CLEO-PETRA

Part 4

On the eve of April 1904, Constantine was seen with king Caiaphas, he had come to pay his last respect to Rev. Luther, when the young priest approached him, Margaret was there present also, he was a very shy young man, and fiddled with his words a lot so as they had no meaning, the king was an impatient one, already in a haste to leave but his mother knew better, she invited him over for dinner the next day, and he had happily accepted, waving goodbye to the king and his mother until they were out of sight, young lad, the queen had laughed but then he remembered Rev-Luther, then she thought out loud, ah!, but why must he die now?, he was a good priest and a good man, Caiaphas added, you know mother sometimes I wonder if he died because of me, the queen exhaled slowly and didn't say a word, they footman announced their arrival to the palace, they were both too tired to talk, so they had kissed each other goodnight, and headed for their chambers.

The air outside the palace was cold and dense, gloom fell on the faces of everyone as they watched with great sorrow the body on the stake, the crows didn't crow that morning, silence fell all over the palace as the young king watched in tears the body of his mother lifeless upon the stake, he had torn his clothes to shreds, going naked before the people, they soldiers tried to cover him up but all to no avail for he drew a sword and swore to strike anyone who would come again close to him, and he had said the most bitter words that bore his torn heart out,

"curse be upon you, curse be upon you who had come to mock me, curse be upon you who had seen my nakedness, and had laughed at me thinking in the wickedness of their heart, I knew this day of doom will come", curse upon you who had come to make mockery upon me for the grief I bear, you too shall bear and your descendants to come, curse be upon you evil, who had brought shame to my palace," then he turned to his soldiers and commanded them to lift down his mother's body, and just as they had done so he ran to her lifeless body and said

"I love you mother in life and in death, then he had sent a servant to go call a priest to come anoint her body but none would come once the learnt of how she had died by taking her own life, the church refused to have anything to do with it, so he had anointed his mother himself still in his nakedness, he kissed her fore-head when he was done still in tears he spoke" goodnight mother, rest in the bosom of the lord, for whatever reason you had taken your own life mother, you should have waited upon me", but then they eldest man in the kingdom called out from amongst the crowd, losing patience, Curse be upon you Caiaphas, never in history of this great kingdom had a queen taken her own life, and you dare anoint her with sacred oil, I pray thee that thou not listen to the voice of stupidity and bury this abomination upon our land, lest our lads and lass take their own life, we shall not pay your price Caiaphas, the words he spoke incited they crowd and they all started shouting "burn her!, burn her!!, in vain they soldiers tried to calm they already angry crowd to no avail, they king saw the situation was out of his own hands, so he had lit her body by himself after setting her upon the logs of wood, he burnt her, and when they crowd had seen this, they started leaving until everyone of them had gone, even they soldiers as well, but only one stood with him, they young priest Constantine, he had anointed her cool ashes, and had given it a proper burial, he held mass at her graveside, sorrow was full in the king's heart, but he had thanked him, he didn't sleep at the palace for he found peace at the abbey , Rev-Constantine was with him all this while, in the sixth month the king was ready to visit Cleo-Petra.

They pope had sent his approval to consider the reverend Luther to be venerated into a blessed, one year had passed his body had been exhumed and not one part of his body rotten, they king had left his kingdom in the hands of the church for they were the ones he could trust, but that had caused a stir, for they soldiers felt that the throne would have been given to them to take care of instead of priests who spend most parts of their life praying and had incited they people not to obey their commands, they king had been away with the priest Constantine for two years now and no word had been heard from them, a black plague befell Wuthering heights killing they people, for they had connived with the soldiers to murder some of the priests priest in their sleep, there was no water and the wells had only brewed sickness to those who drank from it, they church was at war with the soldiers still, for they still murdered them nevertheless, then they had declared holy war, writing to kings of great empires as they pope had ordered, and they had sent their soldiers to slay they army of Wuthering heights, and when they were done, there was no last soldier of heights standing, the plagues continued, only the priest were accustomed to fresh water as they got supplies from Rome ,while the inhabitants paid for their sins as they priests labeled it, to them they people was only doing penance, refusing to grant them confession or celebrating the holy mass for them, and if you were caught stealing from them, they dragged you naked around the kingdom tied to a running horse, only few made it back alive others who survived had bruises and injuries that will last them a lifetime