Mordred 8.2

The New Realm

Chiton stood there with her whip loosely held in her right hand while facing the Ladies of the Lake. I was on her side with my arms loosely on my side. Opposite of us was the Queen and her Ladies of the Lake.

“My darling Guardian, I am truly saddened by the reception you were given. Snow White…” The Dark Queen whispered out towards me. “Can be bitchy. It’s her mother’s genes.”

“Please accept my apologies on their pesky behaviour. As you can see, I had them removed from the invitation list.” The Dark Queen stepped forth towards me. “I am most grateful that you have come back. I am to be the new Head of the Council.”

“Merlin was …Oops! Pardon my expression. Merlin is dead.” The Dark Queen sniggered. “And about time too.  Did you know how he died?”

I shook my head. I only read the report that he died in a ship explosion over the bay. The report was brief and signed off in days. There was no body but they have his cloak and part of his left thumb.  That was the conclusive evidence that got the Judge to sign his death certificate.

“They found his left thumb? Pathetic.” The Dark Queen laughed. “I would assume that he would have left his brain. That would be dissected and then crumbled into intelligent bacteria like cells. But a thumb? That’s ….a joke that was normally told by my other in-laws. See why I said pathetic? Thumb and joke; they rhyme.”

“And who is the King?” The figure jumped out in between the Queen and me. It was a scrawny guy with various shoulder length hair and a crooked nose which was his major expression on the face. He had on the knee length green coat with flannel white shirt tucked into tight breeches and the belted knee high boots. The other unique part of him was he had a pair of knitting sticks.

“Rumpelstilkin, I want you to back off.” The Dark Queen shouted at the scrawny man. Lady Nimue moved forward to grab at the man when the man replied.

“Rumpel aren’t my name no more. You got three tries to tell me my name or I will knit you a new killer coat.”  The man moved his hands with the sticks and a yarn of strings appeared. The strings then began weaving as if it was done by a knitter. The knitted cloth rose from the feet of Nimue and within seconds weaved a strong cloth over the lady. Nimue found herself tripped over and suffocating.

“Rumpelstilkin the Royal Tailor, release the lady now. I commanded you for I am your Queen.” The Dark Queen called out but the so named tailor demanded his request.

“You got two tries to tell me my name or she may die.” The tailor called out while Nimue struggled harder and was assisted by her sisters.

“Rumpel…Bah! I had enough.” The Dark Queen gave up on the request. She turned her attention towards the mummified form on the ground. With a sweep of her right hand, she called on the spell to remove the strings. The strings on the mummified form soon snapped loosely and soon Nimue was freed.

“You got one more try to tell me my name or you will all die.” The tailor called out while the hands weaved those sticks faster than the eyes could comprehend. The seven ladies were all enshrouded then with the strings that appeared out of nowhere.  The Dark Queen was herself enshrouded but the strings only reached her waist before she have her spell removed it.

“Form before me, you miscreants.” The Dark Queen commanded the remnants of the strings which with her spell, formed into a very tall figure with the frame of Man. The string woven figure stood at about twice the height of Man with a width of more than the man. It does not have a face but there were two woven crafted string that pout of its face like bulging fish eye. The woven figure eyes then moved as if it was alive and yet it was not. Its right arm reached up to the eyes with the index finger trailing down the right side of what may have its left cheek. It stopped at the middle and then trailed across to the middle. There it pushed the index finger hard into the strings there and punctual a hole there. It then moved its finger to the right and puncture in a second hole. Then it pulled its finger out and stopped at the right cheek. It then heaved in its chest as if it was taking a breath. It reeled forward and then straighten up before it move the right hand below There it found a loose string which it pulled to the left to make what may be term as a mouth piece.

“Hello, my Dark Queen. I am here.” The string man smiled with the mouth curled up at the side. It also lost the tension of the strings there and caused a droop to its smile.

“Welcome back, my old friend. I thought I lost you in the last … measurement.” The Dark Queen replied but the string man raise its right arm to stop her. Both its arms reached for the side of the head and punctured a hole there.

“Alas, the strings were deafening.” The string man spoke up again. “How do you do, my Queen?”

“Very well, my dear. I thought you left us in the last …measurement.” The Dark Queen repeated her words. The strings then were woven into a cloak for Merlin but at the last moment, with the death of Lancelot, the Head Councillor had draped the cloak over the body. Eventually, it was passed the cloak to Rumpelstilkin.

“I was sad by the rejection. He was such a nice body to clothe on.” The string man smiled again. “But Rumpel also treated me well. He had me strung out daily to dry and be caressed by the spindle wheel.”      

“Oh, we are in a battle now.” The String man looked at Rumpel and then at the Dark Queen. “Such barbaric practice while I am a master of removing the soul from the body with suffocation. A feat which no bodily harm will be done and above all bloodless.”

“To my side, my servant.” The Dark Queen called out. “I picked you up from the strand of strings there. You were once mine and will always be mine.”

“Tch! My Queen, I was once yours but no more.” The String figure voiced up. “Neither am I yours anymore, Rumpel. There’s a new Master for me to serve. That soul was taken by the battle between the providers of its life. I am ….”

“Lancelot…” The name was murmured by the mother of the dead knight. “That voice.”

“Yes, mother. I am back.” Lancelot soul within the strings that was created to man sized. “I am here. Your cloak was a wonder but when it draped over my dead body, it blended into me. With the bond, I was no more a physical body but a collective form of energy that course in the strands. I was weak then, and when Rumpel cared for the strands it fortified my soul. I was given care and love by one that understands the strands of strings. I was nurtured by him but I am never his servant. I am Lancelot; the once invincible knight until I was struck by the same blood that birthed me. Now I am re-born and free of the bond.”

“Your last spell was the catalyst to my full recovery. Thank you….mother.” The string figure held out its arms to the side. “Beware of the might of the String Man.”

From its arms, strands of string sprung out in an array of colours and spread out like a wide open umbrella. It reached out to everyone but it did not hurt them. It stopped within fraction of an inch from their bodies and stayed there.

“Behold each strand could maim or kill you but with my command, I have still it from doing so.” The string figure spoke up. “We will kill but not today.”

“Good bye, mother.” With that the string man dissipated into single strands and flowed away.  He then stopped and looked at me.

“I will be here when you need me.”