Francis strolled through the town with a certain gait that made him look like a schoolgirl after getting a kiss from her crush.
He—originally a club prostitute—was on his way to the castle, where a king and queen ruled. It wasn't a very happy occasion, as it was the funeral for the king, but the Frenchman probably was joyous because he, being the queen's secret lover ever since they met at the club, was then to take to the throne with her, since the original couple was not able to bear any children before the king's death.
After the funeral and the literal "crowning moment" for Francis, he began to rule with his new wife. Many days passed until he noticed his wife became very ill and finally bedridden.
On her final day, the couple was talking in the room where she lay, her body already slightly decayed—an awful sight for Francis to see. As she became more and more worn out, the Frenchman became more and more afraid. Why was it that the rulers became awfully ill so quickly? Was he next?
His queen mumbled to him, "Thank you for keeping me company for such a while. It has been such a great time being with you, love…"
With those final words, the woman died. Francis shed some tears, and overheard a maid speak to another, "Hm, she lasted much longer than I thought."
Angered by the comment, he demanded to know what she meant.
"W-Well, King Francis, it's a curse that every ruler dies early. It's just that she lasted longer than most other queens—they usually don't get a second husband."
A little startled, Francis nodded and went off to his chambers. He sat on his bed and stared at a mirror. He definitely didn't look like he was going to die soon, so he blew it off and decided to rest from all the sadness and commotion.
The next day, when he woke up, he got up and went to his door to go get something to eat—he was hungry. But as he did, he thought he noticed something in the mirror.
He went back to it and saw a terrifying sight: some of his skin was decayed, just like the queen's when she died.
He threw on his royal robes and stormed to the royal hall where he demanded some information. Upon questioning his servants, he learned that all rulers would die a death similar to his, and there was no way to stop it.
Francis paced and pondered the situation and finally declared he wanted someone to find a wizard in the town and bring them to him. Slightly curious, the servants still obeyed and retrieved the wizard Kirk from the prison, where most magical people were put.
Kirk was the most powerful wizard of that time, and even though Francis had never seen him before, he felt a little bell ring in his head as if he'd known a wizard like him once before.
Shaking off the déjà vu, the king politely asked the wizard, rather than demanding, if he could find a way to let him live past the curse, and offered his freedom in return.
Of course, Kirk graciously accepted the offer and, once the anti-magic restraints were taken off him, began chanting a spell that, rather than reverting the king back to his fully beautiful form, made him fully decay.
"There's something I should tell you about this spell. The curse is forever, so you, too, will live forever. The only way to rid yourself of this curse is for you kill a young pair of twin travelers to this land. Invite them to the castle and serve them poison in their drinks. Only then will you be free."
Angered by this trick, Francis demanded his guards to attack, but before they could get him, Kirk vanished into thin air by magic.
After a few seconds of curses, the king decided he would heed the instructions of the wizard and demanded an invitation be sent out to the next pair of travelers that looked related and young. Fortunately for him, there weren't many outside visitors at this time of year, so he knew it wouldn't be that hard.
As his servants set out on the journey, he sat in his throne and stared at his decayed hands. As he did so, a small, childish voice said, "I'll be sure you'll rule forever as this corpse—never leave me."
The child's voice sounded so innocent, but it frightened the king into tears.
So goes the tragedy of the King from the Club.
A/N: Just one more chapter! Then you'll see if the king's issue is solved, and what happens to our next victims. I'm kind-of happy that this chapter came out a bit long. c:
Oh, and if you guys have any requests on what you want me to do next, go ahead and tell me so I can plan while working on the next chapter. Thanks! o u o