Palace Walls

Epilogue

After the old Queen finished her story, the Cyclopes sat still. It took time to process every detail, but then again, it didn't feel like every detail needed processing. But they felt they earned the fire behind it, hissing like electricity through their veins. The paintings of blood-soaked Cyclops were nothing but red-and-white blurs; everything was fuzzy, everything except Her Majesty herself. The Queen sat straight in that deceptively comfortable way royals can maintain such a posture for long periods of time. She'd peeled her hood back from her square face. Black hair tumbled in lush waves down her back, though its white streak glinted like lightning. Her shining eyes were half-open, yet her lips twitched slowly, like she was trying to speak. She folded sapphire crystal-veined hands across her emerald-cloaked lap, but they remained still-- almost as if her body had fallen asleep.

"Yieeeeee!"

A high-pitched scream filled the air. While the two Cyclopes shivered, the Queen rose calmly and opened the door. A gray stone statue filled the doorway, the statue of a scrawny woman with her mouth hanging open. The Queen shook her head.

"Naughty girl," she snapped, gathered the statue in her arms, "Back to the garden with you!"

She kicked the statue downstairs-- each thud roaring like thunder. As the Queen closed the door, her eyebrows hit her hairline.

"I apologize for the interruption," she said, settling back into her seat, "It seems Calliope found her way out of the sculpture garden-- prison, really --and might need better security."

"How did she become a statue, Your Majesty?"

"The magic and soul-trapping of Auntie Bathilde are not to be underestimated with." The Queen folded her hands tightly, till her knuckles turned bright white. "If I killed her, it would look bad, considering I banned the death penalty. Besides, there are worse fates than death."

She looked from one Cyclops to the next, her mouth firm, yet her eyes glittering with curiosity. The Cyclopes looked at each other, desperate to change the subject.

"Y-Your Majesty," said one, "I think...I think you've been much too hard on yourself. You did accomplish a lot during your reign."

The other one shook her head.

"I still can't believe it! Why would your own pathetic, cheating husband ask such a thing?! If I were you, I would have gone ahead and killed him!"

The first Cyclops glared at the second.

"Really?" she snapped. "That's all you got out of this?!"

"Well...." quavered the second one, "I do have a few questions for Your Majesty."

The Queen smiled, her eyes crinkling warmly.

"Fire away."

"Is Eryx still alive?"

The Queen pinched her lips together, then closed her eyes.

"No. He died two years after that...incident."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Your Majesty."

"Thank you. I couldn't bring myself to kill the darling fool. Eryx was much too precious to me-- and my puplets. It's terrifying to think I left him to suffer, but...he was my husband! I'd known him since I was fourteen. We'd been married so long, even after all he did...." She shook her head. "No, no, no!"

"Please don't be so hard on yourself. It must have felt terrible."

"Thank you, my pearl. It's been a difficult, but my darling children have accustomed-- what with most of them being busy, married, away from me." She chuckled coolly. "What kind of selfish creature am I, to expect my own children to care for me? I like seeing them happy, as far as they may be. At least I have Linden."