Changling Children

Pronunciation Guide

Dunloahaire (Dun-Leer-Ree)
Eoin (Owen)
Maire (Mary)
Niamh (Neev)
Siobhan (Sha-Von)

Maire was like a fragile doll. Perfect to look at, with raven black
hair, down to her waist, and eyes blue like sapphire. Niamh was a
playful kitten, lean and gambling. Her hair was wavy gold, her eyes the
green of jade. They looked like complete opposite's, like strangers.
Yet the pair were the twin daughters of Eoin Ashe, the Dunloahaire
innkeeper.
They were ten years of age. Eoin had often told them that Niamh was
her fathers child, and Maire was the spitting image of her mother.
Neither had seen their mother since they were one. Their father had
told them that she had died in a carting accident. They had heard the
rumors around Dunloahaire about their mother being fae. Niamh not only
believed it, but lorded it over the other children, often getting
herself into scrapes because of it. Maire was more inclined to believe
that their mother was simply a beautiful, mysterious woman, who had
died, as her father said.

Niamh was heading rapidly in the direction of the seashore, a soft
smile on her face. Behind her, Maire was trying to catch up, racing
after her, with her skirt caught of in her hands, her hair coming
loose, and billowing behind her.

"Niamh!" She shouted, as she pulled even, and tugged on her sisters
arm. Niamh looked at her sister and slowed down reluctantly. Maire
tended to spoil things, always sticking to rules, and always being
careful. Maire asked, after she had caught her breath, "Niamh, what are
you doing?" Niamh chuckled and pointed to the strip of blue that rode
the horizen,

"Going to see the water, of course." Maire squeaked and gave her sister
a horrified look. Their father had expressly forbidden them to go near
the sea. He was very strict about it. It was one of the few rules he
really enforced. Eoin Ashe could never punish his children. Maire said,
pursing her lips,

"You know that is Da's number one rule, never go near the sea?" Niamh
waved a hand dismissively, and rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. You don't need to remind me." Maire tugged at her
sister's arm,

"Come on, Niamh, don't do this. You'll get us both in trouble." Niamh
sighed dramatically, and gave her sister an exasperated look,

"Oh, Mair, I am not making you go. You don't want to get into trouble,
then turn around." Maire shook her head, and kept her grip on Niamh
firm. If she couldn't stop her, she at least wasn't letting her get
away.

"I can't do that, who knows what kind of trouble you would get into on
your own?" Niamh snapped, irritated,

"Then stop complaining." Maire did. Instead she asked,

"Why are you going to the sea." Niamh's eyes flickered over Maire a
moment, then she said,

"Going to see our mother. A little fish told me she would be there."
Maire gave her sister a baffled look, as if torn between being angry
that she would say that, or worried that she was crazy. Maire said
carefully,

"Oh? How is that?" Niamh said,

"Well, I was in the market. I came across a man selling fish, and one
of them wasn't even dead. He asked me to set him free, and in turn, he
would tell me a secret. So I bought him, and let him go. He told me
that our mother-her name is Siobhan- was coming to get us. She had been
caught years ago by our father, and then when she found her skin
again-our mother was a Selkie-she went back to the sea. She went
immediately to Manannan mac Lir-" Here Maire's look turned skeptical.
Manannon mac Lir was the god of the sea. "She petitioned him to make us
into Selkie, so that she can take us away with her. He said, that if he
did this, he would have to give up the most precious thing to her,
three by three. Us. She gave up her ability to walk on land as a human
and see us for nine years by becoming his consort. The nine years are
over now, and she has come to take us away. That is why father was
always so afraid to let us near the sea. He was afraid our mother would
come back." Maire shook her head in disbelief. By this time, they had
reached the sea, and the water was lapping at the shore gently. Maire
took a careful step back, so that her boots wouldn't get wet. Niamh
took her boots off, and started wading into the water. Maire
shrieked,

"Niamh! What are you doing?" Niamh pointed out over the water, and
Maire noticed all the bobbing heads, at least fifteen or twenty. Seals,
watching them. One seal swam forward, and disappeared beneath the
surface, then resurfaced, completely human looking. She was covered in
what appeared to be a seal skin cloak. She smiled, and brushed back a
strand of long, raven black hair, then held out her hand to Niamh.
Niamh fell into her mothers arms, hugging her tight. Then she pulled
the dress up over Niamh's head, and dunked her beneath the water. Niamh
barely had a second to realize what was happening, and from the shore
Maire froze, her eyes wide and watchful. Niamh didn't resurface. The
woman looked at Maire with Maire's own eyes, patiently, waiting for
Maire to come out and join her as well. Maire just screamed and went
ran down the shore, meaning to head back for town. But a short,
delighted bark made her stop and look. A little, half grown golden seal
was keeping pace with her in the water, jade green eyes watching Maire,
a hint of teasing there in the depths. Maire slowly took a step nearer
the water, and looked at her sister, the Selkie Girl, now. Maire shook
her head, refusing to believe that her sister had really become a
Selkie. She could almost hear Niamh talking to her, reassuring her, and
telling her that they could visit there father whenever they liked,
just hop out of the water and walk down the road. There were no worries
in the sea, the sea was good to their people. Maire sighed, feeling
defeated. She could never leave her sister alone. She slid off her
boots, and picked up the edge of her dress, and started to walk toward
the water. She shivered, and her toes were freezing, and she wasn't so
sure she wanted to do this, but Niamh was there, bobbing and ducking
through the water playfully, and chattering at her all the time, in
Seal. Siobhan appeared beside her daughter, and Maire let her lift the
dress, off, shivering at the sharp bite of a cold breeze. Siobhan
kissed her daughters forehead, and murmured, in a voice that resonated
with the sound of rain hitting the smooth surface of the water,

"Don't be afraid, Maire, trust me." Maire nodded, giving the golden
seal, her sister, one last, long look, and shut her eyes, gritting her
teeth, not sure what to expect. Siobhan gently pushed Maire down into
the water, and Maire felt the first prickles of the Change in her skin,
like pins and needles. Then it surged along her body white hot, not
quite painful, merely discomforting, yet&;#8230;somehow it felt
good, it felt right. When the feeling rode itself out, Maire surfaced,
and said,

Does it always feel like that? Then started. It had come out just a
series of sealish barks. A large, warm dark seal floated near her, and
nuzzled her,

Not always, you get accustomed to it, and hardly notice it by the third
time. Her mother said in Sealish. Maire dived into the water, cutting
thorugh it smoothly in her new form. Niamh quickly caught up with her,
and there was laughter in her eyes, then she shot ahead, and Maire
followed her at a clipping pace. The rest of the seals fell in behind
them, now and them brushing up against the new comers, and nuzzling
them with their noses, accepting them into their group. Niamh knew that
she would happy. Maire knew that with Niamh along, she would be happy
as well.

The seals disappeared again, their black heads bobbing beneath the
surface, and heading away.