Frank's words hit Andrea almost as hard as Riff Raff and Magenta. She was stunned that the man she so loved was capable of such a cold-hearted, remorseless act.
Once they were again alone in his apartments in the palace, she tentatively approached him as he sat in a chair, staring blankly out the window, his thoughts seemingly a million light years away.
"Frank, are you really sure about what you're doing? I can understand why you're so angry, and I know it must have been horribly difficult to face Riff Raff and Magenta again. But the death sentence you passed on them is something that can't be undone, if you come to regret it later. Don't you want to give it more thought?"
Frank didn't even look at her. His voice was like ice. "I assure you, I've given the matter considerable thought. I know precisely what I'm doing, and I would greatly appreciate your not trying to second-guess my actions."
She could feel her face redden at the rebuke. "Fine. I get the distinct impression you want to be alone. I'm going out for a while."
This time he didn't even bother to reply. After staring at him in silence for what felt like the longest minute of her life, she turned and left.
To her relief, she managed to leave the palace without being detected by the bodyguards. She badly needed to be alone. She walked the palace grounds for hours, thinking about all that had occurred. The person she saw in the prison…and back in the palace…was a total stranger to her. She wondered if being back on Transsexual made it impossible for Frank to be the kind, loving person he had been on Earth.
She felt tears running down her face. It felt like a death…as if the Frank she knew and had fallen so desperately in love with was dead, and a cold, vengeful stranger had taken his place. Was this what their life was going to be like, now that they were home? Suddenly she became aware of a frigid, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she struggled to identify it. Then it hit her like a thunderbolt…it was homesickness. Homesickness for Earth. She realized it was on Earth that she first experienced true happiness, and she would gladly give up all the wealth and splendor of life with the royal family on Transsexual if she could just recapture the bliss she and Frank had shared in those relatively humble surroundings. But it was not to be.
By the time she returned to the palace, Frank was asleep. She undressed and got into bed, careful not to wake him. She couldn't face talking with him again tonight. Thus began a long, wretched night. She tossed and turned, filled with anguish over what to do. She couldn't bear the thought of giving Frank up, but neither could she bear the prospect of sharing her life with the person she'd seen that day. It was not until almost daybreak that she finally fell into a fitful slumber.
When she awakened, the bright moonlight of the Transylvanian morning was shining in her face. She turned over, and saw that Frank was already out of bed. She stumbled into the small kitchen in their private quarters, to find a note propped up on the table. "Will meet you at the prison. Frank."
Her stomach lurched. Oh, god. That's right…she had to attend the execution, as the consort of the Crown Prince. And she thought yesterday had been horrible. She couldn't begin to imagine what she'd be faced with today…and for all intents and purposes, she'd have to face it alone. That was easily the worst part of the whole terrible experience.
Noon found her in the prison courtyard, sitting numbly on a viewing stand that had been set up off to the side of a platform where two nooses dangled, silently awaiting the hapless prisoners. The Queen was sitting next to her, with bodyguards surrounding the two of them. But there was no sign of Frank.
The prison guards escorted Riff Raff and Magenta to the platform. Andrea had thought they looked pale yesterday, but they'd looked positively robust in comparison with their pallor today. Both were completely white, their ghostly complexions tinged with green. They climbed up the stairs to the top of the platform, each stumbling a bit with weakness and fear. The executioner put the nooses around their necks, and looked questioningly at the Queen.
She picked up a small hand-held microphone and answered the unspoken question. "No, we cannot proceed until the Prince arrives."
Just as Queen Electra finished speaking, Andrea saw someone enter the courtyard, accompanied by two large bodyguards. It was a young man, dressed in a College of Denton sweatshirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. Her heart leapt. It was Frank…her Frank.
He climbed onto the platform, facing Riff Raff and Magenta. Their astonishment at the sight of him was so great that it almost overcame their terror.
Frank smiled slightly at their stunned faces. "Yes, I'm well aware it's a different look for me," he remarked dryly.
He turned to the executioner. "Remove the nooses from their necks."
Once that was accomplished, he turned back to Riff Raff and Magenta. "I'm sure you'd like some explanation for what's going on."
Riff Raff, ever the spokesman for the two of them, looked nervously at Frank. "Yes, Master, we would."
"Very well. Your attempt to murder me had a profound effect on my life, although not in the way you'd anticipated. Rather than ending my life, your actions actually ended up improving it. They served as the catalyst for a period of introspection that transformed my attitudes about others and myself, and enabled me to open my heart in a way I had not been able to in many years." He looked at them steadily. "It is my hope that my subjecting you to this traumatic experience will be a similar catalyst for you. While your resentment of me was not unjustified, your actions in response to that resentment most certainly were. Your attitudes require adjustment just as surely as did mine. I suggest you take advantage of this second chance at life to overcome the bitterness in your hearts, and learn to treat others with genuine respect. I can guarantee you will both be happier for it."
For a moment, Riff Raff and Magenta stared at him numbly, too shocked to fully comprehend what had just happened. Then, as the realization set in that they were to be set free, both broke down in tears.
Finally, Magenta was able to speak. "Thank you, Master."
Frank sighed. "You need to understand, I did this as much for myself as for you. Had I allowed my own resentment and desire for revenge to take control, I would have destroyed myself just as surely as the two of you. My soul would have been poisoned by hatred. I simply could not allow that to happen."
He turned to leave. "Just follow my suggestion, and that will be greater evidence of your gratitude than any expressions of thanks could ever be."
