Chapter Text
Anna trudged through the woods alongside the highway she was walking along. She had just run away from home with nothing but her laptop and a backpack of her most precious belongings. She had grown up in an abusive household only realizing just how bad it was when she drew parallels with Astarion’s story from Baldur’s Gate 3. She was already twenty five years old and her parents still took every red cent she made from working, everything was monitored as if she were in prison, claiming it was for her own good, along with numerous other things that were certainly not ‘normal’. She had been raised to believe it was normal until she scraped together some money and bought herself a laptop. Then the internet told her otherwise and her lifelong suspicions were proven correct.
As she walked along through the thick woods her stomach growled, and she let out an irritated groan. She wasn't even half way to her destination and she was hungry already. She broke the tree line into a small meadow clearing with scattered wild flowers and bees buzzing to visit them as she sat her backpack down to dig out a granola bar.
As she grabbed at the packaging, something nipped at her attention and she looked over into a seemingly random direction to see a mushroom circle with a wild grown apple in the middle, unpolished and natural but delicious looking. Anna pursed her lips a bit, she knew of silly fairy tales about fairy traps and being taken to the fey wilds, but she never expected to see one in person. Fairies don't exist surely, but honestly if it's a chance to leave this stupid rock of a planet she would consider it.
She took up her backpack and cautiously walked over to the circle, her skin almost tingled with a small thrill of excitement as she grew closer.
“If it's a chance to get away from here, I would love to take it.” Anna spoke to the circle as if it could hear her, it's always best to have a slight suspicion about these sorts of things, better to be safe then sorry right?
She stepped into the circle, careful not to destroy any of the mushrooms, took up the apple and took a large bite to accept the offer. She closed her eyes and took in a breath, not expecting much. However when she opened her eyes again she was no longer in the forest next to the road, the sky was purple, large glowing mushrooms replaced the trees and she was surrounded by faces of surprised curiosity. Cute and beautiful faces belonging to all sorts of fairies and fey creatures, some with wings, long pointy ears and all.
She hadn't expected something to actually happen!
Anna blinked, feeling shy in response to their curious stares. She knew fairies were shy by nature, much like herself so she knew she didn't want to scare them, lest they send her back or turn her into something as punishment. They all seemed to be different sizes, some her size and others the stereotypical pixie size.
“H- hello.” Anna said in a quiet, gentle voice, she was just as curious and cautious as they were.
“Hello! I see you found my little trap! Haha but you seem far less scared then I expected, what a pity! I was hoping to catch a human to see a funny reaction. I can send you back now.” A small fairy with a short typical blonde pixie cut and dragonfly wings spoke loudly as she fluttered close to Anna's face.
“You don't have to, I knew what I was getting into. If it’s alright I'd actually prefer to stay if you'll have me?” Anna replied in a calm, quiet tone, trying to speak as respectfully as possible.
“Really? You want to stay? Ok you'll be my pet human then! I hope you like sweets and alcohol, because I happen to be the village's best brewer of mead!” The fairy shouted proudly, thrilled to have someone large to help her around her brewing operation.
“Sounds fun, consider me hired.” Anna smiled, feeling like she was fitting in already.
“This way then! I'll show you to my home! My name is Chanterelle. Nice to meet you!” The little fairy flew enthusiastically around Anna.
“My name is Anna but if you want to give me a new one your welcome too.” Anna replied, following the little shiny fairy flying around.
“Hmmm, you look like a Morella to me, morels are so tasty! You should feel honored to be named after them.” Chanterelle declared.
“I do, thank you.” The newly dubbed Morella smiled as she was led to a very full-size brewing operation.
How such a small fairy could manage a near factory sized brewery was a mystery to Morella. Everything was made of wood and stone, natural elements, quite understandable considering fairies don't like metal craft according to folklore.
And that is how Morella received a new home, job and name. She stayed in the fey wilds happily helping Chanterelle make mead and alcohol for a while. The quality of the mead improved quite a lot, and it attracted the attention of the fey queen herself who decided to pay a visit to praise them.
“Chanterelle dear, you didn't tell me you found such a cute human to help you with your mead production, it's no wonder you are brewing up a storm down here. What is your name, little mead maid?” The queen asked.
“Chanterelle calls me Morella, your highness. It's an honor to meet you.” She responded as she bowed the best she could, she remembered that the fey liked to be respected.
“Oh, and so polite, tell me child, what made you wish to stay in the fey wilds?”
“My parents weren't good people; they mistreated me and so I ran away. I have nothing left there.” Morella replied in a quiet voice, she still felt ashamed about her past situation despite knowing it wasn't her fault.
“Poor lost child, do you wish to have your own pair of wings? It would be a shame to let a kind little thing like yourself age and pass in approximately sixty years or so. I will take you in as one of my own children, you are already on the path of doing so, I would only hasten the transformation. Of course I would require something in return.” The queen offered as she used a quick flash of magic to speak to Morella at eye level.
“Something in return, your highness?” Morella hesitated.
“Yes, you will stay here to learn about fey court and magic. You will serve under me for a set few years, then once your transformation is complete and you are a fully realized fey child you will be granted permission to jump between realms and do as you wish, so long as you keep to any contracts you make.”
“Yes, I would be honored, my queen, what do you wish me to do?”
“I shall host the ceremony tonight, don't bother wearing clothing, and don't be late. The type of moon that rises will dictate what sort of fey you will become, Chanterelle shall instruct you on the rest. Welcome to the fey wilds my newest child.” The queen kissed Morella on the forehead and smiled like a mother to a child before proudly taking her leave.
“Oh my! The queen likes you! Normally it takes years for someone to be acknowledged by her. Lucky you!” Chanterelle squealed in excitement. “Though it could be because we are making twice as much mead now, the queen loooves our mead.”
Morella smiled happily, she felt accepted for the first time in her life, truly like part of a family.
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“Do I really have to go in the nude? I'm kind of shy when it comes to my body.” Morella asked as Chanterelle began to snatch her clothing.
“Don't worry, everyone is going to be gloriously nude, for events like this it's required so the transformation goes along smoothly, you wouldn't want your new wings to fuse into your shirt, would you? And a lot of us enjoy a good bit of fun afterwards to celebrate, clothing only gets in the way.” Chanterelle explained as she tugged on Morella's shirt.
“Alright, I suppose if I'm not the only one it won't be so bad.” Morella relented as she stripped the rest of her clothing.
Morella had to remind herself that fae social standards are quite different from human ones, some just love to let everything hang loose in the mid morning sun as they lounge on a log like lizards. Fairies mainly dress to blend in when traveling to other realms to stay hidden, so here in the fey wilds they can let everything hang loose so to speak.
Morella let her long brunette hair down and with that she was completely ready for whatever was going to happen tonight. She followed behind Chanterelle who led her to an open grassy clearing bathed in moonlight, where indeed everyone was just as naked as the day they were brought into the world, but they weren't staring, they were droning a melody. Humming low and slow as Morella walked down the isle made for her bordered by colorful glowing mushrooms. At the end of the isle the Fey Queen waited, on the shores of a small unusually colored lake. The water was shifting colors between blue, pink, purple and shimmering beneath the moon. It had an ethereal glow to it, the water was clearly not water but something purely magical.
“Welcome Morella, tonight you will be reborn as a child of the fae. You will leave your old life behind, your memories will remain but they will seem less important, may your past troubles melt away with your old body. As we bear witness, the moon shall decide your fate, and transform you into your true self, your very soul exposed to create someone new. Are you ready?” The queen addressed Morella but spoke loud enough so the others could hear, who had stopped singing to listen to her announcement.
“Yes your majesty.” Morella smiled shyly.
“Come this way then child, submerge yourself into the waters of the lake and your transformation shall commence, it may feel strange, do try to stay as relaxed as you can through it.” The queen now addressed Morella personally in a calm voice, similar to a mother who was proud of their child, she had only seen that expression in movies.
Morella was so happy to see that expression it made her almost tear up, she thought to herself that after today she would die for this woman if necessary (it's not). She was so nice and had the motherly atmosphere of an old cartoon grandmother, the kind of familial relationship Morella had always wanted.
“What is the matter child? You look as if you're about to cry.” The queen asked with slight concern.
“I'm sorry your majesty, it's just that look you had, I've only ever seen it toward other people. I've always wanted a real mother who would be proud of me at least once. Can- can I hug you before I go in there?” Morella asked, her voice shaking but she was smiling as she rubbed her eyes.
“Of course my dear sweet child.” She opened her arms gracefully with a beautiful smile.
The queen stood taller than Morella, her golden almost glowing golden hair lay almost to the ground and her skin was like the petals of white and light pink roses. As Morella embraced the queen, tears did finally fall as she let all of her emotions out, all the pain from years of neglect and abuse, she finally felt at home for the first time in her life.
After a moment Morella pulled back from the hug and wiped her eyes as she calmed herself down.
“Poor deprived child, may nature's embrace and the moon's magic and guidance be kind to you, now in you go.” The queen smiled again and gestured to the sparkling lake.
Morella chuckled a bit and slowly stepped into the slightly warm water going ever further in until she was about chest deep. The water tingled on her skin, almost buzzing with energy. She looked up at the moon one last time before lowering herself completely into the water, she held her breath and gazed up at the moon through the water above her. The energy felt like it was starting to seep into her very bones but she kept calm just as the Fey Queen had recommended, and soon she began to feel different, and as if the urge to breathe was gone. She remained in the water until the buzzing had seemingly gone through her entire body right down to her heart and spine.
As she slowly broke the surface she gazed up at the moon once again and noticed it had changed, it was still full as it had been before but now it had two hazy colored halos around it, like iridescent rainbows in the misty sky. She had seen this back on earth as well, it typically indicated an incoming storm but never two like this.
“Wow a double halo moon! So lucky!” One of the fairies gushed from the shore.
As she made her way back to shore slowly she noticed it was far more difficult to get out of the water than it was getting into it. Her back felt heavy as she tugged herself out of the water, once she was out she discovered the source of her extra drag, large iridescent wings hung limply from her back. They were wet and crumpled like that of a butterfly that had just emerged from its cocoon. But even crumpled they were already down past her hips, how big would they be when they dry out?
“It would seem the name Chanterelle gave you no longer suits, with rebirth comes a new name if you so wish.” The Fey Queen smiled as she gazed kindly down at her.
“Yes, I would be honored to be given a name by her majesty.”
“Hmm.” The queen walked around her in a circle slowly as she thought about a new name for her.
“Opallyna, a beautiful new name for your beautiful new life, perhaps Opal for short. Now let's dry those wings.” The Fey Queen smiled playfully this time as she looked over her crumpled, wet wings.
The Queen flicked her wrist a bit and soon a warm south wind blew over Opal, drying her from head to toe. When she opened her eyes again she could really get a good look at herself. Her hair was now a shimmery white that was now down to her knees. As she marveled at the strands, she noticed they had an iridescence to them the same colors as the halos around the moon like white spider silk in the moonlight.
Her body was healthy and her skin smooth, she had been so thin when she first arrived here and her skin dry and flaky. Now she had the supple beautiful body she had always envied that her school friends had, not near sickly thin like models in magazines but just healthy.
Not just the outside had changed, she didn't feel any fatigue or slight bodily pinches and pains she always ignored through her life, her skin was calm and her core thrummed with energy. She almost felt like she had three cups of coffee without the jitters, joyous.
As the breeze dried her new wings, she found she had feeling in them as well, a true extension of her body, she could feel them unfold and stretch to their true size. Once fully opened they were down past her knees, as she summoned the strength in her new flight muscles they slowly raised and began to unfold to reveal their true glory. They also had an iridescent sheen even brighter than her hair, they were shaped like that of a lunar moth but with far more intricate organic patterns throughout and were a translucent silvery white.
“So um, what kind of fae am I?” Opal asked hesitantly.
“A moon fairy, a quite powerful one too, most are born beneath a single halo but being born beneath two is quite rare indeed.” The queen praised.
“Wow…” Opal marveled at her wings.
“Tonight is in celebration of you so now let us truly welcome you to the fae. Bring out the mead!” The queen called excitedly.
The whole night was spent drinking and being merry which led to flirting which led to sex, a lot of sex but it wasn't just a big disgusting ball of fairies, each paired up in groups of two or three and quietly indulged affectionately with each other in the silvery moonlight. Truly a moonlit revelry, a thing of beauty not just depraved lust. Gender didn't seem to matter, they just paired up with one they fancied.
Opal wasn't sure if she was ready to join, she was still a virgin and had no experience in this. There was only one pale elf she had really wanted to be with but he wasn't real. Luckily Chanerelle was there to help as usual.
“You don't seem like the type to jump in quite yet; did you want me to take you home?” Chanterelle asked.
“Yes, I want to explore my new self quietly for now, thank you.” Opal replied, smiling gratefully.
“I like your new look, very pretty.” Chanterelle complimented as they made their way back home.
“Aww thank you, you’ll have to teach me how to fly though.” Opal joked, making them both laugh a bit.
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Opal wasn't sure how long it had been since she arrived, time moves differently in the fey wilds. Opal worked hard on developing herself, working at the brewery and running errands for the queen. It was only when learning about the different realms they could explore, did Opal learn something very important to her.
“Faerûn… Is it a real place?” She asked Chanterelle.
The name of the realm stirred a now old memory for Opal, there were things she liked there, people she wanted to meet.
“Yes, it is! The humans from that realm are far more fun to play with because they are far more gullible hehe!” Chanterelle giggled.
“I want to go there; I hope my time of service is almost over.” Opal said, excitedly planning it out in her head.
“It shouldn't be long now; you've picked things up quickly. I'm proud of you, my friend.” Chanterelle smiled happily.
“I don't think I ever thanked you for letting me stay here so I'll do it now, thank you for giving me a home Chanterelle, I am grateful to you.” She replied.
Opal shrank down with magic and flew to hug Chanterelle excitedly; she had never had a best friend before but now she didn’t know how she had survived without one.
“Yes yes, I know you love me. Now let's have some of that ‘coffee’ you love to steal from your old realm whenever you run an errand for the queen there. I'm starting to like your bean drink with the sweet cream.” Chanterelle requested.
“Alright I'll brew some.” Opal was happy to have a friend to drink coffee or do anything with really.
“So, what's in Faerûn?” Chanterelle asked with a mischievous grin, as they sipped from their cups.
“Nothing much, just some people I'd want to meet.” Opal couldn't help the slight blush that flared in her cheeks as she thought about the companion characters from Baldur’s Gate 3.
“Hmm sounds like very special people to me.” Chanterelle teased, still wearing her grin.
“Huuh, I might as well not lie, yes a special person in particular, but I'd only want to see how he's doing, I'm sure he's off exploring with his lover living his best life right about now.” Opal sighed, she wished Astarion all the best, the poor thing deserved it after all he has been through. “There's also a certain son of a bitch's grave I want to piss on.” Opal's brows furrowed as she was reminded of Astarion's past.
The sudden crudeness took Chanterelle off guard, and she just about spat out her coffee as she laughed.
“Well, I wish you luck with that haha! Just remember to come back to visit.” Chanterelle laughed and then coughed a bit as she wiped her mouth.
“Obviously, I'd miss you too much.” Opal rolled her eyes.
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It wasn't too long after this that the queen called for Opal and she was told she had finally graduated so she was able to go to any realm she wished, but the consequences would also be her own. Opal was so excited she hugged the queen again and ran back home to tell Chanterelle.
“Opal, where are you going?” Chanterelle asked as Opal frantically packed up a bag of holding for her adventure.
“To Faerûn! I finally got the ok to travel to other realms and there happens to be an empty vampire castle I wish to have a bit of chaos in!” Opal bounced on the balls of her feet as she explained excitedly.
“So today is the day then? Alright, just don't forget to come back and visit, ok?” Chanterelle smiled proudly.
“Yes, I promise!” Opal agreed, smiling widely back.
It only took her a moment to pack everything up and make her half elf disguise before casting invisibility and hopping into a mushroom circle that led to Faerûn. Adventure awaits!