Maidstone, North America, 1800.
A messenger from King Leslie rode a white horse to Tabitha's castle. His heart pounded against his chest as Tabitha's musketeers closed the giant gate after he rode the horse in. He sighed and wished the horse has dragon's wings to fly away. It doesn't sound wise to him if he disobeys the King's commandments, and so he takes to heart and then decided not to turn back until he delivers the messages.
He opened the papyrus as he stopped before Tabitha, who was on a golden chair, rubbing her hand on a lion's head. Glancing about, the King's messenger watched the musketeers who stood still, waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat, gazing at the papyrus, and read, "This is the..." He hesitated, coughed, and begin again.
"This is the wrathful message from the Highness. From King Leslie to Tabitha. I want to see all my people in the palace before the sunset today. Disobey, and you shall pay with your life."
"I'm sick of this tale." Tabitha rose, her eyes glow under her white long hair, and the breeze raised her long red clothes. A black air swirled out of her hand and whirled to the King's messenger. The black air lifted him to sit on the air, and the papyrus he holds turned into a red snake. He screamed, dropped it, but the black air lifted the snake, and the snake zigzag on his body. And then stayed on his head.
"Spare my life, please." His lips shivered, and tears dripped from his eyes.
"You are such a coward as your King is." She turned and walked back to her golden seat, and the black air dropped the messenger back to the horse as she seated.
He raised his eyebrows as the snake wriggled on the floor and disappeared, and then a new papyrus appeared on his hands.
"Don't dare to drop it," she said, "drop it and die Look into my eyes and listen to me."
He held it tightened, but his hands trembled as if he was in the cold room. Raising his head, he stared into her eyes. Although Tabitha's eyes scared him, it doesn't sound wise to him at this point to disobey her.
"Go back and read the new message to him. You mustn't open the message until you stand before him. And you must read every word clearly to his ears or else you shall pay for your life."
The horse neighed and turned by itself, taking him out of the castle. The Tabitha's musketeers were surprised for no messenger of the king return alive, and without wasting time they opened the gate and let him pass.
And here on his way back to the King, amid hills, he wondered which message was in the new mystery papyrus. He tried to stop the horse to read the message, but the horse stops not. And the more he tried to stop it, the more the horse's hooves.
Not long after he reached the palace's gate, the king warriors didn't open the gate. He waited more than an hour before they opened the gate and Anthony, the warrior commander, walked out to meet him.
"Sir," the messenger said, "the King sent me on an errand, but his warriors don't want me in."
Commander Anthony pulled his sword out and point it towards the messenger. "I know the King sent you, but the King didn't expect your return. No one expects you. No messenger returns from Tabitha, so why did you? Did she trap you?"
"Please, don't kill me. She doesn't trap me." He shivered as Commander Anthony moved the sword to his head. "Sir, please. Please listen to me. She saved me for a reason." He raised the papyrus. "She wants me to read her message before the King."
"A message?"
"Yes, please don't kill me."
"Bring it."
The horse neighed as Commander Anthony was about to collect the papyrus and its hooves away into the palace. The King's warrior jumped into its way to stop them, but Commander Anthony ordered them to let the messenger see the King.
And here, before King Leslie and his officials, the messenger knelt and bowed. Raising the papyrus he said, "My Lord, this is the message from Tabitha."
The King's officials exchanged glances among themselves, and then from the throne, the king said, "You mean Tabitha sent you the message?"
"Yes, my Lord."
A murmurous noise went among the King's officials.
"This is strange..."
"What could this mean?.."
"He came alive..."
"He might not reach there..."
Then the King's advisor rose. "My Lord, it seems strange. Totally strange. It baffled me to stand without knowing what to say."
King Leslie cleared his throat, stared, and motioned the messenger to read the message. And here, the messenger opened the papyrus, and the words glow like stars in his eyes. "Foo-" He stopped, looked at the King, and remembered that Tabitha warned him to read every word clearly to the King's ears. And then he started again.
"Foolish King with no skills to fight. The people you called your people were mine, and you have no right to ask for them. You have no right to the throne, for it shall be mine soon. All the magicians you sent to kill me were here in my prison, so tell me who left in your chamber to kill me. I will increase my wickedness, and I shall send my musketeers to kidnap more young girls, and I shall train them to be prostitutes. But if you will send your twins to me tomorrow, I will not send my musketeers. But if you failed to, trust me, my musketeers shall kidnap your twin's girls too." The messenger dropped the papyrus as he read the last words. Everyone exchanged glances in shock.
"My Lord." The messenger cried and knelt. "I deserved to die."
Silently crawled for a while and the King's advisor rose. "Your highness, this can't be. You mustn't allow your twins to suffer. She is going beyond her boundaries. It would be good to hide your twins on time."
The king sighed and looked at his messenger. "Go tell everyone in the palace and outside the palace to hide their young girls. Let them know Tabitha's musketeers would come again for their young girls soon.”
The messenger hurried out, leaving the king's officials, who have young girls at home in tumult and fear.
