the haunted kingdom by Charles E.J. Moulton (snow like ashes txt) 📕

unique side by side, helping each other in every situation. We love life, we love negotiation, discussion. We are articulate, religious, passionate, intellectual, philosophical and bright. We love to drink and eat and make passionate love to each other.” He made another pause, kissing his daughter’s forehead. “My daughter has just married her true love. What could possibly be more fantastic than true love, blessed by holy matrimony? Those other things the witch tells us are lies. What do we choose?”
There was laughter again in the hearts of these men and women. Belinda rushing after him, Alexander rushed up to his table and picked up his full mug handed to him by his smiling wife, who was winking at him happily, in her mind telling him that ‘you did that well’. Belinda and Alexander were both laughing as they rushed back with their mugs to the middle of the hall.
Now, Steven had rushed up from his table and the newlyweds met in a long, enchanted and deep kiss. “Let’s propose a toast to the newlyweds.”
The dignitaries raised their glasses and remote, chaotic, mixtures of clanking sounds reverberated against the walls and the ceiling.
“To their glorious future and to the happiness of their children.”
”Hear, hear,” someone said.
There was again a future ahead of them and Alexander, walking back to his table, realized that he had been the one that had been assigned by someone to bring these poor souls back to happiness after the intruder had taken it away from them.
Bantrard started playing a happy song and Patrick stood up to ask Erica to dance. Soon, there were three couples dancing next to where Bantrard was located. One couple was Steven and Belinda. They were deeply in love and seemed never wanting to let go, both closing their eyes.
It was obvious that the ghosts were still here and that the adjective ‘unreal’ still floated around the room like an unwelcome guest. But it didn’t seem to matter to them anymore. There was hope. They had been awoken. More food was brought to the tables. More wine was gulped down, conversation was louder and after a while laughter echoed the rooms. Morgana took Richard into a corner cupboard and made love to him on a squeaky and rattling table. Lance and Fabian chased each other around the Grand Hall. Patricia found the Cocker Spaniel Henry’s funny bone and it became a clear jest for the assembled women to enjoy looking at the dog bang his hind leg against the floor and grin happily, his tongue out and his ears flopping. The dog breeder Escamilla, Mormidar’s wife, was happy that the dog was popular. After all, it had been her present to the family. Alexander sat with his wife Sieglinde and kissed her until the break of day. The evening had been saved. The savior was kissing his wife, happy to again feel like a king.
Alas, somewhere in the distance a wolf was howling. It was the transformed spirit of the witch running back through the forest next to a three-headed dog. The moon had once again reached its full cycle and the bright silver disc was larger than usual that night.
The drooling two beasts were panting angrily and knew that the master was awaiting them soon to hear a report what had occurred back in the castle. All they could see was foliage, leaves, mud, dust, dirt and branches scratching their nostrils, the itch of dry dirt scratching their fur. There was a very eager gaze in all the beastly eyes. There was eagerness to seek the truth, to reach the goal, to find if it was possible to win this game after all after so many eons of pain. Lucinda knew that Alexander had convinced the guests to drink and be merry again. After all, it was a part of her plan. Without their merriment, her plan could never work. She was waiting for the right time to strike.
Back at Iuventus, people again were making love and belching and getting drunk and eating and then going out to the garden to make love again. They were dancing and drinking and feeling good again, all due to her sissy brother and his sweet tender lovely child. That appealed to her. She knew that they needed that. She needed them calm and unsuspicious.
For when she finally did strike, when the four horsemen of the apocalypse really did gallop in to her brother’s empire, there was no turning back not even for her and her demons and Lucinda would not be able to stop the curse from working if she wanted to.
Alexander had a nightmare that night. A ten-headed hound named Kerberos was in it.


CHAPTER EIGHT
SWEET FORGETFULNESS

Late Morning, Thursday, October 15th, 1422 A.D.

The pieces of an original Etruscan vase lay scattered across a Persian rug that lay along the royal bed’s left side. Diagonally to its left was her royal majesty the Queen Sieglinde gazing coldly at the pieces that were a fresh creation by her husband. The look of humour mixed with utter female irritation over male ignorance was unmistakable. Alexander standing helplessly by the bedside, his hands outstretched in helplessness, she turned back toward her mirror and continued combing her hair. “Oops.” he said quietly. The light from the three windows past the mahogany table painted a network picture of early autumn afternoon light on his bearded features.
“We might not have to decide after all where to put that...” Sieglinde put down her make up brush and looked at Rolf who was standing next to the other side of the bed and shook her head.
“Do you now see what I mean?”
Alexander smiled. “I’m sorry, dear.”
Rolf shrugged.
“Madam, everyone drops something sometime…”
Sieglinde raised one eyebrow.
“A vase worth a half million gulden?”
Rolf smiled. Sieglinde looked heavenward and stood up, her silk negligee opening as she strode up and walked to the door. She stopped before she came to it. She looked at Rolf.
“Well?” Rolf looked startled at Sieglinde then at Alexander.
“Well, what?”
Sieglinde laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to act like our faithful houseman?”
Rolf was suddenly awoken from dreams and realized he was not performing his duties. He couldn’t understand why he had not been there at all in the last few days. Maybe waiting for thirty years for that unfulfilled promise had made him believe it never could happen.
It’s like the man who waits all his life for a promotion, he thought to himself. The promise becomes so strong and important that the thought of it becomes more vital than the thing itself. When it happens one never knows what to do with what the one forgotten life long hope.
“Of course, your majesty…”
Sieglinde put up her hand. “Don’t bother. If your first reaction isn’t to help me, than your second reaction will only be a forced lie.” She opened the door, looked right and left for the right help. Saw someone. “Marie-Louise?”
Rolf stepped aside, embarrassed. Alex shook his head, realizing how harsh his wife had become and how weak he had become since Lucinda had reappeared.
A voice answered. “Yes, madam?”
“We have had an...” She looked at the two gentlemen. “...unfortunate incident here that male hands can’t fix and we need female assistance to clean it up. Would you be so kind?”
“At once, madam!”
She left the door open and came back to decorate those attractively aging cheekbones red, pursing her lips and half-closing her eyes. Rolf took a look at her for a moment and excused himself. Sieglinde waited and said nothing. She looked at Alexander who gave her a puzzling look.
“Well, don’t look at me! He can go if he wants to.”
Alexander smiled a heartless, embarrassed smile and waved Rolf so long, who left down a corridor, already lit by torches and was given off-duty-call by the arrival of Marie-Louise, who quickly scurried to the bed and found the vase and started cleaning it up.
Sieglinde did not move from her place, she fiddled with her hair. Ice filled the room very quickly. Alexander walked to the niche and looked out at the west garden. Two ravens were there now picking at the first rotten cherries to fall off the tree. Louis came up and chased them away. He looked up at the sky and at the sunset, felt an itch and adjusted his green satin vest, unbuttoned thrice and sighed. Marie-Louise was not sure whom to address so she addressed the floor.
“Should it be repaired?”
Sieglinde shrugged, coldly. “Ask the husband.”
Alex started chuckling. “The husband. Oh, God. Leave it to the husband that can’t fix it. Do it yourself. For the sake and love of great St. Joseph, the patron saint of fine furniture.”
Marie-Louise looked at Alex. “Oh, yes. The husband says try it,” Alex corrected “And if it doesn’t work throw it in the garbage with the rest of the excrements, like my advice.”
Marie-Louise curtsied once, not knowing if she should laugh or cry.
Silently, she did her chore in complete silence and threw the excrements away in a marble jar that was kept outside in the hallway.
“Will that be all?” she said, scared to her wits. Sieglinde began at the same time as Alexander and stopped when Alexander, chuckling, continued.
“Yes, Marie-Lee” she said fondly. “That will be all. We know where to find you if there is more. Right now, I have to beat up my husband.”
She curtsied, left the room and closed the door behind her. Sieglinde threw the make-up brush on the table and it banged the gilded mirror and almost broke it. “You inconsiderate fool!”
“Oh come, Sieglinde, it was a vase!”
“Is that all?”
“It’s just a vase!” Alex repeated.
“Are you serious?”
“Luigi is a snob. You don’t like his taste in art anyway.”
“I am not talking about the vase!” She emphasized.
“Then what? The money?”
“I am not talking about the vase, I said.” She looked down and shook her head. “We could’ve used that money well by selling it for welfare, but that’s beside the point.” Sieglinde grinned coldly.
“Tell me what’s bothering you.”
Sieglinde cocked her head and gave him a piercing look.
Alexander said nothing. He sighed, put his tongue in his left cheek and walked to the mahogany buffet that stood under the landscape by Grand Master Penderesci. He turned around.
He nodded. “Belinda? Is that what you are angry about?” Sieglinde nodded. “I see your point.”
“You are not going to do anything about it? Sending her off in spite of all of what has happened in this blessed home?”
“What can I do?” he whispered a reply. “Call off a honeymoon that I have nothing to do with? Tell my daughter that she should cancel her plans when I have no decision to make. I think you overestimate our responsibilities. We are the parents of an adult now. Belinda is no longer five.”
“Your daughter is going on a honeymoon with her husband tomorrow for two months and she will not be back so soon. You saw the look on her face at breakfast this morning.”
Alexander walked to the window, turning his back on her.
“Talk to me now, Alexander!”
He turned around and waved his hand at Sieglinde. “Behave, woman... I am not a child.”
“Behave?” she said and turned away from him. “Behave. Well, no matter that your daughter has been threatened by your sister with murder but I shall keep my tongue in place, for I should behave.”
His icy look and staring eyes accompanied a whispered tone. “I love my Belinda more than I love myself. I care about this, but she is intent