Wholly Undead

For the last three days, she had counted the number of undead killed. Five Major Officials, a hundred and twenty three Minor Officials, and four hundred and sixty nine family members, servants, and friends of the Officials were executed. Almost five hundred skulls were piled high in the palace square. It took ten city guards to swat away the various carrion bats from stealing away the grim testament to the wrath of the Witch King.

Emily shook her head while looking at another head added to the pile. This was not the Witch King that her Mother, Elders, and Tutors spoke of... She felt that she had been lied to for hundreds of years.

[Has the Witch King always been like this? Maybe he changed after he left his entombment.] After thinking about his entombment, she felt slightly odd at heart. It was, after all, her kingdom"s fault he had to go into entombment to begin with... Just how mad was he since then. She felt that he might have become mad from his entombment.

Her kingdom was previous, and could still be considered enemies with The Holy Witch King, and all along they had planned to have her marry him. Well... It was her mother, The Spider Queen that had her for the sole purpose of fulfilling the Prophecy. It was the Royal Elders that wanted to get rid of Deagoth. Her mother allowed them to do what they pleased, as she would win in either situation...

Thinking of her situation, Emily couldn"t help but think, [To escape this nightmare, I have to marry a mad king... Is this a fairy tale, or did mother slap me too hard once... Haaaa~]

While deep in thought, a loud set of knocks echoed in the room, originating from her door.

Emily jumped at the surprise, but turned to look at the door, "Yes?"

Jack"s heroic voice drifted through the solid door, "Amba.s.sador, I"ve come to speak with you concerning the proposed treaty."

Emily nearly jumped again in surprise! Why was the Witch King here... At her door?! She called out, "One moment please." As she quickly scurried around the room fixing up her mess. She had been coloring in her coloring book. She had a ton of coloring books. An expensive commodity to be sure, as each coloring book was handmade and hand drawn, She was gifted these so awful much, but couldn"t turn it down. One day a hundred so years ago when she was bored, she tried it, and found she loved to color. She now kept that information to herself, out of concern for her image, among her siblings. She already got enough disrespect out of her height and form; she didn"t need further help.

After she made everything up, and packed. She went to the door, and opened it.

Jack walked in, and surveyed the room. This one was a new room to him. He had never been here before. It was a nice room, really. A moderate sized evening tomb, an actual window... something his own room lacked, a wardrobe, a mirror, a desk and chair, a table and four chairs.

Emily closed the door, and walked to the table. She pulled her own chair, and hopped up into it. Jack walked over as well, and sat down in the chair, unlike his Office chair, or even the chair of the Archbishop of Souigak... This was a normal sized chair, but was very small for Jack. This painted a comical picture, of Jack sitting in a small chair, and Emily sitting in a large chair, even with both chairs being the same size.

Jack, also, dwarfed the little skeletal loli.

[So what was her name again?] Jack thought to himself. He was usually good at remembering things, but after his fierce battle with Leslie... He was a bit absent minded. He hoped this would pa.s.s.

"So... How would you like me to address you?" Emily asked.

"Hmmmm?" Jack, pulled from his thoughts, was unsure of what she was asking.

"Well... I"m not of your kingdom, so "His Grace" seems a little out of sort, also "The Holy Witch King" is a bit too long for a casual conversation. So what can I call you?"

[...What should she call me?] Jack thought for a few moments then replied, "You can address me as either "His Majesty" or "His Holiness." Either would be fine."

"Seeing as I am not of the Deagoth Faith, I"ll call you "Your Majesty." Is that fine?"

"That"s fine, but what faith are you of then?" Jack wondered, he had not read too much on the Grand Tomb of Neolith, nor had he asked enough to understand.

"...I believe in the Spider G.o.ddess..." Emily was a bit of disbelief... As a member of the royal family of the Grand Tomb of Neolith, they all believed in the Spider G.o.ddess.

"Have you thought of converting?" Jack thought this was funny, and so asked. He was the pope after all, shouldn"t he get people to join. If Lucius knew he was doing this for fun, he would surely slap Jack in the back of the head... Even if he was The Holy Witch King!

Slightly speechless, Emily sat there. She gazed into the flaming eyes of the Witch King. She too had a profound impression of these eyes, when she had met him four days ago. It was too bad she didn"t make a better impression. She felt it would have been better to not of hurried out like she had.

Jack noticed her intense gaze, and just as he was about to talk to break the silence, Emily spoke first.

"I may not be able to fully convert... But I might be willing to practice both faiths. I can"t just forsake my home faith completely." Emily said in her cute voice. Though her voice had the cuteness of a loli, it was clear it sounded adult. This was one of the reasons she was viewed with mixed reactions.

It was Jack"s turn to be speechless. He had only said this out of fun, but she actually was considering it. h.e.l.l! He didn"t even fully understand the faith he was the pope of... At this moment, Jack had made a mental note to get to his library to read up on his own faith. After a moment of thought, he felt shame for being the pope that knew nothing of the faith he was the pope of... He would change this as soon as possible.

"Is that unreasonable?" Emily asked. It was a longer pause than when she has answered, and felt that she might have offended the Witch King.

"No... I"m just surprised. I asked out of courtesy, but I never expected that you might consider it." Jack said a half-truth here.

"Well... I might move to Deagoth in the future. It all just depends on how things play out. I might become the permanent Amba.s.sador."

"I see... I"d like to ask you a question." Jack wanted to confirm something.

"Yes?"

"Why would the princess of Neolith want to move to another kingdom, or even become an Amba.s.sador?"

Emily never questioned the fact that the Witch King knew she was the princess. She figured if his Consort knew, then he knew. It was funny that Jack wasn"t sure and only speculated that she was, even so far back as to when Neolith had decided to send an amba.s.sador to him.

"It was the decision of my Mother, the Spider Queen." Emily said flatly. She wasn"t telling a lie, but it wasn"t quite the full truth either.

"Oh, I see." Jack brought his hand to his chin and rubbed slightly.

"Yes. I have been tutored from a young age in reading, writing, mathematics, statecraft, world affairs, etiquette, sowing, ceremonies, cultivation, spell casting, and spell writing."

"What a busy schedule... You have siblings, as well. I take it?"

"Yes, many. I happen to be the smartest of all of them." Emily said proudly.

Jack could tell a sense of hubris, as expected of a princess type, but the fact she was a princess. In the games he played and the novels he read... This was always done with the purpose of marriage to tie the kingdoms together. Jack suspicion grew as he continued talking to Emily.

"So you were taught with purpose?" Jack probed.

"Of course, I am the most promising of all my siblings."

"But you"re the youngest, right?"

"...I am..." Emily thought it interesting that he knew this, perhaps she wasn"t a best kept secret in her kingdom... His consort knew too much, and so did the king. Did they plant rats inside the Grand Tomb? How could they even do that with the spider priest"s tight supervision?

"That"s interesting. I have a theory, if you may." Jack spoke, as he stood up. He loomed high above the tiny Princess Amba.s.sador.

"What theory???" Emily was slightly lost. Weren"t they just talking about her background? She had been waiting to get the pleasantries out of the way to discuss a possible treaty. She was then going to get to know him more, so she could pick him apart... To satisfy him, to marry him, to gain freedom.

Jack paced around the room, while speaking, "I think you... Well, I think your family sent you here for another reason. It"s related to a treaty... But I think it"s more than a treaty."

"I don"t know what you mean...?!" Slightly alarmed Emily squeaked out. This was touching on a closely guarded secret.

Jack stopped and looked over to her, "I think that you"re here to win my favor."

"........Well Of course, we wish to curry the favor of his Majesty. How else will we get a treaty?" Emily stayed the course, but even Jack could tell from her voice she was slightly shaken. He was even more sure of his theory.

"Let me ask you something else."

"You"re already asking me..." Emily was slightly pressured. She was still thinking about the skulls piled in the palace square... Did this mad king know why she was here, and if he did...? Would he be angered?

"Are you here to try and marry me?" Jack flat out asked the question on his mind. It wasn"t that he didn"t have tact, but felt this was a direction verbal attack on her intentions.

[So his Consort is very close to him. Haaaa~] Emily knew she shouldn"t of spoke in anger the day she spoke with Consort Leslie, but she couldn"t help herself. Here the Witch King knew her purpose, so she decided to tell as much as she could.

"Yes. That"s my intention."

[She actually admitted it?] Jack was taken back. He thought she would beat around the bush more... Clearly Leslie had not gotten a chance to talk this over with him. She was actually planning to talk to him later about this.

"Why would you wish to become my second wife, or even queen...?"

Emily liked the sound of queen! She hadn"t really thought about her t.i.tle if she really did marry the Witch King. Her second Eldest sister was already selected to be the next Spider Queen, so she had no chance of being one... But... Queen of Deagoth... The more she thought about it... The more she liked it.

"... There are a number of reasons. Wouldn"t any woman wish to be "your" queen?" Emily had added extra emphasis on yours, trying to appeal to the King"s possessiveness.

"I have a consort, already. Why would I want another?" Jack was playing devil"s advocate. He had just asked his consort three days ago, even just before their first boning, if he could take another consort or wife... If Jack"s face wasn"t just pure bone, it would have been thicker than the City walls of Deagoth.

"You"re a man of power... All men of power want beauties... Here I am. I have delivered myself into the jaws of the beast. Perfect, and pristine. Royal and Regal. We match, unlike your consort."