Last week, Silva found her new True Name: Thalaea. After asking Enendoa if she can take on the moniker, the ex-goddess discovers that finding her new True Name has some pleasant effects on her newly-mortal body.
Three hearts beat the way they should; her bones were no longer so heavy. She was not cold any more; her body regulated its temperature as it should. Each breath was a pleasure, and each movement made her feel grateful.
She was Thalaea now, and she was a witch. The truth sang to her blood and made the entire world right.
When Brinna arrived to pick her up, she felt like dancing with the younger woman. She settled for a long, lingering hug, and a dazzling smile. “I found my Name,” she whispered to Brinna, suddenly realizing what her strange feelings for the woman had been. Silva had not been mortal, and mortal feelings had not been for her. Thalaea was — and she was overjoyed to find she was falling in love with Scoas’ daughter.
Want more stuff to read today? Check out the other very talented authors participating in SFFSat here!
23 responses to “SFFSat, January 19th: the magic of one’s True Name.”
Interesting developments indeed!
They were certainly a surprise to me!
Terrific moment and reveal. You give a great sense of her transition, the physical and the emotional. I can’t wait for the rest.
Thanks Cary! I’m glad it’s keeping you interested. 🙂
Quite the interesting turn.
This story and these characters have been /full/ of surprises for me. It’s pretty awesome.
The power of a name and how it changes how we perceive and are perceived. Cool snippet.
Thank you, S.A. 🙂
Katje, this is lovely. I love that finding her name has brought her a comfort, and that her body is flourishing as a result. And the last line is wonderful.
Thank you J.M.! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂
Interesting. I’m liking how the story is developing.
Thank you, T.K. I’m pretty excited about the directions it’s taken. (I did plan this one, but there’s only so much outlining I can do before it just takes on a life of its own and does whatever it wants.)
I love the description of the feel of her body becoming real (particularly the three hearts!). A sudden, overpowering sense of life. Very nice snippet – thanks!
Thank /you/ for reading and enjoying it, Peter!
I like how she’s embracing her mortality. Lovely description. Can’t wait for more witchy stuff.
Thanks Tara!
There’s definitely more witchy stuff coming up…. 🙂
You really painted a great picture of her ebullience. There is no denying the power of something’s true name.
Thank you, JC!
Love the description of her settling into her body and goddesshood. Finding the truth about yourself does tend to lead to other discoveries, too. 🙂
Thanks!
It’s true. And I was pleasantly surprised while writing this; I didn’t realize that Silva/Thalaea would change so much as a character when she found her True Name, but then she came out with this bit and was like “Yup, I’m all different now.”
Characters running amok in my head, kicking over furniture and terrorizing the other occupants…. 😉
Great descriptions in this piece.
Three hearts? Definitely trumps a Time Lord. 😛
Haha. True!
(Also I totally have two-hearted beings in another world I write about, and it was totally not influenced by Doctor Who no not at all why would you think that. *innocent look*)
Awwww!