

I nodded my agreement and sighed inwardly. Prospect of a long walk wasn’t very appealing and the linen shirt felt itchy already…

===========================

Hey, Mea's here~

It took a while to write but here's part one of Awakening's chapter, hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers,

Mea

Ps Release schedule is on "when its done basis", so when I deem something done I will publish it.