AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a short one because it was originally supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but that made it too long. Enjoy a short one from me for a change. :) The next chapter will take a little longer.

"The Royal Servant and the Unexpected Gift"

True to Ruggero's word, the first month wasn't so bad. They all worked together to get the place swept, dusted, and set up as best as they could. Neither Salvatore nor Tito had much of a taste in making an environment inviting, and Giuseppe and Giovanni could do little more other than a few meager chores that they were directed to do, but everyone else applied themselves every day toward trying to make the house a home. Both Uberto and Ruggero had a taste for some aesthetics, with the former painting lovely pictures to hang on the walls and Ruggero taking whatever wildflowers, feathers, shining stones from the river brook, and whatever else pretty Costanza could find and arranging them in little displays. All of them had to work harder than they ever had in their lives, and many of the common manual skills they had never properly learned they had to teach themselves, but by working together and for each other they made do and adjusted to life quickly. Costanza had no idea that Salvatore could even cook, and while the first week of meals was something of an adventure in and of themselves he quickly got better.

The days around the house were pleasant. With no royal duties or official responsibilities and their supplies taking care of most of their food and fuel needs, aside from the daily chores they all had a deal of leisure time. Costanza was free to play with her twin brothers a lot more, and often the older brothers would join in. Even Salvatore would from time to time, although he devoted much of his time to watching the place along with Tito. Even though no one knew of the old vineyard other than them, father, and the escort that had been dispatched with them, there was the fear that somehow that woman would find her way there as she had found a way to place the cobra in their room. They would always make an excuse for it, such as checking to see if any messengers were coming up the road or they were going hunting or cutting more firewood. Costanza knew better but the twins were none the wiser, so she tried not to focus on that.

Aside from that, she had a very important "job" around the small house. Ruggero relied on her to keep an eye out for anything attractive to lighten up the place or that could possibly be carved or whittled into toys for the twins. It didn't seem like much, but they had only packed two rugs and not so much as a single curtain for the house. There were no instruments other than the voices of the young men and not so much as an attractive set of dishes. The sole beauty that came to the house to make it feel more warm and inviting came from Costanza. She also was the only one among them who had been taught to try and make places like this more inviting and homely, and as the days went on all of the brothers relied on her more and more for a sense of merriment and joy. Salvatore especially, who, out of all of them, spent the most amount of time anxiously waiting for news of father. The times when they would all get together for meals or reading were the best.

It was night that Costanza feared. The small house had only three rooms: the one main room that featured the kitchen and the two side rooms. The brothers all took to one but, Costanza, in a gesture of giving her some privacy, got a room all to herself. She hated that. It was lonely in that room at night, and she didn't like the way the surrounding trees creaked and bent with the wind. There was one branch on especially bad nights that scraped against the roof right above her bed that was too big for her, filling her heart with dread and fear. She hated having to leave the windows open on warm nights. She kept fearing that something or someone would come in for her. And when the owls started hooting, sleep was impossible. Two or three nights the twins had been with her when she expressed her longing for company, but they sought the comfort of their older brothers rather than her. Needless to say, there were many nights Costanza stayed out in the main room waiting for their cooking fire to slowly die, sleeping at the hearth.

At the end of the first month, everyone rejoiced to see the supplies arrive, but mostly the letter from father. Much to all of their displeasure, it was brief and curt; telling them only to stay there and not even saying if he was well. They questioned the riders, but they only answered that the king was well in the most brusque and brief manner possible. Everyone made their requests. Costanza herself asked for some curtains to put over the windows, both to liven up the place and mitigate the sun as well as to block the view at night. The riders left quickly, but fortunately Salvatore had written a much more extensive letter an entire week earlier with many detailed questions, which they had all heard dictated and offered their own opinion of, before departing.

When they were alone again, they were in somewhat lesser spirits as all of them, greatest to least, had clung to the hope they would be going home soon. Yet they did have some new amenities with which to spruce up the house, as well as fresh supplies along with food, and so they kept their hopes up.

The next month was even more eagerly awaited than the first. Now they were certain that they would at least hear more news of what was going on and have a greater estimate of when they could return home after Salvatore's letter. Yet they received more disparaging news. On arrival, the riders announced they had been ordered to return quickly, and no sooner had they reached the house then they began to quickly put off the things. The fact that most of their requests had been honored brought the children little comfort, especially on seeing their father's letter. It ignored all of their questions and simply ordered them to stay there. The penmanship on it was more stressed and erratic than last time. Costanza was familiar enough with her father's writing to see that even at her young age. Again they were asked about the state of their father, but the men simply curtly answered he was fine and left as quickly as they could.

Now everyone was ill at ease. Even Costanza's curtains brought her little comfort either from day or night, for every time she looked at them she remembered how they had been received. Everyone was in lower spirits for the next month.

When the third month arrived, not all of the children had even been gathered at the house by the time the riders arrived, and they moved so quickly that they nearly simply left their supplies behind. Again Salvatore came up to them, requesting a response to his previous letter. Costanza saw he didn't receive one, and he had to exert his own authority over them before they stopped to listen to him long enough to say something quietly. When they did, Salvatore's face changed. She saw the color drain from it and fear sink into his expression before he quickly looked away. After a minute, he turned back; his face stony now and walking in the house without a word.

Later that evening he told her and the twins that father had given a letter but had instructed only he see it. It stated that there was no change in the castle but matters had not grown worse, that he hoped to see them back soon, and that they were to remain there. It had ended saying he loved them all.

Costanza wanted to believe that, as the twins readily did in spite of their returning discomfort, but she knew what she had seen. No letter had been passed, and there was the look on Salvatore's face. Not long after, Salvatore took to taking long walks. On one day, he was gone before dawn and back after dusk, and he and Uberto had gone out behind the house and had a loud argument over it that the others were hard pressed to conceal. A new malaise had come over him and he, unable to keep from wearing his heart on his sleeve, clearly showed it.

At last, she began to question Ruggero. He wouldn't answer her for three full days, but she did not let up on him even when he grew angry and told her to cease asking about it. But finally, one night, right before bed, he went in and confessed all that Salvatore had told him.

There had been no letter this time. Father had come down with what the riders said was a strange illness and was unable to write. When he pressed them for more, they had said nothing. Only that merely mentioning the illness caused a nameless fear to ripple through the men. It was then he was certain they were eager to return not only out of royal command but out of fear on someone being upset they had been gone too long.

Costanza never quite enjoyed her time at the house again after that. Now, day and night she feared not so much for herself as for her father and whatever fate was befalling him back in the castle. She saw now that Salvatore was trying to find a way to disobey the command and return home. In all likelihood, the next time the supplies came he would insist on going back with them one way or another. Yet the thought of that only made Costanza more afraid. Then there would be only six of them, and she feared beyond measure what that devil woman had done to her father and would do to Salvatore. She even began to fear that this might have been part of her design to get them to return of their own accord out of concern.

The best she could do now was try to keep a brave face. The twins didn't need to hear of this, after all. And with the year getting later, she took her "duty" of gathering wildflowers more seriously than ever. Salvatore and Uberto rarely smiled. Tito had lost his enthusiasm and appetite, as impossible as it seemed. Even Ruggero seemed stressed to the limit some days, enough to where he had yelled at Giuseppe and Giovanni on some occasions. She alone tried to stay unchanged. So long as at least one of them stayed happy and light, they all had something to look to.

She just wished she had something to look to.

The door to the front of their villa opened, and Costanza stepped out, her empty straw basket hanging over one arm. She had been doing this for days now, and just like on all of those days she saw the normal sights she encountered after breakfast. Uberto struggling to mend the latest piece of clothing that Giuseppe and Giovanni had torn, Tito methodically chopping wood although even if it ever snowed they already had enough for two months piled up, and Ruggero looking around for whatever toy the twins had lost somewhere in the grass.

She glanced at them all a moment, then turned to depart.

"You shouldn't be running off to get flowers today, Costanza."

Ruggero's voice made her stop. She looked back, and saw he was still searching about but now looking at her as well.

"It's the end of the month. The wagon will be here soon."

She lips pursed a little. "I can see what the wagon brought us later."

He stopped as well; his own look turning a touch regretful. He gave a short nod. "I suppose neither of us are going to be getting what we want from it, are we?"

She didn't answer; only let her head bow.

"Still, it's someone from the castle. It's something different to take our minds off of…of everything. You just gathered some lovely wildflowers for us yesterday. Why not stay in today?"

She shook her head. "Today's flowers won't be for us. I…was thinking of sending them back with the wagon." She smiled weakly. "It's the only gift we can give father now."

Ruggero stood quietly before he slowly smiled. "You're too good of a little girl, Costanza. Always too busy thinking about others to think about yourself." He chuckled. "You make your older brothers look bad."

In spite of her feelings, she smiled a bit more herself at that.

"But I suppose it's what little sisters do. In that case, you had better hurry. The past two times the wagon has come early, and I'm sure you'll want a nice big bouquet to give to father."

She nodded back. "I'll be back as quick as a flash."

"Would you like me to come? Four hands are better than two."

"I can do it. Giuseppe and Giovanni might cry if we're both gone. Besides, if the wagon comes early and I'm not back, you can make it wait for me."

Ruggero frowned a little, but sighed in defeat. "Alright, but be careful. I'm still worried about you out here."

Costanza pouted at that. In all the time they had been out there, they hadn't so much as come across a wild dog. She had taken up going by herself to get wildflowers for weeks before now. Even if she hadn't, there was something to be said about a little sister eager to prove herself. "I'll be fine! Just keep trying to find their toy soldier before they get out the others!"

Ruggero laughed back. "Whatever you command, little queen."

As Costanza turned and headed off, Ruggero shook his head and resumed his joyless task.

"Uberto! Tito! Ruggero!"

The latter of the three looked up on hearing Salvatore's voice. It had been an hour since he had parted from Costanza, and at this point Giuseppe and Giovanni were outside as well with the rest of their toy soldiers staging a mission to recover their lost comrade, a gesture that Ruggero had hoped would have covered up the loss of their missing toy as well as trick them into helping him find it. His older brothers looked up as well, and all of them caught Salvatore running down the path to the villa as he came around the bend, waving his arms. His face looked more frantic than normal.

Uberto quickly rose from his mending. "What's the matter?"

"The wagon's coming at full gallop! Something's wrong!"

For a moment, the three eldest paused, glancing to one another. Then they immediately went to work. Uberto put down his mending and ran out to meet up with Salvatore. Tito left off his wood chopping but kept the axe handy. Ruggero quickly rose and went over to his twin brothers, and began to tell them to shift their game into the house. They moved fast, but Uberto had scarcely managed to reach Salvatore's side and Ruggero had just gotten the twins up on the steps when the sound of the wagon wheels furiously rolling around their axles became audible, and a moment later the team of horses charged around the bend with the wagon bearing their country's standard emblazoned on the side.

The animals looked like they were running with demons on their heels. None of the brothers had ever seen horses galloping so hard. They seemed almost wild. They were also sweaty and tired, giving out hoarse, ragged gasps they had never heard from an equine. It was as if they had run the whole way there. As they charged right past Salvatore and Uberto, Tito actually ran to one side and Ruggero quickly put his hands on his brothers and nearly shoved them into the house. The animals pitched toward the villa and ran so hard they looked like they'd break themselves against it.

Yet as they drew near, just as suddenly the beasts halted, driving their hooves out. Again, none of the boys had ever seen a horse charging so fast suddenly lash out with its hooves to try and stop itself. They looked as if they would break their own ankles trying, but they did none the less, and did so in such an abrupt manner it was as if their legs almost jutted in front of them involuntarily. The ground was scraped and the bar of the wagon nearly snapped back from such a sudden gyration, but with a cloud of dust and a loud, pained whinny the team halted along with their wagon.

The second it stopped, Salvatore and Uberto ran up to it along with Tito, all the while looking down the road on which it had come. They expected any moment for there to be a team of robbers or highwaymen charge around the bend to attack, for what other reason could there have been for such a mad charge? Yet no one came. Once the horses and wagon were halted, there were no other hoofbeats.

The animals, however, continued to look just as panic-stricken. The way they huffed and snorted was not from mere exhaustion but from lingering fear. Their muscles twitched as if they wanted to take off again, and yet their hooves remained anchored to the ground.

Ruggero was the only one who took note of this, however. Once the way was clear, everyone's attention focused on the cart and its contents. There were no supplies in it this time save for one old chest. The driver himself, for as furiously as his horses had been riding, seemed fairly calm about the whole thing. Once the horses were stopped, he readily tied the reins and looked to the group.

"My princes, I bring wonderful news!" he stated, holding up his hands in delight.

The four elder brothers were a bit put off by this greeting. Their father had arranged for the same man to bring all supplies to them, as a means of knowing whether or not the supplies that were coming had somehow been tampered with and to have nothing to do with a stranger. This driver was indeed the same man they had seen deliver all of their supplies prior to now, but his sudden jovial tone was rather surprising as was the fact he was here alone with now riders. Especially to Salvatore and Uberto. They knew him for a few years and he was the sort who didn't cheer loudly even at harvest season.

"What news?"

"The king has deposed the queen on grounds of infidelity! She is to be expelled from kingdom at once! You are all to be brought home as quickly as possible!"

Tito grinned at the news. "Aha! I knew it! I knew that devil woman would finally show herself, and as soon as she did father would deal with her! We can finally be done with this place!"

While the thought of being free at last to go home and not spend so much as another day at the villa was appealing to everyone, and the twins, who had been hanging on the front steps, now lit up and ran back out again as they clearly thought they could leave that instant, the remaining three brothers were hesitant.

"Infidelity?" Uberto echoed back. "She committed adultery? Right there in the palace? With whom?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the details, my prince," the driver answered, before rising and beginning to move into the back of the wagon. "Only that she is gone and you will be free to return."

"If that woman was unfaithful to father, I'd almost excuse it so long as it meant a chance to be rid of her," Salvatore answered. "Nevertheless, committing an adultery with the king is not a small matter. Wouldn't she be slated to be executed and her lover with her?"

"Oh, I'm certain your father is simply as overjoyed to be rid of that creature as you are," the driver responded as he reached the chest and opened it up. "You can ask him yourself on your return. In any case, he gave me one special request. He wished you to be able to return as soon and as safely as possible, so he instructed that I hand out these special silk shirts he had made for you so that the gatekeepers and soldiers will recognize you immediately on your return and admit you at once."

He threw open the lid, reached inside, and pulled out a set of folded garments. Now Salvatore and Uberto looked particularly confused.

They were indeed silk, as one could tell from how they shimmered in the morning light, but they weren't white. They were black; a black color that none of them had ever seen dyed into fabric before. So deep that one would find it peculiar that they could still shimmer in the sunlight. The driver began to lay them out along the rim of the wagon.

"Come right up and put them on."

Uberto blinked and gestured to them. "This is what father requested that we wear to be recognized? They're black. They won't stand out and it will be evening before we reach the nearest watchman. How will this help us to be recognized?"

"Oh, don't be silly, my prince. What other garment bears black silk such as this? Come now, do you or your brothers wish to be separated from your home and family any longer due to something so trivial as a choice in fabric?" He looked up and down to the twins, smiling. "Why not see if they fit on the little ones first? They'll look charming in them. They were made just their size."

The two boys, eager for gifts and the thought of coming home, quickly began to step forward. Ruggero, however, found himself advancing in front of them and stopping them. Not only had he picked up on how unusual this was, but Salvatore and Uberto's own reactions. Neither of them looked comfortable. This was all news that they had been waiting and hoping to hear, but now that they were actually hearing it…something was off about it.

The driver looked up and looked around. "Oh…there are only the six of you here. Where is Princess Costanza?"

"She's out gathering flowers by the riv-"

"She'll be back in an hour or so." Ruggero cut Tito off.

The change in tone, and the way in which he said that, however, seemed to alert the driver. He paused in his task and looked up, noticing the way the others were looking back at him.

He blinked and smiled. "Come now, my princes. Are you not eager to return? Your father has been beside himself with grief ever since you were forced to depart. Even ridding himself of his second wife has caused him such little peace. His illness has persisted even with her gone, and I am sure it must be from a sick heart. Whatever is the matter? Why do you look at me so?"

"The way you came bearing down on the villa looked as if you had been chased all the way here." Salvatore answered.

"And I had never seen horses looking so panicked and terrified, not from strain but from fear." Uberto added.

"And this request for these shirts plus your behavior is rather odd." Ruggero finished.

By now, the concerns of his brothers seemed to be swaying Tito as well. Giuseppe and Giovanni were standoffish, not wanting anything to keep them from home, but they seemed to be realizing that if their brothers were uncomfortable than something was wrong.

The driver was as still as a statue for a moment, then laughed. "Come now, my princes. Are you to worry yourself over such trifles? I merely came here as fast as I could so that I could bring you back as fast as I could. I fear your father will not recover until you are back. In fact," his voice ever so slightly turned, "I dare say he will get worse the longer he must wait, and I would hate to think that your absence would send him to his grave…"

Both the twins tensed up on hearing that part, resuming their eager looks to depart. Yet even in Salvatore and Uberto, they began to second guess their reactions.

"At least try on these shirts to make sure they fit. Your sister need not be present for that…and it will make it faster for us to be gone when she arrives."

The brothers looked to one another. As unusual as all of this was, and in spite of the fact that there was something inside him that Ruggero felt was not only off but possibly even dangerous about this situation, there was nothing overt to fear. As oddly as he had appeared, it was nothing that merited fearing for one's life. And there was no harm in simply trying on a shirt.

After looking around at each other once more, Salvatore finally looked forward. "Very well."

The driver seemed exceedingly pleased at that. "Excellent! Here, this one is yours, Salvatore. And this one is for Ruggero… Ah, and here are the ones for the twins."

He proceeded to hand out the shirts to each one of them. Even touching his own almost made Ruggero recoil. It was like no silk he had ever felt before. It seemed almost semi-solid and cool for having been a black color, even for having been locked in a chest until now. The fabric moved almost like water when came into his hands. Worst of all, he got that same bad feeling when he touched it. As if he was somehow walking into danger.

The feeling was shared among the others. Everyone had their shirts but no one had put them on yet. They glanced over them instead. Uberto actually put his to his nostrils and smelled, and felt along the inside. He didn't really think they would be poisoned, did he?

The delay caused the driver's smile to fade. "Well, don't be silly over clothes now. Come on, try them on." His voice nearly turned sharp.
He could tell, at least, that they would fit over their existing clothes, which made him feel a little better. He'd prefer that to putting it on his bare skin. Finally, inhaling a little, he pulled it up and began to put his arms through it. They were short-sleeved, so it didn't take long to reach through and poke to the other side before pulling the rest of it on and putting his head out through the hole at the top.

Salvatore, not wanting to let his younger brother outdo him in a task that required such little bravery as putting on a shirt, put his on as well. Tito soon did the same, far more casually. The twins had a bit more difficulty, not being as easy with putting on clothes as the older boys, but they were large and loose enough for them to do so. Uberto was the very last to put his own on, a bit more slowly than the others.

Once it was on, Ruggero looked over it. The shimmering effect seemed even more distinct now that it was this close to him. It definitely felt silky and soft even with his own clothes blocking most of the feel. He continued to stare at it for several seconds, before he frowned a bit at himself.

What am I expecting? The shirt to try and strangle me? It's just a set of clo

His thought aborted at the sudden inhuman, unspeakable pain that radiated from the surface of his skin right down to the marrow of his bones.

Costanza went as rigid as a statue when she heard it.

She couldn't have been more than a kilometer away from the villa, down by the creek bed and finding a fresh patch of beautiful daisies to add some color to her rather monochrome bouquet, when she heard the cry. She had never heard anything like it, and she hoped she never would again. It was a unified scream…one of unspeakable suffering and anguish. The cry that could only be made by a man who was experiencing a pain unlike any most normal men had ever endured. Simply hearing that sound carry this far would have been enough to chill her soul.

The fact that she could just make out that it came from several voices together, and all from the direction of the villa, was like ice in her heart.

The flowers were almost immediately forgotten. She dropped them along with the basket she was storing them in and ran straight back to the villa as fast as she could. It was not a straight path and it was not an easy one. Being there only a few months had barely caused a trail to be blazed, and especially not for her little legs. She jammed her foot twice and nearly twisted her ankle once, but she kept running. Time only made her run faster, because she didn't hear any further cries after the first terrible one…

The path seemed to almost stretch itself out to be longer than usual, and by the time she finally reached the end she was panting and sweating. Her dress had been lightly torn from running across a branch and she had gotten a few scratches on her arms from shoving herself through branches, but she didn't care as she burst out. The full villa stretched in front of her, and along with it the barren ground that she and her brothers had beaten down. Tito's axe and firewood were to one side. A toy soldier that the twins played with was in another portion.

But neither of them were there. Neither was anyone else.

"Tito? Giuseppe? Giovanni?"

No answer. She listened, but not the slightest sound of their voices. The only sound now was the breeze, and she could hear it making one of the window frame panels creak, but no more.

"Giuseppe?" she called louder. "Giovanni? Where are you?"

Still no answer. Just the creaking. The breeze picked up and rolled the soldier over, but no more.

"Ruggero!" she called even louder, stepping out and onto the lot. "Ruggero! Say something! Where are you?"

No response.

"Salvatore! Uberto! Somebody answer me!"

Her voice was growing more frantic; more frightened. What had happened? Where were they? Why weren't they answering her? What had been the source of that horrible cry?

Yet taking only one step closer, she was able to see around the villa and noticed something there. She saw the edge of a wagon—the same supply wagon she and her brothers continuously expected from home.

Immediately, she ran toward it, beginning to circle the edge of the house to get to it. "Hello! Who's out there? Have you seen…"

She trailed off as the rest of the front of the villa came into view, slowing to a halt at the same time. She stood frozen, unable, and unwilling to come any closer.

The wagon itself sat there idly. There was no cargo on it. Nothing save a chest that hung open. The two horses that had been tied to it were both slumped on the ground. Their positions were not those of beasts lying idle, but rather ones that had collapsed. Neither was moving or breathing. What truly gained her attention, however, was what was gathered around the area, slowly being carried off on the breeze.

Shreds and bits of clothing. Clothing that she recognized belonged to her brothers. Not just their tunics, shirts, and pants, but their undergarments, stockings, and shoes. No other sign of them. Nothing else, save for what looked like a few white feathers already being carried away by the wind.

Costanza stood there staring at it. She felt her throat tightening. Fear gripped her heart. She wanted to call out again, but now the voice caught in her throat. She looked around her. This place had always been inhospitable due to the isolation and desolate location. Before, however, she had her brothers for company. All six of them. Now she had no one. Now the trees seemed more twisted. Now the wind seemed more hollow and echoing. Now the bushes seemed to hide more threats…

"Ruggero…? Salvatore…?" Her voice was far more timid this time, now fearful about what else might hear her besides her brothers. "Tito…?"

The wind was her only answer. The window frame to the villa creaked again, and she turned and looked at it this time. She had heard it dozens of times, but this time she looked to it as if someone had moved it. She saw nothing. The villa itself was dark. The thought of checking inside never entered her mind. The darkness within seemed thicker now. Less familiar.

She turned back to the wagon. Swallowing, mustering all the courage she could, she breathed a prayer to the Lord before forcing herself to walk toward it.

"Uberto…? Anyone? Is…anyone out there?"

She heard nothing, but as she forced herself to near, close enough to where one of the strips of clothing was blown past her on the wind…making her recoil from it…she saw what looked like the tip of clothing within the wagon.

"Is someone…there?"

No response. She saw some movement, but it could have been the wind. Nervously, feeling cold now in spite of the time of year, she ventured closer yet. She gingerly stepped around each piece of remaining clothing, as if it was some cursed object she dare not defile. She could make out a bit more of the tip of clothing, but nothing else as she got closer.

She reached the horse team and looked over them. She shuddered at the sight, swallowing. Both horses were indeed dead. One of them had its eyes rolled back in its skull and its tongue hanging out over its own head in a grotesque manner, neither of which she knew horses could do. She forced herself to look away and to the wagon. She swallowed again, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. With all the will she could muster, she made herself reach the steps up into the seat.

It took a bit of effort for her size, but she reached up and seized the edges, placed her foot on the first step, and with a bit of effort pulled herself up. Her head went over the top and looked into the seat.

All the color drained from her face. If she hadn't been so terrified she was nearly choking, she would have screamed.

She saw it only for half a second but the image was burned into her mind. She kept seeing it as she dropped off of the step and to the ground. She landed rough on her rear end and painfully, but she ignored it as she scrambled back up to her feet. Turning around, she ran. She ran as hard and as fast as she could and she didn't look back. She didn't dare. She kept fearing what she had seen now frozen in her mind's eye would be right at her back.

The twisted, rapidly-rotting remains of the king's servant shriveling up in that seat as hundreds and hundreds of snakes streamed out of his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and dozens of other places on his body.

To be continued...