This is the fifth chapter of a six part story. I recommend reading all chapters, but if you want to read only this one, here is what happened so far:

For three years, Laura has suffered due to a mysterious pendant that suddenly appeared in the small town of Leskow. First her class mate Martin controlled her with the help of the pendant, and then her former math teacher Mr. Seger did the same. In the end, Martin returned. Eventually Laura always managed to free herself and now has the pendant in her possession. Though her plan was to destroy it, she now decides to use its power for herself.

~~~~~

The waves of Lake Leskow splash gently against the shore of the perfectly round, small island. The brightly green grass on the island and the long reeds growing around it sway in a gentle breeze. The island lies right in the middle of the lake. On it, its outlines set sharply against the evening sky, stands a castle. Its delicate towers stand tall, their roofs sparkling golden in the evening light. The castle gives an almost surreal quality to the idyllic picture of forest, water, and setting sun. Like a page torn from a book of fairy tales.

Not far from the castle, at the shore of the lake, lies the small town of Leskow. On this warm summer evening, everyone in the town seems to be taking a small break: People are looking up from their daily work, to enjoy this scene of peace and beauty. Their faces rapt, their mouths open, everyone displays an expression of breathless admiration. All have turned towards the castle, which is bathed in a golden glow as the sun slowly sinks down behind the trees.

Were a stranger to walk into Leskow this very evening, he would surely join the citizens in their admiration, all the while wondering how happy they must be to have a view like this one in front of their eyes, every day of their lives. The stranger would not be able to stop thinking about how wonderful life in a town like this must be. He would feel envy for all those people living in such a tidy and quiet place. He would be amazed at the peace of the little town. There are no arguments ever to be heard in Leskow, everyone is content. The people of Leskow love their little town, they love each other, and more than anything else, they love their queen.

And the queen loves her subject. She loves the little town that she rules over. Every evening she steps out of her castle, stands at the shore of her little island, and looks over the dark waters towards Leskow, to the simple houses standing opposite her majestic home, bathed in the same golden evening light. Her most trusted servants surround her; they never step away from her side. The lake lies calmly in front of her, the muddy waters tamed. To the queen, Lake Leskow is the beginning and the end of all: She was born from this lake.

***

From the moment that Laura stepped out of the waters of Lake Leskow, the locket's chain hanging around her neck, she knew what she had to do. She did not have to learn how to use the little piece of jewelry; it was, as if all the skills Martin and Mr. Seger had acquired through practice and hard work throughout the last three years, were transferred to her automatically. The young woman and the locket seemingly became one; they belonged together. There were no questions for Laura anymore. Her own future, the future of the world, and her own role in it: All of it was a path she could see clearly laid out in front of her. All she had to do was step onto that path. And now, that she knew, she was more than willing to do so.

Now, the power of the locket was hers alone, and anyone who had taken part in making her suffer during the last years would feel the consequences. Of course, her true enemies had been Martin and Mr. Seger, and they were both dead, and thus beyond even Laura's reach. Everyone else, however, was still there: All those people the two of them had used to torture and humiliate her again and again were still living their safe and happy lives in Leskow. They would have to suffer now. She would take revenge on them, on all those young men from school, who had been coming to the forest on Martin's orders. For the rest of the town's inhabitants, however, Laura was planning to be a gentle queen, strict when necessary, but fair and loving.

Though she was still naked, Laura held her head majestically high as she strode through the forest, towards Leskow. The closer she got to the small town, the more people she met. Some of them were taking afternoon walks in the forest; others lived in the outskirts of Leskow and were working in their gardens. The people stopped their walks and their work as they saw her coming. They bowed their heads respectfully. Not one of them remarked on her lack of clothes -- in fact, not one of them seemed to notice. Once Laura had passed them, they followed her at a certain distance, awaiting their queen's orders.

Finally, Laura stepped once again toward the shore of Lake Leskow, but not in the forest this time. As she stood on the meadow next to the school, the whole population of Leskow gathered in a half circle around her. Vaguely she remembered standing at this very place two years previously, gazing out over the water: She had awoken for a few moments back then, but now it seemed to her like a long forgotten dream. This had not been her; this had been a different Laura. Now she was queen.

With a benevolent smile on her face, the queen turned around to face her subjects. The crowd stirred and moments later a young woman stepped forward, falling onto her knees in front of Laura. She lifted up a long, cream colored dress, presenting it to her queen. Despite its simplicity, the dress was exquisite and clearly expensive. There was only one shop in Leskow that sold such dresses, and Laura had always wondered who in town could even afford to buy anything there. After all, throughout most of her life she would not even have been able to buy a T-shirt in that shop, and she was by no means from a poor family. Now, however, as queen, she clearly needed dresses befitting her status. A queen can't be naked in front of her subordinates.

As soon as she had thought that, the people of Leskow turned away respectfully, allowing their queen privacy, as she with some difficulty slipped into the dress. The dress was really quite different from the jeans and t-shirt Laura was used to wearing. As she allowed her the people to face her again, the crowd gasped and then broke out in cheers of pride: They had a beautiful queen. Laura let her gaze wander from face to face. She had an appropriate dress now. She would need servants, too. And a castle.

The queen turned to the lake. She lifted both hands, pointing their palms towards the dark waters, from which immediately bubbles started to rise; at first a few, then more and more, as if the whole lake was boiling. After a few moments, the outline of something big appeared under the water's surface. Something was slowly rising up from the lake's bottom, like a huge animal or a submarine. The crowd, however, did not seem surprised or scared. Instead they started cheering happily, as the playful little rooftop towers, the jutties and arched windows of a fairy tale castle slowly rose out of the water. After a few minutes, the whole building stood on an island in the middle of the lake.

The castle and the perfectly round island appeared to be illustrations in a fairy tale, but there they were, they were real. The waves of the lake splashed soothingly against the islands shoreline, as if they had been doing so since the beginning of time.

Now, all the queen had to do was find a way to get to her castle. The waters of the lake were one of the few things that did not obey Laura's will yet, she had to cross them somehow. It only took her a few moments to find a solution: Along with the whole population of the small town, the members of Leskow's Rowing and Sailing Club were also present at the lake. The queen called them forward and sent them to get their boats. She would choose the best boat. For now that would suffice as an appropriate means of transport. Two young men, former classmates of Laura, were to be her rowing staff. Laura vaguely remembered that those two had enjoyed more than one intimate encounter with her the year before last, due to Mr. Seger's twisted plans. Thus it was just appropriate they would now have to serve her, she deduced.

As all the most urgent matters had been attended to, the queen ordered the two of them to transport her across the water, to her castle. Her other subjects could continue with their daily lives for now. After all, the town had to be kept running. The queen wanted her people to be happy; she wanted them to live good and normal lives. Of course, there were exceptions: All those young men and women who had visited the upper grades of Leskow's school along with Laura, and graduated sometime in the last few years, could not join their fellow citizens anymore. They had to follow their queen to the island.

Gathered in a luxuriously decorated entry hall, they waited motionless and in silence, while their queen rested. Eventually, when she had gathered new strength, the returned to them to decide who of the young people would be her servant from now on. The ones upon which this honor befell clapped their hands in joy, before they quickly hurried out of sight to start with their various tasks right away. Mysteriously they knew at once what had to be done to make their queen happy, without that Laura herself was required to spend more than a fleeting thought on those tasks. Others were not so lucky: They were sent down to the castle's prison cells. There was no trouble caused, they went there quietly and without protest -- after thanking their queen for giving them a proper and just punishment.

***

"Ready... Steady... Go!"

On their queen's command, nine young men jumped into the cool water of Lake Leskow. Their fluid motion was synchronized so perfectly, they appeared to be one body and one mind. Looking at their masculine, muscular bodies, Laura unwillingly let her tongue wander over her lips. For a moment, she was surprised at herself. Should she not feel disgust at the sight of any man, after all that had been done to her? Her body seemed to think otherwise -- Laura felt a certain tingling sensation, a certain warmth in her groin, at the thought of the strong arms of one of them holding her.

Maybe she should order one of the contestants to her room this night? Which one? This wasn't an easy choice... The queen decided to let luck decide. After all, this was a new era, she explained in the speech she gave to her people at the festival site. Any explanation was superfluous, of course. The people of Leskow knew that the queen was right in everything she did. Still, it felt good to put her thoughts into words: This was a new era, it was thus appropriate to alter the rules of the diving competition a little bit. The winner of the big event of Leskow's "Castle Festival" should from now on receive a little more than just a victory kiss. Just the thought of it made her heart beat faster in anticipation.

Every now and then, the head of one of the young men appeared above the water's surface, so he could catch breath. However, all nine of them gave their best. They stayed under water as long as they possibly could; searching the ground of Lake Leskow for the small box Laura had dropped into the water from a boat, hours earlier. It was an honor to win this contest, and an honor to give your best for Leskow, and for Leskow's queen.

The people at the lake shore cheered, the constant buzz of their voices rising and falling, but never breaking off completely. They had forgotten the accident, which three years ago had brought an abrupt end to the most important tradition of this festival. Laura did not think about it either. What was one dead man, who had perished years ago, against the joy of a celebration for her town? And at last the title "Castle Festival" had become one of true meaning -- the queens palace was towering proudly on its little island, its towers pointing into the bright blue September sky.

Laura did not waste her time wondering why she had been able to suddenly make a castle appear out of the lake. She did not care whether it had been there before, or whether she had created it -- she just knew that this castle was hers. She was sure that it belonged to Leskow, and that she belonged into the castle, as Leskow's queen. Maybe, somehow, all of this was connected to the castle festival -- in a way, it seemed to Laura, this castle was in fact what the divers had been looking for throughout the centuries. Year after year, during hundreds of diving contests, they had been searching the lake's ground for this castle, and for their queen.

***

"Oh! Yes!"

Never in her life had Laura come as strong as this day. For a few moments all darkness seemed to disappear, she saw bright lights even though her eyes were shut, and the castle's vast bedroom was echoing with her lustful cries.

As her orgasm -- the third of the night -- slowly ebbed away, Laura remained motionless for a few moments, her body limp, her skin shining with sweat, and her chest heaving. For those few moments, the world ceased to exist. Or, at least, to matter.

It took Laura a little while to find back into reality, to catch breath again and orientate. Finally, the queen opened her eyes. There was a face above her, the face of the surprisingly handsome young man, who had won this afternoon's contest. He smiled down at her, though his eyes seemed somewhat unfocused.

He was still hard inside her, but the queen had gotten what she wanted now. There was no reason for him to come; he would not know how to appreciate it anyway. As soon as Laura thought that, the man withdrew from her, rolling to the side -- for a moment, she believed to see something like disappointment in his eyes. She knew, however, that in fact he could not even know what was happening, what he had been doing.

The queen, on the other hand, knew. Her heartbeat was still not quite back to normal, while a wonderful heaviness was surging through her body, a calmness she had not known in years. This was surely one of the best ideas she had in a while, Laura mused. For the first time, she was not someone's toy. All she had ever known about sex was Martin's and Mr. Seger's perverted fantasies. All she had ever experienced were the things they forced her to do. Now, for the first time, her body was not an object used by others to satisfy their own needs. No, this time, she used the power of the locket for her own enjoyment. She had sex, exactly when and how and with whom she wanted. And it was better than she could ever have imagined.

Or maybe, Laura thought on, this was more akin to masturbation. After all, the man had not been truly conscious of his actions. Rather, he was just obeying her orders. Laura pushed away those thoughts. She had gotten good at this: There were many thoughts she was pushing away these days. Thoughts that did not befit a queen. Thoughts that brought complications to something that should be clear and obvious.

This was no time for this type of concern. What she was doing was nothing more than her natural privilege as queen. She would go on like this, every night from now on, the queen decided. There were many good looking young men in Leskow, and she would play with each and every one of them. That much, at least, the people of Leskow owed her. After all, she was their queen, and she had saved all of them from Martin's macabre plans -- whatever they had been.

Happily, Laura rolled to the side, and right away the young man beside her, who had remained quiet and motionless until now, put his arm around her, allowing her to snuggle up to his warm body. Within minutes, Laura was asleep.

***

It was the middle of November, already, but it was still as warm as an August day might be. The sun was shining down onto Leskow from a cloudless, bright blue sky. This glorious sky and this bright sun appeared above the little town every day, without fail. They seemed to illustrate the fortune and happiness of all people living here. The queen loved wandering through the streets of her small kingdom, followed by her most trusted servants. She loved seeing the smiling faces of her subjects, as they bowed their heads to their queen. No matter what they were doing before -- the daily tasks that had become the fulfillment of their lives -- they would stop, as soon as their queen approached, and kneel down at the side of the road.

"Thank you!"

The queen's eyes fell on a little girl. The child fell to her knees in Laura's path, her face lifted up in admiration. Laura's heart seemed to melt, as the child looked right at her from round blue eyes, not yet displaying the polite shyness all adults showed in front of their queen. The girl was beside herself with joy: She had dreamt of meeting the queen, of thanking her for all the kind things she did for Leskow.

"You may stand up", the queen said, her voice softer than usual, and the child stood up, but curtsied before her a few times.

"What are you thanking me for, my dear child?" Laura asked. She knew the answer -- still, she never grew tired of hearing those words.

"I thank you for being our queen. I thank you for allowing us to see you every day. I thank you for taking care of our needs, and helping us to be better people. I thank you for being allowed to be one of your subjects."

The queen smiled and patted the girl on her head, as the people gathered there on the street sighed in one voice. Then the queen continued on her way through town, without another word, while the child hurried back to her mother's arms.

***

His lips and tongue were soft, his mouth tasted wonderful, and he was a great kisser. She had made the right choice, the queen decided happily. She would spend this night with him, and she was sure she could expect an exciting night. The young man was only a few years older than her, with dark hair and beautiful brown eyes, his body well toned, but not exaggeratedly so. He was exactly her type. She did not know his name, but that didn't matter -- there was no need to address him.

For just a moment, it occurred to Laura that she could let go of her control over the man's mind. It was not unlikely that he would enjoy their encounter just as much as she did, if he was given the chance. Laura knew how to please a man; she enjoyed it, just as much as she enjoyed being pleased. Free will, however, was not good for the people of Leskow, or people in general -- that was one of the things the queen had finally understood that day, months ago, when she had put the chain with the pendant around her neck. And apart from that -- could she really be sure this man knew how to satisfy her, if left to his own means? If she stayed in control of his mind, she could at least be sure she got everything out of this night that she was hoping for.

The queen stopped the kiss, and the man looked down at her expectantly, while Laura lay down on the bed. She shifted a little bit to one side, and then to the other, until she found a comfortable position, and opened her silk robe. Her figure was not as slim and girlish anymore as it had been back at the time, many years ago, when the pendant had first started turning her life upside down. She had grown up, matured, had become more feminine -- though these curves were newly acquired, showing the improvement in living conditions she had experienced in the last few months. However, though her figure was more rounded than it used to be, she was still far from having any weight problems. In fact, she could admit to herself without hesitation, she looked just about perfect now. The man would surely have agreed, had he been conscious of her nude presence right in front of him. He would definitely have enjoyed the feeling of her soft, smooth skin under his hands and the view of her perfectly shaped breasts, the queen was sure of that. However, she did not need his approval, not anymore. She knew she was beautiful.
The queen took a little cushion and placed it underneath her behind, making her hip tilt upwards a little bit -- that way, her sex was in easy reach for the young man, and that could only be to her own advantage as well. He got down onto his knees and arms in front of her quickly, stroking up the insides of her legs gently until his fingers reached her labia. He pulled them a little bit apart and then pressed his tongue at first right into the moist cave of her sex, seemingly savoring her taste, before the tip of his tongue wandered upward in between her lips, slowly, until it reached the little pearl that formed the centre of her lust. A tremor went through Laura's body as he let his tongue dance and flick there, and she uttered a low moan when his lips closed around her clit and he started sucking gently.

The queen closed her eyes to be able to just enjoy, concentrate only on the sensation. The man's tongue was now moving up and down the little pearl slowly but with more pressure, and she could give herself fully to the feelings this caused. She forgot that all he did was just due to her unspoken orders. Soon enough, Laura's breath got faster, she pressed her feet onto the bed sheet to push up her hips even a little further, pressing her sex against his mouth, and little groans and moans escaped between her half-opened lips.

Finally, when the pressure building up in her body seemed too much to bear, just before Laura was sure she couldn't take it any longer, everything erupted into an explosion of lust that filled her out completely, made her body thrash on the bed uncontrollably. She heard her own cries as if from far away, pushed up her hips even higher and wrapped her legs around her lover's shoulders once she regained control of them -- she did not want him to stop yet.

Of course she knew he wouldn't stop before she ordered him to, but just now she did not think about such details, she acted purely on instinct. And those instincts told her she needed to make sure that he kept licking and sucking until the last wave of her release had undulated through her body. Only then the queen let go of him, allowed him to catch his own breath, while she opened her eyes. For a while, both of their chests were heaving in the same, fast rhythm, the room was filled with the sound of both sucking in air and the heavy smell of the queen's sex.

When the queen's breath calmed down, her head sank back into the cushions. She felt heavy now, tired, satisfyingly exhausted -- yet this was by far not the end of the night. She had more in mind. She just needed a few minutes to relax, to enjoy the afterglow before starting anew. Finally, she let the man lean over her, and he started kissing her again.

Laura could taste her own juices on his lips. The taste awoke a secret curiosity in her -- did other women taste the same? She vaguely suspected that she had been wondering about this before, but only now the thought managed to surface. Maybe she should call a woman to her bed one of these days. She was the queen after all, no one would think anything of it, what she did was always the best for her people. And, the queen continued the thought, there weren't many men left in Leskow, whom she hadn't spent a night with yet -- if she discounted those that were too old, too young, or just not her type, she would soon be forced to look in other directions, unless she wanted to risk boredom.

Enough of that for now! The queen pushed those thoughts out of her mind again -- there would be time to ponder those things later on. For now, she should just enjoy being with this man, not think about others.

As soon as she thought this, she felt his manhood against her sex, demanding entrance. The queen opened her own legs further; this was an audience she would surely grant. She felt him pushing her labia apart, felt his cock bit by bit sliding into her. Almost exasperatingly slowly and careful at first, but as soon as the queen considered urging him on, he picked up momentum and thrust into her with force. A low moan escaped Laura's mouth. How she had missed this feeling of being filled out completely. He had indeed been a good choice, he was a perfect fit. For a moment Laura allowed herself to get used to the sensation, then she let him start fucking her, first gently again, then increasing in force and speed, until the room was filled with the sound of Laura's moans and of flesh slapping against flesh. Everything was perfect -- his thrusts grew faster and slower, or deeper and shallower, just as Laura wanted it, and always in the right angle.

After a while she wanted to change position, and he obliged immediately. Their connection never broke, as they turned at first to the side, and then Laura got onto all fours, facing away from him. He followed all her movements swiftly, his cock buried deep in her pussy. Now, kneeling behind her, he continued to drive his cock into her, each impact pushing her closer to the edge. One of his hands rested on her behind, while the other one reached around, fondling her breasts, and then stroking downwards along her belly until he reached her sex. His fingers found the little pearl at its top, and he started playing with it, the same way his tongue had played with it before.

It didn't take long before Laura felt she once more was rising up on a wave of ecstasy that was close to breaking point. As she felt her release emanating into every corner of her body, she let him come as well, enjoying the sensation of his cock growing yet harder inside her for a second, before his hot seed spilled into her. He remained silent, while the sound of her voice echoed through the castle.

Laura needed a few moments to regain control of her body; then she rolled up in a fetal position on the bed and made him wrap his arms protectively around her, pulling her body to his, so her behind was pressed against his stomach. She fell asleep quickly, as every evening, and before she sank into a dreamless darkness, a vague memory appeared in her mind. The memory of other arms, which had held her once, and of a time when she had been happier, despite everything she had now...

However, when the first rays of the sun fell onto her bed the next morning, and she opened her eyes to see another brilliantly blue sky through her bedroom windows, she did not remember that memory anymore.

***

The weather changed exactly on December 1st.

It had been warm and sunny up to that day, even in November there had been barely any rain: In fact, it had rained just enough to keep the forest from drying out completely, and those few soft rains had only taken place at night time. Now, however, it was December, and December was the month of Christmas, after all. And what is Christmas without snow? Laura at least was always in favor of a white Christmas, and thus it cooled down considerably starting at the beginning of December. There were more clouds in the sky now, even if there were always a few spots of blue between them, and the leafs, which had turned colorful many weeks earlier, but miraculously remained on the trees, started falling down at last.

On the morning of the First Advent Sunday, the grass in the parks, in the forest and on Laura's little island was covered with a thin coating of ice -- the queen decided to wear a beautiful ice blue dress, studded with diamonds, whose sparkle competed with nature's white frosting. On the Second Advent Sunday, the first snowflakes danced lazily down from the sky. The lake froze, and soon the ice would be thick enough to carry a person. The boats, currently pushing their way from the island to the town and back through a narrow channel in the ice, would not be necessary anymore.

All over the town there were cutely decorated Christmas trees, the queen had them be put up during the first week of December -- this year's festive season was going to be the most beautiful one Leskow had ever experienced.

There was a little bitterness in Laura's heart, even though she looked forward to Christmas: All the people around her would not be able to appreciate the beauty she created for them. The bright eyes and excited faces of the children, the secretive whispers of their parents, all of this would be her own creation. Whenever she had time to think, it felt like a movie, like one of these surreal Christmas-Shows on TV. Laura threw herself deeper into the preparations, kept busy, so she would not have time to think. And if the queen was busy, so were the people of Leskow.

Every now and then, Laura missed company, a conversation, a friend. Of course she could speak to the people of Leskow, they were all her faithful servants, and they were all able to say interesting things, they could even be funny and entertaining if need be, as soon as the queen demanded it. Somehow, however, Laura missed arguments; she missed someone disagreeing with her, talking back at her. Sometimes she almost wished for some resistance, and if it was just so she could prove that she could overcome such obstacles.

Of course she could and would not give in to such impulses. Arguments, resistance, disagreement -- all those things were the root of unhappiness, and the queen wanted all people in the world to be happy. And at least for the people of Leskow, this wish had come through. The queen's reign gave their little world stability; thanks to her, their town had become the perfect place to be. What else could any of them wish for?

And once she was done here, once everything was running smoothly, she planned to help the rest of the world. That should be challenge enough, the queen told herself. Her work would only be done when no person in the whole world had to struggle anymore, hurt their head by having to think, to take decisions, to ponder problems. No one should ever again be unhappy, due to having taken a wrong decision or because of unforeseen events.

In a way, Laura realized, she envied the people of the world. She had fought to free herself of the pendant, yet now, that she was using the pendant for the good of mankind, she was the only one that could not reap the benefits. Back then, it had all been different. Mr. Seger and Martin used the pendant's power for their own benefit, they suppressed others. Laura, the queen, wanted only what was best for everyone...

All of a sudden, the queen stopped, torn out of her thoughts, and looked up. Something was not right. She had been walking down Leskow's main street, enjoying the fresh winter air. She looked around. Everything seemed exactly as it should. A thick layer of snow was covering the ground; the lights on the little Christmas trees in front of the shops were shining. The sky was bright and blue; now that enough snow had fallen, clouds were not needed anymore. What could it have been, that she had caught in the corner of her eye? Her brain had barely registered the disturbing sight, she did not remember what it had been, but something had to be amiss. Whatever it was, she could not find it anymore.

Finally, the queen decided to walk on. If it was so invisible, it could not have been important. Shrugging her shoulders, she took a first step, when finally, her eyes found what they had been looking for: Next to the big festival meadow, there were a few old-fashioned houses. Newly restored a few years earlier, their walls painted in soft pastel colors. One of the most beautiful sights in town, the queen thought, and she had taken care that these house were kept exceptionally clean. On one wall, however, half hidden behind another Christmas tree, there was some graffiti now.

Of course, graffiti a used to be a common sight in Leskow, and these houses had been no exception there. Their walls were tempting in their bright cleanliness and at their backsides, facing the festival grounds, one ran little risk of being seen at night. Throughout the last few months, however, the queen had all those colorful smears removed. She did not want her town desecrated by vandalism, and she doubted she could have overseen even one.

The queen stepped closer, walking around the tall Christmas tree. There it was. The writing on the wall looked fresh. It wasn't a colorful artistic name, written in a way that you could barely distinguish the individual letters, as there used to be so many in Leskow up until the summer. No, though this was also only one word, it was clearly a message, its contents more important than the look of the slightly disproportionate black letters.

"Freedom!"

The word touched her in a strange way, like a distant memory, a longing that she could not put into words anymore. Freedom...

Then the moment passed, and the longing was replaced by rage. The queen was angry. Who had dared to do something like that without her permission? Who was threatening her? She knew that this one word was a threat against her, personally. Someone was resisting. And that was what scared Laura most: Who was able to resist her? Who would ask for freedom; and freedom for whom? The people of Leskow were happy; she had ordered them to be happy. This one word on the wall was threatening everything she had built up. She had to find the culprit, right away.

The queen held her breath, as she let her connection with the pendant grow stronger, more conscious than it had been for months. As the little jewel was pulsating warmly against her chest, she could feel her mind reaching out to every single inhabitant of Leskow. She could feel the people's immediate response, could feel them expecting her commands. Was there any shady corner she had overseen? Any blind spot, any absence? Any resistance? No. The queen could feel every one of them. Leskow was hers entirely. But then, who had written that word on the wall?

***

The girl was 18, maybe 19 years old. Laura had only noticed her for the first time a few days ago: She wasn't sure what had made her chose this girl. Maybe it was her beautiful long, dark hair, maybe it were the soft, youthful features of her face, or maybe it was the fact that something about that girl reminded her of herself -- of herself a time long ago, when she had no idea yet of the future. A time in which she couldn't have guessed the trials that awaited her, or the greatness she was destined for. Suddenly, the memory of her own 18th birthday emerged in her mind. She had forgotten all about that day, but now, seeing this girl, she remembered all the excitement she had felt back then, walking through the summer forest to meet Daniel at the little clearing near the lake...

Daniel... Strange, that he was on her mind all of a sudden. She hadn't thought of him in a long time. Maybe the girl was to be blamed for that, too: Somehow, she reminded the queen not only of herself, but also of Daniel. She had the same dark eyes, a similar smile. In fact, her resemblance to the love of her youth was quite striking. Laura started going through the names of his many cousins -- Daniel was from a large family -- in her mind, to see if any of them fit the girl. As much as she tried, however, she could not come up with more than half of them. And did it really matter? This was not Daniel, sitting opposite her, but a beautiful young woman, the one she had picked to be her companion for the night.

The girl looked back at Laura, her eyes slightly glazed over, but her expression somehow expectant, and suddenly Laura felt compelled to cast her eyes down shyly. This was new for her as well. She had wanted to call a woman to her quarters in the evening for a long time -- she started growing bored of the men of Leskow -- but only today she was finally going through with it.

The young woman was dressed in a thick sweater; it was winter after all. Underneath, however, Laura believed to make out the curves of a very feminine body. A deep curiosity arose in her. What would she look like naked? What would it feel like to touch her?

Of course, Laura had seen more than one naked woman in her life, in the changing room before gym class, for example, or even at the nude section of Lake Leskow's beach-- but this was different. Back then, it had never occurred to her to grant any of her classmates or friends a second look. Now, however, she wanted this young woman to be naked just for her. As soon as she had thought this, the young woman stood up and started undressing, her movements much more elegant and seductive than Laura ever had managed. Laura grew more excited with every piece of clothing that dark haired beauty in front of her shed.

Soon, she could not contain herself any longer: Slowly, she lifted a hand, reaching towards the girl's breasts. They were shaped quite differently than hers, a bit more pointed, and the nipples were bigger and surrounded by very dark areola. Would they feel different too? A slight shiver went through Laura, as her fingertips made contact with the smooth skin. Fascinated, she stroked the girl's breasts gently, cupped the firm flesh. The young woman willingly stepped closer and leaned down to give the queen full access to the soft orbs. For a while, all that could be heard in the royal quarters was Laura's slightly elevated breaths as she explored the other woman's breasts first with her hand, and after a while, also with her mouth.

The girl's nipples rose, her body reacting to the queen's attentions, her breath, however, remained steady. Laura was sure she would react differently to a similar treatment; and she was longing now to try that out. She wanted to be touched in the same way. Thus, the girl helped her out of her royal dress, before she, in turn, started gently stroking and cupping Laura's breasts. The queen closed her eyes and sank back onto her bed, while the young woman started sucking her nipples, swirling her tongue around them.

Sure enough, Laura did not remain silent. Her breath became ragged and interrupted by low moans, as the girl, her mouth continuously at Laura's breasts, let her fingers slowly trail down along Laura's stomach, until they reached her royal sex. Soon enough the young woman's fingers found Laura's little pearl of lust, went lower, to dip into Laura's sex in search of moisture, before returning to the small button and moving over it in tiny circles.

As Laura's moans grew more urgent, her hips moving involuntarily, the girl's fingers returned to the entrance of her moist cave, gently pushing apart her labia to enter her...

***

The queen greeted the New Year with the most amazing fireworks the small town of Leskow had ever seen. The dark skies were lit up in the brightest colours, reflected a thousand times on the surface of the lake. To watch them, the queen stood alone on top of the highest tower in her castle. The cheerful explosions lifted her spirits: Had there ever been anything that beautiful?

The inhabitants of Leskow, on the other hand, went on with their daily business as if nothing was going on. Why should they get to watch the fireworks? Yes, they would cheer, if they were here. They would applaud and cry hooray in the most perfect manner. However, Laura had noticed that their cheers never reached their eyes. Those empty eyes made her sad. The queen knew that she was the only one in town who could appreciate the beauty of these fireworks, so she should be the only one who got to admire them.

A last explosion echoed over the lake, bathing the island and the closest houses at the shore in red and green light. And in this short moment that the darkness on the ground was lit, the queen discovered a lonely figure standing near the water. The shadow of a person at the public bath, standing on a jetty and looking out over the lake, seemingly completely transfixed by the fireworks.

The queen felt her heart beating wildly, and she was sure she was trembling in fury. Who was that? Who dared to disobey her orders?

She tried to forge a direct link to the person down there at the shore, reaching out for their mind with her own. The pulsating locket on her chest seemed to match the rhythm of her heartbeat. The queen could feel all of Leskow's inhabitants, asleep or awake, linked to her mind. She searched, tried to filter out that one person she was aiming for. She could not find him. Not one person under her control was anywhere near the public bath. The person standing there was a blank spot in her mind. He was completely out of her reach.
"He has to get arrested!" she thought, knowing, that at the very same moment all of Leskow's policemen jumped into their cars to drive to the lake's shore as quickly as they could.

The queen furrowed her brow. For another second, a remnant of the firework's explosions still echoed over the lake, then it was silent -- but the strange person still stood motionless on their place, looking out over the water. Looking, the queen suddenly realized with a chill, right at her castle; looking at her.

Then, suddenly, Leskow's main street was bathed in blue and red light again, as the sound of a police siren drew closer. For just a moment, Laura was distracted by the sound, looked away from the jetty as the police car stopped and the police men jumped out, ready to run towards the offender. When the queen's eyes returned to the lake, the stranger was gone.

***

"This is so much better than any porn could ever be", Laura thought. Of course, she had never actually seen any porn, nor even felt the wish to watch it. Still, this was better, she was sure.

One of Leskow's men -- she did not bother remembering their names anymore -- was lying in front of her, on his back. On top of him, straddling him and impaling herself on his manhood, was the beautiful black haired girl, who had become one of her favorites after that first night. And then, on top of her, another young man... The queen watched in fascination, her eyes glued to the girl's sex, as she saw the one man's cock thrusting into it again and again, while the other's manhood slowly, carefully, forced its way into her other hole.

It was nice to lie here, watch them, while leaning back on a wide, soft sofa. In front of the queen another young woman was kneeling, this one a blonde. Laura was almost sure she had been beauty queen at the castle festival once, a few years ago. Well, that meant she deserved the honor of pleasuring her queen with her tongue.

Laura did not dwell on the fact that all this was not too different to what Martin and Mr. Seger had done to her throughout the last years. In fact, the memory of these events was buried so deeply in her mind, she barely connected them to her own life anymore. No, that had been a different reality. This was different, she lived in a different world now, and so did the people of Leskow.

These people in front of her might not be aware of what was going on, on first view they were being forced to do things they might not have dared to engage in if fully conscious -- but the queen was sure they would enjoy every minute of it, if they could. Their lustful moans and cries sounded almost real, as real as the queen's own arousal that wiped any hesitation or feeling of remorse from her mind.

The rhythm, with which the two men pounded into the young woman, grew faster, their thrusts more forceful. While she watched the three of them, Laura imagined the feel of their well-sized cocks inside her own narrow caves, imagined to be in the girl's place. Yet, in some small corner of her mind, she was glad that she wasn't.

The air was thick with the smell of the woman's pussy and the two men's sweat. The queen could feel the arousal of the people in front of her. Or rather, the arousal they would have felt had they been conscious, was instead focused in her mind, on her body. In a way she was them, she received all the sensations they should be feeling, while she could remain on her throne and oversee everything. The combined sensations of those three sent delicious trembles up her spine, chasing any clear thought out of her head. Somehow, just for a moment, an idea appeared; inspired by the image in front of her and the groans filling the room, the queen suddenly saw a similar scene. This time, however, not only three or four people were involved -- but instead thirty or forty. Or maybe even hundreds of them?

Then the queen allowed the three people in front of her to switch their position: The girl now came to be on all fours, taking one cock -- the one that had been in her pussy before -- into her mouth, while the other man continued with his relentless assault of her asshole.

As she took in the view of those three, the queen forgot her ideas and thoughts. She only concentrated on the show in front of her, enjoying the sight of the one cock sliding in and out the tight hole, of the breasts of the girl swinging freely in the air in the same rhythm, and of the other cock being buried so deeply in her throat that the young woman's nose was surrounded by the man's dark pubic hair. All of this combined with the intermingling sounds of their groans and the slapping of flesh on flesh.

The queen stopped thinking about future plans, she let herself be carried away by the scent of sex in the air, while the eager tongue of the other girl swirled faster and faster on her little nub -- it soon all became too much for Laura, she couldn't drag it out any longer. Her own orgasm almost surprised her, overwhelmed her in its strength. She only marginally registered that the others came with her, even the girl that had been licking her, though she had not received any stimulation herself.

***

As February started, the queen decided that she had seen enough snow and winter for the year. As soon as she thought this, the weather turned better. By mid February it was so warm and sunny that the first leaves started to appear on the trees. Had one of Leskow's inhabitants suddenly woken up, they would certainly have believed that May was not far anymore.

The queen enjoyed the beautiful weather by taking long walks along the shores of Lake Leskow. She rarely went into town anymore, however: The people there, her subjects, and their never changing routines bored her. She preferred to be in the middle of nature, breathe in the fresh air, let flowers spring to life on the meadows and whither again within minutes, just to blossom another time afterwards. On her orders, nature prepared a red carpet of flowers for her, no matter where the queen turned her steps.

In the meantime, the inhabitants of Leskow had a lot of work to do: The queen had decided to let them restore and modernize some of the old mansions of the town, and build a few new houses of similar size, that her favorite ... she almost called them "toys" in her mind ... subjects could live in. This, of course, was just the beginning. She was planning on giving the little town a whole new face. Leskow was going to be the most impressive of all towns in the area.

The queen looked up. Without realizing it, her feet had carried her to the familiar little clearing on which Martin's hut was still standing. She was overcome by a strange mixture of emotions. This was the location of some of the worst moments of her life, the climax of three years of torture. She was free now, but the memories still made her tremble. And yet, there was something comfortably familiar to this place, some other, long-forgotten memories connected to it. Laura felt as if she was looking for something that she could only find here, though she had no idea what that could be.

The clearing lay peacefully in the bright sunlight, surrounded by tall trees swaying softly in a light breeze. The view of the small wooden house added to the idyllic atmosphere, grass growing tall next to its walls, smoke rising up from the chimney... Smoke? The queen's eyes, taking in the scenery in front of her, jumped back to the hut. Indeed, there was smoke coming out of the chimney. Nobody was living in the hut anymore, since Martin's and Mr. Seger's deaths. All inhabitants of Leskow were occupied on the construction sites for the new palaces, and she, the queen, lived in her castle of course. A small hut in the forest might look like a nice retreat, but it was by no means befitting for a queen.

There was no one in Leskow who could be living in the hut. No one had a reason to. Who then had lit a fire in its fireplace, though? Who was there, hiding from the tasks she had set all her subjects, from the work she had demanded all of them to do?

The queen tested the area with her mind, tried to feel some human presence in the surroundings with which she could build up a connection. There was nothing there, at least no one that she could put under her control. A suspicion rose in her: In some way, this had to be connected to the stranger she saw at the public bath a few months ago. The stranger who could suddenly disappear without her noticing, who was completely out of her control. For the first time in many months, the queen felt fear.

For a while, she stood undecidedly on the clearing. She considered calling some of her subjects: She wanted to enter the hut, and doing so alone could be quite dangerous. Without the locket's power she was just a normal person, she suddenly realized. And not even a strong person. Without the locket, she was nothing but a girl who had never even done a self-defense course or learned anything else that might be useful in the face of danger, nor did she carry any weapons to defend herself.

Laura's curiosity, however, was stronger than her fear. The queen did not want to wait until her servants were able to reach her -- they couldn't drive through the forest, and on foot even the closest of them might need another half hour. No, she would find out what was going on now and here. After taking a deep breath, Laura started walking toward the little house.

It was quite dark inside, and after she entered the hut, it took her eyes a few moments to grow used to that darkness: At first, she could not see anything. And then, before her eyes adjusted, a sudden blow against her chest made Laura stumble back out of the hut and fall onto her behind on the grass of the clearing. A shriek of intermingled panic and anger echoed through the forest: There was indeed someone inside the little house, someone who was on his way out, and pushed the queen rudely out of his way, with no respect for decorum.

He ran past her before Laura had fully regained her senses, and thus all she could see was a tall figure disappearing beneath the trees. She did not see the face of the slender, dark haired man, and the air around the clearing and in the forest were as void of any human mind for her to control as it had before. It was, as if he did not exist.

***

He did not return. The queen posted guards near the hut: Day and night they were hiding in the bushes nearby, but they did not see anyone. The fire in the oven had gone out long ago; no more smoke was rising up from the chimney. The queen herself searched the hut for any traces of the stranger's identity, but all she could find were a few blankets, a coat, and a few tins with food, obviously stolen from one of Leskow's supermarkets. Nothing, that indicated in any way, who this stranger was.

Standing by the window in her castle's greatest hall, the queen anxiously looked out over the lake. She stood here a lot, yet she barely saw the beauty she had created around her. She seemed unable to enjoy the warm spring air, the blossoming trees. All she could think about was this strange man.

Who was he? Why had he come here of all places, and why was she not able to control him, not even to trace him in any way? The queen withdrew more and more, rarely interacting with the people of Leskow at all. They still did all she ordered them to do, of course, even if those orders were unspoken. However, the connection she had with them did not feel comfortable and close anymore. It felt like a distance as growing between her and them, like they were of a different species. She barely noticed her subjects when she saw them, as if they were just part of the town's architecture, decoration, not really people. Who really cared if they were happy, or at least appeared to be? They certainly weren't in any state to care. They were under her control. That was all that mattered.

The town was quiet, for now. The old saying of the calm before the storm went through the queen's mind. Was there a storm coming? Was the stranger that storm? Again, the stranger... He just would not go out of her mind. He was a danger she had never been able to take into account. Was he able to destroy everything she had built up with so much hard work?

Who was he? And where was he? The forest had been searched on the queen's orders, several times in fact; no stone was left unturned, no blade of grass uncombed, and her guards were not only keeping watch over the hut, but also near all empty houses in Leskow. She even had got dogs set on the stranger's scent, with the help of the blanket she had found in the hut. To no avail, he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Yet, the queen was sure that he had not left Leskow.

***

The queen decided to start the summer with a big celebration for the town. She did not really feel like celebrating, her mind was preoccupied with the stranger. This celebration, however, had been on her mind before he turned up. It was for the people of Leskow... and for their queen. Some mysterious stranger, no matter how uncontrollable his mind, would not spoil all of this for her. She, the queen of Leskow, and soon of so much more, would not allow him to destroy this new world she had created for her subjects, simply by his existence. No, the people of Leskow should be allowed to have some fun -- more fun than during those boring festivities that had taken place throughout all the previous years, the years they had lived without a queen. And she had her very own ideas when it came to defining "fun".

As all festivities in Leskow, this one too was to take place on the great meadow by the lake. Of course, the location had to be adequately prepared. The queen wanted the place to be more beautiful than it had been on any other occasion, she wanted this to be a festival whose memory the centuries would not delete. It was not necessary to put up tents, of course -- thanks to her locket, the queen could guarantee perfect weather for the occasion.

She wanted, however, enough light in the later hours of the evening. The lamp posts her subjects put up looked beautiful. They were made of old fashioned-looking wrought iron; they had been produced in Leskow, just for the festival. At first, the queen had considered trying to stop the sun from going down, slowing down the earth's turns -- but she realized that this might be too big a task even for her. She did not want to risk the disappointment a failure might cause her, nor did she want the uproar this kind of action would inevitably cause everywhere outside of Leskow. In the end, the lamps were the more elegant solution, lending the festival grounds a timelessly festive air.

*

Finally the day had arrived. Laura felt giddy. She hadn't been this excited in too many years to remember. On the festival site, there were hundreds of tables, laden with all types of food she could imagine, the best Leskow had to offer. Big barrels of beer and wine were waiting to be drunk. The people of Leskow stood on the meadow in light summer clothes, expectantly looking up to the stage, waiting for their queen to welcome them.

And they did not have to wait long. Dressed into a gown made of white silk and light as a summer cloud, she stepped onto the stage, towards the microphone. Thousands of upturned faces looked at her, gasped at the beauty of her appearance. The queen knew that none of those people gathered in front of her would really hear her welcome speech. It did not really matter what she would say. All she was doing here was to keep up appearances. After all, this day was supposed to be perfect. There was no reason to be nervous -- but strangely, she realized, that her hands were shaking a little bit. The queen took a deep breath, before she started speaking.

"My subjects, I welcome you", her voice thundered through the small town -- she startled herself a bit with the volume of her speech. "You have come together here today to celebrate me, to celebrate yourself, to celebrate this new era for Leskow, an era that you have had the fortune of enjoying for almost a year by now."

She let the people cheer for a while, taking a sip from a glass of water someone hurried to hand her in the meantime. Looking out over the applauding crowd, the queen sighed in relief. Her speech was going well; there was no reason to worry. She should do this every day. When eventually she grew bored of their "hoorays" and the applause, the queen continued her address.

"Leskow is now the happiest town in this world. It has been thusly for a year now. For a year, not one of you is lonesome anymore; no one is sad, no one gets sick or hurt in any way. You all know that this is my doing; you know that you are happy because I, your queen, am taking care of you every minute of the day. And today, finally, I will give you the opportunity to show me how thankful you are."

Then the queen graciously took a step towards her subjects. All faces turned up towards her expectantly, as she lifted her royal robes, revealing her naked body underneath. She vaguely remembered having read once, in her old life, of a queen or empress, who had all visitors kiss her sex as a sign of respect -- and that was exactly what she had in mind now for the good people of Leskow. At least for those she liked well enough.

All inhabitants of Leskow had to stand up in a row -- everyone over eighteen had come to the meadow, only the children and teenagers remained absent from the festival, for them Laura had set up a different festival site in a park at the other end of town. They could enjoy ice cream and cotton candy to their heart's content there; ride on merry-go-rounds or roller coasters. Her festival was not meant for them, today she only wanted Leskow's grown-up population to be with her.

Now, one after the other of the festival guests walked up onto the stage, to their queen: She had placed a small wooden staircase right next to it; it was just a few steps for them to reach her. Those men and women that had not found the queen's favor, because of their looks or because of the memories of old and less happy times that they evoked, were sent to the side. The others, however, all bowed before they pressed a kiss onto her sex, and then went to the side again, to make space for the next person awaiting their turn. Every now and then, someone appeared whom the queen particularly liked: Those people were allowed to linger a bit longer, their lips and tongues performing more than just a simple kiss.

It was especially at those locations, that the queen's arousal rose: Each new touch of her subject's soft lips, each tongue that she allowed to flick over her little pearl of lust, let her moan and crave for yet more. However, this was an official occasion; a certain protocol had to be kept. And since most of those attentions to her royal sex only lasted a few seconds, at most a few minutes, the queen could keep her reaction to the sensations in check. She did not want to reach her climax yet. This day was going to be a long one; the festival should be thoroughly enjoyed. This day, after all, was for the people of Leskow.

Leskow was not a big town. Still, there were quite a few inhabitants who met Laura's requirements; the ceremony took its time. Finally, however, every one of them had greeted their queen in the appropriate way. Now Laura allowed her subjects to enjoy a great buffet lunch. She needed this break, and a few choice pieces of meat that one of her servants brought her. The people of Leskow needed to eat as well: They would still need their strength this day, after all. For a while, nothing was heard at the festival meadow, other than the sound of chewing and a few content remarks about the quality of the food. The queen did not like mindless chatter, and thus her subjects ate mainly in silence.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk to their heart's content -- or rather, the amount that the queen thought appropriate for each of them -- the people of Leskow put away their empty plates and without any hesitation started to take off the scant summer clothes they were wearing. They all commenced undressing at the same instant, following a secret command. Soon the whole town stood naked in front of their queen, their faces once more turned up to her stage in expectation. The queen smiled down at the naked townspeople. She had a special dessert in store for them.
The queen let her gaze sweep over the naked masses in front of her: Men and women, young and old, slender and sturdy -- well-built and less well-built bodies with tanned or pale skin, some with freckles; some entirely shaved and others hairy. A mild smile crossed the queen's face. They were all her subjects, and she loved them all, no matter what they looked like. Well, almost all of them. Still, she had to chose, and of course it would be unbefitting for a queen, if she was seen with anyone less than perfect. Thus, the queen selected the man and the woman most pleasing to her eyes. Two tall young people, with smooth, soft skin and shiny hair. The woman's breasts were perfect orbs, more than what was needed to fill one hand and yet just small enough to not look unnatural on her slender body. The man was muscular, but not exaggeratedly so, and he was -- this had been the queen's main motivation for choosing him -- very well endowed.

Yes, she nodded to herself, as the two of them once more climbed the little staircase to join their queen on the stage. Yes, they are the best ones. Their first task was to take off her royal robes for her.

Then Laura stood naked in front of her subjects. Her pale skin was almost gleaming in the bright sun light, her soft curves showing the improvement her life had experienced during this last year -- though she was still slender. Instantly, the people gathered in front of the stage started cheering and applauding loudly. The man and woman she had selected out of the crowd were still standing on the stage, flanking their queen each to one side. The queen now allowed them to turn towards her, look at her royal body. Then she first pulled the man closer, kissing him tenderly to the cheers of her audience. After that she turned to the woman, who she kissed more deeply. This was the command the people of Leskow had waited for: They all turned to the people standing next to them, no matter whether they were close friends or even relatives, or complete strangers, and started exchanging fervent kisses.

The queen let go of the woman and went to settle down on the majestic throne that was standing on the stage. This seat had been built just for that day; it was decorated with gold and gem stones, and made more comfortable by silk cushions.

The man and the woman both stood silently where the queen left them, looking down to the masses below the stage. They watched the people kissing each other, and watched how a small sign of the queen let their kisses grow wilder, hungrier. Soon each of the people started to touch anyone they could reach, stroking their skin, searching for their sex. The people moved closer together, rubbing their skin against that of their neighbor; soon their bodies were glistening with sweat. No one seemed to care whether the recipient of their affections was a man or a woman, a friend or a relative.

The queen spread her legs, and the young woman on the stage turned away from the people. Instead, she knelt down in front of her queen and touched her lips to her sex. Laura could feel the warmth of her breath before the soft lips of the woman touched her and then parted. The girl's tongue found her queen's pearl of lust, circled it carefully, and then started flicking against it more resolutely.

A wave of pleasure seemed to crash over Laura. Yet it was only partly caused by the girl's skillful attentions -- rather, it was the view in front of the stage that made her breath increase: Everywhere on the meadow, the inhabitants of Leskow eagerly started to copy their queen. Hundreds of men were hiding their heads between the legs of whichever woman they found nearest to them, and just as many women were willingly accepting into their mouths whichever cock they had the best access to; and in just as many cases women were eagerly licking other women, or men receiving other men into their mouths.

Even though they were outdoors and a fresh breeze was blowing over the meadow, the air was heavy with the smell of sex and sweat. The heat rising up from the heaving mass of bodies was palpable, and the queen had difficulties telling where one body ended and the next one started. In fact, not even the people on the meadow themselves seemed to know or care whose body, whose arms or hands or breasts or pussies or cocks they were touching. Randomly they reached out for whatever parts of any other human they could reach, only driven by the desire to touch, to knead, to suck, to lick, to rub their own skin against human flesh.

While the girl up on the stage continued kneeling in front of the queen, licking and sucking eagerly, the young man stepped closer to her. Standing behind the kneeling girl, he reached for her behind with his large hands, starting to knead the cheeks thoroughly and giving them a well measured slap every now and then. Laura could tell that his hands were strong, and she saw tremors going through the girl's body every now and then. After a while, the man's fingers began searching for the young woman's sex, and soon started pushing into the warm, moist cave. Laura watched all of this, her eyes bright with fascination.

The young woman moaned against the queen's sex, but she did not allow the man to distract her from her task. She concentrated on the royal treasure, spending all her attentions to the little diamond on top, which she licked and sucked with dedication. She did not let go, even as the man's cock entered her in one heavy thrust, letting yet another tremor shake her body. The queen was sure to not only see this tremor, not only feel the girl's head vibrating against her womanhood -- but feel everything inside herself, as if the body of the girl was just an extension of her own.

For a while, Laura allowed the girl to stop the busy work with her tongue. She closed her legs and leaned back, letting the girl and the man concentrate on each other. She wanted to just sit there for a while, on her throne, watching the couple in front of her and the people around her, combining them anew, choosing people to do the things she wanted to see. Here, she let a woman lick her husband's cum out of another woman's pussy; there she created a sandwich with two recent graduates of Leskow's school and one of their former teachers. For a while she just gave herself into the enjoyment of watching the heaving mass of sweaty bodies, and breathing in the heavy smell of cum and female secretions in the air.

Then the queen opened her legs again and the girl, still on all fours, crawled back to her place. The man followed her, his heavy thrusts unceasing. The queen sighed in content, as once more she felt the touch of the young woman's warm and eager tongue. From her slightly elevated position on the throne, she also got a good view of the young man's cock, each time it appeared for a second, glistening with juices, just to disappear again between the girl's legs.

Along with their queen's lust, the arousal of everyone in the area seemed to rise. Everyone on the meadow was busy fucking, licking, sucking; faster and faster, wilder, less controlled, driven by an urge most people of Leskow might never have given into so completely had they been conscious. Body slammed against sweaty body, groans and moans filled the air with a strange music, rising up to a scream of thousands of voices. Laura felt her whole body and mind filled to the brim with a lust that was not only her own, but that of the whole town.

When she finally came, the whole town came with her. The force of thousands of simultaneous orgasms seemed to crash over her like a wave, carrying her along with a force she feared might tear her apart -- though at the same time, she did not care if it broke her.

***

While Laura was still struggling to catch breath again, she felt the cool touch of a small breeze on her skin, helping her to cool down. The people of Leskow around her did not need to calm down, they had started turning towards each other again, fornicating with whoever was located most conveniently. However, the heaving mass of flesh in front of her, the groans and the sound of flesh slapping against sweaty flesh, had suddenly lost its appeal for Laura. She felt distant, like none of this concerned her anymore.

The girl kept away from the queen now, knowing without words that she was not needed nor wanted anymore. The queen did not want to feel her eager tongue anymore, nor did she want any of Leskow's people touch her now. Instead, she let three more men climb up onto the stage, to take the girl at the same time, pounding relentlessly into her pussy, her ass, her mouth -- the queen knew exactly what they were doing, but she did not want to watch.

Laura wasn't sure exactly why she suddenly only felt disgust, instead of arousal. Maybe her own confusion had turned her off; the fact, that she had no idea about how to continue now. The problem wasn't the orgy that was still unfolding in front of her eyes -- it was obvious how that would go on. But after that? What would happen the next morning and the mornings after that? The queen had anticipated this festival for months; she had lived for this day. It was the symbol of her work for Leskow, it was the crown jewel in all the beautiful things she had wanted to give the town. And now the big day had arrived, she had proved that she could get the town's people to really do anything she wanted. She had shown that she had ultimate power. Shown whom? The people who continued to fornicate on the festival meadow, without thought or reason? They did not care. She had shown herself, proved to herself that she could do whatever she wanted to. And for some reason the result bored her.

As the queen sat on her throne, pondering those somber thoughts, dark clouds hurriedly made their way over the sky. What had been a beautiful day promised to turn into a stormy afternoon: Soon the clouds were turning the bright day intended for Leskow's festival into a gray one, hiding the blue of the sky and the warmth of the sun.

Clouds? The queen looked up in surprise. Her forehead wrinkled, as she stared at the dark gray front of storm building up there in the sky. She had not called any clouds. She did not want clouds. Nor did she want this strange wind that dried up the sweat on her skin and made her shiver from the cold. The people on the meadow did not mind, of course, nor did they seem to notice the first heavy drops of rain falling down on them. They went on, as the rain increased, falling onto their naked skin, onto the meadow, and onto their queen's nose, shoulders and hair.

Something was very wrong. The queen stared up at the clouds. They had to go. With all her might, she demanded them to withdraw, to let the warm sun rays through to Leskow again. The locket on her chest started pulsating, it grew warmer. She could feel the power emanating from it, and for a moment, the thick layer of clouds seemed to grow thinner. The dark gray of the sky changed into a slightly lighter shade. However, the clouds fought back, they resisted. The moment the queen relaxed the slightest bit, they returned to their place on the sky, determined to let rain fall onto the small town for as long as they wanted.

No. The queen shook her head. Those clouds could not have a will. They were inanimate objects and she had learned to control them so long ago, that it had become second nature. If they suddenly refused her orders, there had to be something else behind it. Another power, just as strong as her own, and giving its own orders to the clouds.

Yes, there was someone else. Someone else who was using a power like the one of the locket. The queen could feel it -- the moment she realized it, she felt a power that was present everywhere, fighting against her, fighting against the queen of Leskow. It had been there for a while, she just had not realized. And there was something else she felt, other than this ominous power. Suddenly the queen realized that all those weeks and months, since the beginning of the New Year, she was feeling a true human presence in her town: The presence of someone who had not lost his will and mind.

There was someone there, who was out of her control. Now that she realized this, the queen could feel him more clearly than ever before: The stranger, fighting against her. And he was just as powerful as she, the queen, was herself.

The clouds above Leskow grew thicker again, their gray turning into a dark metallic blue, and a low grumble announced the approaching thunder storm: This wasn't an ordinary storm, the queen knew. This was more than the collision of weather fronts. What was colliding there, above Leskow, was her and the power of the locket, and that other power, the stranger, the one who wanted to take everything away from her and from the town for which she had worked so hard.

Little pearls of sweat formed on the queen's forehead once again, this time due to exhaustion. She still stood on the stage without moving, yet she did not notice anymore that the people of Leskow continued fucking and licking and sucking each other as if nothing was going on.

Anyone looking at her might have thought she was lost in thought, staring into emptiness. In fact, at this very moment, the queen conjured more strength than she had ever in her life. Her brow furrowed, her face a masque, she tried to push the clouds away, to defeat whoever was defying her. The sudden bright light of a flash of lightning and the deafening grumble of thunder following the very next moment could not break her concentration. Yet, it was to no avail: The rain increased, and soon the festive meadow and all the naked people on it were covered in mud.

And then, suddenly, he stood there, on the jetty at the nearby public bath, exactly where he had stood the first time the queen saw him. From her elevated position on the stage she could just make him out. He stood motionless, just as he had that day when the queen had discovered him from the castle's window. This time, however, he wasn't looking out over the water but was turned inland. Despite the distance, he seemed to be looking right at her and with a chill the queen realized that his eyes were set right on her.

Laura's heart started beating wildly. For a moment she considered just running away or at least ordering some of her guard to come with her and protect her. However, she knew it would be of no use. If he could send this rain, rain she had not asked for nor wanted, then he would be able to use her own people against her. She had to face him alone. If she wanted to stay in power, once and for all, she would have to fight for it by herself. No one could help her with this. After a year as Leskow's queen, she had to prove herself worthy of her reign. Laura felt a strange excitement tingling through her body, an excitement that had nothing to do with the continuing orgy in front of her.

The queen took one more deep breath and then quickly walked towards the shore, to the jetty. Her arms pressed to the sides of her body, her chin pushed forward defiantly, the queen went to face her enemy.

The dark figure belonged to a young man. He was not much older than Laura herself. As he looked toward her, the wind pushed his black hair in and out of his face. Approaching him, the queen could make out his features more clearly. He was beautiful, more so than any of the young men and women in town, and for a second she felt a pang of regret that he was not one of those she could just call into her royal chambers at night. He was tall and lean yet muscular. His dark eyes were still half hidden under his hair, yet they seemed to sparkle. He looked tired, and angry, but there was also a strange joy in his expression as he stared at the queen, motionless. Only when Laura stood a meter from him, now as still as him and holding her breath, he opened his mouth. He spoke into the silence that was only disturbed by the distant groans of Leskow's inhabitants and the gentle splashes of waves against the jetty, his voice quiet yet clear.

"Laura."

He did not speak her name as a question or as a call for attention. His voice sounded gentle, like he was pronouncing a word that hadn't crossed his lips in a long time, and he was now trying it out, to see if he could still pronounce it, to hear whether its sound had changed or whether it was as comforting and familiar as it used to be.

For a few long moments, Laura did not speak, waiting whether he had anything else to say, but he remained quiet. Finally, more to break the silence than to truly say anything, she did the same thing he had done. She greeted him without any niceties, just by speaking his name:

"Daniel."