Maragana Girl
Copyright 2004 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/
EC's deviantART collection - http://caligula20171.deviantart.com/ 

(warnings: judicial corporal punishment, forced public nudity, sex between adults, 
references to drug use, references to violence)

Chapter 21 – The Danubian Spring

“Socrates' Mistresses” returned to the national stage on May 1, once again 
performing for the Danubian public. Like the year before, the group performed 
live in Danube City's Central Plaza as part of the May Day Celebrations. Once 
again the deputies and staff-members of the National Parliament lined up on the 
rooftop and balconies of the old building to take advantage of their privileged 
viewing opportunities. 

However, the crowd was much larger during the band's second May Day 
performance and included large numbers of foreign fans. It was obvious that any 
other group performing that day simply was a warm-up for Danube City's favorite 
lead singer, so the other Danubian modern musical groups stepped aside for ones 
that specialized in traditional folkloric music.

“Socrates Mistresses” put out a grueling performance of three full hours, as the 
crowd shouted “DOC-DOC ELOISA… DOC-DOC ELOISA… DOC-DOC 
ELOISA…” between songs. Eloisa was a bit taken aback by her popularity and 
became visibly more nervous as the concert wore on. She looked over her 
shoulder at her back-up singers several times with a frightened expression. 
Finally, the lead singer signaled Kim to join her at the main microphone for a 
series of duets. Eloisa needed Kim's reassuring presence at her side, as she finally 
comprehended the awesome success the band was becoming. With Kim present, 
the magic returned to Eloisa's voice. It was at that moment Kim realized how 
much Eloisa truly needed her.

The group performed again the second week in May, to another outdoor concert 
almost as large as the May Day crowd. This time there were even more foreign 
fans, some of whom were fascinated at the thought their favorite group lived and 
performed in the nude. There were numerous television interviews following the 
second concert, including in-depth interviews with Kim in English from British 
and German television companies. 

The following week a major US entertainment magazine picked up on Kim's story 
and did a detailed feature on her participation in the Danubian music scene. 
Criminal # 98945 posed for several pictures, most of which were from the chest 
up. However, she also posed for a full-body shot, in which she turned sideways 
and crossed her legs to comply with US censorship rules. The magazine wanted 
its readers to know that, yes indeed, Kimberly Lee had not worn any clothing for 
nearly two years as a condition of her sentence.

Kim, for the first time, discussed her views on drugs with the US press. She 
described her trial and sentence, trying to emphasize that she felt what had 
happened to her ultimately was extremely fortunate. She discussed the 
experiences that led to the writing of “A question I cannot answer”, the 
immensely sad retelling of her conversation with her mother as they discussed 
Susan's death in Prague and her own narrow escape from a similar fate. She went 
on to describe the origins of a second song she had largely written herself, titled 
“Marooned”. The second song focused on Kim's decision the year before to stay 
in Upper Danubia rather than return to the US and risk being unemployed and 
getting back on drugs.

There were further questions about how Kim became a friend of the Danubian 
singers, and the path that led her from participation as a back-up singer to singing 
partner to co-leader of the band. She discussed her plans for the future: marriage 
and a career as a Danubian Spokeswoman for the Criminal. The interviewers 
clearly were fascinated with the story as the interview went much longer and in 
much greater detail than they previously had envisioned.

The magazine feature about “Socrates’ Mistresses” was an important step in the 
group's rise to popularity in the US market. The piece became much more 
important for the magazine's June 1 issue than the editors originally had planned. 
Apart from Kimberly Lee's full-body sideways portrait, the magazine also 
included numerous facial shots and a couple photos of Kim and Eloisa singing 
together, cut off just below their shoulders. The editor decided to include a second 
full-body shot of the two lead singers in concert, taken from behind and showing 
the large crowd of fans in the background. The editor defended the shot by 
saying: “This is their reality, and you can't censor the truth.”

----------

Kim did not return to work for Victor Dukov during the final spring of her 
sentence. She regretted not having the opportunity to ride her bicycle around 
Danube City and get paid for it, but she needed the three days per week to finish 
her university classes and attend to the growing needs of Eloisa's band.

When Kim visited Victor's office to justify not returning to work for him, she had 
a bit of a surprise when she saw his office. Victor clearly was about to re-direct 
the focus of his business, because there were a large number of fax machine 
promotional pamphlets on his desk. Victor explained that the Danubian 
Parliament was debating legislation to allow some business and legal documents 
to be faxed instead of forcing them to be delivered in person. The law was one of 
many measures Upper Danubia had to implement to get ready to join the 
European Community and it was getting very little attention from the public. 
Victor, however, foresaw the arrival of fax machines eventually would reduce 
Danube City's need for bicycle couriers and potentially ruin his business if he 
could not adapt. He was getting ready for the change by importing fax machines 
from abroad. As soon as the legislation passed, Victor would open a fax machine 
store and over time curtail his bicycle business as more local businesses started 
using faxes. Already he was preparing to send two of his couriers abroad to 
receive training for servicing and repairing fax machines. As time went on and the 
need for bicycle couriers slowly diminished, one by one he would send his other 
employees abroad for training.

“For a while I will offer both fax machines and courier services, but the change is 
coming.” Victor was reflective, but a bit sad about the impending transition in his 
business. “The courier services in our country go back many years, but I'm afraid 
that's one of the things we'll have to give up to modernize.”

----------

In the late spring Mrs. Dolkiv finally accepted the American “Maragana Girl” as 
Sergekt's future wife. Kim noted the difference as her fiancee's mother began 
treating her with warmth and kindness, as opposed to a distant cold tolerance. The 
change began very slowly in the fall, right after the forest fires were put out, but it 
was not until after the second Easter that Kim's future mother-in-law became truly 
nice as opposed to just courteous.

Although she did everything she could to keep her doubts about Criminal # 98945 
to herself, secretly Mrs. Dolkiv had hoped at some point her son would break up 
with that Asian drug-addict. However, the American had proved herself a worthy 
woman time and time again, to the point it was obvious Sergekt could not find a 
better partner. Sergekt would marry the "Maragana Girl", study his hydrology, 
and live the path the Ancients had laid out for him. His mother knew that he was 
happy, happier than he had been at any time since his father had died, which was 
what mattered. 

Mrs. Dolkiv finally accepted it was time to put her prejudges aside and treat her 
future daughter-in-law properly. She and Sergekt's aunt began taking up some of 
Kim's precious spare time by inviting her to shop and cook, taking her to the 
nearby temple, and teaching her some protocol the Dukovs had overlooked. Kim 
was not particularly thrilled about doing any of those activities, but she 
understood it was necessary to accept the invitations offered by her future in-laws. 
Kim was happy enough to have finally ingratiated herself that she took the time 
needed to build up the relationship, one that would be crucial for a peaceful 
marriage in the future. 

----------

Kim and her friends spent the final two months of their sentences in very upbeat 
moods. The stress of university classes passed, their bodies finally could enjoy the 
warm late spring weather, and the impending promise of freedom beckoned. Kim 
marveled at the change in the entire group, a change that was real, and reflected, 
among other things, in the music Eloisa was choosing for her group's rehearsals 
and recordings.

The evenings at the Socrates Club were full of happy discussions about plans and 
hopes for the future. Psychologically the group already was making the transition 
to becoming free citizens, as they discussed clothes they wanted to buy and places 
outside the Danube City collar zone they wanted to visit. Many of the group's 
members planned to travel to provincial cites to visit grandparents and other 
relatives the week after their release, others simply wanted to relax at the 
campgrounds and beaches of the Rika Chorna Reservoir.

There were plenty of wedding plans for that summer. Most of the group's 
members wanted to get married. There were 5 couples within the group itself, 
including Kim and Eloisa and their partners, as well as 12 other members who 
were engaged to people who had not been part of the original 28 students 
convicted after the riot. The desire among all of the couples was to have a normal 
settled life as quickly as possible, even though Kim doubted the maturity of some 
of Sergekt's friends. Now was a time for dreaming, but reality would set in once 
the group's collars were off.

Kim and Sergekt were among the couples who planned to get married later in the 
year. Considering the hectic summer that lay ahead, the couple decided the best 
time to get married would be in the fall, possibly on October 18th, Kim's 21st 
birthday. Kim felt that marrying Sergekt would be the perfect 21st birthday 
present for her.

When Kim discussed her possible wedding plans with Vladim Dukov, he made it 
very clear that he expected her to stay at his house until she was properly married. 
Dukov's statement came as no surprise to Kim, since she knew that “living 
together” was unheard of in the socially conservative Duchy. An unmarried 
person always lived with a relative. In the rare cases when no relative was 
available, as was the case for Malka Chorno, then an unmarried person almost 
always lived in the household of an older person or family.

Dukov made it clear to Kim that as long as she remained in his house, the rules, 
protocol, and expectations of proper behavior would remain in effect. Her status 
in the household would not change at all, in spite of her change from convicted 
criminal to free US citizen with a transition visa. The Dukovs never treated Kim 
any differently than they would treat any other single young woman who was a 
member of their household.

----------

Over the winter the US exchange student Jennifer Thompson took her studying of 
the Danubian language more seriously, mostly so she could communicate with her 
classmates and join them in what social activities were available to high school 
students. She joined the girls' soccer team and did very well. She began 
swimming and exercising more. By the end of the school year she was in great 
physical shape and actually was enjoying her time in the Duchy. Most 
importantly, Anyia taught her friend that it was possible to be rebellious in Upper 
Danubia, just not in the way Jennifer had envisioned. 

There was one significant act of rebellion open to the teenagers. During the spring 
both of them started dating convicted criminals. The two high-school girls took 
delight in parading their naked boyfriends around Danube City. Jennifer 
distressed her parents by having Anyia take several photographs of her dressed in 
her school uniform and standing arm-in-arm with her naked boyfriend. She 
delighted in sending them home to her father. That'll stress-out my dear old Dad, 
thought Jennifer to herself, knowing that his daughter has a nude boyfriend in 
Danube City.

Spokesman Dukov was not thrilled at all with his daughter's choice of a 
boyfriend, because the guy was convicted for a perfectly legitimate crime. He had 
gotten drunk and participated in a football-riot while studying abroad in Germany. 
He was videotaped participating in several acts of vandalism including helping his 
German friends overturn and burn some cars. On top of that, he threw several 
bottles at the German police and injured a bystander when a bottle missed its 
intended target. Germany quickly expelled him back to Upper Danubia, where he 
faced a government very angry at the negative publicity he had brought to the 
Duchy. Because his crimes appeared in the German press with some comments 
about “uncouth easterners”, he was given a rather harsh 10-year sentence for the 
crimes of assault, insurrection, and “dishonoring the Duchy” once he returned 
home. 

Dukov did not treat his daughter's boyfriend with the same warmth and trust with 
which he treated Sergekt. The young man's crimes had not been “crimes of 
honor”; quite the opposite, the he had dishonored himself and Upper Danubia 
with his loutish, drunken behavior. Still, Dukov felt he could not openly reject 
Anyia's boyfriend unless he did something specific to offend the Spokesman. 
Dukov himself had served a sentence and spent his life representing people like 
his daughter's boyfriend in court, so he had to show a minimal amount of respect 
to the young man kneeling at his feet. That respect was minimal, however. Dukov 
made it very clear to his daughter's boyfriend that he was to treat the Spokesman 
and his wife with the proper protocol due to public officials at all times. 

Jennifer's boyfriend was a straight-forward criminal, convicted of burglarizing 
several warehouses and trying to sell stolen merchandise. He was serving an 
eight-year sentence and would not have his collar off until he was 26. The 
relationship became rather interesting over time, because after several weeks of 
going out she began disciplining him. Because Jennifer was free and her 
boyfriend was a criminal, the American student had a superior legal status and 
thus could tell him what to do. The young burglar was grateful enough to have a 
girlfriend, especially an attractive red-headed American, so he was willing to put 
up with having to submit to her. 

The discipline started with an occasional sharp slap to the bottom if Jennifer's 
boyfriend did not move fast enough or do something the American had told him 
to do. After a few weeks, every time Jennifer told the young criminal to do 
something, the order always was accompanied with a sharp slap to the bottom. 
Then it became two slaps to the bottom. Always. Then, shortly before Easter, 
Jennifer's boyfriend accidentally bumped into her back-pack and crushed a pair of 
sunglasses as they were entering Dukov's house with Anyia. 

The house was empty, so the teenagers were free to do what they wanted. Jennifer 
sat on the sofa and ordered her boyfriend to lie across her lap, right in front of 
Anyia. The silent, embarrassed pleading in the criminal's eyes only stiffened 
Jennifer's resolve.

“I told you to get over my lap! Now do it!”

Once the young man was properly positioned, Jennifer began spanking him while 
Anyia watched. The punishment was not nearly as painful as the switchings the 
young man was enduring as part of his sentence, but was infinitely more 
embarrassing. The slaps continued for a very long time, as the criminal's bottom 
changed color from light pink to deep pink.

Anyia ran upstairs and grabbed a camera. To the young man's horror she began 
taking pictures of the spanking. When he turned his head away from the 
photographer, both girls sharply admonished him to keep his face visible to the 
camera. Once again, the girls' photo session proved far more embarrassing then 
the video-tapings made of the criminal's judicial switchings. To be forced across 
his girlfriend's lap, with another friend taking pictures….

Finally Jennifer finished the spanking, mostly because her hand became sore and 
her arm was too tired to continue. The next time, I'll see if I can find a paddle or 
belt, Jennifer thought to herself. Still, the girls were not finished with the 
punishment; they wanted to do something more. Anyia came up with the idea of 
making the young criminal kneel in the corner, with his hands behind his head. 
Once he was in position, there were several more pictures. The finishing touch 
came when Jennifer decided to write something on her boyfriend's back. Anyia 
got a black magic marker and, in careful block letters, wrote in Danubian: “I 
stupidly broke my girlfriend's glasses and she had to punish me.”

Right after that the three went back outside and got on a trolley and go downtown. 
Jennifer and Anyia thoroughly enjoyed the young man's utter humiliation as 
bystanders stared at his pink bottom and the message on his back. 

The experience changed Jennifer and made her realize she actually could enjoy 
her time in Upper Danubia. Yes, it was true there were no raves, drugs, tattoos, 
nor any other “fun” things to do in Upper Danubia, but then, where else could you 
spank a naked boyfriend and then make him walk around in public with a pink 
bottom and a punishment message written on his back?

----------

During the final months of their sentences Kim and Eliosa had very little time to 
daydream about what life would be like without their collars. Their recording 
company approached them with plans for a late summer tour through Europe, a 
series of live performances in several major cities throughout the EU. There were 
plans to have the group record some more music in Germany after July 2 and 
another possible movie deal. The two lead singers were forced to rehearse hard 
with the female vocalists from the band, night after night, as they tried out new 
music. They recorded song after song with the musicians, desperate to produce 
what they could while the group's music was still rising in popularity.

There were rumors the soundtrack for the Hollywood movie about the Roman 
invasion of Gaul would be nominated for several prizes, including best musical 
score. The haunting music from “Socrates' Mistresses” provided a perfect 
backdrop for a tragic story that dealt with the destruction of Gaul and its lost 
civilization. As the soundtracks sold, the group's other CD's sold, with the music 
stores struggling to keep up with demand. 

During that spring music companies began approaching other Danubian musical 
groups, as the "Danubian sound" moved to the forefront of global popular music. 
The owner of the Socrates Club and the owner of the music store scrambled to 
prepare bands for auditions and make arrangements for recording studios. The 
two men eventually pooled some money and bought several warehouses close to 
downtown to set up as recording studios. They brought in equipment and 
technicians from the EU to set up a top-quality recording studio complex for 
Danube City. Group after group, almost all of them criminals or ex-criminals 
from the Socrates Club, passed through the new Danube City studio complex on 
their way to recording albums and receiving contracts. 

The Danubian Parliament quickly had to change the law that initially had 
protected the Danubian music industry and kept Danubian music unique. The law 
that prohibited top billboard music from being played or distributed in Upper 
Danubia had to be overturned, or Eloisa's music would have been banned in her 
own country. As regrettable as removing the protection was to many of the 
deputies, there was no choice if the Duchy was to have any respect for its popular 
singer and her friends. With the passage of the new music law Upper Danubia 
took a major cultural step in ending some of its isolation. That step, however, was 
done on Danubian terms and to accommodate Danubian interests, not the interests 
of foreigners. Having to change the law made Danubians more confident of the 
country's contribution to global culture, and even more proud of the Duchy's 
culture and traditions. 

The summer months following Kim's release would bring changes to Danube 
City. Foreign investors bought shares in the studio complex and soon the owners 
of several older buildings downtown began converting them to hotels and cafes 
for the increasing contingent of foreign technicians and music representatives. 
Following the music industry employees would be fans of the various groups and 
tourists interested in seeing the historical capitol of the Duchy. Within a very few 
years Upper Danubia was to become a major tourist destination in Central 
Europe. The arrival of the tourists and their money was the beginning of Vladim 
Dukov's hope that Upper Danubia could face the future and adapt to the world 
without surrendering what made the country so unique.

----------

The record company promoting “Socrates's Mistresses” had big plans for the 
group for the weeks following July 2. There was a scheduled international tour 
with a series of concerts in Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, Barcelona, Athens, and finally 
Vienna. The schedule would allow the group to be back in Danube City in time 
for their university classes, but the original idea was to have the Warsaw concert 
on July 6 and the Berlin concert July 12. The band members were both excited 
and disappointed by the impending trip. The opportunity to travel excited the 
group, but at the same time any post-sentence vacations had to be cancelled. 
Many of the group's members had wanted to spend time with relatives outside 
Danube City and were distressed at the thought their musical careers would 
interfere with their family plans.

Kim was determined to travel back to the US for a couple of weeks with her sister 
Cindy to visit her parents. She also felt a trip to her former home would allow her 
to come to terms with her forfeited life as an American. Cindy planned to travel to 
Upper Danubia at the end of June and be present for Kim's de-collaring 
ceremony. After Kim was released from her sentence she wanted to spend time 
with her sister, and then travel to the United States to visit her hometown.

Kim decided not to allow anything to interfere with rebuilding her relationship 
with her sister and her parents. She had to have the two weeks following her 
release to herself. Kim, sitting next to Eloisa and the owner of the music store, put 
her foot down on what would be scheduled for July.

"Whatever else happens this summer, there's something I gotta do. I have to go 
back to visit my parents for a couple of weeks, before I do anything else. I need to 
do that before I get married and change my citizenship, before I tour, before I 
record, before anything. I gotta go home for little bit, and try to figure out who I 
really am. Then, I'll be back, I'll tour, I'll sing, I'll do whatever we need to make 
Eloisa's music successful. But my going home for a couple of weeks is not 
negotiable."

Kim's own needs forced the group's company to alter its summer plans for 
"Socrates' Mistresses". The music company's representatives mulled over Kim's 
trip home, and decided Kim's return to the US would be a good opportunity for 
her to promote "Socrates' Mistresses" in the North American market. Ultimately 
there would be plans for the group to go on tour in the US the following year, 
during the summer when its members were not in class at the university. Kim's 
trip home would help lay some groundwork for next year's concerts, assuming she 
was willing to grant a couple of interviews.

The others in the group would be getting a vacation during the two weeks, time to 
spend with their families and getting used to being able to travel outside the collar 
zone. For Eloisa and her fiancée the two weeks would be a chance for their two 
families to travel together to the main resort at the Rika Chorna Reservoir and 
spend time getting to know each other better. Eloisa confided in Kim that she and 
her fiancée planned to announce their wedding plans at the summer retreat. The 
band's lead singer also confided to Kim that she wanted to make love in the forest 
and try to expand her sexual experiences. 

----------

Malka Chorno continued with her exercise classes as the spring progressed. Her 
groups had stabilized into a regular crowd of hard-core students who were 
determined to get into top shape before they finished their sentences. Malka's 
sharp voice and sweaty body became a fixture in many lives, to the point that 
Malka had to start a third fitness section of her class and a second martial arts 
group. The owner of the Socrates Club installed some showers and a public 
bathroom in Malka's gym to accommodate her clients; a clear indication he 
expected Malka's service as a gym instructor to be long-term.

Malka began giving the idea of permanently being a criminal gym instructor some 
thought. She had discovered she really liked being a gym instructor much more 
than police work. Oddly enough, the ex-police officer had found herself among 
the Danubian criminal community, to the point she no longer identified with who 
she had been the year before. Malka finally decided to approach her Spokesman 
about a possible change of plans, wondering if the only way she could end her 
sentence would be to return to the Police Academy.

Dukov brought up Malka's case with the sentencing judge. Malka's sentence was a 
provisional sentence, which was not very common. However, Malka's case 
allowed for some flexibility. The judge surprised Dukov with his suggestion.

“I think…if she does not want to go back to being a police officer, she should 
remain a criminal. She seems to have found herself in that gym of hers, and I 
would like to see her continue her life as it is now. Here's what I'm willing to do. I 
will expect her to serve the full 18 years of her sentence, and if she wants to be a 
gym instructor, then I will expect her to fulfill that commitment she has made to 
her fellow criminals. She will keep her collar and the clothing restriction will 
remain in effect for her. However, I will ease two conditions of her sentence. I 
will re-classify her as a 'willingly repentant' criminal. Also, I'll have the 
transmitter removed from her collar so she can move about the country.”

Dukov agreed to suggest re-classification to his client. Malka would remain a 
convicted criminal, but under much less restricted conditions. Malka gladly 
accepted the proposal. The reclassification allowed her to sever her final ties to 
her former life. She was, and would be for a very long time, a criminal and a gym 
instructor. The gym was her life, the very real contribution she could make to 
improve the lives of many people. Now it was official. There would be no turning 
back for Malka; she could look at herself as a gym instructor instead of a 
disgraced former police officer.

Malka knelt in court toward the end of May to be officially reclassified, as her 
Spokesman stood at her side. Once the sentencing judge read the changes he 
asked Malka if she had any comments or requests.

“Yes your honor, I do have one request. My boyfriend wants to become a police 
officer. If he is accepted to the Academy, I ask that he be assigned my badge 
number and wear the badge that used to be mine. I think that having my badge 
will serve him, because it will constantly remind him he needs to take his 
responsibilities seriously.”

“Very well, Criminal # 99348, that is an easy-enough request to grant. The day 
your boyfriend receives your former badge, I will require him to stand before his 
fellow cadets and explain the significance of that badge to his peers. I think that 
will be a good lesson to both him and to his fellow police officers.”

Malka then knelt before the judge's desk to allow the collar technician to remove 
her transmitter. Once the transmitter was off the technician removed the steel ring 
from her collar and replaced it with a brass ring. The brass ring officially marked 
Malka as a “willingly repentant” criminal. 

----------

During the entire month of May, Spokesman Dukov spent almost every free 
moment of his time in his library. He returned home from work, had dinner with 
his family, and then retreated to his study and to a new computer he recently had 
purchased. He spent his time looking through a vast pile of history books stacked 
by his desk or typing furiously. He was driven, in a way he never had been driven 
before, to speak to the Danubian nation through his writing.

Starting May 15, the Spokesman began publishing a series of political opinion 
columns in the Danube City Post, which was the Duchy's most important 
newspaper. Dukov's readers expected him to discuss his ideas about criminals and 
their place in Danubian society, but he ignored that topic altogether. Instead 
Dukov wrote about his broader concerns for the Duchy's society and his vision for 
Upper Danubia's future. 

During the two years Kim served her sentence for marijuana possession, there 
were two major political movements represented in the Danubian Parliament. 
There was the conservative ruling Party of the Duchy, which argued that Upper 
Danubia had to defend its traditions at all costs and shut out the outside world. 
The opposition was led by the Greater Danubian Progressive Party, which 
vehemently argued that Upper Danubia's society was a failed relic of the Middle 
Ages and that the country needed to modernize as quickly as possible, taking the 
good with the bad and becoming like the rest of the world. Dukov responded in 
his columns that neither approach served the country's best interests. 

Dukov argued the Duchy's peaceful society was under tremendous threat from the 
outside world, in particular from globalization. In his writings the Spokesman 
compared Upper Danubia's current situation to the crisis which faced the country 
in the early 1500's, when the Ottoman Empire and the Counter-Reformation 
threatened to completely destroy Danubian society. The Kingdom of Danubia at 
beginning of the 16th Century was much larger then it was in modern times, and 
its nobility was confident it could be successfully defended against the growing 
threats posed by the Turks and the new Holy Roman Emperor. In the end Danubia 
did manage to survive and maintain its independence, but only because the 
country had a king who was smart enough to know that not everything under his 
rule could be saved. There were some very difficult choices and national 
sacrifices that only one man, King Vladik the Bastard, seemed to realize were 
necessary. 

The rest was history that every Danubian learned in school. Before Ottoman 
armies invaded from the neighboring country to the south, King Vladik ordered 
the southern half of his kingdom to completely evacuate. He essentially 
abandoned all of the fertile lands of Lower Danubia to the invaders without a 
fight, realizing his army was no match for the heavily armed Ottoman armies. As 
the invaders poured across the abandoned and burnt lands of Lower Danubia, the 
kingdom's subjects retreated to the part of the kingdom their ruler felt he could 
defend, the valleys of Upper Danubia that were protected by thick forests. He 
ordered his knights to melt their armor into weapons that could be easily carried 
over long distances and used at close quarters, bought smaller, faster horses for 
his soldiers, and hired bandits to teach his troops how to live in the forest for 
extended periods of time. 

The king made his stand in the woods that separated Upper and Lower Danubia, 
with the goal of protecting the lives of his citizens, not protecting land or 
property. He won the first battle against the Turks in the forests, after a savage 
and protracted campaign of ambushes, raids, and traps. The following year King 
Vladik faced another invasion from a Christian army coming in from the Holy 
Roman Empire led by religious fanatics who saw the Danubians as heretics and 
pagans. The Papal Army was routed even worse than the Turks; very few of its 
soldiers even making it out of Upper Danubia alive.

There were a total of six invasions over a 25-year period, none of which ended 
successfully for the attackers. Danubia adapted, changed, and survived. What 
could not be saved was discarded. Among the things that could not be saved were 
the farmlands and manors of Lower Danubia. That was the sacrifice King Vladik 
had to make to save Upper Danubia. After he was killed in battle during the sixth 
and final invasion, King Vladik the Bastard was remembered as King Vladik the 
Defender and revered by his subjects.

Dukov's history lesson had implications for the present. Upper Danubia could 
jump into the global economy with no consideration of the social consequences, it 
could try to ignore the outside world and ultimately fail, or the nation could face 
and adapt to the over-all threat. Dukov argued that a rational modernization plan 
tailored to the Danubian social values would allow the Duchy to enter the 21st 
Century in a way that would cause minimal disruption to the country's society.

"We stand in the shoes of King Vladik. The Ottoman and the Holy Roman 
Imperial armies are fast approaching our lands. We can hide and pretend they are 
not coming, we can surrender our souls to the invaders and change our identity, or 
we can face the future and determine where the new boundary between Upper 
Danubia and Lower Danubia is located. Our task is to save Upper Danubia, yet 
again, by determining what we as a society can keep and what we must abandon. 
The goal is to maintain ourselves as a people and as a society. No matter what 
decisions we make, we must ensure there will be a Grand Duchy of Upper 
Danubia to pass to our grandchildren."

Dukov's columns caused a sensation, because they put into words the thoughts of 
many Danubian citizens. Dukov gave a coherent voice to the majority of Upper 
Danubia's voters who thought that both parties were wrong in their approach to 
modernizing the Duchy. Yes, the Duchy had to modernize, but in a rational way 
that would not destroy the country's society.

Towards the end of May the Grand Duchy of Upper Danubia entered a political 
crisis. The governing party lost several no-confidence votes in Parliament after 
opposition deputies criticized the lack of planning that led to the previous 
summer's fire disaster in Rika Chorna Province. Suddenly several governing party 
deputies announced their withdrawal from their party and the formation of a new 
political group. To the shock of the nation, several deputies from the opposition 
Greater Danubian Progressive Party joined them. Upper Danubia began a political 
re-alignment as a third political movement took shape over the summer. 

At the time the political uproar in the Parliament was taking place, Vladim Dukov 
watched with the detached interest of an average public official. As a 
professional, the only immediate concerns he had were how the political changes 
might affect court appointments and the National Police. He worked from day to 
day, continuing to argue cases and help criminals rebuild their lives after being 
sentenced. 

What Vladim Dukov did not realize was that the changes he wrote about in his 
articles, as well as the resulting political turmoil in Parliament, soon would affect 
him directly. By the end of the year the political changes would completely alter 
the course of the Spokesman's life. 

----------

Criminal # 98945 passed her first round of final exams during the end of May. 
She had done well in her classes, completing her first semester in college with a 
cumulative class academic score of 94.5 percent. In the US that would have been 
the equivalent of a grade point average of 3.7 or 3.8. Kim was impressed by her 
own performance in college, considering that she had barely finished high school 
and was taking her current classes in a foreign language. She now was well on her 
way to fulfilling her Spokesman's vision of someday speaking on behalf of 
foreign criminals in Danubian courts.

Once their grades were returned and Dukov had a chance to examine their 
coursework, the Spokesman invited Kim and Tatiana to King Vladik's Castle. 
Dukov and the secretary wore their black prayer robes, while Kim, in compliance 
with her status as a criminal still serving her sentence, wore nothing.

They entered the ruler's chamber and knelt in front of the dead king's empty 
throne. A crown sat on the throne, but what struck Kim was the its simplicity. The 
crown was made from carved silver and brass, and inlaid with amber. There was 
no gold on the crown, nor any imported jewels. That crown had been made only 
from materials available within the realm. The crown was Kim's first introduction 
to Upper Danubia's greatest national hero. It was obvious he had been a modest 
and practical ruler.

Dukov spoke in the direction of the King's throne, but was not addressing the 
dead King directly. He asked, in Archaic Danubian, for the country's ancestors to 
bestow wisdom on him and his two protégés.

"These two young women will enter their responsibilities during very trying 
times. Life will test them in ways that my companions and I cannot even imagine. 
They will need your guidance, because my guidance, corrupted by the limitations 
of my generation's experiences, will fail them." 

Kim looked over at her mentor, a bit taken aback by the Spokesman's doubts in 
his own abilities. To her Vladim Dukov was one of the most knowledgeable and 
intelligent people she had ever met. However, later in her life Kim would realize 
it was precisely because Dukov was so educated he realized how little about life 
he really knew.

The Spokesman and his two protégés left the castle. Tatiana returned to the 
Spokesman’s office to change her clothes and get back to work, while Kim and 
Dukov walked down to the park that extended along the Danube River. For a long 
time neither of them said anything, although it was clear to Kim that Dukov 
wanted to make himself available to answer her questions. Finally she spoke up:

"Spokesman Dukov, why...I mean...what's so great about King Vladik? Why did 
we go and pray to an empty throne?"

"Kimberly, I understand you have not taken the university history requirement for 
that time period?"

"No, Spokesman Dukov, not yet. That's why I'm curious."

"Kimberly, perhaps I should begin by explaining to you why I, as a Spokesman, 
would pay homage to King Vladik. King Vladik created the position of 
Spokesman for the Criminal. You will understand that prior to King Vladik's rule, 
a convicted criminal became subject to his accuser. Once a person was convicted, 
he had to serve the person he had wronged. You will understand that before 1524, 
many, many people were unjustly accused by others who wanted to use them as 
slaves. Every society has something that dishonors its people, and that was what 
dishonored us."

"That makes sense. So that's what he changed?"

"What the king changed was who held responsibility over the convicted criminal. 
In 1524 the criminal became subject to the Crown, not to his accuser. In a single 
decision the King swept away a justice system that had degenerated into a system 
of slavery. All the nation's criminals passed under his control, and under his 
protection. He ordered 10 of his most trusted advisors to assume custody of the 
nation's criminals and determine how many of them were unjustly accused of 
committing crimes. Those 10 advisors became our country's first Spokesmen for 
the Criminals. That was how our profession began. That is why King Vladik is so 
important to me, and to you. You will understand that you and I will have walked 
the same path in life before we join the dead. We began as criminals. We will 
have become free citizens and then Spokespersons. That was the path in life King 
Vladik foresaw for people like ourselves." 

“And Spokesman…you really think I can do it, I mean…like…argue in your 
courts and hassle with your prosecutors?”

“You will. It is what I foresaw back in September. And…Kimberly, I will advise 
you of something important. The beginning of your responsibilities to our justice 
system will come sooner than you think, long before you finish your studies. Very 
shortly you will understand why I just made that statement.”

“Spokesman…but how…if I don't have my degree…”

“Kimberly, I foresaw that very shortly you will be called upon to use our 
profession to save a life. As I stated before, you will understand when the moment 
comes.”

----------

The final major event in the lives of Kim and her friends prior to their release was 
the summer solstice festivals. During Pagan times the summer solstice was an 
important religious event, with festivities that lasted a full four days. The 
Danubian Ministry of Culture had decided to revive part of that tradition and raise 
the solstice events back to the importance they had held many years before. For 
the first time Upper Danubia would have an official four-day vacation and many 
ancient pageants would be revived. There would be the usual concerts in the Plaza 
of the Ancients on the day of the Solstice itself, but now there would be much 
more, as the country sought refuge in its distant past to understand its present.

There was the usual required performance for “Socrates' Mistresses”, the very last 
public appearance of the group before the end of their sentences on July 2. Other 
groups would perform as well, but there was a mutual decision between the owner 
of the Socrates Club and the Ministry of Culture that all the performers that day 
would be criminals still serving their sentences.

The concert was a very emotional one for the members of Eloisa's band. It would 
be their final public act as criminals, the final performance as group performing 
only for Upper Danubia. All of the group's members felt the concert was an 
official closure to one part of their lives; a good-bye to their lives as criminals. 
The next concert the group had planned would be in Warsaw on July 30. By that 
time the lives of the group's members would be radically different and much more 
complicated.

The songs Eloisa had chosen for the equinox concert surprised Kim. The 
American had expected Eloisa to choose the group's more recent and upbeat 
songs, to fit the general mood of Upper Danubia's only cheerful holiday. Kim did 
not realize that, for this final performance as a criminal, Eloisa was not interested 
in providing simple entertainment. The group's lead singer wanted her listeners to 
reflect on the meaning of life. She chose the group's saddest and most 
philosophical songs, along with the songs that had the most ancient musical roots 
or themes. She asked that the group be allowed to perform at dusk, because she 
wanted the long summer twilight to set the backdrop for the melancholy theme 
she hoped to set for the concert. 

The lead singer's instinct for music resulted in what many of her fans would 
consider the band's greatest performance during the criminal phase of their 
careers. Eloisa's voice was infinitely sad, and infinitely moving. While she was on 
stage that night, Eloisa seemed detached from the physical world. She sang her 
best, because at that moment singing was the only thing on her mind. 

----------

The following weekend Kim and Sergekt took their final bicycle ride together as 
criminals. As she felt the warm summer air blowing against her bare body, Kim 
realized there were things about being a criminal she would miss. She knew that 
she would miss riding naked on her bicycle, and the naughty chases with Sergekt 
through Danube City's forest parks. Such behavior was accepted for criminals, but 
there was no way Danubian social protocol allowed free citizens to act in such a 
scandalous manner.

Kim and Sergekt rode to the bench where he had spanked and made love to her 
the previous fall. They parked their bicycles and for a long time sat on the bench, 
simply relaxing and enjoying the hot weather and rustling leaves. 

Both Sergekt and Kim knew she was due for another spanking. After sitting 
quietly with him for a while she went over his lap, nestling herself against his 
body and enjoying the feel of the summer breezes on her exposed bottom. For a 
long time he caressed her backside, studying her flawless soft brown skin. He ran 
his fingertips between her thighs and teased her vagina and bottom-hole. 

Kim's lovely bottom always fascinated Sergket. After being with Kim for nearly 
two years, her body excited him every bit as much as it did when he first saw her. 
Yes, he would spank her, but just enough to put a slight shade of pink on her 
bottom. There would be no punishment that day, such a series of soft sensuous 
slaps that would heighten her sexual arousal and make her bottom even more 
beautiful than it was already.

Sergekt began spanking Kim, but the slaps were much more erotic than painful. 
Kim went wet, in a sexual bliss over the combination of sensations she was 
experiencing. Sergekt had been right; Kim was not in the mood for a hard 
spanking. She wanted the spanking to be a purely sensual experience, to feel the 
soft slaps of his hand over and over on her eager bottom. The pain on her bottom 
was slight, just enough to completely stimulate her body and her senses.

Sergekt mixed the slaps with sensual teasing between his lover’s legs, including 
the occasional light touch on her clitoris. Kim lifted herself up every time 
Sergekt's finger brushed that most intimate part of her body, hoping for more 
touching, but he kept her in suspense. There was more spanking, and then more 
teasing between Kim's legs.

Finally both of them were ready for sex, more than ready. Kim lay on her back on 
a towel Sergekt had brought and he entered her. He thrust long and hard as Kim 
closed her eyes and gasped with delight. This was good…really good. She 
climaxed twice, as her orgasms swept away the stress of the past several weeks.

The spell slowly lifted as the pleasant summer afternoon dragged on. Yes, thought 
Kim to herself, maybe being a criminal is a rough experience, but I'll miss these 
bicycle trips. That part I'll miss.

