From River to River take 2
Jul. 30th, 2015 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravensfriendAfon was born River Redfield in the small traditional witch-town of Moondale. At the time of birth, he was considered to be a healthy young girl and raised as such. His father, Tobias carved little wooden toys for River to play with and the mother, Margaret, doted on her child. Later attempts at a second child failed, so the pair focused all their attention on their first and now only child. River loved all the attention and toys a child could want.
The first sign that something wasn't as it seemed wasn't noticed by River or her parents. But by Margaret’s mother. Years ago, the woman had been a powerful clairvoyant, one that was very good at seeing the truth in many things. However, her mind had started to fail as she aged. She kept asking to see her grandson, Margaret would put this down to a simple mistake, However the Grandmother would grow upset when she was told she only had granddaughters. Although it pained Margret, to do so, she eventually she stopped River from seeing her, for fear of the meetings only confusing and upsetting both of them. River, who had only just started school, had been too young to truly understand what was happening and thought this was a punishment. It was then River started trying very hard to be good. To act like any other obedient, soft spoken daughter should be. Hoping being so well behaved would mean River would earn the chance to see to be allowed to see Grandmother again. Sadly it was not to be, River was allowed to see the grandmother, but it was at the woman's funeral a few months later. These events taught the young River a simple lesson. Being a boy was bad.
River still worked hard to be a good girl even after this, and there would only be more encouragement for this behaviour in the future. Nothing seemed to make Margaret smile more than when River brought home a good report card. That is until River started showing a talent for reading peoples moods, and finding things, sometimes though visions and other times just having a feeling for when a missing object was near. Margaret couldn't have been happier. To her this was how a good daughter should act. Unlike the times she caught her husband showing River how to use wood cutting tools. Several times the pair had argued over the suitability of wood cutting as a hobby for a young girl. Especially the risk it posed to their little girl's delicate hands. Only once did River asked what did it matter about a girl's hands. Tobias' hands bore the marks from his life time of wood work and it was treated as a sign that he was good at his job. River's answer was to be sent to bed after a scolding. A lady's hands should never look so worn, and good girls should never question their mother's on such things. River's parents still argued even after this, River could hear their muffled voices though closed doors. Was it really so bad for a River to want to be like Tobias, including his strong worn hands?
There would be other incidents, despite River's best efforts. Why couldn't girls play in the mud? Why couldn't girls catch bugs? Why couldn't River wear shorts in summer, even some of the other girls were allowed to do that! Why did girls have to wear their hair all fancy, and then get told of when it got messy later? It was so much easier to just tie it back like boys do.
And most of all, why couldn't River be more like Kathryn?
River's cousin was often brought up as an example of a proper girls behaviour. It would have bred resentfulness between the pair. River knew Kathryn herself was often compared to River as a good example of someone who was good at magic and was studiousness in school. Over time the pair came to an agreement: Kathryn would teach River how to act more like a girl, and in return River would help Kathryn do better in School. It seemed to work and though teaching each other the two became good friends. While the deal made River's life easier it didn't stop every argument.
But that wasn't so bad, Not when Kathryn lost her own mother, the woman having passed away bringing a baby boy into the world. But River had to fight back tears every time Margret got a new lacy dress that showed off a growing girls curves, or introduced River to an old nurse friend. Despite River's best efforts to believe that, it didn't work. The term Gender Dysphoria wouldn't come up for many years, but River still felt the deep overpowering feeling of being trapped in the wrong body. But not being able to understand, or even put the problem into words left River with no way to seek an escape.
The only thing that seemed to help was avoiding people, so River couldn't see comfortable they were with their own bodies. River didn't want to burden Kathryn, upset Margaret, and didn't even know how to start explaining the problem to Tobius. For a while the only thing that could make River smile was the young raven that would show up on his windowsill. He had made the mistake of feeding it once, and it had come back every day since.
Margaret however, did not approve of River's new friend, Rain. Once again she was displeased with River for not acting like a prefect daughter, and was even starting to think River was doing it on purpose for attention. It wasn't River adopting a wild animal that was the problem. Witches always had familiars. The problem was Rain was a female raven. It was traditional for Familiers to be the opposite sex to the witch they were bound to. Supposedly to help them find balance. By keeping Rain, Margaret believe River would both be weaker when it came to magic and be viewed as incompetent and foolish.
River refused to give up Rain. Margret pushing the issue lead to their first real argument. River's life up until now taught him that his mother was always right. That he was a girl and that he had to act a certain way. But for the first time he had the gut feeling that he was the one in the right. That River's bond with Rain was good for him. Voices were raised and threats made. Things were getting out of control forcing Tobias put his foot down before something irreversible was said. He ended the argument himself. Reminding Margaret that River's feelings should come before the opinions of others. This was a desperately needed moral boost for River; who confessed to Tobius about how he didn't feel... right. How he didn't feel normal. Unfortunately River couldn't put a name to her condition and Tobius while supportive didn't have any answers.
However now River had Tobias' support that River spoke to the chief of police. asking how to become an officer. Something River had wanted ever since learning that his grandfather and several other relatives on hos mother side once worked on the force. Sadly, The chief said it simply couldn't be. He said that just because there were women police in non-magical communities, that didn't mean there should be in any in a traditional town like Moondale. Again, River felt out of place not just in his family but in the whole town. The blow was harsher than the others, he had started to wonder if his problem was not being able to fit in with what his mother thought he should be. But now he could see that it was the view of everyone in the town. If he hadn't been a girl, he would have been welcomed on to the force with open arms. River wished there was a spell that allowed someone to change sex. But had no way to make that happen. That was something even River's father would be against. For a while River thought about leaving Moondale, yet that was a scary prospect for a teenager who had never been outside the town's borders. The history books were full of stories about witches who had lived outside safe magical havens like Moondale, the endings were never happy.
Still that didn't mean someone from the outside couldn't move in.
River first met Lyle Walker, a man from outside Moondale, while his uncle (Kathryn's father) was under investigation for embezzlement. River knew his uncle would never do such a thing and poured all his efforts into finding the truth. Not an easy task when his mother was trying to distance herself from the crime. Earlier that month River's mother had decided to run for Town Mayor and Such legal controversy could butcher Margaret's chances of winning the election. While this mean River couldn't openly speak in favour for his uncle it wasn't about to give up on him. While running messages to various civic centres for his mother River River slipped in an anonymous tip of about his uncle, citing a ring that River thought was suspicious. On his way out he ran into Lyle, ex changing a few words, but thought little of it.
A few days later, River's life would turn chaotic and Lyle would be one of the few people he could trust. It started when Edward, the son of the current Mayor, proposed out of the blue. River had said no without hesitation, and stood by his answer, even in the face of his mother being upset with him...again.
Then three days later, Kathyrn vanished. No matter how hard River, his family or even the police tried, she couldn't be found.
Slowly, more girls disappeared. Part from the missing always being women the vanishings seemed random. But River soon noticed a common link. Himself. Each one were some how connected to River, a school friend, someone down the street, and someone he'd spoken too the day before about his mother's run for Mayor. Though he tried to ignore it River couldn't shake the gut feeling that he was somehow involved. Even more worryingly the police started acting strange around him, watching him and asking questions. They never accused him of anything but their aura's set him on edge and he didn't feel safe around them.
When Lyle approached him, River tried to brush him off and leave. However when River realised that Lyle had not been affected like the other police. He explained how he feared he was the link between the missing girls, and how he couldn’t trust the police. Lyle admitted he thought his superiors were acting strangely too. Lyle had suspicions about Edward, and while he had expected some reluctance to investigating someone as important as the current Mayor's son, he hadn't expected the chief to act as if Lyle was invisible. Between the two of them Lyle and River theorised that Edward could be using a love spell on River, and it was failing, instead attracting the girls around River to Edward. And further more he was using the captured girls to charm the higher ranking members of the police so he wouldn't be caught.
While Lyle felt better having a working theory of what was going on, they didn't have an explanation for why the love spell wasn't working. If Edward had enough power now to charm the police, River should have gone to Edward long ago. No girl could resist a spell with that much power behind it. No girl. That was when the epiphany hit. The spell failing had nothing to do with how strong or weak it was. It had everything to do with who it was aimed at. A female River. But what if River wasn't a girl? Then the spell would attract the girls closest to River, either emotionally like Kathryn or physically like the girl down the road. River knew spells, he'd studied them inside and out, and wanting to be a police man he had even studied illegal ones like love spells. There was no other explanation. For the first time River knew he didn't just want to be a boy, he was a boy, his mind and soul was male no matter what his body looked like. This was proof.
To River's shock, Lyle accepted the explanation, and even offered advice, using terms River didn't understand like “transition”. Reassuring him that despite what he may have been taught in the past, what River felt was natural. Once River calmed down the pair agreed to work together trying to gather evidence so Lyle could go to the next town's police for help.
However, that plan was abruptly derailed when River had found out Edward had taken his mother. A lifetime of brewing resentment over his dysphoria had him angry enough, a threat to his family pushed him over the edge. Enraged, River rushed Edward's home to stop him. However River was over powered not only by Edward, but his own mother, and the other missing girls.
River had badly miscalculated. He had believed that Edward would have the shred of decadency to free the girls from his spell after he locked them up where ever he had put them. He had hoped that his friends and family were locked up but safe and sane while Edward used their magic to boost his own. Instead they were still in love with him, and willing to do whatever Edward said. Including capturing River by force until Edward could find away to force him into accepting a proposal.
Thankfully, Lyle and Tobius came to the rescue, the distraction gave River a chance to break the spell, robbing Edward of his extra power. Allowing Tobias to over power him so Lyle to arrest him for illegal spell-casting, kidnapping, bewitching several officers, attempting to magically abuse River and several other crimes.
For once River felt like everything was right. The feeling, however, didn't last. Realising the truth made it impossible to keep living the lie of being a woman. While lyle continued to help River find out more about who he was, and Tobias never stopped being supportive of his only child even if he struggled to understand his child gender. Kathryn withdrew, unable to think of her trusted cousin being a man. She wasn't the only one; predictably River's mother turned on him. She screamed at River being anything other than than daughter she raised, then refused to speak to him at all. Tensions grew so bad, that River moved out to live with Lyle. With Lyle's support River felt able to be himself. Experimenting with wearing men's clothes and even bound his chest. Finally River felt comfortable with his own reflection. And strong enough that he stopped bending to his mothers will to wear his old clothes when visiting. It was a hard choice, both River and Margaret were too stubborn to bend once their minds were made up. But River still had his father. In fact, it was Tobius that suggested a new name for River: Afon.
Afon knew he had a long road ahead of him. He was only just starting to transition and Moondale was deeply traditional. But at least now he felt like he could start waking it.
The first sign that something wasn't as it seemed wasn't noticed by River or her parents. But by Margaret’s mother. Years ago, the woman had been a powerful clairvoyant, one that was very good at seeing the truth in many things. However, her mind had started to fail as she aged. She kept asking to see her grandson, Margaret would put this down to a simple mistake, However the Grandmother would grow upset when she was told she only had granddaughters. Although it pained Margret, to do so, she eventually she stopped River from seeing her, for fear of the meetings only confusing and upsetting both of them. River, who had only just started school, had been too young to truly understand what was happening and thought this was a punishment. It was then River started trying very hard to be good. To act like any other obedient, soft spoken daughter should be. Hoping being so well behaved would mean River would earn the chance to see to be allowed to see Grandmother again. Sadly it was not to be, River was allowed to see the grandmother, but it was at the woman's funeral a few months later. These events taught the young River a simple lesson. Being a boy was bad.
River still worked hard to be a good girl even after this, and there would only be more encouragement for this behaviour in the future. Nothing seemed to make Margaret smile more than when River brought home a good report card. That is until River started showing a talent for reading peoples moods, and finding things, sometimes though visions and other times just having a feeling for when a missing object was near. Margaret couldn't have been happier. To her this was how a good daughter should act. Unlike the times she caught her husband showing River how to use wood cutting tools. Several times the pair had argued over the suitability of wood cutting as a hobby for a young girl. Especially the risk it posed to their little girl's delicate hands. Only once did River asked what did it matter about a girl's hands. Tobias' hands bore the marks from his life time of wood work and it was treated as a sign that he was good at his job. River's answer was to be sent to bed after a scolding. A lady's hands should never look so worn, and good girls should never question their mother's on such things. River's parents still argued even after this, River could hear their muffled voices though closed doors. Was it really so bad for a River to want to be like Tobias, including his strong worn hands?
There would be other incidents, despite River's best efforts. Why couldn't girls play in the mud? Why couldn't girls catch bugs? Why couldn't River wear shorts in summer, even some of the other girls were allowed to do that! Why did girls have to wear their hair all fancy, and then get told of when it got messy later? It was so much easier to just tie it back like boys do.
And most of all, why couldn't River be more like Kathryn?
River's cousin was often brought up as an example of a proper girls behaviour. It would have bred resentfulness between the pair. River knew Kathryn herself was often compared to River as a good example of someone who was good at magic and was studiousness in school. Over time the pair came to an agreement: Kathryn would teach River how to act more like a girl, and in return River would help Kathryn do better in School. It seemed to work and though teaching each other the two became good friends. While the deal made River's life easier it didn't stop every argument.
But that wasn't so bad, Not when Kathryn lost her own mother, the woman having passed away bringing a baby boy into the world. But River had to fight back tears every time Margret got a new lacy dress that showed off a growing girls curves, or introduced River to an old nurse friend. Despite River's best efforts to believe that, it didn't work. The term Gender Dysphoria wouldn't come up for many years, but River still felt the deep overpowering feeling of being trapped in the wrong body. But not being able to understand, or even put the problem into words left River with no way to seek an escape.
The only thing that seemed to help was avoiding people, so River couldn't see comfortable they were with their own bodies. River didn't want to burden Kathryn, upset Margaret, and didn't even know how to start explaining the problem to Tobius. For a while the only thing that could make River smile was the young raven that would show up on his windowsill. He had made the mistake of feeding it once, and it had come back every day since.
Margaret however, did not approve of River's new friend, Rain. Once again she was displeased with River for not acting like a prefect daughter, and was even starting to think River was doing it on purpose for attention. It wasn't River adopting a wild animal that was the problem. Witches always had familiars. The problem was Rain was a female raven. It was traditional for Familiers to be the opposite sex to the witch they were bound to. Supposedly to help them find balance. By keeping Rain, Margaret believe River would both be weaker when it came to magic and be viewed as incompetent and foolish.
River refused to give up Rain. Margret pushing the issue lead to their first real argument. River's life up until now taught him that his mother was always right. That he was a girl and that he had to act a certain way. But for the first time he had the gut feeling that he was the one in the right. That River's bond with Rain was good for him. Voices were raised and threats made. Things were getting out of control forcing Tobias put his foot down before something irreversible was said. He ended the argument himself. Reminding Margaret that River's feelings should come before the opinions of others. This was a desperately needed moral boost for River; who confessed to Tobius about how he didn't feel... right. How he didn't feel normal. Unfortunately River couldn't put a name to her condition and Tobius while supportive didn't have any answers.
However now River had Tobias' support that River spoke to the chief of police. asking how to become an officer. Something River had wanted ever since learning that his grandfather and several other relatives on hos mother side once worked on the force. Sadly, The chief said it simply couldn't be. He said that just because there were women police in non-magical communities, that didn't mean there should be in any in a traditional town like Moondale. Again, River felt out of place not just in his family but in the whole town. The blow was harsher than the others, he had started to wonder if his problem was not being able to fit in with what his mother thought he should be. But now he could see that it was the view of everyone in the town. If he hadn't been a girl, he would have been welcomed on to the force with open arms. River wished there was a spell that allowed someone to change sex. But had no way to make that happen. That was something even River's father would be against. For a while River thought about leaving Moondale, yet that was a scary prospect for a teenager who had never been outside the town's borders. The history books were full of stories about witches who had lived outside safe magical havens like Moondale, the endings were never happy.
Still that didn't mean someone from the outside couldn't move in.
River first met Lyle Walker, a man from outside Moondale, while his uncle (Kathryn's father) was under investigation for embezzlement. River knew his uncle would never do such a thing and poured all his efforts into finding the truth. Not an easy task when his mother was trying to distance herself from the crime. Earlier that month River's mother had decided to run for Town Mayor and Such legal controversy could butcher Margaret's chances of winning the election. While this mean River couldn't openly speak in favour for his uncle it wasn't about to give up on him. While running messages to various civic centres for his mother River River slipped in an anonymous tip of about his uncle, citing a ring that River thought was suspicious. On his way out he ran into Lyle, ex changing a few words, but thought little of it.
A few days later, River's life would turn chaotic and Lyle would be one of the few people he could trust. It started when Edward, the son of the current Mayor, proposed out of the blue. River had said no without hesitation, and stood by his answer, even in the face of his mother being upset with him...again.
Then three days later, Kathyrn vanished. No matter how hard River, his family or even the police tried, she couldn't be found.
Slowly, more girls disappeared. Part from the missing always being women the vanishings seemed random. But River soon noticed a common link. Himself. Each one were some how connected to River, a school friend, someone down the street, and someone he'd spoken too the day before about his mother's run for Mayor. Though he tried to ignore it River couldn't shake the gut feeling that he was somehow involved. Even more worryingly the police started acting strange around him, watching him and asking questions. They never accused him of anything but their aura's set him on edge and he didn't feel safe around them.
When Lyle approached him, River tried to brush him off and leave. However when River realised that Lyle had not been affected like the other police. He explained how he feared he was the link between the missing girls, and how he couldn’t trust the police. Lyle admitted he thought his superiors were acting strangely too. Lyle had suspicions about Edward, and while he had expected some reluctance to investigating someone as important as the current Mayor's son, he hadn't expected the chief to act as if Lyle was invisible. Between the two of them Lyle and River theorised that Edward could be using a love spell on River, and it was failing, instead attracting the girls around River to Edward. And further more he was using the captured girls to charm the higher ranking members of the police so he wouldn't be caught.
While Lyle felt better having a working theory of what was going on, they didn't have an explanation for why the love spell wasn't working. If Edward had enough power now to charm the police, River should have gone to Edward long ago. No girl could resist a spell with that much power behind it. No girl. That was when the epiphany hit. The spell failing had nothing to do with how strong or weak it was. It had everything to do with who it was aimed at. A female River. But what if River wasn't a girl? Then the spell would attract the girls closest to River, either emotionally like Kathryn or physically like the girl down the road. River knew spells, he'd studied them inside and out, and wanting to be a police man he had even studied illegal ones like love spells. There was no other explanation. For the first time River knew he didn't just want to be a boy, he was a boy, his mind and soul was male no matter what his body looked like. This was proof.
To River's shock, Lyle accepted the explanation, and even offered advice, using terms River didn't understand like “transition”. Reassuring him that despite what he may have been taught in the past, what River felt was natural. Once River calmed down the pair agreed to work together trying to gather evidence so Lyle could go to the next town's police for help.
However, that plan was abruptly derailed when River had found out Edward had taken his mother. A lifetime of brewing resentment over his dysphoria had him angry enough, a threat to his family pushed him over the edge. Enraged, River rushed Edward's home to stop him. However River was over powered not only by Edward, but his own mother, and the other missing girls.
River had badly miscalculated. He had believed that Edward would have the shred of decadency to free the girls from his spell after he locked them up where ever he had put them. He had hoped that his friends and family were locked up but safe and sane while Edward used their magic to boost his own. Instead they were still in love with him, and willing to do whatever Edward said. Including capturing River by force until Edward could find away to force him into accepting a proposal.
Thankfully, Lyle and Tobius came to the rescue, the distraction gave River a chance to break the spell, robbing Edward of his extra power. Allowing Tobias to over power him so Lyle to arrest him for illegal spell-casting, kidnapping, bewitching several officers, attempting to magically abuse River and several other crimes.
For once River felt like everything was right. The feeling, however, didn't last. Realising the truth made it impossible to keep living the lie of being a woman. While lyle continued to help River find out more about who he was, and Tobias never stopped being supportive of his only child even if he struggled to understand his child gender. Kathryn withdrew, unable to think of her trusted cousin being a man. She wasn't the only one; predictably River's mother turned on him. She screamed at River being anything other than than daughter she raised, then refused to speak to him at all. Tensions grew so bad, that River moved out to live with Lyle. With Lyle's support River felt able to be himself. Experimenting with wearing men's clothes and even bound his chest. Finally River felt comfortable with his own reflection. And strong enough that he stopped bending to his mothers will to wear his old clothes when visiting. It was a hard choice, both River and Margaret were too stubborn to bend once their minds were made up. But River still had his father. In fact, it was Tobius that suggested a new name for River: Afon.
Afon knew he had a long road ahead of him. He was only just starting to transition and Moondale was deeply traditional. But at least now he felt like he could start waking it.
