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 6

Gabrielle followed through on her promise to take Thelma for a short astral visit to Roggzer, right after she struggled to pull out the large woman's astral body.

As it always happened with Marie, Thelma's astral body had its eyes closed. She was still asleep and she seemed to be dreaming. Her astral lips moved as she tried to speak, but of course no sound came out. She wasn't solid so only thoughts could be used to communicate. A little lip reading was called for.

'I don't wanna go to school.' Gabrielle did the lip reading and smiled.

'Wake up! It's time to go to school!' she teased.

The other woman's eyes snapped open along with her mouth in a silent scream.

'Thelma. Calm down. It's just me. We're going on an astral journey. Remember?'

Thelma kept trying to speak normally and Gabrielle shook her head.

'Think. Use your thoughts, not your voice.'

'Gabrielle! Can you hear me?' the woman shouted.

'Hey! Not so loud. Yes, I can hear you.'

'You did it! I wasn't sure if you were joking... or crazy... but we're here! We're here!'

'Please. Not so loud. Your shouting is just as bad when you think as when you speak.'

'Yeah. I'm really excited. I can't wait!'

'Thelma. Please settle down or we're not going anywhere.'

'But you promised!'

Gabrielle fought the urge to leave her annoying companion far behind, and she fought an even stronger urge to drag the woman to the fiery center of Agrin and leave her there... forever.

'I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that we're not going until you settle down. I can't handle you this way.'

'Oh.' The large woman looked a little ashamed and looked down. Then he noticed his astral body.

'Hey! I'm still fat!'

Gabrielle looked up and pleaded, 'Mother Moon! Give me strength!'

'I heard that!' Thelma snapped.

'Oh.' The queen forgot herself. Astral communication with thoughts leaked out easily if one wasn't careful.

'Will I have trouble moving? I don't want to go if I'm still fat!'

'Astral travel doesn't work like that, Thelma. You'll be able to move freely. Don't worry.'

'But I don't want to be fat!'

Pleading to Mother Moon didn't work. Nothing worked. Nothing could satisfy Thelma. Keeping one's honor by helping a woman in distress had its drawbacks.

'Okay. Okay! Your astral body doesn't have to be fat. I'll help you if you just calm down.'

The large woman stopped screeching and stood there, looking like a lost child.

'Now then. It's easy. All you have to do is think yourself thin. Do you see that silver cord that attaches you to your physical body?'

Thelma nodded.

'First close your eyes. Then imagine sending the excess part of yourself through that cord, back to your body.'

Thelma did as he was asked and he could feel it working. He felt lighter somehow.

'Good,' Gabrielle told her. 'Keep going. I can see it working.'

Thelma's body slowly slimmed, and it stayed female in appearance. It also stayed in the proportion that Gabrielle imagined, with large breasts and full hips. When the slimming finished, the result was stunning. Thelma looked gorgeous. Men really would flock to her if she slimmed down as her astral body just did.

Gabrielle suppressed the urge to wolf whistle and grabbed her companion's wrist, dragging her into the sky and on towards the large city of Roggzer before she changed her mind. She ignored most of Thelma's shouted thoughts, as they went from fear to awe of the view from high overhead, but she couldn't help herself after a certain sensitive subject came up.

'Hey!' Thelma shouted. 'Why are my tits still so big?'

'Shut up!' the queen growled.

Thelma wisely obeyed and the trip to Roggzer went well from that point. Not long after they lifted off, the pair arrived and took one slow circle above the more densely populated part of the city before returning to Marzelle. The darkness washed out most color, but the view amazed both women.

Gabrielle never visited the city in astral form. She usually spent all of her night activities back on her home world, tending to affairs of state and of the heart. In spite of having to put up with her annoying companion, she was happy that she made the trip, especially since it gave her a better idea of how the city was laid out. No map could compare to the view.

Buildings of all different shapes and sizes fanned out from a central circular area that was ringed and sliced up by a tangled web of streets. Hundreds of lanterns glowed in muted warm colors, illuminating the streets along with many of the inhabitants of the city. Those people that weren't standing in small groups seemed to move at only two speeds, either rushing towards their destination or slowly staggering, obviously coming from a place with strong drink. Roggzer seemed a busy place, even on a hot summer night.

The astral tour didn't last long but it was long enough to improve Thelma's mood. She actually thanked Gabrielle again before being stuffed back inside her physical body and going back to her dreams.

'Sleep well, Thelma,' the queen told her and then rushed off to Kispri.

~o~O~o~

Gabrielle arrived in her bedroom, solidified her astral body, dressed and walked out to her sitting room to find Muriel, seated alone.

"Welcome back," the old woman said. "Let's talk."

The queen looked wary as she sat in her favorite chair across from her friend. Finding Muriel alone and wanting to talk always made her wary.

"Don't worry," her friend told her. "I just want to resume our conversation from yesterday, and I want to do it without any distractions."

Gabrielle would've blushed if her astral body operated like her physical one.

"First," Muriel began. "How's Farrott doing?"

"Her name is Thelma now."

"Right. Sorry. How's Thelma? Is she able to travel?"

Gabrielle winced. She knew why Muriel asked the question. Acting more as her advisor than friend, the woman was anxious for her to begin searching for technology. But she hoped to avoid talking about her annoying companion.

"What is it?" Muriel asked when Gabrielle hesitated. "What's wrong?"

"You know the phrase, 'No good deed goes unpunished'?"

Muriel nodded and the queen went into excrutiating detail of how she'd been trying to help Thelma. The tall woman vented her frustration as much as informed, and when she finished, Muriel shook her head in sympathy.

"That's a very odd gender change. So you need a serious weight loss plan as well as a way to make some good money on that other world," her advisor stated. "It sounds like we'll need to talk to Marie after all."

Gabrielle perked up at the mention of her mate.

"Do you think you can concentrate tonight?" Muriel warned.

The queen rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course." She only half lied. She could concentrate on her mate, but that's not really what Muriel asked.

The queen's advisor reached over to a little stand and picked up a large silver bell to give it a few shakes. The ringing did its job.

"You called?" Beth said, peeking her head in through one of the huge double doors at the far end of the room.

"Please go find Marie and bring her here," Muriel told her.

"But I thought you said to keep her away tonight? Heloise took her outside the castle for a little fun in the city. They'll be gone for hours."

"Maggot dung!" Muriel exploded. "Everything's turning to crap and they're out partying!"

Beth hid behind the open door, shrinking away from the old woman's rage. It didn't help.

"Well?!" Muriel snapped at the young handmaiden. "What are you waiting for? Go find them!"

Beth starting pulling on the large door, but it was too heavy for her to close quickly. Muriel noticed and started to shout but Gabrielle stopped her with a hand gesture and interrupted.

"Beth?" the queen called. "Don't go. Wait outside the door. I can find them much more quickly in my astral form."

The brunette handmaiden didn't say anything. She just kept pulling the large door closed until the latch clicked.

"I'll be back as quickly as I can," Gabrielle told her advisor. "Try not to kill anyone while I'm gone." Then she phased out, leaving her physical clothes behind, and floated out invisibly into the night to find her mate.

~o~O~o~

For the second time that night, the queen found herself floating above a city and gaped at the amazing sight. She rarely took the time to take in the view. If she wasn't so preoccupied, she could have a good look every night when she first arrived, but she was usually too anxious to be with Marie. She normally popped into her bedroom and carried on as if she'd never left the castle. After dozens and dozens of astral trips, she finally took another nice, long look at Prizzaria, her beloved queendom.

The view varied quite a bit from Roggzer, and the contrast fascinated her. Her city state didn't generally have a very high skyline, except for her castle's outer wall and a half dozen round, flat-topped towers, but it spread farther in every direction over broad wooded hills. Conifer trees popped up everywhere, filtering lantern light and obscuring roads and most small buildings. Even at that time in late autumn, when the many small clusters of decidous trees long since shed their leaves, Prizzaria looked lush and green compared to the dry, rocky area in and around Roggzer.

Gabrielle shivered when she thought of how cold the air must be at that time of year. Luckily, her astral body couldn't feel it. The only two of her five senses that she had in her current form were vision and hearing, and even they were somewhat limited. Astral vision could differentiate colors but they didn't look as bright and vibrant as they do in the physical body. Even so, she could see well enough to find Marie, especially after what both women learned from tracking Farrott.

After several frustrating and fruitless nights, the two astral women had put their heads together, literally, for a little astral sex, and inspiration struck. They'd stopped floating and searching everywhere and instead had concentrated on the energy that links everything together. They'd realized that links were stronger between people who knew each other, so Marie had concentrated on her memories of Farrott and blocked everything else. That had led her straight to the man, and Gabrielle had followed closely behind, first astrally and then physically once Marie identified the small town of Marzelle where Farrott lived.

Gabrielle and Marie shared a very strong link. Once the queen committed herself, it wouldn't take her long to home in on her mate in Prizzaria. She just had to break away from the view of her city, which she did with a small sigh of contentment.

'Okay, Love. Where are you?'

She unfocused her astral eyes and thought of Marie, starting with last night's bedroom activities, and within seconds, the link between the two women pulled hard.

As an astral being, Gabrielle could be pulled much more easily than her mate currently could. Marie was the physical anchor, standing fast and unknowingly pulling her mate to her within seconds for what should've been another fond reunion.

Looking around her destination, the queen recognized it as a pub, a crowded pub, with Heloise and Marie sitting at a small table along one wall. Remembering her lack of clothes when she solidified her astral form, she kept her outline vague and tried silently waving to get attention.

"Whatsh that?" Marie slurred. She noticed her mate's motion but had a little trouble focusing her eyes.

Heloise frowned and kept silent, thinking her companion to be delusional with drink.

"I'm sherioush!" Then the small brunette burst into laughter, and just as quickly turned morose. "I mish my Gabi."

The blonde handmaident couldn't help herself. "You see the queen almost every night!" she blurted out. "How can you miss her?"

Gabrielle had stopped waving at Marie by that time and turned her attention to Heloise, hoping for better results. She waved her ghostly arms in front of her handmaiden and regretted it.

Heloise screamed, interrupting Marie's reply. Everyone in the place, including Marie, stopped what they were doing and stared at the blonde.

"Sorry!" she shouted after collecting herself. She remembered her queen's astral ability and realized the need to be discreet. Grabbing her companion by the arm, she quickly moved to leave the pub as the sound levels slowly returned to normal.

"Hey! I'm not finished yet!" Marie complained, looking back at her half empty mug of ale.

"We need to go see your Gabi," Heloise hissed. "Now hush!"

Hearing that, the brunette happily shut up and leaned heavily on her companion to minimize her staggering.

Once outside, communication got a lot easier. After several hand signals and pointing back towards the castle, the blonde nodded her understanding and began the long, slow walk back to the castle with Marie in tow.

~o~O~o~

Gabrielle rushed back ahead to the sitting room to find it deserted. She solidified her astral body, slipped into her robe and moved slowy to the nearest window. She stared down at the main courtyard, hoping for a glimpse of her mate.

For years, the queen had denied herself the pleasure of a relationship. She'd put all of her effort into running her queendom and had built a wall around her heart. It'd worked well enough for her subjects, but it'd left her feeling quite lonely.

Once Farrott had sent her away to another world, she'd found herself with a lot more time on her hands. It'd got her into some amount of trouble, but it'd also made it possible to find Marie, and once she had, her heart had melted.

The lovesick queen couldn't get enough of the love of her life. Part of her obsession had to do with the physical separation between the two women, but another important part had to do with all the years of self-neglect. She'd been trying to make up for lost time and she had to get a grip on herself. Her queendom depended on it.

As she stood at the window, pining for her lover, her advisor slowly forced her way into the room, muttering and cursing at the heavy door she had to open.

"Ah. You're back," Muriel said as she approached the queen. "I take it you found them."

"Yes. They're on their way. I think they might take a while though. Marie is quite tipsy."

The old advisor bit back an acerbic retort and sighed instead.

"It's okay," Gabrielle continued. "I'll put her to bed and pull out her astral body so we can talk. I'll be good. I promise."

Muriel softened. "We really need to get you home, you know."

"I know. I just miss her so much. I mean, I know I'm 'here', but I'm not physically here. It's just not the same."

"I think I understand, and I think she feels the same way. She's been drinking a lot lately during the day and she talks more freely about you when she's drunk."

Gabrielle sighed, and the two good friends sat together for a little small talk while they waited for Heloise to get back with Marie.

~o~O~o~

With Marie fast asleep and safely tucked into bed, Gabrielle stood over her and smiled before reaching down and pulling out her lover's astral body to stand next to her.

'Wake up, Marie.' She gently sent her thoughts and waited for a response.

The small woman kept her astral eyes closed and thought back. 'Gabi? What? Am I dreaming?'

'No, my brave little flower. You're here with me. We need to talk.'

Marie smiled after hearing one of her many special nicknames, something that Gabrielle normally did only while they were in astral form. She opened her eyes and reached out, full of desire, wanting to merge with her lover in astral bliss.

'Sorry, my love, but no. We really need to talk.'

Marie pouted and very reluctantly followed her mate's lead, sitting on the bed.

Both women kept their astral bodies somewhat indistinct to reduce temptation and Gabrielle got straight to business. 'I need help with a couple of things before I can start searching for a way home.'

Marie shrugged, forgetting that the gesture was wasted in an indistinct body. Alcohol could no longer fog her mind but the transition to astral form often confused her.

'First,' the queen continued. 'Do you have any weight loss tips? Is there anything special on Agrin that can help Thelma lose weight?'

'Huh? Thelma? Oh. Right. How's her ladyship's training coming?'

'Well... she's progressing... slowly. I'm trying not to kill her.'

'Oh, dear.'

'Let's not talk about that, please. The more important issue is to get her fit for travel. Otherwise, I can't leave with her to look for technology magic.'

'Are you sure you won't go without her?'

'Marie! You know how I feel about that.'

'Sorry. I do know, and I love for you it.'

Marie remembered how Gabrielle stayed by her side to help her after being changed into a woman. She took her gender change fairly well but she still needed help, having lost her identity. With little or no magic in the lives of most people on her world, no one would believe who she'd once been. She couldn't go back to her family and she had no way to support herself. She couldn't properly wield her sword to maintain a position in the militia.

Memories of their time together on Agrin suddenly flooded through her mind, ending with the memory of their last passionate night together, before being separated on two different worlds. She felt desire rising up within her and barely managed to control herself. She focused her odd astral vision on the nearby nightstand where her childhood toy rabbit, Ribbles, sat. Seeing Ribbles made her think of her mother. That helped.

The two of them spent a short time discussing health and nutrition, and Marie thought to bring up a good point. She realized that most exercise, even something as simple as walking, might do more harm than good. Some of the larger men in her former militia group couldn't move well enough to get enough aerobic exercise. Their short workouts ended up increasing their appetites, making them eat far too much so they kept getting fatter. The militia officers gave the large men easy guard duty and the excess weight never came off.

'Having Thelma clean rooms is a good idea,' Marie commented. 'Her appetite shouldn't get out of control doing that. I think you should tone down the walks though.'

'But then it'll take her forever to burn off all that fat.'

'Well... there are herbs that can help.'

Marie recounted several herbs, some of which suppressed the appetite and others that helped burn fat. A couple of the overweight men in her militia got some remarkable results out of using the herbs.

'Be careful about quantities and don't mix too many together,' Marie warned. 'One of the men in my outfit was desperate to lose weight. He tried huge amounts of several herbs and I'm fairly sure they killed him. He started having trouble sleeping and complained about his heart racing out of control. A couple weeks after that, while he was on guard duty, he dropped dead.'

Gabrielle frowned. 'I think I'll have her stick with diet and exercise. Those herbs sound dangerous.'

'Normally, I'd agree, but we're in a hurry to get you home.'

'I won't endanger Thelma's life. Please don't ask me to do that.'

Marie got Gabrielle to compromise. They'd try one herb to suppress the appetite and more light exercise. That combination seemed like the safest route.

The conversation next turned to the subject of making more money. Gabrielle and Thelma would have to start paying for their room all too soon. They'd also need more clothes and possibly herbs, and they couldn't afford everything on Thelma's current meager income.

'I guess having you clean rooms isn't an option,' Marie thought.

'You guess right. Thelma barely makes enough to pay for our food on what little she makes.'

'Isn't that actually a good thing? You don't want her to be able to afford a lot of food. She'll be more likely to eat too much.'

'I... but I'm....' Gabrielle hesitated. She hated to worry her mate, but she felt it important to be completely honest. Being short on money for food might be good for Thelma, but it wasn't good for her.

'What is it, Gabi? What's wrong?'

'You can't tell from my astral body but I've lost a lot of weight.'

'Oh, Gabi! I'm sorry.'

'It's been hard living off the land. I've lost a significant amount of muscle strength. My sword is hard to handle and mogrons give me a fair amount of trouble when I encounter them now.'

Marie gasped.

She knew how dangerous a mogron could be. One had surprised and almost killed Gabi when they were together on Agrin. She had to drop on it out of a tree and finish it off with her dagger.

'Why didn't you tell me that earlier?' Marie scolded.

'I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you.'

'Right. We'll talk about that later.' Finding her patience and self-control wearing thin, Marie concentrated on finishing up the conversation. 'So we need to increase your weight and reduce Thelma's. Is there anything else I need to know?'

'No.' By itself, the word might have been adequate to satisfy any doubt, but something more attached itself to Gabrielle's projected thought. A certain feeling somehow lurked within it, something having to do with vanity and the desire to be attractive.

Marie couldn't help herself then. She tried injecting a little fun into the conversation, finding that it had dragged on long enough. She sent the feeling of raising one eyebrow to show healthy skepticism, and received a surprising reaction.

'Don't give me that eyebrow!'

'What? How did you see that?'

'I don't know, but I did. This is odd.' Gabrielle didn't consciously send the thoughts to her mate, but they were received loud and clear anyway.

'I think we must be getting more in tune with each other,' Marie guessed. 'We've never had such a long astral conversation before.'

'That's because you always want to....'

'I want you, Gabi.'

Both women felt each other's thoughts before they could send them, just as they felt a growing need to merge their astral bodies. They hadn't had astral sex for nearly a week and their need drew them ever closer together on the bed.

'Please, Marie. I need to finish. Let me finish.'

'No.' The small woman surged forward.

'Please!'

Gabrielle held out both hands to stop her amorous mate, and barely resisted her own desire. Her arms trembled, betraying her weakening willpower.

'You want it, Gabi. I can feel it. Let me go!'

'Please! I promised Muriel. I made a promise!'

Marie suddenly stopped pushing against her mate's arms. Gabrielle took honor very seriously so the small woman backed away, once again regaining control over herself. It wasn't easy.

'Okay. I'm okay. But let's....'

'Hurry,' Gabrielle finished for her. 'I know. I was thinking of dancing.'

'What? Now?'

Marie broadcast her confusion along with a cute little frown and her mate laughed.

'I meant on Agrin... you know... for money?'

Marie gasped again. Her lover was just full of surprises.

'Are you sure about that?' the small woman asked with a hint of sexual innuendo sent along with the words.

'Hey! I'm not talking about prostitution or anything. I meant dancing at the performer section of the market. I've seen some of the better dancers there make some good money. I figure I just need a little help with some dance moves.'

It was Marie's turn to laugh before she responded. 'The only dancing I know of involves a tall, vertical pole and women who start out scantily clad and end up wearing nothing ... or next to nothing. Men go wild for it.'

Gabrielle expressed a look of shock that could easily be detected.

'Don't be so naive, Gabi. There's a huge demand for that kind of dancing, and a lot of money to be made.'

'I'm not dancing naked with a pole.'

'Not even for me?'

'Don't change the subject,' the queen growled.

'Well, dancing sounds like your best bet, and I'd be happy to teach you some of the moves I've seen. Even if you're not nude and dancing with a pole, they should be good enough to get you noticed.'

Gabrielle could almost see her mate's winking, and she could feel the sexual tension return with a vengeance. The subject matter pretty much guaranteed it.

'Now. Teach me now. Show me. Please.'

Marie understood what was happening and quickly stood up, sharpening her appearance and adding a wisp of a short white dress that hugged her curves. Then she started out by raising both arms straight above her and rubbing them against each other, and she matched the slow arm movement by gyrating her hips in slow half circles, first one direction and then reversed. With her eyes closed, her head tilted back and her lips just slightly parted, she soon went on to the next set of moves. She lowered her arms and rubbed the palms of her hands slowly up and down her torso while continuing the same hip movement. When she started lifting one leg and sliding it up and down against her other leg, her mate couldn't take any more.

Gabrielle had sat, mesmerized by the small dancing woman. She'd never seen anything like it. Sure, dancing had been fairly common in her queendom, but it'd always involved a partner and followed a long, slow set of flowing movements that might be considered beautiful but hardly sexual. What she'd been watching oozed sex.

Seeing Marie dance so slowly and sensually awoke her libido like nothing else. She launched herself from the bed and barely thought two words before merging with her mate in astral bliss.

'Lesson over.'

~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.