A long time ago, in another body...

You were a boy called John, not Emily. You remember that. John and Emily remember that.

Even your sister Gwen has forgotten that, and she was the one who spelled you in the first place, in a misbegotten attempt to teach you some manners. You don't hate her. She was a fool, but everyone makes mistakes. She didn't want to ruin your life. Doe did. Alex did. And you brought it upon yourself when you first dated the evil mink. You should have seen the signs. There had been warnings. You just let her boobs do the talking, and it ended up with you pregnant and stuck in that limbo.

It's funny though. Your parents believe you to be an irredeemable sex addict who ruined her life. Your sister is jealous of your great looks and what she believes to be a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. And still she's your sister. When you approached her about "magical recipes for sexual pleasure", she pointed you at some of her friends, who introduced you to their friends, and slowly you wormed your way into a society you never knew existed. And you learned. And you learned again, and again.

You learned magic of pleasure and entrapment, of pain and sensation. You learned of She who Sings and Him who Whispers. You learned of Blood and Moon, you learned of Ruby and Saphir, you learned of the power of the Bond between Enlightened Women, and most importantly you learned of the power of Threes. The crone, the virgin, the mother. The Stag, the Doe, the Deer. The Stallion, the Mare, the Colt. You learned of the hidden symbologies.

Who knew a "stag" came from an ancient proto-indien word referring to a sharp blade? Who'd have guessed a colt came from a word meaning pregnancy, but also a tree stump? You never realised the rich layers of meaning under the words people use, and just how powerful those words become when a dedicated user of magic wields them. But now you did. Oh, indeed, you did.