The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Two

The hall remained silent as the twins rose from the table and made their way gracefully across the floor. 

They took their place in the center of the room and a minstrel scrambled to their side. When the twins nodded the musician began to pluck a haunting chord on his instrument. An intricate dance ensued, with the twins moving in time to the music. I thought of the Hag Dancer and wondered if they had the same gift, but it became quickly apparent they did not, though their performance was no less moving. The twins told a story through their dance, and even without words I discerned a loose narrative:

A kingdom, once powerful and great, now in peril, attacked from all sides by dangerous enemies. The king, knowing his time was at its end, took the hand of his beloved queen, who held a pair of newborns in her arms.

As the walls of their castle crumbled around them, the lovers kissed for the final time.

Enemies poured in—

But the queen was determined to survive, and she began to weave a great net to catch them. Two hands were not enough for the work, so she grew another pair of arms, then another, then another, until she was weaving with such speed that it was hard to see her movements.

She threw her net over her enemies and ensnared them.

The melody quickened to show the queen's rage. There was undeniable magic in the twins' movements, which entranced those who watched, and the story told was as clear as if it had been read from a book. With a sway of their arms and a flick of their wrists, the women summoned paragraphs.

The net was pulled tight, choking the life from her foes. The queen was unyielding in her fury, but her vengeance had been too great. She lost herself in anger and hadn't seen that the net had pulled around her husband, and was now choking the life from him, too.

His last act was laying his hand on her heart, to quiet the fire in her soul.

The king was dead, and the queen, realizing the fruit of her hate, fell to her knees in despair.

By choking the world she had become the very merciless she was trying to keep at bay. She looked at the arms she had sprouted to weave her weapon.

She'd turned herself into something hideous. A monster.

The tune slowed and turned mournful.

The queen wove the body of the king into the net, burying him within a great tapestry. She filled a chalice with her tears and offered it to her surviving enemies, feeding them life before tugging them free. Once they were released she begged them for peace.

But her enemies were not so kind.

They betrayed her mercy and attacked.

With her life at its end, the queen reached out the arm that cradled her newborns, stretching it beyond the grasp of her enemies.

She sent the babies into the world, gently setting them in a place where they would never be found. Content her children were safe, the queen died.

Her enemies wrapped the net she had created around her and pulled until there was nothing left but an encased figure swaying in the wind. They tore the kingdom apart and argued over who would rule the pieces that were left.

Their fighting continued in a vicious, bloody cycle. 

And the newborns watched from afar.

The last note was somber. It trailed into nothing, and a sad silence hung in the air before the court broke into cheering and applause.

The dance and the story it told had been tragic but touching. When the king noticed the tears on my face he laughed. 

"Why do you weep, boy? The song is one of triumph and glory! A victory over the forces of darkness!"

I stared at him, dumbfounded, unable to understand his meaning. Had he not seen the same story played out?

"Bravo!" he shouted at his brides as he raised his cup to toast them. "Kill all the monsters, every last one!"

"Kill all the monsters!" the court echoed.

I did not join them.

The twins curtsied and retook their seats, and I noticed they didn't have a hair moved out of place or a drop of sweat on their faces. They weren't even out of breath from dancing.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, not wanting them to notice I'd been crying lest they mock me like the king.

"What did you think?" asked the red-eyed twin with a smile.

I didn't know if it would be more proper to lie and take the side of the court.

"It was heartbreaking." I leaned in so the king would not hear me. "I don't understand why everyone smiles."

Shock flashed across their faces and the twins exchanged glances.

"You thought the story...was sad?" Red Eyes asked.

"It made me cry," I admitted in a whisper.

Green Eyes frowned, but her eyes betrayed her mouth and showed sympathy.

"It's not known to be a sad song," Green Eyes explained. "It's meant to inspire hope and remind people of their victory over—"

"Monsters," her sister finished.

I shook my head, confused at how I could have misinterpreted something so obviously melancholy.

"It wasn't a happy song for the king and queen," I argued. "Or the newborns. How could the death of their parents and the destruction of their home be inspiring to them?"

"It might inspire them to remember not to challenge stronger enemies," Green Eyes replied. "Why don't you consider it from the viewpoint of the winning side? You'd see then it's a tale of achievement."

I didn't want to see it from another viewpoint. The story dug into my soul like a blade, and it upset me that no one, not even the twins who told it, could understand the true meaning.

"It's a warning then," I begrudged, "but not inspiring in the least. Not to me."

Red Eyes opened her mouth to say something, but her sister cut her off.

"It's our song, and we say it's not a tragedy. You must be too young and naïve to understand the complex themes. Or you're too simple. We'll speak no more about this."

They turned to their plates and didn't say another word to me.

At last, the king rose and left the hall without any ceremony. The court followed after, and I was taken by servants back to the bedroom from before. I fell onto the giant bed, ready to find sleep, but my disturbed state would not allow it to come.

"I'm not simple," I declared to the dark room.

In my mind, the story played over and over. The poor queen struggling to save her family. The great cost of her mistakes. The cruelty her enemies showed when she begged for peace.

And the newborns, lost in the world without their parents, watching as their home was reduced to nothing.

To take my mind off it, I talked to the wolf.

"We need to come to an agreement, for our safety," I whispered. "You have to follow my orders. This is not like the circus, where you fight and have gifts thrown at you. We're in a dangerous place."

The wolf did not answer, but I knew it was listening.

I felt less alone knowing it was there.

In my dreams I saw a queen with several arms and Ma's face. She shielded me from a thousand dangers and ripped the arms from her body to beat back her enemies, spraying blood as she did, until she fell under a mountain of swords.

It was still dark when I woke, and I paced around the room while ruminating on my dream.

A fearful weight settled in my heart as I wondered if it hadn't been a dream at all, but a grim premonition of things to come.