The Singe Rigmarole [ON HOLD]

Chapitre 2: The Gates

And so, our unlikely duo – human prince and monkey marquis – continue their trip to the next kingdom: the marquis to meet his death while the prince; just because... *shrug*

They travelled through the southern parts of the kingdom, into the city in their horse-drawn straw cart. However, it was not in silence. The prince continued to sing repetitively about how and why he shouldn’t have done with he did while the monkey was trying ever so hard to not provoke the ferret in any form.

The ferret was a common animal in the kingdom; highly valued by ladies of the court as stuffed scarves, handbags and fur-trimmed drawers. The gentlemen – marquis, soldiers, dukes and royal toilet-cleaners alike – used the fur for prosthetic moustaches and beards to hide their weak jaw-lines or to justify their manliness; for in those times, manliness was estimated by hairiness. Of course, the ferret meant no harm. It just stared blankly at the monkey in subconscious fascination. After all, it only had the IQ of a vegetable and a fruit combined. It was in the cage to merely intimidate the marquis.

The straw cart, at this moment in time, had reached the city gates – the only pathway out to the other realms and to other kingdoms. The gates, whether it be day or night, glistened. This may be because the king so many years ago agreed to meld the strongest metals in existence to create such a force against foreign furies.

Approaching the gates, Prince Olivier, his humble straw cart and his prisoner, Eloi Cairo, were confronted by two of ten night-guards. In the darkness, the two same-height figures strode towards them with clattering and clicking from the many belts and attachments they wore with their simple navy blue uniform.  To Prince Olivier’s dismay and Eloi Cairo’s delight, one of the night-guards was Léo. In order to climb the social ladder, he decided to work as a night-guard; hoping that during a night of guarding the gates, a young maiden or courtesan will whisk him away and excessively mount him to his heart’s content. Léo often fantasised about his lucky lass fixing him an early breakfast of pulped pear juice, pork crackling smothered in tomato sauce, pumpernickel toast and a lumpy hunk of blue cheese after a glorious night of excessive love-making.

But alas, that would never be. After the overthrow of the royal family, both brothers possessed the same rank; noble trash. Despite that, Prince Olivier was always considered to be the most handsome and the most charismatic. Léo, being the bastard love-child, was always envious of his half-brother.

Léo was a brown-haired lean guy with a haughty posture due to being stabbed in the knee with an arrow by Prince Olivier many years ago. His face always stood out in a crowd; especially with his abnormal square-shaped eyes, Roman nose and atrociously thick eyebrows of which he’d inherited from his chamber maid mother. All in all, he was hideous.

Anywho:

“Who’s there?” squawked Léo, the volume of his shout hiding the quivering cowardliness in his voice.

Prince Olivier stepped out into the light of the gate torches without saying a word – he needn’t to say who he was because everyone knew already. Léo glared at his half-brother however confused about his choice ride, a straw cart.

“Oh. It’s just you. What brings you to the gates this late at night? Hmm? Are you giving up like I hoped all these years, running off like a little girl?” Léo snarled, circling the straw cart for inspection. “Wait. Why do you have Eloi with you? You stupid bastard! Let him go!”

“He did me wrong, brother,” Olivier heavily droned in sarcasm, “The primate will be dealt with as soon as I get out of these gates and when I've shoved you away from the gates with a tree branch. The usual deal.”

Eloi Cairo gripped onto the silver bars of the bird cage, desperately staring at Léo the night-guard with hopeful eyes. Maybe he could save me, Eloi thought. Although, he told himself to not raise his hopes up as he knew that the boy did not have the advanced abilities to defeat his half-brother. Léo tugged at the copper chain until his knuckles turned red before incompetently clanging his night-guard sword against it as Eloi Cairo braced himself and Olivier observed and smirked at his half-brother’s minor efforts.

“What must I do for you to let go of my friend?” Léo questioned in anguish.

“There isn’t anything you can do or give to me to let go of this pest that you call your friend,” Olivier muttered coldly, “You’re lucky that I haven’t taken you as prisoner too.”

Léo trudged away from the bird cage, much to Eloi Cairo’s slight annoyance and to Prince Olivier’s triumph. Léo knew what his half-brother wanted more than anything – a gold pocket watch that could glow in the dark, crispy butter cookies and that girl. The first two items were quite easy to obtain; the third he wasn’t so sure.  Prince Olivier stood in front of him impatiently and Léo had no other choice but to let him go with Eloi Cairo.

He watched as his best friend, his half-brother and a horse-drawn straw cart slip through the gates.

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