A Twisted Tale of Love
Based on the famous fairy tale: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
kalen
( kalen_ami@edsamail.com.ph )
PART V – THE SUFFERINGS
Years gone by, Lady Melissa has grown to a sixteen-year-old lady adored by many men throughout the land and from far away kingdoms. She has grown much more beautiful than her mother that Tokaki takes good care of her carefully. [ It's a fatherly love and not somewhat sexualkeigh? ]
Soi somewhat became jealous at Melissa for her unique beauty stands out from the rest. Everyone admires and praises the princess while she stays somewhat next to her stepdaughter. She couldn't do any harm to her being guarded always by Tokaki.
One day, a war broke to a far away kingdom named Makai. The mighty Koenma ruled this kingdom. King Koenma incidentally, is a close friend of King Tokaki. So, Tokaki decided that he'll come and help him fight their enemy --- the forces of Yumi.
At the day of his departure
"Father, please don't go! Just stay here with us!" Melissa said hoping to urge her father to change his mind.
Tokaki put the hands on her daughter's shoulders and said, "Melissa, my dear, I also hate to leave but I really need to help my friend, the king of Makai."
Soi spoke lovingly to Tokaki saying, "My love, please return home safely to us."
Tokaki stood up and approached Soi holding her hands. "I promise Soi. I promise." Tokaki embraced Soi tightly locking her in his arms. { Oh! My nights are going to turn out cold again! I'm not going to have you with me } "ErrSoi, why don't you come with me in Makai?" Tokaki asked.
"Huh? My love, who's going to take care of Melissa by then" Soi asked with a pair of questioning eyes.
"Oh! Right." Tokaki paused for a while. { Darn! No sex life!!! } "Yes, just stay here with Melissa. She needs you most than me." { I'm lying to myself!!! I also need somebody to make my nights lively! }.
After a while, he then called for Kouji who immediately approached him. "Kouji, please take good care of my daughter, Melissa while I'm away. Okay, I know! Soi is going take care of her too but as a man, she also needs a physical protection and I'm counting on you in that. Besides, we don't know on what danger lies ahead. Yumi's forces are really strong and I don't know what his plans are. I trusted you most in this, Kouji"
Kouji bowed politely in front of King Tokaki and answered, "You can count on me, your majesty."
King Tokaki, after all the preparations, rode on his golden horse and left the kingdom of Sairu with ten thousand soldiers under his command.
As Lady Melissa bid last farewell to her father with tears on her eyes, Soi is celebrating quietly. { Now, the wall is gone } Soi said to herself.
On the next day, Soi woke Lady Melissa with a splash from a pail of water. "Stand up, you lazy head! You have slept well enough! Go and scrub the floor at the corridor!"
Lady Melissa, although shocked to what her stepmother commanded, obeyed quietly. She stood up and changed clothing and made her way to scrub the floor of the corridor. Soi watched her leave the room with a huge smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Kouji has just awoke and started to go on his way to the room of Melissa. He promised to her that they're going to wonder about the city this day. Until he saw Melissa scrubbing the floor with her bare hands. He immediately approached her and interrogated, "What are you doing?!" He immediately grabs the hands of Melissa while saying, "Put that rug back to the pail! A princess like you is not supposed to work like this!"
Lady Melissa smiled faintly and said, "Daijoubo, Kouji. A princess also needs to learn to work even for a while."
Kouji was dumbfounded to what Melissa had just said to him. He gave her a compassionate look and said, "Fix yourself and we'll wonder about the city. We can ask other servants to clean this for you."
Melissa looks at the rug and said, "I can't. I need to finish this chore or my stepmother would get mad at me."
Kouji's eyes widen. { Soi made her clean just like a servant?! It can't be! } Kouji stood up, his fist tightly closed. He turns his head to Melissa and said, "I'll come back. Just wait for me here." He then started to go on his way to the queen's private room.
At the queen's room
"This beautiful gown is especially made for you, your majesty." An old man said as he bows his head in respect of Queen Soi, kneeling down before her.
"Oh, this is beautiful! I have never seen any dress as extravagant and as beautiful as this one! I love it!!!" Soi said as she held the beautiful gown in her hands.
BLAG!
Kouji broke inside surprising all the person in the room. "Hah! Hah! Hah!" Kouji stood in front of Soi fearlessly as he catches up his breath.
Soi then speak, "I will talk to you for a while." Soi said to Kouji as she instructs the old man and his subordinates to leave with a serious face. As everyone had left leaving the two, Soi speak out angrily, "Kouji, you shouldn't come here just like that! You must remember that I am now the queen of Sairu!"
Kouji speak out fearlessly, "Why did you made Lady Melissa clean just like a servant?! She's a princess! A royal blood! She's not supposed to work?!"
Soi stood up from her throne and said, "You have no right to interfere with my work! You are just a bandit! And now a slave of mine following whatever I wish for you to do so!" Soi screamed out with burning rage of anger.
"I do not follow your orders because you tell them to do, Soi. I did not!" Kouji said closing his fist trying to control his emotions.
"How dare you speak out just like that in front of me! You should thank me because I have saved your life when the soldiers of Konan attack your hideout. You owe your life to me." Soi said as she sat down again at her throne. Kouji remained silent while his fist is tightly closed not knowing what to say in front of her.
Soi continued to speak, "You should thank me that she's still living as of now and I don't have any plans in killing her!"
Kouji spoke in a low tone of voice and said, "Why are you doing this thing?"
Soi answered, "I won't let anyone stand out to me. If Subaru was still living, maybe she had stand out to me. But now, she's just a dead rotting corpse. Dead and just pieces of bones!"
Kouji was shocked to what he had heard from the mouth of Soi. { Could she be the one who killed the Queen Subaru and the adviser of the king, Chichiri? No! It can't be! } Kouji said to himself.
"Don't you ever get in my way, Kouji. I'll surely punish you in a great ordeal!" Soi said out as he instructs him to get out of her room.
Kouji silently bow down in front of Soi and left quietly. As he's far away at the room of Soi, he paused for a while and released the anger that he felt and then punches hard the wall beside him. His fist is then wounded because of what he did. He then fell on his knees and tears fell on his cheeks. He can't understand Soi. He'd been serving her all these years with loyalty because he thought he had found someone caring for him.
Events in the past flashback on his mind. He was wounded all over his body crawling on his knees. He was calling helplessly for someone to help him. No one came. He watched their hideout burn and his comrades die. He then fainted due to all the wounds he received and because of the tiresome hours that passed struggling in order to survived.
As he open his eyes, he first saw the beautiful face of Soi smiling at him. He tried to arose but failed as he felt pain all over his body. Soi asked him to take more rest for he's still wounded. Kouji was touched by how Soi took good care of him. From then on, she became his reason to live. She is his life!
But now, nothing makes sense.his loyalty, his respect and his love for her. She's not that Soi that took good care of him. She's now a full stranger to him, a full stranger
