Return of the Queen

A warrior queen with an unusual talent is magically marooned on another planet and tries to use another type of magic, the magic of technology, to get home.

This story has a little of everything — action, adventure, drama, tragedy, romance and comedy. It also happens to be the sequel to The Distant Queen, but I wrote this story to stand on its own. I wrote The Distant Queen several years ago and it's not my best work. I didn't want anyone to have to read my earlier story to know what's going on in this one.

NOTE: Comments have been disabled for this story. If you do read it, please consider clicking the Good Story! button, and if you feel moved to comment, private messages are always welcome.

This is a complete story of twenty chapters and I'll post two chapters every weekend.

Return of the Queen
by Terry Volkirch

CHAPTER 4

Making love wasn't exactly fair between an astral being and a physical one. Gabrielle felt no sensations in her astral body. All she could do was give pleasure to her lover. But all that would change once she exhausted Marie.

If the small woman fell asleep before the queen had to go back to her waking body on Agrin, the two of them could once again experience something that was even better than physical sex. They'd experience the joy of astral sex.

Gabrielle could pull Marie's astral body out and the two of them would merge. They'd know each other's thoughts and emotions, and they'd hum with each other's energy. Nothing beat astral sex for strengthening the bonds of love between two people.

The two women had separated slightly in the fairly small royal bed, and the queen turned on her side and propped herself up on her elbow to watch Marie. The small woman had her eyes closed but hadn't yet started the deep, relaxed breathing that signaled sleep.

'Hurry up and sleep, my love. Please.'

It had been several days since the two lovers had astral sex. Sometimes, real life got in the way of pleasure, and sometimes, one or both parties weren't in the mood for whatever reason. The queen hoped the timing was good, because after dealing with Thelma, her spirit really needed the calming effect she got when she merged with Marie's astral body.

"Gabi?" Marie said, still keeping her eyes closed. "Are you asleep?"

The queen couldn't help herself. She giggled, as much for Marie's cute accent as for what was asked. "That's a silly question," Gabi told her. "You know my astral body doesn't sleep."

Marie opened her eyes and tried to smile but it was interrupted by a yawn.

"Are you having trouble sleeping, my Love?"

"A little I suppose. I can't stop thinking about something you said when you first got here tonight."

"You mean about Thelma being a problem?"

"Yep."

Gabrielle described her day back on Agrin after she changed Farrott into a woman. The new woman was a physical and emotional wreck, and it took all of the queen's patience not to go screaming out into the night. She couldn't do that though. Her conscience forced her to stay and help at least until Thelma could be self-sufficient.

"You are so caring and kind, Gabi." Marie sighed. "I don't know if I'd help her."

"I think you have a better reason for holding a grudge."

"Oh. She told you then."

"Yes. Thelma eventually let it slip out, not knowing who you are to me. If it's any consolation, she feels terrible about it. She called herself horrible and bawled like a baby."

Marie frowned. "That's good. She should be ashamed. But I still don't know if I'd help her."

"Well, perhaps you'll help with something else then. I haven't told you about my new project yet. It'll be a lot of hard work, but the payoff will be great ... in more ways than one. I like to think of it as sweet revenge."

"So?"

"Care to guess? It involves Thelma of course."

Marie quickly rolled over and got up on her hands and knees. She straddled Gabrielle and dangled her long hair in the queen's face.

"What is it? Come on! Stop teasing and tell me or I'll give you the hair treatment. Don't think I won't!"

"Okay! Okay! Down, girl. I'll talk."

Marie moved back to her side of the bed and laid down. "I'm down. Now talk. Please!"

Gabrielle barely got out one sentence when Marie erupted with laughter.

"Are you crazy?! Thelma?! A lady?!"

"Hey," the queen frowned. "It's not so crazy. She can't cook or sew, and she certainly can't fight. I'd say that makes her a great candidate for a Lady of my court. You know how lazy they can be."

"True." Marie giggled.

"And Thelma already has a very important skill required by nobility. She's perfected the art of whining."

Marie lost it then. She laughed until she cried, and that led to some tickling, which led to wrestling, which led nicely back to what they'd started when they first entered the bed chamber.

~o~O~o~

"Maybe you'll sleep if you have some hot cocoa," the queen suggested as she rolled out of bed and walked across the room.

"Maybe I'd sleep if you'd stop making me laugh," Marie shot back.

The small brunette remained in bed and sighed. Her eyes never left the tall woman's backside until it was covered by a robe.

"Seriously, please have some hot cocoa. If I can't have any, at least I can enjoy it through you."

As with love making and her sense of touch, Gabrielle wasn't able to enjoy food or drink. She couldn't taste or really ingest anything while in astral form and it frustrated her to no end.

"Twist my arm why don't you?" Marie said, but she still didn't budge from the bed.

"Hey! You love it too, and it does help you sleep, though I don't understand why. It always perks me up."

"You seem perky enough to me without it." Marie giggled.

"I'm little more than a ghost now. I don't get tired when I'm like this. You should know. You've been out of your body often enough." She waggled her eyebrows.

"True. But I've never been solid before. Doesn't it take more energy to do that?"

"Yes, I guess it must. I've never felt sluggish though. I wonder if I'd feel it if I faded and solidified again. Hm."

Marie gasped as the tall woman turned translucent and the robe fell to the floor. And she gasped again when the astral being turned and walked through the closed bedroom door.

"Gabi!" she hissed. "Come back! What are you doing?"

The small woman slowly slid her legs over the side of the bed to get up and follow when she heard a woman shriek. That hurried her. She threw on her robe and almost made it to the door when Gabrielle phased back through it, and through her. She shrieked with surprise.

"Don't do that!"

Gabrielle solidified again and fell on the bed, laughing. "I'm sorry," she said. "But you should've seen the face on the chambermaid. That poor woman."

"You're just lucky it wasn't a man who saw you," the small woman said. "You aren't wearing any clothes you know."

Gabrielle cursed and quickly slipped into her robe.

She'd been so used to solidifying herself and wearing real clothes, she forgot to change her appearance, something she could easily do if she thought about it. She could add clothes or make herself look a lot less distinct with just a little concentration. But she soon got over her mistake when she realized that Marie was finally out of bed.

"I'm still full of pep," the queen said. "But it makes sense. I probably just shift the same energy back and forth between my astral and physical bodies. Oh well. Let's go get you some hot chocolate."

"Wait a minute. Why did you leave? Where did you go?"

"I went to check on the hot chocolate supply. It's easier and faster to move about in astral form. So then. Are you ready for some hot cocoa now?"

"Yeah." Marie sighed. "I think I need two cups after all this excitement."

The queen slipped into her robe and practically pranced ahead of her lover. She opened all the doors to the royal pantry and even made the hot drink for her.

"Here you go," she said, holding out the steaming mug.

The small brunette took it and carefully sipped it as they went back to the sitting room outside the royal bed chamber. The queen sat down on her padded throne and Marie took the closest chair, snuggling in and holding the mug in both hands.

"This is perfect. Thanks, Gabi."

Gabrielle sat watching the look of pure contentment on her lover's face. It was the power of hot cocoa, something she knew well, and missed terribly.

"I still haven't given up on finding cocoa on Agrin," the queen said. "Are you sure you've never heard of it before?"

"I'd remember something this good, believe me."

Gabrielle pouted and consoled herself by watching Marie continue to sip the sweet, warm liquid. She watched every swallow and imagined she was tasting it.

"Oh, my. As if you and this new crisis weren't enough to motivate me to get home. Now I've got the worst craving for hot cocoa."

"I'm not surprised. From what I hear, you're addicted to it."

"Ha ha. Very funny."

The two of them sat in silence for a time after that. Marie slowly sipped her drink and Gabrielle tortured herself by watching.

The queen's steady gaze started to concern Marie. It wasn't healthy to be so obsessed with anything. 'Except maybe me,' the small brunette thought, and then giggled.

Gabrielle frowned. "Having fun over there?

"A little. But I think I'd have more fun if we had a larger bed."

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"Honestly, Gabi. You've got such a small bed. You're Queen! Shouldn't you have a queen size bed?"

"I like my bed!"

"But it's barely wide enough for the two of us, and it's barely long enough for you with those lovely long legs."

"Well...," Gabrielle shrugged. "I guess it's a queen thing. You wouldn't understand."

Marie had taken a quick sip and almost choked on her hot cocoa.

"I'm sorry! It was just a joke."

The queen confessed that she loved being strong and tall, and having a short bed constantly reminded her of her height. It somehow made her feel more special, more regal. It also helped reinforce her belief that material possessions were relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

"There are things in this world that offer much greater rewards than mere beds."

"Like?" Marie said, raising one eyebrow.

Gabrielle winked and got up out of her chair. She slowly strolled towards her bedroom door with an exaggerated sway to her hips and stopped just short of her room. She felt Marie's eyes on her and turned to confirm it. The small brunette's eyes had locked firmly on her posterior so the tall woman vigorously shimmied her hips and continued through the open door.

Marie gulped the rest of her drink and rushed after her lover.

~o~O~o~

Gabrielle woke up grudgingly that morning since she never did get an opportunity for astral sex. She spent most of the night pleasuring Marie.

'That woman is insatiable,' the queen thought, and smiled. 'And so am I.'

She thought about trying to fall asleep again, but light filtered into the room and her companion's voice reminded her that she wasn't alone.

"Oh!" Thelma said. "You're awake. Good. I'm hungry."

"So go eat something then."

"But I was waiting for you!"

"Don't! Don't shout. Not in the morning. Please."

Thelma almost smiled at that. It made the queen nervous.

"Not a morning person?" the former man said. "Need some ... hot cocoa?"

"How do you know about that?!"

"Well...."

"Come on. Tell me!"

"You talk in your sleep."

"What?!" The queen hated to think of what Thelma might have heard. 'At least I'm not the vocal one in bed,' she thought.

"You truly do talk in your sleep, but don't worry. You didn't say much."

"What... what did I say?"

"You just mumbled something about wanting hot cocoa, just before you woke up. That's all."

Gabrielle didn't like the idea of giving away her secrets while she slept, and she made a mental note to get to bed at the same time as Thelma just in case. "Okay. Shall we go find something for breakfast then?"

"They don't have any hot cocoa here," her companion said with a smirk.

"Don't push me, Thelma," the queen growled. "Especially in the morning."

The large woman turned pale and vigorously nodded his head.

Gabrielle appreciated the respect, and then she finally noticed the other woman's outfit and changed the subject.

"Hey. How does it fit?"

"Well enough I suppose," Thelma said quietly.

"I reinforced the top. It should contain those large breasts of yours."

"Yeah."

"The skirt is much longer too. You won't be flashing anyone ... unless you really want to." Gabrielle smiled, hoping a little humor would relieve some of the tension between them.

"Whatever."

The queen should've known better than to expect any thanks, but she couldn't help but hope for some. 'Maybe someday,' she thought.

~o~O~o~

The two of them went downstairs to the large central room and found several patrons sitting at the wooden dining tables, chatting and eating. Virtually all of the men turned to give the new arrivals a good look and both women shivered.

"Why do they keep staring at me?" Thelma whispered. He found it hard to accept than any men could find him attractive as a large woman.

"How soon they forget," the tall woman replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Never mind. Let's just get something to eat."

They met Mindel at the bar so Gabrielle could work out the price of a meal. Thelma hung back behind her tall companion to hide from the man's eyes.

"Greetings, beautiful ladies," the innkeeper said, managing to keep his eyes from straying too low. "I hope you slept well."

"The room was too warm but I think we got enough sleep, thank you." The queen was as gracious as ever, though if she was back home, she would've certainly found another room. She would've also considered hiring someone with an air cooling magic talent.

Never to miss an opportunity to get more money, the innkeeper suggested moving them to another room for only a small added cost, but of course Gabrielle declined. All he could get out of them that morning was money for breakfast. The tall woman slid the two required coins to him on the bar and he told them their meals would be served shortly.

The two women found a secluded table and Gabrielle immediately started talking about her work plan.

"So I don't have to sweep and clean tables then?" Thelma said hopefully.

"Not necessarily. I meant that now that you have me here to translate, I can probably get you better work here at the inn."

"Like what?"

"You could clean rooms."

"No way! I'm not cleaning up after a bunch of slobs!"

"Would you rather be on display here?" Gabrielle gestured around the room where Thelma had worked as a man. "At least if you cleaned rooms, you'd be away from the men most of the time."

"Hey. That's true."

"And you'd make more money."

"Yeah."

The food arrived and the large woman immediately reached for the greasy sausages, but her hand was interrupted by a light slap.

"Hold on, Thelma. You need to watch what you eat, remember?"

"But I love those sausages!"

"Please! Will you please stop whining?"

After dividing up the food, Thelma frowned. He only received a third of the total amount, with his portion containing only fruit and some bread. "Not even half a sausage?" he moaned.

Gabrielle just shook her head as she chewed a bite of the greasy meat. Her companion was right. They were delicious, and she happily ate all of the little sausage links.

She thought she could do with a bit more fat in her diet. Her body had become very lean after her long, hard marches to track down Thelma. She needed more muscle of course but she preferred a somewhat filled out, softer look, and she knew her mate liked her better that way.

~o~O~o~

After breakfast, the queen wasted no time finding better paying work for Thelma. She spoke to Mindel and he put the large woman to work right away.

Thelma sulked but mellowed a little when the innkeeper handed him a large apron to wear. He tied it on and happily noted that it hung below the hem of his skirt. Anything that hid more of his legs made him happy, even if it was feminine. He felt naked without something to cover his legs.

Gabrielle liked the idea of having Thelma clean rooms. The work should be safe enough, and the manual labor and strict diet should help with the woman's weight loss. Until Thelma lost a lot more weight, they couldn't go trekking off into the wilderness to find the great magic ship that would take them home. The large woman couldn't walk halfway across town without having a long rest.

'You'll slim down in no time, Thelma. And you'll have to beat the men off with a stick when you do.'

With one job taken care of, Gabrielle left to find work of her own. She leaned toward something more professional since she could read and write a little as well as speak the language of Agrin, and since professional work should pay better. Unfortunately, she couldn't find anything better than a scribe for one of the two churches in town, and scribes got paid very little money.

Sighing but not giving up, she continued on to the market area, wondering if anyone sold services as well as goods. She hoped to offer battle training to someone, as that should make her a lot more money than a scribe. The only problem was her gender. She found Agrin men to be quite sexist and not likely to accept a woman as a battle instructor. Even the few women fighters would be more than likely to snub her, thinking men to be much superior. Her job prospects didn't look good.

As she wandered around the market, she marveled at all the goods being bought, sold and traded. Many riches filled the land, and many craftsmen with scarce skills worked hard with their hands to fashion various tools and practical items. The queen had never seen such variety because back on Kispri, it was unheard of.

Her people depended heavily on magic but that magic wasn't very flexible. It produced objects with little variations or performed tasks in very limited ways. With magic being so easy, it didn't usually pay to compete against it. That meant much less variety.

Gabrielle lost track of time in the depths of the market. Everything tempted her to look at it and try it, if not buy it. She loved browsing, even if she had no intention of buying anything.

'This hunting of goods truly is addictive sport,' she thought. 'I've got to get out of here.'

She decided to escape all the tempting stalls and tents, though she took her time doing so. She walked in a lazy spiral and kept a close eye on everything nearby. When she finally got to the western edge of the market, it was late afternoon, and she came upon an interesting sight.

Inside a low, wide brick building, as well as overflowing out into the shade of that building, she saw entertainers performing all manner of amazing feats and interesting shows. She stood, mesmerized for some unknown amount of time, only snapping out of it when her stomach had loudly protested its neglect.

Her stomach continued to gurgle, and the hunger pangs hit hard as she hurried back to the inn. She forgot all about the mid day meal. She'd grown too used to skipping meals. That's how she got so lean.

She found the serving wenches serving the late meal when she arrived, and soon found out something she didn't much like. Thelma had overindulged earlier to make up for her light breakfast.

"I couldn't help myself!" Thelma cried.

"Oh, for goodness sake. Don't be such a drama queen."

'Drama?' Gabrielle suddenly had a thought. She'd watched some actors perform a play in the entertainment area of the market, and wondered if they made a living at it. Several people had donated money after watching the performance, and if enough people liked the play, the donations could pile up nicely.

Unfortunately for the actors, a decent play seemed to require too many of them. The donations would be divided up between them all so they couldn't get a decent income. They had to find the optimal balance between the number of actors and the quality of the play, something that would give Gabrielle a headache if she thought about it for too long.

Then she remembered the dancing. Dancers also got donations, but they had an advantage. The better dancers could go solo and reap all the rewards.

She vaguely remembered Marie talking about her days as a man, going out to watch women dancers in Roggzer. They sounded like they must have been very good. They could entice men to part with a lot of money in a short amount of time. Maybe, with a little training and practice, she could put her long legs and exotic looks to good use.

'After I fill out a little more,' she thought.

~o~O~o~

 © 2012 by Terry Volkirch. This work may not be replicated in whole or in part by any means electronic or otherwise without the express consent of the Author (copyright holder). All Rights Reserved. This is a work of Fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional and any resemblance to real people or incidents past, present or future is purely coincidental.