Chapter 27: Recovery

I supposedly slept for over a week... or, at least that's what my bumbling nurse told me as she changed my sheets one evening after I had woken up; who knew if her word could be trusted...? I would describe her appearance, but I think it an unimportant matter.

I later learned that the prince had been buried between his grandmother and mother in the Royal Cemetery, and I had been declared a "national hero" throughout the land of D'Nalge; supposedly, there had been some great ceremony held by the townspeople that had declared me a "hero," but I had pretended to be sleeping again when my bumbling nurse ran in to tell me to change my filthy clothes, so I missed the ceremony-- had there even been one.

Life became meaningless again; I slept little, I ate little, and I got up to go to the bathroom every now and then. I did enough just to survive, and Jacqueline's words continued to haunt me: Had I loved the prince...? I could not answer the frightening question, and many nights while I was chained to stay in my bed, I cried for the loss of my fiancé... whom I could at least say I had loved-- even if I hadn't. After all, he had given me love, and promise for a better future.

Sometime during the month that I was confined to my bed, the family decided to visit me in all of my misery.

"Still sulking, are we, Beatrice?" Jessica asked; they smiled false smiles, and I felt like ripping their ugly little mouths right off; I offered her a polite nod to her meaningless question, and gave them each cold stares in turn, "Why have you come here?" I asked, angrily, "Haven't you already had your fill of the palace and all its glory?" I scoffed, and bit back tears as the memories of my prince's corpse filled my mind.

Pig-Woman just continued to smile her dammed smile, and I heard Jessica snapping at her mother (under her breath), "One hundred gold coins..."

"What the fuck are you on about?" I suddenly asked; my voice calm, and yet fierce.

Jessica seemed stunned with my sudden "outburst;" her jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Nothing, Beatrice dear," Pig-Woman snapped; trying to sound believable-- although there could be nothing further from it.

"Liar," I hissed, my eyes flashing dangerously, "in my new status," I could have all three of you easily. So, tell me the truth, or it will be war upon you all."

She swallowed hard, and for once, the idiotic smile was wiped off of her face.

"Well, honey," the man began, "It was the night you left, and-- and--"

"And a lady cloaked all in black knocked at our door," the girl suddenly chimed in, "She was acting very strange, and said that she couldn't come inside, though we politely invited her in on first glance."

I rolled my eyes; this was highly doubtful to believe.

"And she promised us all a hundred gold coins if we would be able to bring you to her unharmed," the woman went on, taking on the task of continuing her daughter's sick story.

"I went out looking for you in the morning as instructed; after all, she seemed pretty keen on being reunited with you-- she told us all that she was your mother from the other world."

"So, we brought you to the ball," the girl added, "and it was three nights of anticipation! Three nights of waiting for our reward to be had at last…"

"And you actually sunk to that level?" I asked, truly bewildered by the final statement, "You willingly brought me to a near death? It's all your faults that I'm stuck here, while my prince is dead forever."

"Your prince?" the girl asked, angrily, as her eyebrows curled, "Your prince?" she asked once again, more skeptical, "Curse you," she hissed, "It was you who took away my prince, and my fortune, and now you will pay!" she approached me, and her hands began to choke me.

"Get off of her!" the man suddenly screamed, dragging her off of me.

"I don't need your false sentiment or whatever you want to call it," I hissed; Jessica was now panting, "You people will burn in hell for what you've made me endure!" I screamed, now gasping for breath as well, "All of you. Each and every one! If you do not leave my room, I will beat each and every one of you to a bloody pulp if necessary. I'm not scared of any of you. Out!"

A pause.

"Now, listen here, Beatrice," the man started, obviously trying to sound reasonable, "We took you in from the cold, we gave you shelter-- A hot meal every night; caring company."

I scoffed, "Took me in? I'll give you that."

"We've just come here for our pay back, Miss-- for what is owed to us. A hundred gold coins, and you'll never see us again."

"A hundred gold coins each," Jessica chimed in.

I laughed at their stupidity, "If you bastards think you're getting anything from me, then you've got another thing coming. Guards! Take these people away! I've never seen them before in my life."

And then, to my astonishment, a pair of guards entered the room, and hurried the three pigs away from me... and out of the castle for that matter.

Thankfully, this is the last time I ever see the three of them in my life. Hopefully, they're all dead by now...

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Before long-- about another week, I'd say, I was told that I was at last well enough to return home; the following morning, for that matter... I was given bags of jewels, and many thanks for being so very brave-- and at last killing what was thought to be the "unkillable." Now, there was hope throughout the land of a better future for all. The shaska were obviously vulnerable. They could obviously die as mortals do.

At around six o'clock, the door opened, and the King entered; I was shocked to see him, "Your majesty," I whispered, as he took a chair across the room from me, and inquired of my health. We chatted, avoiding the subject of his son's untimely and unfair death all the while.

An hour passed, and just before he left, he kissed me on both cheeks-- a tender, fatherly gesture, and he told me that I would always be welcome back to D'Nalge, and I thanked him; he at last thanks me for ridding the land of his son's slayer; I am unsure of the reason, but I begin to cry once again.

Maybe it's because I've at last been forgiven.