Garia's meteoric progress through Palarandi society comes to an abrupt halt as her body receives the Call of Kalikan. As she is completely overwhelmed by the experience the women of the palace gather to offer support and assistance.

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

22 - Definitely Female

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2017 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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Gary liked roller-coasters. He hadn't had much experience of them, true, since the only time he'd ever encountered one was on vacation at the coast, but if anyone suggested a ride to him he never said no. Now, as the car slowly climbed up to the highest point, he gripped the rail in anticipation of what was to come. Over they went... and Gary's stomach suddenly churned at the steeper-than expected drop followed by the abrupt swoop up to the next loop. Over they went again and suddenly it wasn't quite so funny any more.

This isn't like I remember, he thought as the car lurched to the left and spiraled downwards. There were distinct feelings of nausea then, and Gary decided that perhaps this might not have been such a good idea after all. He turned to say something to the idiot next to him, who must have convinced him to come on this thing, and discovered that he was no longer in the car but flying.

Oh, crap. Hey, what happened to the ground? More to the point, what happened to the funfair? What am I doing up here? I'm flying! Wait, no I'm not... I'm falling... oh, crap.

He stuck his arms out to try and get some control. A part of him must have realized that he was dreaming, since nothing he did seemed particularly unusual, but another part of him definitely didn't want to hit the ground right now. He started flapping his arms, but they wouldn't move properly. It was as though he was tangled up in something. Desperation set in as he tried to free his arms before the ground came up and...

Uuuuh!

Garia came awake and immediately winced as a splitting pain lanced through her skull. One of her arms was tangled up in the sheet and, still half-asleep, she tried to pull it free. Through slitted eyes she saw that the room was in semi-darkness, the sun must have risen less than an hour ago and the day hadn't really gotten started in the palace yet. The nausea returned and she realized that it must have been the stomach pains that had triggered off the strange dream or memory. She moved a hand down under the rumpled sheet to rub her abdomen and got a shock when she discovered sticky wetness.

Ew! What have I done... God does my head hurt. She pulled her hand back rapidly and balked at the strong smell which came with it. What the..! Fighting the nausea and with a spinning head, she pulled back the sheet to see what had happened and wished that she had left well alone. Both her nightdress and the sheets were smeared with blood. It proved too much for her and she made a dive for the edge of the bed as her stomach heaved, and she vomited onto the carpet at the side of the bed. This sent off fresh waves of nausea and her muscles kept spasming until nothing was left to come out at all.

During this process she hadn't been silent, her lungs emptying noisily every time her diaphragm contracted, and the sound woke her maid up. Jenet opened the door of her closet and emerged wearing her night-dress wondering just what all the racket was. A single glance at the bed told her all she needed to know and she moved rapidly around the bed to her mistress's side, stopping the moment she saw the pool of vomit.

"Mistress, I'm here, I'll call for help."

She went immediately into the bathroom and gave the pull-rope three tugs before returning to the bedroom. There, she went to the three ropes beside the fireplace and gave the green rope two tugs before going back to Garia's side.

"Mistress, can you hear me? We need to get you out of bed, the other side will be better if you can manage it."

She leaned right over the bed and touched Garia's body. Garia rolled over, holding her stomach with a bloodied hand and showing Jenet a face wet with tears. The vomiting had started her crying, but right now she just didn't care. She looked up at Jenet, her face crumpled with distress.

"What's happened to me? I -"

A fresh spasm cut her off and made her double up but nothing else occurred.

"Come with me, Mistress, we need to get you into the bathroom and clean you up."

Garia winced as Jenet's voice hammered through the pain in her head. "Unh." But she held out her hand - her clean hand - and let Jenet pull her upper body upright.

"Swing your legs, Mistress."

Garia did as she was told, shying away from the mess on the front of her nightdress.

"Don't worry about that, Mistress, we can clean all that up. The main thing is to get you into the bath."

At that moment the door from the corridor opened and Kenila came in, instantly understanding the situation at a glance.

"I'll wash the Mistress," Jenet said to her, "You deal with the bedding. Oh, and she's been sick round the other side."

Kenila nodded and then added, "I'll inform the Queen."

Jenet managed to support a now-shivering Garia into the bathroom where the sunken bath had about a foot of water in it, the steam rising and making the room warmer.

"Lift your arms, Mistress."

Jenet pulled off the nightdress and dropped it in a heap beside the door before helping Garia into the warm water. Garia looked up at her with a question.

"Just you this time, Mistress. We'll clean the mess off you first and then fill the bath right up as normal. Here, you'll need this and this."

Jenet handed her a washcloth and a small sponge which had been squeezed through a hole in a wooden handle. Garia cautiously bent over and splashed some water over her face first before crouching down and cleaning herself up as best as she could.

"What do I do with - ?" She asked hazily, holding up the sponge-on-a-stick.

"Between your legs, Mistress."

It was at that moment that enough of Garia's intellect crystallized sufficiently to enable her to figure out what had happened to her. Her stomach heaved again, but there was nothing left.

Oh, no. No, God, No! How could I have been so stupid to have forgotten this? Oh, God, am I going to have to put up with this every month?

The tears started again, tears of distress at the nature of the life she had been unwillingly given, tears of loss of the freedom that Gary had once enjoyed, tears of anger at the unfairness of it all. Jenet could do little but crouch at the side of the bath and offer encouragement and support.

Eventually Garia stood shakily in the shallow water and scrubbed away the remaining red marks. When Jenet was satisfied, she pulled a lever and the water began draining away. She stood and offered Garia a towel.

"Best you climb out, Mistress, while the bath is refilled. Sometimes the first gush of water is too hot."

Garia climbed out and Jenet gave the rope a single tug. They stood watching as the bath began to fill again, then Jenet went into the bedroom to see what was happening. Kenila and Varna had stripped the bed and Varna was now around the other side with a bucket attempting to clean the mess on the carpet.

"It won't be the first time someone's been sick on that carpet," a voice to her side said.

"Your Majesty." Jenet curtseyed to the figure in the corner wearing a fluffy robe. "Forgive me, I didn't see you there."

"Don't mind me, Jenet, your Mistress is more important now. Is it bad?"

"It would appear so, Ma'am. From the way she moves her eyes I'd say she has quite a headache."

Terys nodded. "An unpleasant introduction to a woman's world, unfortunately. I think she should stay in her suite today, until she gets used to the sensations. I'll ask the kitchen to send a light breakfast up, but a little later on. How far have you got in there?"

"The second bath is being filled now, Ma'am."

Terys nodded. "Good. Don't forget the oils, and I'll ask Margra to call by later this morning."

"As you wish, Ma'am."

Jenet curtseyed again and returned to the bathroom, where there was now a significant amount of water in the bath. She went to a shelf and selected a small vial from which she let a few drops fall into the water. Beside her, Garia let out a small sigh of relief as the aroma began to fill the room. She staggered over to Jenet and put her wet arm around the maid's waist, resting her head on the other's shoulder.

"Thank you, Jenet," she said huskily. "I made a mess out there, didn't I?"

"Don't worry about the mess, Mistress," Jenet said, "that can all be cleared away. The important thing is to clean you up and make you feel more comfortable. This time, I'll get in with you and we can wash each other as normal."

"If you're sure?"

"Yes, Mistress, we do this all the time."

Of course. It came to Garia that every woman in the palace - in the world, even! - had to go through this ordeal and they would all be familiar with it. She dropped her towel and climbed in, letting the warm water ease her cramped muscles and the scented oil relax her breathing. Jenet took off her own nightdress and climbed in and the two attempted to wash one another.

"You're struggling, Mistress. Why don't you just sit there and I'll wash myself this once. Once we're out again and dry, I'll fetch some items you'll need to wear today under your clothes."

"Oh. Do I get to do this every month?"

"I couldn't say, Mistress. Everyone's experience is different. The Queen is outside, I'll leave her to explain what you need to know."

When they were dry Jenet went to the dressing room and returned with some cloth items. A folded pad of fluffy cloth like their robes was held in place by a garment that looked like an overgrown bikini bottom, tied high on either hip. They left the bathroom together to find Terys waiting. Garia promptly walked over to her and wrapped her arms around the Queen's middle, resting her head on her bosom. Terys gently held the young woman against her.

"That was a little sudden, wasn't it, dear?" she said quietly. "We've all been amiss, if there were any signs we didn't spot them, and you never said anything! Never mind, I don't know what you had planned for today but I think you'd better rest completely until you're over the worst of it. I'm sure Keren can find something else to entertain himself with today. You should have complete rest, but I'll let you sit in your sitting-room if you wish. You probably don't feel like food just now but I'll ask the kitchen to send up something later. It seems I have some explaining to do, don't I?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Garia replied without moving her head.

"Come along, then, dear. We'd better go into your sitting room and let the staff clean the bedroom up without distractions."

Taking Garia by the hand, Terys led her through to the next-door sitting-room. They sat down side by side on the settee while Jenet stood waiting against the wall.

"It's a little early for all of us," Terys said. Garia noticed that it must still be well before breakfast, and she'd gotten Jenet out of bed as well, so probably nobody had eaten anything yet. "Do you think you can manage some pel?"

Her stomach twisted at the mention of food and drink, but she nodded. "Yes. Maybe, Ma'am."

Terys looked up at Jenet, who came forward a step or two and then hesitated.

"I'll manage her for now, Jenet," Terys said. "Why don't you go and see if you can find some more people to help, that way you'll all be able to fit some breakfast in at some point."

"Yes, Ma'am," Jenet said, curtseying before heading out into the corridor.

Terys turned to Garia. "What do you feel, my dear? Tell me," she asked softly.

Garia licked lips dried by retching. "Ma'am, there's an ax been buried in my head, and it feels like someone's put a metal hook up my, my -"

"Vagina?"

"...vagina, and is trying to pull my insides out. Besides which, I just feel generally miserable."

"You poor child," Terys said. "Every woman's experience is different, and I'm very sorry that you had to have a bad one for your first. I hope we can make your time a little easier, Margra has some remedies which work well in situations like yours."

"How long?" Garia asked, her voice hollow. "How many -"

"It varies, my dear. It could be four days, it could be more, it could be less."

"Four days?" Tears began to flow again. "Oh, God, no, I can't last four days like this!"

Garia leaned against Terys and the Queen held her close, knowing what a sudden shock the young woman had received. It would have been bad enough if she had been born to it, but this way must have been much worse. Terys decided not to say too much more at the moment, since almost anything she said might have the wrong effect on her charge, it would be better to just support her, get her used to her condition, and then rationality might later return.

"There, there. Just lay where you are, we'll take good care of you."

Garia never knew how long she half-sat, half-lay, wrapped in the Queen's arms. The dawn brightened into day and the sounds of life in the palace increased as people began their usual tasks. Someone came into the room - Garia didn't see who it was - and began to draw the drapes back, but Terys momentarily raised a hand to stop them. It wouldn't do to let too much light in at the moment, with Garia's head feeling as fragile as it was.

The clink of cups roused Garia as Jenet put the tray down on the table.

"Do you think you could manage a sip of pel, dear?" Terys asked her softly.

Garia managed a smile and pulled away from the Queen so that Terys could drink from her own cup more easily. "Pour it, please, Jenet. I'll just have to try it and see."

The aroma perked her up a little, and she reached forward for the cup. Jenet hastily lifted it and brought it to her. She took a small sip, and it tasted wonderful. A larger sip and her stomach began to rebel, so she swiftly handed the cup back.

"Uh, I'm not sure." She winced as the spike in her head jabbed again. "I think I can probably drink a little more, but it might be a good idea to have a bucket nearby."

"Is the smell upsetting you, dear?"

"No, not at all, Ma'am, it's just when it hits my stomach."

"I understand. Varna? If you can find a bucket, please. It will save you cleaning up the floor in here as well."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Garia realized that both Kenila and Varna had been standing behind the Queen, which meant that her bedroom must have been cleaned up while she was dozing. Varna disappeared and reappeared shortly afterwards carrying a bucket, that is, half a small keg with a rope handle. She placed it by the side of the settee and Garia again reached for her pel. This time, she took it slowly but managed to keep it all down, despite all the activity happening in her stomach.

"That's what seems to happen, dear," Terys told her. "When your stomach feels funny it seems that you can still eat despite the pain. Which is just as well, you need to keep your appetite up at times like this."

"It's not the pain, Ma'am, although that's bad enough. It's the nausea." Garia gently massaged her belly.

"I know, dear. Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often, and Margra has remedies which will help you for that. Did the pel help?"

Garia considered. "Yes, Ma'am, I think it did. I don't feel quite so bad now. I've still got this bad headache, though, and the metal hook -"

"Yes, it would, dear. The downwards feeling inside is your body trying to expel the... blood."

Garia raised her eyes to the Queen. "Is this what it feels like when you give birth?"

Terys pursed her lips. "That's a difficult question to answer, Garia. Not really, is one answer, since your womb is so much larger, so all the sensations are different. But, I imagine that the body is trying to do something similar." She gave Garia an encouraging smile. "Every pregnancy and every birth is different, just as every child is different. Some are hard, some are easy, some are painful, others are not. We talked about childbirth the other day, didn't we?"

"Yes, Ma'am. It's just that, I'd never imagined I'd have these feelings inside my own body, and that's why it's all so unexpected." Her face fell. "I never expected it to hurt quite so much, either."

"Do you know what happens inside a woman, Garia? Do they teach boys about such things on Earth?"

Garia attempted to nod, but the pain was too great. "Sort of, Ma'am. I know the general principles and such, and I could even draw you a diagram, I expect, but as a rule boys tended to keep well out of the way when anything icky like that happened to a girl."

"I'm not surprised. And the girls?"

"Oh, they have separate bathrooms - uh, toilets - to the boys, so we don't really get involved that much. I know they do have arrangements that are a lot less bulky than what I'm wearing now, I can tell you that, Ma'am." Terys looked interested, so Garia quickly added, "Uh, I don't think I want to discuss such things right now, Ma'am. Maybe after I've finished."

Hooray! At least that's one good thing about this whole episode, and that's that I know it has to come to an end. Until the next time, that is.

Kenila came in and bobbed a curtsey. To Terys's query she replied, "Ma'am, do you wish to have breakfast now? Will you be eating it in here with Mistress Garia?"

Terys looked at Garia. "What do you think, dear? Could you manage some food now, or will you wait till later? I can go back to my own sitting-room if you think the smell will upset you."

Garia thought. "I think I might be hungry, Ma'am. Perhaps we can both eat in here."

Kenila left to organize the food, and as she went out of the door Keren came in.

"Mother, Garia! What's happened? Are you all right?"

"Kalikan called, dear."

Keren's progress across the floor came to an abrupt halt and and a look of distaste started to form, but he caught himself in time. He smoothed the expression on his face and carried on until he reached Garia's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked her quietly, squatting beside her.

"Better now, thank you, Keren. I have a splitting headache and it's not too good down there." She patted her abdomen gently. "I made a fearful mess in the bedroom but it's all been cleaned up by now."

"Did you not recognize the symptoms? Oh, no, how could you? It's probably never happened to you before, has it?"

"I don't think so, Keren," Terys told him. "She's only been in our world for what, thirteen days? Fourteen? How could she possibly know what to expect?"

"I don't know, Mother. I assume," he said to Garia, "that more or less the same thing happens here as on Earth?"

"Probably." Garia shrugged, which produced another sharp pain causing a wince. "I'm hardly an expert on such things, and I never imagined I would ever need to become one. Ask me in a couple weeks, will you? I might even be able to give you a sensible answer." Keren looked at her curiously. Through gritted teeth she replied, "Someone left this ax buried in my head. It's not helping when I have to open my eyes, or move anything, or think."

"Oh, my apologies, Garia! I should leave and let you get some rest. I'll go downstairs and get breakfast and I can answer any questions people might have about your absence. I'll come back later and see how you are."

Terys watched Keren leave. "He's a nice, well-brought up boy, isn't he? I think he'll make a good King when the time comes. I'm glad that you two get on together, and that he understands a lot of what you're telling us."

"He's obviously learned from his parents," Garia said.

Yes, well, looks like I'm going to be stuck here with him, doesn't it? I wonder if I'll become the Royal Questor? I bet there aren't any female Questors yet. Another mountain to climb.

Eventually Kenila and Jenet turned up with trays of food, which they laid in front of the Queen and Garia. Although Garia was still nauseous the smells didn't repel her as she had feared they would, which was just as well as she was beginning to feel quite hungry. Nevertheless she picked quite carefully through what was on offer, eating slowly and afraid that she'd go too far and have to use the bucket.

As the maids cleared away after breakfast the door opened and Merizel came into the room.

"Garia! Uh, Your Majesty."

Abruptly realizing that Garia wasn't alone, Merizel curtseyed before approaching. Terys beckoned to her.

"Come forward, dear, sit down."

"Uh, Garia, what's happened? I heard in the dining room that you had been taken ill."

"Kalikan called to her, my dear," Terys told her. "It was somewhat unexpected, and her reaction seems to be quite bad. She has a severe headache and cramps, but she's just managed to eat some breakfast, which is very good. Come and sit, dear."

"Kalikan called?" Merizel asked in confusion as she sat facing them. She addressed Garia, "But, surely, you must know what day it happens? Is there something about coming from the other world that's made you forget?"

"It's never happened before to me," Garia explained. "I've been on Anmar barely two weeks, and before that my old body was a boy's, remember."

"But..." Merizel's brow furrowed. She opened her mouth twice to say something, then just gave up and looked unhappily at Garia.

"I've been a girl about thirteen days, as near as I can remember," Garia said. "Before that, I was someone else, with a completely different kind of body. I'm beginning to wonder if this body actually existed for very long before I woke up here."

"I still don't... You mean, you've never been called by Kalikan before? Ever? Then you wouldn't... Oh, you poor thing."

"I didn't recognize the signs," Garia said. "Boys just don't get those kind of sensations in their bodies." She tried to give a smile to Merizel, but wasn't sure it worked properly. "Boys get other kinds of sensations, but that's what's supposed to happen, after all."

Merizel was still trying to work out how someone with the body of a fully-developed fifteen-year-old woman somehow hadn't had any kind of menstruation before. The concept of a grown female body just appearing from nowhere and then having a boy's mind stuffed into it was still too much for her to grasp.

"As you say, Garia." Merizel thought. "Does that mean that all your plans for the next few days will have to be changed? I can't imagine you'll be able to go wrestling with the Prince until you're well again."

"No, not likely! I didn't really have many plans, Merizel. But the Queen says that I should rest completely today, and I'll have to see how I feel in the coming days. I've no idea how much I'll be able to do while I'm like this." Garia waved her hand over her robe-clad body. "I've no experience of such matters, you see."

"Oh. Yes, of course you should rest today. Is today the first day, then?"

Terys answered for Garia. "In view of what happened, I would think that we should probably count yesterday as the first day, my dear. The circumstances are unusual, of course, but it seems it started coming out while she was sleeping last night."

"Oh," Merizel said again. "That means, you have about another three days to go after today, and then you should be back to normal." She grimaced. "The first two days are unpleasant and you'll want to do as little as possible but you should be able to walk around a little. Then it gets less and you can move around a little easier."

The next person to appear was Margra, arriving with her basket of remedies.

"Your Majesty, Mistress Garia."

Margra examined Garia closely, asking for the drapes to be pulled so that she could get a clear look at her face and eyes, and requesting a full, detailed description of events. She nodded and pulled a bottle and a stubby jar out of her basket and put them on the table. From their expressions, all the women in the room were familiar with them.

"This one will reduce your headache, Mistress, and this one will ease your nausea. Jenet will know when you should take some, but I would recommend that you have a spoonful of each now so that I can judge the result. Very occasionally, as with all medicine, something unusual may happen."

"As you wish, Mistress Margra."

"How much do you know about the Call of Kalikan, Mistress?"

Garia shrugged, which wasn't her brightest idea. "On Earth we call it the 'monthly period' or just 'period'," she replied. "I've been taught the basics in biology so I know more or less what happens, but it was something that happened to other people so I didn't pay attention the way the girls did."

Margra nodded. "As anyone might expect, Mistress. Do you know what is actually happening? Inside the body, I mean. Here we know that it is related to the way a woman becomes pregnant, but we know little more than that."

"I do, Mistress Margra, and when this is all over I'll come and tell you what I know."

"Jenet?" Terys commanded. "A spoon for your Mistress, if you will."

The clear liquid from the bottle tasted like something similar to mint, but Garia couldn't remember what. There was an unpleasant bitter aftertaste, though. She looked askance as Margra prised the cork out of the jar, as the contents resembled mashed spinach.

"This is the ground-up leaves of a common herb, Mistress," Margra explained. "It doesn't taste as bad as it looks, and it will take away the bitterness of what you have just drunk."

She dug out a spoonful and gave it to Garia. Fortunately the taste was fairly bland so she managed to keep it down. After a short while she noticed that her headache was reducing and the twisting sensation in her stomach had almost vanished, though the downwards-pulling sensation still remained.

"There, dear," Terys said. "You look better already. Lean back against the settee and relax. Margra, thank you for coming so promptly."

"It is an unusual situation, Ma'am. Naturally, I have more questions, but I'd better leave the Mistress in peace for the rest of today."

"Of course. We'll call you if there is further need."

Margra departed and Garia tried to make herself comfortable. This proved difficult, as she didn't want to put any pressure on down there despite the padding.

"It's not easy to get comfortable, is it, dear? I often find that judicious use of cushions can help at the worst times, but fortunately this part of what happens should only last a day or two. Although you probably won't like the idea, it will be best if you stay sitting upright or standing to help... things happen as they should."

Garia eyed the Queen with skepticism. This whole day had turned into a complete nightmare, and the worst part was she hadn't been expecting any of it. At least she'd known she had had to face Morlan and could prepare mentally for it. Her very first period had just come out of the blue and the things her body was doing were so alien she was finding it difficult to cope. As much as anything it was the complete lack of control over her body that she was finding difficulty in accepting. This... phenomenon was going to happen to her at regular intervals whether she wanted it to or not, whether she had other plans or not.

"As you say, Ma'am. I suppose I'll learn to adjust in time."

"You will, dear. And we'll all be here to help you do so. It never occurred to me just how frightening this must have been for you, so unexpected."

Garia gave Terys a wan smile. "I've been a little too busy to be frightened, Ma'am. Annoyed, yes, disgusted, yes, frightened, not really."

The door opened and Keren entered, giving her a smile that immediately raised her spirits.

"Is it all right to come in, Mother? I'm not interrupting a special womens' gathering, am I?"

"No, that's fine, dear."

"I just wanted to tell Garia that I've spoken to Captain Bleskin and explained the situation. He's decided that it might be a good opportunity to clear out that other hall, so instead of the normal field drill today he's got everyone - and me - pulling everything out of that room into the big hall where we'll go through it all today and tomorrow. " He grinned at Garia. "You're making us clean the palace up, aren't you? First there's Yolda's domain, and now the guard. What do you think will be next? The tax office, or the judiciary?"

Garia returned him a smile which was only partly forced. "I'm leaving them till later," she told him. "Don't forget, I have the Questors and the Guilds on the go as well."

"Aye, of course!" He looked pensive. "Don't destroy the whole kingdom, will you. I'd like to have something left to inherit."

"Now, Keren," Terys said severely, "don't talk that way! Your father will be reigning for a good many years to come. No sense in asking for trouble."

Keren grinned. "Don't worry, Mother! I'm only trying to cheer Garia up. I really don't expect to inherit the throne till I'm old and gray. Well, I shan't outstay my welcome. I'll be off now to help the men shift some worn-out saddles and old bits of armor about." He gave her a wave and jauntily strode out of the door again.

"Now, dear," Terys said to Garia, "I would like you to just relax, but I know that someone your age can get bored fairly quickly. I know I used to at your age! So we'll have to keep you entertained, Merizel and myself, but I don't want to make things difficult for you when you have such a headache. If you think it's getting too much, you will tell us, won't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Uh, my headache seems to have gone down a little, that stuff Mistress Margra gave me certainly works, doesn't it?"

Terys gave a rueful smile. "Oh, yes, dear. We've all had to resort to it at one time or another, fortunately only on rare occasions in my case. But perhaps you'd not like to be reminded of such things just at the moment."

Fat chance of that. With my backside wrapped in a diaper that makes it all look even larger, how can I possibly forget?

"Merizel," Terys said, "Why don't you tell us some more about yourself? Both Garia and myself only know what little you told us the other day, and I'm sure we'd both be interested in what you did before you came to the palace."

So Merizel settled herself and began, with some trepidation, telling Terys and Garia about the life of the youngest daughter of a rural Baron in Palarandi society. It seemed that although her father ran a reasonably efficient estate there was little surplus money to spend on surplus offspring. This meant that, like a number of younger children of landowners throughout the Valley, she was farmed out to relatives around the area, spending a few months at each before moving on, the idea being to spread the cost around while giving her wider exposure to possible suitors.

Palarand the city was just the latest stop on her journey and she had of course been presented at court on arrival. Other than that her time had been spent helping her hosts by looking after younger children, making tapestries or preparing for dances and other evening amusements. Until Merizel had arrived in Palarand she had not been exposed to the hustle and bustle of city life, which she found bewildering. Having now moved to the palace she confessed to struggling to cope, despite the more structured environment.

"I don't think you need worry, dear," Terys told her, "you'll be much better off in here than you would be out in the city. In the palace there are many customs which make the running so much easier than what happens outside. Although," she gave a glance at Garia, "our new treasure here seems to be doing her best to change everything she goes near! Things will settle down again, trust me, and then you'll really begin to enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Ma'am, I already am enjoying my time here," Merizel replied. "It's just a lot to take in all at once."

"Which is just what Garia has had to do. Her task has been so much harder than yours, although there are some similarities, which is why I'd hoped you would get on together."

The morning continued, and more pel was taken. Garia noticed a familiar sensation amongst the new ones in her stomach.

"Uh, Ma'am? I have to pay a visit, I think, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course, dear. Jenet, if you please."

Jenet helped Garia to her feet and she took a couple steps towards the bedroom door. Big mistake. Gravity and movement assisted the biological process and she felt... something... oozing out between her legs.

Eew. Oh, this is ridiculous!

The undercurrent of resentment flared into anger and then flashed into hot fury. Her complete inability to exert any kind of control over this part of her body was too much to bear.

"This is stupid, stupid!" Her voice raised as she let fly. "I don't want this stupid little body with these stupid short arms and stupid short legs and these stupid squidgy things on my chest! I don't want to be here in this crazy world with crazy animals and crazy people. I want to go home!" Tears of frustration came, flowing freely. "I don't want to be here, I want to wake up back in Kansas. I want to be home with my Mom and Dad!"

Face red, she stumped awkwardly into the bedroom, heedless of the mess slowly trickling down one leg , leaving six stunned women behind her. Not wanting to sit or lie on the bed, she just walked up to it and let her upper body flump face-down onto the freshly made sheets, where she remained, sobbing loudly.

Jenet followed quickly, to try and comfort her mistress. Terys spoke to Merizel before they and the other maids followed.

"One of us must stay with her at all times today, Merizel. An unprecedented thing has happened to that person, and I wonder if she might lose her mind should we fail her. I should have considered the conflict inside her before now, we must not lose her, we need her too much."

"I-I will do my best, Ma'am."

It was clear to Terys that, unlike herself, Merizel hadn't been able to see the implications of Garia's situation. However, one had to use the materials available, and so she led the way into the bedroom. Jenet was trying console Garia without apparent success, and she stood as Terys approached.

"My dear," Terys addressed Garia, "are you five years old?"

Garia raised her body at the implied rebuke and showed a sullen face to the Queen. Terys pursed her lips.

"I realize that this is a new experience for you, my dear, but don't you think you're overdoing it a little?"

Garia's face reddened with shame and she buried it in the bedding again.

"Jenet, help her up, please. She wanted to go to the toilet, she still needs to, and then she'll need cleaning up again. Kenila, go and pull the bath-rope, if you please."

With a little resistance Jenet helped Garia to get up and she stood facing the Queen. She wiped her face with the back of her hands. She looked forlornly at Terys.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, I shouldn't have done that."

"It's perfectly understandable, my dear." Terys hugged her gently. "You're going through a particularly trying time at the moment and part of it is that you will be feeling more emotional. I'm sorry we don't know how to send you home or we would do so. We can't return you to your parents, but Robanar and I will do all that we can in their place for you. Now, let Jenet help you through what you must do and we'll be waiting for you when you're clean again."

"Yes, Ma'am," said a thoroughly miserable Garia.

Jenet led Garia into the toilet where they cleaned off most of the mess before they moved on to the bathroom. Garia now knew how to clean herself in the shallow water, and the earlier medication meant that movement wasn't such an ordeal for her this time. Finally feeling clean, again, Jenet gave her a a new bikini bottom and showed her how to adjust it so as to prevent leaks.

The whole curious part of this episode, to Garia's way of thinking, was the complete lack of embarrassment she felt discussing intimate body parts with another woman, someone who wasn't her Mom. Not that her Mom had seen much of Gary's naked body for a number of years, but still... Jenet fetched her a fresh fluffy robe, saying that it would do for now but Garia would need something lighter as it warmed up after lunch.

"There you are! Feeling better now?"

Terys and Merizel looked up from their discussion in the sitting room as Garia reappeared.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Garia said. "Once again, I'm sorry for making a scene earlier."

"Come and sit down, dear. Don't worry about the scene, we women can get quite emotional when Kalikan calls. In fact," Terys added conspiratorially, "that was quite mild compared to some of the outbursts I've heard talked about. Fortunately, neither myself or my two daughters had to suffer like that but I have heard of people who get quite violent, poor things. We're lucky that we have Mistress Margra and her potions here in the palace to take away the worst of the effects. How are you feeling now?"

Garia carefully lowered herself into a chair.

"Better now, Ma'am. It's going to take some time, but it's not like I have a choice, do I?"

"I don't understand," Merizel said. "What kind of choice are you talking about?"

Garia looked at the blank expression on Merizel's face, realizing the gulf she still had to bridge before she accepted womanhood completely. To Merizel, there was no choice involved, because that was simply what a woman's body did. Just as well ask her if she resented having to breathe!

"Never mind, Merizel. You have to remember that I don't have your background. Perhaps I'll try and explain another time."

The three talked about minor matters until it was time for lunch. Between them the four maids brought the food up from the kitchens and arrayed it on the largest table. Before allowing Garia to get started, however, both Terys and Jenet insisted that she take some more of the medications, since they would work better on an empty stomach rather than on top of a full one. Garia wasn't at all certain that she would have a full stomach for very long, since she was still afraid she was going to throw most of lunch up afterwards, but finally agreed to take the medicine.

After lunch Jenet changed Garia into a very light gown, a loose, thin white dress of the local equivalent of cotton, which was just gathered under her breasts to take pressure off her sensitive middle. Thus attired she joined the others for their usual afternoon nap on the balcony. Today, although it was as hot as usual, there were a few wisps of high cloud in the sky, and Garia wondered whether this was the first sign of the approaching 'rains'.

When she woke up it was necessary to make another visit to the toilet and bathroom. The 'diaper' was all sticky from her rest on the balcony but overall she had managed to avoid making the mess she had generated that morning. By the time she emerged from the bedroom, dressed this time in yet another loose gown, Keren was waiting with the others in her sitting room.

"You're looking better than ever, Garia," he smiled at her. "I know it's awkward for you right now but to me it looks like you're handling everything as if you've done it all your life. "

"Thank you, Keren," she replied. For reasons she couldn't determine his encouragement seemed very important to her right now. "Trust me, it's still a struggle right now." She changed the subject. "You were clearing out that hall this morning, how far did you get?"

He pulled a face. "There was an incredible amount of junk in there, more than we expected. We've managed to pull most of it out into the big room but all that's happened is that we've covered the floor of that room up as well now. Bleskin wasn't at all pleased. We all got very hot and dusty shifting it all, even though there was almost the entire Quadrant doing it. It's too hot to continue now, so it's been left till tomorrow morning. I should imagine that by the time you're active again we'll have gotten rid of the rubbish, sent the re-usable bits off to the armorers and stacked the rest back up out of the way." A smile of anticipation came. "Then we can get back to work again."

By the time you're active again. Keren had assumed that what was happening to Garia was a normal, natural event, which of course it was. Garia's perception of reality took another shift as she realized that today's events were just part of the pattern of existence for any woman which both men and women made appropriate allowances for.

"I hope you're right," she told him, "though at the moment, being active is the last thing on my mind."

"And rightly so," he told her, "you need to be properly rested up for a day or two. I've seen what my sisters were like and I know it wasn't fun for them at times." Another smile. "Still, physical activity is one thing, your headache seems better, so with mother's permission I can help keep you entertained in other ways if you like. "

"As you wish, Keren," Terys told him, "although you'll have to be careful not to tax her too much, she still somewhat fragile."

"I understand, mother. I've been telling her a little about Palarand and the surrounding lands and I think she needs to know some more about what's going on around and about, especially with the news from up-river." Everyone knew what he referred to. "If there is any help she could offer us, she needs to understand the situation. I think that between Lady Merizel and myself we ought to be able to answer most questions she might have."

"Me, Your Highness?" Merizel asked, astonished. "I'm just a country girl at heart, I know very little."

"...And I'm a Prince who's spent his whole life living in this palace," he replied. "On the whole, I think you have a better idea of the experiences of Palarand life than ever I'll have. Between us, we should be able to cover most of what Garia needs to know."

Garia couldn't let that go. "Actually, that's not quite right, Keren. You're both of the nobility. There's an entire chunk of the population you've ignored and that's the commoners, or whatever you call them here."

Keren bowed his head in acknowledgment. "I am corrected, Mistress Garia. It seems my own view of the world is more limited than even I recognized." He smiled. "Perhaps we ought to go and drag someone off the street to answer your questions, then? But my point was that Merizel and I can give you the overall picture, later on you can get more detail where you feel that's necessary."

The afternoon passed in conversation which Terys insisted they kept light. Afternoon pel and pastries were taken and Garia eventually had to pay another visit to the toilet and bathroom. When she emerged another visitor waited for her in the sitting room.

"Mistress Garia." The woman curtseyed. "I have made a mock-up of the special garment you requested."

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"Rosilda, Mistress. The Queen has explained that Kalikan has called on you, perhaps I should return another day?"

Garia thought. More delay meant longer before the tunics were made. She was only wearing the light dress, could she manage?

"I'd rather attempt a fitting if I may. Ma'am?" She turned to Terys. "Do you think I should?"

"If you feel able, dear. It's only going on her top half, isn't it?" she asked Rosilda.

"Aye, Ma'am. That should make it easier to fit than a normal gown would."

"Then we will retire to the bedroom to fit it," Terys decided. "Keren, I want you to stay here with Merizel, please."

"Yes, Mother."

Terys led the way into the bedroom where Jenet helped Garia take her light dress off. The mock-up was made of the same material and slipped easily over her head. She thought that it was rather tent-like till her attention was drawn to the sides. A triangular piece of material was set into each side seam from the armpit down giving room to pull it on and at the same time allowing the leg movement she had asked for. Each piece was closed by cloth ties at either side of the waist. When closed up if fitted well to her figure without being too snug, just right for what she intended. Terys looked at it curiously.

"Interesting. Is this a garment from Earth, then?"

"No, Ma'am. I don't think there's anything anywhere on Earth exactly like this, but then on Earth I wouldn't need to wear something like this - even if I was a girl there. Mistress Rosilda, this is exactly what I was thinking of, and thank you for turning it into fabric so quickly."

Rosilda curtseyed. "Thank you, Mistress, I'm glad to be of service."

"So, I'm not going to be needing the real thing for some days now. That should give you enough time to make me one out of the real cloth, then."

"As I understand, Mistress. It won't be difficult to make, it's not a complicated shape, after all. Your tunic will be waiting for you whenever you are ready for it."

~o~O~o~

It was evening, and Garia was still in her sitting room, accompanied by the women who had been with her all day. Keren had been summoned by Robanar after dinner but Garia discovered that she was comfortable with an entirely female company.

"Your Majesty," she addressed the Queen. "I have been doing a lot of thinking today."

"Yes, dear. You've had an unexpected experience, so you've had a lot to think about."

"Yes, Ma'am. It's like this. Up till now I've accepted that I have a different body than I had before, but I don't think I really understood what that meant. Uh, I understood it was a different shape and size and there were different soft bits, so to speak, but I don't think I fully understood what being a woman really meant. So I've just carried on as I would have if my boy's body had come here. After all, all the clothing and customs are completely different than back home, so having a different body shape didn't make that much of an impression. But today has really brought home to me just how different a woman's life is than a man's. I begin to understand why some things are the way they are much better now."

"You are talking about something most of us can barely imagine, dear. After all, no-one before has started out as a man and suddenly become a woman. We only have our own experiences to judge ourselves and others by, and no woman has the experiences of a man, or at least not until you came to Anmar."

"Ma'am, that may not be entirely true. On Earth, there are men who are women inside, or who wish to become women for various reasons." Garia shrugged. "Not me, certainly, but I have heard of such people. There may be such people here on Anmar. But the main point I wanted to make is that you've all supported me today, and I want to thank you for that. If I'd been a man, I don't think I would have gotten such support. Men don't do things that way, at least not to other men. I'm going to have to learn that the support is there, and to look at men and women in a different way than I did before. It's going to take me some time, because I have experiences and habits from Earth that I'll need to shake off, but I'm going to try to do proper justice to the body I now have."

"You've made a good start, dear. And you know that any of us will help you whenever you need us to. You're still young, after all, and there are dangers for women that don't trouble men the same way." Terys paused. "Does this mean that you'll give up some of the activities you've started?"

"Oh, no, Ma'am! Whatever happens, I'm still me, and there are projects I've started that I simply must carry through if I can. I understand the nature of obligation, and it would be extremely unfair to Anmar if I didn't pass on the knowledge I have."

"Again, dear, I am impressed by your dedication and determination. You are truly a remarkable person. Perhaps your unique mixture of man and woman makes you what you are."

"I couldn't possibly say, Ma'am. I'll let others be the judge of that."

It was time for them to retire, and Terys gathered Garia for a last hug. The Queen was the center of an island of calm and Garia felt very reassured by her touch.

"Thank you, Ma'am, for all you've done for me today. You've spent your whole day looking after just one person and I'll never forget that."

"It was necessary, dear. Whether you had come to us from Earth or from Plif we would have treated you just the same way because that's who we are. You're part of the family now, so why wouldn't we devote our time to you?"

Garia felt tears welling up again. "Oh, Ma'am, I've been so lucky to find such good people, and I shan't forget your kindness that easily."

"Thank you, my dear." Terys released Garia and turned to Jenet. "Time to ready your mistress for bed, I think. She should have a much calmer night than she did last night. Come, ladies, we must depart."

"Mistress?"

"Coming, Jenet."

The new woman walked carefully towards the bathroom.