William squeezed his throne's arm, enraged. He slammed his three-fingered hand on the other arm, muttering and sometimes, even screaming in Grox. "What is the matter, your Horrifyingness?" His maid asked.
"My wife... SHE IS DEAD! My pain is as endless as those SPODE-WORSHIPPING IDIOTS! I CANNOT EVER FIND ANOTHER!" He shrieks, reeling with rage at the thought of his deceased wife.
The maid backed out of the throne room fearfully. The king put his head in his hands, tears streaming from his natural eye. William trudged to his bed chambers, tears dripping onto the red velvet carpet. He crawls onto his bed, crying himself to sleep. The next morning, William felt like he couldn't get up at all, so he slept late. When he did get up, he found a butler sitting in a chair, quietly folding towels. "G-o-ood morning. How are you?" William asked the butler.
"I'm fin-ne. You?" The butler asked him.
"Ver-ry sorr-r-rowful." William replied.
The butler looked at him sympathetically. William hopped out of bed and put his cloak on. He went into the hallway, his metal foot clanking against the cold marble floor. He saw something skitter across the floor in the shadows. He went to investigate. It was a tall, thin figure, much taller than himself. It was white and purple, with large black eyes, a flower atop its head, and a unicorn horn sticking out from under the flower. It had strange hands. They were like William's, but the fingers were much thinner and are webbed. Its feet make a suck-suck-suck-suck noise, so it must have suckers on its strange feet. The creature bled from a wound on its shoulder. "What happ-pened?" The king asked. "Attacked... by... pirates... species... gone... partner... outside... Grox... only... hope... for... survival... we... crash... nearby..."The creature said, moaning and howling in pain.
William paged a maid and physician. The maid helped the creature up, and carried it to a spare bedroom. He summoned a guard, who found the creature's partner and carried it to the bedroom next to the first creature. The physician patched both of them up, and let them rest. William looked at the two. He went into the first one's room and sat on the edge of the bedside. "Wh-hat is your s-sp-pecies c-a-alled?" He asked.
"Elett." The Elett replied.
"Wh-a-at's you-r name?" William inquired.
"I'm Quch, you?"
"Wil-liam."
Quch looked at him, puzzled.
He asked the second her name.
"I'm Ngeng, how about you?"
"Wi-illia-am."
Ngeng looked at him puzzled, but said nothing. William shut both of their doors. He started towards the dining room. He picked a bowl of fruit up off the table and carried it upstairs. He went into the Quch's room, and let him take a few fruits. Quch nodded his head in thanks. Ngeng did the same. William let them eat in peace, taking the fruits downstairs and putting them in the refrigerator. He went back upstairs, sitting on a bench by colum, and looked out the window. He began to weep, thinking about his wife. Ngeng got out of bed, she had no injuries, unlike her husband. She had just been knocked unconcious. She opened her door slowly, with a watchful eye. She knew he was Grox, and he could lash out and probably would eat her. Her husband, on the other hand, wasn't afraid. William looked in her direction, but he didn't say anything. He could probably smell her fear. Ngeng slowly walked toward him. His piercing stare didn't help. Suddenly, he turned away. Ngeng took a start. She began to ease herself towards him. When she reached the bench, she sat down next to Willliam. She embraced him, singing soothingly in Islorian. Forget your sorrow, forget your strife, ahead is a much better life. Love is near, it's never far, someone's bound to catch you when you're fallin' hard. Misunderstood you are, but never forget, you are loved.
William just looked at her, and burst into tears. He sobbed and the tears flowed. Ngeng rubbed his back. William embraced her back. "Even if you guys do have a bad rep, I still like you. Why do Grox have such a hard exterior?" Ngeng asked.
"W-well-l, ev-everyone ha-ates us, jus-s-st bec-because we-e're ha-a-l-lf machi-ine. Plu-us we-e h-a-ave v-er-y w-we-i-rd vo-ices, an-nd th-en, w-hen we-e-e we-re cr-e-eat-ures, e-ve-ry-one s-t-ole f-rom us. Yo-ou're th-ee o-nl-y o-ne-s th-a-at hav-v-en't... M-y-y wi-fe... sh-e-e die-ed... be-be-caus-e... sh-she wa-s-s p-poison-ed." William sobbed.
"Oh my Spode... That's horrible. I see why. Can-can you smell fear?" Ngeng asked.
"Ye-es, an-nnd it-it w-was co-om-ming o-off of y-you li-ike th-ee st-tink o-of de-eath."
"I was afraid you'd eat me."
"We e-eat cre-eatures. N-not civ-vilized peo-ople."
"That's comforting."
"My wi-ife w-a-as be-eaut-tifu-ul. Sh-h-he ha-ad lo-ong blo-onde ha-air, wh-hic-ch I al-alwa-ays admi-ired. Wo-omen do-on't ha-ave the-ese ma-ach-ine-par-rts, except for the torso armor. She always wore this long, flowy, blue dress. The Grox females are tall. About as tall as you, Ngeng. Her ears were short, wide, and fluffy. SHE was fluffy. About as fluffy as a kiwi bird. Speaking of, come here. I want to show you my little kiwi bird. I ke-ep it in hon-n-or o-of he-er."
illiam led her into a small room. Inside, there was a little kiwi bird. It was in a very large cage, which consumed half the room. There, the kiwi had friends, and it was in a natural setting. "They're adorable." Ngeng said.
"Ye-es, the-ey ar-are. I h-a-ad...a-an... an-anger... fi-fit... yes-yesterday. I w-a-as m-a-ad m-y-y wonder-er-ful, bea-a-utiful wi-ife h-a-ad be-e-e-e-en ta-aken fro-om m-e-e. Gr-grief i-is a ha-a-rd th-thing." William responded.
Ngeng nodded. "I understand. I lost my mother when I was n-nine. I was angry, as well as my father." Ngeng said, beginning to weep. William took her up in his arms and stroked her wings gently. "Tho-ose win-ngs mu-ust b-be re-eally n-nice." He said.