The Offer

I suddenly realised the test was about trust. I conquered my fear of hight and now it dawned on me that the fear of drowning was my second biggest fear. Next to that was my fear of not being in control. I was still being tested. I knew I would not get help until I accepted my destiny. I needed to give up all my precautions and submit wholeheartedly to the situation. I would have let go and begin my future. The initiation had started. I decided to try to float on in or on the soap and see what happened. I took a deep breath and let go of all my efforts to save myself.

Somehow the test setup registered my changed behaviour. As soon as I started sinking in the soap I felt the floor of the bath was being elevated. Soon I was laying on an elevated island in the middle of the pool. I was on a cushioned surface, clearly meant to relax on. A gentle shower was turned on rinsing away all the soap from my body. There was a spotlight aimed at me now, but I felt perfectly comfortable. I heard a soft plunge of water and when I looked I saw grandma swimming towards me. She swam towards the slime and then relaxed into it. Directly another platform rose, carrying her next to me. I would have expected she would be out of breath, but she seemed perfectly calm. She was looking at me with a face full of joy and admiration.

'Congratulations my dear child and sister now. You have passed the final test.'

'I thought I was drowning and that stupid computer did not really help at all,' I laughed.

'It did, it gave you light.'

'Yes but no help was offered.'

'Never trust a computer to know what you need. You know what you need. Make it happen.'

'I understand now. I will gladly be your heir and keep our matriarchy a secret.'

'I hoped you would sweetheart. Your mother had high expectations of you. She planned for you to be her successor after my inevitable departure. She proved to be right. You have done very well.'

'Was I meant to nearly drown?'

'No, your mother intended to jump in right after you and guide you through the process and keep you safe. My doctors have prohibited me from doing the same. I am getting too old for this. Tonights initiation party will be my last appearance in the community.'

I realised I was crying softly.

'Why grandma, you are in such good shape? I would love to have you around as my mentor.'

'I am old and terminally ill dear Louise. Soon we will say goodbye for the last time. You will be the matriarch then and your daughter after you.'

I nodded in understanding, but I felt torn over the daughter aspect. I never intended to be a mother.

'I know you may not want to become a mother being non binary and all. You can always adopt some girl to become your heir. Being the mistress means that you make the rules and bend them at will.'

Despite the warm water and hot air I was getting cold and I noticed grandma was shaking too. I was very sleepy too and longed to be in a bed to sleep.

'We need to get out of here. We are getting cold. We don't want to get ill.

'You are right. We don't want that. You should be feeling very sleepy by now, right?'

'Yes,' I said.

'Good, just lay down and sleep. Everything is safe. I will see you tonight.'

She was right. I needed to lay down, so I did. I was drugged into sleep. No worries would haunt me anymore today.

I thought I was still dreaming but I heard the murmur of unknown voices and the clink of plates and glasses. The sounds of a fancy dinner. I smelled food too. I was laying comfortably on my back listening to the people all around me. I noticed I was still naked and presumed I was laying there in the middle of a large table surrounded by people having dinner. Did I consent to this? Did I consent to being the centrepiece on their dinner table. I noticed the scent of floor-wax beneath the smell of the people and the food. A knew I had been brought to the Keizersgracht and was now an ornament on the table on my own initiation party. I probably did consent when I agreed to become the next matriarch.

I opened my eyes and saw the beautiful chandelier above my head. The room fell silent when I tried to turn my head. A bell rang softly and I imagined this was the same bell my great grandmother had used during my grandmothers initiation tests.

'Dear people,' grandma spoke: 'the young heiress has awoken. Please welcome my dear grandchild Louise, who has accepted her future as your matriarch.'

A loud cheer sounded and I decided this was the moment to sit up. The cheering became louder, while I glanced around the room. I felt a bit intimidated by all the people in evening gowns and smokings cheering at me. They all looked genuinely happy to see me, but it was hard to tell because of their Venetian masks. At the head of the table I spotted my grandmother. She was naked like me but still had an air of royalty around her. Somehow I was reminded of the fairytale 'The emperors new clothes', where you could only see said clothes if you were of noble blood. Grandmother wore those clothes with as sense of pride and dignity. It seemed to me all others in the room pretended we were wearing the most beautiful robes. Only Arjen and Johanna, who stood at both sides of grandmother and were unmasked, looked at me with some form of lust in their eyes. I knew they saw my naked body and lusted after it. I really enjoyed that thought. I noticed a passageway was kept free on the table allowing me to climb of and join at the matriarch's side. I looked at grandmother and she nodded, allowing me to join her. I stood up en walked over the table towards the edge and climbed off.

I hugged and kissed her. She smelled so nice.

'They expect a speech from you,' she whispered.

I looked at her old face that had become so much more dear to me this afternoon. Again she had this mischievous grin on her face.

'If you hadn't drugged me I could have prepared,' I whispered back.

'I prepared it for you together with Johanna. Ask her.'

I looked at Johanna and she was all loving smiles for both of us.

'Johanna, can I have my speech?'

'Yes dear, good luck.'

She handed me a few sheets of paper with only the outline of a speech on them. I read them over quickly and knew they were trusting me to do a proper speech based on this. I found it easy to speak to this crowd of masked people that were all too insecure to not wear the mask. It reminded me a bit of the speech I had given to the University's student council during the Corona pandemic. At the time masks had been mandatory and I had not been naked, but in general it was the same deal.

The words came easy to me and within a few minutes I managed to crack some jokes and get the crowd laughing. After the jokes I felt some tears were in order and that seemed to sync with the idea's of my ghost writers. I told them this was the last time the grand mistress would join and explained her old age and progressing illness made this inevitable. A shock went through the crowd and people started nervously talking. Grandma raised her hand to silence them. They hushed directly.

'Dear people don't cry over my old body. I haven't left you yet. Tonight we celebrate the awakening of the youngest heir we ever had, and the start of the introduction of the other new members of our community. Bring in the pledges.'

They cheered and the doors to the main stairs opened. A group of people my age, some men, some women walked into the dinning room. They were all dressed in simple white robes and clearly nothing else. They looked around nervously and also surprised at me and my grandmother standing there naked in the middle of all those other dressed people. Sophie was one of the pledges and I saw her making eye contact with a woman on the side who stood hand in hand with another woman. I concluded she and her mother had managed to make up this afternoon. The crowd was silenced again by grandma.

'Dear pledges are you ready to make your vows and become members of our community with respect for our secrets and customs?'

The pledges nodded.

'Sophie step forward,' grandma commanded.

She did, dropping her robe to the floor. Her beautiful body took my breath. I noticed someone took the robe away.

'I am at your service mistress.'

Grandma smiled at her.

'What is your promise to me and my heir?'

'I promise to love you like I love myself. I will devote my live in doing well for others and share my love with the community.'

'Beautiful promise Sophie. Dear members do we take this gay woman Sophie as one of ours?'

The crowd cheered and Sophie was instructed to proceed into the ballroom. She looked to the floor for her robe and found she had to go as she was born. She was reborn a member of our community.

The others proceeded in the same fashion and eventually the dinner ceremony was concluded. Grandma, Arjen, Johanna and me left the dinner room like Arjen had explained to me earlier. They guided me to their apartment. Arjen handed grandma a warm bathrobe, which she put on gladly.

'You must be hungry my dear plaything,' Johanna said with a concerned face.

'I need to pee badly,' I said with a nervous voice.

'Please go, we were not planning on doing water-sports today,' grandma grinned.

Johanna handed me a little bucket.

'If you want to fulfil someones darkest fantasy, pee in this bucket please. She would be so grateful.'

'So we will have water-sports after all. I love that,' grandma responded cheering like a young girl.

'Rather not in the ballroom,' Arjen said; 'you know how much damage we had the last time we did that.'

'You have had these new gender neutral toilets built downstairs, can't we do it there,' grandma proposed.

'Bad idea mistress, you know that area is part of the office area. We don't want curious eyes there.'

'You are right. It seems young Sophie needs to wait for her dream to come true then.'

'Not so fast. We could still get some heavy duty plastic covers placed,' Johanna opted.

'Not while everybody is in there. The maintenance people are bound to leak what they see,' I said: 'I think this too much risk altogether. We won't do this.'

'Mistress, your call,' Arjen said.

'I concur with Louise.'

'So it is no,' I said handing the bucket back to Johanna but still held on to it: 'Or we could use your famous play room on our middle floor as a kind of after party. She has been on the middle floor already anyway.'

'Has she now?' grandma inquired, her tone suddenly sharp.

Johanna blushed.

'Yes mistress, I explored the possibilities with her when she became my driver. It didn't work out.'

'Why didn't you tell me? You have taken an unnecessary risk. If her mother finds out we will have a row in the community. Her mother has never been granted such privileges.'

'I did not know Diana was her mother.'

'That's why these things need to be discussed with the matriarch. Did you count on me not finding out?'

'Yes mistress, I never expected this to reach you.'

'At least you are honest to me. I will discuss you punishment later.'

I decided to take the bucket to the bathroom and filled it with my piss. It was a big load and it smelled unusually strong. I emptied the bucket and flushed it. I cleaned myself and went back to the others who had sat down in the living room.

'My pee smelled bad. I flushed it,' I said.

'That must have been caused by all the stress of today,' Arjen said.

'And the drugs you used to put me to sleep after the leap of faith.'

He nodded.

'That is likely too.'

They had prepared a light meal for me and I ate with gusto.

'So what happens next?', I asked grandma who was sitting next to me.

'When you have finished your dinner and freshened up, we will get dressed for the occasion. Arjen could you get me and Louise our costumes? I want to start dressing already anyway, for it is not as easy on me as it used to be, especially after being nude for hours today.'

'You are still in good shape mistress,' he replied.

Grandma chuckled. He walked off.

'He is such a flirt,' she said amused.

I laughed out loud, almost chocking on the food. He came back soon after with two stacks of sexy underwear and robes. He helped grandma on her feet. She continued her explanation. Arjen and Johanna went downstairs to join our guests. I was helping grandma get dressed forgetting to eat the rest of my dinner.

'When we are ready, we will go downstairs to the ballroom to join the crowd. They will all have undressed. We will lead the pledges to the middle of the room where they will fulfil their pledges by giving themselves to us.'

'I am still confused as to why they would want to.'

'People like to be led and we actually provide them with a care plan like the one Johanna and Arjen made up earlier with no cost for them and their children except their loyalty and acceptance of the leading role of their matriarch. Our ancestors have been guarding our community like this ever since somewhere in the 15^th century.'

'You are making this up, aren't you?'

'Why would I do such a thing? If you are able to read old Dutch I will provide you with all the evidence needed, but you could also just trust me.'

'I trust you grandma. How on earth have you managed to keep this all a secret?'

'Since the internet was invented it has become increasingly difficult to the point where your mother had to create the Spaarman group as a cover for our real purpose. Hence the important role of our dear friends Johanna and Arjen.'

'So they get to play the billionaires but are in fact just employees?'

'Your mother made them billionaires. It is a very expensive façade, but worthwhile to protect our considerable assets.'

'Are you like Bezos or more like Heineken?'

'I think Bezos is small beer,' grandma said with a grin: 'I would think I could buy his business, fix his labourers conditions and still drive fascist Musk out of business. It will never happen unfortunately because we operate in secret and in the EU only. We never misuse our wealth.'

'Owning such wealth would be abuse in itself most people would say.'

'You are able to imagine what it would do to the economy if we would spend our capital freely.'

'We should be helping people instead of buying their loyalty.'

'You are right and you will find we help a lot more people than you would expect. It turns out that the more people we help, the more we earn. You should ask our finance people about that paradox tomorrow when you sign all the paperwork. I think you need to thank the resourceful Arjen and Johanna for that.'

'Did mom select them?'

'She did and I nearly panicked when I heard how much capital she would be assigning to them. She has proven to have been right. They have already paid for themselves. No more questions now dear.'

'Please grandma. One last one?'

'Only if you call me by my rightful title.'

I looked at her in surprise. What title did she mean?

'Mistress?', I tried.

'Wrong,' she said slapping my face unexpectedly hard.

Her chest was heaving from the effort she had put in the slap and it hurt really bad.

'You are slave to no one. You are my daughter's child. You should know how to address me by now.'

I dawned on me. She was the matriarch.

'My apologies dear matriarch.'

'Good. Remember this title will be your's very soon.'

'But I have no children...'

'You may have them soon.'

I did not think about that statement for as long as should have. I trusted my birth control pills.

'I don't want to, it does not fit my gender identity.'

'You will figure it out. You will make the rules.'

I tried my luck with a title for her again.

'Dear matriarch, why all the sex?'

'I love to have sex, just like all the matriarchs before me. You will love it too.'

'I kind of like it with Johanna and Arjen but never craved it before. I really do not know about the orgy tonight.'

'Just open your mind for it and it will come to you naturally. I have seen you busy with them. You have nothing to fear.'

'I'd rather go with my masculine side now.'

She looked at me curiously.

'I encourage you to do just that,' she said, 'What is it you need?'

'I want to wear a strap-on.'

'Nice. I think Arjen anticipated just that. It is in your stack of clothes.'

I looked around and noticed the strap-on I had used earlier on Arjen, on the table. Grandma grinned.

'You need help with that?'

'No I'll manage. You ever wore one?'

'Never tried it, but I fear I am too old to start practising the needed hip movement. I might break something and tear a muscle. My physiotherapist would hate me for it.'

'You could wear it and not use it. It is a rush to have someone sucking at it. Especially men.'

'No thanks, now hurry up. People are waiting and we are late.'

Very soon afterwards we took the elevator to the floor where the party was in progress. As soon as we go out of the elevator we heard an orchestra playing a classical piece and voices murmuring. Grandma hooked her arm in mine enabling me to support her on the walk to the ballroom. When we entered the room the talking and music stopped. People made sure we could walk through the crowd easily. Everybody was looking at us in anticipation. A throne was put on a pedestal and there Arjen and Johanna stood waiting for us. All others had taken positions at the side of the dance-floor. We were the only ones wearing any clothes and this made me feel very uncomfortable. I felt the large dildo swinging with each step, causing the internal bit to wiggle to and fro. I needed to concentrate on the awkwardness of the situation to prevent myself from climaxing half way the hall. I knew my face must have been beet red again. Grandma took her seat on the throne and gestured for me to sit next to her on the large seat. I hid my strap-on with my cape.

'Dearest people,' grandma spoke, 'throughout the long years of my reign over you I have been grooming my late daughter to take over my role. I retired from actual power twenty years ago. Last year COVID took Lianne and we had to cancel this yearly event. I was called upon to help find a new heir. Our Louise was devastated at the time and had never been made aware of the matriarchy. In the next few weeks my grandchild will graduate and will take full reign over our community. As you all know I am getting very old. At the end of the night I will step down and retire to face the inevitable caused by the sickness that has been eating me up from the inside.'

I noticed most people crying and nearly everyone looking attentively at her. Some were looking at me. Grandma was looking at the crowd and waited for them to regain composure. I was impressed with how she used my correct pronouns even in this difficult speech.

'Louise will need the support off all of you to grow into their new role. Your new leader will have to assume their reign less prepared than we all would like. Louise has however shown remarkable talent and with your help they will bring the needed rejuvenation to our community. But now for the last time I will speak justice in the cases brought before me. Arjen are any cases registered?'

Arjen bowed to grab a paper from the floor. When he stood up again he read out loud.

'I want to present to you the grief of our pledge Sophie against her mother Marjan member for 3 years.'

Grandma raised her hand and Arjen stopped reading.

'Sophie and Marjan step forward please.'

Sophies mother walked forward full of confidence. Sophie followed with a confused face. She started to say something but grandma raised her hand to silence her.

'Silence Sophie. I know you have not complained to us about your mother. It was your mothers girlfriend our member for thirty years Michelle who raised your grief to our attention.'

Marjan shot an angry look to her lover at the side.

'Marjan do you remember your pledge to my daughter?'