Sometimes Heroes

Fighting oppression in the Forgotten Realms

Created on Midjourney

Sometimes they were heroes, sometimes villains. It depended on who was asking and where they stood on the kinds of jobs Willa’s Warriors took on. Willa couldn’t have cared less.

She had formed her own adventuring party a decade ago after parting ways with a misogynistic half-giant who thought he owned her—until she owned him in a fight. It had required parting him from a few body parts, but she had won her freedom.

Now Willa’s Warriors only took work from other women and only work that righted wrongs perpetrated against them. If a few male noses disjointed, so much the better. Not one man she respected had a problem with her choices. She knew who her friends were.

When Delfien had come to Willa looking for help, Willa had already heard of her. Many in the western reaches of the Forgotten Realms didn’t believe a female could be trapped in a male body, but Willa had seen this magic before.

Bewitched in the womb, Delfien had been raised male, but the Tiefling knew in her heart who she was. She had dragged the truth from her parents’ reluctant mouths. They had angered a sorcerer who had used dark magic to curse their unborn child.

Delfien had wanted Willa to hunt this sorcerer down and force him to undo his curse. Willa had taken the job gladly.

But now, Willa stood over the grave of the sorcerer. He had harmed far more people than Delfien, and someone had already taken their revenge. There would be no justice for her client.

Willa could not deliver to Delfien that which she most coveted—a body to match her truth—but she could give her one thing she wanted—a safe place among those who would never question that truth.

Delfien had asked to join Willa’s Warriors. Willa had allowed it for this one job—Delfien’s job. The woman had acquitted herself well. Even now, as she too stared at the proof of her nemesis’s death, she stood proud, unwilling to bend to grief. She would permanently join the adventuring party. No matter how many noses it put out of joint.

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The image for this story came first, as I was creating Dungeons and Dragons movie poster images for fun. Naturally, I had to set my story in the Forgotten Realms.

As with many of my stories, I only knew the direction it would take as my fingers typed the words. I’m happy with where it went.

In any universe, a person’s gender is what they say it is. In this world of magic, a fetus can be bewitched in the womb. In our world, a multiplicity of factors affects both body and brain (which is part of the body, yet so different from the rest) development. The reason for the mismatch doesn’t change the truth.

Respectful discussion, as always, is welcomed and encouraged. Offensive comments will be deleted without response.