Brian followed the teen back towards the woods he had appeared from. They were both naked now, though Dar's skin looked tough and tanned enough hat it was probably normal for him. In contrast, Brian's pale skin and still-clean appearance made it obvious he was usually dressed. Luckily, the path they took was either soft dirt or grass-covered, and only an occasional twig or stone made the elf wince.
"This is a shortcut directly to Master Llandros'." Dar explained. "If I took you through town, you could end up caught by some of the magical traps in place to snare intruders."
"Traps?" Brian frowned. "What kind of..." Then his voice trailed off as he understood.
"Oh, things like magical pastures to turn centaurs into horses. Minotaurs and satyrs get caught by cattle and goats closer to town. Humans can end up as ignorant children playing in a mud puddle, or dull-witted laborers." Dar chuckled. "Like stableboys."
"You were trapped?" Brian frowned, wondering if this was as good an idea as he thought.
"Sort of." Dar grinned back at Brian. "I was a young fighter on my first adventure. Fell in with a rough crowd. Two barbarian fighters, a Minotaur, and a centaur, all pretty grizzled. I was their slave, really. Scared to try to leave once they 'adopted me.' They liked to hurt people. Until they got here. Tried to cause trouble right away, and Llandros stepped in. By the next day I was the only unchanged one in a group of a toddler, a pig, a cow, and a plow horse. And the pig was bacon that night."
Brian shuddered. "How did you escape?"
"I didn't. But the Wizard guessed I was not a willing member of the group, and found out I had protected some kids when the Minotaur got nasty. So he made me his stableboy and assistant. That was more than 20 years ago."
"Then you're..." Brian stared.
"In my thirties." Dar pushed through to a clearing, where a large stone cottage with a thatched roof stood. A larger building, the barn or stable, was off to the right, and a surprising number and variety of animals wandered around. A big dog came running over with his tail wagging, and gave them both happy barks and licks. "Part of the perks."
The door opened before they reached the cottage, and a tall, foreboding looking man in a stained robe stared at them. No, at Brian! The elf was getting his face licked by the dog, and was suddenly very self-conscious about his nudity. What had he been thinking? Coming here totally naked and defenseless? He flushed and covered his small male parts, stammering out "Uh, sorry, sir. I..."
"Be silent, elf!" Llandros had a deep and resonant voice. "You are a minion of one called Tye, a wizard who is not a wizard, with great power but little knowledge. He thinks this is a game, and has sent you and your centaur friend out as pawns to eb sacrificed. The centaur is already lost."
Brian's mouth fell open. "You know about...?" Then fell silent at a frantic gesture from Dar.
The Wizard raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I know you are not from this word, and until a couple of hours ago, you were a human." Then he smiled. "A human who is willing to give up his existence in his own world to join my stableboy. That makes you quite useful to me."
Dar spoke up. "Master? Will you make him into my brother?"
"Eventually." Llandos' smile made Brian nervous. "But for now, he is much more useful as you. I can make him dumber, uglier, and younger later."
Brian felt sudden alarm, then staggered as his body shifted strangely and then he almost blacked out. When he recovered, Brian blinked and stared. His point of view was suddenly different, higher up and far to the right of where he had been standing. Except that when he looked to the left, a confused-looking young elf was staring back at him. Llandros made a gesture, and the elf was suddenly fully clothed again in all of Brian's gear. "Go back to the intruders and tell them the centaur is a horse. This Tye was expecting that anyway. You will be the elf, and bring them to me here. Go, Brian."
The elf's confusion vanished, and his whole demeanor changed. "Oh! yes, sir! I'll get the others." Then he ran back into the woods.
"Now, for you." Llandros cocked his head. "If you want, I can make you think you are Dar. Or you can simply accept this change and let the identity come to you. In either case, you are now and forever part of this world. There is more flexibility later if you accept things and work with me."
Brian stared down at his filthy, human body. "What about Dar? uh, Master?"
The added title made Llandros smile again. "A quick learner. Good. The one you knew as Dar is now Brian the elf. He knows his past, but your former knowledge and memories are guiding him now. I expect he will want to remain an elf, but he may surprise me and rejoin you after this Tye and the other intruders have been dealt with."
"You turned me into Dar, sir?" The respect came naturally now. Brian felt some confusion. There were stalls to muck, and he needed to get the new stallion back to the stable so he could groom out any last traces of centaur. He knew these were thoughts of the stableboy, and nodded slightly to himself. "I know what I have to do."
Llandros looked pleased. "Excellent. You and Dar have exchanged bodies, and more importantly, lives. Keep accepting this, and I promise that you will have a very long and happy life. Dar will be my spy in the intruder's party, and not even this Tye will be aware that his is no longer in control."
Brian/Dar thought for a moment. He was completely at ease now, comfortable as this naked, ugly teen, and already running through the chores he needed to accomplish. There was no pressure, no worry. He liked this. And there was the prospect of making more animals. Christine was a bitch already - why not help Llandros give her a fitting appearance? Joe would be hard - what could you do with a dragon? And then there was Tye.
"Yes, master." Brian/Dar bowed slightly. "I should get to work before the elf returns with the others." Then he turned to start with his first important chore.