Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 15: One for Taylors

Them, Pollyanna, and Taylor followed Syria to the nearby stream. It was very calm, and it was deep enough to submerge the group of conscripted criminals up to their necks. Them was happy to see it was almost crystal clear. He had had to bathe in dirty streams before and it was incredibly uncomfortable. Wild flowers bloomed on either side of it to make it look all-the-more appealing to the dirty criminals.

Many of the passengers on the caravan wanted to rinse off, so most of them slowly and reluctantly began disrobing and gingerly hiding things they didn't want to be seen.

Them couldn't help but keep glancing at Taylor as she disrobed.

The shameless girl was humming nonchalantly, and was the only one who seemingly didn't mind being naked in front of everyone else. Even the fearless warrior-maiden, Pollyanna, seemed incredibly nervous about disrobing.

Them lifted his shirt as quickly as he could over his head so he wouldn't miss seeing an inch of Taylor's flesh.

Pete, who did not need to bathe, merely stuck by his waif friend and made a face as he shamelessly leered at the nearby fairy.

Her top was what he expected, and he got a good look at it until Pollyanna caught him looking and shot the deadliest glare at him he had ever seen. He quickly turned his gaze away, then, and concentrated on removing the rest of his own clothes.

Once he was done, he looked back at Taylor briefly and his cheeks went beet red when he saw that her lower parts did not match her top parts.

Taylor continued humming and pranced into the stream without a care in the world.

Pete clapped a hand to his mouth and bit back a laugh made of chimes.

Them watched with his mouth agape, and then he murmured to Pete, "don't you say a word."

Taylor dipped a toe into the water and squealed a little. "It's cold! But... I have to bathe!"

The fairy slowly submerged herself into the stream up to her chin and shrieked melodramatically every inch of the way. Them was still staring, slack-jawed at the girl who might not have been a girl the whole time.

Pollyanna, the supposedly fearless warrior-maiden, made a mad dash to the stream—hoping nobody saw anything--and jumped in beside Taylor. She protectively watched over her while the younger woman sang something under her breath and splashed the water about thoughtlessly.

In a moment, Them took a deep breath and joined Taylor in the water. He whispered to her a little urgently, "um, I thought you were a woman?"

Taylor rubbed the water onto her white arms and replied without looking at him, "I am a woman. Are you blind?"

"Well, no. That's kind of the problem. Your top is... But your bottom—" Them spluttered.

Pollyanna pushed her charge to the side and glowered at the waif. "Did I give you permission to talk to him?"

"Him? So he is a man?" Them asked.

Them recognized the look of madness on Taylor's face that was blooming, and he realized he'd better shut up. Taylor commanded Pollyanna, "back! Back you dog! I order you to let me talk to Them for three minutes alone!"

Pollyanna was about to sharply protest, but Taylor shook her head.

Pain was piercing her heart every second she disobeyed, and so Pollyanna reluctantly swam a few paces away and gave the waif and fairy some space.

Taylor said with a smug smile, "of course I am a woman."

"But I saw—" Them began.

"Oh, don't mind that. It'll be gone soon. My body's a little confused, but it'll finish changing soon. I was hoping my chest would be a little bigger, but I guess that was just a pipe dream." Taylor murmured to herself.

Them shook his head. "I don't understand... Are you saying you'll be... Fully a female soon?"

Taylor glowered. "I already am! It's just that that wretched Eory took my body for so long that my body didn't match my head!"

Them looked at the anguished look on Taylor's face and could tell how much she was bothered by having to explain herself. He cleared his throat with a smile and said, "is this a fairy thing? Can they change genders whenever they want?"

Taylor crossed her arms and submerged herself up to her eyes which she had narrowed angrily. She blew out a breath and it came out as bubble on the water. In a moment, she rose enough from the water to speak, "it is a fairy thing. If a fairy's gender doesn't get solidified early on, then the fairy gets stuck between the two genders. I started out as a girl, but then mother decided she'd rather have a boy when I turned six, and I spent the next twelve years as that wet blanket, Eory. He certainly didn't act like a man, however, so I never completely went away as mother wanted me to."

Them scratched his head. "And Eory is your male self? That's why you didn't recognize me earlier?"

"No. Eory may as well be a completely different person. We just share the same body." Taylor finished explaining.

Them's cheeks were still beet red from the fact that he had kissed Taylor not once, but twice, on the dream plains and had no idea that she wasn't who he thought she was under her clothes.

He said angrily, "you might have told me you didn't—I mean, that your body didn't match your head!"

Taylor looked deathly offended and enraged for a moment, but then she giggled. She swum closer to him, popped out of the water, and hung her arms over his shoulders. "Would it have really have made a difference?"

Them looked at her lovely face—now clean and fresh from the water—and an unintentional grin spread from ear-to-ear and he felt dazed from how close she was.

Them shrugged. "I don't think so. But other men might care; you ought to be careful."

And she started playing the game with him that he loved playing with her. She wrapped her arms around him and announced with an exaggerated furrow of her brow and overdramatic worry pulling at her lips, "you'll protect me, won't you?"

He indulged her, and, eagerly wrapped his own arms around her waist. "Of course, my darling, stay close and—"

"You two." The Astral Elf, Syria, cut into their conversation. "What are you doing? Separate immediately."

Taylor shoved Them away with a shriek and said, "he is a beast! He's the one who grabbed me and made eyes at me!"

Nobody bought it—least of all Syria--and Them merely chuckled and watched her wade away from him through the water.

Them leaned his arms on the bank next to the stream and Pete eyed him curiously. I didn't think you were one for boys.

Them shrugged. "I'm one for Taylors, and I'm going to get that third kiss from her."

Pete shook his head and rolled his eyes. He didn't understand this game his friend liked to play with Taylor.