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Subject: {ASSM} The Luck Bringers 1/3 Pre Lady Chrystal (assorted codes) TBD
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Date: Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:10:09 -0400
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Luck Bringers 1/3 Pre Lady Chrystal
---

'Introspection' is a good code for this one.

If you have read some of the later works in this series, there is a
seeming problem. Lady Kay is several centuries older than Merlin. She
also set his feet on the path to the 'Hidden Ways'. Kay, for reasons
of her own, has never felt the need, until now, to walk this
particular path. Being who she is, she has never asked him to explain
his reasons for traveling it shortly after they met.
_______


Quest for Power
---

"Merlin?" Lady Kay has uncharacteristically settled herself on the
couch in my study. "Why? What price did you pay?" She gestures at the
room and watches me closely.

"I think I'm ready to know." For the first time, I'm aware of the
trembling that shakes her body. Her voice trembles too.

The *only* time I've heard her voice tremble in fear - was when our
mutual love brought me back from the brink of madness.

"I promised, didn't I?" My voice is gentle in its acknowledgement of
what I see.

"Yes." It is more mouthed than audible.

I lean back in my chair and take the time to marshal my thoughts. This
is going to be a long and painful process.

Once I've settled myself comfortably, I point to a small plaque on one
wall. There is a quotation on it.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again."
Alexander Pope (1688-1744) - An Essay on Criticism.

"Remember that as I explain." She studies it and then turns back to me
with a question in her eyes. 'Why am I reminding her of the obvious?'
Rather than answer her unspoken question, I answer the the two she
finally decided to ask openly.

"The 'why' is easy. I was younger. I was also, as you should remember,
far more arrogant in my thirst for knowledge. I already knew words
were the embodiment of power." We share slight quirks of the lips as
our memories of that day return.

"I wanted it all. I wanted that one final thing I didn't have and I
knew others had."

"I wanted the power to control myself as I knew others could control
me."

"In the compulsion to know myself, I took the final step."

My voice echoes that long ago horror. "I sought out and let myself
become familiar with my dark side."

"That, my love, is the price I paid."

"That's all?" Her voice is filled with her puzzlement.

"Indeed." I look at her with a mild look born of years of being a
teacher and seeker after knowledge. "That's 'all'."

"I hid nothing from myself." I fall silent and wait.

* * *

It is hours later. "Kay." She is shivering. A moan of dismay escapes
her.

"M'Lady Kay."

"My dearest love."

"It's time to return. It can no longer control you." I settle beside
her and hold her close. I take her hands in mine and rub them gently.
I give her a link back. I don't bother to hide my fear for her. I let
my gentle touch tell her that I still love her.

Brown eyes slowly fill with her returning awareness. They were deep
before. Now, they are filled with a hard won calmness that makes that
depth seem shallow.

"Merlin?" Her voice is hoarse with strain and horror. "I wasn't
ready."

"I know." I sigh deeply. "I wasn't either. Nobody ever will be."

I let my lips quirk into a slight smile. "You don't need *me* - to
tell you *that* - do you?"
====

The Power that Binds Us Together
'The Luck-Bringers'
Merlin and The Twins (Cathy and Becky)
---

How can I express this?

I am not a religious person. Yet, there is something in the aura of
many churches that draws me in and calms me. Often, when I need a
place of quiet sanctuary, I will find a small country chapel and pause
briefly to fill myself with that gentle peace.

Many centuries ago, one such pause changed my life and that of two
others.

* * *

As I knelt before the altar and began my own ritual of peace, the
priest gasped and then walked over to stand on my right and watch.

Once I finished, I looked up and smiled slightly. "My ways are not
yours, but we have much in common. What I do in no way defiles that
which you hold to be Holy. Were it so, I would have paid the price for
such sacrilege many years ago."

"Indeed?" His smile was slightly forced. "There are legends of a man
with powers not given to ordinary men."

"Is that so? Then if those legends have any basis in fact, He would
have long ago made His decision about the fate of that person.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps it is an omen." What was this? I was
seldom greeted with such poorly concealed eagerness when discovered.

"An omen?" I looked back at the altar and inwardly sighed. "Good
Father, I have the impression that you have a reason for hoping a
certain legend is based on facts. Facts that, in all honesty, are
rather prosaic and hardly worth the tales they have spawned."

I carefully stood and faced him. "Not many priests seek the wisdom of
those not of their faith. I thank you for the peace of your chapel but
I sense you desire my company for more than just quiet contemplation."

He nodded and relaxed a bit. "You do not deny the legends?"

"It depends on the legend."

He smiled at my careful response.

I continued briskly. "To save time, while I am known by many names,
'Merlin' is indeed one of them. Is that the legend you wish to be
true?"

"Perhaps." He hedged. "After much soul-searching and prayer, it came
to me that a local problem may be solved easily if I could find
someone who was known to be on the side of 'light' and also skilled in
things usually associated with those who walk the path of 'darkness'."

"You are extremely open-minded." I was pushing things a bit. I wanted
to see just how comfortable he was with 'magic'.

He turned his head and gazed at the alcove with the cross in it. "My
superiors have often said it is my one great failing. I do not
'prosecute the faith' as strongly as they feel I should. It is why I
find myself here, serving as a simple village priest, rather than in
finer surroundings in some large city."

"However, I have been called to do my work. If He, in His wisdom,
requires me to do it here..." He turned back and smiled gently. "I
will do the best job I know how. If the salvation of my flock requires
that I admit there are things that He has chosen to keep hidden from
most people, things my faith would find distressing if I openly
admitted their existence, then I will freely confess to such
thoughts."

He raised his voice and called out. "Come to me, my little ones. This
is the person I have been seeking."

Two wolfhounds bounded into the church and settled at his side. I
studied them and I had the impression they were studying me.

"Two hounds have caused you to seek me out? I fail to see..." I
hesitated as a rare but familiar shift in the currents of power
touched me.

"Witch's spawn and worse is what these two have been called. Correct?"
I looked at them and then at the priest. "True servants of the dark
could not seek the sanctuary of the church in their time of peril.
Unwillingness to accept the truth of this 'detail' is about to lead
your flock into a rash decision. A decision that will firmly place the
feet of the people you care for--on a path you do not wish to see them
follow."

"It is so." He sighed. "I cannot hide them much longer. There is
another, more embarrassing detail. A rumor that I can neither confirm
nor deny. I will leave the three of you to make your own path. I shall
pray for your success." With that, he turned and walked down the aisle
and out the door. There was a soft click as the door closed and then a
firmer thunk as he locked the door.

I turned back and confronted the hounds. "Well? You either trust me or
you don't. I am indeed one of those known as 'Merlin'. Your powers,
whatever they may be, will not embarrass me or cause me to abandon you
to an uncertain future in this village.

"If the legends you've heard are the same ones I hear all the time,
they all agree on one thing. I am not an oathbreaker.

"The good Father left a window open. I sense that he is distracting
the people from their search for the two of you. Wisdom dictates that
we leave while we have the chance to do so, quietly."

I shifted myself into the shape of an owl and flew though the open
window. To my relief, the hounds bounded through the window and
followed me into the forest.

* * *

I set an easy pace for them as we traveled. After about a mile, I
settled to the ground in front of them and shifted back to my natural
form.

"Now, I think it's time the two of you shifted into your natural
selves. If you shifted while naked, rest assured that nakedness does
not bother me. I will leave it up to you to decide if you want me to
watch the process." I turned away and waited.

"Merlin? Thank you." The voice was female.

"You're welcome."

"Before you turn and see us, the rumor the priest spoke of is true. We
are not as normal people." It was a second female voice but it was
slightly different than the first one.

"This difference you speak of?" I gazed off at the surrounding trees.
There was a long silence during which there was a whispered
conversation.

"When we became women, we also developed certain parts that let us
function as men would. This, and waking up one night to find ourselves
as hounds - is the extent of our physical differences."

I nodded slowly. "May I turn and greet you properly?"

"We are naked." It was a whisper.

"So? Would it make you more comfortable if I also, was naked?" I heard
another hurried conference.

Instead of answering my question, the two of them slowly walked around
to stand in front of me. I smiled. "I see nothing more or less than
two very beautiful people. Your 'differences' do not bother me."

They studied my face. I studied them as intently as they examined me.
I didn't bother to hide my curiosity at their unusual forms. I had
heard of such but never seen people who were both female and male.

I smiled slightly. "I have heard of such as you. This is the first
time I have been gifted with a meeting."

"And?" It is a challenge.

"I find you both highly desirable. Perhaps it is too soon for this
but, in addition to friendship, I will offer more." I paused briefly
and then spoke softly. "Should you ever desire it, I offer you a
chance to find out how deep my feelings for the two of you run within
me."

"We have just met. How do we know you speak the truth about your
feelings? Many have spoken thusly." The one speaking shrugged. "You
have seen the results of our trusting mere words. Only the priest
proved himself by his actions. All others have used honeyed words to
take advantage of us and then discarded us when they discovered the
truth of our natures."

"I would do this by speaking the one language that is incapable of
concealing the truth."

I looked at each of them before I continued. "I would stand naked in
your presence and let my body be your window into my soul."

They looked at each other for a long time. The more self-assured one
spoke without looking at me. "Would you speak thusly if we were in our
other bodies?"

I spread my hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I am a man. I freely
admit that certain desires rage within my body. I had not considered
what you ask. My oath that I am willing to expose myself under those
conditions and abide by your decision."

"Your oath is enough for now. Perhaps, someday, we will ask you to
honor it." She turned to me. "My name is Cathy. My sister's name is
Becky. We have no coin with which we can repay you for your kindness -
other than our friendship and our bodies."

I nodded in understanding. "I do not ask for anything that is not
freely given. It is my way to help those I find in need."

I smiled slightly. "If you care to join me, you would be welcome in
our village. Accepting the odd is a way of life there. In the
meantime, allow me to gift you with some suitable clothing for
traveling." I held out my hands and simple country dresses appeared
and fell to drape themselves over my arms.

They took them and put them on. It was Becky who spoke next. "Thank
you." She stepped forward and hugged me. Cathy hesitated before
embracing both of us. As I wrapped my arms around them, I felt them
stiffen and then relax. I braced myself and waited as their bodies
shook in time to their crying.

"Merlin?" Becky finally recovered her composure. "Why did you help
us?"

Instead of answering directly, I let go of them and used my head to
point at the path. "We should be moving. If the villagers are typical,
they will search for a bit and then give up. We're ahead of them now."
I smiled to take the sting out of my words. "We should not tempt fate
by lingering."

They nodded and we started off.

"To answer your question, I have sworn a private oath to help those
who are 'unusual' or who have somehow discovered that there is more to
this world than what is seen by normal eyes."

Not surprisingly, one of them asked the obvious. "And if we had been
ordinary, but in trouble?"

I moved to hold a branch out of their way as we passed a tree. As she
passed me I looked at her calmly. "I would have helped, even then. I
might not have been as ready with my offer of physical truth and the
invitation to join us at our village."

She blushed and then offered me a wan but honest smile for my candor.
"You aren't like other men, are you?"

I gave her a slight bow. "You aren't like other women."

Slowly, as we walked, they began to open up and tell me some of their
past and their hopes for a better future. After a few miles it became
clear that they had been so often misused by men that they were
uncomfortable in my presence.

At dusk, when we paused for the night in a small clearing, I decided
to take action to relieve their fears.

"Abide for a moment. I can sense that you are uncomfortable in my
presence. I will do something to help allay your fears, which, in all
honesty, are justified by past mistreatment."

They looked at me and then each other. "Fears such as ours cannot be
eased by mere words from a man. How do you propose to overcome that?"

"Watch, and learn."

I walked to the center of the clearing. Once there I raised my right
hand and held it outward in greeting. "Lady Kay." One of them gasped
in surprise as I started my request. "Keeper and more. I seek your
help. If you would, follow my heart to where I now stand."

The dying sun illuminated a whirl of sparkles that gathered at my
final words. Without fanfare, a woman in a gingham dress suddenly
stood in front of me and reached for my hand.

"Merlin. It has been long since you called." She smiled slightly.
"Now, seeing the two young ladies who shiver in the cold, I begin to
suspect the problem."

I let go of her hand. "In truth, they are indeed part of the problem.
Or, rather more accurately, I am."

She tilted her head slightly and waited.

I didn't bother to hide the anger in my eyes. "These two young Ladies,
through no fault of their own and without desire on their part, have
been set on the path of power. Instead of joyous discovery, they have
been ill-used and cast aside. A village priest discovered me while I
was seeking renewal in his chapel and had the courage to seek my help
rather than cast me out."

When I paused for breath and to regain control, she turned to study
the twins. Her voice was gentle. "And in spite of his willingness to
help, he is, after all, a man. There is more to your shivering than
the simple chill of the night air."

They glanced at me and then nodded. If I had them identified
correctly, it was Cathy who said it for both of them. "He is. There
is." She carefully straightened herself and spoke with all the dignity
she could muster. "Lady Kay. Who are you, that Merlin must ask--rather
than summon?"

Before Kay could answer I spoke softly. "She is The Lady, Keeper of
Merlin's Castle, and my heart. She is also my true and unconsummated
love who patiently helps me while I wait for 'The One who will
complete me as no other does'."

Kay turned to me with surprise in her eyes. I held up a hand to
forestall any comments. "They would have learned the truth soon
enough. I have already offered them the truth of the body and a life
in our home, if they desire it."

She turned back to them and her expression was wary. "Is this speaking
true?"

Becky wilted slightly and her sister caught her as she sagged. "It is.
We have nowhere else to go. As for his offer of the body, we haven't
decided yet."

"Merlin? The offer was not casual?"

"No. They are shape-shifters and would be unlikely to be welcome
anywhere else." I hesitated and then sighed before continuing. "I have
seen them naked. There are desires of the flesh involved. That is
natural. More importantly, I feel the calling that fills my soul, as
it does when I think of you."

She laughed very softly and gently. "Merlin, you have always been
careful in these matters. To be blunt, you love them."

"Indeed, it is so. I love them both."

"Then I will be gentle with them." Kay reached for the girls and
wrapped them in a hug. "We will be waiting for you." The three of them
vanished.
====

The Luck Bringers - Merlin and The Twins
New Beginnings - Lady Kay and The Twins
---

"It will be easier on your senses if you close your eyes." I pulled
them into a gentle hug and spoke the words of travel in my mind. The
world became a blur and then it settled into a still image as I
stopped at the location I sought.

I felt them shivering as they reacted to the sensations of traveling
on the paths of power.

"It is over, ladies. Open your eyes."

"Where are we?" They pulled away from my embrace and I could sense
their confusion as they tried to cope with this sudden turning in
their lives

"Not far from the village. We will walk the rest of the way so you may
settle your thoughts."

I held out my left hand and sent a gentle request to the world's soul.
"If you will permit it, I seek some light for our brief journey."
There was a brief breeze as power gathered itself and the air above my
hand began to shimmer, then glow. When the light was slightly more
than that of a full moon I spoke once more: "Hold. That is adequate
for our needs. I thank you."

When I looked up from my task I smiled at them. "Merlin left much
unsaid, as is often his wont when he is dealing with something beyond
his skills. I am Lady Kay. Will you gift me with the honor of knowing
the names you wish to be known by, henceforth?"

The one on my left gathered herself. "I am Cathy." She glanced at her
sister and then went on. "My sister's name is Becky." She frowned and
hurried on. We have no other names we are known by, unless you
consider 'witch's spawn' and 'Satan's tools' to be proper names.
Neither of us wishes to hear *those* names ever again."

I carefully hid my smile at her vehemence and turned to face the path.
"Cathy, Becky. In Merlinstown people may chose new names for
themselves, just as they have chosen to begin a new life when they
settle here. For most people, the issue is not important. Come, let us
finish our journey."

"What of Merlin?" I detected a subtle difference in the tones and knew
it was Becky who had spoken.

"He will arrive in due time, only after the two of you decide you are
ready to meet him."

"Oh?"

I looked back over my shoulder. "Becky, he is a man and the fires of
manhood burn strongly within him. The two of you are not the first
women he has helped. You are, however, the first women he has helped
who also need to understand the ways of power." I hesitated and then
sighed. "What you have been taught of the needs of your bodies, by
those who misused you, is only a small part of the knowledge you need
to know before Merlin will come to your call."

Becky gently touched my shoulder to get me to stop. She moved so she
was facing me. "Merlin will not return to his own home until *we* ask
him to?"

"He will not return until the two of you can see him as the man he
is."

"If he is not there, how can we hope to see him as he is?"

"A good point, easily answered. There are other men in the village.
When you can look at them and see them clearly, only then will you
know you are ready to call him home. He knows this."

Cathy nodded slowly and then took a long time to study her sister. At
last she sighed and turned to me. "There is something Merlin did not
mention, something important--and part of what makes us what we are."

I nodded and then held out my hands. They both gasped when a sword
appeared. My smile turned bittersweet while I recalled its history.
"There is some truth in all legends. Just as Merlin has played upon
the stage of history, so, too, have I. Will it help allay your fears
of betrayal if I swear by this sword?"

Their nods were almost imperceptible.

"Very well." I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "It has been
a long time since Excalibur has been called forth to view the world.
It is pleased to be allowed to serve." I grasped its hilt and held it
vertical before me. it started to shine with more than the gentle
light of the moon. "I, Lady Kay, custodian of Excalibur, make the
following oath: Anything these two tell me, I will hold in confidence
unless they give me leave to say it to others. May my failure to do
otherwise be dealt with appropriately. I so swear it on the sword that
we hope will never be needed again."

I silently thanked Excalibur for its help and allowed it to return to
its home.

When I returned from my contemplation I noticed the girls were
shivering while they clung to each other. "Was that *really*...?"

"It was. When you are ready, I will hear whatever you wish to tell
me."

Cathy sighed. "We are more than shape shifters. We are..." She
hesitated before rushing on. "We appear to be women, the women were
born as. But, in addition to being fully functional women, we are
capable of performing sexually as males do. Merlin knew this before he
made his offer and admitted he loved us."

I froze. Then, carefully seeking the words I used, I answered her.
"Thank you, Cathy, for your trust. I will not betray it. Your
admission has complicated matters and told me I will be unable to do
much more than act as an advisor while you explore paths I cannot
share with you." I smiled at her obvious dismay. "I can help you learn
how to learn, which, in truth, is the most important thing to know
when exploring the ways of power. Some things, the simple things, are
common to both sexes. Other things are shared but each sex requires
different ways to do them. Still other ways are unique to each sex.
How it will be with you is a mystery to me. It is, however a mystery I
hope you allow me to explore with you."

I felt a familiar detachment take over my senses. My eyes saw nothing,
then, suddenly, images flashed in front of me. I saw the twins, naked,
on a blanket, with Merlin. They were laughing while Merlin paid
attention to them both. I saw Merlin's castle. The twins confidently
walked towards a wall and then through it. There were other scenes.
All were vastly different than the surroundings we now shared. All
scenes shared one thing. The twins, in their human forms or as dogs,
were obviously comfortable with the ways of power--and Merlin.

The trance ended and I turned to face them. "You will find your path
and travel it in joy, with a confidence that seems impossible right
now. I cannot say how long it will take, or how you will find your
success. I have seen that success, is all."

Becky stared at me. "Seen?"

"Seen." I gestured at the path. "Come. That success will happen all
the sooner if we continue along the path nature has provided for us."

"No." I turned back at the firmly spoken word. Becky was shaking with
the effort it had cost her to assert herself. Cathy was obviously
surprised.

"May I know the reason?"

She nodded carefully. "Merlin will only return when we call him, when
we know we can see him as the man he is."

"True."

She sighed. "Listen to me then. How can we see him as he is, if he
doesn't know himself?" She turned to face her sister. "We already know
him as a man. In our other forms, with our noses and the language we
share, we discussed this."

Cathy smiled slightly. "Yes, we know him as no other would. His words,
his body, even his scent agreed with each other. He is a man we could
give ourselves to openly, honestly, without fear of being used for his
pleasure only--unless we wished it so."

Becky mirrored Cathy's smile. "Let us both test him, and teach him
about himself. It should be an interesting experience for all of us."

Cathy nodded and smiled a smile I couldn't read. "Lady Kay. You may go
or leave, as you choose. Life has forced us to become indifferent to
observers when we are sexually active. Do not attempt to stop whatever
happens if you stay. *We* do not care if you try or even succeeed.
Merlin, if he is the man we feel he is, will not thank you if you
intervene, even slightly."

I gazed at them thoughtfully. Seldom had I misread a situation or
persons as poorly as I had with these young women. I couldn't stop the
sigh that escaped. "May I know how you will test him?"

Their smiles were filled with hidden laughter. "Of course." They
shifted into their canine forms. I have never been sure which of them
grinned when she answered my question. "He agreed to let us test him
as canines, if that was our desire. We will do so but not as the
bitches he expects." She drifted sideways and lifted her leg to
urinate on a tree. "We will function as dogs--and he will perform as
our bitch."

I fought my revulsion at the idea of Merlin lowering himself to this.
I only nodded, stiffly. "I choose to leave then and I hope that Merlin
will somehow manage to retain his humanity if he gives himself to
you."

The other dog looked up and let herself snarl softly. "You prattle
nonsense, Kay. Your path is not the only path. Merlin knows this
already. His scent told us he is already starting to accept that the
form does not matter. We will, if he is the man *you* think he is,
help him accept that his choice to love us was not mistaken--and
cannot be unmade by something as insignificant as the forms we wear
while loving each other. Take your revulsion and go. Then think on the
illusions that you embrace as truth."

I let my anger take over. That these two *dared*... My hand came up...
Then I let it drop. The anger faded, to be replaced with the sudden
revulsion I felt about myself. Not only had I misread them and their
abilities, I had let that misreading lead me further into more
significant mistakes about Merlin's awareness of the world. I couldn't
bring myself to respond to them. I knew that anything I said would be
wrong. I nodded at them both, then turned and walked away.
====

The Truth is Never the Same Thing, Twice
Merlin and The Twins - The Luck Bringers
---

I was drifting off to sleep when I felt the call.  Surprised by the
duet that was filled wth mixed anger and amusement, I answered.  "I
come."

I glanced around the clearing to check that none would see me leave,
then gathered the reins of the invisible horse I would ride, and let
him take me to them.  After the swirling mist cleared, I found myself
being faced by the two large hounds I'd met earlier in the day.

"Hello, Ladies."

The slightly smaller one laughed and let her voice deepen slightly.
"We are no ladies, Merlin who would be tested.  We are dogs,
functional and pleased to see that our bitch has arrived."

I looked at her.  "Becky.  Do you wish to savor my fear as I wonder
what I must do?  Whatever caused it, abandon your anger and accept I
have no fear to give you, only curiosity."

She abruptly sat on her haunches and stared at me.  Her sister was
doing no better, only she was frozen in place, one front leg slightly
raised as if she wanted to move, but couldn't.  I stripped and stood
before them.  "How would you have me?"

"You can tell us apart?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Many ways.   Shy does not mean lack of confidence once a decision is
made.  Nor,"  I turned slightly and watched Cathy, "does bravado make
one a leader even though there is courage behind it.

"But the most important way is simpler.  You may change your shapes
but your body language will betray you for who you are.  And... To one
such as I, the power that flows within will always tell me who you
are."

I got on my hands and knees and waited.  "I've lived long, and
explored much.  Many times, as part of my journey through life, have I
tasted the joys a man may only share with another man.  Be men, then,
and use me as you would a woman, if that is your desire."  I waited
patiently, wondering what they would feel like inside me, what it
would feel like to have their weight on my back.

I would learn, or not.  That was the path I always traveled, the path
to self-knowledge, no matter where it led.

Cathy cautiously siddled forward to look at me.  "No fear? Willingly?"

"I admit to being filled with curiosity, nothing more."  To emphasize
my point I reached and gently pulled her muzzle forward until I could
kiss it and taste her.  I felt her shiver and then relax a little.  I
let go and started to slide my hand over her body.  Her fur was wiry
and I could tell she was still tense.  As I moved under her belly I
paused.  "May I?"

She answered by lifting herself with a smooth motion to plant her paws
firmly on my back.  Her hind feet moved her haunches forward until her
sheath brushed my lips.  I had my answer.

I waited calmly, wondering what Becky was going to do once she got
past her surprise.

"Merlin?  You've never told Kay?  She hoped you would manage to keep
your humanity if this happened."

"No.  And I have long known of her bias.  She who taught me to
question everything has her own blind spots, as do we all.  I do not
tell her everything, as she does not tell me.  If she chooses to be
blind, That is her choice, not mine."

I felt her nose, then her tongue as she tasted me.  "We are large,
when swollen.  There will be no turning back."

I chuckled.  "Men are not all the same size.  I am a shapeshifter, at
need, and perhaps more experienced, more skilled at it than you are.
Did you not consider that one does not always need to change the outer
form, but sometimes the inner?  If there is need, I will find an
accomodation that pleases us both."

Some perverse sense of humor made me decide to tease them.  "Or would
you prefer me to be your bitch, in truth?  I can be, easily, a bitch,
or a human female, fully functional and welcoming..."

I left it hanging and reached, eagerly striping Cathy out of her
sheath so I could taste her.  She was salty, tangy with the taste of
urine and I savored the new sensations as I explored her, and my own
feelings for these two wonderfully strange women, whom I'd already
decided to love, if they'd let me.

I felt two more paws land on my back and then there was a pause. "Your
real form will do.  Forgive me..."

I felt her as she kept repositioning herself until her tip found my
anus.  She rammed home and it felt slick, smooth and not nearly as
large as the men I had taken over the years.

Then she hunched and I screamed in startlement.  'Large'  I thought
dazedly.  Her bulbs had suddenly swollen, slamming into my prostate as
the rest of her engorged shaft extended itself and drove deeply inside
of me.

Cathy yipped as I accidentally bit down and I quickly opened my mouth.
"Sorry."  I touched her with a finger, healing the damage I'd done,
then I went back to suckling her.

Meanwhile, Becky's penis had reached its full size and I'd decided I
could handle her without any internal changes, just a little patience
to let my body adapt to the sudden intrusion.

Her saliva dripped onto my back and created little spots of chill.  I
felt her toes curl slightly then relax in time to the pulsing I felt
inside my sphincter.

She'd taken me completely and our random movements tried to tug her
out again.  I'd never felt anything like it.  I felt stuffed, filled
to bursting, and I could tell it would take a shift to let her out
without a great deal of pain. 

'Man with man' was seldom my choice for a partnership and while I was
knowledgeable about the ways of man with man, that same knowledge told
me I'd never again feel anything like this.  It was one of the rare
times I *knew* I was experiencing something for the first time.

So, I savored it, learned from it--and knew my life would never be the
same.

I looked forward to discovering the ways I would change because of
this simple beginning.

By the time I reached that point in my thinking, I'd adapted and also
had Cathy fully swollen.  'Twins.'  I marveled at the size of her.
Huge, pulsing  her seed into my throat, I sucked greedily, while
knowing her sister had me stuffed with a penis of equal size and was
filling me with *her* seed.

I lost myself in our lust and when I felt Cathy finally shrink I
moaned with frustration.  A few minutes later, Becky slid out and I
felt the night air on my body again before her tongue gently laved me
with pressures and deep probings that made me shiver with delight.

I fell forward when her nose pushed a little harder, and she followed
me, continuing her ministrations.

They finally settled on either side of me and after they had shared
their warmth for awhile, they shifted and hugged me.

"Merlin?  Are you OK?

"Mmm..." I hugged the one in front of me, then sighed.  "I'm fine.
That was an awesome experience.  I've never felt anything like it."

I chuckled wearily, exhausted, but nowhere near satiated.  There were
a few things I'd learned about myself that I hoped Kay didn't know
yet, although I suspected she had figured them out by now.

"How soon can we do it again?"

"Again!?"

"Yes, Becky, again."  I rolled to my back and pulled them against me,
then enveloped us in a shield of warmth.

"After all, I am a man and I know you will need more time to recover
than I will.  Or..."  I chuckled and turned my head to kiss her.
"Since this is a night for new things, Would you shift back to your
other form and let me be a human dog, to your bitch?  As I'm sure you
intended me to *believe* would happen?"

She touched my face lightly.  "We thought it would happen that way,
too.  But Kay angered us..."  She raised herself slightly to look at
her sister, then she let herself settle back to the ground and snuggle
again.  "We're sorry..."

I squeezed the two of them gently.  "Nothing to be sorry for.  Youth,
and its mistakes, are a curable disease.  I suspect you made no
mistakes.  Kay however, did, but she couldn't have known enough to not
make them.  Trust me when I say she's already learned her lesson and
will not anger you that way, again."

I smiled, them kissed each of them.  "If I know Kay, she never thought
to tell you something else, something about your future..."

Cathy spoke up.  "She *saw* the three of us and we were happy
together, but she didn't know when it would happen."

I laughed.  "So, you knew that no matter what you did, it would work
out, eventually.  I imagine that helped your confidence."

They both pinched me.  "Yes, you arrogant *man*, but there was more.
We *wanted* it to work out but we had to be certain in the only way we
knew we could trust to let us know how you felt *now*."

"Fair enough.  But, that wasn't what I was talking about, even though
it's a very pleasant thing to know.  Did she think to tell you that if
you are true mages, you will be, for all practical purposes, immortal?
Anything that does not kill you instantly, cannot kill you, *if* you
are true mages, as I suspect you are."

"Oh."  It was a shocked breath more than it was a word.  "She didn't
mention that."

I left it at that, allowing them to begin to come to terms with the
future that quite likely awaited them.

I fell asleep while doing a little wondering of my own.  My life had
just changed radically and I too, was curious about what was in store
for us.

* * *

The first thing I felt was the sun, warming my skin.  It felt good to
be near home, and naked.

The next thing I did was remember the night, and the early morning
after we'd napped.  The three of us had loved each other, with Cathy
and Becky alternating betwen active and passive roles as we explored a
relationship that was new and wonderfully strange for all of us

"What was it like to live forever and be a legend, a myth?"

I didn't know, and said so.  I was only a few hundred years old, not
thousands, as the legends insisted.  I'd been a mere youth of one
hundred or so when I'd lived the reality that had spawned the most
absurd of those legends.

"What did I think of their bodies?"

I had the best of two worlds.  I was called an unrepentant
flatterer--and I agreed.   Then I was threatened with no more cuddles
if I was lying.  I'd shrugged and then hugged them.  They'd never said
I couldn't cuddle them.

My turn.  "What was it like to be both sexes?"

They'd shrugged.  "We are.  How can we compare, if we don't understand
what we are comparing ourselves to?"

Hesitantly.  "From shivering fear, to acceptance of a new reality, in
hours.  How?"

Giggling and finally laughter.  Noses  They'd known from the first
meeting that they could trust me.  They'd already learned to be
pragmatic about the ways of men, and themselves.  They thought they
were at least thirty years old, and used to creating a new life every
couple of years.  They could always move on, although it pleased them
to know they would no longer travel unless they felt the desire, not
the neccessity.

We fucked, we loved, we explored our minds and bodies.  We talked of
dreams we'd had, lessons we'd learned.

Idly, we created futures, then argued over them before we destroyed
them to build other strange realities.  The only thing those futures
had in common was they all had us, together.

It had been a strange, wonderful morning and I'd fallen asleep again
with a smile in my heart when I could no longer stay awake.

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Cathy?"

"Kay said we had much to learn, and that she couldn't help us very
much because we are female and male."

I frowned.  Kay had a point, but the way she'd apparently expressed it
felt wrong.  I was missing something.  "She was right.  But?..."

She settled next to me and lightly stroked my chest.  "We're afraid of
her.  Could you help us?  Do we *have* to go to your home?"

She bent her head and kissed me tenderly, with none of the hesitation
and fear she'd had yesterday.

"Yesterday, you feared me enough to willingly leave with Kay.  Now you
fear her and trust me.  Most women would take years to recover enough
to see me as you do, yet you and Becky have done it in less than a
day."

She smiled sadly.  "We are bitches who also function as dogs.  When a
dog gives their love, it is without reservations and their trust is
total."

I looked at her and shook my head.  "You are humans, who are sometimes
bitches.  Humans do not give their trust so easily."

She smiled and stroked my chest again.  "Merlin, oh so wise, yet so
blind.  We have lived more of our lives as dogs than we have as
humans.  In matters of love and loyalty, we are dogs, not human.  It
is as dogs we cannot bring ourselves to trust Kay, only you, because
you don't fear us, and she does."

"Yes, I can teach you what you need to know, which is how to learn
carefully, not haphazardly, as needs dictate.  Which means you plan,
and take small steps, not large ones.  You always make sure you have
room to back up if you suddenly start to step off a cliff."  I smiled
at the dog who suddenly appeared where Cathy had been sitting.  "Those
lessons can be given anywhere."

I stroked the huge head that now rested on my naked chest.  "I don't
understand your fear, or Kay's."

"She was angry when we said we would test you by being dogs to your
bitch.  That we can easily forgive.  What we cannot forgive so easily
was the readiness she displayed...  To raise her hand and destroy us
because we would demand you perform an act that could cost you your
humanity."

She shivered.  "Dogs do not easily forgive someone they fear will
destroy them for a whim."

I continued to pet her.  "Kay loves me.  It's not easy to carry the
burden of unconsumated love, a love that has survived for centuries.
We wait.  We wait while knowing that we dare not consumate our love
until I meet the one who will complete me.  If we dare to, I will
never meet *her*.

"I think she fears that time.  I don't think she's accepted that the
one who completes me will have to include her in our love and Kay will
lose nothing, only gain the goal we both yearn for with all our
hearts."

Becky had settled on my other side to watch us.  "Merlin.  I don't
think the woman you wait for would be driven away because you shared
the couch with Kay."

I smiled.  "Nor do I, But Kay has *seen* it happening that way, and
who knows what chain of events would follow our consumation?  'The
Lady' has a habit of always being right when she *sees* something.  I
won't tempt fate.'

"Oh."

I looked at her and chuckled.  "Indeed.  Oh."  I studied her.  "Do you
agree with Cathy?"

She shivered.  "Yes."

I sighed.   

"I've never understood her bias, but I've learned to work around it
when I find myself facing it.  Perhaps, being male and more driven
sexually than most women appear to be, I will always fail to
understand some of Kay's quirks.

"I do find it odd that she refuses to consider the possibility of
shape shifters mating in forms other than their own.  One of the
things she told me about her early training was that the three who
shaped her were casual about shape shifting, and that they all loved
each other a great deal, no matter what shape they were in.

"Yet, as far as I can tell, they never mated as human with animal."

Becky sighed.  "Perhaps Kay fears to let go of her humanity enough to
explore that aspect of shape shifting.  We, on the other hand, have
sometimes earned our meals by performing unusual combinations of sex."

I thought about it.  "There's something about shape shifting that Kay
fears, I think.  She will do it, but there have been forms she avoids.
Most of the time she travels as a plain looking bitch, if she must do
so at all."

Cathy hugged me.  "Do you think she could have picked up the attitudes
of her teachers?"

"It's possible.  Sometimes I think they deliberately avoided the
subject.  And to be honest, something in me has also shied away from
it when I've thought about it enough to consider asking her."

There was a long introspective silence, and when I looked outward
again Becky had an odd look to her.  "Do you serve some higher
purpose?"

I chuckled sourly.  "Kay knows she does, so I suppose I do, too.  All
I can say is that if I do, it would be nice to know how I've been
doing!"

They giggled, then she sobered.  "Could it be that Kay is *supposed*
to be the way she is, and something is keeping her that way for some
future task?"

I frowned.  "That would make sense, but..."

I groaned and hugged them both.  "Any 'innocence' she has in the
matter will be long gone by now, since you forced her to confront the
issue."

They hugged me back.  "And?"

"We are here, are we not?  Without her bias, and the confrontation it
triggered, this would not have happened for some time to come, if
ever."

They both shivered and snuggled even closer.

I went on relentlessly.  "I am almost certain the purpose we serve
decided that this had to happen, and Kay's bias was nutured for all
this time, until it was needed.  You need not fear her further fears,
because she is, in addition to all her other skills, a pragmatic and
self honest person.  She too will recognize what has happened, and any
further anger on her part will be directed in the direction it should
be sent, at The Purpose that Drives Us All."

Cathy raised herself so she could watch my face from above.  "How
certain of this are you?"

"Reasonably certain.  Actions encouraged by The Purpose have a special
feel to them when taken together.  This is one such time."

Then I stretched and laughed.  "Relax.  If you truly are immortal, as
I suspect, you can be hurt, but you cannot be killed.  Kay can do
nothing lasting, no matter how much she may desire to.  You will also
learn that you cannot die by your own efforts, either.  Lack of choice
in *that* is one of the prices paid for the gift of power."

She glared at me.  "Do you speak from personal knowledge in that?"

I smiled.  "Yes.  When we first met, Kay emphasized it by eating the
leaves of the hemlock and describing the taste as 'tart', but not
unpleasant."

Then I traced a faint scar on my chest.  "This was caused by a
forgotten hunter's trap I stumbled into as a fox.  The bolt sped true,
and passed through my heart.  It was extremely painful, and I bled a
lot, but even as I recovered from my surprise and started the healing
process, I could feel my body repairing itself.  I honestly think I
would have survived without any effort expended, although my full
recovery would have taken much longer than it did."

Both of them touched me lightly and I could sense their wonder.  "To
live forever."  Cathy's voice was hushed, and filled with a yearning I
understood too well.

Becky's voice was tart, and filled with a satisfaction I also
understood.  "To know we will outlive the ones who used us, is enough
knowledge for me, sister.  They say time heals all hurts."

Then she kissed me.  "It matters little, how we found ourselves mated
with one who sees us as the people we are.  I, for one, will be
content to live in a now that lasts forever, so long as it includes
Merlin."

She grinned and shifted to her bitch form, then moved to sit on me.
"Stay as you are, Merlin, and be dog to my bitch."

I grinned at her.  "As you are so obviously comfortable where you are,
and I am content on my back, perhaps your sister will assist us, by
fitting our parts together?"

She giggled and scooted backwards slightly, until she she shifted
oddly and I felt my tip enter a softness unlike anything I'd ever
experienced with a woman.

She was watching my face but I could tell most of her attention was on
where her body touched my penis.  I felt a slightly lessened pressure
and she pushed backwards forcefully, to engulf me in a slippery heat
that I knew I'd never get tired of feeling.

Then she smiled.  "Unusual acts.  Body of a bitch, mind of a woman.  I
need no help.  Fuck me."

"No teasing, nothing to encourage your own pleasure?"

Her head tilted slightly.  "Your knowledge is not limitless, after
all.  The act of penetration pleasures me a great deal, even though
you cannot feel what is happening. It is something we have become
accustomed to, and we know how to control our responses, somewhat."

She giggled and spoke her next words to her sister.  "Perhaps, sister,
you should join me and let Merlin use his fingers and mind to learn
more about what his body feels, but does not tell him directly."

Cathy giggled, shifted, and then stood so I could study her
hindquarters.  "Enjoy the pleasures we have allowed no man, if you
dare."

My eyebrows went up, but I said nothing.  For an answer I gently
probed her nether region, and was unsurprised when she deliberately
lurched backwards until my finger was deep inside her body.  Then, I
was only bemused when she whispered  "Add as many fingers as you wish.
Your fist, if you feel the need.  The action will cause me no pain,
only pleasure."

I added two more fingers, and suddenly felt her body respond as if she
were trying to milk them.  Amazed, I looked at Becky.  "Two rings of
muscle are spasming, as if..."

She grinned.  "Yes, Merlin.  As soon as the penetration is complete,
we begin to orgasm.  The spasms will continue until you remove your
fingers, or the muscles are exhausted.  It is a great wonder that the
male cannot feel the pleasure he gives us, as long as he is inside.
The lack of sensations is true even for one of us, when we do the
penetration, and know what is happening."

I moved my fingers slightly, and the muscle activity increased.
"Amazing.  My fingers feel what my penis does not.  It is a profound
difference I did not expect."

Becky smiled, then rocked herself suggestively.  "Enough thinking! Do!
Feel!"

I laughed, then began to rock my hips while I searched for and found a
stroking with my fingers to match that action.

Then, satisfied with my solutions to the problems they presented, I
quit thinking and fucked them both, with all the skill my centuries of
life had given me.

This time I was the one who collapsed into exhaustion, and the twins
were kind enough to settle next to me in their human shapes, before we
let ourselves doze off in the afternoon shade.

* * *

The touch of a wet tongue awoke me, and I laughed and grabbed without
opening my eyes.

My eyes snapped open and I stared with surprise when my seeking hands
found not the wiry fur I expected, but the smooth fur of a hunting
hound.  "Kay!"

Then I remembered I had company and I lowered my voice.  "Is this
wise?"

She sighed.  "They sleep, and will not awaken until I release them to
do so."

I nodded with relief, then frowned.  "They fear you as dogs would,
because you were willing to destroy them."

Her whole body slumped in a rare display of dejection, and something I
couldn't put a name to.  "When they wake, tell them two things. First,
their purpose was achieved.  By their actions, they dispelled an
ignorance I never knew I had.  We owe them a debt of thanks for that."

I sighed.  "The second thing?"

She stood and scanned the surrounding forest before she walked over to
rest a paw on each of them in turn.  "There is something I must do.  A
quest, if you will.  Perhaps this is the time my teachers spoke of,
when we would meet again and I would know that we meet.  I find I must
do this, to soothe a conscience that needs to howl its pain into the
uncaring void."

She changed into a wolf and looked over her shoulder at me.  "Tell
them I will return to your sides only when they are skilled enough to
know the truth when it is spoken--and they are ready to hear the truth
of my love, for them as well as you."

Then she faced away from me again.  "They will awaken when their
bodies tell them it is time."

Before I could answer, she strode away and seemed to vanish into the
undergrowth almost as soon as she started moving.

* * *

"Merlin!"

"Umm?"

Cathy nudged me forcefully with her nose.  "What's wrong?"

I finally came out of my introspection and discovered both of them
were staring at me.  "Kay was here, and she told me to thank you for
removing an ignorance she didn't know she had."

Heads tilted, then they scanned the area and inhaled deeply through
their noses.  Cathy studied me before she spoke angrily.  "We detect
nothing.  Are you certain?  Perhaps you dreamed of her."

Becky chose to add to my confusion.  "I dreamed a dream I have not
dreamed since our hamlet cast us out.  Our mother touched us and
murmured soothing words that spoke of her love, but she still sent us
out to fend for ourselves."

I sighed.  "I woke when I felt a tongue laving my face tenderly.  I
reached blindly, expecting to feel one of you and your wiry fur.  I
touched fur I know well, but it belonged to neither of you.

"It was Kay, and I told her the reason for your fears."

Their ears shifted slightly to let me know they were still listening,
so I went on.

"She said your purpose was achieved and we owed you a great debt for
removing her ignorance.  Then..."

Cathy sneezed.  "Then?"

"She touched each of you with one of her paws and said she must go on
a quest to see if she can find those who first taught her, and that
she will not return to our sides until you have learned to know truth
when you hear it and be willing to accept that  truth when she speaks
of loving you as much as she does me."

Now, I frowned.  "Then she became a wolf, and left.  It was as if her
mind was already elsewhere, and she was not interested in anything I
had to say, so she didn't waste her time waiting for me to say it.
That is not like her.  Usually she has the patience to wait years for
my answers and thoughts, if she needs to."

We looked at each other for a long time in shared silence and
puzzlement, then they carefully quartered the area before Becky
suddenly became a human and reached for something she'd found on a
bush.

She came back and offered it to me.  "A single hair, unlike any I've
seen before.  The traces of a woman's odors are faint, but they match
my memories of Kay."

She turned at glared at the forest.  "We have learned to be light
sleepers.  Her presense *should* have woken us."

I sighed.  "I asked, and she said you would sleep until she allowed
you to waken normally.  It was prudence, nothing more."

Becky sneezed violently.  "Arrogance.  She owes us much, and someday
we will collect it from her."

I winced.  "I think she is already seeking to pay a price far greater
than any you would ask of her.  If I understand the sense of her
words, she has gone to seek her past, and absolution for a hurt she
caused for hundreds of years--without knowing she did so."

I studied the hair and sighed before I let it fall from my fingers.
"When she left, had you been awake, I think she would have accepted
the peace of death from your hands, or mine--if it was within our
powers to give it to her."

Cathy settled on her haunches and tilted her head.  "And her first
wish was that you thank us for the pain we caused her?"

"Yes."

"What a strange way of looking at the world, that she can thank
someone for causing her enough pain that she would accept death to get
rid of it.  Most people desire the death of the one causing the pain,
as she did immediately after we told her of our plans, and accused her
of embracing illusions as truth, when she was willing to raise her
hand and punish us for our presumption."

I couldn't stop a slight smile from forming.  "Evidence of another
difference between the two of you.  "You speak of death for the giver
of pain, Becky spoke of outliving the paingiver."

I wasn't surprised when they studied each other for a long time.
Eventually Becky sighed and settled a hand on my chest.  "If there is
a lesson here, we fail to see it."

I nodded and captured her hand.  "Several of them.  Everything that
happens to us makes us change in some way.  We can chose to grow, or
we can hide from the lessons being taught."

I sighed and closed my eyes.  "But the most important lesson here is a
harsher one, and difficult to accept.  We are tools, and tools get
used without regard for anything other than the needs of the user at
the time the tool is pressed into service.

"Think of the most absurd legend involving Kay and I, the one
involving the revelation of Excalibur.  Its blade is sharp, and
tempered.  Tempering involves heating the iron almost to destruction,
then a sudden chilling.  The process would be painful to a conscious
being, but we do it anyway, to make the blade stronger and better able
to perform later tasks."

I sighed again.  "Of the two of us, Kay is the more important, and
stronger.  Thus, the fires that temper her must be far hotter than the
ones used for my own tempering.

"We know this and accept it.  That does not mean we enjoy the process
when it happens."

The three of us were silent for a long time, until we finally settled
together to share warmth during the night.

From the subtle tones in her voice, I assumed it was Cathy who finally
broke the silence.  "She taught you, and you do not share her bias
against the mating of animals and humans?"

I knew I blushed before I answered her as calmly as I could, while
knowing I was probably going to hear some giggles, or worse.

"I know it happens, as does she.  The action has never been one I
thought of, for a very simple reason.  I am a shape shifter.  When I
wondered, I have always chosen a compatible form when I sample the
sexual activities permitted animals."

I sighed and hugged them while I waited for their muffled choking to
find its release in laughter.

After they calmed themselves, Cathy continued to speak for them both.
"Such a delicate way to say it.  How many sons and daughters of Merlin
are wandering the world?"

It was my turn to laugh.  "None undesired or accidental, that I know
of.  Kay was very thorough when she explained how babies are formed,
and the various ways I could prevent it from happening.  It was
embarrassing at the time, but now, when I look back, it was as if she
understood my nature better than I did, so she made sure of my skills
in that regard before she pronounced me fit company for others."

"So we do not need to worry about you fathering children on us?"

"There will be no children, unless we desire to have them."

She sighed.  "We think we cannot have them, anyway.  Many men have
taken us sexually, with our leave, because we knew we had no choice if
we wanted to survive a situation, and of course we have done many
things together, and we have never become pregnant."

It was my turn to sigh.  "Kay is better at checking, of course, but I
can do it at need.  Do you wish to know if you are capable of having
children, in either of your forms?  I can help you discover the skill
within you to find out, and later control your fertility so it happens
only when you desire it."

They looked at each other a long time, then turned back to me and
nodded.

This time it was Becky who spoke, and she did so in a whisper.
"Please.  We would like to know if we have the choice, after so many
years and unproductive matings that we fear we are truly barren."

I nodded back and spoke gently.  "Be still then, and do your best to
avoid responding as a woman, to my touches."

I reached and placed my hand on her stomach, then slowly moved it as I
searched for the subtle changes in the way her aura felt, that would
tell me where her womb was.

I found it, then pressed gently.  "Think as if you desired a child. It
doesn't matter who you want to be the father.  It is the act of
creation that you must think of."

Her aura changed slightly, but it wasn't with the intensity I was used
to feeling.  Further, while I could sense the knots in the aura Kay
had told me were a woman's eggs, there were very few of them.  Far
fewer than I usually found in a woman of her supposed age.

Oddly, those few knots were...  Far more 'intense' than I was used to
feeling.

Maybe I frowned.  I must have given some clue about my puzzlement
because Becky placed her hand on mine and spoke softly.  "What's
wrong?"

I looked at her worried eyes.  "I'm feeling something I've never felt
before, and I'm struggling to understand what it means."

I smiled.  "Relax.  Allow me to check the *other* way you may have
children, and perhaps that will provide me with enough to have a
better understanding of it all."

I shifted my hand and lightly clasped her testicles before I searched
her aura again.

"Think of siring children."

I winced at the sudden 'flare' of energy I felt.

I managed to not jerk away, but still I was smiling wryly when I
removed my hand fairly quickly.

I chuckled, and felt her relax.  "Well, Becky, I have no doubt you are
fertile in both aspects.  However..."

"However?"

I sobered.  "Your body appears to be female, but your fertility is
strongest as a male.  You are also fertile as a woman, but you have
few eggs, and thus few chances of conceiving.  On the other hand,
those few eggs are easy to feel when I search for them.  I'm guessing,
because I've never felt anything like their effects, but I think that
*if* you have children, they will probably become shape shifters and
mages."

Our hands met and clasped each other, then I smiled.  "I've no way to
be certain, of course.  Kay is the only other woman I know of who can
also wield the hidden powers of the world, and your aura feels nothing
like hers does."

She nodded, and then sighed.  "It is nice to know for certain, but I
do not like the idea of being more male than female in this."

I pulled her into a hug.  "What matters is how you think of yourself.
Once you learn more about the ways of power, you will be able to
choose to change your fertility, or even eliminate it completely,
until you consciously desire it back."

Then I let go and studied Cathy.  "And you, now that you know what I
may discover, and what you might learn for yourself?"

She nodded firmly.  "I need to know."

I reached for her, we did what was needed, and when I was done I was
shaking my head with mixed bemusement and humor.

She was watching me react, of course, and once she knew I was done
searching she spoke tartly.  "What did you learn, that has you ready
to let loose your laughter?"

I raised my eyebrows at how certain she was, and she grinned back.
"Perhaps we are not as unskilled at the nuances of shapeshifting as
you assumed.  'Body of a woman, nose of a bitch.' "

Becky giggled.  "Sister, I do believe the Great Merlin is embarrassed
to find himself so easily understood."

I thought about trying to regain a little of my lost dignity, but
quickly discarded that idea in favor of directness.

"Cathy, it is a wonder you have not had children every time you were
taken as a woman.  Your fertility as a female *exceeds* the male
fertility of your sister, while your male aspect is barely fertile.
The two of you are well matched outwardly, but inside, to one who can
'see', you are no more twins than I am a twin of the tree that we rest
beneath."

It was gratifying to see her flush with embarrassment when Becky
laughed and spoke calmly.  "It is good that I prefer to be female, and
you prefer to be male, when we play together, isn't it?"

When the sense of her words made itself known to me, I couldn't stop
my laughter.

Eventually the three of us wound up in a tumble of bodies that sought
to become one, again.

* * *

The next day, after we cleaned up and had a breif discussion about our
plans for the near future, we picked a direction at random, began
walking...

And I began to help my new companions learn the joys of working with
power.
---

End: 'The Truth is Never the Same Thing, Twice'
====

Fantasy Train
Merlin's Castle
-----

"About time the little idiot got here."  I mumble it to myself.

I'm waiting at a long unused train depot as the 'Fantasy Train' pulls
in.

I look at it and smile.  'Victorian Era.  How appropriate.  No telling
what or who I'll find inside though.'

I can see people peering out windows, a few arms wave greetings and a
couple of my closer friends shout their welcomes.

I sense a few people looking at me thoughtfully as they realize the
wizard's cloak I an wearing over my business suit is of a very ancient
design.

Ornate train doors slide open, a ramp extends to the platform and a
small figure steps forth to bow to me.  'He's got style' I think to
myself.  'No brains but he might just be able to pull this one off.'

"Greetings Master Merlin.

"Welcome aboard 'The Fantasy Train'."

I smile slightly at his greeting.

"Glad to be here.

"Lady Maria, Lord Shon"  I bow to the figures who step forth. "I am
honored that you have allowed me to accompany you and your guests."

"So formal Merlin?"  Maria's eyes twinkle as she gently chides me.

Shon smiles.  "You aren't so formal elsewhere."

"Circumstances alter things M'Lady, M'Lord.

I reach into my cloak and remove two smallish objects from one of my
pockets.

"I would like to present you both with these small tokens of my esteem
and gratitude."

Two sets of eyebrows raise as they realize I have handed them a couple
of electronic devices in the shape of ornate rings

"Magic is over-rated you know.  You don't have to remember any spells
to use these translators. Once the initial alignment is done, they use
focussed ultrasonics to stimulate the hearing directly.

"Not only that, they are more discrete than talking name badges.

"I have others for my guests and whoever else wishes to have one."

"M'Lady.  M'Lord."  I bow again.

"As for being too formal...

"There will be plenty of 'informality' - later."  I allow my lips to
quirk into a knowing smile.

"Let's not keep people waiting."

I remove my hat and casually toss it into the air. It vanishes and a
startled gasp tells me it's now hanging on the hat rack in the lounge
car.  Well, at least that's settled.  People know I'm no common
trickster.

As I step through the doors, I am greeted by Holtz's 'The Planets'.
"Knock it off Dora."  I subvocalize. "Some of these people have
brains."  I pause a beat.  "Unlike two I could name."

I step again and the music stops.

After doing the rounds and greeting and being greeted by some my
fellow passengers, I settle in a comfortable chair in the lounge car
and relax.

The tantalizing scent of sun-warmed fur alerts me to a presence I
hadn't expected.  A furred hand caresses the back of my neck while the
other one holds an ornate tankard in front of my face.

"Black Velvet." A delicate voice, filled with the nuances that come
from years of conscious control, whispers in my ear.

I take the tankard and set it on the table.  I reach for the still
extended arm and gently draw my benefactrix around and settle her on
my lap.

A lingering kiss and then, "Lady Chrystal.  A very welcome surprise.
Working or relaxing?"

I'm rewarded with a throaty chuckle.

"Both. Mistress Kay 'called' me.  Said something about 'The old fool's
gone and done it again.'  "  She tilts her vulpine head and studies
me.

"I told her I'd look into it."

We grin at each other.  "She knows us too well".  My softly spoken
comment is filled with a wry admission of the love I feel for the two
women closest to my heart.

"How's Nikki?"  I grin.

"Still cursing the day you created him."  She grins back.  "His heart
isn't in it of course.  He's having the time of his life right now.
Said something about a golden opportunity to thank you for all you've
done."

I wince.  Nikkolai is the greatest 'Bard' Rabelaisia has produced so
far.  Vel's also a Bard.  She inherited her family's fleet of cargo
vessels when slavers assassinated her entire clan in revenge for her
part in capturing some slavers years earlier.  Considering she and
Nikki have rather quirky senses of humor, I'm looking forward to
whatever they have planned.

I narrow my eyes in suspicion.  "Oh, very good Vel.  I almost missed
it.

"Well, it will have to wait until after I entertain my guests."  I
take the time to sip from my tankard.  "I'm looking forward to
whatever lesson the two of you have cooked up."

"Does it always have to be a lesson Merlin?"  She barely whispers it.
I can tell I've hurt her feelings.

I reach to wipe away the tears that have started to flow.  "No, it
doesn't. I've done you and Nikki an injustice.  I'm sorry.  Sometimes
I forget I have friends who are more than friends.  Sometimes, I'm so
wrapped up in creating an effect that I forget there are people I can
relax with." I pause and smile gently.

"Totally."  I get rewarded with a gentle kiss that is filled with
love.

She pulls back a bit to whisper: "We can't help who we are.  Just
because I'm 'working', it doesn't mean I'm not involved personally.
Few authors give their creations free will.

"Thank you.  For all of us."

As we nuzzle each other contentedly,  the people I've invited join us.

"So where did you decide to take us?"  It's one of my guests.

"Well...  It would be foolish of me to tell you since I want to keep
our destination and the entertainment I have planned a surprise -
wouldn't it?"  I grin.

"You're all very creative and have good imaginations.  Have fun
amusing yourselves."

I start chuckling gently.

"I am."  I lift my tankard in a silent toast.  The others raise their
containers of choice and reward me with thoughtful, exasperated or
amused looks as my words sink in.

* * *

There is a crackle of static and then the sound of a throat clearing.

"Next stop:  Merlin's Castle - All Hallow's Eve, 1999." I hear a
malicious chuckle that is quickly suppressed.  I sigh and wait for the
other boot to fall.

"Merlin, please have your guests ready to disembark."

I blink.  'Why you little sneak.  Set me up perfectly didn't you?'  He
didn't do a thing to surprise me - except doing nothing.

I give Vel a hug and a quick kiss.  "See you in my morning."

She chuckles softly. "Take care."

The nine of us gather and wait patiently as the train slows and
finally stops.

I gesture at the smoothly opening doors.

"Shall we?"

* * *

It's late afternoon and a whimsical breeze swirls around us in
greeting as we step through the doors and to the ground.

We pause to savor the heady tang of country air.  Nobody seems to
notice as the train moves off, entering a tunnel arch that swallows it
a car at a time.  A last, trailing whistle and we are caressed by the
sounds of a rural silence.

Before us is a gravel driveway that passes through  lawns, shrubs and
carefully maintained flower beds to...

"That's a castle?"  People are staring at a cluster of typical early
20th century farm buildings.

I chuckle as I produce something that looks suspiciously like a
universal remote control.

I hold it up so everyone can see it.

"Fully programmable and much more reliable than a wand.

"Unless the batteries go dead."

I point it in the general direction of the main house and push a
button.

"Behold!

"I give you Merlin's Castle.

"Be welcome my friends."

I chuckle again.  "The farm is a hologram.  We use it to surprise
guests."

Before us is a stone castle with all the trimmings.  Banners and flags
are draped and hanging from poles.  The groundskeepers are lined up on
either side of the walk that leads to the drawbridge.

"All very nice Merlin.  However...

"Solar panels, satellite dishes and a wind generator?"

I smile wryly.

"Magic is a lot of hard work most of the time.  Much easier to flip a
switch or watch the news than to use spells and spirits.

"More reliable too.

"Plus, since any magical being who comes here doesn't have to work as
hard, I don't have to be as careful about my incantations and spells.

"I've had some experience with poorly cast spells.  My helpers are a
bit more forgiving of my 'mistakes' and honor the intent as well as
the specifics.  Our relationships are not as adversarial as the
traditional ones tend to be.

I pause to study them as the implications begin to settle in.

"That lack of antagonism makes for more 'enjoyable' interaction in any
interpersonal relationships that might happen."

I start to walk up the drive.

"Come.  Lady Kay and her staff await your pleasures."

The two stone Irish Wolfhounds that guard the entrance suddenly
shimmer and come to life.  As they run towards us, they are barking
joyfully.

Both hit me at the same time and knock me down.  A couple of licks in
greeting and they shift again.

Once fully shifted, two naked hermaphrodites fall on me and begin to
nuzzle and otherwise make it clear that I am very, very welcome.

I hug each of them, bestow some deep kisses and then pull back a bit.

"Cathy, Becky.  We have guests I'd like you to meet."

"So?  Are they as horny as you are old hound?"

"They claim to be.  I imagine you'll have to find out on your own
though.

"As much as I would enjoy staying here, the gravel is digging into my
back and I think Kay would like a chance to settle our guests in for
their stay before things get out of hand.  You know how she gets if we
ignore protocol.

"Help me up you two."

A final grope each, quick kisses and we are standing once again.

I glance at each of my guests as Cathy and Becky flank me and I put an
arm around each slender waist.  Once we settle our positions, we
continue our sedate stroll to the drawbridge.

A few eyes are filled with speculative gleams.  Cathy and Becky are a
part of my life few have known about.

I whisper to Becky.  She grins at me and then turns her head to smile
at them.

"We're twins.  We're also fully functional."  I can feel her laughter
build up.  Before it rolls over everyone, she manages to get out three
more words.

"Fully willing too."

When we reach the edge of the drawbridge, the three of us stop.  Becky
and Cathy pull away and carefully straighten my clothing. Once
finished, they blur into their wolfhound forms and settle on their
haunches beside me.

Without looking around, I raise a hand and signal my friends to stop.

"Please friends. Pause and enjoy the view.  There are certain
formalities to be observed."

In the following silence, I make one last check to be sure my cloak is
just so.  I clap my hands together sharply from left to right and as I
draw them apart, a traditional wizard's hat is revealed.  It gets
carefully placed on my head.

Another clap, this time from high to low and I produce my wand.

With studied calm, I use the wand to produce an arch of water that
extends from each side of the drawbridge to a peak 15 feet above it.

As one, the hounds and I step forward and pause under it.

The polished oak gates swing open to reveal a woman dressed in a
simple country dress.

She walks forward until she is in the middle of the drawbridge.

She curtseys and then speaks.

"Merlin.

"Also known as Merlin and Master of The Castle.

"As it was. As it will be, I bid thee welcome to this, thy true home."

She raises her left hand and holds it there, palm towards me.

I raise my right hand and walk forward until our palms touch.

"Lady Kay.

"Keeper of Merlin's Castle.  Keeper of my true home.  Keeper of my
heart.

"As it was. As it shall always be, I greet thee and thank thee for thy
welcome."

We drop our hands, briefly  hug each other and turn to face our
guests.

"Now that the formalities are over, enter and be welcome my friends."

* * *

It's almost midnight and time for the promised entertainment.

I smile as I study my friends.

Each of them has chosen a personal attendant of whichever sex, form
and state of dress or undress they prefer.

We all enjoyed a traditional banquet in the main hall.

I turned them loose for a couple of hours so they could explore the
castle and discover or make plans for after they enjoy the
entertainment I've planned.

Now, as agreed, we are settled in the room I've chosen for the night's
entertainment.

After Kay and the twins serve refreshments, I walk over to the blank
wall and take the time to study them before I make my announcement.

Lord Shon:  Costumed in black and wearing a short sword, he carries
himself with the arrogant posture of a hiwayman.  Still,  lurking
behind that facade, I can see the power of a nobleman of good
breeding. It makes for an interesting contrast.

Maria:  She is the essence of old style Spanish nobility.  Her costume
is lace, frills, a billowing skirt...  Enchanting and very, very
feminine.

Starshadow:  I chuckle.  I was wondering how he would cope with
things.  He's not wearing any clothes at all.  Instead, he has long
'talons' on his hands. A silver chain is around his neck.  The
crucifix that dangles from that chain is nestled in the fur on his
chest.  He also wears a wreath of garlic on his head.  Werewolf.  He
certainly looks the part.

Something about his attendant puzzles me.  I thought I could recognize
my staff no matter what form they happen to wear.  Then, when she she
turns to me and winks, I realize it is Silky, his wife.

Virago:  Interesting.  Outfitted as an Amazon.  That she is
comfortable with the weapons she carries is obvious.  She radiates a
wild power that challenges any man who sees her.  'I dare you to try
and control me.  Fail and you pay *my* price.'

Lord Malinov:  Lord Darth Vader.  Black, brooding...  He wears the
part well.

Miss Behavin':  Not at all what I would have expected.  She's the
perfect picture of a Lady-in-Waiting.  As she catches me studying her,
she blushes, smiles and waves her fan in front of her face as if she
were slightly overheated.  I grin back.  So, she knows that side of
the part.  The silent signals.

Frank McCoy:  He's chosen a 20th century costume.  The stereotypical
'lab technician' complete with white coat and pocket protector.  His
'sword' is a slide-rule hanging from his belt.

Bronwen:  Well, she prides herself on clarity and professionalism.
She's dressed as a British Tart.  She could have stepped out of any of
the more risque erotic novels from the Victorian Era.

"Gentlebeings."  I wait until I have their attention.

I turn, wave my wand at the wall and a view of small clearing appears.
Seated on a large blanket are the twins and Kay.  I wave at them and
they wave back.

Once that is done, I turn back to my guests.

"The entertainment I've arranged for will arrive shortly.  I hope you
all find the diversity suitable to your individual tastes.

"I thank you for taking the time to join me."

I smile impishly.

"At this point, I'd just get in the way.

"So, during the first stage of the entertainment, since you won't be
needing me, I'll step outside to take care of some of the mundane
responsibilities of taking care of a castle.

I pause to sip from my tankard.

"Well, we're here to relax and have fun.

"While you're settled, be thinking about what fun you might find here.
You're all creative people.  There's any number of possibilities.  You
are in a genuine castle surrounded by a lovely forest.  You have
access to real magic.  There are other people here to enjoy
themselves...

"Considering the nature of the surroundings, the uses for magic and
the nature of time, I certainly won't be upset if you decide to try
and preview coming attractions or explore possibilities.

"Now, I leave the rest as an exercise in creative thinking."

I step though the image to join Kay, Cathy and Becky.  Once settled, I
turn slightly and smile as I wave to my friends

"Enjoy yourselves until I rejoin you."

* * *

It's midnight.  Lady Kay, the twins and I are settled in a forest
clearing after taking the time to settle our guests.

Right now, the twins are massaging the kinks and tenseness out of my
shoulders and neck.  Kay is seated opposite us and has a slight smile
on her face as she watches us with that seemingly infinite patience
she has.

I open my eyes and catch hers with them.

"Well, they brought it on themselves you know."  She isn't talking
about our guests. "You, you old lecher, *volunteered* to get
involved."

She shakes her head and laughs softly.   "I thought you knew better."

"Oh, I do."  I'm chuckling as I say it.

"On the other hand, no matter what happens, I'm looking forward to
recalling everything I'll have done.  At least this time the folks
involved are creative.  I won't be bored.

"I'll probably get saddled with a few more bad habits for a while.
But, I've had plenty of practice at gaining and losing those."

I grin ruefully.  "Right?"

She nods without losing her smile.

"Merlin, those folks are supposed to be mature adults.  Don't you even
think about it."  Cathy nudges me.  "They're out to have two weeks of
fun.  Don't you go meddling."

These three know me too well.

I caress Cathy's chest lightly.  "Only if you don't."

I'm rewarded with a soft sigh of pleasure and then a whispered
"Damnit!" from her and a quiet "Oops!" from Becky.

All three of them know of the conditions surrounding this two week
'vacation/orgy'.

Cathy and Becky had laughed so hard they were crying when I finished
my story.

Kay's comment had been: "Well, I suppose someone had to be that
stupid.  But, *both* of them?"

Becky eventually calmed enough to comment:  "You'd think that in a
world of computers and programming, Lord Shon would have taken more
care in phrasing his 'wish'."

All I could do was nod.  If programming is an exact language, 'Magic'
is even more exacting.  There are no shades involved.  All words have
a literal meaning in addition to their 'accepted' meanings.  Expressed
in wish format, there is no room for 'intent' or 'unspoken
conventions'.  There are other rules as well.  Unlike a poorly written
program, a wish will run to completion.  You can't stop it and 'modify
the code'.  All you can do is allow it to finish and hope you survive
to be able to repair any 'damage'.

Lord Shon, in his 'enthusiasm', didn't think to ask that people be
protected and kept safe from any possible consequences of actions done
while on this 'vacation' - *after* it is over.

Oh well.  As Kay, Cathy and Becky have pointed out, I'm not their
keeper.

I come out of my reverie to realize Kay has gone back to the castle
and the twins have managed to strip me.

"Well...  at least I can drink and not worry about any hangovers or
inability to 'perform' until I get off the train." I raise my tankard
of guinness in a toast. "To mistakes."

I drain it and toss it to one side.

"Now, where were we?"

The three of us snuggle and debate just how we are going to celebrate
being together again.

* * *

There is silence in the room as everyone waits for the entertainment
to arrive.

"Something about this situation doesn't make sense."  Lord Shon is the
first to speak his thoughts.  "I'm still waiting for any entertainment
to arrive.  That," he gestures at the wall,  "certainly isn't
entertaining me."

"You got that straight.  Nothing's arrived except refills for our
drinks."  It's Frank.

Bronwen chimes in.  "I'd almost say he's British.  Old style British.
Except that his sense of humor seems to be a mix of different styles.
I still haven't pinned down some of his jokes.

"You're right on one thing though.  Something about this whole deal
feels wrong somehow."

Maria suddenly sits up.

"I just realized something.  Definitions.  It isn't just that he is
good at the technical aspects most of the time.

"He *loves* language.  He plays with it.  Mocks it.  Makes it say what
he wants it to say even if it doesn't want to."

Virago holds up her hand.  "Did anyone else notice one of his
comments?  He chuckled and then said 'Now, I leave the rest as an
exercise in creative thinking.'

"Damnit, he hit us over the heads and we didn't even say ouch.

"He sees himself as a teacher.  A guide.  Somehow, our entertainment
ties into exactly what he told us before he left."  She looks like she
is going to say something more and then her mouth snaps shut.

She smiles. "Not somehow, it does.  Trust me."

There are slow nods as everyone considers recent events.

"I feel like Shaggy and Scooby should be here.  All Hallow's Eve, A
group of people distracted from sex because they expected an orgy to
end all orgies and got a casual 'I don't need to do anything, we're
here to relax and have fun.  You're creative, *you* figure out what
you want to do.  There's any number of possibilities.  You are in a
genuine castle surrounded by a lovely forest, you have access to real
magic.  What do you need me for?'..."  Miss B trails off suddenly.

"Why that sly, manipulative old dog."  She starts laughing.  "I
wondered why he included Lord Malinov and Frank.  It didn't make sense
at the time.  Now it does."  Her eyes gleam suddenly and she turns to
study the scene on the wall.

"Damn...  He's subtle sometimes."

At the moment, Cathy has her eyes closed and is moaning softly as his
hands wander her body.

Seven heads turn to look again.  You can almost hear their thoughts.
Subtle?  He's assured then that he says what he means.  How can that
be 'subtle'?

"Does anyone else wonder about our magic actually working?" Star's
comment jerks people around to stare at him.

"I know him a bit better than most.  One thing I do know is that he
values his privacy.

"So, I can't believe that he wouldn't plan for at least one of us
trying to catch him having sex or accidentally seeing him and his
lover.  The idea doesn't bother me but then I have a rather unusual
history.  Anyway, he tossed it in our faces when we got here.  Those
two dogs greeted him like he is their long lost lover.  Never mind
they are shape-shifted people.  The greeting itself is what's
important.

"I'll grant that all of us are the type to honor a person's privacy.
He did make it clear that he doesn't mind being watched.  What was it?
'We'll get together later.  In the meantime, I certainly won't be
upset if you decide to preview coming attractions."

"Shon.  You have an interest in magic.  Do you think a wizard of his
skill could set up a privacy screen of some sort?

"More to the point, he's obviously set something up.  But what?"  The
two of them look at each other.

Shon breaks the silence.  "You're right.  A bunch of horny people who
are fascinated by sex of one sort or another.  Further, he *could*
keep his privacy.  He knows we all have our squicks.  He's usually
gone out of his way to avoid offending people.  This is his home but
even so, I don't doubt that he'd do his best to avoid rubbing our
noses in things.

"He seems to take his fun very seriously.  He'll grant us the same.

"As our host, in this setting, he should be hovering over things to
see that we're happy.  Instead, he's acting like he doesn't care what
we do.

"That's totally out of character for him.  Nobody's that good at
hiding their true selves.

"Therefore, we have to accept he's staying within his ethos.

"Miss B?"

"Nope, you'll have to figure it out on your own.  That's part of it.
Each of us, as we figure out what's going on, has to step away and
wait for the rest of you."  She stretches lithely and smiles.  "As for
me, I'm going to go take a bath in the communual tub."  She pauses and
licks her lips.

"I'm not worried about my privacy being invaded either."

With that, she ankles out and they hear a splash as she jumps in the
tub.

StarShadow is swirling his drink as he thinks.  "Frank, you're the one
who is concerned about things being 'scientifically accurate'.

"What are you doing here?  Any ideas?  Stas has made it pretty clear
where he stands about people who let 'details' get in the way of
enjoying a story." They look at each other.

"I'm still getting over the surprise of hearing him call me 'friend'."
Frank muses about what is happening. "He's serious and I just *know*
it's not a term he uses lightly."

He gulps the rest of his drink. "Four men, four women. Logically,
there has to be a reason for that.  Most horny men, given a chance to
pick anyone to invite as their guests, would increase their chances of
getting laid by inviting more women."

He chuckles.  "Judging by his female companion on the train, he's got
*something* going for him.  It certainly isn't his looks."

"We know he's partly bi but mostly hetero, not afraid of his
sexuality, bends over backwards to try and see the other side...

"Yet, he grabs the eight of us, tells us we are welcome to join
him..."  His eyes widen.

He turns to the wall and points a shaking finger at it.  "You sorry
SOB.  I don't know if I should try to kill you or shake your hand.

"Your ego is a swelling pustule I desire greatly to pop open.  I want
to surround you with nubile children who do their best to excite you
to a frenzy your ethics won't let you consumate.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold.  I'd return the favor except I
know you'd laugh in my face."  He winds down as the others stare in
awe.

He gestures and refills his tankard.  Sipping at it thoughtfully, he
finally smiles lopsidedly.  "I think I'll go join Miss B."

"Two down." Lord M's comment is wry.  "So, are we going to sit here
and worry about not being entertained or just go enjoy ourselves
elsewhere?"

"Personally, I have to admire how he managed to take a bunch of sex
crazed authors and get us to forget, even for a few hours, our
'primary' objective."

"The whole *point* to this vacation was sex and..."  He pauses to look
into his tankard.

"Oh my.  That's rich."

He stands, faces the wall and bows.  "You are indeed, a Wizard of some
skill."

Smiling mysteriously, he walks out.

"Three down."  Bronwen comments dryly.  "Who's next?"

There is a long silence.

Maria's eyes widen and she lets out a moan that is almost orgasmic in
its intensity.  Those remaining jerk out of their reveries to stare at
her.

She's tranformed.

"Is there any doubt that he reads most of the messages in ASSD?"

Heads shake from side to side.  There are a couple of soft 'Nos'.

"He's also selective about what he comments on.  So are all of us."

Nods this time.

"Where  are you going with this Maria?"  It's Shon.

Maria giggles a bit and then looks each of the men up and down.

"Be creative.

"One, two, three, four.  Or, one, two, three, many."

"Many men together in his castle with many women."  Instead of
finishing, she rises from where she is sprawled in a couch.

She turns and curtseys to the figures on the wall.

As she walks out, they hear a soft.  "Muy juevos.  Indeed you do."

The remaining four look at each other and groan.

"A bloody punster.  We're sharing a castle with a punster."  Bronwen
sighs a bit.  "Well, everyone has their bad habits."

Shon waves her comment away.  "That's not the point.  What irritates
me is that he invited us here and then told us 'The entertainment I've
arranged for will arrive shortly.  I hope you all find the diversity
suitable to your individual tastes.'

"What entertainment?  I  think he conned us.  I for one..."  his eyes
glaze over and he groans.

"Oh."  He falls silent and turns to the wall.

He gestures and the scene in the clearing is replaced by a view of the
forest.

"I see.  You're right, Frank."  He straightens himself and smiles a
bit ruefully.

Without another word, he walks out.

Bronwen looks at the clock.  "Amazing.  We've been at this for only an
hour.  It seems longer."

"I'm as puzzled as the others were.  It's obvious that while he enjoys
sex and its possibilities, he's also indifferent about sex with any of
us.  If it happens, it happens and fine.  If not, he's equally happy.

"A very different personality  Not afraid to make his emotions clear.

"Rank, background, none of it means anything.

"I was halfway expecting him to either do his best to seduce me or
corner me about being a professional writer.

"In this world, hosts have duties.  So do guests and he could have
used that pressure..."

Her voice drops to a whisper. "He's kidding."  A long pause.  "No,
he's not."

A gesture and the wall once again shows Merlin and the twins.  The
three of them are stretched out on their backs with him in the middle.
They watch as he hugs Cathy and Becky to him.

A smile and he whispers...

"Context."

Bronwen's lips quirk slightly.  "Noted."

With that, she walks out and leaves Starshadow and Virago looking at
each other.

Starshadow raises an eyebrow.  "It was a fools' quest you know.  But
then, so are we all...

"At times."

Virago smiles back and raises her goblet in a toast.  "To fun.  And
all types of 'Fools'."

Two goblets are tossed into the fireplace to shatter.

They stand.  A bow, a curtsey and the two of them link arms before
going to join the others.

Behind them, three people step into the room.  The wall shimmers and
becomes a wall.

A door opens to reveal Kay, who is wearing her usual dress.

"Old Hound, I do believe your friends enjoyed the entertainment you
provided this evening.

"Though, it wasn't quite what they expected.

"Now."  Briskly.  "It's time for us to be proper hosts and make sure
the rest of their night is as relaxing and enjoyable for them as the
entertainment was."

Merlin grins back.  "But of course.  M'Lady."

He offers her his left arm.  She links her right arm with his and
together, they follow the sounds of merry laughter and splashing to
their source.

* * *

"Merlin!"

"Join us!"

"Becky?  Cathy?  The 'Magnificent Merlin' would be suitable don't you
think?"

They grin as their strong hands grab me on either side.  A couple of
warmup swings and with a mighty heave, they toss me towards the center
of the 'bath'.

I shout:  "TAAAADAAA!" and twist so I am flat on my back as I hit the
water.

There is a stunned silence as I surface.  Everyone is soaked.
Laughing, I find my way to an empty area along the side and settle.

As if nothing unusual had happened, I ask.  "Now, you were saying? And
I do hope you enjoyed the entertainment I provided this evening. I was
very careful in planning it so there was something suitable for each
of you."

"Muy juevos!"

I grin at Maria.  "Indeed."

I nod my head in respect to each of the eight. "My friends.  Indeed it
does take 'muy juevos' when one takes on the task of trying to
entertain a group such as yourselves.  'Friend' is much more than a
word to those of us who maintain Merlin's Castle.  Call my
'entertainment' a measure of the respect I have for each of you.  A
respect that goes beyond any differences of opinions.

"It wasn't easy finding a form of entertainment that all of you might
enjoy.  I wasn't sure it would work.  I had to trust that all of you
would enjoy being the center of a mystery story in which you were
given the clues, a solution and the further requirement that once you
finished creating your part of the story, it was obvious and you could
quit participating.

"Me?"  I shrug and look down at the water.  "If people I consider my
friends are happy, I am happy."

"Given the 'conditions' of this vacation,"  I pause to grin at
Bronwen,  "I felt some misdirection was needed."

I shrug slightly and smile.  "I'm looking forward to whatever the
future brings."

"Lord Shon.  A  wish that turns outward in joy rather than inward in
selfishness is indeed rare.

"And, never misplaced." I hold up a hand to silence him.  "No matter
how you arrived at it, it was *your* decision to make.  Leave it at
that my friend."

"Thank you."

[insert rest of details of relaxed whatever here - involved people to
be determined]

There are twelve of us waiting on the drawbridge.  With the exception
of Kay, we're all  bleary-eyed, a bit disheveled and punch-drunk from
lack of sleep.

As we watch the sunrise, I think about the night's events and chuckle
softly.

First,  we see a bright light coming towards us.  Next, we hear the
evocative sound of a steam whistle.

Finally, dawn's light glittering from its polished surfaces, steam
billowing, brakes squealing, the Fantasy Train pulls in.  As the
engine passes us, a grinning face leans out of the engine cab and
shouts:

"FANTASY TRAIN!         ALLLLLLLL  ABOARD!"
====

End: Luck Bringers: 1/3 Pre Lady Chrystal

-- 
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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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