Zephyr set me down onto my feet in this really creepy area. The sky was a deep black for as far as the eye could see. Everything was dead in the vicinity. The water below the castle was a murky brown and smelled so pungent. Zephyr had carried me to a long bridge, ending with a drawbridge protecting the castle. And the castle! Oh my god, the castle. And here I thought Pleasure Island was terrifying. This was scary in a completely different way. The castle's bricks and floors were dishevelled, and it felt as if it's owner could have cared less. The Horned King clearly didn't concern himself with keeping up the appearance of his estate. It was dark all around us, but a few lights could be seen shining through these glassless windows. To make matters worse, these dragon-like things were flying all about the grounds. I'm not sure if they were acting as watch dogs or what not. I stepped backwards and my great uncle glanced down at me.
"Will you be alright by yourself?" Zephyr asked me worried. My eyes didn't leave the horrifying edifice in front of me. My lips wouldn't stop trembling. No, of course I wouldn't be alright in somewhere like this alone! But what other choice did I have? I drew in a deep, deep breath, unable to meet my uncle's gaze. "I…. I-I'll be fine. Thank you for bringing me here, Uncle." "My pleasure. You take care of yourself, niece. And be careful in there." "I-I will." With one last look at me, Zephyr took off leaving me there right outside the front entrance. My legs were quaking; I did not want to go in there. It looked like a death trap; like once you entered, there was no getting out. Whether you jumped inside the cauldron or not, I'm sure.
It took me a while but eventually I was able to force myself to enter the horrific looking, crumbling castle. It was the oddest thing- it looked rickety and yet felt super sturdy at the same time. Huh, maybe its owner doesn't care how it looks so long as it does its job properly. I snuck across the unguarded drawbridge, mindful to stay in the shadows and out of sight of the dragons flying about.
The interior was literally no better than the exterior. A thick layer of dust and grim was on everything. Dead tree trunks came up through the floor. Spider webs and bones were the main décor. The whole place was lit by unattended torches which just seemed to burn and burn without going out. There were skulls carved into the walls and the woods. And there was the odd real human skull here and there. It was like hell in here; this made Daddy's palace in the underworld look like a vacation resort. At least Daddy's old home was clean.
For a warlord who had just conquered an entire kingdom, his castle was surprisingly unguarded. I tip-toed through the empty halls for over an hour before I ran into anyone, and that was a single passed out man. I passed by this room with an open door; inside was a man in armour- a soldier, I guess- asleep at a table with an empty beer mug in his hand. In front of him was a roaring fire; also unattended like the torches. This only confirmed what the witches had told me. It doesn't look like any of the adults in Prydain disappeared.
The soldier didn't stir as I slipped by; he was completely sloshed. And he wasn't the only one. After an hour of search for anything remotely cauldron shaped, I came across another open door; this one only by a crack. For the first time since I got here, I heard sounds coming from further inside. I rushed over to the door, pressed by back against it, and listened for a moment.
Music of a weird sort and adult man voices- lots of them. They were laughing and shouting, not sounding angry at all. It sounded like they were celebrating. To my surprise, the door opened onto this rotting wooden floor; there were no walls in this once room. All the wood had rotted away, save these massive sturdy pillars supported by the stone wall right beneath us. It was such a setup that I could perfectly see all the men chortling with each other in what appeared to be a great hall. Well, it was a hall anyway; but nothing about it was great. I saw things down there I wished I never laid eyes on.
Tons of skulls and bones scattered about. Three tables set up in the formation of an E without the middle line. On both sides of the tables were these battle-hardened drunkards, consuming an endless supply of meat and countless gallons of beer. Dogs were allowed to roam on top of the tables and chew on the bones. At the head of the table was this two-head chained dragon; it was very small considering the usual size of a dragon. What I hated most was a human-sized cage hanging from the ceiling at one side of the hall. A skeleton laid inside- you know whoever it was starved to death in there. These men were armed to the teeth in knives, swords, and other such metal weaponry. They weren't like the coachman who I feared for so many years- they looked like they'd kill a person just for the fun of it. And I was truly afraid of them after realizing so.
While I was up there, I took the opportunity to scan over the hall for any signs of a large cauldron. My eyes lit up when I found one! Only… it was a cauldron and it was indeed black. But it resided in the massive fireplace with this brown, goopy soup stuff inside it. I doubted that was the "black cauldron". Why would the Horned King use this extremely powerful item of evil for cooking? I mean, it could be possible, but that was pretty sick if it was true. In any case, I thought it best to get out of there before anyone spotted me. I was about to sneak back out the door until something stopped me. I turned only to come face to face with this hound dog.
This dog immediately started barking very, very aggressively at me. I crawled backwards in a state of shock and alarm. By the time everyone in the grand hall looked up, the dog was basically chasing me off the pillar. My body was flung down a full story, with my fall only breaking by my accidental grabbing of a torn tapestry. I landed on the grey stone brick floor with a thud and opened my eyes to see a swarm of burly men gather around me. Their expressions were confused and mildly amused by the turn of events.
"Ello, ello; what have we here?" "It's a little bird." "How'd you get in here, birdy? You get yourself lost?" They teased me in that sick, lustful tone predators use. I just laid there in the middle of the floor, unable to move an inch. The petrifying fear overwhelmed me as these brutes inched closer and closer. I can't even describe how disgusting their smiles and leers were towards me. "She's pretty." "It's about time we got some women in here." "How about a kiss, hey princess? Yes, you're a lovely one." "Kiss me and I'll die with a smile on my face, love." "She's too good to send back out there. Let's keep her around!" "Just where did you come from, angel? Didn't know we had such nymphs around here, what." Oh, gross! I could feel the vomit surge up my throat as their dirty hands came in for me.
But before any of them could actually touch me, the whole atmosphere of the room dramatically changed. All the men and animals were suddenly quiet. An eerie howl echoed through the castle; this invisible wind began rustling the remaining tapestries. It was like a horrible spell had been casted over the whole place. It was a piercing terror that seeped into your bones. Even the men, who were seconds ago approaching me, altered their demeanour entirely. All fires suddenly went out, leaving the room pitch black for a second.
This swirling blue lightening appeared out of nowhere. It coiled in a circular motion, where the blue light was replaced by fire. A gigantic blast lit up the space, and when it was over this tall, slender figure stood in a sea of dark smoke. The smoke cleared to reveal an entity at the front of the hall. Wearing only a dark red cloak and hood, with holes cut out for his horns to go through, the seemingly faceless creature stood there. He stood there and said nothing for a minute or so. All eyes were on him as he then made his way over to this terrifying throne. It didn't take a genius to realize…. this man right here- he was the Horned King. The beast of a man- and I sincerely doubt he was a man- sat down and put his hands together in front of him. I couldn't see his eyes from where I was, but I knew, I could feel him staring straight at me. This…. this monster. The one who abducted my father.
No one dared make a peep for a couple of minutes, too afraid to anger their master. It was the king who spoke first, and he spoke to me. "Who are you?" My lips instantly parted but no words came out. I was too afraid to hear my own voice in such a place. But I understood that making him angry was not the best strategy now. And this hall was big, but I don't think it would be wise for me to transform into a dragon in here. The space would confine me at that size more than anything, and who knows what all those men with swords would do then. Instead, I summoned up the courage to answer, albeit with zero confidence.
"A-Ah, Keroessa; m-my name is Keroessa," I lied through my teeth. No way in hell I was giving him my real name. But I think this immediately backfired on me when he eyed me with suspicion. "You're not from around here. Where did you come from?" "I-I… I came from…. from Pleasure Island!" I blurted out the first place that wasn't Auradon or the Isle of the Lost I could think of. Now the men were starting to turn on me, sending equally suspicious glares my way.
"No, you didn't!" "Pleasure Island only takes in boys! There's no girls allowed on Pleasure Island!" Some of the soldiers shouted. Realizing that I now had a basis to run with, I decided to screw it and dive whole-heartedly into this narrative. "No, it's true! I came here from Pleasure Island! I can even show you what direction it's in!" That I did know. "How did you get here?" The Horned King asked in his patient yet terrifyingly controlled voice. "I… I flew here. I can transform into a dragon at will. I've…. always been able to do it." "Lair! How could someone like you turn into a dragon?!" Another man shouted. "Really, I can! See, most people don't know this because no girls ever go to Pleasure Island. But Pleasure Island turns little boys to donkeys, but little girls to dragons- temporarily." I was honestly a little shocked when they all considered this for a moment, like there might be some merit to my story. One of the men blinked over to me. "If that's true then why doesn't the coachmen bring more girls to the island?" "B-Because he has no use for dragons. Dragons can't be trained and sold off as easily as donkeys can. He's looking for an easy profit," I retorted.
I once again felt the Horned King's eyes burning a hole through me; he was watching me like he was trying to figure me out. "Who is your father?" I was visibly shaken when he asked me this; I was not expecting that. I didn't reply right away, giving myself a much-needed minute. "T-The coachman! He's my father! T-That's how we found out that girls can turn into dragons. I was born on the island and the am only little girl to step foot there. I-I'm his daughter and only child." There was a very tense pregnant pause. "And your mother?" "I-I don't know! She died…. giving birth to me. My father never speaks about her." Yet another long, insanely frightening pause. I could sense his glare narrow intently onto me. "Why did you come here?" Once again, I couldn't answer right away; I had to allot myself a minute. "I…. I wanted to meet the man, um king, who made a deal with my father. T-To meet him and thank him, f-for not imprisoning my father. He's very happy to keep you supplied with donkeys, your majesty," I'd never tasted more bitter words coming out of my mouth. But I had to make it so he didn't want to kill me; it was the only way I might find the cauldron through all this.
Unfortunately for me, the men around me acted as if they'd had enough of my nonsense. An uproar soon started, and I was at the centre of it. "She's lying!" "Torture her! Make her tell the truth!" "Rip her limb from limb!" "Let's hold her feet over the fire and make her squeal!" I began screaming for my life as they all suddenly reached for me. Thankfully, an unexpected voice saved me in the nick of time. All eyes shot back to the Horned King, who was still staring in my direction.
"Wait. You say you can transform into a dragon?" This genuinely stunned not just me but all his soldiers. This?! The one thing I told the truth about he believes?! Perhaps that's why he believes me; he knew in that moment that I was being honest. That honesty may be the thing that saves me. I didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes, I can change into a dragon whenever I want." This monster hummed calculatingly to himself, lowering his skull head somewhat. "Then you may be of use to me." He finally turned to face some of his men. "Throw the girl into the dungeon with the other."
My eyes lit up in horror. "Other?! What other?!" My questions were ignored as this particularly strong fellow came up from behind to grab both my forearms. He gave me a wicked scowl. "Come on, you!" It wasn't hard for him to drag me out of the hall and towards the dungeon. And so we went, the Horned King not taking his eyes off me until we were out of the grand hall.