The Court of Transfiguration

[thelisan]

27 Whitemoon, 2E 220
Retold at a later date.

I had worked for a moon on building a house, or rather, a model thereof. It was patterned on my own cottage and workshop, but with walls painted differently, and with a bed large enough for two instead of the one I had. These alterations were important for their presence, but not for their substance.

It was in a sense an effigy, a visualization of the desire for change, and it was to be the centerpiece of the day's ritual. This ritual is in fact the reason for the bare patch of dirt and stone; I had spent a good portion of the summer clearing it out, and replanting what I could elsewhere. I took three lengths of spun cotton thread, placed one end of each in the center of the clearing, and spiraled them out such that the three made a loose circle together before curling back in toward the center. The end of each thread was placed upon my altar, with the model house holding the three in place. I then struck a match and lit the ends on the ground, and took my position within the circle.

The fire radiated outward, burning the thread to ash and carving a scorched trail back toward the model. When all three flames reached it, it erupted in a tremendous plume of smoke. By the time the ash cleared and I opened my eyes, the model was no more, having been replaced by or possibly transformed into a great eclipse of moths.

They spoke to me, but not as we do. The sounds were formed by the wingbeats of countless faemoths working in concert, and the sound surrounded me. "𝐴𝑛𝑜𝑛, 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑝ℎ. 𝑊𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒."

"Yes," I reply. My own words join with the fae, emanating from the cloud of moths.

"𝑀𝑎𝑦 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛?" they request.

I speak it, but I cannot tell you now what it was, for I do not know. I may have met others who shared that name and never realized it.

"𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝐴𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛, 𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑙𝑦."

I had not been asleep, yet apparently I was. When I open my eyes (again?), I step forth from a cocoon, renewed and in the form you now see. They- I cannot remember what it looked like, but I am certain they took on my old form as well.

My memory from here is... spotty. I recall nothing more from that day, and precious little of the next tenday. This was expected; this sort of magic is beyond our understanding. I had planned for an adjustment period. As for the visitor(s?) from the Court, I am unclear. I believe they departed soon after I stepped out of the cocoon, but I also believe they may have been present nearby for a time? The magic can be overwhelming, and they may have wanted to monitor me. Or that may be the imaginings of a hopeful mind, I know not.