Azzi and opheliafrump: Thank you again for your reviews!
In this chapter the secret will not be revealed - sorry ;) Just one thing to prevent confusion: In this chapter you`ll find a flashback in a flashback. It`s Magenta`s flashback in the middle of the chapter. (opheliafrump: no offence intended! *g*)
So for now: read and review, please!
The Court Hearing
The huge door opened and Riff Raff stepped inside.
His hands were cuffed behind his back as he was guided inside by two guards.
Magenta stood at the staircase that was leading up to the throne. She was handcuffed, too.
By the looks of it, she was hale and hearty although she looked very tired.
As Riff Raff was guided beside her, he glanced at her with a slight smile.
Magenta just stared straight ahead.
What had they done to her?
Riff Raff was not able to notice any emotion. Normally, he was able to recognise everything his sister was going through.
He narrowed is eyes.
"This is the official court hearing of Riff Raff and Magenta McKinley," the voice of the first court correspondent pronounced all of a sudden. He could be seen similar to an earthen usher.
"The planet of Transsexual against Riff Raff and Magenta McKinley," he went on in a threatening voice.
"You are accused of defamation and regicide," the queen`s voice broke in. "What do you have to say for your defence?"
Riff Raff stared straight up to where the queen was sitting.
What had they done to his sister?
Anger started to boil up and he could feel that it slowly but surely seized power over his emotions. He was on his best way to lose control over his doings. By the looks of it, he had nothing more to lose. Magenta seemed to be frozen – both, physically and mentally. If he could not be able to bring her back to life, then nothing would make sense anymore.
"A decision had to be made," he said bluntly.
The first court correspondent stared at him as if he`d gone insane. Even the guards that were standing next to the two prisoners held their breath, which was a little curious. Actually, the guards were used to uncomfortable scenes, but they also knew that no one would ever leave this room alive when talking like this in the presence of the queen.
Only Magenta didn`t seem to notice anything around. She just kept on staring at the carpeted stairs.
No, actually Magenta didn`t stare at the stairs. A close observer could see that Magenta just stared right through the stairs. Her mind seemed to be anywhere but at the court hearing.
"What decision are you talking about?" the queen`s voice broke seemingly unperturbed in that uncomfortable silence.
"By the looks of it Prince Frank had lost his – and I don`t want to appear disrespectful – he had lost his sanity completely," Riff Raff explained. "We didn`t know what he had in mind."
The queen cleared her throat.
"From that point on his acting was only led by... pleasure," Riff Raff went on.
Pleasure...
Magenta`s mind began to form pictures.
She was sitting in a room – lightened by some candles. Her hands were cuffed behind her back.
The door opened and the queen stepped inside.
She looked at the majesty, questioningly and observantly.
The old woman marched over to where she was sitting.
"Your brother thought that pleasure was clouding my Frankie`s mind," the queen said slightly smiling.
Until now, Magenta hadn`t seen the queen smiling at all. The majesty had always been an honest figure.
So Magenta just stared at the old woman, waiting for the things to come.
The queen laughed out quietly.
"Don`t be shy," she soothed and stroked Magenta`s cheek slightly with her forefinger.
"I know what you`re feeling for your brother."
Magenta held her breath at an instant.
Then the queen bent down to be at eyelevel with the prisoner. She took Magenta`s chin and forced her to look right into her own eyes.
'Cerulean blue eyes...,' Magenta thought absentmindedly.
"You have marvellous eyes," the queen rasped. Apparently, it was supposed to sound like an amazed whisper, but decades of smoking, drinking and ordering people around had blighted every little gracefulness. "Marvellous dark green eyes..."
The queen´s face was now close to Magenta`s face, so she could feel the old woman`s warm breath.
Memories floated through her mind – constricting and relentlessly.
Magenta closed her eyes until it became painful. It was just useless. A persistent picture was forming right in her mind`s eye:
Frank smiled at her, his dark green eyes sparkling with pleasure.
Magenta`s eyes shot open.
The queen still smiled at her, her cerulean blue eyes sparkling with pleasure... and... something else.
Something like... well, something like... love?
"Please, don`t misunderstand me, your highness," Riff Raff`s snarling voice broke in. "Pleasure is definitely no reason to be killed for."
"Then what are you talking about?" the queen snapped.
Riff Raff shot a glance at his sister.
No, pleasure was definitely no reason to be killed for, but pleasure could definitely be a reason for killing.
"Frank – the prince – had lost sight of the actual mission," he explained. "Out of pleasure he wanted to create some more living beings – modelled on the minor human genetics. He only wanted to use them for his own pleasure and then letting them die. As you certainly remember, the mission was originated to find a proper planet to save Transsexual from overpopulation. That`s why the creating of more living being was just contrary to the actual mission – no matter how fast the earthlings are dying."
Riff Raff took a deep breath.
The queen just had to understand what he was talking about. It would be difficult to make up another story.
The queen moved slightly.
Her voluminous dress rustled slightly. Apart from that, the huge room was bathed in silence.
"Then why did you have to kill my beloved son?" the queen`s voice sounded threateningly. "As yet I can see no reason for my son`s death."
Riff Raff felt like being cornered. He should have known that the queen would not be easily contented.
In some way he felt himself left to his own devices.
Again he glanced at his sister, but Magenta made no move. She was still just staring straight ahead.
Riff Raff sighed and cleared his throat – kneading his fingers nervously.
"We were indeed trying to point out the obvious discrepancy to the actual mission, but the prince... well...," Riff Raff hesitated but then took a deep breath. "At this point the prince had... he had lost his sanity completely. He just ignored our advice. There was nothing we could do."
"Nothing except killing my son, you mean?" the queen snapped right away.
"It was an accident," Riff Raff snapped back and glared.
He noticed that he was going to lose his temper. It was like talking to a brick wall! It was like talking to Frank! As regards the behaviour whilst having a conversation, the old queen was just as annoying as her recently deceased son.
"An accident?" the queen asked seemingly surprised. Truth to be told it didn`t sound honest at all. It rather sounded like she was mocking at him.
Riff Raff looked down and clenched his fists.
"In all sincerity, I`m telling the truth, your highness," he said, now sounding more calm and collected.
"Explain yourself, servant," the old monarch seemed to get more and more annoyed as her voice was getting more threatening.
"I was trying to take the prince prisoner as I got startled," Riff Raff was not really sure what he was talking about. All he knew was that he didn`t want to kill Frank – well, not in the first place...
"I got startled and... and then... I... I pulled the trigger. I just wanted to save the mission."
Deathly silence reigned over the huge throne-room.
Riff Raff`s mind began to spin around. Suddenly, he felt totally exhausted. It felt like every inch of power and strength was gone by giving the confession. His eyelids became heavy and his eyes became glassy. The thin man suddenly felt dead tired.
"I make allowances for the fact that you tried to save my son`s mission," the queen`s voice seemed to be far away.
Riff Raff looked up to the throne and blinked.
The queen was making a concession.
For a split second Riff Raff felt a sense of relief, but he knew that there was some more to come. The queen never made any concessions without redressing the balance.
"Still, you killed my beloved son," the queen went on and Riff Raff knew at an instant what kind of sentence he had to expect.
"There`s only one adequate punishment that has to mete out for regicide."
The queen arose and everything went quiet.
"I, Queen of Transylvania, hereby sentence you both, Magenta and Riff Raff McKinley, to death..."
