On the following morning, after the king has discovered the disappearances of the five princes, he summoned everyone from the palace into the throne room and questioned them, but no one knew anything about the incident.
Queen Sabrina had a feeling that it had something related to Zelda, so she kept stealing glances at her maid. However, Zelda just looked straight ahead, and when everyone was gone, she suggested to the king. "Your majesty, why don't you ask the famous sorceress Narcissa."
Therefore, Narcissa was immediately summoned. "Great Sorceress Narcissa, pray tell me, what has happened to my sons?"
Narcissa replied, after glancing in the direction of Zelda, "Last week, through my crystal ball, I prophesied disaster to befall on this kingdom and it has finally happened. Your majesty, the five princes have been transformed into five swans through a sinister curse, and are now in the lake of the royal garden."
"Who dares do this to my sons?" the king trembled in rage, Queen Sabrina immediately dashed to his side. "Pray, do not be angry, your majesty, the physician has warned that mood swings will affect your health," then she asked Narcissa, "Pray, tell us, is there any way to reverse the curse?"
"There is only one way," responded Narcissa, "And that is to knit a vest using thistles and thorns and let a person wear it, then that person will turn into a swan forever, in order for the five princes to return to their old forms. But remember, whilst knitting the vest, the knitter cannot speak or utter a single word, or else the curse can never be reversed again. Hahahahah!" At the conclusion of her speech, Narcissa vanished into a green mist.
"Zelda! What have you done?" questioned Queen Sabrina after she has retired to her bedchamber. "Pray, tell me, this is not your doing! I thought that all you were going to do was to prevent Prince Edmund from marrying the neighbouring princess!"
"Nay, your majesty, 'tis all my doing!" responded Zelda, "All this is in order to protect you and Prince Javier! The problem is not just Prince Edmund. Remember, you're only their stepmother. Even birth mothers may not understand their children, let alone a stepmother. One cannot tell what they will do if any one of them becomes the king. Yes, they seem to be friendly to you and Javier right now, but how do you know all this is not just to please his majesty? Once his majesty dies, they'll reveal their true character. Who knows? They might kick you and Javier out of their empire. In the past, there are countless cases of kings kicking their brothers out of their empires, and they're real brothers, let alone half brothers. Only by letting Prince Javier become the king can you live in peace. Trust me, I will not harm you! Am I not thy friend?"
~To be Continued~
No comments:
Post a Comment