New bodies can be inconvenient. Out of chaos come possibilities. A deception ends and brings a new beginning. Elsbeth meets her match. Will Tyra's children come to know their mother?

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The Legal Stuff: The Warrior from Batuk  © 2004, 2007 Aardvark
 
This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author.
 

 
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Chapter 27
 
 
I woke up in Wanda’s room wondering why I was there. Wanda stood to my right, a comforting sight, and Franco to the left. Then I remembered. I felt weak and yawned uncontrollably, stretching my arms. I felt odd and looked down. Instead of the huge breasts I’d expected from a dose of Ruk’s Serum from a man-hater, they were smaller. In fact, everything about me was smaller, and the hair on my pillow was platinum.

I lay back again. “Goddess, so I look like Ann,” I said in my new sweeter voice.

Franco snorted, nearly a laugh. “To see you like this,” he said, looking down the length of me. He turned more serious. “You should have told me about you and Ann before this happened.”

“In hindsight, that seems like a good idea, but ... but Ann was my originally responsibility. I decided long ago that the fewer people who knew about her the better.”

“I thought you’d say that, but from what the Inspector told me, Ann's risk was intertwined with yours. As your husband, I had a right to know.” He grinned slowly. “However, I consider what happened to you as just penance.”

I looked up at him curiously. “You're less angry than I thought you'd be.”

He sat on the bed beside me and began playing with a length of my hair. “This may not be a complete disaster. For the next day or so, you mustn’t leave the apartments or tell anyone who you are until we can work out a few details. We’ll talk again in the evening when you’re stronger.” He leaned over and surprised me with a rare kiss. His lips felt odd on my smaller mouth.

“Franco, how is Ann?”

“She should recover fully in several months.”

Thank you, Goddess. I should have moved Ann to a safer place long ago, but at least she would be all right. I settled back into the pillow and relaxed. “My Lord, you should have seen our children. They were wonderful.”

“I heard. I’m proud of them. Stefan and Paoli had kind words for you, too.” He leaned over and spoke softly with regret, “You shouldn't have put yourself in danger, but you’ve never lacked for bravery.”

I wondered if he liked this body more than the last; he was definitely being nicer than I thought he would be.

“Thank you, Franco.”

He touched my cheek gently, again, unusually affectionate for him, then came to his feet. “I’ll send Kat and Stefan by in a couple of hours when you’re less wobbly. I imagine that they’ll be a little surprised with your new look.”

I rose to my elbows. “They don’t know what I look like?”

“I left that for you to explain. To them it will be just another unlikely episode in the life of their mother.” He patted my hand and left.

I rolled out of bed and looked around. I was tiny. My shift dragged on the floor and even Wanda was taller. I sighed. There was nothing for it. “Wanda, bring me something to wear.”

“Yes, Mistress, from Ann’s room?”

I hesitated, but that made sense. “Yes, that would be best.”

While she was gone I looked at myself in the mirror without the shift. It was still a shock; I'd been my previous form for nearly twenty-five years and had become used to seeing myself as her. This young, vulnerable woman with the huge blue eyes looked my daughter’s age. Compared to my old body, I was a doll. I made a fist and imagined myself with a spear. My hands were small for the shaft, now, and my strength had been reduced by at least a third. “You'll be this way for some time. Get used to it,” I said to myself in that cute feminine voice, completely unsuitable for command.

Wanda returned with a stack of clothes. Most were mundane clothes that tended more towards the feminine than my own taste, with lower cut dresses and even a few nightgowns that were only a few inches longer than a slave tunic and fashioned in the same style, a side of her that I hadn’t known. I decided on a formal gown and was ready when Kat and Stefan arrived.

“Mother?” exclaimed Kat when she saw me.

I nodded. “It’s me, Kat,” I said, and opened my arms to her.

My much larger daughter gave me a hug. Everything was different; not only was she taller, bigger and stronger than I was, she even stroked my hair back like a girl. I frowned at that, although I supposed it was natural considering how I looked. That had always been Ann’s problem, too. She complained sometimes about a lack of respect.

Stefan couldn't stop looking at me. “What’s wrong, son?”

“I’m sorry, I hear your words from Ann’s mouth…” He caught himself, then started again. “Well, it’s reasonable that they would use Ann’s serum,” he said. “The slavers must have been thinking of leaving a false trail, injecting some poor man or woman with the serum then killing her when she woke up.”

I nodded. “That's what I was was thinking. Cruel but logical.”

“I can barely believe what Kim told me, that Ann is over two hundred years old. She doesn’t act it at all.”

“All of it's true. She knew Queen Prudence, but it's not the you make it to be. I was there when Ann first woke up. She's not the same as she was. For her, it truly was like starting over.” I couldn't help smiling and winked. “You really like her, don’t you?”

He glanced over at his sister, who was trying too hard to look innocent, and scowled. “Why should I be surprised that you know that? I’m sure that Kat has already told everyone who would listen how I feel about her. Only now, not only do I find out that Ann is a serum girl and two hundred years older than I thought, my mother looks just like her!”

I waved it away with my hand. “You're seventeen; you'll get over it, and I'll be back to normal in several months.”

“I hope so,” he muttered.

“And what does that mean?”

Katrina said, “We think that Father wants to change Daphne’s DNA to make her look like the old you, at least until you can get your old body back.”

“You two know about Daphne?”

“For nearly a year,” Stefan said.

They seemed to have accepted it. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad about that, but I couldn’t think about it now; something else was staring me straight in the face.

Why would Franco think that I would ever agree to have Daphne replace me? Then I wanted to slap myself for not thinking of it sooner. Of course.

Anyone could change her body. I'd done it myself when I used a formula based on Ruk's Serum to change my eye and hair colors permanently. For the nobility, minor changes were acceptable, a full body change that removed the unique characteristics of a Borodin or Giovanni were not. For me, who didn't look like a Borodin or Giovanni, electing to change my entire body would be scandalous, but socially it could be done -- but not into a known mundane like Ann.

That was only the tip of it. Worse, everyone knew that a serum girl could only be completely transformed using Ruk's Serum. Appearing as an Ann look-alike would be advertising that Ann had been a serum girl all along.

Comparisons would be drawn, and conclusions made. One serum girl who brolled like a monkey in heat, which was my reputation and not far from Ann's who had a string of boyfriends, yet somehow managed to stay uncollared could be explained away as a mistake in the serum because the alternative was even more ludicrous, but not two serum girls. Once the rumors started, serum girls from around Zhor would be heading for Tulem, seeking the method to keep their urges under control, and the Slavers Guild would surely return.

At first I burned that Franco would use this to take advantage of the situation. I wondered in Daphne was imagining herself in my place on the throne, wearing my crown. Then I thought further — there was potential in it, too, angles that might eventually provide answers to deeply rooted problems.

“What if I said that I wouldn’t mind being Ann for a while, and help Daphne act as a credible queen until I can reclaim my body?”

They looked at each other. Kat replied first: “I suppose that if you didn’t mind, then we wouldn’t.”

Stefan added, “Daphne would be a disaster in an emergency, but for public appearances she’d be all right. I wouldn't care to call her ‘Mother,’ but that would only be in public.”

If they could live with it then so could I. There were still layers within layers to this and I had to think it through carefully.

Franco returned that evening, I wore one of Ann’s more provocative foreign dresses, brown that had matched Ann’s eyes with a brilliant blue trim that matched mine. It fit snugly, accentuating the shape of my hips and breasts, and exposed most of a leg from a slit in the side.

I smiled modestly when Wanda opened the door. “Welcome, my Lord.”

He guffawed, curling up the side of his mouth into an amiable grin. “Well, you look nice. I never knew Ann wore that sort of thing.”

“Neither did I. It’s fun to dress like this, like acting out a part or being someone else.”

“Yes ... actually that’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” He offered me a chair, and held it for me while I slid into it. Then he took one opposite me.

“You would like, I take it, to modify Daphne to look like me, the old me. And she would take my place in our apartments?”

“Why, yes. She’d live here for several months until you could safely change back to your old body. In the meantime you would take Ann’s place. I know that you'd have to act the part of a mundane, and how that would bother you, but you would have my greatest respect and you would could read, relax, see the children, move about Tulem with ease, and enjoy yourself just as you wished.”

I put my hands together and placed them in my lap. “Would you say that I’ve been a permissive wife allowing you a mistress, and not just a mundane, but my own sister? It wasn't through weakness that I granted this, it was because I understand you in ways that an ordinary woman might not -- that a man needs to have a compatible woman by his side to be happy.”

“You have been understanding,” he said, and then the corner of his mouth twitched, “but even understanding, you extracted a price for seeing Daphne.”

“I thought it a reasonable compromise: Daphne took some of your affection; in return, I took a measure of freedom.”

He leaned back and looked at the ceiling, blowing softly through puffed-out cheeks. “You’re saying that there’s a price for this, too. Well, what is it?”

“Let’s not pretend that it’s a simple switch -- that I’ll still be sharing your bed with Daphne, just in a different body -- this goes far beyond that. I’ll permit your love nest with her for the time necessary. I’ll even help Daphne make an acceptable Queen, but I won’t sit in a small room, or prowl the palace, curtsying to my lords, ladies, and Daphne, or search for things to keep me occupied in order to forget that ‘Her Majesty,’ Daphne is living in my apartments wailing in delight as her ‘Lord’ thrusts his hungry twyll between her eager thighs. I’m the rightful Queen; I refuse to be your mistress.”

He stood abruptly, thrusting his chair behind him. “My plan is a reasonable response to what happened,” he snarled. “None of this is my fault. I did not teach Ann, the serum girl, to be free, which inspired the Guild to take her. You would still have your body now were it not for events that you started.”

“Truth. Nevertheless, it was not I that committed a crime and stole and tortured Ann. It's a quirk of fate that I wear this body, not the direct result of what I did over twenty years ago. The point is, that while wearing this form is vexing …”

“Vexing!”

“… it is not quite as serious as you may imagine. There is another option. If the Queen were recognizable as Ann, it would be a disaster, but I could pretend that I desired a change, or that we desired a temporary new look to add spice to our marriage. I could darken my skin, change my hair and eyes, use cheek pieces, or wear the high heels that slaves sometimes use under a long dress to appear taller. It would be scandalous but understandable, considering that a fair portion of the valley suspects that you have a mistress already.”

“I suppose.” He sighed heavily. “Although keeping a disguise going for months is dangerous, and someone still might see through it.”

“Unlikely but possible. I would be very careful. Your own plan is dangerous, Franco. Can you rely on Daphne's skills to ‘play’ me without brolling a dog at a critical moment?”

“Are you saying that you want to wear a disguise? Is that what you want?”

”Not necessarily. I’m giving you a choice. The disguise is one possibility. The other is to let you be with Daphne the way you want. But if you choose that, I will not be here to watch it. I’d stay long enough to train Daphne, but I’d travel as soon as Ann is well enough. I’d personally take her somewhere safe, where no one knows who she is. It’s too dangerous for her here.”

He dropped his jaw. “But you can’t do that. You’d be gone for days. Your urges…”

“I'd be gone months, and return when I want.” I nodded. “Yes, I would. While you’re brolling Daphne, I’d be visiting serum girl clubs; other men would satisfy my needs. Of course, while I’m in Tulem, I would only go to you. I would never embarrass the crown with that sort of scandal.”

He collapsed into the chair and bent over, covering his head with his hands. “Dana. Dana. Dana.”

I went to him, placing my hand on his back. “Franco, I’ve gone as far as I can go. I weary of this charade. We can stay the way we are now and I’ll tolerate your occasional trysts with Daphne while I disguise myself. Or, my Lord, you can end this pretense and admit openly to me that you love her, and desire me no longer.

“I’d come back to you when it’s time and be the Queen again in public, presenting a good face to our subjects with you, and you can be with your mistress as much as you want, anywhere you want -- in private. I’ll even be nice to her. But I won’t be here to watch you brol her while she pretends to be me, and then return to you a dutiful wife like nothing happened. I have my pride.”

A kind of man, perhaps even most men, can think of a woman as theirs so long as she remains faithful, sometimes long after their hearts have drifted away. He looked down for a long time and the muscles in his back beneath my hand hardened to iron.

“A bitter decision. We’ve been married a long time.”

“Yes, with some very good times and two wonderful children.” I looked away and wiped my eyes, but it was no use; in the end they ran free.

“What would you have me do, Dana?” he said, close to tears as well.

“That’s for you to decide, My Lord. I’m not the one who balances two women.”

“I’d still like to know your preference.”

“Then I’d rather be honest with you than live a lie. You don’t love me. You won’t need to pretend anymore, and this deception grows ever thinner as time goes by.”

“Your eyes are like corridors to your heart.” He sighed. “All right, Daphne will be the Queen until you return, and then you may do as you wish; your life is your own -- as long as you don’t scandalize the crown.”

“Thank you. I won’t scandalize the crown.”

It was the breaking of the final thread of the bonds that had held us together as man and wife, but as it snapped, a cloud lifted, a curtain parted, and the urges, oddly enough, returned in full force.

“You know, Franco, you are a handsome man.”

He laughed painfully. “By the Gods, how can you think of that at a time like this?” But he smiled. “I like your new body. It’s ... not very powerful. I imagine that you couldn’t put up much of a fight, even with a spear.”

His words began familiar longings between my legs. The end, it seemed, meant a new beginning between us; in a way I felt like I was cheating on Daphne. I sighed, looking at my small hands. “I probably couldn't defeat a child with a spear now. I’m sure that I’d be under control in no time -- if someone wanted to control me, that is.” And my big blue eyes searched the room for someone who wished to control my body and force me to please them.

It didn’t take long before I was naked and wriggling helplessly, my body responding better to his touch than it had in years. A short time later he took my new virginity, followed by my will, and I abandoned everything to scream high feminine squeals of delight as I discovered to my joy that this body had the same pure female core.

***

At mid-morning, I finished with the spear for the day, and probably until the time I had my old body back. I wasn’t as coordinated in Ann’s body, and her smaller proportions gave me trouble. The spear was not only difficult, doing the same sets were downright dangerous. I was trying the knives with more success when I heard the solid rap of a spear on the door. A visitor had arrived.

Wanda abandoned the bath she was preparing to answer. There were very few visitors I could take and I ducked behind a curtain as not to be seen from the doorway.

“Good morning, Mistress. Who is calling, please?”

“Tell her Majesty that Lady Daphne is calling, Wanda.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

I put the knife down, and stepped out, motioning to let her in.

Daphne looked taller. She rubbed her hands against her skirts nervously, a reasonable reaction if she were here to discuss sharing my husband.

“Hello, Daphne.”

She put a hand up to her mouth. “That's you? Franco told me you had changed, but … you look so young, almost like Scholar Ann.”

She would have figured it out in a moment or a day anyway. Daphne wasn’t stupid, she simply lacked brilliance. “Ann is a serum girl, the same as me.”

“I see -- I think.” She inhaled and spoke, letting it all out in a single breath. “Dana, I can't tell you how happy I am that you agreed to do this. It must have been hard for you, considering what I've been, ah, doing.” Her cheeks flushed pink.

“How much did Franco tell you?”

“Just that you would allow me to pretend to be you until you could safely return to your old form. He said you would help me with the role.” She cringed a little when she said it, perhaps expecting a biting comment.

I smiled my best to put her at ease, and my body cooperated. Without a weapon in my hand, I doubted that in this form I could look threatening. “That’s true. Would you like some wine or tea? And would you join me in a bath? I’ve been exercising this morning.”

She did join me, and about a quarter-hour later I found out that my body couldn’t handle alcohol very well. Just two glasses of wine made me laugh and giggle like a girl if I wasn’t careful. We talked mainly about the ceremonies she'd be a part of. Although Franco could tell her most of what she needed to know, it was a good idea to go through them from the Queen’s perspective.

“Daphne,” I said, holding my body horizontal and wiggling my toes above the water, “the ceremonies are usually easy, but unless you want to be trapped in here waiting for another public appearance, you need to know something about the inner palace, its ministers and staff, at least enough that you won’t trip all over yourself. Sometimes you’ll have to really act like me.”

After three glasses of wine, she’d relaxed enough to ask the obvious: “Dana, why are you doing this, and why are you being so nice to me?”

“He wants you, and I want the freedom to do other things.” I told her what Franco and I had decided we’d do after this was over.

“You agreed to that?” She lay back and stared at me, but by her flush -- and two other indicators -- she was already thinking of what it would be like to be with my husband without a schedule.

“You have it backwards. It was my suggestion.”

“Really? I’m sorry, I assumed…”

I laughed. “It’s this body. It’s easy to think of me as passive.” I started to rise. ”Well, I’m done. Would you like me to show you around the palace?”

“Please, Dana.”

I wore a veil, not very customary in Tulem, but much less suspicious than if I’d worn none. We left the apartments together, me in a rather conservative dress of deep turquoise and yellow flowers. As we left the guards behind, I noticed a tendency in her to follow me. When we came to the stairs I stopped her. “Daphne, to everyone here, you are the lady, and I’m just a mundane. You’ve been showing me deference.”

She nodded firmly. “Of course. It must be this way.” From then on, she was better. The aristocracy had a natural arrogance that was brought out easily, and Daphne was no different.

I kept close to her side. The corridors in late morning were mainly filled with servants and their supervisors, and I called them out through the veil as we passed by using descriptions such as, “The tall man in the mustache is Degman Hass, the laundry supervisor. He has about twenty employees, all women, and I rarely talk to him. He was promoted two years ago to his present rank,” and “This bouncy brunette in palace purple is the palace hairdresser, Sherry Gissell. She’s been my hairdresser from the beginning. I don’t go to her anymore because the style I adopted, but we are still friendly, and I never speak to her about anything else except fashion.”

Mainly, they ignored me, giving Daphne the bulk of their attention. Scholar Jillian, Ann's best friend, saw us and gave me a curious glance in passing, and Minister of Protocol Selmin looked at me oddly, but I thought it was going well enough. Then, when we passed by an exit, Daphne pulled my hand and led me outside into part of the garden.

“Stop! Just stop for a moment,” she said.

“What’s wrong?”

“You've shown me at least fifty people so far. All this is too much. How can I…”

“You have days, even weeks to get used to it,” I soothed. “Remember that these people are here to serve the King and the Queen. There are a few whom you must know better if you wish to converse with them, such as the ministers, and many more that you should know a fair amount about for greetings and banter, but you can ignore them all if you really want to. You’ll be the Queen, after all.”

Some of her color returned. “I’m sure you’re right, but let’s go back anyway. You’ve given me much to think about.”

We started across the garden, when Franco appeared around the corner with two guards. I bent my knee and curtsied to the King, along with Daphne. He recognized her, of course, and smiled, and then nearly stumbled when he recognized me.

“Well, that was strange,” I told Daphne after he’d walked by, but not as strange or interesting as the guard outside my apartments, whose eyes caressed my body while we waited for Wanda to let us back in.

“Is something wrong?” I asked her after we stepped inside. “You seem pensive.”

“I don’t like pretending to know people, and I’d have to do it for months. I’m not sure if I’m ready for this.”

I shrugged. “If you’re not comfortable with it, you can always tell Franco that you’d rather go back to twice a week sessions in our apartments.”

She looked at me sharply. “You know that’s not possible. Franco is looking forward to this very much.”

“Daphne,” I said, steering her towards a chair. “I don’t think you’re incapable of pretending to be me in public, but if you’re sure you can’t then perhaps it’s best you don’t try. If you were discovered by enemies of the crown, it might be the biggest scandal since Lord Jinjer was found in bed with Lord Frederic.”

“Are you trying to discourage me?”

Goddess, Daphne! I’m trying to make you grow a backbone.

“I’m trying to clear your mind of unreasonable fears. Shall we order lunch and talk? And if you’re not busy this afternoon I hope you wouldn’t mind a stroll by the lake. It would be wonderful to just walk without the guards around. I can’t remember the last time we’ve done that.”

“That’s because we never have, but if you can ease my worries, then I will, and gladly.” She took my hand tentatively. “I do want this to work, Dana, very much. I’m grateful that you’ve been so nice to me. I’ve given you little reason to like me these past few years.”

“Then it’s time to change. Let’s order lunch first, just no more wine for me.”

“That would very agreeable, and we could continue to talk about all those things I need to know.”

After lunch, we practiced the ceremonies for a while, Daphne assuming my role, until she satisfied my critical eye. As she succeeded, her confidence grew. I allowed her to hold the Queen’s staff of authority, and told her some of the subtleties of the court. She worked on that until her gaze focused far away, likely imagining herself sitting comfortably on display in front of the lords and ladies of the valley.

It was for the best, I told myself, but didn’t like that Daphne felt it so intimately: it was being given to her; she hadn’t earned it as I had done. My thoughts were irrational. It wasn’t Daphne’s idea to do this; it had been mine, and it could have been worse; Franco’s old flame, Sophia, was a manipulative cat only slightly less odious than Gina.

Afoot, we made our way through the streets, the mundanes clearing a way for us, treating Lady Daphne with deference. The blue enforcers made sure of it, even giving me a once over to ensure that I maintained a proper distance from my companion. I didn’t care. I wrapped myself in the sights and scents, enjoying the anonymity I’d never really had since I was Drago's slave. Soon enough, we passed under the city gate and crossed the road, past several subjects enjoying the day on the grass until we came to a clear stretch, and strolled slowly in the shade of the trees facing the lake.

I pointed to the base of a tall oak. “I used to come here a lot before my rule was secure.”

“Is it true what they say, that you ran the palace like a man, ordering your ministers around, shouting and growling?”

I looked up at her. Daphne and I had never been close. At first I'd treated her as Drago would have, distantly. Then it had become a habit. I'd always thought her weak, a little vain, and too subject to temptation, and when she started sleeping with Franco it had ended any friendship we'd had. I never hated her, just became indifferent. She wasn't like me. As the youngest in the family, Gina had pushed her around while simultaneously being her greatest influence. When I'd exiled her older sister she'd started to improve until Franco had put her under his thumb. I had to wonder if matters hadn't gone this way or that what kind of person she would have been.

I didn't think the Gods themselves could ever make us good friends now, but I began to understand that Daphne needed to understand me to carry this off. Maybe this was the Goddess' way of revising what She saw as missed opportunities. At the very least, teaching her how to be me put us in a position where we would have to know each other.

“Did I shout and growl, Daphne? Sometimes. The ministers still remember. I think they respect me more because they know I can rule and make decisions if I have to.”

“Thank the Goddess I don’t have to worry about that,” she sighed. “The ministers — do you think they might bring up something from the past that I should know about?”

“Probably not. Franco talks to them much more than I. I’ve been a proper queen for years and stay in the background. That is my public persona, the face I show everyone save for a very few. But the ministers know my other side. I tell you this to get a feel for the undercurrents between us, so that if you see a certain glance or hear an odd remark, you'll know where it comes from. Let's sit down. I should tell you about the old days, those thoughts and feelings I used to have that weren't proper for a lady. Understand what guided me then and you'll understand why I did what I did, and even to this day something of who I am.”

I went on at length about my relations with the ministers, and of what I'd done right and wrong. I told her of the the challenges I'd overcome to keep my crown, the fight with gain respect, even the escapade in the temple, which I had never told anyone but Ketrick. It must have been even stranger for Daphne to hear the words come from a diminutive woman whose body was instinctively more feminine than my body as Queen, but she knitted her brow and paid attention.

“It all sounds very — mannish.”

“If you want to put it that way. It's what the ministers and the palace remembers about me. Now you know.”

“I see, or I think I do. Anything else I should be aware of?”

“Well, you know almost everything about me. Except for a few private details, you know the lords and ladies as well as I do, so that won’t be a problem. I’m closer to the lords who were with me during the attack on the palace. Other than Lord Nikolai, whom I despise, we have bonds, as befits those who have risked death together.”

A very dubious expression crossed her face. “That’s almost all of the lords in the valley.”

“It's true. Much of the respect I have from them is from that time. More of the women resent me, and allowing some of the lords to marry women outside the valley hasn’t endeared me to them. You know the ladies who loathe me. You’ve heard them talk.” She nodded. “Do you see anything so far that might be a problem for you?”

“It's an adjustment, but you've explained much I didn't understand. What about Wanda? She knows you very well, doesn’t she? Why don’t you sell her to me?”

I shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. “I'll loan her to you, but I’m keeping her.”

“But…” She shrugged. “Never mind, I suppose it isn’t important. I think I can do this. Franco is the King and you are his Queen. Your public life is by his side and your colorful private life was ever separate. Lords are bound to you through mysterious masculine ties that I'll likely never understand but must honor, and ladies — well, I know why you aren't popular with them.”

“Succinct and accurate, Daphne.”

“I still have to ask you why.” She gestured towards the palace, its towers and gleaming marble rising over the city. “Why are you giving all this up? When you return, you’ll likely find Franco's fondness reserved for me. Are you so complacent? Dana, tell me the truth; are you planning to leave?”

I’d wondered if that would occur to her. Besides being forcibly removed by assassinations and overthrows, kings often wearied of rule after about fifty years or so, either stepping down or retiring, often to another city.

“Franco is too important to Tulem to abandon the crown to Nikolai. I want us both to be happy. If he can’t be happy with me then I hope he’ll be happy with you.” I blinked a few times to push back tears. “Let’s go back now. I’ve already cried about this once.”

When we returned to the palace, Kim was waiting in the lobby. She shook her head when she saw me in my new form, as if it were just another day in the life of the crazy serum girl queen. She glanced upstairs. I nodded, and she followed us up to the royal apartments.

Once we were inside, I explained that Daphne was taking my place until I could safely change back. It must have come as a shock, but she merely lifted one eyebrow.

“Yes, Majesty,” Kim said. “Will you visit Ann this afternoon?”

“I will. How is she?”

“Well enough to speak and looking forward to seeing you.”

I looked to Daphne. “What are your plans?”

“I’d have to see Franco and tell him that I’m ready to get started. Goddess of Mercy, it’s possible that he may send me away in the morning to have my body changed,” she said excitedly, putting her hands to her face, feeling the curves of it, already anticipating the differences. “I can barely believe this is happening!”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “It might be a few hours before he returns.”

She clasped her hands together. “Dana, may I wait here for him?”

“Stay the night if you wish. I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.” I nodded; my job was done, at least for now. “I may not see you for a few days, so I’ll say goodbye now.”

She collected me in a hug before I could get out of range. With our different heights, my head pressed between her breasts, a soft place, and more interesting to Franco. “Thank you! I’ll be a good Queen, don’t worry.”

After we had passed into the palace grounds, Kim turned to me and said, “Dana, you’re insane.”

I laughed. “Really? We’ll see.”

Unlike me, Kim had the authority to borrow two horses, and after a brief stop at the market to buy the dye and coloring, we were soon on our way, passing through the city quickly and onto the road to Paoli’s castle. If it wasn’t for the veil on my face, everything would have been perfect: the warm weather, the fragrant wind in my hair, and even the bustling traffic around us felt right.

“You seem very happy for one who just gave up her power.”

I told her about our agreement.

“Interesting,” she said. “But won't have the crown until you get your body back. You’re not bothered?”

“Let Franco and Daphne make memories while they can. For what I receive in return, it's a bargain.”

“Dana, what about…”

I laughed. A conversation with Kim nearly always resembled a series of questions. “Kim, I plan to use the time wisely. What about you? Have you been seeing anyone lately?”

“One or two, nothing serious.”

Knowing Kim, unless she wanted to tell me, that was all I was going to get.

Kim was expected at Paoli’s castle, and the guards at the gate, after giving me a once-over, waved us through. One of the guards sent a messenger to Lord Paoli to let him know we had arrived. We dropped off our horses to the stable hand and walked across the courtyard to the infirmary. Physician Ovid was there, treating a guard with a swollen hand. Ovid nodded to us and pointed towards the private room in the back.

The infirmary bed’s back was raised at a modest angle. Ann was conscious, but her eyes drooped. Bandages covered both legs and most of one arm, as well around her chest. She smiled when she saw us, shaking her head slowly at the color of my hair.

“I wondered what you would look like,” she rasped. “I should have guessed.” She patted her bed, and I came to her side. “Thank you for saving my life. I heard from Lord Paoli what you did.”

“I really wasn’t in much danger. The worst she could have done is what she did. We all had a hand in your rescue. Stefan volunteered to go in. If I hadn’t done it, you would have been saved by his hand.”

She let the tears flow. For most women, and especially for natural slaves, there is no better feeling than knowing that a man would risk his life, or in this case, his suren, for her. “What did he do? What did he say exactly?”

I did the best job I could of describing what happened. She wept, and I held her hand, joining her with the pride in my son.

“By the Goddess, Stefan is a wonderful, brave young man,” she said sniffling, dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “How is he doing, knowing about me?”

“A little confused, but he’ll be all right.”

“Good. If I were just two hundred years younger…” she said wistfully, smiling like a young girl. “A jest, Dana; please don’t kill me.”

I smiled. “I have some news…” I told her about our business in the palace.

“Daphne as you,” she mused. “That should be fun to watch. Are you thinking of taking my place?”

“For a few weeks.”

“You should get away with it if you stay away from the library. Kim can fill you in on some friends of mine you might meet, especially Jillian; she's the one to watch out for ... and I have a warrior boyfriend.” She told me about him.

“If he's a warrior,that shouldn't be a problem.” There was no easy way to say it. “Ann, you have to leave Tulem as soon as possible, likely forever. The God of Luck was on our side -- this time.”

“I know,” she said in a small voice. “The Slavers Guild, Elsbeth ....” She put her good hand over her face and wiped away a tear. “I’ve had dreams. Majesty, have you selected a place for me?”

“That will be your decision. We'll leave here as soon as Ovid says you’re able. You can live anywhere, become nearly anyone you want. Think about it while I’m gone.”

“Physician Ovid says it might be a month before I can travel.”

“Then we'll leave then. One more thing. You shouldn't look like this when we go. Two of us traveling together would be a beacon for the Guild in case they're looking for us.”

She nodded reluctantly. “A different body.”

“You can always change it back later. ” I gave her hand a last squeeze. “I’ll see you again soon. Rest.”

“I will. Thank you both for coming. To the end, Dana.”

“To the end.”

When we left Ann, Lord Paoli was waiting for us in the infirmary. He ushered us outside into the courtyard and over to the garden.

When I unhooked my veil, he burst out laughing. “That must be inconvenient!”

“You have no idea.” I repeated what I’d told Ann and Kim about the new arrangements in the Palace.

“Dana, is this all right with you?” he asked, genuinely concerned for my honor and reputation.

I nodded firmly. “It is, thank you.” To ask him for his silence would have been an insult, so I spoke no more of the matter. “Have you spoken to Elsbeth yet?”

“I saw her yesterday,” he said. “She stared at me like I was filth.”

Kim said, “She’s a fanatic for the Slavers Guild, Majesty. I doubt that she’d betray them short of heavy torture, and I didn’t want to do that unless you approved.”

I didn’t have anything against torturing her. She’d nearly tortured Ann to death; it would have been a fitting punishment, and I told her so. “Any thoughts, Kim?”

“Abul said some interesting things about her in his shop. If I could use your assistance, there might be a better option than torture.”

We entered the corridor by the guards quarters outside Elsbeth’s cell, one of three in the castle. I cracked open the cell window. Elsbeth leaned sullenly against the back wall. She wore a featureless green dress, probably specially made, as she was one of the largest women I’d ever seen who wasn’t grossly overweight.

The cell was a rectangle about twice as deep as it was wide. A winch was built into the wall by the door, one end of a retractable chain that threaded through a series of iron rings in the ceiling, lowering to the collar around our prisoner’s neck. She had enough slack to move around her end of the cell, and was within reach of a metal basin for water, a rolled-up mattress and pelt, and an oval hole built into the floor for personal use.

I indicated with my hand that I was ready. Paoli slid the metal bar to the side with a clang, and opened the door.

Elsbeth broke into wild laughter when I entered, not quite as crazed as at the farmhouse, but close enough to remind me of what she was capable of.

“I see I caught the other abomination with my dart,” she cackled.

I stepped forward to the yellow line painted in the floor denoting the limits of her reach.

“What you’ve done is started something you can’t win. You failed, huge one.” I chuckled. “Look at me. I’m a free serum girl with the delicious desires of a hot natural slave. Most born women can only dream of the pleasure I feel.” She clenched her jaw and hissed, a feral sound. It was easy to imagine her as a rabid bitch, fortunately collared.

“You are an abomination,” she forced through sharp white teeth, “a man who became a woman, and should be a slave.”

I smiled. “What I’ve done is turned Vanora’s curse into a blessing. With my help, serum girls will no longer become slaves, but become beautiful freewomen who shall dominate their new sisters in pleasure and popularity.”

“You aren't a freewoman!” she shrieked. “You're a mistake, an atrocity. You should be branded and slurping gruel at the feet of your masters and mistresses!” The big woman grasped the chain at her neck with her weighty hand and rattled it noisily. “Vanora had the wrong idea! Men should have the slave gene, not women!”

I’d heard enough. The woman was quite mad.

“What do you think?” I asked them in the corridor.

“I’ve never seen a clearer case of man-hatred in my life,” Kim replied.

“I agree,” Paoli said. “This woman has suffered a long time. It speaks poorly of the Slavers Guild that they permitted her to continue in her condition. They must have seen the signs.”

I was thinking the same thing. “Paoli, it’s a lot to ask, but will you bring her through this?”

“I’ll do it, Majesty, personally, and the sooner the better.” He began to unbutton his tunic. “Come back in about a half-hour; the initial phase should be over by then.”

It was not a sight for ladies, but Kim and I lifted the latch of the window a fraction and watched for a few moments. Paoli removed his clothing, folded it neatly, and approached her. It was rarely this primeval, the battle between men and women, but after decades of neglect, Elsbeth required a drastic remedy. She snarled when she perceived his intent, and attacked him with sharpened fingernails and feet, and tried to ram him once, but it was clear from the beginning that Paoli, although he was slightly smaller, had the upper hand. He released her collar with a key after applying a headlock, then her dress was torn away, and soon the two naked combatants faced each other, pure and free, in much the same manner as the original God and Goddess must have faced each other just before the conception of the universe:

He charged her. Elsbeth screamed and tried to sidestep him, but he was too fast. Although she had thighs like trees, Paoli was sculpted steel, and had her on the ground in a few seconds. From there it became a wrestling match with Elsbeth on the bottom. Her shrieks turned to wails as he took her. After such a long time in deep denial, it would be a while before her mind admitted what her body was coming to know, that she was a natural slave, but when it happened it would be all the more explosive.

Confident in the outcome, Kim and I left for the garden. There, we watched the mountains from the bridge. The imagery in the cell had aroused my slut urges, and even Kim was flush with the rush of hot blood.

She cleared her throat. “I doubt that it will be more than a few days before Elsbeth submits and tells us everything we need to know.”

“He did have her completely under control,” I said, thinking back to a few days ago under the stars and moon, when I was the one beneath him.

Paoli returned, looking little the worse for wear. He affected a swagger. He’d earned it; Elsbeth could have been no easy feat. Any normal-sized man could have dominated her eventually, but few could have shown favor with her body. Aside from the parts that identify a woman, she was not feminine. Lord Paoli had seen through to her female soul, ignoring her mannish appearance like a gentleman, enough, at least, to stir the manly reflex and penetrate her.

“Well done, Paoli,” I said, stepping down from the bridge to meet him. “How is she?”

He showed us both a big grin. “She’d deny the progress we’ve made, but her responses are unmistakable. A few more sessions, perhaps twice a day, and she’ll be ready for the vaec and the discipline of the slave whip.”

“She changed her body about two months ago. It will be some time before she could become a convenient size.”

He shrugged. “That doesn’t bother me. It’s invigorating to have a challenge once in a while. Besides, when she’s finally placed into a more pleasing container, she’ll remember that she was dominated when she was very large and strong. That will have a telling effect on her psyche.”

“When do you think she’ll be ready for questioning?” I asked.

“I’d guess two weeks at the outside.”

“That's excellent. Thank you again, Paoli, for everything.”

He bowed. “My pleasure, Majesty, and compliments to your able investigator.” He threw Kim a dazzling smile.

We left a few minutes later, riding through the gate as the shadow passed over the castle.

It was dark when we returned to the palace. After changing my hair and eye color in Kim’s apartment, we walked two doors down and entered Ann’s apartment. I practicing my role until very late.

“I think you’re ready, but be careful, don’t forget yourself and start ordering lords around,” she said, only half in jest.

“I’ll restrain myself.”

“Dana, do you have any set plans when you leave Tulem?”

“I want to enjoy my freedom, but first, Ann needs a place to recover. I haven't decided where, yet.”

“You should consider going to Batuk with me.”

“You’re going to Batuk? “ Oh, Goddess. I’d planned to go to Eagles.

“There’s not much for me to do here with you and Ann gone, and, well, Dana, I found a man,” she said uncharacteristically uncomfortable, as she was about most of her private affairs. “We’ve seen each other a few times over the last two years. His family has an estate in Batuk, and he’s invited me to come stay with him. I’m sure I could arrange for a place for us all to stay.”

The sinking, queasy feeling in my stomach had rarely played me false. “There aren’t that many families in Batuk with estates. What’s his name?”

Her purple eyes went glossy, and her voice wavered slightly betraying the depth of her emotions. “I met him at Founder’s Day two years ago. He’s a handsome warrior with black eyes and hair. His name is Ron t’Pol of Eagles.”

Damn Ron! What is he thinking, seeing the Royal Inspector? “I think I do remember him vaguely,” I said carefully, my hand massaging my chin. “You danced with him, as I recall.”

“Yes,” she said, a rare smile appearing like the sun from behind a dark cloud. She had a smile that glowed when she forgot herself. “I have you to thank for that. I don’t think I would have met him if you hadn’t asked me to watch Kat, or danced with him if you hadn’t recommended foreign men to me so enthusiastically.”

I would still have a long talk with my brother when I saw him again. “I accept your offer. Have you been to Eagles before?”

“Never, but he's told me about it. His is an unusual family, half mercenary, half trading interests. They have a infirmary with a doctor and assistant, so Ann would be well cared for if she needed it.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

“I’ll send him a letter later today then, no names, of course.”

“Naturally. Thank you, Kim.”

“My pleasure. It's the least I can do after you helped bring us together. I’ll see you in the morning -- Ann.”

I shut the door after she left, and leaned back against it for a while before I went to bed. It seemed that my life was going to stay complex for a while longer.

***

Life was not so different in the women’s wing from Eagles: a bell rang before sunrise at the sixth hour with breakfast in the dining hall beginning at half-past. While I took a quick bath in Ann’s small tub, women shuffled down the hall in sandals, laughing and talking. The majority there were servants and maids who mostly lived in communal rooms and had to walk to the common bath.

By comparison, Ann’s room was luxurious. She had an elegant, warm carpet. A portrait of a pretty blonde with a shy smile hung on one white-washed wall that I suspected was Ann’s wife when she was Merton. Landscapes broke the expanse of the other walls. A window provided light and ventilation in the back by the bath, next to a brass brazier. She had a chair and desk set with a shelf for books and letters, and the couch was large enough for guests to sleep in.

I shrugged into a scholar’s robe, a first for me, and was ready to go to breakfast when Kim knocked on the door.

“Coming!” I said.

I gave my reflection a last look, making sure the walnut dye showed no platinum roots and that the robe was smooth. “You are Ann, an associate scholar in the guild, and Stefan and Katrina’s tutor.” I smiled just to see myself do it, and then opened the door.

I met Jillian at breakfast grimacing in pain and told her about the “:accident” I'd had. I explained that I was on call at the Queen's pleasure and might not be able to go to lunch with her for a few weeks. Jillian was sympathetic, and as easily as that, the main obstacle to my impersonation was over.

After breakfast I went upstairs to the classroom. When I arrived, Stefan and Kat were already there.

I closed the door behind me and grinned.

“Mother?” exclaimed Kat, staring at me.

“It’s me.”

Stefan frowned and pointed. “You look exactly like her, but you're too confident.”

“Don’t expect me to look confident for long. I was an indifferent student.”

“You're going to be our tutor?” Stefan asked.

“That is what Ann does, and I’m Ann until I leave. I’m not sure what I can teach you, but I’ll be here.”

“Oh! You could tell us about your marriage program. There must be some interesting stories from the ladies who left the valley,” Katrina said.

“And Ann didn't know much about the attack on King Bruno, and she's too vague about your early days as Queen. What better time than now to tell us?”

What better time, indeed? They're old enough. I loved the idea, even more now that I was free under the bargain Franco and I had made. I owed Franco something, though. “Some of what I could tell you, your father thinks is corrupting. You’re going to have to warn me if you think I'm going too far.”

They gave each other looks, then assured me that they would, so I sat down and began. I couldn’t tell them everything, of course, but the Tyra that I’d hidden so long behind the lady gradually made her presence known. My children were, at long last, coming to know their mother.

***

At the eighth bell, I went to the royal apartments to see Franco. Wanda let me in, but there was no one else there.

“Wanda, did Lady Daphne leave?”

“Yes, Mistress, she left in mid-morning. She seemed happy, and mentioned returning in several days.”

There was turning back now. I felt a slight tug of loss as I likely lost my husband forever, but it passed. I knew in my bones that this was the right thing to do.

I amused myself throwing knives while drinking tea until Franco returned. My skill still hadn’t returned to my satisfaction. Muscle memory was harder; I could adapt in time, I thought, but Ann's body was more sensitive than mine. I’d felt it first when Franco had taken me. A stroke of his hand under my breast, and I’d moaned, throwing my head back to expose my neck as it it were a reflex, and maybe it was. Sliding a fingertip down my inner thigh had opened me like a flower. A nuzzle to my neck had arched my back. I had responded superbly -- instinctively -- like Wanda.

Franco returned a short time later. “I see you’ve made yourself at home,” he said. He seemed to be in high spirits, and why not? His mistress would be returning to share his bed at night, and walk openly at his side.

I waved a cup at him from the back of a deep-cushioned chair. “Like some tea?”

“Why not? Thank you for helping, by the way. Daphne had kind words for you.”

I shrugged. “She mainly needed some confidence. I’ll help her any way I can, after all, it’s in all our best interests to make this work.”

“Truth. Do you have any idea when you’re going to leave?” He joined me at the table, easing his body down into a chair opposite me as Wanda approached with steaming cups.

“About a month. That should give me enough time to work with Daphne.” Despite his happy demeanor, I thought I read something else. “Are you worried, Franco?”

He looked at me, embarrassed. “I’m not worried. It’s... Daphne asked me to reduce my libido. Your needs are legendary. While Daphne pretends to be you, it would look suspicious to extend my needs to Wanda. She makes a valid point.”

“I see,” I said, but I wondered if that was the real reason. Daphne would have been jealous of Wanda and me. Forcing her lover to change his libido for her was to much like staking her claim. I found that I didn't mind too much. What they did while I was gone was their business. Franco was smart enough to know what she was doing, at least I hoped so; a man in love is often irrational.

He put down his cup with a clink. “Dana, are you here to be brolled?”

“While you’re still nicely enhanced? Certainly. I also wanted to set up a time where we might meet like this every day, and I need a horse of my own in Ann’s name in the stables.”

“Done.” He pushed his chair back and got up. I did, too. I knew that look. My skin was already alive and my breasts ached to be touched. I expected to be taken immediately, but he took a moment to look me over.

“I noticed it the last time. There’s something different about you, besides your size,” he said.

It was my turned to be embarrassed. “Well, I suspect this body has the DNA of a passion slave,”

“A passion slave?” he said, his face forming a huge grin. “You made a scholar a passion slave?”

“I was in a hurry when I selected Ann’s body from Abul’s catalog. I liked the way it looked. I probably should have read the small print.”

He laughed. “So, your body is made to please a man’s needs, to respond instinctively as a female sensitive to a male’s desires?”

“It appears so. It can be distracting at times.”

He took a step back and watched me, looking me up and down. His regard was like hot wind, and then I saw the manifestation of it, which prepared me physically for his pleasure. After a while, when he refused to take me, my body moved on its own. My arms pulled away to the side; I opened my stance and eased my hips slightly forward. I lifted my gaze from below his waist, and showed him a view of my naked passion. I didn’t bother to fight it; there was no need, not with Franco, and to tell the truth, I rather enjoyed the wanton femininity. Instead of waiting to be taken, my urges were telling me that I should reach out and please this handsome man; they hungered for me to be his perfect female counterpart.

“I like this body better than your last one. You don’t have the control you had before.”

“I ... I feel like a submissive brol-toy," I said breathlessly. "You know, I’m not really like Wanda. I don’t have her skills, but if you’d like me to try…”

He advanced finally, crushing my lips while his hands roamed freely, harshly, taking me like a slut, forcing me to please him in ways I might have found humiliating in the past. My body cooperated fully, freeing me to become the complement to his desire. Two hours later I lay by his sweating body, thoroughly used to the point where I’d had to fight to avoid offering myself as his slave, something I hadn’t felt in years.

“Goddess! Franco, you used me well.”

“And you pleased me very well, pretty Dana,” he said, running his hand over my rear end. “If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn that you had some training.”

“I hope that you’re not confusing the pure passion slut who just pleased you with me. I’m the same woman you married and gave birth to Kat and Stefan, and once sufficient time has passed, I will have my old body back.”

“After more than twenty years I know the difference between you in and out of the silks, although in this body, it isn’t easy to see you underneath.”

“If you understand that then take me any way you want. Franco, I’m worried about Daphne. The next few months as Queen will be exciting for her; when I return she may not want to give it up. I’m counting on you to make sure that there’s no trouble.”

“Has she told you this or insinuated it in any way?” he asked, his tone reminding me that although he and I might still be friends, it was Daphne he loved now.

I shook my head. “No, but several months can be a long time. You asked me before, what noblewoman in the valley wouldn’t want to be your queen. Daphne is surely one of them.”

To his credit, he thought it over. “Impossible. Even if she wanted to try something, too many people know the truth.”

“You’re probably right,” I said, settling back. “It’s just a feeling I have.”

I left Franco soon afterwards after a dip in the bath, returning to my apartment in the women’s wing. On the way there I spotted a tall fellow with short black hair slip out of the shadows. I’d been expecting him.

“Denny!” I cried, holding out my arms.

He embraced me, putting his hand on my head and ruffling it like I was a little girl. “Ann, what happened? They said you were in an accident.”

“I was. There's so much to tell you. Come to my apartment.”

He stayed by my side for the short walk and waited as I opened the door. He was already ready, a confident warrior already certain that he would have me on my back soon.

Once we were safely inside, I leaned forward into his arms and clung to him like a lamprey in love. “Denny!” I exclaimed happily.

“All right! What’s this? What happened to you?”

“I fell off a horse. I nearly died! I thought of life and how I’d wasted it. I want you, Denny. I want to marry you and have your children!” I gazed at him with everything I had, showing him the eternal love in my heart and my demanding need.

His hands left my back as if it were on fire, and his mouth dropped. “Whoa! Hold! Ann, this isn’t what…”

I reached for the top of his tunic and pulled. “Take me, darling!” I whispered, grinding my hips into him. “I’ve already taken slavers honey. I’m fertile and oh, so ready!”

To a young warrior, this scene ranked just below death by torture. Seconds later he was gone, the only evidence that he’d been there at all, the fading warmth against my chest and his rapidly disappearing footsteps. I closed the door, bolted it, and yawned. It had been a long day and I was soon asleep.
 
 

 
I hope you liked this chapter. I ended up rewriting a lot of it for some reason, which took a lot longer than I wanted. The key elements are now in place and things are rolling right along, inexorably sweeping Tyra forward. She has a ways to go yet, has a few major issues to go through, decisions she must make, and reflections on her life before the big finale.

Four chapters to go. :) ~Aardvark