A Necromancer's Curse

By Veronica Pfeiffer

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Revision Completed: 12-20-05

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Ever since that incident this place has seemed like my home. The moldy wooden walls seemed soaked with the sickening smell of alcohol upon an old man's breath, and I am overcome with the feeling of sickness. Staring at my goblet of empty elixir, I traced my calloused fingers over the edge, sighing heavily.
Many a year has passed since the tragic day that crawls across my decrepit memory like a
stinging poison. Echoes of their screams of pain etch themselves in my memory like a sudden, violent clash of newly sharpened swords.
I loved her like she was my own - that blonde-haired green-eyed angel that sang me to sleep in my dreams each night - and yet, she never was tangible after that fated day.
She welcomed me in my dreams every night when I lay my head to rest, and sang to me through the night wind. Her voice made me drunk with pleasure, and I bathed in my happiness like a man with a million pieces of gold. And here in my decay, she is only a whisper on my tongue. She is like the sweet blossoms on a cherry tree on a warm Spring day. Out of a sudden bout of rage and discontent, I slammed my clenched fist upon the wooden table.
"Honeymead! By the gods, what does it take to get a drink around
this filthy place?" I felt remorse fill my veins. How could I have ever
done that to her?
"If I am called upon like that, I will be sure to let you die of
thirst in that corner of yours." the bartender scowled. I averted my gaze to
my loosening hand, and fell into my somber existence once again.
A sudden desire grabbed onto my soul like a vicious dog to a threatening enemy,
sweeping me to my feet. Before I was aware, I was seated at the counter,
telling the tale that has plagued me forever. I ran my scarred fingers
along the necklace with a small flask, surrounded with the finest metal.
The liquid inside was red: Dragon's blood.
I remember my sword dripping with dark, thick crimson blood, and I remember the wails of the dragon as he fell, crumbling to his final resting place. I have never bore so much energy into the atmosphere, bellowing with victory, yet stinging with the pangs of defeat at the same time.
I saw her there on a visit to the kingdom to show my respects to
the king. She was one to walk among the shadows: looking outside, weaving
beautiful tapestry at her loom, and writing upon scrolls. Her curled blonde hair swayed from side to side in the morning breeze. Those piercing jade eyes matched the color of her dress, and her bosom seemed welcoming to a tired and fragile warrior like myself. I first lay eyes
upon her silent beauty while she was dipping her pure white, fragile hands in the clear
fountain in the courtyard. Her skin was fair and creamy, and reminded me of the peaches that grew upon the trees near the apple orchard.
"Miss, do you know where the King is at this time?" I said, sitting
high upon my black stallion. My horse scraped his hooves against the stone
path, bucking his head with joyous amusement.
She rose to her feet and walked up to my steed, running and tangling her fingers
in his flowing mane. "Princess Valecia. I am the King's daughter, sir."
"With all do respect, m'lady." I jumped off of my horse and kneeled in front of her. I
could smell the sweet perfume of the purple-tinted roses she held in her left hand. She
looked at me with piercing green eyes, nodding with understanding.
"I am Leigan, Prince of Caebryn," I replied.
Her flowing blonde locks flowed past her shoulders, like
pure waterfalls. I was taken with her, practically breathless
while I lay eyes upon the Goddess. I asked myself many a time if this beauty
was real. Was she?
She smiled, seeming to sparkle with the goddess-like aura that held itself about her. She handed me a rose, and curtsied with respect.
"Why, my father is at his throne, signing a paper that should. . ." Her
right fist clenched tight as she continued. "Should, make the gods rain down
hellfire on this foul place." She wiped an arrant tear from her eyes and reassured me with another sweet smile.
I was taken aback by her anger. Placing the rose in my satchel, I
turned back to her, admiring her dark green dress decked with gold trim. Such beauty
for such a foul world . . . "M'lady - why do you say such things?"
"My father," She looked to the side, with her eyes burning a
fiery red of discontent. "He's placing me in the arms of a man I do not know of. I am
forlorn, for I already wish to marry a man with as much dignity, respect,
and love for me as anyone could ever have! And his heart is forlorn with the Queen's death, so he will have you raise her, or some other heathen-derived notion he has harbored within his clouded mind." She spun around, looking at her reflection in the water, calming herself.
"Eighteen years I have been inside these walls, never to leave. I wish I was a peasant sometime, or at least a warrior. I should have been born a merchant or at least born a man!"
She broke into sobs... Her gentle hands were raised to her face, as teardrops fell into the fountain.
A man? Why could anyone with such beauty want such torture for
oneself?
I pictured her in my arms on a moonlit night neath the stars - her blonde hair through my fingers. . . Her jeweled eyes staring into mine.
But why? Why was I thinking such madness? She was in love with another
man... And soon she'd be wed to a complete stranger. I placed a hand upon
her shoulder. She seemed so tiny and fragile compared to our surroundings. My head was flooded with a pure white, as I felt an energy building. . .Almost to its brink, and falling - dissipating - into nothing. She was pure, too pure for I even to stand near her. I quickly pulled my hand away and shook my head with disbelief.
I momentarily forgot of the curse I was plagued with since birth. Could she have noticed? She stopped sobbing, and turned to me. Inches away from her face, I had the urge to place a sweet kiss upon those full, crimson lips. I wanted to take her away to my kingdom, to be my bride - to be. . .
My thoughts were interrupted by the lush sweetness of her words. "Go,
now. I shall see you upon your return. Fare you well, and good luck."
With hesitation, I mounted my stallion, and walked to the gates.
Never have I felt this way before. And I knew from that moment, never would
I again.
Stepping into the grand hall I knelt in front of the king with a
scroll in my hand. As the guards took it and handed it to him, I
bowed my head lower. What would he think of a prince like me?
"So, Prince Leigan. You are the one that they speak of. The legend
himself, to bring peace to all. . .To give life to the lifeless." I cringed.
Peace to all? What I had was a curse. To change the beauty of the dead to
the foul, disgusting beings that were crossed over and never to return. The dead
I have raised were not the same people. They weren't even complete souls,
anymore. They were my puppets - empty bodies with empty souls. Now what
had this king called me to do? Surely he did not want me to raise a loved
one from the dead.
"I have become forlorn at the news of my Queen passing on."
My heart stopped. My breath trembled and faded to faint whispers. I broke out into a cold sweat, with each drop trailing slowly down my back. Then the faces - the faces!
I remembered a young woman's face as I brought her body back to life. It
seemed to twist and turn with rotting flesh falling to the ground. Her eyes
glowed red as she screamed with fury. Torturous I tell you, torturous.

"No, my king!" I shouted, trembling upon my knees. "I cannot, I cannot!" Silent tears poured down my face. I remember raising my mother at my father's orders. My ownmother, getting taken over by some hellion. I never thought of those sapphire
eyes the same way--ever again.
"Such disrespect for your king!" The king grew angered, ripping the
scroll to shreds and pointing to the window. "Out, out, out, out!" he bellowed.
"You don't understand, m'lord. The queen will change into a demon!" I
rose to my feet. "Her eyes will turn red, her flesh burn off. She will be
walking death! Let her go, m'lord. I beg of you!"
"Send him away, never to return to this palace, guards. Make sure of
it. We will not have an incompetent fool anywhere near my daughter or my
wife!" He stormed off from his throne, disappearing into shadows.
The guards seized my arms and pain shot through them. I grunted with agony and splashed within the mud on the ground as I was tossed outside the gates. I rose to my feet and walked my horse past the princess once more. In these moments, she was sitting
upon the fountain's ledge, smiling as her eyes met mine.
"M'lord - how was your conference?" She was so alluring. I thought of death taking
hold of her one day. Oh the horror of it all. Such a beautiful woman, taken
by the gates of the undead. I remembered placing my hand upon her shoulder.
She would die a tragic, torturous death. . .And would be dragged down by the devil himself, into hell. I just did not have knowledge of the way it would happen. I wish I did, to prevent this beauty from falling so far.
"All is well, m'lady. And how is this radiant beauty in front of my
eyes fairing?" She smiled as red flushed against her cheeks. My eyes fell
upon a pendant on her neck. It was filled with a clear liquid. I studied it
upon her fair skin, being drawn to its radiance.
"Quite fine. And yes, that is the sacred water of life, from this
fountain. It keeps me protected from the evils that may come my way." She
whispered. Why did it glow so bright in my presence? Was I evil?
"Such radiance, you are." My mouth barely muttered the words. Upon
hearing me, her eyes sparkled and grew wide. Taking her hand in mine, I
kissed her fair skin with admiration. She sat with flawless composure, shining as bright as ever.
Since it would be the last time I believed I'd lay eyes upon her, I slowly moved in for a
touch of her innocence. Her lips met mine, as a sensation of completion
etched its way through my veins. Her hands found their way lightly upon my
sides, as I knew- she was the one for me, although i'd never have her.
"Goodbye, sweet prince. I have not been captivated by anyone so new
to me. I have gone against my morals, but m'lord, you are a bright light in
the center of my heart. I wish you not to leave."
I nodded in disbelief, for her words washed over me like a downpour
of rain from fast approaching clouds. "We will meet again, m'lady. Good
day." I climbed upon my horse again, clasped the reins, and became drunk in the beauty she radiated. I rode off into the town just outside
of the castle, collecting food to cook for the night ahead.
An old female merchant bent over behind her small stand, picking up a granny smith apple she had dropped. "Oh dear, things just are getting harder these days young one," she muttered as she stood upright and pointed at me.
"You think? And why do you say that?" I replied, taking a bite out of an apple I snatched from a basket.
"The dragon o'er the hills and in those caves brought death to the Queen while she was out for her weekly hunt. The woman took a liking for foul things like death. She was drawn by curiousity into the caves, and met her death when she was gobbled up by the mighty dragon. The king only has shreds of her. That's why he wanted you to bring her back. He speaks and bellows that he cannot live without her. Such a forlorn heart, but such a deserving queen for being overly-curious," she replied with an eerie tone.
"And has anyone slain the dragon?" I asked, leaning on the counter, knowing what I must do if I heard that the reptile did still thrive.
"The princess is tainted, my lord. Tainted by the dragon's lure. She is trying to teach the dragon to be fair and live for the common good. We the townspeople fear the worst for her if she keeps this nonsense up. We do not want to see such beauty and goodness to die with the same fate the Queen had," she said, drawing her brown shawl over her head.
The sun dissappeared behind the forest's trees, and bathed in the night as it was born. I sighed and threw the apple core upon the ground. "I know what I must do, then." I unsheathed my sword and nodded briskly. "There must be dragon's blood shed tonight."
And in the dead of that night, her screams bathed my body in fear, and left my hands soiled with crimson. She tried to save the wretched creature when I went to slay him. The pendant of pure water burst, and shattered into a million pieces. I remember those green eyes widening with inexplicable pain.
"He can be saved, he can be saved!" she shrieked, clasping both hands around the blade that was now shoved within her abdomen. Stifled coughs emitted from her lips before she fell limp and entered the eternal dream world.
It took all of my strength to pull the blade from her body and watch her fall to the ground. I tossed the sword aside and let out a ghastly cry. I trembled furiously and brought my hands to my forehead. "Oh lord, what have I done to this innocence!" I shouted. A void opened within me, and I took an empty flask from my pocket. I filled the flask with the dragon's blood and the princess's blood, so that I could mend her pendant and wear it as a reminder of this day later in my life.
I closed my eyes and placed my hands over her stomach. The gaping hole still bled profusely, but my body grew tense and I felt a warm radiating energy around my soul.
"No, I don't want to bring her back," I protested to myself, shaking and sweating profusely.
And so she rose to her feet and smelled of rotting flesh. She was no longer beautiful, but wretched and a product of the underworld. A faithless demon inhabited her body, pulling at the strings of her decrepit limbs. She walked like a machine and had notions of murder on her mind. I knew she'd go to kill the king - but he must know what a raised person would behave as.
I hadn't heard of the town's name since that day. Somehow it was washed away by the sands of time, and I knew the dead princess would be back one day to take me, her maker, along with her. Until then, I drown in my sorrows of today and wholly embrace this curse: the necromancer's curse.