Feeling the familiar warmth and weight of Suzi lying on top of him, Joey didn't move when he first awoke.  

But when he opened his eyes and found himself back in the royal bed chambers, he decided he needed to after all.

"Suz," he said gently, rubbing her naked back.  "Wake up Suz.  The dream is back."

"Hmmm?" she said sleepily, then smiled and stretched as she pulled herself up to give him a kiss on the lips.

"Morning to you too," Joey said tenderly.  "Is the Queen the Queen, or herself right now?"

"Huh?" Suzi asked as she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.  "Hey, I know this place."

"I hope so," Joey said warmly, relieved to see she wasn't in her dream persona.  "You're the decorator, after all."

"Joey, this is amazing," Suzi exclaimed after sitting up and taking it all in.  "It looks and feels completely real."

"Yeah, I know.  Even the sex feels real," Joey said suggestively.

"Didn't you get enough of that earlier?" Suzi asked with a crooked grin.

"I never get enough of it when it's with you," Joey said while giving her the raised eyebrow.

"Tempting..." Suzi said before stroking Joey's hard on, sending him into another world from the incredible pleasure the Queen's touch produced.

Just then, the chamber's door was opened a crack, followed by a familiar voice calling "My Queen?"

"Yes, um..  Liz," Suzi replied.

"My Queen, two dragons are circling the castle, and the enemy's army outside has fled.  His Excellency, Sir Eric of Atlantia is preparing to slay the dragons.  Master Timicus thought you would like to observe?"

"Yes, I think we will," Suzi said, releasing Joey's cock from her grasp.  "Thank you Liz."

"Thank you, my Queen."

"Who was that?" Joey asked slightly dazed.  "Her voice sounded familiar."

"I don't know, actually," Suzi said as she got up and put on her robe.  "I don't think I've ever seen her face."

"Shit, Suz.  Aren't you going to put something more on than that?"

"Nope," Suzi said while grinning so hard her teeth showed.  "It's good to be the Queen."

Joey chuckled, then grinned for another reason as he said, "Well, since I'm going to be king, can you hand me my robe?  It's hanging on that chair behind you."

Joey witnessed both the chair and the robe materializing out of thin air as Suzi turned towards it.  He didn't bother covering up his smile when she turned and handed it to him, knowing she would simply take it as him getting a kick out of seeing her breasts barely covered like they were.

Suzi led them to the balcony doors and opened them.  They both gasped at the incredible view they found waiting for them outside.

From their high vantage point, they could see three villages in the distance separated by lush green forests.  The castle itself was humongous, as was the garden like grounds surrounding the castle walls.

"What the hell?" Joey exclaimed as a strange shadow moved across the castle and onto the grounds beneath them.  "Holly shit, Suz.  It's a fucking dragon."

"Well, that's what Liz said," Suzi stated as she shaded her eyes from the bright sun and peered out looking for Eric.  "I don't see him.  Maybe he's on the other side of the castle."

"Who?"

"Eric," Suzi said, frowning at him.  "Didn't you hear what Liz said?"

"Uh..." Joey stammered as he started turning red.  "I guess not.  You were... And I was..."

Suzi grinned and said, "I forgot what the Queen's touch does to a man.  Come on, my king-to-be.  Lets go find out what Sir Eric is up to."

After inquiring one of the guards posted outside the bedchambers, Suzi lead them out to what she called a belvedere.  To Joey it was simply a small lookout tower along the outer wall.

Several people were already there watching as Eric and his squire shuffled around the two beasts looking for their moment to strike.  Suzi and Joey watched with astonishment as Eric dodged two fireballs then hoped over one of the beasts' swinging tail without losing his position.

"Who's that with him?" Suzi asked after the boy tumbled out of the way of a slashing claw.

"My brother, my Queen," they heard Liz's voice say from the other side of the tower.

Even before Joey looked over at her, he had recognized the voice, but Suzi hadn't until she saw the woman's worried face and gasped, "Candice."

"Your brother?" Joey asked as Suzi recovered from her surprise.

"Yes, m'Lord," Candice/Liz replied, her eyes never leaving the scene below.  "I heard my brother had been selected as his Excellency's squire, but none mentioned his training with dragons."

Suzi turned to watch the boy closely, then in a huff said, "I wish someone had a pair of binoculars!"

Timicus poofed in and said, "Did I hear my Queen make a wish?"

"Yes," Suzi said turning to her sorcerer, but then hesitated a moment to smirk at his untamed long hair and facial hair.

"The Queen would like a pair of binoculars," Joey said for her.

"Bi knock.." Timicus said with some confusion.

"It's a device with curved pieces of glass that make distant things appear closer to the person using them."

"Ah, you speak of a crystal ball," Timicus said before poofing one into his hand.

"Err, no, but I guess that'll work too," Joey said.

"Show me the boy," Suzi commanded.

Timicus placed his hands on the sides of the ball and stroked it with his fingers.  The crystal clouded, then a blurred image formed in the center and started to sharpen.

"I know that face," Suzi said once James's image had come into focus.  "Isn't that the kid that ran off on Tim when he was down at Southeast state?"

"My Queen?" Timicus said, baffled by her words.

"Not you," Suzi said before looking up at Joey and seeing his guilty expression.

"What's wrong?" Suzi asked tenderly.

"I don't know him," Joey confessed.  "I mean, I know some gay kid went with Tim and Eric to Southeast and ran off, but I never met him."

"I assure you, my Queen, James would never leave his master without him wishing it," Timicus insisted.

"Well it has to be him," Suzi sighed.  "I guess this means Eric's running the show now."

"Running the show?" Timicus queried.

Suzi gave Timicus a smile and said softly so the others would not hear, "Never mind, my lover.  Never mind."

"Yes, my Queen," Timicus said with tenderness.

The gasps from the others brought their attention back to the fight below and they realized they had missed the slaying of the first dragon as Eric and James started to reposition themselves around the second.

When James tripped and moments later Eric got knocked off his feet, everyone gasped again and held their breath as the dragon opened its mouth to finish Eric off.

But James had scrambled to his feet and while the dragon's tail was still high up in the air, he rammed his pike straight into the beast's bum hole clear to the hilt before leaping backwards to get out of the path of the beast's already shuffling feet and swinging tail.

"Holy shit!  That has to hurt!" Joey exclaimed as the dragon screeched in pain.

"Not as much as that did," Suzi said when Eric sliced the beast's neck in half and the head part fell to the ground.

"Request to leave the safety of the castle, my Queen?" Candice asked rather shakily.

"Request granted," Suzi said.  "In fact I think we'll go with you."

"Suz, wait a sec," Joey said as everyone began shuffling out.

"Wait outside, boys," Suzi ordered her personal guard.

Once they were alone, Joey said, "What are you planning to do?"

"I don't know," Suzi said honestly.  "Why?"

"Well, seeing how the dream ended when I brought you out of your dream... um, self..."

"You mean if Eric is running the dream and we wake him up, we'll be in that black place again?" Suzi concluded.

"Yeah, I think so.  But maybe it's Candice or someone else who's dreaming it, and Eric is just playing along for the fun of it."

"Joey, if Timmy is doing this, why isn't he in here with us?  Timicus isn't Timmy.  He's not even a dream-self version of Tim.  I would know if it was."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Joey admitted.  "The moment I first saw you on that throne, I knew it was you and not a dream character.  I don't know, Suz.  But I'm actually kind of enjoying this.  Aren't you?  It's not every day you get to live within one of your own dreams."

"So I guess that means if Eric is the one running the dream now, we don't try to bring him out of it," Suzi assumed.

"That's my vote," Joey said, then grinned and added, "After all, I'm about to be crowned king."

Suzi mirrored his grin, then grasped his hand and tugged him towards the exit saying, "Let's go, my King.  Our new champion awaits."

After Suzi navigated the way through the tunnels and halls down to the main floor, Joey whispered to her, "How do you know where you're going?"

"It's _my_ castle," she whispered back mysteriously.

Joey simply shook his head and accepted she must have dreamt the place up many times before.

As they approached the large group who where escorting the dragon slayers inside, the crowd all fell to their knees and bowed their heads in respect to their Queen.

"Rise, my people," Suzi said with a grin.  "And bring forth the two heroes who have proven their courage and love worthy of receiving the Queen's kiss."

"Shit, Suz," Joey chucked under his breath.

"Get used to it, buddy boy," Suzi whispered to him.

As Eric and James approached the Queen's party, both Suzi and Joey knew from Eric's expression that he was in fact in a dream persona.

"My Queen," the two slayers said in respect as they kneeled and bowed their heads again.

"Sir Eric Roberts of Atlantia, you and..."

"Squire James Nathalion Ritter of Saint Greggor," Timicus whispered.

"You and your squire," Suzi shortened, "have proven yourself in combat against these terrible beasts which threaten your Queen and her people.  Sir Eric, you have also proven many times in the past your expert swordsmanship and your dedication to spreading the Queen's love and will to her people.  Therefore, I hereby name you as my next Champion, effective immediately following my marriage to our new King, Sir Joseph Theodore Connor of... of..."

"Oakley, my Queen," Timicus reminded her.

"Of Oakley," Suzi finished, resisting the grin trying to form on her lips.

"I am honored, my Queen," Eric said with eyes full of life.

"And as for you, Squire," Suzi said, her own eyes sparkling.  "Approach the Queen and prepare to receive her kiss."

James nervously got up on his feet and stepped forward, but tripped on his own feet and fell straight into her.

As the boy began tearing up and apologizing, Joey grinned and said loudly, "Your beauty is truly intoxicating, my Queen."

After the crowd chuckled, Suzi put the boy at ease by kissing his lips and gently running her tongue across them to part them.  Once the boy obliged, she French kissed him for nearly a minute before gently breaking their lips apart and smiled at the dazed boy's face.

"Let it be known throughout the kingdom that tomorrow night we shall crown our new king and re-knight our new Champion."

"And the orgy, my Queen," Timicus reminded her. "Don't forget the orgy."

"Oh, and following that, the standard twenty-four hour kingdom wide orgy will commence," Suzi rattled off quickly.

"Hurray!" the crowd cheered.

Joey just shook his head grinning as Suzi turned red, but he didn't say a word.

"Lady Elizabeth," Suzi called out.

"Yes my Queen?"

"Please tend to the Squire's needs while his master takes his purification bath and then joins his Queen for his duties."

"Yes, my Queen."

"My Queen," Timicus interrupted in a low whisper.  "It is Sir Eric's and my wish for the Queen to share her love with the Squire before they leave on their seven year quest.  This is of course only if the Queen desires to do so herself."

Suzi frowned, then looked over at the boy and caught him bashfully lowering his eyes in respect, but not before she caught his gaze of wonder.  When the boy glanced back up a moment later, she watched his cheeks turn red, then she smiled warmly at him when he unconsciously adjusted his crotch.

"Very well.  Send him to me in the morning."

"Yes, my Queen.  Thank you, my Queen."

"Timicus, is there any other business I need to... announce?"

"No, my Queen.  I believe you have covered it all."

"Very good.  Then everyone is excused to return to their own business."

"That's weird," Joey suddenly said as everyone stood up and started chatting and wandering away.

"What is?" Suzi asked.

"I just realized...  When this was your dream, everyone talked really strange.  Now they don't talk as funny."

"I don't understand."

"Saying thee, thou, shit like that."

Suzi shrugged her shoulders and said, "It must be because Eric is the one dreaming it, and not me."

"Yeah, but why is everything else the same as yours?  Timicus, the castle, the, heh, orgies."

Suzi started turning red again, but then shook it off and said, "I guess he must have liked the idea and kept the setting.  I don't know.  We'll have to ask Timmy when we see him."

"Hmm," Joey grunted in agreement.

"Oh, I just remembered," Suzi exclaimed.  "Come on.  I want you to meet our son."

"Our son?" Joey echoed.

As Suzi led the way towards the Prince's chambers, they came upon Candice and James slowly walking to Candice's quarters, James chattering away about his dragon slaying training.

"How many times did you die?"

"I don't know.  I lost count.  I got swallowed whole lot, chomped up into pieces, stepped on, burned... I got melted by this one acid spitting dragon three times in a row.  Oh, and one time this red dragon sliced me in half with its claws.  That was kind of cool.  I never saw the back of my legs before."

"Didn't it hurt?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug.  "But you get used to it after the first twenty or thirty times.  "Master and I even joked about how much we must have liked dieing as much as we did it.  But we really didn't.  The worse parts were when I had to kill the master myself to end his pain."

"Oh, James," Candice said, hugging him.  "Are sure you want to be his squire?  I could ask the Queen..."

"I'd rather die for real than not be his squire," James exclaimed with a touch of panic, pushing himself out of her hug.  "He's...  He's..."

"Okay, my little brother," Candice said calmly.  "I just don't want another member of my family to be eaten by a dragon."

"I won't, I promise."

As Candice and James continued on, Suzi waited until they were out of earshot before saying to Joey, "Why is _she_ here?"

Joey looked at her in surprise and said, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Not to me, it isn't," Suzi said, frowning.  "She messed with his mind and his family's.  Why would he even consider..."

Joey sighed, then said, "Tim told me last fall that Eric felt pretty confused about how he felt about her.  Tim thinks he still loves her, just won't admit it to himself."

"Why didn't Timmy tell _me_ about this?"

"Because he didn't want you worrying about Eric going back to her.  Tim said he'd tell you himself if you ever asked anything close to it, or if Eric ever mentioned Candice to either of you on the phone.  We weren't really trying to keep it from you, sweetie.  We just didn't want you to worry about him any more than you already do.  We both know you don't really like her."

"It's not that I don't like her," Suzi insisted.  "I just don't trust her not to meddle with his mind.  Was Timmy sure..."

"Yes, Suz.  He was sure she didn't put those feelings in his head.  At least not telepathically anyway."

Suzi sighed, but then got angry and demanded, "Joey, are there any other secrets you and Timmy are keeping from me?"

Joey's surprise was quickly replaced by his sorrow and guilt as he said, "No mistress, I swear.  We both said we'd never hold anything from you again.  We would never lie to you or try to mislead you.  We just didn't think it was worth mentioning it to you unless there was a good reason."

"Well next time, let me be the judge of what I should and should not know," she said irrationally.

"Yes, my Queen," Joey said, kissing her hand.

Suzi let out a frustrated but forgiving sigh, then said, "Come on, love slave.  We'll meet our son later.  I want to try some things we can't really do in real life."

"Uhhh..." Joey gasped out when Suzi grasped his cock from under his robe and led him back to the royal bed chambers with it.

After experimenting with inserting various limbs into each other's... cavities, Joey and Suzi were just about to drift off to sleep when the chamber's doors creaked open and Candice's voice whispered, "My Queen?"

"Yes, Liz," Suzi said, rolling her eyes.

"I...  I'm sorry, my Queen.  I shouldn't have bothered you."

As the door creaked closed again, Joey nudged Suzi, so Suzi said, "Wait, Liz.  Please come in."

Candice opened the door to enter, but then hesitated seeing her soon to be king was still naked while the Queen put on her robe.

"My apologies, my Queen.  I did not wish to disturb you."

"That's alright, Cand... Liz," Joey said, yet deciding he wasn't going to follow Suzi's example of putting a robe on.  "You didn't interrupt anything."

"I am... relieved, m'Lord," Candice said while her eyes lingered on his naked form.

"So what's on your mind?" Suzi said.

"My Queen, I have a small favor to ask of you.  You have always said never to be afraid to ask you for such, but I have never needed to until this very day."

"What favor do you ask from your Queen?" Suzi asked patiently.

"Please, my Queen.  I fear for my brother's life.  I know thou has great trust for your next champion, but I am besides myself in worry for my brother's safety."

"If you are asking that I command Sir Eric to choose another squire..."

"No, my Queen.  My brother would never forgive me for such a thing.  I humbly request that I may be given the duty of the Champion's Slut so I may journey with them and look out for my brother as much as I can."

"Your request is not reasonable or possible," Suzi said frowning.  "You are one of the Queen's handmaidens, and a Lady of noble blood.  The Champion's Slut is a position intended for a commoner, and I have decreed that its position will not be filled during my reign as Queen."

"But my Queen," she sobbed.

"Oh, for Pete's sake.  Get grip on yourself," Suzi groaned.  "If you want to go with him, I'll just decree the Champion must have a handmaiden to spread the Queen's wisdom and fashion sense.  But no funny business."

"My Queen?"

"No fornicating with my Champion."

"Oh, I would never," Candice exclaimed, apparently revolted by the very thought.

"Fine," Suzi said with a touch of annoyance.  "Now go and tend to your brother."

"Yes, my Queen," she said, kissing Suzi's hand.  "Thank you my Queen."

"Oh, but have him prepped and ready to go first thing in the morning," Suzi added as the door closed.

Joey stepped behind Suzi and kissed the top of her head before saying, "You old softy."

"It isn't always easy being the Queen," Suzi sighed.

"Mind if I join you, my brother?" Timicus's voice drifted to Eric's ears over the sound of bubbling water.

Eric opened his eyes, then inhaled the steamy air surrounding him to say, "Does your body need purifying as well, my brother?"

"You can never be too pure for the Queen," Timicus said, stepping into the hot bubbling water on the opposite side of the small four man pool.

"Especially the two of us," Eric remarked after spotting Timicus's enlarged member before it submerged.

"Indeed."

"Will you be joining my re-knighthood orgy with the Queen tonight?" Eric asked.

"That will be up to the Queen," Timicus said as he sat and relaxed.

"Surely she would not deny her lover's desires."

"She would not if I made my desires known to her."

"And why would you not?"

"Because any love exchanged between the two of us in her presence, or even with her knowledge, becomes an act of her will, and not ours."

"The Queen would not approve of your words."

"Never the less they are the truth."

"Brother, it disturbs me you would plot behind the Queen's back."

"Eric!  I would never do such a thing."

"Then why speak as if you are?"

"My brother, I simply wish to experience our love freely one last time before your heart is completely filled by her love.  The Queen will not disapprove of this once I tell her, but it must be after the fact, not before."

Eric stirred in his seat uncomfortably before saying, "My brother, I do not wish to hurt thou, but I do not care to reopen our past love.  Despite your faith in the strength of the Queen's love, I do not wish to risk the confusion that it may bring."

"If that is your final word on the matter..."

"It is."

"Then I shall honor it.  I beg my brother's pardon."

And with that, Timicus snapped his fingers and <poof> was gone.

"Shit," Eric exclaimed as the hole in the water left by his body filled in with a loud whoosh.  "Timicus, don't leave it this way."

When the sorcerer didn't respond, he sighed and simply let the purifying powers of the bath wash that concern away with the rest.

An hour later, Eric was awakened from his bubble-induced nap by the arrival of six of the Queen's handmaidens there to powder and dress him.  So he stepped out of the pool and stood still with his arms and legs spread apart while the women toweled him off and applied the white powder to his entire body.

Once the Royal Robe of Champions was wrapped around his otherwise naked body, Eric shivered both from the cooling of his body and from expectation of feeling his Queens love passing through him once again.

Eric tingled all over in excitement and increasing sexual arousal as he approached the Queen's chambers.  And once he passed through the chamber's doors and saw the Queen's smiling face, the fact that Sir Joseph was there whilst Timicus was not barely registered as he approached her to exchange a kiss.

"My, someone is excited," Suzi joked before grasping his massive cock with her right hand.

As Eric gasped and dazedly sank to his knees, Suzi chuckled and said, "Opps.  Sorry.  I forgot."

"That is quite alright, my Queen," Eric said, forcing his mind back in order and standing back up.

"Shit, Suz," Joey chuckled himself.  "Does the King get any special powers like that?"

"I don't know.  I guess we'll have to wait and see," Suzi said smirking.  "So Eric, how does it feel to be a dragon slayer?"

"It is very exciting, my Queen."

"Eric, it's just us here.  You don't have to be so formal."

"Yes, my Queen.  But it simply is natural for me to address you that way.  Does it bother you?"

"No, I suppose not," Suzi sighed, then grinned to say, "Actually I'm beginning to like it so much I might have my boys back home call me that."

Eric echoed Joey's chuckle despite not understanding the humor of her statement.

Suzi pumped him for the details of his dragon slaying training, and for a while both Suzi and Joey forgot Eric was not himself from listening to his natural enthusiasm in his voice as he talked.  And for a few minutes, even Eric forgot as well, but by the time he had reached the end of his tale, Eric was very much back to thinking as Sir Eric Roberts, the Queen's soon to be Champion.

"My Queen, before we begin," Eric said when Suzi moved to embrace him in a kiss.

"Hmm?" Suzi said, deciding just to tease his ear lobe with her tongue and lips.

"Timicus...  My Queen, please.  This is important."

Suzi sighed, then sat back and asked, "What about Timicus?"

"My brother is feeling rather confused."

<poof>

"I am not confused," Timicus said crossly.  "I simply feel we were never given the opportunity to freely decide to end our relationship."

"Huh?" Suzi said, blinking.  "Did I miss something?"

"My brother is..." Eric began.

"Hold it," Joey interrupted, "Pretend I'm new to this world and don't know jack shit about our pasts.  You're not brothers."

"No, they're not," Suzi said, seeing Joey was upset by this notion.  "In this world, Tim's parents died when he was very young and Eric's dad took him in and raised him."

"And I came in where?"

"Can't I explain all this later?" Suzi said through her clenched teeth."

"No.  I don't care if he wakes up," Joey said crossly.  "If anyone should be his brother, it should be me."

"Boys, could you excuse us a moment," Suzi said to the bewildered pair.

Once Timicus poofed them away, Suzi took Joey's hand and said, "Joey, this is only a dream.  And remember, it's my dream, not Tim's.  You know the twin bond thing between Tim and Eric kind of makes them brothers in a sense.  Don't be jealous.  In this world, you, me and Timmy are together.  The three of us even had a son together."

"Yeah, and about that.  Suz, sometimes I worry about you."

"Look, I know it disturbs you that Tim and Eric had something together that the three of us had.  But you don't feel jealous over Eric and I, do you?"

"No, but that's different."

Suzi sighed and decided to take a different approach.

"Timmy was taken from Eric when Eric loved him very much.  I think Eric is just acting out some of his feelings over never having the chance to...  See their relationship through to the end.  You have to remember you're Timmy's oldest and closest friend.  Nobody will ever take your place in his heart.  You two have history even I can't compete with."

"Shit, I suppose you're right, but...  Suz, I like Eric a lot.  I think he's a great guy and we've had fun together.  But he got close to Tim.  I can't help but sometimes feel he got closer to Tim than I ever have.  And this twin thing just makes it even more...  frustrating."

Suzi crawled on top of him and said softly, "You once chose Tim over me when you went to Venezuela.  You left me, possibly never to return to try to save him."

"Suz," Joeys whimpered.

"Hush, I'm not done.  You used to quote something from one of those Star Trek movies.  The needs of someone..."

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.  Or the one."

"Didn't it go the other way too?" Suzi asked with confusion.

"Yeah, but... What's your point, Suz?"

"My point is you chose Tim over me because he needed you to.  His needs outweighed mine.  That's why I never really got all that upset over it.  It wasn't a matter of who you loved more, but who needed you more."

"So how does that apply to Eric and Tim?"

"Eric was there for Timmy when we weren't," Suzi said as gently as she could.  "Now Timmy doesn't need Eric because he has us again, but at times Eric sort of needs Timmy.  You don't turn your back on someone when they need you like that."

"So you're saying anything Tim does that looks to me like he cares more about Eric than me or us, you're saying its because Eric needs him to, not because Tim feels that way?"

"Close enough," Suzi said.

"Damn, Suz," Joey said after blinking.  "You're getting pretty good at this psycho-annalistic bullshit."

Suzi smiled before nibbling his nose and saying, "We all have our little niches in life."

"I'm not saying you're right about it all, but.."

"But you feel better about it."

"Yeah.  Better than I did I guess."

"Good.  Can I call them back now?"

Joey yawned, checked his watch and then said, "You're the Queen, my Queen.  But later, can we take a nap?  It's nearly five in the morning."

Suzi yawned herself, then huffed, "What's purpose of yawning in a dream?"

Joey yawned again and sleepily said, "To make it more real, probably.  Would you care if I slept for a while?"

"But what if you miss the coronation?"

"I won't miss that.  I promise."

"But I don't want to be here without you," Suzi admitted.  "If you really want to take a nap, let's just do it together.  The dream will take care of itself."

"As you wish, my Queen," Joey said lovingly as Suzi crawled on top of him.

"Joey?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, your Majesty."

Eric awoke with the comforting sensation of two warm and naked bodies pressed up on either side of him.

As he recalled the sex and love he had experienced the previous night, he felt content and sedated, the Queen's love having truly filled his heart completely this time.

He momentarily felt remorse when his brother's words predicting this fate came to him, but it did not matter now.  What was done was done, and at least he and his brother had had one last chance to share in each other's love before the Queen had called them to her.

Eric glanced at the sleeping form of his adopted brother beside him before turning his gaze to take in Her majestic beauty and glow.  Her touch had been pure bliss; Her sex was beyond any pleasure ever known to man.  And Her compassionate will was so powerful and overwhelming, he knew he would carry out Her orders and desires for the rest of his life.

"For the love of the Queen," Eric sighed, kissing her left shoulder gently.

"Aye," Sir Joseph's voice said gently from the foot of the bed.  "For the love of the Queen."

"Do the soon to be King not know it is bad luck for the groom to see his bride on their wedding day?" Eric jousted.

"I am still her Champion," Sir Joseph reminded him.  "This comes before all else.  Including superstitious nonsense."

"And how is this a duty of the Queen's Champion?"

"You see that metal door?" Sir Joseph said, nodding towards the far end of the room.

"Yes."

"Behind that door is the Queen's curse of darkness.  If it is ever allowed to escape, the Queen's powers will reverse and anyone touched by her love will be consumed with her lust.  The kingdom would then be plagued with acts of violent rape and mindless copulation.  The only person who could end the madness is her Champion.

"And as her Champion, you would be filled with more lust than anyone else in the kingdom except the Queen herself.  Yet if the task falls upon your shoulders, then you and you alone must resist it and carry out your duty.  All for the love of your Queen."

"Surely Timicus's magic can prevent this from ever occurring."

"It was Timicus's magic which created it in the first place.  But do not blame him.  He and I knew what the consequences would be.  We simply had no choice at the time."

"I do not understand."

"And I'm afraid you won't," Sir Joseph sighed.  "Simply accept that the honor of being the Queen's Champion comes with the responsibility that he may have to kill his own Queen for the sake of the Kingdom.  A responsibility I pray none will have to ever carry out."

"Does the Queen know of this?" Eric asked worriedly.

"She does.  And she'll tell you herself she'd rather die than allow that fate to befall her people."

"Yes, I am sure she would."

"Speak of this to no one but the three of us, Eric.  No one else must ever know of the Queen's curse of darkness."

"On my life and honor, I swear I will repeat your message to no other."

"Good.  Now I take my leave of you and our Queen.  Your squire shall be joining you shortly.  I advise you to awaken the Queen before he arrives.  She can be a bit bitchy when she first awakes."

"I shall.  Thank you, Joseph."

"You're welcome, my friend.  And thank you."

After Sir Joseph left the chambers, Eric glanced back over at Timicus and said, "Alright, my brother.  You can stop faking that you're still asleep."

"Only if the Queen does as well," Timicus said.

"A bit bitchy when I wake up," Queen Suzanne muttered as she stretched.  "I'll show him what bitchy is tomorrow morning."

"Now now, my love," Timicus said as the Queen crawled on top of Eric and straddled him.

"I only get bitchy if I don't get all the loving I want," she said as she slipped Eric's cock inside her love tunnel.

"I love you my Queen," Eric gasped as every nerve in his body exploded in pleasure.

"Yes, I know," she said wickedly before driving her tongue into his mouth.

After three explosive orgasms, Eric lay on the Queen's bed dazed until the bouncy motion of the bed and the sound of his squire's gasps brought him back to his surroundings.

Eric watched with endless tenderness as his squire's face expressed his wonder, his pleasure, and his love for his Queen during his ten minute session of receiving the Queen's powerful brainwashing love.  After his seventh orgasm, the Queen gave the boy one last kiss before giving Eric a quick peck on the cheek saying, "He wasn't bad."

"Master," James said dazedly a minute later.

"Yes Squire?"

"I understand it now," he said emotionally. "For the love of the Queen."

"Yes son," Eric said, sitting the boy up and hugging him as James's tears began to flow.  "Everything we do is for the love of our Queen."

Once the boy exhausted his tears, Eric sent him back to his sister's chambers to rest while Eric spent the rest of the day worshiping his Queen and absorbing her love until his body oozed with it almost as much as hers oozed with his semen and spit.

Suzi awoke cuddling on top of Eric with his soft cock still embedded within her cunt.

Suzi became aroused by Eric's dazed and full of love expression, for she had instantly recognized the look of a toy boy whose only desire was to pleasure their mistress with their mind, body and soul.

She thought back to the very last time she and Eric had made love.  It was two nights before Eric moved to Atlanta, and after Joey had somewhat agreed to it, he had rented the motel room for them since Suzi had not yet turned eighteen.

Suzi had a special place for Eric in her heart.  He was the most gentle, the most excitable, and while she would never admit it out loud, the most fun lover she had known.  The hour and a half they spent together in that motel room was one of the most precious times of her life, and yet it pained her to know how much he had suffered despite her best efforts to make him happy again.

That killed her sex drive, and it took Eric a few moments to realize the wetness he felt falling from her face was not her sweat, but her tears.

"What is wrong, my Queen?" Eric asked.

"I'm sorry.  I'm... just being silly," Suzi said, wiping her tears away and giving him a grin.

But her grin faded as a few more tears started to form, and at that moment Eric awoke from the dream and said, "Don't cry, Suz."

"I can't help it," she said, desperately trying to get a hold on herself.  "You were so miserable, and I couldn't help you.  Nothing I did made anything better for you."

"Of course you made it better," Eric said, his own tears welling up.  "I would have died without you.  Even when Tim was back and I didn't want to believe it, and even though you had Joey, I always felt you were there when I needed you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I've missed you," Suzi said while giving him a hug.

"I've missed you too," Eric said truthfully as he returned the hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  

"Suz?  How come neither of us are dreaming, but we're still in your dream?"

"I don't know.  Joey and I thought it was your dream while you fought the dragons, but maybe there's someone else running it too."

"Where is Joey?"

"Asleep, I think.  I hope he wakes up in time to make it to our wedding."

"Your wedding," Eric chuckled, then grinned and said, "This _is_ pretty cool."

"It is, but I still would like to know what's going on."

Eric yawned, then said, "Well, whatever it is, I'm not going to worry about it.  In fact, I think I'm going to go back into the dream."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, it's easy," Eric said.  "You just close your eyes and let go, and the dream will do its thing.  Watch."

Eric closed his eyes and relaxed, then after a minute he felt himself drifting off.

When he opened his eyes, he felt his Queen's love fill his heart and soul, prompting him to say, "My Queen, you are as beautiful as the..."

"Eric, snap out of it," Suzi said, a little panicked.

Eric blinked a few times, then said, "What?  Why did you stop me?"

Suzi sighed in relief, then said, "I'm sorry, Eric.  I just didn't want to be alone.  I wish Joey was here."

"What?  Don't you like being Queen?"

"Well, yes, but I can't fall back into the dream until Joey gets back.  I don't want to do it without him."

"Okay.  I guess I can stay with you until then," Eric sighed.

"Thank you."

"So what do you want to do?"

"Well, we could pick up where..."

"No offense, Suz," Eric interrupted.  "But I do have a boyfriend.  Doing it in a dream as a dream is one thing, but if we do it like this..."

"I understand," Suzi sighed.  "So what now?"

"Well...  How about you try slipping into your dream character for a minute.  Then I'll snap you out of it."

"Okay, but only for a minute."

Suzi rolled off and lay on her back beside Eric before closing her eyes.  

But after a minute she sighed, opened her eyes and asked, "Eric, why is Candice here?"

"Candice?" Eric repeated.  "She's in here too?"

"I don't think it's the real Candice.  You mean you haven't seen her?"

"No, I don't think so."

"She's your squire's sister, Liz."

"That was Candice?" Eric said very confused.  "Huh.  I guess it was her."

Suzi opened her mouth to tell him how she would be going with him on his journeys, but then though better of it when she saw Eric was somewhat occupied with his own thoughts. So Suzi closed her eyes, then found herself more at ease and drifted off fairly quickly.

The Queen opened her eyes and stretched, then studied her next champion whose thoughts were elsewhere.

"Your Queen is not amused by your lack of attention to her, Sir Eric," the Queen said impatiently.

"Huh?  Oh.  Sorry.  Wake up, Suz."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said wake up.  Snap out of it," he said before clapping his hands together very loudly.

"Sir Eric, you are acting quite the fool.  Are you playing some sort of..."

Eric pressed his lips against hers to shut her up, then after she responded in kind, Eric broke the kiss, looked straight into her eyes, and said, "Suz, if you don't snap out of it, I'm going to go back into the dream myself and leave you."

When he saw the change in her eyes, he said, "That's better."

"Sorry," Suzi said.

"That's okay," Eric said, getting up and stretching.

"Eric, do you still love Candice?"

"I don't know," he huffed with frustration.  "I guess so.  Just a little."

"Do you trust her?"

"Suz, I really don't want to talk about her."

"Oh."

"In fact, I'm going back to the dream.  I don't want to think about any of this shit anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are," Eric said, feeling a little guilty.  

After thinking a moment, he turned around, climbed up on top of Suzi and said, "You know Joey won't be allowed to see you until the ceremony, but I'll be with you until then.  Come back into the dream with me.  Joey can wake you up if he wants to."

"I don't know," Suzi said.

"We'll be making love nearly the whole time," Eric reminded her.

Suzi couldn't help but weakly grin, then nodded her head in consent before saying, "Just let me write Joey a message first."

Suzi went to her desk and wrote the note, then called Timicus.

"Yes, my Queen?" Timicus said, poofing in beside her.

"If you see Joseph looking lost or if he asks to see me, could you give him this?" Suzi asked, handing him the sealed message.

"Of course, my Queen," Timicus said, slightly baffled.  "May I ask what it is about?"

"It's just... a couple of ideas in case he gets bored."

"And when you give it to him," Eric added. "Tell him I said to try the purifying bath too."

"An excellent suggestion, my brother," Timicus said.  "Sir Joseph could stand a little purifying after his ordeal in the dungeons of our enemy."

"I'm sure he could," Suzi said with a grin.

"Before I go, my Queen, I'm afraid I told my auntie about your request that I seek a mate of my own, and she has arranged for the Sorceress Alexia of Talon's Keep to be my escort to the wedding.  I am expected to entertain her the rest of the evening, so I can not predict what time I will be able to join you and Joseph tonight."

"But you do plan on joining us, right?" Suzi asked carefully.

"If that is still your wish," Timicus said uncertainly.

"It is," Suzi said honestly.  "But Timicus, if you find yourself desiring to stay with her more than coming to join us, we will not be hurt by your absence.  Nothing would please me more than for you to find a love which matches that for your Queen."

"I understand, my Queen, but I believe you underestimate the strength of my love for you."

"Perhaps," Suzi said, taking Timicus into a lover's embrace.  "But perhaps it is you underestimating the wisdom and perception of your Auntie."

"Indeed," Timicus said before they kissed.

When Joey awoke, he was startled to find himself in a room he didn't recognize, and further startled finding his supposed son sleeping on top of him naked.

"Shit Suz," Joey muttered before attempting to move the boy off of him without waking him up.

But the moment he broke skin contact, the boy opened his eyes and said, "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

Joey looked the boy in the eyes, then felt that ole familiar feeling form before the boy's love began flooding into his heart.

"I love you too," Joey said tearfully, hugging the boy.

After a long hug, the boy crawled back on top of Joey and got comfortable, then closed his eyes to go back to sleep.  

The next thing Joey knew, he was waking up again, but this time he was alone.

"Timicus?" Joey called.

"Yes?" Timicus said after poofing in.

"What's the Queen doing?"

"Why making love with her new Champion, of course."

"Oh," Joey said.  "So does a soon to be king have any duties he must perform before his wedding?  Something kinky maybe?"

"Joseph, you know very well you are supposed to abstain from all sexual activities until your honeymoon."

"Figures," Joey sighed.  "The Queen gets to have all the fun."

"The Queen foresaw your restlessness, my friend," Timicus said, pulling out the scrolled up note and presenting it to him.

Joey broke the wax seal, unrolled the note and read:

Joey,

Eric talked me into reentering the dream with him.  I don't really want to, but I upset him and now he won't stay awake with me.  Call me chicken, but I really don't want to be awake in here by myself.

If you want to enter the dream yourself, just lay down with your eyes closed and let yourself drift off like when we go to sleep.  Your subconscious should do the rest.

But if you stay awake, wake me up when you see me, okay?

I love you.

Your Queen, :)

Suzi

"Eric suggested you visit the purification baths as well," Timicus said tenderly when Joey looked up from the note.  "If it pleases you, I'd very much like to join you."

"You could never resist having some fun in the shower," Joey chuckled.  "What the hell.  Let's go take a bath."

<poof>

"I do beg your pardon, ladies," Timicus exclaimed just as the pink smoke around Joey cleared enough that he could see the two naked women sitting in a hot tub.

<poof>

"How embarrassing," Timicus said as Joey stepped out of the pink cloud around him and almost stepped into the bubbling pool.  "I forgot the Queen declared the old bath to be for her handmaiden's only."

"They'll get over it," Joey said as he stuck his foot into the water to test it.  "Huh.  It tingles."

"Indeed," Timicus said strangely, but then eased himself into the pool and let out a long pleasurable sigh.

Joey carefully lowered himself into the water, finding the tingles very pleasurable yet not overwhelmingly so, and allowed himself to close his eyes and enjoy it a few minutes.  

After nearly drifting off to sleep, Joey opened his eyes and ended up studying the sorcerer's relaxed face, noting the slight rosy color to his cheeks and admiring the neatly trimmed beard.

"I feel your eyes upon me, my lover," Timicus said with a grin, yet keeping his eyes closed.  "I hope thou is not contemplating breaking thy vow of celibacy."

"And what if I am?" Joey asked despite the thought hadn't actually crossed his mind.

Timicus opened his eyes and said lovingly, "I imagine I would be powerless to stop you."

"Shit," Joey snickered.  "You powerless?"

Timicus simply smiled and closed his eyes.

"Tim?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are we here?"

Timicus opened his eyes a moment before closing them again and said, "For now, don't concern yourself with the why, my friend.  Simply accept my word you are here to enjoy all what this world has to offer.  No one expects or needs you to do anything more than that."

Joey closed his eyes and contemplated if he should enter the dream or not.  If he did, and the dream was some sort of threat or a distraction...  

But every instinct told Joey it wasn't, and while he knew Timicus was only a dream character, he couldn't help trusting him.

"Joseph?" Timicus called gently.

"Hmm?"

"I may call Eric my brother, but he shall never be the brother you have been."

Joey opened his eyes to find the familiar soft look in the sorcerer's eyes, and didn't hesitate to say, "You're the only brother I've ever known or ever wanted, Timmy.  It's hard for me to accept the same isn't true for you about me,  but it's okay.  I told you it wasn't a contest between you, me and Suz, so why not Eric too?  Suz and you both love him, and that's okay because I know you love me too."

"I wish you to know that Eric and I will likely never physically share our love again.  I hesitate to ask, yet I know I must.  Do you feel this will be true between you and I?"

"Maybe one day, but I hope that won't be for a long time," Joey said honestly.  "It'll really be up to you and Suz, not me."

"That is what I expected you to say," Timicus sighed as he closed his eyes again.  "Perhaps when I find my mate I will no longer desire to copulate with you and the Queen.  But I find that hard to believe.  We have such chemistry and magic together."

"Time will tell," Joey said happily.  "Time always tells."

"Indeed."

....

"Timicus?  What does a King do exactly?"

"Whatever he pleases, I imagine."

"Yes, but what are his duties?"

"To rule and protect the kingdom, naturally.  I admit I still am a bit anxious about building an army without the Queen's knowledge or blessing, but I said I was with you on the matter.  Are you now having second thoughts?"

"I'm not sure," Joey said honestly.  "The Queen would castrate the pair of us if we kept something important from her."

"True.  But better that than allow our enemy to use his newly acquired black magic to learn of the Queen's darkness and release it.  He must be stopped at all cost."

"I guess I'll be pretty busy waging war after the honeymoon, then."

"Yes, and about that...  I am not sure when I will be joining you and the Queen tonight.  I have a date, you see."

"A date?  You?" Joey teased.

"Auntie set it up without my knowledge," Timicus sighed.  "I don't dare cancel it.  Alexia could be a powerful ally if nothing else."

"Well then don't worry about trying to get back to us tonight.  We'll save you some loving for when you have time."

"The Queen said something similar," Timicus sighed.  "If I did not know better, I would suspect you both did not want me to join you tonight."

"If you didn't know better," Joey said tenderly.

"Indeed."

Joey knew Timicus wanted something sexual to happen between them, and even though it somewhat appealed to him, the concept of doing something like that with a dream character simply did not sit well with Joey.

So Joey gave in and let himself drift off into the dream, hoping he would snap back out of it once he met up with Suzi again.

When Sir Joseph opened his eyes, he immediately crossed the pool and straddled the startled sorcerer's legs with his own.

"The Queen shared her love with you last night, did she not?" Joseph said with authority.

"She did, as did Sir Eric before that."

"If I break my vow of celibacy to share my love with you right now, will this ease your worries and let you focus on your date without distraction?"

"Yes, I am sure it would," Timicus said expectantly.

"Then take us to someplace private and secure," Sir Joseph commanded.

"Yes, my lover," Timicus cooed before snapping his fingers and poofing them away.

At a quarter to two the following afternoon, Sir Joseph approached the carriage waiting to take him to the altar on the castle's grounds at the far side of the castle.  Fifty of the kingdom's finest knights were on horseback and lined up in front and behind the carriage to escort the groom, one of which Joseph immediately recognized.

"Are you ready for this, Captain Brigley?" Sir Joseph asked his old friend.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that sire?" Jon jested.

"Indeed," Joseph chucked.  "However, knowing the Queen, I doubt either of us is truly ready for what awaits us outside."

"For the love of the Queen then?" Sir Jon asked as Joseph climbed into the carriage.

"For the love of the Queen," Sir Joseph confirmed as he took his seat.

As the groom's procession started to make its way towards the castle's gates, sound of horns and bells filled the air, followed by the cheers of thousands.

The moment the carriage cleared the gate, Sir Joseph understood why the wedding ceremony was being held outside the castle instead of within the great hall.  The vast open grounds that surrounded the castle were filled with people coming to witness the ceremony.  The great hall, impossibly large as it was, would not have held a fraction of the people who had traveled who knows how far to share in the occasion.

An endless sea of men and women were flocking to the roadside in order to glimpse a peek at their new king, and soon the road to the altar was the only earth visible in the ocean of people stretched ahead.

As Sir Joseph sat and waved to his future subjects, a flock of birds flying in formation caught his eye as they reorganized themselves to form a heart.  To the west, a larger flock of birds was flying in another unnatural formation, and it took a few moments for Joseph to make out what the formation was.

"More seating on the eastern hill," Joseph read aloud.  "Shit.  She's thought of everything."

"She may have had help with some of it," Timicus said beside him, startling Joey out of his dream persona.

"When did you poof in?" Joey exclaimed.

"A minute ago," Timicus said anxiously.  "You had your head out the window."

"Is something wrong?" Joey asked.  "You look like shit."

"Just pre-wedding nerves," Timicus said before poking his head out the window on the other side of the carriage to look up at the sky.

"How many flocks of birds have you seen?" Timicus asked a moment later.

"Just two.  Why?"

"I seem to have misplaced one," Timicus groaned as he sat back down.  "There was supposed to be a third flock counting down the minutes."

"Relax," Joey said as he returned his attention to waving out window.  "I'm sure the birds are okay, and I doubt anyone is going to miss the start of the ceremony."

"Fiddle sticks," Timicus groaned before popping his head out the window again.

"How's the Queen doing?" Joey asked when Timicus finally sat back down.

"If you're asking if she's feeling nervous as well, I have to say no," he said with frustration while digging through his pockets.  "Blast, where did I put the damn thing?"

"What?"

"The ring, of course!"

"Oh," Joey said.  "Can't you just snap your fingers or something?"

"Certainly, if you don't mind this carriage growing wings and flying off to the edge of the world.  You know how unstable my magic is when I'm nervous.  Ah!  Here it is."

"Then who's running the sky messages?"

"Auntie," Timicus said as he held up the ring to inspect it.

"So if she's controlling the birds, then why are you worried about the third flock?"

Timicus sighed and relaxed a little before giving Joey a weak grin and saying, "Because I forgot she was."

Joey grinned and shook his head before going back to waving at the crowd.

The crowds abruptly ended at a vine covered archway, and once the carriage passed beneath it, Joey sat back in his seat and relaxed as well.

"So who's doing the ceremony?" Joey asked.

"Winchester."

"Winchester?" Joey exclaimed.  "You mean Kyle Winchester?"

"Indeed."

"That's a riot!" Joey laughed.

"A riot?" Timicus exclaimed as he peered out the window for signs of trouble.

"No, stupid," Joey chucked.  "I just mean the Kyle Winchester I knew back in high school was a Satan worshiper.  Suz and I ran across him and his gang late one night in the football field last summer.  They were sacrificing a rabbit to their dark master."

"Why wasn't I wasn't aware of this?"

"Uh, I don't know.  Just never came up before."

"What were you two doing there?"

"It was Suzi's idea.  She went through this phase were she wanted to make love in public places.  I personally would have preferred it to the mall, but I couldn't get Suzi to do it after watching them perform their little ceremony."

"And why didn't you stop them?"

"There were five of them, and they all had knives," Joey said with a shrug.

Before Timicus could reply, the carriage drew to a halt.

"I guess this is our stop," Joey said as the door was opened.  "Come on.  I can't do this without my best man."

"I suppose not," Timicus sighed.  "Pity."

"Mother, no one would have known I wasn't wearing undergarments!" the Queen exclaimed.

"I would have known, and now so does half the castle," the Royal Mother groaned.  "You may not be the virgin the white dress proclaims, but you could at least act like the lady I brought you up to be and not that animal you once became!"

Queen Suzanne shuddered as the memory of her animal existence flooded her mind.  If it hadn't been for the spell Timicus and Joseph had cast, Suzanne would still have been the animal her mother spoke of.  

"Suzanne," the Royal Mother said gently.

"Yes mother?" Suzanne said a bit hoarsely as she refocused her eyes on the wall in front of her.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm fine, mother," Suzi said tenderly.  "I know you would not say such things if it wasn't so important to you."

"I am finished, my Queen," the hems woman announced.

"Thank goodness," Suzanne sighed as she climbed down from the steps she had been standing on for the past twenty minutes.  "All that for a simple tear?  I was beginning to think I would have to go naked."

"Suzanne!  Don't even say such a thing," the Royal Mother gasped.

"Oh mother," Suzanne groaned.

"Is my little princess ready to go yet?" Suzanne heard her father ask outside the room.

"I'm Queen now, Daddy!" Suzanne cried.  "And yes, I am."

"You'll always be my little princess, princess," came the reply.

"Mother, can Eric please come out of the closet now?" Suzanne asked.

"I suppose so.  I still wish you could have waited until after the honeymoon to knight him your Champion."

"Sir Eric!" Suzanne screeched.

"My Queen?" Eric's muffled voice drifted through the closed door.

"You can come out now!"

"What's that my Queen?"

"Oh for heaven's sake," the Royal Mother groaned.  "Regina, open the door and let the poor boy out before the Queen ruins her voice."

"Yes, Mum," the aged handmaiden croaked before hobbling over to the door to open it.

Eric wobbled out of the closet and stood still, blinking a few moments before finally proclaiming, "You look stunning, my Queen."

"Don't start that again," the Royal Mother hissed.  "We are already late.  Let's get a move on!"

Suzanne allowed herself to be led out by her handmaidens and carefully mounted her horse, and privately thanked God when her dress didn't snag or rip like it had the first time.

"Ready princess?"

"As I ever will be, Daddy," Suzanne said.  Then with a rush of excitement, she cried, "I'm getting married!"

Suzanne's involuntary clenching of her legs momentarily confused her horse enough that it started to shuffle its feet and whinny, startling the hems woman attempting to attach her fifty foot train to her dress.

Seeing the crowd outside didn't phase the Queen in the least, and as the royal party made its way down the road, they appeared quite comfortable waving and blowing kisses to the countless citizens declaring their love for the royal family.

"This reminds me of you coronation!" her father shouted as the sky began gently raining white flower petals.

After blanketing the road with an inch of flower petals, the petal shower stopped and was replaced by several hundred white birds forming a giant image of the Queen and her groom with a heart shaped outline around them.

The Queen had never felt so loved by her people before that day.  She had tears in her eyes for nearly the entire journey, but the sight of her two men standing beside the altar brought about an internal calmness, like she had just awakened from a dream.

"Damn," Suzi exclaimed.  "I was enjoying that."

"What's that princess?"

"Nothing, Daddy."

Suzi silently cussed at herself a few more times for having woken up from the dream persona.  After first having some trouble getting off her horse, she forgot about the train attached to her back and almost pulled herself off her own feet when she tried to walk before the handmaidens had even picked it up.

But all was forgotten once she was walking down the aisle beside her father and her eyes met Joey's.  Joey's eyebrow shooting up sent a wave a relief through her as she realized he wasn't in his dream persona either.

Suzi's relief produced such a strange expression on her face that Joey couldn't help but chuckle, and his own expression triggered a chuckle out of Suzi as well.

Joey and Suzi were in their own private world as they basked in each other's smiles and feelings.  The entire ceremony went by in a blur of recanting the words spoken to them and patiently enduring the moments up to the exchange of the infamous words, "I do," the placement of the ring on her finger, and the long awaited kiss.

The dream world faded away as they kissed, and after they realized they were back in that black place, they simply lay down and exchanged another long loving kiss before letting themselves fall asleep again.

The next afternoon, the new Queen's Champion arrived at the royal bed chambers as ordered by the Queen.

"Please come in, Eric," the Queen called before he could announce himself.

"Thou wished to see me, my Queen?" Eric asked as he entered the chambers, hiding his surprise from finding the King and Queen still in bed.

"Has thou seen Timicus since the wedding?" the Queen asked.

"I have not, my Queen," Eric said.  "Have thou?"

"Nay, we have not," the Queen sighed.  "I do not wish to disturb him if he is occupied, but it is unlike him not to check in with me in the morn.  Especially today."

"He did seem very taken by the sorceress," Eric commented.

"Did thou see her?" the King asked.

"Nay, I did not, my King," Eric said.

The King's mouth twitched into a brief smile from the use of his new title, but then he said, "My love, I do not like this.  Call him to you so we can put our minds at ease.  He will understand."

"Very well," the Queen sighed.  "Timicus?"

When nothing happened, the Queen sat up, then whined, "Ohhh!  Joseph, do something!"

"My Queen, allow me to try," Eric said.

Eric closed his eyes and called up Timicus's image in his head, then imagined sensing Timicus's presence before speaking clearly, "Timicus, the Queen needs to see you immediately."

"I do beg your pardon, my Queen," Timicus exclaimed after poofing in a second later wearing bed clothes.  "I was dead asleep after a most exciting but exhausting night of poof and seek with the good sorceress."

"So your date went well?" King Joseph asked while Timicus gave the Queen a quick kiss.

With a distant happy look on his face, Timicus nodded and sighed, "Indeed it did.  Quite exhilarating."

Timicus turned to Eric and said, "I believe she is the one my elder selves spoke of, my brother."

"Do not forget the laws of time, my brother," Eric said gently.

"I have not," he said assuring.  "But I am more concerned about the laws of love at the moment.

"My Queen, when you have the time, I would like your womanly advice on such matters.  Now, what is it you needed to see me?"

"We were simply concerned for your safety," the Queen stated.

"I see," Timicus said with a yawn.  "Well if you have no further need of me, may I retire to get the rest of my sleep?"

"Just one question," the King inserted before the Queen could grant his request.

"Yes, my King," Timicus said with a slight grin.

"What does the sorceress look like?"

Timicus smiled and with a distant look said, "Awe yes.  What does she look like indeed."

When Timicus didn't continue, the Queen said with a warning tone, "Timicus?"

"My apologies, my Queen.  For reasons she has yet to fully disclose to me, the sorceress does not wish for anyone but those with the magics to see her and has cast a spell on herself to ensure this.  Beyond saying that she is extraordinary beautiful, I'm afraid I am unable describe her to you."

"I am not comfortable with this," the King stated.  "How can we trust this woman if we never meet her?"

"By simply trusting me," Timicus said gently.  "Alexia is not and could never become a force for evil."

"It was his auntie who arranged their date," the Queen said to her King with tenderness.  "Her council never failed my mother."

"Very well," the King sighed.  "Off you go then."

"Thank you my King and Queen," Timicus said, then turned to Eric and said, "In case I do not see you before you leave..."

Eric exchanged a hug with the sorcerer before Timicus poofed away.

"Does my champion have time to talk and perhaps make love to his Queen before he begins his quest?" the Queen asked.

"I do not wish to intrude on the King's and Queen's honeymoon," Eric stammered.

"You would not intrude, Eric," the King stated.  "The Queen has been somewhat anxious for someone else to join us."

"It is the real reason I asked you here," the Queen said huskily.

"I am the Queen's loyal and obedient servant," Eric said as he hurried to unclothe himself.

"No, you are my Champion," the Queen said as they made room for him on the bed.  "Unlike the other knights in my kingdom who spread my love and will to the women in our kingdom, it is the Champion's own love and will which he spreads, not his Queen's."

"But my will is yours," Eric said worshipfully.

"For the moment it is," the King stated.  "But the Queen's will fades over time, and after the first month or so, your will shall be your own once more.  We trust you to always be loyal to us, that is why we chose you to be our next champion."

"Eric, my love, the Champion's love is as strong as mine in order to ensure diversity of thought and spirit within the kingdom.  Like the knights, you may love women who are already wed, but be careful to share your love only once with a woman already in love with another man, wed or not."

"Don't forget about the Champion's Slut, my love," the King reminded.

"The Champion's Slut?" Eric asked.

"If the Champion makes love with a commoner woman sufficient number of times, the woman will become addicted to it.  My mother's predecessor liked for her Champions to do this and created the title of the Champion's Slut.  The first thing my mother did when she became Queen was to decree no Champion of hers would have a Slut to humiliate and control.  And I feel the same."

"I could never do such a thing," Eric said truthfully.

"We didn't believe you would," the Queen said gently, snuggling up to him.  "It has become a secret only known to the Queen's handmaidens, her closest male advisers, and her Champions."

"I understand, my Queen.  Is there anything else I must know before we begin?"

"Just that I love you, Eric," Suzi said tenderly.  "I'm always here for you if you need me."

"I know, Suz, and I love you too," Eric said.

Joey coughed, then when Suzi and Eric looked over at him, he said, "Sorry.  Swallowed wrong."

"So how do you like being King?" Eric asked as Joey's flush started to fade.

"It's okay so far, but I think it might have been a mistake.  Being the Queen's Champion keeps sounding better and better."

"Boloney," Suzi snapped.  "I know you're just aching to go play general in your own private war."

"How do you know about that?"

"It's _my_ castle," Suzi said with a wicked grin.  "If it happens within its walls, the Queen knows it.  And that includes you breaking your vow of celibacy with Timicus.  The dungeons are part of the castle too, you know."

"Shit, Suz," Joey said, shaking his head.  "You've thought of everything.  My dream didn't even have a bathroom on the bridge."

Eric chucked, then said, "Yeah, but I haven't seen a bathroom in the castle either."

"That's because I don't allow any shit into my castle," Suzi joked.

After they finished laughing together, they all exchanged looks that indicated they all wanted to re-enter their dream personas.  So Suzi took their nearest hands into hers and they laid back and slipped into the dream together.

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