AUTHOR'S NOTE: This begins the third and final "phase" of the story. I had a bit of fondness for the old anime "Grimms' Fairy Tale Classics" which, while horribly dubbed and edited, came from the era where there were a lot of animes of English works and was nevertheless one of my favorites when I was a little kid. Their own take they did on "The Six Swans" was something I wanted to capture in mine.
"The Meeting in the Study"
Twelve Months Later
The castle was done up considerably better that morning. Whereas a year ago the trappings for the wedding of the king and queen had been so austere that half of the people in the city didn't even know it had transpired until the following day, there was no secret about this event. Every room in the castle had been cleaned and made up, and decorations were everywhere. The veranda was trimmed with flowers and ribbons, the gardens were neatly cut and freshly arranged, and all of the castle staff was summoned to be on call at once for this celebration.
Stretching a line for a quarter of a mile outside the outer gates of the castle was a string of coaches. One by one they were moving to the gates and dismounting; not just passengers but a bit of luggage with each one. Rotating groups of servants were being employed to move them as fast as possible. Teams of two were waiting continuously as a guest would arrive, the receiving courtier would announce them, and then the team would rush out and take their things before leading them on into the courtyard (also wonderfully done up for the joyous occasion) and into the castle while the drivers and footmen would move the coaches to the stable grounds and settle themselves in the servants' quarters. In doing so, no one party stayed for more than a minute, although with so many arriving at once it was still backed up.
The latest carriage, a cruder one nevertheless emblazoned in bold colors and driven by a hard man guiding strong, powerful horses, pulled up to the gates. The footman quickly dismounted to present the card to the courtier. He took it, read it over, and then held his head high for those on the gate and within the courtyard to hear.
"King Leonardo and Queen Emma."
The royal couple soon dismounted the coach. Neither looked terribly enthused, but then again they never did about anything; being very no-nonsense sort of people. The two-servant team immediately rushed out and received their small amount of luggage from the footman, before turning to lead them both inside. As they passed through the gate, the footman mounted the coach again and it was off, while the new two-servant team moved into position.
Both glanced at the noble couple as they passed from the corner of their eyes. Once they were within and out of earshot, they looked to one another.
"I'm surprised that anyone from the Pice family showed up, considering the Sidians are here as well…"
"Social occasions are supposed to be apolitical here. Especially for a Christening."
"Isn't this a bit too much? It's one thing to invite all the surrounding nobles, but to actually be housing them for three days?"
"It's to make up for the wedding. This is also the king's first anniversary."
The servant frowned. "I can't believe it's been an entire year since he married that witch…"
"Witch?"
"You haven't been working in the castle long enough. The king rides out and finds her one day in the forest. I hear she was dressed in moss and eating spiders, and mold was growing in her hair. Yet he brings her right back and marries her a few days later."
"What…the queen?"
"She might be in the sense of the law, but no one sees her that way. She never speaks, never laughs, rarely eats in the dining hall…just spends all day and night in her room. I hear it's practically a witch's hut by now. That she doesn't even sleep, just spends all night making bizarre things out of plants and bones."
"Really?"
"That's the rumor from the chambermaids who tend to the royal wing. Now she's given birth. I almost wish I could be there. I want to see if that half-devil infant gets scalded by the holy oil…"
He trailed off soon after, for the next coach had pulled up. Both servants stood at attention again. This latest carriage was far more elegant than the last. Nevertheless, both the coachman and the footman had dour, almost sullen looks on their faces. The footman himself dismounted only slowly and walked to the courtier, presenting the calling card.
He took it and looked it over as the footman grasped the handle of the carriage door and opened it. He held his head up soon after.
"King Eugeno and Queen Laura."
"Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry."
The courtier looked up just as one of the most lovely women he had ever witnessed in his life stepped out of the carriage. She was dressed in beautiful, vivid lavender and green and bedecked with gold jewelry, all of its gleaming and shimmering so strongly it almost seemed to radiate more than everything else around it. Her lovely face had a gorgeous smile in spite of her comment as she stood fully out from her carriage, and the two servants moved to help the footman with her luggage.
"I quite forgot to inspect the calling card before handing it out. My husband passed away nearly seven years ago now, along with all of his heirs."
The courtier lowered the card, looking a little embarrassed at that in spite of having received the card from her own footman. "Oh…I'm terribly sorry, milady."
She merely kept smiling and shook her head. "Think nothing of it. Life goes on, after all."
As Costanza held the infant in her arms and watched him open his eyes and look up to her, in spite of everything she had to worry about, she couldn't help but smile.
Much of the first month after giving birth had left her bedridden with illness, which was made all the worse by the fact she devoted so much time awake to sewing along with the wear and tear of pregnancy that she had been growing thinner and weaker the entire month leading up to it. Yet even in the worst throes of her fever she kept working, no matter how much Samuel told her, even pleaded with her, to rest. Somehow she got through it and recovered, enough to where she was able to get around again. A few in the castle called it a miracle, although most of the rumor was the same as everything else…her being a devil in human guise. No one had ever suspected it might be because she couldn't afford to die yet any more than she could afford to lie around recovering.
It was a blessing for the young woman that her infant son was so well-behaved and well when he was born; not awake with colic or any other severe illness that would have required her to tend to him constantly. Nurses, as it turned out, were hard to come by. The nurse that Samuel had designated quit a month before the birth, and the replacement quit the day of it. Two more had been released from service since then. The reason for all four was the same—none of them wished to nurse the child of the queen, although it was only in front of Samuel's face that anyone called her that. The rest of the time it was "that woman".
The past year had not been kind to Costanza or her husband. Rather than improve, day after day those in the castle continued to look on her with distrust, suspicion, and occasionally loathing. She was regarded curtly or even ignored whenever she had to make a social appearance, and if she failed to appear that only made rumors worse. Every day Samuel heard at least three whispers about how he had married a witch or imp. On one occasion, a visiting noble had the audacity to actually state it directly, while all others looked on him with a reduced measure of respect. Costanza herself was not treated with half the respect as Samuel was by the servants, and, on occasion, they wouldn't do what she indicated at all, and she could say nothing of it due to being mute.
Samuel almost continuously sacked some members of the staff and replaced them, but it seemed as if the rumors always redoubled. As if someone he had missed continued to spread them, and made sure each newcomer heard them… He had actually taken up hiring deaf servants wherever he could for it had grown so intolerable.
Costanza smiled at her son as she walked with him. Her throat muscles constantly tightened, as if she wished to sing or talk to him, but her mouth always stayed shut and her eyes darkened each time. As such, it wasn't long before he shut his own eyes again.
Her smile faded and she looked up to the room table. At the price of covering her fingertips with callouses and almost twisting her joints, five shirts again lay there and a sixth one with one final seam to complete. Already arranged on the table, having been waxed, pressed, collected, and stitched together, were fifty collections of stinging nettle petals. All that was left was to stitch them along the seam, and the six shirts would be complete.
She also looked nearby to her dresser, and in particular the top right drawer. Within it was the slab of wood she had held since the first day she had begun, along with the flint knife. Along it was exactly 2,554 marks. Three days shy of exactly seven years, accounting for two leap years.
She glanced back to the table and exhaled. Last winter had been her best day ever. On a particularly rainy day where no one could ride or move wagons due to mud, she had sat on the couch from dawn to dusk and stitched. She had managed twenty that day. Her average, however, was fourteen, and that was when she was free to stay in her room and not worry about a Christening to attend.
She finally looked back out the balcony. This faced the garden veranda, not the front of the castle. She could look out to the lake. She stared at it as she had many days over the past eleven months. That was the last time she had seen a hint of a swan.
A knock rapped on the door, a softer one than usual. It was enough for Costanza to hear and she turned to it. Soon after, trying to be careful in case her son was falling asleep, she moved over. She didn't ring the bell now for the noise. Instead, she reached out, grasped, the handle, and gave it a light turn.
The one on the other side turned it the rest of the way and opened it up. Samuel stepped inside soon after. His face was only stressed for a moment before he smiled warmly at her. She stepped back, smiling in return, letting him enter and shut the door behind him. He moved up to her, looking down at his infant son who by now had fallen asleep again. He reached out and placed his arm on Costanza to draw all three of them closer together for a few moments, before he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
In spite of everything still to be done and time being short, that felt good too.
After a time, she moved the baby over to his bassinet and laid him down inside. Once she had done so, both she and Samuel moved over to the far side of the room. Only then did Samuel turn to her and whisper so quietly she had to watch his lips to see what he was saying.
"Alice has been sacked. I overheard her saying some things this morning to the kitchen staff, and…I don't want her in this castle any longer."
Costanza's smile faded a little at that. Yet another nurse gone. However, he put his hand on her shoulder and spoke more encouragingly.
"I found someone new and better than the others. Her name is Lyra. She's Greek. She can't understand any of the rumors."
Costanza forced herself to smile, although the mere fact that they had to hire people who couldn't understand them in order to have peace was troubling enough in its own right.
He cupped her chin and lifted her head to his.
"You don't have to worry about tonight. Everyone is arriving and we're expecting some of the guests late, so there will be nothing planned. You're free to stay here all evening if you wish and rest for tomorrow. I'll handle the banquet tonight…and finally pick a name. I think I've put that off more than long enough, wouldn't you say?"
She smiled a little more easily at that.
He leaned over and gave her another kiss. "I love you."
She patted her chest once and then touched his in response—her way of responding without words that they had devised over the past year.
He took one moment to caress her cheek before he turned and went back to the door. As quietly as he could, he opened and closed it again, leaving Costanza and her son in peace.
She watched him leave and stared at the shut door a few moments, but then looked back to the table. Her smile leaving completely, she glanced down at her rough, twisted fingers, before she walked over to resume her work.
While the surrounding cities might have had their misgivings about King Samuel's choice in marriage, one thing they most certainly wouldn't fault him on was being a gracious host. Although tonight was simply one for accepting arriving guests, he had spared little expense in the banquet. It was done up every bit as festive and gay as many of their own wedding feasts, with a wild and exotic assortment of fruit, meats, and bread to choose from. The music that provided was the finest in the region, and torches were lit all along the veranda so that anyone who wished could enjoy the lake and the lovely gardens. He had even gone so far as to add four new pieces to the artwork as conversation starters. As a result, between the civility and the gathering of nobility, everyone was soon talking too much of frivolity and leisure to spend too much time newsmongering about the king or his wife.
As the sun neared the horizon, wine-bearing servants began to make the rounds and freshened everyone's glass. After a few drinks, everyone was feeling in a much more jovial and relaxed mood. They took in more of their surroundings as a result, and following from that they took in more of the guests. When that happened, one stood out from them all.
Queen Laura was a sight that few of them could ignore. Her lovely attire was eye catching enough in its own right, standing out from everyone else, but her beauty was likewise dazzling. She carried herself splendidly throughout the entire room, never seeming to stop to talk long with anyone or dwell in one spot too long. Rather, she simply drifted about hither and yon. In spite of the fact she was always moving, everyone seemed to keep seeing her everywhere they went. And she stood out so much from everyone that their eyes gravitated to her each time. The way she moved, walked, and smiled, she almost seemed to be plying for the eyes of any other bachelors in the chamber. It wasn't hard to attract anyone either. All of the men glanced to her frequently, and many of the women did as well.
Only one thing always seemed off about her. Her smile, as radiant and fair as it was, had some strange quality. As if something wasn't quite right about it.
At length, drifting through the crowd, her eyes focused on one in particular. In the middle of the room, King Samuel had made an appearance, and was now greeting the guests more formally.
She smiled a bit more on seeing him before beginning to approach.
The timing of her arrival was perfect. He was just finishing with a more elderly couple, kissing the hand of the lady and giving a dignified bow to the lord, when she walked up and stopped next to him. He rose from his bow to look to her, and immediately paused; suddenly taking in the stunning and vivid woman standing next to him. She only smiled all the wider for it.
"Good evening, my lord," she stated politely, taking only that moment to finally clasp the edge of her dress and curtsy to him.
He stood still, blinking a few times, before he bowed to her in a somewhat more hurried and haphazard fashion. "Good…good evening, my lady," he answered, rising again and still recovering from the initial sight of her. "I…I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met before."
"We haven't," she answered, still smiling. "I am Queen Laura of Pratilla."
He stood silently a moment. It was clear he was distracted by her beauty, but he was also thinking. "Pratilla… Pratilla… Oh yes! I know of that one. That would make you the wife of…King Eugeno?"
Her smile faded slightly. "Former wife, I'm afraid. I'm sad to say we lost him."
"Oh…I'm terribly sorry."
"It was a true tragedy. Nothing short of a horror. My husband fell desperately ill. It drove him to madness, causing him to drive all seven of his children away. A few months later he died, and but a few days after that all seven of his children were torn to pieces by wild animals. To compound our misery, the castle was stricken with a severe plague of serpents not long after. Nearly everyone who dwelt within was slain. As you might imagine, I have had much to take care of over these past seven years."
Samuel reacted especially to that last part, making Laura smile again. The passage of time would indicate that she would be in her mid-twenties at least, but she looked young enough to have only just recently left her teenage years. His reaction alone seemed to please her.
"But I hope to make many more of these visits now. I must wed again at some point, if my city is to have an heir. It seems I missed quite a fetching one by one year, haven't I?"
Realizing she was speaking of him after a moment, Samuel looked a bit surprised. "Um…yes, yes I'm afraid."
"Oh, what a pity." She began to reach his hand out for his cheek. "Such a lovely young man. And I do so admire men with emerging beards…"
He was still as her hand drew near, staring at her lovely face. However, right before it could touch, his face suddenly stiffened, right before he maneuvered his head away from her fingertips. "Thank you, my lady. My wife seems to admire it as well."
For a brief moment, her smile waned and a burning look went through Laura's eyes on seeing her touch evaded. Yet it faded too soon to be assumed as more than a trick of the light, and her hand drew back. "I take it she's quite the lovely creature, is she not?"
He seemed to grow even more apprehensive at that. His face stiffened a bit more. "I certainly believe so. More so than anyone on this Earth."
"Truly?" she smiled a bit more, her features almost seeming to grow lovelier yet. "Anyone?"
"Anyone."
She held momentarily, but finally let out a small laugh. "Well, then you are certainly a lucky man. Long life to you both, I trust. Do take good care of each other and your son. I, from experience, can tell you how fleeting life is. How soon you can build a family only to see the next day that you have nothing. Be on guard for that."
Samuel stared a bit longer before giving a milder bow than before. "Thank you for the advice, my lady." Turning away from her, he walked to the next nearest nobles he could find.
Laura's smile waned a little once again, but not for terribly long. She began to walk toward the next nearest group of younger nobles. In particular ones that didn't seem to be married yet.
She only went forth a few steps before another woman nearly walked into her path, causing both of them to halt. They glanced to each other afterward. The woman, who looked far older than Laura, was dressed elegantly but also far more conservatively, and held her head high and with dignity and nobility. She looked as if she had been ignoring most of the people in the chamber, but on nearly running into Laura she was obliged to stop.
After a moment of silence, she forced herself to bow her head to her. "Please excuse me."
"Oh, it's no bother at all," she replied sweetly. "I was too focused on the young gentlemen across the room. By why in so much of a hurry? The banquet is in this hall."
The woman frowned slightly as she reached over to her other hand, unwinding a beaded cord from it. "I just returned from mass and I need to change before I bid anyone any greetings…although I'm sure there is little need for the deposed queen mother to show herself, according to the wishes of the king."
"Oh really? The deposed queen mother, of all people?"
"It is every mother's cross to bear, deposed queen or otherwise. Please excuse me, milady. I must go change at once." Without another word, she continued onward through the dining hall toward the stairway in the back.
Laura watched her go for a few moments, not at all looking offended but rather somewhat intrigued. As soon as she had vanished into the crowd, she turned away and looked forward again; not to the gentlemen but rather to one of the wine bearers standing idle as he looked for anyone else who would need a glass. She walked right up to him, smiling sweetly again by that time.
"I'd like a sampling, if I may."
He nodded. She plucked a glass from the nearest waiter, and then held it out for him to pour a small amount inside.
"Tell me…who was that who just came through here just now?"
The wine bearer looked up to the back of the room, then back to her. "That's Queen Eleonora…although now she's lawfully just the queen mother."
"I see. She seemed in an awfully strained mood. She seemed to think the king wouldn't want her here."
He frowned. "The king had a falling out with his mother over the woman she married."
"Oh?"
The servant nearly opened his mouth again, but shut it soon after. He seemed to be aware he was being a little too loose-lipped. He tried to look forward afterward.
"Oh, don't be bashful," Laura smiled sweetly. "I'm no talemonger. I'm only curious as to some of the things she said. What happened?"
He continued to hold out but, unlike Samuel, he could only withstand the sweet, lovely look of the woman for so long. He moistened his lips once before they loosened.
"Most say his wife is either a madwoman or a witch. He married her a few days after finding her in the forest living in a hovel and bringing her home. He deceived the queen mother into leaving the kingdom for the ceremony. She never forgave him, and she hates his wife. To be truthful, most of the kingdom does."
"Why would you ever bear such feelings?"
He frowned a little, looking around before leaning in closer to speak more quietly. "Every servant and courtier knows the tales. She rarely comes out of her room, even for meals. Spends all day and night in her chambers or out in the gardens. She never speaks a word, which might be reasonable for a mute, but she never laughs either. She just-"
"Excuse me," Laura suddenly cut in, her voice turning ever so more forceful, "did you just say she never speaks or laughs?"
He nodded.
"Indeed. And do you happen to know what she does all day in her room?"
He frowned a bit more. "If it's anything like the garden when the king still let watchman stand there while she was out, sewing garments made out of flower petals."
Laura's eyes opened wide. She was quiet for a few moments.
"Good gracious me. And…just what happens to be the name of the queen?"
"Costanza."
A moment later, the servant's look grew more uncomfortable as he leaned back. The moment he said that name, Laura's smile grew so large that he almost swore he could see extra teeth beneath her jawline move in to make it wider.
"How very funny. Life has such an odd way of bringing you joy."
Costanza worked late into the night before she finally turned in. She managed to get eighteen done before exhaustion began to overtake her. It was good, but she had wished she could have done half of them as tomorrow she would barely have any time. As soon as she was up, she almost immediately had to get ready for an appearance. She didn't have the luxury of being lax about her dress, adornments, or appearance in any other way when she had to show herself to the other nobles. While yesterday there had been a banquet, today was the first day all guests would be present and there would be more official events. It would start with the official greeting and welcoming this morning. From there they would proceed to the chapel for the formal baptism, and after that they would return for the midday meal and the presentation of the new prince. After that, everyone would be allowed to retire for a few hours before the evening meal. Following that, the next day would be the official festivities of their anniversary and "observed" wedding celebration. In other words, one public appearance after another, and one requirement after another to appear before others.
Samuel had a special dress tailored just for Costanza, with the intent of allowing her appearance to "speak louder" than her and hopefully draw attention away from anything else about her that would cause a rumor. She was also introduced to the new nurse after getting dressed that morning, who would tend to the baby during the morning greetings for them. As they both prepared to depart, Costanza and Samuel both stepped out into the hall, and she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. Today, she would need it, as tired as she was.
He bowed his head a little. "I spoke to mother again last evening. She…said she already attended mass yesterday afternoon and saw no need to attend again."
Costanza's own face sunk a little at that, though Samuel surpassed her this time. He knew his mother's dislike for his wife was so strong that she wouldn't even acknowledge his own son by her, and refused to be present for any event with her—even this one. This was something that hurt him more than her. Yet he put on a bold face and led her out.
After walking down a few halls they passed through a few lines of courtiers and paused at the entrance to the grand hall. They waited for the attention of the room to be grasped and, as soon as things were quiet, they heard the call.
"Presenting King Samuel and Queen Costanza of Beneserta."
With that cue, he led her on into the room. Soon, dozens of nobles had their eyes on the royal couple. Costanza did her best to look amiable and friendly in spite of being so tired, but it didn't take long to start feeling uncomfortable in that room. Everyone's eyes were on her, with almost no one even paying Samuel any mind. The infamous reclusive wife, alleged to be a creature of the woods rather than even a human being, was finally out for them to see with their own eyes. Now they were studying her and probing her. Looking for anything off about her. Anything out of the ordinary, whether it be a strand of hair, a slant of the eyes, a bridge of the nose, or a misstep. Anything to cast a hint at her "true" identity.
It was only a short while in that chamber before Costanza began to look melancholy all over again. She kept her arm in the crook of her husband's as he led her to the first of the nobles, relying on him to make all the introductions and simply to nod and curtsy at the right times. She did so to this first three couples, and by then the crowd began to split apart. Many began to talk with each other again or turned to other matters.
Still, as the king led her to the fourth set of guests, she could still feel eyes on her and see them as well. At least normally she only had to deal with people speaking of her behind her back. Now she felt like a spectacle on display as at the wedding feast. She resolved to only stay a half hour before going and seeing to her child…
She had just thought that when two of the nobles, leaning to each other and whispering a bit, broke apart and split in either direction…and on the other side she saw her.
Samuel kept walking, until he felt his wife's arm go so rigid that he was anchored in place. He turned around and looked to her, and nearly gave a start. Costanza's face had gone as white as a sheet. Her lips parted, and she made a noise like she was being choked for air. He immediately turned fully to her. "What's wrong?"
She didn't hear him, and she didn't dare move. She was staring right at her and smiling. She looked exactly the same as she had the first time she had seen her. Seven years later and she hadn't aged a single day. Her eyes were focused on her like an eagle on prey, staring right into her own. That vivid stare…it was clear what was on it. She knew that Costanza recognized her, and she had been anticipating it ever since she had arrived. And now she knew that Costanza knew that she recognized her.
"Costan-"
Samuel didn't have a chance to finish. Without a word or care, Costanza spun around and ran back the way she could as best as she could in her footwear. She no longer cared who stared at her or what anyone thought of her as she shoved by them almost violently. She only wanted to be out of that room. On seeing that devil in woman's guise she was suddenly eleven years old again, back at the villa, surrounding by torn scraps of clothing, bird feathers, and the corpses of her father's servant and horses. She was again alone in the wild and fearing death on every side. All she wanted to do was get away.
As soon as she was out in the hall she ran harder, her breathing growing heavier. She ran past the courtiers and the servants and charged in whatever way would get her as far from the main hall as it could. Not the slightest thought of Samuel or anyone else ran through her mind at first. Yet as she kept running, enough of her wits came back to her to realize she was going right back for her bedroom.
Her son was in there…
Through her pounding heartbeat and desperate panting, she turned off a different hall instead. The royal study was just up ahead, and she knew there was a lock on the door. She dashed to it as quickly as she could, tried it out, found it unlocked, and quickly ducked inside, spun around, and nearly slammed the door behind her.
Keeping her hand on the doorknob, she locked it before leaning against it and trying to catch her breath. Now that she did, her wits began to come back to her, and she realized she had been foolish. The safest place for her in the castle had been that main hall, surrounding by courtiers and guests. She never would have made a move there. And in here, she realized she wasn't free to watch wherever she went. She remembered she had put a snake in her brother's bed when she was a child. There was no telling what evil she would work now.
She realized she had to get out there, even as her heart kept rushing at the thought of hearing footsteps approaching outside the door…
"Hello, Costanza."
Her heart froze in her chest. She almost did scream as she wheeled around.
Standing a mere three feet from her was Laura, looking just the same as when she spotted her in the grand hall.
The young woman was immobilized. She felt trapped, especially since Laura was taller than her. She didn't breathe. She didn't move. She felt like she was in a nightmare. She struggled to think, to compel herself to act, but for the moment she could do nothing.
"We never really did have a chance to meet, did we?" she spoke sweetly, her smile not the least bit warm. "Don't you have a kiss for your stepmother?"
Costanza swallowed. She didn't look away, but the way she referred to herself loosened some of the initial fear. Enough to get her mind working. She tried to remember what was around her, and slowly moved back.
"I always wondered what happened to my little princess…the one who failed to receive the lovely gift I gave her brothers…" she purred as she took a step forward. Costanza stepped back in response, but it was intentional. She thought of the bookcase she was stepping nearer to. "I honestly thought you had been torn to pieces by wolves, or died a miserable death of starvation and disease in the middle of nowhere. But oh, you have done so well for yourself, haven't you? Found your way right back into royalty all over again. I know all about you, but…"
Her teeth flashed.
"Would you like to know what I've been up to?"
Costanza didn't answer; only inched back until she was next to the bookshelf.
She ran her fingertips through her own hair. "Oh, you should have seen what I did to your father. It was an absolute delight to watch. Each day he was a little less man than before, and I could see every inch of the suffering on his face… So sweet…so sensual…"
Costanza began to quiver.
"It was lovely to behold, but it didn't compare at all to when he was bedridden, covered with the most foul, festering, rotting sores imaginable, barely able to eat, drink, or even breathe…"
She stepped closer. Costanza shook further. Her eyes began to shimmer and her throat tightened at each horrible description.
"And I leaned down next to his balding, scabbing scalp, brushed back the sweat on his forehead, and put my lips right next to his ear…"
She leaned her head closer to hers. More of her teeth showed and her eyes flashed.
"And I took oh…so…much…immense satisfaction…in telling him that you and every single one of your brothers were dead."
Costanza's lip started to quiver. Tears started to well in her eyes.
"And I watched…as his spirit shattered right in front of me. It was so terribly, horrifyingly MARVELOUS."
As tears finally rolled down her cheeks, Costanza sprung. In an instant, her hand lashed out for the bookshelf and seized what she knew was on it: a figurine of a horse and rider with a solid marble base. She clutched the figurine like the handle of a hammer and swung the base around, meaning to bury it in the woman's skull.
Like the crack of a whip, her hand was out and the fingers wrapped around Costanza's wrist. Her eyes widened at the speed, but even more that she was immobilized. It was as if she had been shackled with iron. She glanced in horror a moment, then back to Laura, who hadn't changed at all.
"Go ahead, my darling. Call for help. I'm waiting."
Costanza was stunned. She stood there quivering, in the woman's grasp, not knowing what to do. She tried forcing her arm but it was useless. Laura held her without even straining. Finally, she lashed out with her other hand to try and pry hers off.
She didn't get far. Laura made a simple wrist twist and instantly wrenched her arm. She almost cried out again as her face contorted in pain, and try as she might she couldn't keep from dropping the statue to the floor. The instant it was loose, Laura twisted again, wrenching her arm further. The sudden sharp pain drove her. Instinctively, she twisted to try and get out of it, and Laura used that moment to yank her close.
To her horror, she was soon twirled around and right against the woman's chest, back first, and she wrapped her arms around her in an almost sensual embrace. She felt the woman's hot breath on her neck a moment later as she leaned her head over her. Her blood ran cold as she let out a hiss in her ear.
An instant later, Laura stuck out her tongue and licked her from her jawline all the way up and along the side of her face to her forehead. Costanza felt so revolted and violated she almost wanted to throw up. She tried to fight, but it was like she was in the jaws of a beast in Laura's arms. And she almost could feel her skin burning from where she had licked her.
"Of course you won't call. No, not at all. You've been naughty, Costanza," she went on in a sharper whisper right in her ear. "Little girls shouldn't gather flowers from stinging nettles. Little girls shouldn't weave shirts for swans. Little girls shouldn't make silly vows not to speak, laugh, or write for seven years. Are you sure you don't feel like calling for help, Costanza?"
She suddenly felt Laura's teeth on her ear, digging in just shy enough from breaking the skin. She grimaced, contorting her face in fear and anguish. Yet she wouldn't speak.
A second later, her body was violently flung away from Laura and to the floor. She barely managed to get her arms out in time. She still banged her knees hard, but she avoided landing on her chin. She wheeled around in an instant, looking for the statue.
The second she laid eyes on it, Laura's foot slammed down in front of it enough to dent the floor ever so slightly with her heel. She snapped back up to her, now seeing her towering over her; her eyes almost seeming to glow.
"Oh Costanza, whatever shall I do with you?" she sighed. "How can I possibly make you suffer nearly as much as your father did? Let me think…"
Remembering the coat of arms on the wall just behind her that had two blades mounted on it, Costanza suddenly turned around and tried to get to her feet.
The second she was up and reaching out for it, Laura's hand seized her hair and yanked so hard she nearly tore the scalp. In spite of her best efforts, Costanza did give a cry that time; praying immediately that it wouldn't count as speaking. Her body was snapped back to the woman, who seized her by the shoulder and spun her around. An instant later, her hand seized her by the throat and clenched just short of choking her. This grip was even tighter than the one on her wrist. Though Costanza clutched for it, she couldn't possibly free herself from it even if she wasn't weak.
Laura looked so calm she hadn't even broken poise as she tapped a finger on her chin. "I suppose I could go right up to your room, find those shirts you've been working so hard on, and simply tear them into teeny, tiny pieces."
Costanza's struggling diminished. Her eyes widened in fear.
Laura drank that in like a fine wine, looking all the more vivid for it. "But no…no, no…none of that. You're such a sweet little devoted girl I'm sure after you'd finished blubbering and fretting you'd take it up all over again, but only after you used your newfound ability to speak to tell everyone in the castle about your odd behavior and your monstrous stepmother. And we can't have that. Hmm…I could simply curse your brothers again. Maybe give him the form of geese or something less savory like pigs…or perhaps snails. Or just give them the same illness that killed your father or the denizens of his castle, whichever you prefer."
She tensed up even more.
"Hmm…no, far too much trouble. Can't risk anyone seeing things in a place like this, and that still leaves the problem of you being able to speak." She looked to the ceiling and thought for a bit. "How about that little boy of yours?"
Costanza snapped at that. As furiously as she could, she began to beat away at Laura's arm with whatever strength was in her fists.
It did absolutely nothing save make Laura beam in delight. "Ah! That hit something, didn't it? Yes, definitely your son. But what? What indeed?"
She clenched tight enough to choke Costanza briefly, making her beating cease. A moment later, she yanked forward so she was in her face.
"A swan is too easy, isn't it? So is an illness. No, this has to be something very, very painful. Something that will shatter your heart into such tiny pieces that you'll simply lie in bed and waste away into nothingness. Something that will send your husband to his grave early. Something that will make the whole country so anguished that they'll flood the countryside with tears. No, no! Better! Something that will totally tear your new family to pieces, so that I can savor you losing everything you love twice."
She leaned in close enough to feel her hot breath again.
"Unless of course…you'd like to insult me to my face?"
Costanza glared into her burning eyes only a moment.
Then she spat in them.
For the first time, Laura showed slight, genuine displeasure as she leaned back, but she didn't release her. She raised the back of her hand to wipe at her eyes for a moment, clearing them, snorting a little as she did, and then stood and paused. She looked at the back of her hand a moment, then up to Costanza still in her grip.
A moment later, she spat back in her own face.
Again, Costanza cried out. Her spittle burned as if it had come from a boiling cauldron, and smelt of sulfur and foulness. It had miraculously missed her eyes, for it might have blinded her, but the pain was nevertheless so strong she furiously began to wipe at it and clutch for her nose, even as she felt the pain keep sinking in.
She was so furiously wiping at it she didn't notice for several moments that Laura was laughing at her cruelly and mockingly.
"Alright, have it your way! It really doesn't matter if you speak or not, Costanza. You see, you'll never live long enough to finish your task. I will see to that. Yet if you want to keep suffering and drag your family into it, then who am I to deny you?"
Costanza finally had the pain subside enough to go for the coat of arms, and so she did. Yet even as she started to move toward it Laura went to the door, unlocked it, and grasped the handle.
"Enjoy the last peaceful day of your short life, 'your grace'. At least your son will go to Heaven now."
Forcing herself through the last of the pain, Costanza seized the hilt of one of the blades so strongly she ripped the other one out as she snapped around, but Laura was too fast for her. By the time she looked at her, the door was already shut again, and she was gone.
The young woman didn't have time to feel fear, anguish, or anxiety at the threats Laura had made. Without a moment's hesitation, she went for the door as well to head back to the bedroom and her son.
To be continued...