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Authors: Danbert Nobacon
3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale (7 page)
BOOK: 3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale
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Stormy felt some more of these exciting uncertainties as she furtively leaned forward and glanced at Mercurio again. This time he caught her eye and she quickly looked away. Nukeander caught the moment, as did Gwynmerelda; they turned to each other and exchanged knowing looks.
Unusually, Stormy had been allowed a glass of the reddest wine she had ever seen. And where she had trouble making the food pass her lips, she had no problem with the wine. Each time she drank, the glass was magically refilled, the wine imperceptibly cloudier, and Stormy drank some more.
Then the dinner was suddenly over. The band struck up, and the dancing began, led by Zilpher and Jakerbald, who only needed the slightest excuse to take to the dance floor. Most of the adults gradually followed suit. Stormy saw all this as a pleasant blur, and then Mercurio took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She felt like she was walking on air.
Stormy’s head was spinning from too much wine with too little food. And the movement as she and Mercurio circulated the dance floor did nothing to help her regain any sense of balance. She felt dizzy and thrilled at the same time. She wondered if this was what people meant when they described being swept off their feet by a special other.
But when she dared raise her head and look into Mercurio’s blue eyes, what she saw unnerved her and not in a good way. That uncomfortable moment, however, was quickly snatched away. For just as suddenly as it had begun, the dance was over, and everyone was applauding. Indeed, everyone had made a half circle around the Prince and Princess and were cheering them. Mercurio whispered something in Stormy’s ear, but she couldn’t hear what he said. She just felt his hot wet breath against her ear. She didn’t like it, and turned to walk away.
Soon the evening’s guests began melting away, as people wished each other good night. Stormy felt Mercurio squeeze her hand as he drifted away. She felt Gwynmerelda hugging her, and Zilpher and Gigi taking hold of her hands. The combination of emotions and events made the weather systems in Stormy’s stomach billow in unpredictable formations.
The way Stormy remembered it, Mercurio was staring up at her with an uncomfortable glint in his eye, as she somehow managed to climb the stairwell. She saw Nukeander go to him, take him by the arm, and say something angrily. He shook his mother’s arm off and came up the stairs after her. The next thing she knew, she was in the corridor just before her own bedroom. But Mercurio was now in front of her, leaning against the doorjamb of her room. His eyes still had that same glint. And something about that glint made Stormy afraid.
Chapter 7
ONE DEAD PRINCE
S
he must be dreaming she thought. She closed her eyes and shook her head. A dizziness swirled up from her stomach, and when she opened her eyes again, Mercurio was still there, coming towards her.
he must be dreaming she thought. She closed her eyes and shook her head. A dizziness swirled up from her stomach, and when she opened her eyes again, Mercurio was still there, coming towards her.
Mercurio grabbed Stormy by the wrists and pushed her against the door. Before she had time to breath he was kissing her, pushing his tongue against her mouth.
As she struggled, Stormy’s elbow caught the door handle, pressing down upon it, releasing the door inwards, and sending the Prince and Princess sprawling. Freed from Mercurio’s gropple, Stormy leapt onto the bed. “What are you DOING?” she cried, as Mercurio closed the door behind him and bolted it.
“Stay away from me,” she screamed.
“Fear me not, little strumpet,” grinned Mercurio. “I only want a quiet word.”
And she half believed him for the half-moment it took until he lunged at her legs, sending her spinning backwards into the pillows. Immediately he was on her again, holding down her arms. His eyes bore down into Stormy’s, but his voice was amused, almost casual, when he said, “You will marry me.” And then he said, “Almost I think it will be a pleasure to break you.” He grinned again. “I always loved a fight.”
Stormy looked into his cold blue eyes and saw the truth there: no love, but hatred. And she learned one of the first lessons of her adult life that there are those who prefer the one to the other. It was a hard lesson, and she had no time to take it in, as he pulled her up toward him.
She gave a small sob, and realized her mistake. But her distress only added more fuel to Mercurio’s fire.
Mercurio really did want to marry Stormy. It was his ticket to being the next King of Morainia. Having two older brothers before him, and vying to be next in line to the Oosarian throne, this was his one big chance. He wasn’t going to miss out. Drunk as he was, he thought there was no time like the present to assert his authority. Mercurio, it will be seen, had never been able to wait for what he wanted.
He laughed again and repeated. “You will marry me. My interests will be yours. What’s yours will be mine. And that includes your precious Morainian metals, deep in these hills.” He closed his eyes as if savoring her dowry already.
That was a mistake.
In that instant Stormy managed to wriggle partially free. Unseating the Prince, she forced her knees up in front of her, and with the tautness of a crossbow, kicked out with all her might. Her heels crunched into Mercurio’s ribs. He let out a surprised groan, and fell backwards.
Stormy curled up in a defensive ball, burying her head in the bed, expecting the worst. Bracing herself for the inevitable onslaught …
… A nonillionth of a moment become a nano-moment, that stretched and split. Those two nano-moments then elasticated and split again, like cells dividing and replicating. Four became eight; eight became sixteen, and so on exponentially … The attack never came. There was only silence.
Slowly, very slowly, Stormy lifted her head and turned. Through her tears she looked and saw the Prince sprawled on the wooden floor, looking up with a fixed expression on his face, and a pool of blood spreading from the back of his head. She saw blood on the bedpost. Then there was a banging on the door and shouting.
Mechanically, Stormy lifted her legs over the side of the bed and began to walk, stepping around the dead prince, to the door. She slid the bolt back, opened the door, and stood aside as Gwynmerelda rushed in. Geraldo came behind her, quickly shutting the door behind him.
Chapter 8
YOGA BREATH
S
tormy threw herself at Gwynmerelda, burying her head in the queen’s breast, as if by shutting her eyes tightly, she could make it all go away.
tormy threw herself at Gwynmerelda, burying her head in the queen’s breast, as if by shutting her eyes tightly, she could make it all go away.
The Queen took in the grisly scene with one look. “I knew it,” she said grimly. “That look on his face …”
Geraldo bent over the Prince or, more accurately, what had been the Prince and said dispassionately, “Little bastard. He must have cracked his skull when you fought him off.”
Stormy nodded mutely.
“My fault,” said Gwynmerelda tensely. “We used you to gain time. But there’s no time now. We have to get you away from here.”
“Can I sleep … can I come to your room?” the Princess whimpered.
“No I mean, yes, come to my room, but we have to get you away … away from the castle … tonight.”
“I’m afraid so, Stormy,” nodded Geraldo, as a look of bewildered horror crept across the Princess’s already confuzzled brow. “There is no seer living who could predict what the Oosarians might do now. We have to get you as far away and as fast as possible. For your own safety,” he continued, putting a finger to his lips and ushering them out of the room. Geraldo closed the door on the dead Prince.
“Take Stormy downstairs,” he said, looking at Gwynmerelda.
“Yes,” she whispered back. “You wake The Fool.”
The Queen led Stormy quietly down the back staircase and into her own chamber, where she briskly checked through a knapsack she had hidden, already packed. Stormy watched, barely understanding what this meant. Had the Queen known the Oosarian visit would have unintended consequences?
What Gwynmerelda really wanted to do was to fold the frightened Princess in her arms and reassure her. But for her own safety, Stormy would have to be able to stand on her own now. She had to learn she was alone. “Don’t stand there looking like a goggle bird, Girl,” she barked. “Move!”
The harshness had its intended effect. Stormy angrily came out of her trance and set to work.
“Packing for a camping trip, ladies?” The Fool stuck his head in the door. He had been pleasantly drunk and fast asleep, but the news that he must shortly leave sobered him up quick.
Tearful goodbyes were out of the question. Gwynmerelda knew that any sign of sentiment now would only hamper Stormy. So with dry eyes and unyielding body, the Queen pushed Stormy and The Fool out into the night.
She watched as they disappeared, hurrying, into the dark, and didn’t blink once, not even when Stormy looked back uncertainly one last time. It was only when the Queen knew they were gone that she allowed herself a brief moment of collapse. She sank back against the wall, gasping for air.
BOOK: 3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale
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