The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Have your strategists any thoughts?” Land Mother Michelson asks of Land Mother Thomson by mirror as the Mothers meet weekly as they have taken to doing.

“The move into Dest felt premature, not by the years we had thought, but moons.”

“We were stunned.” House Mother Michelson admitted.

“I can say for sure we no longer think the Hearth Daughter is completely paranoid.” House Mother Thomson said with a grimace.

“Looking at it from this side I can see it, but I, we, were completely blind to this approach.”

“So were we.”

“As expensive as your former third Heir’s games are resource wise, I think we need to not only keep footing the bill but up the game.” House Mother Michelson said calmly.

“We were thinking about asking your opinion of suggesting to Yasan and Kelsini that they not just ally themselves with the Hearth Holders.” House Mother Thomson said back.

“Our thought as well. I can sense an underlying pattern but I can’t find it.”

“Us as well, and none of our people can find it unless the Legents really did miss one of the old ones.”

“We have been considering sending people into the archive in Centerversity to research the others and see if we can determine who it is.”

“You want to join our teams?”

“Already on it?”

“Have been, no progress yet.”

“The next one is yours Lucas.” Brenhar tells him as they watch the sun rise from the patio.

“Take your time Bren, I’m sure you’ll be very happy to take a break after it arrives.”

“Yes, yes I will.” She admitted, “However I’m getting scared.”

“Of what?”

“We’ve known Donalson would attack us and Dest for years, alliances aside, we ignored that since it just looked like a distraction from here. We always assumed they would use the small towns in the passes we just took while they were distracted with Dest to start on us first then turn on Dest. None of us saw what happened coming, yet I think the Hearth Daughter did.”

“She didn’t know, she just suspected.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. She told me so. That was part of the reason she wanted to make friends in Dest, she needed more information to determine if and when the move would happen. Her last estimate was summer solstice year after next, then they just moved.”

“Nice to know she can be surprised.” Brenhar laughed.

“Nicole and Yen were supposed to be pawns, lookouts, a way to gather information.”

“Yet her pawns reached the edge of the board to become queens, even if it did kill one to do it.”

“Yen’s not dead, not really.”

“I know.”

“Thank you daughter.” The woman whispered on the hill over looking the town of Centerversity

“I would have had to intervene directly soon and I hate doing anything direct, it goes against my nature.” She continued, “But thank you all the same for confirming my suspicions. Looks like I only have one left. It may have taken more than seven generations but I can see the end game now.”

“Red queen to blue king on the black and white board.” She laughed, “Check.”

UC:Fates—Pentus

“Hello.” King Dest said gently to the younger of two people facing him in his throne room, “I am told you are a former subject of mine.”

“Yes sire.”

“Not ‘sire’ anymore, not to you that is.”

“Yes sir, I guess so.”

“I know you are a loyal subject of Ericson now. I should be mad that I lost a subject, but I am glad to know you found a good place to call home.”

“Thank you sir.”

“My nephew tells me your name is Micah.”

“Yes sir.”

“And who is the young lady with you?”

“This is Sien, she is my girl friend and tutor.”

“Tutor? That surprises me. As for the girl friend part, I would say you are lucky.”

“It is I who am lucky your highness.” Sien said speaking up.

“She speaks.” King Dest laughed.

“Yes sire I do. How ever I am required to clear up certain details.”

“Required?” King Dest asked watching her closely.

“Yes. Though Micah thinks of me as and treats me as his girl friend, I am not. I am bound by law and he is my keeper.”

“Much as my nephew Tagoni is for your cousin Nicole?”

“Almost exactly as.” Sien answered obviously surprised at how much the king already knew.

“Almost?”

“Yes your highness.”

“Elaborate.”

“As you wish. I was collar bound, the Hearth Son has altered me so that the collar is no longer required, Micah controls me by his thoughts and will alone.”

“Controls? A lucky young man.”

“Yes, yes he is.” Sien agreed with a smile while Micah blushed, “As am I.”

“You seem calm for a beautiful and desirable girl, or would you be a young woman now, who just announced she is controlled by a younger male.”

“I know.” Sien agreed, “Yet I am also aware I have been altered. Part of my punishment is to be aware that I am controlled. Though I can plan disobedience, the actual thought to do so will not form so the decision to disobey can’t happen. I obey Micah in all things because I can’t decide not to.”

“I wondered about that. I know Nicole can be ordered like that. I must admit that I am surprised to see one so young as Micah here entrusted with a prize such as you. Has he enjoyed your obedience?”

“I believe you are asking if he has ordered me to his bed.” Sien replied levelly, “The answer to that is no, I offer, both because I am required to and because I like being held, I always have.”

“Yes, but I am not asking for the reasons you may think.” King Dest laughed with no humor this time and flat eyes, “Micah, how would you like a doll, a life size doll?”

“I do not understand.” He replied.

“It is quite simple. Arrangements have been made with the Hearth Holders to alter your assignment in order to achieve some other goals in addition to your original mission.”

“Altered, in what way sir.” Micah asked concerned, “I ask because I am lost already.”

“There is information I need that she does not and gathering what I need should not interfere with your primary mission so it has been added. Of course it also depends in part on whether you have allowed Sien here enough volition and sense of self to do some admittedly delicate Magic.”

“I have always seen her fully as herself sir.”

“That I can confirm.” Sien said bowing her head.

“Good. Now Micah can you understand that there are parts of this you shouldn’t know about yet, your education is important and treading on advanced subjects early could retard your learning later.”

“Yes. As I have said, I see Sien as full person, I am careful to always see her that way.”

“Well spoken for one so young. For now however I have another issue to attend to.” King Dest said gravely and clapped his hands. Moments later the commons door to the throne room opened and guards brought in a woman, who looked in her late twenties under the grime covering her, in chains without taking much care to be gentle with her.

“I do not understand.” Sien said staring as the family resemblance to King Dest became clear.

“This was my own flesh and blood, a daughter, Jheanna.” King Dest said flatly, “We have proof she supplied information to the pawns of Donalson, helped them, and may have been one herself. I have until now denied Nicole interrogation of her for fear that my personal involvement would bias her findings, now I have had time to calm myself enough to proceed safely.”

“What do you want done.”

“I need first her exact involvement. As for what I want, that waits on what I need.”

“You have interrogators?” Sien asks.

“Just humble her, I will ask what I need to know.”

“As you wish.” Sien said reaching out to humble the chained woman.

“Guards out.” King desk commanded, then began questioning. In half a bell Micah is frightened and King Dest is done.

“Sien, do you know the trick of humbling the body but not the mind?” King Dest asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. Micah, can I borrow Sien for a while to aid me in setting your cover identities in motion?”

“Yes sir.”

“Excellent. Now Sien what I want is for you to do first is humble her body. I want her awake and aware inside, I want her to live through everything that follows, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good, do it.”

“What assignment?” Sien asked releasing Jheanna’s humblement after cutting her mind’s ties to her body. Recognizing that she is now doing on orders what became hell for her only a short time ago, brings dark thoughts and horror at the memories, and determination to never return there herself.

“She is as of now Micah’s, forgive the history buff’s sense of humor, bunny. She is now his doll to be used as a bed bunny.”

“Umm, not to question you but...” Sien asks as echoes what happened to Yen brought her a shudder.

“I know what I am saying and yes there is rage speaking, a lot of rage. However, if I stopped to think about it I would simply have her killed. Yet I couldn’t hand out that job so I would have to do it personally and I’m not sure I could live with that, especially if I changed my mind, calmed down later or somehow found a use for her.”

“Is this any better?”

“This is what was done to Brenhar. I want her to live through what I am assigning, I want her awake for it all.” King Dest said with artificial calm, “Jheanna is as one dead to me till the end of her days or a reason is given to see her again.”

“Are you sure?” Sien asks horrified, remembering her time in a similar state even more clearly now.

“She helped kill hundreds of her own people all because some old man seduced her with promises of even more power and baubles. She will suffer.”

“Your highness I do not want in the middle of a family...” Micah starts to say and is cut off.

“She is no family of mine.” King Dest yells abruptly, “She is a murderer to be punished from this time onward until she expires naturally or I find a use for her. I will be days with preparations that will require Sien’s help. Until then you are to use her. Feel free to share her with the survivors of her personal guard who were loyal. I will check in tomorrow and I expect to see bruises on her.”

“Bruises?” Micah asks shocked.

“Yes.” King Dest barked angrily, “Use her hard or have her inflict them on herself, I do not care. But if she isn’t sufficiently bruised I will whip her myself until I am satisfied.”

“Ughh.” Micah said cringing.

“That is a good sign to see in you young man. However, bear in mind that she is in part responsible for the policies I knew nothing about, policies that prompted you to leave this kingdom instead of helping you relocate elsewhere within it.”

“She is?”

“Yes, I have learned a number of things my, she, Jheanna, has been doing behind my back. She is to suffer your wrath and the wrath of the men she betrayed or she will suffer mine instead.”

“Umm.” Micah whispered shuddering.

“Jheanna.” King Dest said kneeling in front of his former daughter eye to eye, “I am telling you this now so you know, you are a thing to me, no longer a person.”

“Sien, bind her.” King Dest ordered still staring Jheanna in the eyes. Jheanna trapped in an unresponsive body felt only part of herself change, felt some thoughts flow like syrup into new shapes. Her world became herself screaming on the inside. Her body celebrating servitude on the outside and her experiencing nothing but pleasure for it all. All while the memory of it felt like her own, as though it really were her enjoying it. King Dest told himself he could see just the tiniest hint of that rage leak in her eyes, it brought him cold comfort, warmer than his heart was looking at her though.

“Go play with your bunny Micah, your tame Blood Queen and I have some matters of state to discuss.” King Dest ordered after staring at the bright eyes of a dully obedient body for a while.

“I am sorry but I...” Micah says stammering at the raw hate and rage he can feel from the King and thankful it is aimed no where near him.

“Micah, please.” Sien said calmly turning to the King, “Go play with her. Have her, take her, be as nice or as rough as you like until you are sated. Once you are sated then take her to her former armsmen and order her to serve and service them. Tell them that as long as she lives they are free to do as they please and to be sure she is heavily bruised and sore, at the King’s command. They get her until I am done with my and our business with the King.”

“But he wants.”

“Trust me Micah, go. If you don’t, he will simply order worse. In fact why don’t you begin lacing her with seed Magic as practice. You are unlikely to kill her though it may hurt a lot, but I somehow suspect her comfort is not a high priority. In fact why not try to replicate the simple patterns I showed you from the illustrations the Hearth Son sent along.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Sien answered surprising herself with how firm she could be, “In fact you should ask Nicole to act as your study guide. That way you don’t have to worry about getting the amount or type of power you use right the first time. It will hurt and hurt her a lot, but that is the point here.”

“I go, come along Jheanna.” Micah replied heading out toward the quarters he and Sien use here in Dest, looking as though he were escaping, not just leaving.

“No reason to waste a teaching opportunity King of Dest.” Sien said once Micah was gone and they were alone once more.

“How much wiggle room do you have in your instructions?”

“A lot, why?”

“Are you allowed to keep secrets from Micah?”

“Only if I have permission from the Hearth Holders.”

“Can you reach them from here?”

“No, I’m not that strong, I only succeeded before because Lady Ericson had allowed for the need and prearranged what was needed. For all my power I am but an inexperienced barely post teen Blood Queen feeling my way so I don’t kill myself. If you seek to speak to them directly you might try Nicole, she has more experience.”

“Excuse me sire.” A guard says from the commons door.

“I hate her, I really hate her.” Sien says with a laugh.

“Yes.” King Dest looking at the door.

“The Lady Nicole seeks to join you.” He says and opens the door at the King’s nod.

“Hi Lisa.” Sien says as soon as the door closes.

“You know you sound paranoid? Right?” Nicole says with almost the right voice.

“No, I sound resigned.” Sien laughed, “You’ve been peeking again.”

“And?” Lisa asked through Nicole with a grin.

“Hearth Daughter?” King Dest asked.

“Yes. I understand you have a question for Charles and I.”

“This is unsettling. Despite what Tagoni told me, I am not as prepared as I thought. I see Nicole yet I know it is you.”

“I’m told you get used to it.”

“Perhaps.”

“So what is this idea you want to discuss.”

“How much do you trust this Sien?” King Dest asked.

“Why?”

“I need her to do some things that must be kept secret from Micah and perhaps alter his memories for a while to accommodate a further changed mission.”

“Further changed mission?”

“You wish to sneak into Donalson, I suggest you be invited in.”

“How?”

“By being what they will be seeking. I have information, more innuendo than anything, but very long running that there are some in the capitol that have exotic tastes.”

“And?”

“And I have seventeen men and thirty three women so far with a death sentence on their heads. What if instead of removing their heads, we empty them. Then ‘sneak’ them into Donalson to serve this deviant market.”

“Get in by way of the wipe and thrall markets? You have so many traitors?”

“Yes. More than that, many more, but these are the ones that I know are not known personally in Donalson.”

“So far so good, and?”

“I also happen to know that the original name of the capitol is Thumb, specifically Thumb of the Lakes.”

“The old capitol of the Michi-Pitts alliance in the early years of the blood lords?”

“Yes. I discovered that years ago in our deep archives, and this is definitely not in our public ones, I checked. This place used to be Arkan, the capitol of the old Kans-Wichi territories.”

“Both of your capitols used to be Blood Lord strongholds?”

“Yes. Furthermore, most of the infrastructure is still the same. If they were to get inside, questions could be asked that the blood of Emel could order answered despite any security or preferences those currently in possession might have setup.”

“As you know, I am linked to Charles or that would make no sense, but I see your meaning and if that particular hat trick is to be tried, Micah can know nothing of it ahead of time, agreed.”

“Hat trick?” Sien asks.

“It’s complicated Sien, but how much do you really know about your own history?” Lisa asks.

“Enough to know that even thinking any kind of thought about those places too loudly is suicide at best, familycide at the most likely.”

“Yet King Dest stood up for Nicole.”

“He is here, you are at school, neither could reach me in time to do the same.”

“I don’t have to, I can reach them anytime I need to.”

“So you like my idea?” King Dest asks.

“Definitely.” Lisa agreed, ”

“So you have decided on how to kill me?” Sien asks.

“The intent is not to kill you Sien.” Lisa replies.

“Really?” Sien asks sarcastically, “This place celebrates Nicole and I being here. This place is not even a Capitol and it recognizes the blood of Emel in us and welcomes us.”

“So you can feel it?” King Dest asks.

“Yes King of Dest, I can feel the building and all it’s systems. They talk to me, they tell me things, they like me because I carry the right blood.”

“And Thumb will like you even more.” Lisa states.

“And that welcoming is what will get me killed. My ancestors were grown, knew the Magics better than we do, had full control of the Seed and Blood Magics both and they couldn’t stop the Legents, what makes you think me alone, still learning, can do better?”

“You won’t have to. Just help King Dest with setting up his part of this and I will have Nicole prepare Micah. I apologize in advance for how Micah will be treating you.”

“If we are going in as deviant slavers then he will have to be the part for it to be real. I take it I am going to be his personal property?”

“Yes.” King Dest said sadly, “I know it is much to put on one who is already bound, but the cover must be real. He will have to use and slightly abuse you. With the Hearth Daughter’s permission, I will instruct Nicole on what changes to make in Micah. She will have to leave them such that they can be removed on need.”

“A suggestion for you both.” Sien says after thinking for several moments, “Have Micah and Nicole use both their seed Magics on Jheanna together. That way they can force a body mod on her to mold her to be Micah’s toy. So long as she is heavily laced with Micah’s seed Magic, Nicole’s should be hidden allowing a personal link so she can watch and talk with the Hearth Daughter’s permission. That will allow me to maintain the two layer cover to my mission and allow Micah to be unbound when needed.”

“Two conditions.” King Dest says, his laugh returning, “First, remove the Jheanna I know, replace it, her, with someone else, what remains is to be an extension of Micah or Sien here. So closely bound and controlled he will only need think and she does. Second, don’t just make her a toy, make her a fantasy toy, unrecognizable as herself. A trim body, a tight butt and as big of breasts as can be given and no awareness or thoughts beyond the next time she can convince Micah to have her. If you can bind her such that Micah being thirsty is Jheanna getting him water or whatever he wants to drink, or any other desire he has, that would be best. That makes her the perfect foil to Sien here so she has plenty of frustration to announce she is more than a little unwilling and frustrated but needs Micah’s permission for anything.”

“Threaten to march in the front door so they will open the back one for you instead?” Lisa asks.

“Or,” Sien says laughing, “Invite intimate inspection so they won’t actually look closely at us, just what they see, or think they see.”

“I see.” Lisa agrees laughing, “I like it. However I would also suggest one more thing.”

“Ok.” King Dest says hearing a serious tone.

“That Jheanna’s former guards go ahead and punish her for a while, get her well and truly bruised so they can get it out of their systems, then use them as security for this insanity.”

“I see.” King Dest replied with a belly laugh, “The pay is lousy, but the perks are incredible. Assign one of the women to each of the guards with the right to sample and use the merchandise at will so long as it stays in good shape.”

“Exactly.” Lisa agreed coldly, “In fact you can probably use body mods on a large number of the others and make a real caravan out of it. I’ll guide Sien in some self modding, then she can see how many she can modify, I may as well have Nicole help as well. It may delay them leaving for a few weeks, but it would give them a surplus of merchandise they can honestly say they got cheap from the dungeons here in Dest.”

“Don’t deny having been in Dest, brag about it?” King Dest asks.

“I see.” Sien laughs, “Since by timing alone if nothing else, word will spread that we have some potentially illegally purchased, dead to Dest prisoners from the coup that Nicole turned into things. We will come to the attention of King Donalson anyway, so there is no point in trying to avoid it.”

“And may even be invited into the capitol building itself.” Lisa laughs with delight.

“In fact if you don’t mind Hearth Daughter, I am owed some favors by a member of the trade delegation from the Karabi islands.” King Dest says with a growing smile, “I can have lots of legitimate but completely false papers drawn up from them, as well as Frisch, Lossand, Mexho and bajh from the pacilif sea coast.”

“Yet I do not see how I am to survive this.” Sien says quietly.

“Keep Jheannae and Micah close once you are in Thumb.” Lisa tells her, “Since there is no avoiding the Legents, they will be somewhere close by, ignore them.”

“I take it I will return to being myself with little time to act if there is a significant problem?” Sien asks.

“Three dozen hearts.” Lisa answers, “Micah will have less than half that once he is released.”

“Then I shall pray he is fast.”

“A question for you Hearth Daughter.” King Dest says.

“Ok.”

“Would you like a coronation present?”

“Coronation present?”

“Yes, for you and the Hearth Son.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I know, but I think you will both like this one.”

“We will?”

“Yes. I have some prisoners you two might like to evaluate and question for yourselves.”

“You do? What kind?”

“How about three each Kallows, Donalson and Dest women involved with the attempted coup combined with six each of men from the same places.”

“You have so many prisoners?”

“Yes, surprisingly we do. Lady Nicole didn’t just kill anyone who got in her way, she was surprisingly selective about it. Her total body count was much lower than initial reports indicated.”

“You are sure they are involved?”

“Yes. They were all agents of Donalson.” King Dest replied heavily, “Had Nicole not interfered by coming to talk to me early, before Tagoni the legal though truly figure head, head of the armies returned. The coup would have been over by mid day since the command structure was in shambles due to the infiltrator’s efforts. Sixth bell would have announced a puppet in my place, most likely my former daughter. Tagoni taking off to Centerversity changed their plans, they hadn’t allowed for his return so they hadn’t planned for him, or his lady, the rest of us were planned for I am ashamed to admit.”

“You have no need of them?” Lisa asked, moving the conversation away from the pain in the king’s voice.

“We have gotten all we can, however Nicole tells me you have ways of extracting memories directly from them.”

“I take it they compartmentalized information?”

“Exceedingly well. Even the tame Blood Queen you use just to speak to us here is at her limits of knowledge and techniques.”

“Are you offering to buy Nicole’s life debt?” Lisa asked quietly as she recognizes part of his pain.

“Are you willing to sell?”

“She is expensive and I would miss her services greatly.”

“I know. My opening bid is to say name your price, either I can meet it, or I can’t. I owe my life, I let the attempted coup happen, it is my fault. No matter the reason, had she not chosen to come talk with me and hence provide me with protection, I would have perished. Your resources, hours and monies are no good here already, I know not what else to offer.”

“Do you want her for your own?”

“No. Granted my wife, the queen, is bed ridden with wounds received during the coup attempt since she declined the opportunity to play hostage rather forcefully, but I am not thinking of myself.”

“Yet I, we, are forced to admit we also owe her a debt.” Lisa admitted, “She was not required to act, we did not order or so much as hint. I had no projections showing the attack taking place until year after next at the earliest. She chose to endanger herself, she chose to become involved. She placed herself in the Legents path on her own. She saved you, before you were even a formal ally, before we knew you could or would be one, so we owe her as well and you have given us a way to thank her.”

“I have?”

“Yes. Is she acceptable for your nephew?”

“Definitely. I had reservations, I had fears since she is a Magist. However, I have gotten to know her and I like her. I know she is an Emel, I just don’t happen to hold that against her, or for that matter even care. Even were she a prime line Emel, not the second house Emel, the Yemel, it would make no difference to me. The orphans of the second house have held whatever bargain was struck to preserve them, besides, even the Legents hold to the rule of not visiting the sins of the parents upon the children.”

“Then hold still a moment King Dest.” Lisa said with a smile as she walked up to him, “This won’t hurt a bit and Sien might want to step out.”

“Why?” Sien asks.

“Out.” Lisa commanded and Sien went, wondering what was going to happen to her cousin.

“Now what?” King Dest asks with Lisa kneeling Nicole in front of him.

“Just hold still and trust me, this will seem embarrassing but is necessary.” Lisa said and proceeded to use spells to get King Dest erect then obtain a sample of his seed.

“This will take a bit.” Lisa told the staring King as she reached back to place some on the base of Nicole’s skull, on her lumbar just above where the proto tail persists and a dab on the tip of her tongue last. Nearly an Eighth of a bell passes before she moves again.

“Are you well?” King Dest asks with a grin having long ago done his pants back up.

“As well as can be hoped for.” Lisa said as she stood Nicole up awkwardly, “It took longer than I wanted, but I am prepared to release Nicole to you now.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I am in communication with the Hearth Son as well and we are agreed.”

“Agreed on what?”

“We used your seed within traces of ours to give you a kill switch.”

“A kill switch?”

“Yes.” Lisa grimaced as the effort of projecting this far doing delicate magic really begins to show, “This is the last time I can do this with Nicole. I used your seed to give you a sword of Damocles.”

“You are well read.” King Dest said startled, “Few study enough in the archives to have reached back that far.”

“Thank you. I merely try to practice balance between moral law, heaven, earth, the commander and the methods of discipline. I know it’s a lot, but skipping any tends to have bad results.”

“I had no idea you were a disciple, I am surprised twice over, few Techists bother to read Sun Tzu, I am truly surprised that a Magist would know of him or bother if they did. That you study ancient myths and philosophy is a pleasant surprise.”

“I was introduced shortly before last solstice, I took it to heart.”

“Obviously.”

“Anyway, what I did was make it so all you have to do is tell Nicole she is dead or think of her that way clearly, and she is.”

“What?”

“If you decide she is dead, she is.”

“So her life is literally in my hands.”

“In your thoughts. If you decide she is dead, she dies, if you decide she is alive before too much time has passed, she lives once more.”

“How?”

“Another time. I also made a couple of other changes.” Lisa said sitting, “Charles and I retain absolute control in person, necessary because we are the ones who equipped her. We placed you next on the list of authority, she will obey any order you give. She is only compelled, that is she will feel a compulsion to obey not be forced, unless it is a direct order, then she literally has no choice in the matter at all. Next we placed Tagoni, in charge of day to day things, she can debate with and argue, but in the end she will end up obeying if he insists, and once again, direct orders are not even debated. We left Lucas, Brenhar’s consort on the list as a backup, then herself.”

“So she is as free as you can make her?”

“Yes. The direct orders edict is more for show than anything else. It proves she is controlled if need be without her being a drone. She also can’t use Magic against you or Tagoni without permission.”

“Thank you, but how much?”

“We’ll figure that out later if we all live. In the mean time you must picture in your mind Nicole with no heart beat.”

“Like this?” King Dest asked thinking of her without breathing or a pulse as medical classes have illustrated.

“Yes.” Lisa answers as Nicole’s body weakened.

“I take it I am to demonstrate this?”

“Yes.” Lisa said weakly as Nicole began crumpling.

“Then go and know that this is in motion.” King Dest says seeing Nicole alive and healthy.

“Good day King of Dest.” Lisa replies withdrawing.

“Good day.” He says and stares at Nicole standing there as he tries to find a way to break the news to her about her new status.

“How are you Yen?” Charles asks at the edge of Camden pass. He and Lisa are there on their way to Dest in person for Maioal celebrations the moon before school is out a week before the solstice.

“I am well Hearth Son.” Yen answers, ghostly in appearance even in the sunshine.

“This was not part of what we intended.” Lisa says softly.

“I know Hearth Daughter.” Yen admits, her voice a part of the wind.

“We only sought for you to learn a lesson. We knew Tagoni would defy our edict and treat you with care and kindness.”

“And I learned, for you did not take my mind, you took my life experiences, my later memories, you forced me to be the child I once was, before I grew crass and uncaring of those around me.”

“Yes.”

“That child you made me into taught me to live again, thank you.”

“If I had had any idea that Donalson might make a move like that, I would have gotten you out of the way.” Lisa told her.

“It is well you didn’t.” Yen admitted with a smile, “They had Magic detection, a quarter of the attacking troops had Magic detectors on their shields. Had I been me, I would have been targeted before I could have made a defense. As it was, I had no Magic to detect until Tagoni lost his arousal and I became me, dragging all my memories and experiences back into the new me.”

“Yet now you are stuck here.” Charles observed.

“There are worse fates. From the moment Tagoni lost interest in me it took a small part of a gross of hearts for it to all come back, then I was just awake and aware. That fortnight of peace with Tagoni is worth the price I pay now, this is officially my valley now, did you know that?”

“No, we are just now on our way to Dest, there are some things we can’t do remotely.”

“I am the official keeper of Camden pass now. It is a refugee retreat for children. No, none, or rather very few, adults are allowed here. Except for me and my men that is.”

“Your men?” Charles asks puzzled.

“This is my ex oh.” Yen says motioning to her left where the outline of a man appears in the shadow of a tree, “Cleon.”

“Cleon?” Lisa asks.

“Yes ma’am.” The shadow says with an odd accent, “Yen has told me much about you both. I am proud to stand with my lady and hold this pass, we all are.”

“This is the final straw of why we reduced the Blood Lords.” Legent Wilhelm says walking up.

“They came to use this as a way of holding lands.” Legent Amina said joining him.

“They no longer saw the people serving them as people.” Legent Kara said softly, simply being present with no warning.

“They, the hearth holders, have always seen us, my cousins and I, as people.” Yen said facing them as the wind blew her ghostly hair, “Even when our minds were taken and our bodies ravaged. Even when we were punished, we were seen as people.”

“You would defend those who placed you between life and death?” Legent Wilhelm asked.

“They did not do this, I did.” Yen said. Not as a boast, but as simple truth, “The moment I was awake, aware and myself again, I could see only one way to hold. I know of it because the essence is included in our oral traditions. We have passed them down for centuries, afraid to even write them down, but unwilling to lose them.”

“She didn’t take us by force.” Cleon said firmly and a murmur followed. Around him shadows began to form on the ground without bodies to make them as the forces of Camden gathered, willing to face even the Legents to keep the Pass secure and safeguard their lady. Though the order of priorities to them was not as clear as their willingness to stand was.

“You have managed to create a shadow guard.” Legent Amina said with a smile, “That is quite an achievement for one so young.”

“I had motivation.” Yen said as her form firmed, “Yet I am in truth happy. I understand what Brenhar learned, my lesson in many ways was easier than hers will be. She has no real concept of what power is so she has no way of understanding the power the Hearth Son will one day wield.”

“And you do?” Legent Wilhelm asks.

“Yes.” Yen answers nearly laughing as she looks at Charles, “I can see what he sees now, the further I let go of the physical, the more visible it is. Even if we had killed you when we intended, you would have had a gross of hearts before your mind began to go, we still might have lost if you truly had rage in your heart.”

“He could have killed you all, he had had that ability for years though he had no clue.” Legent Amina told her.

“Then he is your fault Hearth Daughter.” Yen said sadly, “You have unleashed the greatest monster the world has seen in an age, your sin is greater than even that of the Blood Lords.”

“She is also your fault Hearth Son.” Yen continued, “You have unleashed the most powerful mind the world has seen in an age and it is learning to tremble from it. In a few years you will both be more powerful than the Blood Lords of old, yet together you will be even more.”

“You have opened your mind then Lady Yen?” Legent Amina asks.

“Yes.” Yen snorted, “Yet he would have been harmless if she had not been a snotty bitch like I and most of the Heirs in the world are or have been.”

“How so?”

“She inspired him. Without that inspiration to learn, to push, to strive, he would have languished all his days in obscurity. The world may have been better off if he had.”

“Yet in no more than seven to ten years your Familydom would have fallen.”

“I know, yet next to letting that loose in the world, I am still unsure.”

“What?” Charles asks stunned.

“You dabble with the forces underneath it all. You skirt the abyss and play innocently with toys that can break the world. Since I have had my eyes opened here and learned to see the world, I have discovered the world is broken. They are hoping you can learn to fix it, yet you can as easily destroy it instead.”

“What?” Charles repeats.

“She is saying we play a dangerous game Charles.” Lisa tells him.

“Jenna Sorn.” The Bailiff read out in the high court of Michelson, “You have been found guilty of premeditated murder. While there may be some few circumstances to forgive such a heinous act, you are convicted not of killing Nastia Wheren, but of her child, the moons old yet unborn child still growing in her.”

“That bitch tried to take my husband.” Jenna yelled leaping onto her table then at the Judge.

“Enough!” Brenhar yelled firmly from the Mothers’ box for Land and House overlooking the court, holding out a clinched hand that stopped and held Jenna in mid air.

“Be silent.” She continued in a normal voice now that the court was silent.

“Look at me.” Brenhar ordered and Jenna rotated in mid air to face her in response to a hand gesture as she made her way from the box, “You weren’t convicted of killing her, bitch, you were convicted of killing her child. You know, the unborn child just like I carry right now, the one who hadn’t even been born to have a chance to do anything, right or wrong.”

“Ghmghs.” Jenna forced out, either a defiance or a plea for mercy. It doesn’t matter though, Brenhar isn’t listening, or even interested.

“Sorry Judge.” Brenhar says turning to face him, “I’m having a really bad I’m pregnant moment because this animal can’t tell the difference between hormones and civilization.”

“Heir Primus.” The Judge acknowledged then continued, “Not as much of a problem as it normally might be.” He answered quietly, disturbed at the power it shows to hold Jenna floating and silenced yet Brenhar is doing it absently. “I have already spoken to the Families involved, they have no desire to keep her as a servant so the sentence is death.”

“Good.” Brenhar smiled and a lot of the wonder some people had about how someone so young could be with child died, now they just wanted away, “Since her sentence is death I’ll just take care of this personally. I take the fate of pregnant women very seriously after all.”

“Bren?” Lucas said entering from outside corridor.

“Yes.” She answered turning to him with a real smile.

“Can we perhaps tone it down a little?”

“Some.” Brenhar admitted and let Jenna lower to the ground.

“Thank you. I take it you have a problem with the verdict?”

“No,” she laughed, “No problem at all. The bitch killed a pregnant woman, on purpose, planned it.”

“I take it she was found guilty of premeditated murder?” Lucas asked and the murmur alone was enough to answer that question.

“You do realize that using that kind of power might be upsetting to your baby.” He asked continuing toward her.

“Oh.” Brenhar admitted and Jenna dropped to her knees gasping when released.

“My apologies for interrupting Judge.” Lucas says examining the gasping woman.

“Not a problem Consort Primus.” He replies levelly.

“I take it the sentence is for the only charge that Brennie here would care about which is the death of the baby?” He asked with a teasing smile.

“Yes.”

“I further take it that this has been discussed and an agreement come to?”

“Yes.”

“Then as Consort Primus I am taking this issue out the Heir Primus’ hands for her and her child’s own good.”

“Are you really going to do this?” Brenhar asks with a growl and people begin moving back.

“Who here is her husband?” Lucas asks as he looks at Jenna the way the Hearth Holders have shown him.

“I am.” A man says standing.

“Do you love her?”

“Yes.” He answers quietly.

“Do you have children with her?”

“No sir.”

“She is going to die.”

“I know.”

“She is going to die because you can’t be a good man, you are responsible for her death.”

“I didn’t make her do it.” He denies.

“Then let me make this very clear.” Lucas says finding all the little bright spots in Jenna. It has taken him far longer on her than he likes after lots of practice finding them in random people, this is also the first time he has tried to do more than bump them, “Tell her right now.”

“Tell her what?”

“Tell her she is dead to you.”

“What?”

“Tell her.” Lucas growls, “Either tell her she is dead or join her. I have no patience for people like you, I looked up the facts of this case and they are clear. You gave your word, you swore to her, then you betrayed her. I don’t care that you had an affair, you didn’t tell her, you didn’t ask, you just wanted to play with a new toy you found over Winter Fort. Now you get to tell your old toy goodbye.”

“What?”

“Either tell her she is dead to you or join her.”

“Jenna, you are dead to me.” He says quickly then stares in shock as Jenna falls over sideways like a puppet with her strings cut.

“Jenna!” He cries seeing her collapse and races to her side.

“You see Brenhar,” Lucas says calmly looking at her, “It’s about precision not force.”

“I see. Nice trick.” She replies watching Jenna’s husband crying over her body.

“Thank you.” Lucas says then goes over beside Jenna.

“How could you?” Her husband asks crying dry tears of rage and shame.

“You know if you had shown even a margin of that kind of concern before now she might have lived.” Lucas says kneeling beside him and pulling a knife from his belt, “Might not have been driven to do what she did.”

“I didn’t do anything.” The man stammers moving away from Lucas.

“I know.” Lucas acknowledges taking Jenna’s hand, “That’s your whole problem, your kind never do.” He finished then cut Jenna’s palm which had some blood pool but none flowed.

“Jenna!” The man cried staring at the nearly bloodless unbleeding palm as tears finally came.

“Now listen.” Lucas ordered flatly, “I don’t know you, I don’t know your name. But if I ever see you again, I will discover it, I will find out who you are and end you.”

“What? Why?”

“You took an oath, you affirmed it by marriage, then you betrayed that oath.” Lucas little better than growled at him, “You chose to be alone, so now you are alone.”

“How could you, did you, she just died. You just killer her, just like that.”

“Do you want to be with her now?” Lucas asked coldly.

“How can you ask that?” He asks back staring in horror.

“Do you?”

“No, not now, no way.” He stammered backing away.

“I can tell you are a weak Magist, I guess you are a weak man as well.” Lucas tells him, “In fact it would be fair to say you are a loss for us all. Yes you fathered a child, yet you also led to that child’s death as well. So I think you should be relieved of that burden since it is too much for you.”

“But I haven’t been charged with anything, I did nothing wrong.”

“Yet you did nothing right.” Lucas replies turning his inner vision on the man. Thanking all the lessons on anatomy he has had lately, he locates all the little points corresponding to arousal and reproduction, “So I see no need to allow you to repeat that mistake and claim more victims.”

“I’m innocent.”

“You are also now impotent as well as sterile.” Lucas tells him as he destroys all the nerves for erection and reproduction so the man could never father a child again.

“Umm, Lucas dear.” Brenhar interrupts fighting down a laugh, “We have this thing called a trial. He actually gets to make his case to defend himself, we have juries for decisions like that.”

“Not this time.” Lucas growls, “As you know, I take children seriously, very seriously indeed.”

“Did he just?” The man asked staring at Brenhar as he cringed in pain.

“Yes.” She answers him, “He did. Congratulations, I think you just inspired the first act of his that might upset my mothers. It might also be seen as justice, you are after all the reason I was here today.”

“I am, I was...” The man stammers incoherently.

“Yes. I was here to observe you because your case came to the attention of my mothers due to my current condition. Did you somehow think we wouldn’t take children seriously?”

“But I just.” The man stammered, “We were only together a few times.”

“You were what?” Brenhar asked with artificial calm.

“We were together maybe half a dozen times, we just hit it off.”

“You two had that kind of mutual attraction and you failed to tell your WIFE?” Brenhar asked with obviously dissolving self control.

“Brenna dear.” Lucas interrupts, “Let the man go. It is done, let it be.”

“Ok.” She answered angrily.

“You sir.” Lucas says to him glancing at the clock, “I suggest you get moving.”

“Gahh.” The man stammers mumbling to himself as he runs stumbling from the court room.

“I wondered why you delayed us returning.” Lucas said staring at Jenna’s body.

“I saw this case coming up and just had to attend.”

“I understand.” Lucas replied standing, “Let’s go.”

“Let’s.” Brenhar agreed moving to walk out of the court room with him.

“This court session is now over.” The judge says outwardly calm, but everyone can see the haunted expression having just watched those displays of power.

“Lucas dear.” Brenhar says as they open the doors, “Did you forget something?”

“Forget?” He asks then looks back at Jenna, “Oh, sorry. Jenna, come.” He says then undoes what he had done a gross of hearts before. Hearts later Jenna took a deep breath as her body arched like an orgasm and began functioning again.

“What in Chaos’s name?” The bailiff pleads as Jenna’s palm begins to bleed.

“Have her in our rooms after dinner.” Lucas orders and they walk out.

“Did he just?” The judge asks the bailiff.

“Yes.” He answers staring at the now freaking out woman who is getting color back in her cheeks.

“I had no idea he had that kind of power.”

“That wasn’t power, that was knowledge. What the Heir Primus did suspending her in the air, that was power. What the Consort Primus did was knowledge. He did that by knowing how, there was hardly a whisper of power when he acted.”

“I thought it was just me.”

“It wasn’t.”

“I have to admit I’ve had some reservations about him, about whether he had the right mindset or big enough, umm, you know whats to stand up to the Mothers.”

“Yes. The answer is yes. I can also see why she is so well behaved now.”

“She has always been attracted to power and powerful people.”

“If I slept next to that every night I would be on my best behavior.”

“I’m not sure I would, sleep that is.”

“Yeah.” He agreed, both taking pains not to say which they were referring to.

“Hearth Daughter.” King Dest says greeting her and Charles as they enter his throne room, “So nice to actually meet you in person and with the right face.”

“Thank you.” Lisa laughed, “It is good to be here. I just wish it were a happier occasion.”

“As do I.”

“As do as we all King Dest.” Charles says gravely, “I must admit to having thought Lisa was more than a little paranoid and maybe a little crazy when she described what she saw happening.”

“I think we are all over calling her paranoid.” King Dest replies flatly.

“Agreed. Nicole’s message said she needed help.” Charles said with a smile.

“Yes.” King Dest agreed, “But I wanted to meet you both in real person before deciding on my course from here.”

“Ok, what do you want to know?” Lisa asked obviously understanding what he really meant.

“I know you can see further than I can,” King Dest said flatly and his tone explained why there was no staff present for this meeting, only his personal guard. “What I want to know Hearth Daughter, is if in the long run whether you intend to take my throne or my Kingdom?”

“Excuse me?” Lisa asks shocked.

“Do you intend to take my throne or my Kingdom?”

“I’m not after your’s or any other throne or seat King Dest. I seek to conquer neither Kingdom nor Familydom in my quest. I am just trying to save my family.”

“That’s what your former Land Mother said more or less, she said you have no interest in something that is in her words; ‘so provincial’. I see what she meant now, not at all what some of my advisors thought either.”

“You think she is trying to conquer you?” Charles asked.

“No Hearth Son, I have no worries about her that are half so direct.”

“Then what are your worries?” Lisa asked.

“I am concerned because you started with five pieces.”

“Ok.”

“You used the first to take Michelson hostage, not that they minded. You used the second to take your birth Familydom hostage using your own sister, not that they minded either.” King Dest said, half observation half accusation, “Yet you used two to keep my kingdom intact. Are we that critical or do you want more from me than what you did from the Familydoms. You have one piece left, and put plainly, it worries me that it is still in my kingdom. That it is aimed as close as my neighbor with whom I am currently at war is deeply disturbing. I am not sure if I am in its area of affect, or what to do about it if I am.”

“First of all King Dest, let me assure you that neither I, or Lisa, or we, have any intention of conquering anyone anywhere.” Charles said flatly, not understanding Dest’s concern.

“He’s not mad Charles.” Lisa quipped, “He’s just concerned because my pawns sent to observe turned out to be tame Blood Lords, Queens really, but let’s not quibble the little things. He is mostly concerned they might have been acting under orders, and panicked at the idea they might not have been.”

“Approximately.” King Dest agrees gravely.

“One was sent to keep me in contact with a friendly member of your government so I could have timely information from here. The other was loaned to your nephew as punishment for her and a treat for him. You should be proud, according to Yen it took him a heart to go from carnal bliss to defender of the Kingdom.”

“That is good to know.”

“It also took her not only defying, but actually breaking her orders.” Lisa continued, “To force him to return when standing at the pass would have simple suicide. She took that suffering, using the pain to help her achieve his goal. He had already decided to make his stand to buy you time in the capitol to gather your army. He returned only because she literally gave him no choice, then stood in his place.”

“So I have been told.”

“My, our, earliest theoretical estimate had the attack coming in two years at summer solstice, during summer fort, likely closer to aphelion than solstice most likely, but I am guessing there. I had intended to keep them, Nicole and Yen, a secret, they were used because I could communicate with them over great distances with no chance of it being intercepted, not because of any intent on you.”

“Good to know. So if you the paranoid one was taken off guard, what did the Mothers think in Thomson and Michelson?”

“They freaked.”

“Unsurprising.”

“Just sit back, relax and focus on my voice.” Lucas says to Brenhar gently where they sit in her, their, quarters in Michelson.

“Just tell me what you want me to do.” Brenhar laughed, “You know I will.”

“Brenna.” Lucas laughed gently, “Will you please just humor me.”

“Why?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Then just tell me to forget after you have your fun.”

“Bren!” Lucas laughed loudly this time.

“Ok,” Brenhar laughed, “I did this I don’t know how many times with Charles anyway, what’s a few more with you.”

“Thank you.” Lucas grinned, “Now just lay back and relax.”

“Relax.” Brenhar echoed softly as she allowed the familiar routine to carry her away. In a while Lucas brings in a humbled while sleep talking Jenna to join them. After adding Brenhar’s seed Magic to his own already in her, he darkens all the bright spots in Jenna then pulls them all three into a shared room between the women. He guides Brenhar into her own mind to get hall passes as described by Charles then he takes all of them into Jenna’s mind to start the process. Noting that Jenna’s copies are getting weak, Lucas smiles, this is what he needs in order to make the scale of changes he intends. Going to each manager’s door he opens it and places one of Brenhar’s hall passes around it’s neck ordering it to take on the appearance of and become Brenhar who it is now an aspect of.

“You are now Brenna.” Lucas orders the full size Jenna.

“I am now Brenna.” It echoes as he places a collar around it’s neck and treats it with Brenhar’s seed Magic along with his own before tying a hall pass around its neck.

“You are an aspect of Brenhar.” Lucas says pointing to her still humbled standing beside him.

“I am an aspect of Brenhar.” Brenna echoes now obviously weakening.

“Good Brenna.” Lucas says and withdraws them to the white room then back out completely. Next he begins the process of fully lacing Brenna not only with his Seed Magic, but Brenhar’s as well while using spells to bind her, then brightens the spots allowing the body to live once more.

“You are Brenna.” Lucas orders her quietly, only eye twitches answer at first.

“I am Brenna.” Brenna echoes a dozen hearts later.

“Good Brenna.”

“I am a Good Brenna.”

“Yes. Now Bren, this is Brenhar, you are an aspect of her, a part, an extension. You will guide the body you inhabit to be just like Brenhar’s is. You will resemble her in every way, inside and outside there will be nothing to distinguish you, you will become the extra limb of hers that you now know you are. You obey.”

“I obey.” Brenna echoes as her body begins waking fully now that it has pulse and breath again.

“Brenhar.” Lucas says next.

“Yes.” She answers softly.

“I am going to do something. I am giving you an extra body. I am going to put you in it the way the Hearth Daughter goes into Nicole. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Now when I do this you will stand that body up and look in the mirror. You will tell it what it needs to change to truly be a part of you, to look like you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now while you do that you will remember your life while doing so. As you remember your life this new body, your new extension, will also remember it. It is a part of you now and the more you tell it, the more it knows it is part of you. You obey.”

“I obey.” Brenhar echoes and she stands the moment Lucas links her. While Brenhar tells her new self about herself, Lucas manipulates his and her Seed Magics in Brenna. He links Brenhar’s expectations to Brenna’s appearance starting the process of blending. That night and for the next fortnight Lucas focuses Brenhar into a talking sleep each night and has her spend it preparing Brenna for Brenhar’s use.

“She is what now?” Sien asks staring at Jheannae laying peacefully beside Micah, her new owner.

“She is his.” Charles laughed, “What was, is gone.”

“I got that.” Sien quipped, “I don’t get what I have to do with this though.”

“While you and Lisa were working with King Dest and the rest preparing the prisoners, Nicole and I have been preparing her and Micah.”

“And she is what again?”

“The reason I have been sleep talking you every night is to create a bonding between her, you and Micah.”

“Bonding?”

“Yes. She is basically an extension of you now.”

“Extension?”

“Again, yes.” Charles said looking forward to the next part, “Now what I want you to do next is concentrate on Cinna and see her arm raise.”

“Like this?” Sien asked obeying even though not understanding.

“What the?” Sien hisses moments later when Jheannae’s, ‘Cinna’s’ she corrects herself, arm she is staring at raises.

“Good.” Charles told her.

“I, I...I felt that.” Sien stammers in shock.

“Good. Now with practice you will be able to control it directly. I have checked everything I can including another ongoing experiment of the same nature elsewhere and so far as I can tell I am ready to proceed.”

“With what?”

“Sit down and make yourself comfortable. You are going to be sleep talking with me for quite a while this time as I do this.”

“Do what?”

“Patience Sien.”

“Yes sir.”

“Once again, concentrate on my voice and only my voice.” Charles says softly and guides Sien back into the sleeping void while she still talks and responds to him. Cross linking their bodies, Charles begins the process of blending so Sien gets accustomed to using Cinna as an extra limb, or in this case, an extra body. Over the next week he blends things to the point that Sien can, while sleep talking, respond through either body on command without his intervention.

After that he brings in the sleep talking Micah to train Cinna to be Micah’s personal property just as Sien herself is. To obey without thought as though she were Sien, anytime Sien herself isn’t using her. By the last moon before solstice Cinna looks just like Sien, and Sien can use either body.

“Almost perfect.” Lucas says quietly staring at Brenhar and her now other self, formerly the murderous Jenna, now simply Brenna. It has taken nearly two forts, a full moon, but Brenna is now only a finger shorter than Brenhar, having started over a hand short, and at any distance they appear identical other than Brenna not being pregnant. He has been practicing Brenhar running Brenna as an extension of herself. He has neither told nor shown anyone, Brenhar’s personal guards know of course, no secrets are permitted from them, but he has not endangered the unborn child so they have simply stared as Brenna has become another Brenhar.

“It has been incredible watching.” Captain Ells, head of her personal guard says staring.

“It has also been hard.” Lucas says glancing sideways at him.

“I’m no slouch at Magics mind you, and I have to be good to be here, but I would have sworn that was impossible a moon ago.”

“I would have sworn moons ago that you would have rather killed me than allow me to play the part I have been given in all this.”

“Our orders from the Mothers were quite specific. So long as you didn’t break her reputation, we were not to interfere, especially since you held back from your own orders on how to use and occasionally abuse her.”

“I didn’t ask to be involved.”

“We know. We also know what she was before.” The Captain says sadly staring at Brenhar in deep sleep talking, responding to Lucas’s every word.

“Then you realize this is kind of homework for me.”

“I had surmised that.”

“Brenhar.” Lucas says firmly, “Pull back into yourself and go the rest of the way to sleep.”

“Yes sir.” Brenhar says softly with two mouths then withdraws her presence from Brenna before laying herself down on the bed to sleep normally.

“Brenna.”

“Yes sir.” Brenna answers on her own in her own deep talking sleep since Brenhar isn’t using her.

“This is Captain Ells.”

“Yes sir.”

“I am adding him to your list of masters.”

“Yes sir.”

“While you are not doing what Brenhar or I say or want, he is in charge of you.”

“Yes sir.”

“You will obey him second only to us.”

“Yes sir.”

“When I wake you, you will go with Captain Ells. You will prove how obedient and cooperative you are.”

“What?” The Capt asks.

“Yes sir.” Brenna answers.

“You will remain with and obey him until he brings you back here, doing anything he tells you in the meantime with enthusiasm. Even if those orders are to sleep with any person or persons he designates, you will do so in any way designates, as often as instructed.”

“Yes sir.”

“What did you just do?”

“This is kind of a test for her Captain. Use her, abuse her, share her with your men if you wish. Have fun with and enjoy her. I know you men have fantasies about Brenhar, this lets you have your fantasies and me be sure the experiment worked. As you use her, quiz her, ask her questions, she should be able to tell you almost anything Brenhar has experienced.”

“You call this homework?”

“Trust me, with the Hearth Holders as guides, Centerversity is a lot less challenging than you think.”

“What is she really for?” The Captain asked, obviously seeing more than one move happening at the same time.

“Brenna is a Summer Fort present for Brenhar.”

“What?”

“For Summer Fort I will just switch them.”

“Switch?”

“You’ve seen the way the Hearth Daughter can project herself?” Lucas asks.

“Yes, and the Hearth Son as well.” He replies remembering the change in voices on the train before the humble bomb, then the race through the town after.

“This is the same idea.” Lucas says with a grin, “The difference is they will be in each other. That way Brenhar can have Summer Fort to play and have fun while Brenna takes care of her body.”

“You can do that? For the long?”

“As long as they are close, yes.”

“Incredible.”

“I tell you this so you understand when I say this.” Lucas says suddenly serious, “I am a fall back position. We still don’t know who set the bomb at the lake or who was responsible for the interception of Micah and company on the train. Lisa, Hearth Daughter Ericson, thinks there may be more players with more plans than we see.”

“Then they are preparing you to teach his children if something happens to them?”

“Exactly.” Lucas agreed.

“I don’t understand why you want to loan her to me though?” He asked staring at Brenna standing there waiting on orders.

“Because I need you to be able to tell the difference and command it if need be, without hesitation.”

“You are anticipating assassins?”

“Not specifically, no, but the Hearth Daughter’s precautions seem to point in that direction.”

“That’s as good as a confirmation for us. Not to be unpolitic or insensitive, but accurate since watching over the Mothers and Heirs requires a certain amount of candor, we quit thinking that one had become a paranoid bitch a long time ago.”

“Now you just think she is back to being a bitch?” Lucas asked with a laugh.

“More or less.” He smiled back, “but a dangerous one for both her power and her precautions.”

“Enjoy.” Lucas replies after a worried pause, then motions him out with Brenna in tow after waking her.

“Perhaps.” Captain Ells said unable to not stare at the body that had followed him. A bell later in his own quarters he is sure this is exactly what Brenhar would feel like. Brenna’s breasts are a perfect match to his on again off again fantasies of bedding Brenhar. No guard on someone like her doesn’t have them about someone like her. Even if it is only about getting his charge to behave, they happen. The oddest and hardest part for him is being able to ask her anything he wants and Brenna answers just like Brenhar would if she were required to be honest.

“Chaos take me I could get used to this.” Captain Ells thinks in the morning when Brenna woke him with a blow job. It only got better when she prepared breakfast after washing him in the shower. He is easily able to envision the body double who’s breasts are perfect in his hands as he thrusts as hard as he can at her at lunch is the real thing. He doesn’t mind getting somewhat lost in the fantasy of having her as his personal servant. He spends the week he has off duty with Brenna, having her as often as he can while introducing her to the other armsmen one at a time.

“How am I?” Brenna asks startling Captain Ells the next Satireday. He is over her massaging her bare breasts as he thrusts after having been woken by her going down on him unbidden then making him breakfast after a very serviceable shower.

“What?” He gasps stopped by the tone not being Brenna’s, but Brenhar’s.

“I asked how I am Captain?”

“Heir Primus?” He gasps confused, shocked and panicky that the reflection of his charge under him might be real.

“Yes, and get over your self. I was a prick tease and went after you mercilessly.” She said putting his hands back on her breasts and trying to pull him back into her, “Lucas switched Brenna and I at first bell. I am here in Brenna and she is in me. She is playing a tired me who just wants to sleep and not be disturbed. He asked me how much of a bitch I was to those charged with keeping me alive and I told him the truth, not that I had any choice mind you. He then ordered me to balance the scales, so I am. As I said, right now as far as the world is concerned, the Heir Primus is resting comfortably in her chambers, able to sleep for once. I decided to wake you they way I did as an apology for the way I treated you.”

“She is? You are?”

“Yes. Lucas has finally given me some clues what he has been doing. As you can tell, I have learned most of the skills of a chambermaid, I learned those in his quarters at school, another part of my time being punished. For today, longer if need be I must admit, I am balancing the last big set of scales I have to balance.”

“You are?” He asked resisting being drawn back into her.

“Yes. For today, maybe longer, I am Brenna. I am yours.”

“Why?”

“Partly as a test of me, partly as a test of you. My instructions are to balance the scales. I am to play, and to the rest of the guard as well as the outside world, I am to be, Brenna. Only you, the Captain of the Heir Primus’ guard will know different. You will treat and use me as though I were a body double you are breaking in so everyone believes it.”

“My lady, I can’t treat you like that.”

“As I have my orders, you have yours. No one knows, no one can suspect. I may as well also tell you, I am stuck in this body until I can tell Lucas in all honesty that the scales are balanced. I already did the whole of the Thomson boys up to three at a time, in one run and that was while Charles was still linked to Sinda keeping her alive. I need to prove I can control myself by staying in character through it and you need to prove you can tell the real me from the fake me at a moments notice.”

“Now I see his plan.”

“Exactly. I am to look like a grifter that tried to play up to you.”

“Then I decided having a body double available but stored in my bed would be useful?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s a move I would have expected out of the Hearth daughter.”

“Yet it is wholly Lucas. He is giving me as much freedom as he can. My body remains under guard and my spirit if you will, does so as well, so long as I adhere to the rules I know. So long as I stay with you I am no worse off than I was before.”

“And with Brenna being almost you, your body is as well taken care of if you were there the whole time.”

“And this gives me the freedom to explore as both myself and a stranger. I am used to answering to Bren or Brenna from years past so I can play a Grifter trying to play me while still being myself.”

“He expects you to have an affair while under lock and key?”

“He expects me to use the affair to adhere to my old and my new rules both at the same time.”

“You know there are pubs and other establishments where there are contests to see who can impersonate persons of stature?”

“And I intend to compete.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I must have a public presence while the Heir Primus is known to be elsewhere.”

“So you accept him allowing you to move between cages with golden bars and ones of steel?”

“It is the only freedom I have now. As I said though, I was a horrid prick tease and you deserved better, much better. Now I pay my final price for my final piece of freedom.”

“This?” Ells asked referring to her trying to bring him back into her.

“Yes. I am required to balance the scales not only in your eyes, but my own. I am here, yours, until I am convinced I have given as much as I took. You order, I obey. You want, I do. You desire, I do my best.”

“But you are my charge.”

“And right now I am in your charge. I meant it, I can’t go back until I can tell Lucas the scales are balanced. I woke you with a blow job and I swallowed. I washed you in your own shower. I made you breakfast and prepared the laundry. Then I rejoined you on your bed and invited you into me, I did this without specific orders, I did this to balance the scales.”

“Oh.”

“I know you have had fantasies about me, about spanking me like an errant child if nothing else. Do so, do what you like.”

“As usual you show you are a tactician not a strategist.”

“I do?”

“Yes.” Ells said suddenly thrusting as hard as he could into her.

“Gmmph.” Brenhar grunted in surprise.

“You tried to take advantage of the moment when you should taken advantage of the situation.” Ells said as he began again. Brenhar kissed him back as he rode her and debated his words until she lost herself in them.