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This story is about the aftermath of the court dancer's
spell and kind of gives you a look at why she did it in the first place. There
are so many theories, but no one really knows for sure.
I am on the ground, coughing into the dust.
I don't know how I got here or what's going on. Smoke engulfs me and I know
it's from our now-burning house. I get up, but fall back to my knees as a sharp
pain shoots through my spine. I gasp at the suddenness of it and get a lungful
of smoke. I am on the ground coughing again.
I turn onto my back and find myself gazing
at the fire, which is about ten yards to my right. Our straw roof is crumbling
in and the sod walls are collapsing into the hungry fire. It dances; twirling
that fiery skirt of orange and yellow, engulfing the entire dwelling I'd lived
in all my life.
I check for any pain and find that my legs
are burned, but not badly, which I am grateful for because it means I can still
dance. My long orange hair is singed on the ends and my brown fur is burned
a bit, but I am mostly alright. The world is blurring at the edges, though and
I know I'll be out soon. Just as the world starts spinning, a Darigan Skeith
comes into view. He says something to his partner -- who I cannot see -- and
roughly picks me up and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
I am exhausted and almost give in to it, but I see a small figure not too far
away and I must get to him.
I kick and scream and the surprised Skeith
drops me. I know I can't run or even stand up, so I crawl closer to the figure
lying on its back. It is a green Aisha, Taukin, my brother. I can see that he
is breathing. I must get to him!
I reach out to touch him when the Skeith
comes up behind me and grabs me around the waist. When I fight him, he just
slaps me and throws me over his shoulder again. I look up to see my brother
still lying there and I scream and kick but it does no good. I am dizzy again,
and the world spins into blackness as I call out my brother's name.
"Taukin!"
I wake up to a booming knock. So it was
a nightmare, I think to myself, then look around at the dingy stone walls and
the moldy yellow hay I'm sleeping in. No, not a dream, I think, running my hand
over the walls, just another wonderful memory.
A guard barges in with spear in hand.
This one is a Darigan Eyrie; my usual guard is a Darigan Lupe.
"My Lord Kass wishes to see you," he
says, glaring daggers at me.
I just stare at him with a look of defiance
on my face. When I do not answer, he grabs my arm and hauls me out of the small
cell I call my home and out into the hall. There, another guard is waiting for
me and they each grab an arm and drag me off to the Great Hall. I don't fight
them -- I just don't cooperate.
They march me through a set of large
brass doors and throw me on my knees before a throne. Sitting on the throne,
surveying all of his domain is a large Darigan Erie. He plays with the artifact
on the end of a chain around his neck and turns his eyes to me. I shake unwillingly
at his gaze. His eyes are like fire, are boring into my soul. Like the fire
that ended my past life.
I get up and stand straight, staring
into Lord Kass's eyes even though I'm shaking. He smiles, as though amused.
When he speaks his voice is like ice.
"Bow."
I still stand straight. When I don't
do as he says, he reaches out, as though he can touch me, but we're too far
apart.
"Bow," he says again, and I feel the
gold circlet on my head grow hot. A splitting headache erupts and I feel dizzy.
My arms and legs burn with fire as I slowly melt into a bow. I am not doing
this. I try to resist the force that is moving my body, but I can't -- the pain
just grows more intense. I am now in a low bow, where I stay until Lord Kass
pulls back his hand and says, "Enough."
I slowly get to my feet, my body aching
and sore from that small battle. I stand up straight again, trying to grasp
any dignity I have left.
"What do you want with me, Lord Kass?"
I say, looking him in the eye. "I have done everything you've asked; what more
do you want?''
He chuckles, which unnerves me enormously.
"You think I'm going to ask you to do something else?" he says, smiling evilly.
"On the contrary, I want to congratulate you. You did a wonderful job with the
king, Kal."
I cringe at the name 'Kal', his pet name
for me. I hate it. I hate him.
"Kalina,'' I correct, not really caring
about the consequences. "My name is Kalina."
"Kalina, then," he says, still smiling.
"You were a wonderful dancer -- if I do say so myself."
I glare at him. He sent me to dance for
the King Skarl of Meridell as a gift, to hypnotize the king and the court. He
knows I hated it. He knows how much it hurt me to betray my country -- but with
the golden circlet, which I cannot touch due to its magic, I could not do otherwise.
"Lord Kass," I say, gathering my nerve.
"Lord Kass, you said that if I did this for you, you'd set me free and -- and
-- " My voice broke as I looked down at my scaly purple paws. "You s-said y-you'd
change me back."
"But my dear," he says, lounging on his
throne -- the smirk plastered on his face tells me he is enjoying this -- "You
were changed back, remember? When you went to dance for the king Jhudora gave
you her best illusion potion, remember? What more do you want?"
I grit my teeth. What more do I want?
What more do I want? I want my body back -- I want to have the soft brown fur
I once had -- not the purple scales I now bear. I want my long, orange hair
back -- not the tufts of hair perched on my head. I want to look the way I did
before Darigan kidnapped me. He wanted a beautiful dancer, and that I was. But
after his defeat, Lord Kass decided I wasn't much use and I was forced to be
painted Darigan as a sign of my loyalty. I want to be part of Meridell again,
not some slave to a foreign lord. Lord Kass just doesn't understand -- no, that
was the problem -- he does. He likes watching my misery.
Tears sting my cheeks and I hurriedly
wipe them away with a scaly paw. I can't afford to let Lord Kass see me cry.
I look up and see his smile widen. Too late for that -- he already has.
"Well, Kalina, if it means that much
to you -- " he snaps his fingers and a small Darigan Uni brings him a bottle
of dark liquid set carefully on the pillow. '' -- then I'll let you change back
again. But on one condition." He sends the Uni in my direction. "You must dance
for me."
I take the bottle carefully and the Uni
scurries away. I unstop the cork slowly, watching Lord Kass for any emotions.
I lift the bottle to my lips, but I don't drink -- my eyes are still on Kass.
''What is it?" he asks, clearly amused.
"Don't you trust that I'll keep my word?"
I look away and quickly gulp down a mouthful
of potion. It tastes terrible -- like gruel, rotten vegetables and raw haggis
all rolled into one. I gag, but somehow manage to keep it down. I take another
swig and choke. This is awful. I gulp that down, too. I try to get the last
bit in the bottom of the bottle, but my body has started shaking and I drop
it. It crashes to the floor, shattering into a thousand crystalline pieces.
The potion evaporates into smoke and drifts way. I do not see this -- my eyes
are rolling back into my head and my bones feel as though they are burning.
I am screaming, but no sound comes out of my mouth.
Suddenly, the pain fades away like darkness
at sunrise. My head aches and I massage it as I sit up. I look around and see
all but Lord Kass staring at me.
"Bring her a mirror!" he orders and immediately
a mirror is forced into my paws. I look into it and my refection looks back.
Or, at least, I think it is my reflection. This Aisha has long orange hair that
flows to her waist; and brown fur so soft you just want to stroke it; and deep
emerald eyes sparkling with surprise -- like the way mine were before Lord Kass.
I run my fingers -- my brown furred fingers -- over my face.
"My face," I say, still staring at my
reflection.
"Yes," says Lord Kass gently, for I am
still in shock. "Now, don't forget your promise -- I kept mine, you keep yours."
The mirror is taken from my hands and
is replaced with an old tambourine. I turn it over in my hands and it answers
with a familiar jingle. Somewhere a fast, rhythmic music starts.
When I don't get up, Lord Kass reaches
out and says, "Dance!'
The circlet brings me to my feet. I don't
resist this time. I made a promise and I am bound to keep it.
I start moving my feet, twirling my dress
and spinning. As I get into the music, it gets easier, and I let go into a wild
dance. My feet skip and twirl, my body sways and twists. The music speeds up
and I step towards Kass. He looks as though he's in heaven. I lightly run my
finger down his face and he reaches out a claw for me but I skip away.
I jump into the air and sweep into a
perfect landing. I skip off into another dance move when a jolt in my stomach
stops me. The jolt happens again, and I am brought to my knees. My long hair
streams over my face and I am panting. My arms feel weak and I collapse to the
floor, withering in agony. This time, when I scream, I can hear it.
The world spins and then settles again
and this time when I get up I no longer have my brown fur or orange hair anymore.
I'm back to my scales. I stare at my paw.
"No," I whisper hoarsely. "No, this can't
be happening!"
"Sad, isn't it?" says Lord Kass behind
me. "And I was just starting to enjoy the show."
I whirl around to look at him. He's smirking.
I hate that smirk.
"What have you done?!" I yell. He laughs.
"What have I done? You're the one who
brought this upon yourself!''
"But you said -- "
"Yes, I said it would change you back,
little Kal, but only permanently if you drink the whole bottle! You are
the one who dropped it, my dear, and in doing so you have brought this upon
yourself.''
I turn to look at the shattered bottle.
The shards are untouched in their circle and not a drop of potion is on the
floor.
"Then get some more!'' I am so desperate
and angry now that I don't care if I get in trouble for demanding things. "Go
to Jhudora and get some more!''
Lord Kass laughs -- a hollow, ringing
sound. I hate him. "Do you not know what that stuff is? How it is made?
That potion can only be brewed once every thousand years -- that was the last
of it!"
I stare at him, tears welling up in my
eyes. I will never be my beautiful self again -- never be a citizen of Meridell
again. I can feel my heart breaking, just like it did the day Darigan came to
my home. Just like the day I saw Taukin lying on the ground. Taukin. Wait!
"Wait!" I scream as Kass' guards haul
me away. "What about my freedom?"
"What about it?'' Kass sounds uninterested.
"You said I would be free if I danced
for Skarl! You said I'd get to see my brother Taukin again! You promised!"
Lord Kass laughs again. "Did no one tell
you Kal? Your brother is dead! He's been dead ever since Darigan first took
you! He died, Kalina. He's gone!"
I stare at Kass a moment in shock. Taukin
-- dead? But he was breathing -- I know he was breathing! No! No! NO!
Next thing I know I am shouting, "You
betrayed me! You betrayed me! You said he was alive!"
Kass shrugs. "I did, but that was only
truth as it needed to be. I have no use for it now." He waves his claws at me.
"Take her away!''
I fight them; I am angry, blazing inside.
''You betrayed me, Kass! You betrayed me! You are a liar and a cheater and a
betrayer and nothing else! I hate you! I HATE YOU!"
As the guards drag me from the room,
I hear Lord Kass' laugh, his evil one -- the one with no compassion, no empathy.
The one that enjoys pain.
I fight so hard I end up falling to the
ground. I get up to run, but one of the guards slaps me and I'm back down. I
claw at them as they pick me up, but as we enter the dungeons the fight goes
out of me, only to be replaced by sorrow. How could I have done this? How
could I have believed him and put myself over my country? I wonder as the
guards throw me into the cell and lock the door. Is Kass the betrayer --
or am I?
THE END
If you're not an editor and your reading this right now -- yeah! I got
published! This would be my fist piece published at the Neopian Times. Neomail
me sometime! I love Neomail!
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