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Black Souls

7.

Long long ago, in a place far far away lied a kingdom.

Within that kingdom was once a rich man whose wife lay sick, and when she felt her end drawing near she called to her only daughter to come near her bed, and said, "Dear child, be pious and good, and God will always take care of you, and I will look down upon you from heaven, and will be with you." And then she closed her eyes and expired. The maiden went every day to her mother's grave and wept, and was always pious and good. When the winter came the snow covered the grave with a white covering, and when the sun came in the early spring and melted it away, the man took to himself another wife.

The new wife brought two daughters home with her, and they were beautiful and fair in appearance, but at heart were, black and ugly. And then began very evil times for the poor step-daughter. "Is the stupid creature to sit in the same room with us?" said they; "those who eat food must earn it. Out upon her for a kitchen-maid!" They took away her pretty dresses, and put on her an old grey kirtle, and gave her wooden shoes to wear. "Just look now at the proud princess, how she is decked out!" cried they laughing, and then they sent her into the kitchen. There she was obliged to do heavy work from morning to night, get up early in the morning, draw water, make the fires, cook, and wash. Besides that, the sisters did their utmost to torment her, mocking her, and strewing peas and lentils among the ashes, and setting her to pick them up. In the evenings, when she was quite tired out with her hard day's work, she had no bed to lie on, but was obliged to rest on the hearth among the cinders. And as she always looked dusty and dirty, they named her Cinderella.

It happened one day that the father went to the fair, and he asked his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. "Fine clothes!" said one. "Pearls and jewels!" said the other. "But what will you have, Cinderella?" said he. "The first twig, father, that strikes against your hat on the way home; that is what I should like you to bring me." So he bought for the two step-daughters fine clothes, pearls, and jewels, and on his way back, as he rode through a green lane, a hazel-twig struck against his hat; and he broke it off and carried it home with him. And when he reached home he gave to the step-daughters what they had wished for, and to Cinderella he gave the hazel-twig. She thanked him, and went to her mother's grave, and planted this twig there, weeping so bitterly that the tears fell upon it and watered it, and it flourished and became a fine tree. Cinderella went to see it three times a day, and wept and prayed, and each time a white bird rose up from the tree, and if she uttered any wish the bird brought her whatever she had wished for.

Now if came to pass that the king ordained a festival that should last for three days, and to which all the beautiful young women of that country were bidden, so that the king's son might choose a bride from among them. When the two stepdaughters heard that they too were bidden to appear, they felt very pleased, and they called Cinderella, and said, "Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and make our buckles fast, we are going to the wedding feast at the king's castle." Cinderella, when she heard this, could not help crying, for she too would have liked to go to the dance, and she begged her step-mother to allow her. "What, you Cinderella!" said she, "in all your dust and dirt, you want to go to the festival! you that have no dress and no shoes! you want to dance!" But as she persisted in asking, at last the step-mother said, "I have strewed a dish-full of lentils in the ashes, and if you can pick them all up again in two hours you may go with us." Then the maiden went to the backdoor that led into the garden, and called out, "O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me!

The good must be put in the dish,
The bad you may eat if you wish."

Then there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and after them some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes; and the doves nodded with their heads, and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. Before an hour was over all was done, and they flew away. Then the maiden brought the dish to her step-mother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go to the feast; but the step-mother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no proper clothes, and you do not know how to dance, and you would be laughed at!" And when Cinderella cried for disappointment, she added, "If you can pick two dishes full of lentils out of the ashes, nice and clean, you shall go with us," thinking to herself, "for that is not possible." When she had strewed two dishes full of lentils among the ashes the maiden went through the backdoor into the garden, and cried, "O gentle doves, O turtle-doves, And all the birds that be, The lentils that in ashes lie Come and pick up for me!

The good must be put in the dish,
The bad you may eat if you wish."

So there came to the kitchen-window two white doves, and then some turtle-doves, and at last a crowd of all the other birds under heaven, chirping and fluttering, and they alighted among the ashes, and the doves nodded with their heads and began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and then all the others began to pick, peck, pick, peck, and put all the good grains into the dish. And before half-an-hour was over it was all done, and they flew away. Then the maiden took the dishes to the stepmother, feeling joyful, and thinking that now she should go with them to the feast; but she said "All this is of no good to you; you cannot come with us, for you have no proper clothes, and cannot dance; you would put us to shame." Then she turned her back on poor Cinderella, and made haste to set out with her two proud daughters.

And as there was no one left in the house, Cinderella went to her mother's grave, under the hazel bush, and cried,

"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."

Then the bird threw down a dress of gold and silver, and a pair of slippers embroidered with silk and silver. , And in all haste she put on the dress and went to the festival. But her step-mother and sisters did not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, she looked so beautiful in her golden dress. Of Cinderella they never thought at all, and supposed that she was sitting at home, arid picking the lentils out of the ashes. The King's son came to meet her, and took her by the hand and danced with her, and he refused to stand up with any one else, so that he might not be obliged to let go her hand; and when any one came to claim it he answered, "She is my partner."

And when the evening came she wanted to go home, but the prince said he would go with her to take care of her, for he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived. But she escaped him, and jumped up into the pigeon-house. Then the prince waited until the father came, and told him the strange maiden had jumped into the pigeon-house. The father thought to himself, "It cannot surely be Cinderella," and called for axes and hatchets, and had the pigeon-house cut down, but there was no one in it. And when they entered the house there sat Cinderella in her dirty clothes among the cinders, and a little oil-lamp burnt dimly in the chimney; for Cinderella had been very quick, and had jumped out of the pigeon-house again, and had run to the hazel bush; and there she had taken off her beautiful dress and had laid it on the grave, and the bird had carried it away again, and then she had put on her little gray kirtle again, and had sat down in. the kitchen among the cinders.

The next day, when the festival began anew, and the parents and step-sisters had gone to it, Cinderella went to the hazel bush and cried,

"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."

Then the bird cast down a still more splendid dress than on the day before. And when she appeared in it among the guests every one was astonished at her beauty. The prince had been waiting until she came, and he took her hand and danced with her alone. And when any one else came to invite her he said, "She is my partner." And when the evening came she wanted to go home, and the prince followed her, for he wanted to see to what house she belonged; but she broke away from him, and ran into the garden at the back of the house. There stood a fine large tree, bearing splendid pears; she leapt as lightly as a squirrel among the branches, and the prince did not know what had become of her. So he waited until the father came, and then he told him that the strange maiden had rushed from him, and that he thought she had gone up into the pear-tree. The father thought to himself, "It cannot surely be Cinderella," and called for an axe, and felled the tree, but there was no one in it. And when they went into the kitchen there sat Cinderella among the cinders, as usual, for she had got down the other side of the tree, and had taken back her beautiful clothes to the bird on the hazel bush, and had put on her old grey kirtle again.

On the third day, when the parents and the step-children had set off, Cinderella went again to her mother's grave, and said to the tree,

"Little tree, little tree, shake over me,
That silver and gold may come down and cover me."

Then the bird cast down a dress, the like of which had never been seen for splendour and brilliancy, and slippers that were of gold. And when she appeared in this dress at the feast nobody knew what to say for wonderment. The prince danced with her alone, and if any one else asked her he answered, "She is my partner."

And when it was evening Cinderella wanted to go home, and the prince was about to go with her, when she ran past him so quickly that he could not follow her. But he had laid a plan, and had caused all the steps to be spread with pitch, so that as she rushed down them the left shoe of the maiden remained sticking in it. The prince picked it up, and saw that it was of gold, and very small and slender. The next morning he went to the father and told him that none should be his bride save the one whose foot the golden shoe should fit. Then the two sisters were very glad, because they had pretty feet. The eldest went to her room to try on the shoe, and her mother stood by. But she could not get her great toe into it, for the shoe was too small; then her mother handed her a knife, and said, "Cut the toe off, for when you are queen you will never have to go on foot." So the girl cut her toe off, squeezed her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince. Then he took her with him on his horse as his bride, and rode off. They had to pass by the grave, and there sat the two pigeons on the hazel bush, and cried,

"There they go, there they go!
There is blood on her shoe;
The shoe is too small,
Not the right bride at all!"

Then the prince looked at her shoe, and saw the blood flowing. And he turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, saying she was not the right one, and that the other sister must try on the shoe. So she went into her room to do so, and got her toes comfortably in, but her heel was too large. Then her mother handed her the knife, saying, "Cut a piece off your heel; when you are queen you will never have to go on foot." So the girl cut a piece off her heel, and thrust her foot into the shoe, concealed the pain, and went down to the prince, who took his bride before him on his horse and rode off. When they passed by the hazel bush the two pigeons sat there and cried,

"There they go, there they go!
There is blood on her shoe;
The shoe is too small,
Not the right bride at all!"

Then the prince looked at her foot, and saw how the blood was flowing from the shoe, and staining the white stocking. And he turned his horse round and brought the false bride home again. "This is not the right one," said he, "have you no other daughter?" - "No," said the man, "only my dead wife left behind her a little stunted Cinderella; it is impossible that she can be the bride." But the King's son ordered her to be sent for, but the mother said, "Oh no! she is much too dirty, I could not let her be seen." But he would have her fetched, and so Cinderella had to appear. First she washed her face and hands quite clean, and went in and curtseyed to the prince, who held out to her the golden shoe. Then she sat down on a stool, drew her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and slipped it into the golden one, which fitted it perfectly. And when she stood up, and the prince looked in her face, he knew again the beautiful maiden that had danced with him, and he cried, "This is the right bride!" The step-mother and the two sisters were thunderstruck, and grew pale with anger; but he put Cinderella before him on his horse and rode off. And as they passed the hazel bush, the two white pigeons cried,

"There they go, there they go!
No blood on her shoe;
The shoe's not too small,
The right bride is she after all."

And when they had thus cried, they came flying after and perched on Cinderella's shoulders, one on the right, the other on the left, and so remained.

And when her wedding with the prince was appointed to be held the false sisters came, hoping to curry favour, and to take part in the festivities. So as the bridal procession went to the church, the eldest walked on the right side and the younger on the left, and the pigeons picked out an eye of each of them. And as they returned the elder was on the left side and the younger on the right, and the pigeons picked out the other eye of each of them. And so they were condemned to go blind for the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehood.

"There she goes, there she goes!
Commanding birds to pluck of eyes
Charming the prince with her wicked wiles
No bride she is, too late we learn
A witch she is and so must we she burn."

The two white birds did not cry, nay the sound came from the crowd coming to see Cinderella marry. Appalled by her miracles and not understanding the unknown, they took her purity for a threat and wanted to end her life then and there. "Away from my bride!" said the prince, wielding their blade and moving to Cinderella's side. "Whoever tries to harm her will die tonight!"

Hearing those intense words, those who moved to harm backed away into shame. The prince is their ruler after all and Cinderella about to become their queen. Their view on the matter is of no value.

"For a ruler chooses a way
And his subjects obey."

And so Cinderella and the Prince were married and lived happily ever after.

"If that's the ending. Then why has the kingdom fallen to ruin?" Cyril interrupts when the Green-colored knight says nothing more for a few seconds. "Also how do you know that much about her?"

"It's a tale, Cyril." Adaman answers with a tone almost deadpan. "Just one of many hearsay that concern the wicked Cinderella. Some say she was not as cutthroat as my version was, some say she had some fairy grand mother that waved her little wand to solve all her problems and others have once again many other details. But no matter the version, every one of her stories ends the same."

"What way?"

"In despair and madness. But no more comments! I'll tell you the rest now…."

As Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after, so did the kingdom. With a kind queen at his side the Prince who's now a King became known for his wisdom and noble heart. Never again would someone meet the same poor fate as Cinderella and even more important than that the King put in many changes that made trade favorable amongst the many neighboring nations they have.

But as the kingdom grew in riches, so did the attention of neerdowells turn their way. Cinderella was in the end still a peasant after all and with such an argument, many kings and people who desired power send their daughter in the hopes that they could steal away Cinderella's prince.

Even so the Prince remained steadfast, he had no other love than Cinderella!

So it was only a matter of time until someone killed him to get him out of the way.

"See here the details vary too. Some say he was poisoned and had he listened to his wife's warning then he would have lived. Others say one of the daughters was an assassin, no matter the reason the prince was dead and with nobody else to inherit the throne. Cinderella's now sole ruler of her land."

Pregnant with child and having never wielded a blade in her life. Cinderella learned an awful truth in her tower when all the knights and servants loyal to the prince ran away in fright. A cruel rhyme.

"Poor and weak are to be born at the mercy.
Of rich and powerful, who live free.
To keep evil hands from my baby and me
A demonic princess is what I will be."

Then using the same power that allowed her to speak with all birds that be, a gift she did not know was called sorcery which she inherited from the same mother that was poisoned by her own father. She summoned a foul mist over the Kingdom turned Empire, one with a curse that drains away all life under it and transforms the souls into wicked beasts and servants to assist in her dominion.

And nobody lived happily ever after again.

"What a sad story." A story very familiar feeling to Cyril, as if he's heard it a thousand times before but still one sad enough to make them rub their visor with their cape as a gesture. "And that's all?"

"And that's all my friend. The mad bitch still lives in her palace to this day and is growing ever stronger whenever someone like you or me falls to her curse. So remember, she must be slain."

"Of course." Had his first and second fights not been so fierce, then perhaps a part of him would have hoped otherwise but right now this story only fuels his resolve with a straight end-goal.

A few more words and soon Cyril is on his way again, heading deeper into the forest.

Danger! (turn back)
The fog concentration is high that way.
Head = for a safer road. -Witch Dorothy.

So the sign in front of Cyril says. Planted just a few feet away from a straight road where the trees grow more and more apart and the furthest distance within it is covered by indeed white clouds.

Clearly the sign hasn't been placed there for no reason but even so should he heed it or not?

The path no matter how treacherous does continue northwards, and north is his only direction. But a safer road is also promised so perhaps there is no need to risk oneself when both lead the same way.

Decisions, decisions, now to decide whether or not he's in a great hurry or not…

"What's the matter Cyril?" a familiar female voice asks from right behind him.

"I can't decide whether or not to heed this sign." he answers as Leaf approaches the sign on her own, eyes slightly thinning as she reads the same words as he before turning around with a shrug.

"How boorish, don't tell me you've already forgotten what you learned but a moment ago." She points at her own forehead as if that would somehow help. "The undead cannot die, ergo…"

"There is no road too dangerous for your kind to thread! Besides should men not be decisive and brave? If you take the easy road then you'll never reach your full potential. Isn't that right, Cyril?"

"Hmm." Her words resonate with Cyril's ego like honey does to a bear, though a part of him wonders why one has to per se make things harder for himself. Everything else finds it tempting.

"Come now, come now, don't be shy." She continues, flying closer again with her hands on her hips and a teasing smile. "Or are you perhaps scared? Ah and here I thought you were a brave knight…"

"I am brave." He replies back half-offended, not noticing the blatant manipulation in her words.

"Then prove it." She bites back, "To me and everyone else by taking the path of higher valor."

"Very well."

As it turns out, the path of valor leads one to garbage.

A swamp filled with the brim of it even. With waters so toxic that the bog has become thicker than cream and is as purple as an eggplant. While the scent it reeks is enough to make a dire rat vomit.

Not one to be subtle, within said waters lie clear rotten remains of what were once buildings, encampments and even the charred corpses of those who lived there. Their skin half-melted off and half filled to the brim with muck to the point one can't be sure if they are actually moving or whether or not that is a simple effect of them being carried by the slow rush of water inside.

Cyril curious to a fault, makes the wisest decision ever made and takes a single step inside it.

The sensation alone promptly gained spot number 1 of the most painful injuries that he's suffered throughout his adventure. Not even dragon fire felt as painful as dibbing his foot into such a corrosive material that when he took it out. The skin of it has molten and all of the toes dissapeared.

"I am not brave." he decides as he promptly turns around and heads for the safer path.

"You are not acid-proof." Leaf corrects, having lingered for the sake of seeing it happen.

"It doesn't matter." Cyril jabs back and ignores the giggles he hears as the fairy dissapears.

Half-jumping and using his sword as leverage as he moves out the swamp. As he deserves.

"Oh a bum, you came at just the right time." a voice from below beckons to Cyril's ear.

"Hm?" So naturally he looks down, expecting to see some bothersome fairy or small animal.

Instead he sees a flower, one with blue leaves, vines for arms and a mouth in its center.

Which is most likely the flower that Adaman has warned him about, the one that melts stuff.

A feat that he's managed to already inflict on himself and in this proximity may suffer again.

"Don't shoot acid at me." Cyril warns as he pulls up his shield and takes a step back in caution.

"The fuck you're on about?" The flower replies with a dumb founded and rough voice, "Whatever, don't elaborate. It's not like I care. But what I do care about is one thing: Getting a helping hand."

"If that means melting one of my own, then the answer will be no. I already miss my toes, you see."

"Whatever, fruitcan. Just shut up and listen." The flower ignores his claim, then bristles their body a bit as if to show it off. "See, you look like just the folk that fairies like to pick on, am I wrong?"

Seeing how one tricked him just earlier, the answer to that is an obvious. "Yes, what of it?"

"I knew it. I bet it was some cruel trick like sharing delicious food with you only for it to turn out to be glamoured garbage or perhaps you went for a swim, only for the water to be mud. Or perhaps they sent you to a path that suddenly stopped as you fall off a cliff instead. See how the last one is way worse than the others? It's cause their sense of humor is turning to trash too. Just today they've torn of 16 leaves of me and believe me getting your limbs ripped ain't pleasant, you get that bum?"

"The name is Cyril."

"Do you have a job? An education or do you perhaps work for the local government, Cyril?"

"No, I don't."

"Then a fucking bum is what you are and a fucking bum is what I'll call you, ok, bum?"

"…" Cyril denies the urge to step on the flower as that would be unheroic. "So what do you want?"

"Well bum, with those arms and legs of yours. You seem far more mobile than me. So why don't you punish those noisy flies in my stead, huh? Though as they're immortal, what you'll need is…"

The flower's vine extend into the ground, after which a small hole opens to reveal a bottle filled with a suspicious crystal blue liquid. "This special recipe of me to really punish them, ya hear."

"And why should I accept such a gift?"

"Easy, bum. Real easy to figure out: Because I gave it to ya for fucking nada, bum."

"Call me bum one more time and we'll have trouble."

"Fuck you, hobo. Take the shit or leave already."

Deciding to be the bigger man, Cyril takes the gift and leaves without harming a single leaf on the irritating and very crude flower. The rest of his journey in the Abandoned Forest is of no real notice, other than the fact that deeper in he finds a bonfire to set alight and a path of...breadcrumbs?

Curiosity causes him to pick one up, if only to see closer that it is indeed a crumb of bread.

"Ah, ah, Cyril." Yet again a voice now mildly annoying appears from behind, Leaf flying in view soon after as she wags one hand dissaprovingly. "Look what you've done. You've picked up a mark, a very important mark haven't you? Poor children, now they'll never find the road back home…"

"…" He makes no comment or inquiry in response, simply putting it back before moving on.

"Though isn't it too l-oh, wait Cyril where are you going?" Leaf stops whatever she was about to say in order to fly in front of him, looking midly displeased by being given the cold shoulder.

"Forward of course, or is that perhaps not brave enough?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about…" Leaf lets out a sigh, "Want me to say sorry?"

"Do you even feel bad about it?"

"Not really, I mean, it's not like I told you to take a step in the mog now did I?"

"...You didn't."

"Then what is there to be sorry about?"

Cyril just lets out a sigh, ending the conversation there as she's most likely right. All she did was mildly point to a more dangerous location. It was he himself that actually walked the walk after all.

Still he'll keep it in mind if a similar scenario ever pops up again, just in case.

Anyway after a few more steps and a few more encounters, the end of the forest is reached.

That being some dilapidated mansion or an old mansion, whatever the right word is...there stands a mansion in front of Cyril, one that must have people inside from the sound of glass breaking inside.

He wonders who would live in something like that, perhaps nobody, perhaps the place is now filled with small animals, looters or whatever people find inside old abandoned buildings in magic woods.

Whatever the answer is, he'll figure it out next time in…

Black Souls.