“Who is your favorite aside from your wine pourer!”
Someone finally figured out the magic words.
I couldn’t decide.
“Why don’t you all wear pigtails and I’ll tell you?” I called back.
“That’s hard, I’m too drunk!”
Suddenly my queen appeared right next to my throne.
Her middling height blonde long straight hair, her lithe form, her predatory gaze.
All of it commanded.
Redhead was brave. “Why doesn’t the queen wear pigtails?”
“Is pigtails your favorite?” The queen asked?
“I don’t know, but I do like pigtails!” I may have slurred a bit.
“I want to know your favorite girl!” The queen asked cheerfully. “Have you decided?”
“Yea make up your mind!” The blonde called out from behind a fried turkey leg.
“Where do you get the turkeys? They are a Ben Franklin bird!” I said.
Laughter.
It was out of context for everyone else. They were laughing to be polite.
“The queen wants the wine!” I announced and handed my queen a wine goblet.
“Who’s your favorite?” The queen asked as if announcing to an audience. Staff in one hand, my wine goblet in the other. She was all business, and none of us were ready for work.
“Not you.” I replied
“I know.” The queen was doing her best to be a killjoy. The vibe was bad now.
Man I missed being the killjoy.
“That’s why I set this up.” The queen said. “I need to know who your favorite is now.”
“He likes the wine girl the best!” A curly brunette called out.
“She’s got the biggest tits!” Tacked on a girl who looked like a taller more athletic queen.
Laughter.
“I am blessed.” Said the wine girl hanging on my arm.
She was blessed, am I shallow? She was so sweet.
“Well she is the closest to my lion right now.” The queen’s voice could have frozen any beverage and suspended any emulsification.
“I can leave.” Volunteered the short little wine girl.
Some part of my brain was angry. My stupid queen was going to hurt this sweet soul.
“You are clearly my favorite!” I told the queen.
“Don’t lie to me!”
“Don’t lie!” Another girl chorused.
“I like…” I didn’t know her name, I didn’t know anyone’s name here. Except for the queen. White Dove.
“I don’t know their names! I can’t have a favorite.” Could I change the subject somehow?
“Yes you do, and their names don’t matter” the queen said flatly.
She drank the wine, “wine girl can I get some more! Don’t leave us!”
“Of course my queen!”
“There’s a good girl.” said Dove of White. the queen.
Nothing happened, I felt relief as my queen peacefully accepted wine into what was now her goblet. The wine poured uneventfully. My queen put the goblet down on the messy table.
“Well who’s your favorite? We all know we just want to see if you can own the truth.” The queen’s ultimatum.
Very well you sour old women…
“I like this wine serving girl, she’s soft, cute, curious, and she talks to me about what worries me. She’s the one who made me feel relaxed enough to start drinking.” I picked up the wine girl and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Voice of an a… angel..” Maybe I should stop talking before I hurt myself.
It’s good to be king. I didn’t want to slur asking her name, it felt disrespectful. So I didn’t.
“That’s a lot of drinking!” Some girl said.
“It’s not me?” Pigtails asked.
I did like pigtails. Both the person and the hairstyle.
“Good boy” said the queen. “Now why don’t you take the staff girl? It belongs to the wife of our mighty drunk Lion.”
“I could never, I’m sleepy” the woman in my arms replied.
The queen stuffed the staff into her arms and flopped over onto the stone floor, barely catching herself.
“What’s wrong?” A girl asked
“Oooohhh the king hit the bitch queen!”
Someone was cosplaying a monkey.
I hit nobody. They were wrong.
“What happened?” Asked the Queen.
The king room erupted into noise as the drunk maids began to invent what happened. The woman in my arms made motion to get down, I let her down.
“What’s going on?” My queen asked. Standing back up. “O lion, we were drinking but I am…”
The three of us at the head of the long and messy wooden table ignored the hollering of the rest of the maids. We ignored the stained glass windows, we ignored the long shadows of sunset.
“Shush now… Hehe, wow” Wine girl’s voice was cool and more authoritative than it used to be. Still fascinating.
I looked over at her and saw she was biting her quivering lip.
“O queen I am sorry!” My queen said to the wine girl.
That’s not right, what was going on?
“Don’t be! don’t be!” The little wine server’s soft voice slurred. Girls! At atten… atten… tie-on!” She was struggling.
Most of the girls stood up as best their sluggish bodies could muster. Some did better than others.
My queen did the best. She was sober. Why was she obeying the wine girl?
“What’s going on?” I asked her.
“I.. I don’t know.” She cried. “She… she… stole my body I think.” I could see tears in the eyes of what was once my queen.
Oh… uh oh.
“Why would you do that?” I asked my… queen? My queen in the cute server’s body.
“Heh…” she chuckled as her soft body wobbled as she leaned on her staff. “Nothing but the best for the king.” She bit her lip again. “This body’s…” she blinked her eyes trying to focus.
Her staff tapped on the ground, the bodies of the maids and my queen? Ex-queen? Companion?
They all fell limp.
I caught my queen’s body. Only the serving girls body, now occupied by dove, and I remained standing.
“On a stone floor?” I asked, the words were unclear.
“What?” said Dove of White as she absentmindedly grabbed her shoulder feeling her new body.
“That’s not safe” I muttered.
“The’eer dead already… don’t be sad, they are… aren’t even pawns!” Dove stuttered. “Wow I’m drunk!”
What? Dead? Why? That was impossible.
What happened?
“I killed them. Hehe!” I loved that voice.
What was wrong with me? She killed them!?
“Why?” I needed to fix this. Wake up, something… why didn’t I save the maids? The room was spinning as I stood up angrily.
I almost fell over.
Onto my dead queen’s corpse… only, the girl I had just confessed to enjoy had died instead.
That was a bad sign, in a dream I normally don’t get that far logically.
“Cuz ummm…” the queen thought for a moment.
My mind ran through ways I could get my newfound companion her body back.
How does that work? Her body still lived… occupied by my evil queen, killer queen even…
It’s probably in the queen’s library.
I looked at the queen, she looked as if she was distracted by overwhelming pleasure. “This is the most wanton body I’ve ever had the luxury to own.” The corrupted sultry voice sounding wrong in that poor girl’s body. She was panting heavily.
She pawed at her ample bosom. “This was a great idea! I’m a genius!” Her sweet little voice melted me.
But then there were bodies on the stone floor, I looked at the girl who was only moments ago sleeping on a bench.
Was she really dead?
“Yess they are finally dead!” The wine gir… I mean, my Queen confirmed.
Blood sacrifice… should have known a wizard would love it.
How old is the Dove of White now? How old am I? How common is this trick?
This is why I’m paranoid by the way.
My rising anger turned to sourness. Depression.
I was already too late.
Time travel, resurrection? Could a storybook trope really save those already dead?
Everyone was in danger and I was wasting time thinking about lies invented by demons.
Do I hate myself?
Yes, more than you know, my life would have been better if I killed my wife last night. Next question.
“I am Toasted!” The Wine Dove moaned as she sank into my throne. “Come here!” She called
What would destroying that little body and her evil staff avenge?