CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
"This is wrong," said Mongo. In so many ways, he thought to himself.
"I love you," said the princess. "I love you so much."
"You...you're confused...you nearly died..."
"No, YOU nearly died," she said. "And it made me realise just how I feel..."
The door to her bedroom flew open. The palace guard stormed in, followed, once they'd confirmed everything was okay, by her father.
"How the HELL did this happen, Mongo?" he asked.
"Shapeshifter," said Mongo, calmly. "Smashed it's way through the window."
"You should have stopped it," the King said.
"There was no way," said Mongo.
"He DID stop it, father," said the princess, irritated.
"He should have stopped it from even getting in!" roared her father, completely unreasonably. There had indeed been no way. "If this shapeshifter was so tough, how did you manage to kill it anyway?"
"Your daughter was a great help," said Mongo. "She stabbed the creature..."
"WHAT!" the king bellowed. "You silly girl! That is no action befitting one such as you! To lower yourself in such a way..."
"It was life or death, dad," she said. "Would you have rather I let it kill Mongo, then me?"
Her father pasued for a moment, as though he was actually considering this. "Of course not!" he said at last. "But there must have been some other way!"
"There wasn't," she said, stubbornly.
"Well...they are unlikely to attack again this soon. Perhaps you would like to visit your mother, just for an hour or so? The palace guard will protect you."
"I'd rather just have Mongo with me," she said.
"I have weeded out the traitors in the guard!" her father snapped. "I executed three men I suspected of betrayal this morning."
"Only suspected!?" she asked, aghast.
"They were just commoners anyway, and weak men at that," he said, dismissvely. "Go now, I wish to talk with Mongo for a time."
She gave Mongo one last look. Mongo tried his best to remain stoic. She left. The King walked over to the smashed window.
"It may not be wise to stand so close..." said Mongo, but the king wasn't listening.
"Sometimes I think Mongo...sometimes I think dark thoughts," said the King.
"Your highness?" Mongo asked, not liking his tone at all.
"That perhaps, God forbid, maybe it would have been better if the princess had died...rather than live like this, of course. This is no life for a young woman."
"She lives like this but it is the only way she can live!" said Mongo, working his hardest to conceal his disgust.
"My enemies use her, as leverage. If she were to die...well, one threat would be gone, at least."
"She is your heir!"
"Mongo...my wife is pregnant. And the mystics say it is a son."
"I see," said Mongo, and he did.
"If there is another attack, perhaps if you were caught off guard...it can happen to anyone...no one would think badly of you."
"I am sworn to protect the princess with my life, your highness."
"An oath you swore to me."
"Your highness...please do no ask me to..."
"I'm not asking you anything," he said, turning round to look at Mongo, waving his cloak as he did. "I am merely presenting a scenario."
"I understand," said Mongo.
"Good. You have served me well. Continue to do so and you will be rewarded," said the King. And he left without another word.
It was all Mongo could do not to snap the king's neck as he walked by.
Suddenly, all the conflict in Mongo was gone. Both his masters now wanted the princess dead.
But now he was one hundred percent determined to never let that happen.
"I love you," said the princess. "I love you so much."
"You...you're confused...you nearly died..."
"No, YOU nearly died," she said. "And it made me realise just how I feel..."
The door to her bedroom flew open. The palace guard stormed in, followed, once they'd confirmed everything was okay, by her father.
"How the HELL did this happen, Mongo?" he asked.
"Shapeshifter," said Mongo, calmly. "Smashed it's way through the window."
"You should have stopped it," the King said.
"There was no way," said Mongo.
"He DID stop it, father," said the princess, irritated.
"He should have stopped it from even getting in!" roared her father, completely unreasonably. There had indeed been no way. "If this shapeshifter was so tough, how did you manage to kill it anyway?"
"Your daughter was a great help," said Mongo. "She stabbed the creature..."
"WHAT!" the king bellowed. "You silly girl! That is no action befitting one such as you! To lower yourself in such a way..."
"It was life or death, dad," she said. "Would you have rather I let it kill Mongo, then me?"
Her father pasued for a moment, as though he was actually considering this. "Of course not!" he said at last. "But there must have been some other way!"
"There wasn't," she said, stubbornly.
"Well...they are unlikely to attack again this soon. Perhaps you would like to visit your mother, just for an hour or so? The palace guard will protect you."
"I'd rather just have Mongo with me," she said.
"I have weeded out the traitors in the guard!" her father snapped. "I executed three men I suspected of betrayal this morning."
"Only suspected!?" she asked, aghast.
"They were just commoners anyway, and weak men at that," he said, dismissvely. "Go now, I wish to talk with Mongo for a time."
She gave Mongo one last look. Mongo tried his best to remain stoic. She left. The King walked over to the smashed window.
"It may not be wise to stand so close..." said Mongo, but the king wasn't listening.
"Sometimes I think Mongo...sometimes I think dark thoughts," said the King.
"Your highness?" Mongo asked, not liking his tone at all.
"That perhaps, God forbid, maybe it would have been better if the princess had died...rather than live like this, of course. This is no life for a young woman."
"She lives like this but it is the only way she can live!" said Mongo, working his hardest to conceal his disgust.
"My enemies use her, as leverage. If she were to die...well, one threat would be gone, at least."
"She is your heir!"
"Mongo...my wife is pregnant. And the mystics say it is a son."
"I see," said Mongo, and he did.
"If there is another attack, perhaps if you were caught off guard...it can happen to anyone...no one would think badly of you."
"I am sworn to protect the princess with my life, your highness."
"An oath you swore to me."
"Your highness...please do no ask me to..."
"I'm not asking you anything," he said, turning round to look at Mongo, waving his cloak as he did. "I am merely presenting a scenario."
"I understand," said Mongo.
"Good. You have served me well. Continue to do so and you will be rewarded," said the King. And he left without another word.
It was all Mongo could do not to snap the king's neck as he walked by.
Suddenly, all the conflict in Mongo was gone. Both his masters now wanted the princess dead.
But now he was one hundred percent determined to never let that happen.
