The Queen Of All Strange Things

28

I couldn't sleep that night since the harpies were watching WWE in the next room. How many were there? I don't know. Maybe ten.

I just couldn't sleep that I banged on the door yelling, 'Hay! People are trying to sleep here!'

But that didn't work. So I slammed open the door into a deserted corridor with light streaming out of Andrew's half bolted door.

I slowly peeked in, onto to find a dozen harpies yelling.

'Come-on! The upper kick!'

'Oooh.'

'No, no, no, no, no...'

'Yeah!'

Also with Andrew yelling, 'Yes! The Superman punch!'

'Uh-em.'

The yelling stopped and about twelve faces turned towards me, one with pop corn stuffed in his mouth.

'Hi, Amethyst,' said Andrew. 'Can you please get out of my room.'

I folded my arms. On the LCD screen were two bodybuilders in their underwear and boots trying to back each other's heads off.

'You got to be kidding me,' I said as I watched the screen. 'Who would even want to watch that?'

They one guy carried the other guy above his head and dropped him onto the stage with a loud "chung".

"Ooooohhh, that got to hurt folks," said the announcer.

'Boo-ya!' cried a harpy.

Andrew was still watching me. 'It's the continental championship.'

'Whatever,' I said, turning back to leave. 'Just so that you know, I think I might take a stroll in the gardens and do some conspiring against the king. So, carry-on people.'

All of the harpies froze.

The palace was quite after that. But I still heard the TV from Andrew's room.

The next morning, someone banged on the door hard. Very hard. This time it was a lady with a round curly mess of black hair.

'You'd better get ready, yall. I ain't ya telling again.'

'Sure thing, sista,' I said.

She rolled her eyes. 'What-eva!'

I slammed the door shut. I dressed up and came out, only to find two harpy escorts waiting outside. The female harpy slipped a metal bracelet to my left atm. It contracted when it slid to my wrist.

'What is this for?'

'So that ya can't shift, duh.'

The only person who seemed to get along with the harpies was Andrew.

'They are not that bad,' said Andrew as we both were escorted to the breakfast room. After breakfast we were escorted to the throne room.

'Egyptian weapons have too many odd shapes,' said the presumed harpy general to Andrew. 'But their shapes are perfect for the right job.'

'I try to avoid them,' Andrew mumbled.

'Yup, it will be bad if you don't have the right weapon at the right time. Personally, I prefer the spear.'