A Grim Fairy Tale

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Fire.

He would always see fire in this vision. Flashes of fire, smoke, and ash. He could see two familiar faces burning away in the flames as it claimed their lives. He could hear the echo of their tortured screams and anguished cries. He would then feel the scorching pain of hot iron being struck against his skin repeatedly by these masked figures who's appearances he couldn't make out. But one of them would be chanting.

Chanting in this horrible voice, chanting those horrible words.

"Dirty blood! Dirty blood! Dirty blood!"

Then he would hear other voices say,

"Run away Alastor! Run! Hide! In the woods! Anywhere! Never come back! Go! Go and pray that God may keep you!"

Next thing he knew, he was running in the dark and everywhere he looked, he saw trees and rocks that turned into demons who teach for him. Try to grab him and pull him into the flames.

"Dirty blood! Dirty blood! Dirty blood!"

That's when Alastor woke up in the cold sweat. He had been having that very same nightmare ever since he was nine years old. When he was a child, he would wake up from it screaming and crying, and Millie would have to calm him down. Once he turned thirteen, the crying and screaming stopped but he would still tremble in his sleep and occasionally say a few words. Oh how he hated that dream, and not just because of the terror within in it, but because it was probably the closest thing he had to a memory of his past and he didn't have the foggiest idea of what it meant.

He had asked the alps if they found him just outside a fire or anything but they said that they didn't see or smell any fire that day. All they saw was him lying unconscious with his forehead pressed to a rock.

When Alastor saw the sun slowly beginning to rise, he looked around the stables to see if Millie had left just as she said she would. Good, he didn't want her to see that he had another nightmare, then she would never leave. He loved Millie but she tended to be a little smothering and he didn't want her to humiliate him in front of Charlotte.

Alastor then proceeded to stretch and make himself look presentable for Charlotte. He fixed his hair, straightened out all the wrinkles in his clothes, and chewed on some peppermint leaves so his breath wouldn't stink. Good thing Moxxie would occasionally do trade with Djinns from the Middle East.

Once he was finish getting ready, he sat himself down and waited for the princess to arrive. However she couldn't come to meet him in the stables at this hour, because her stepmother had confined her to chambers. She told the servants that Charlotte was so overcome with grief over her father's demise, that she had thrown a fit and needed time to calm herself.

But in actuality, Desdemona was secretly planning to kill Charlotte. Though despite the woman's insanity, she wasn't a fool. She knew that doing away with her had to be done delicately. She couldn't simply kill Charlotte herself, she was a princess after all and the death of a royal princess within the castle walls would surely lead to suspicion. And even though Percival was gone, Desdemona could still be removed from the throne by the royal council for treason.

She also couldn't have a servant do the job. They were all fiercely loyal to the king and his daughter. Particularly Niffty, that maid would not only help Charlotte escape but she would surely finger Desdemona without a trace of fear.

However, the queen knew just who to assign this dreadful task to. Years back, she had a very particular assassin do a job for her. He had been recommended to her by another monarch who was not above deceit and murder. The assassin had performed his job perfectly and no one suspecting her involvement at all. First thing that morning, she summoned him. He arrived without delay and slipped in without being noticed by anyone.

Knock-knock!

"Enter." She called.

The door opened and in walk a tall, skinny yet muscular male with white hair and three particular features that stood out. Big pointed ears that almost resembled horns, big yellow eyes that flowed in the dark, and big sharp teeth.

"Your majesty." He said tipping his hat and bowing before her. "What a nice surprise. I didn't expect you to call on me again. To what do I owe this invite?"

"I have another job for you."

"Of course you do. Who is it you want eaten this time?"

"Well for starters I don't want you to eat her. Just kill her."

"No eating? Hmmm...I'm afraid that's going to cost extra."

"How about twenty pieces of silver?"

"That's chicken feed."

"Last time you did the job for less than that."

"Yeah but last time you weren't the queen."

"Very well. How about twenty pieces of silver and the land of Germany's best game keeper. You'll have all the beasts and hunters you can feast on."

"Now you've got my attention. So who's to be my prey?"

"My stepdaughter, Princess Charlotte."

"Oh...Well...Killing a princess, that may complicate a few things."

"What do you mean? Did you not do away with a prince years ago?"

"That was different. No one actually knew he was a prince. When he disappeared, no one looked for him. This princess however is well known and well loved, if she disappears they'll have everyone in the kingdom looking for her."

"I'm aware of that. Which is why I want you to take her deep into the woods and kill her there. If they find the body, they'll believe she was killed by wild animals."

"Why not just let me eat her so no one finds the body?"

"Because I need something from her body. Now here's what you must do, go to the princess and tell her that you have information about her father. But tell her that it is not safe to discuss it here and suggest that you go speak in private."

"Are you sure that she'll believe me?"

"That naive girl would believe a man was a dog if he told her so."

"That should make the job almost too easy."

"You are to take her so far out into forest where no will be able to hear her scream and there you will kill her. But do not do it until you are far from civilization. I do not want anyone coming to her rescue."

"As you wish."

"You must be stealthy. No one in this castle is to know that you were here. You will not be seen or heard. I want everyone to believe that she left on her own."

"Anything else?"

"One more thing."

Desdemona approached her vanity and grabbed a small wooden box which she then held out to the assassin.

"Once she is dead bring back her heart in this."

The assassin took the box and nodded before quietly leaving the queen's chambers without leaving a single trace that he had been there.