Farewell, My King
Compendium 2020 – Story 31
By Andrew Hawnt
Waves thrashed against the cold night air, the surface of the water beaten into a foam by the gargantuan form that emerged, its malformed head piercing the dark overlooking Barounen Bay. The vast creature had the shape of a man, in that it had a head, torso, arms and legs, but the skin that covered its monstrous body resembled charred wood and grey stones. Remnants of tunics that had been formed from the sails of sunken vessels hung around its shoulders and legs. Its eyes stared wide at the woman stood behind the railings upon the raised walkway that looked down over the beach.
The tide had long since come in that night, and it crashed against the walls beneath her in majestic arcs, showering the path around her in foaming spray.
Imogen paid it no heed. She watched the massive creature, easily eighty feet tall, as it moved towards her, its diagonal, careful steps giving away that it was a stranger to dry land.
“Princess,” the creature said, water and seaweed toppling from its mouth as it did so. “As you requested, I am here. I am sorry it has come to this.”
“I know, sire,” Imogen said. She knew the King was disgusted by the smooth skin, the gleaming dark hair and the brilliant white of smart clothes that wrapped themselves around her new body. “But, King Vei, this is what I desired.”
“This is the last time we will speak,” rumbled the voice of the king across the waves. They were a couple of miles down from the houses and promenades of the town. His words would sound like distant rumbling thunder. “It is not too late to return to us.”
Imogen nodded. “I understand. You gave me a wish, sire, and that wish could have given me anything I wanted in the world we knew, but to me life is more than tradition. I wanted to see how my wish could help me explore more than just one kingdom.”
Vei regarded her a moment, then raised one enormous hand. Wind swirled in his palm, a wind that extended to the shore and Imogen's chest. “Then in accordance with our customs, in honour of your centuries of service to the Under, I grant permanence to your wish. With my hand I take your Understone, and with its passing your body is human.”
Imogen opened her jacket and raised her arms. The storm grew around her as the winds from Vei's hand circled around her, focusing on her chest. She looked to the swirling greys of the night sky, unable to glance down at the last vestige of her old self being taken.
She felt her skin part, its surface becoming scales, the cold of her Understone being pulled from her physical form and with it the energies that had granted her immortality in the Under. As the stone moved into the distant grasp of Vei's massive hand, she felt the scales vanish, the opening seal, the surface become flesh again. She gasped, placing a hand against that chest.
Vei examined the Understone, then pushed it into the soft mass of his own chest. He breathed deep, thunder rolling around him and rain pelting the surface of the water. “You know what follows now,” he said.
Imogen kissed her right fist, then opened it towards the waves as was their custom. “Farewell, King Vei. Know that I step forward on a new adventure proud of my heritage. This is not the end of my love for the Under.”
Vei nodded and returned the gesture, the storm now deafening.
Imogen sucked in air deeply as she felt the strangest sensation.
A human heartbeat.
As it began, her ability to see the king she had served or so long vanished.
She clung to the railings and watched as the storm passed and her new life began.
In the distance, the raging sea seemed to calm.
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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About Compendium 2020:
Compendium 2020 is a project from author Andrew Hawnt that consists of 52 original short stories, flash fiction stories and vignettes given away for FREE in 2020. Featuring science fiction, fantasy, horror and more, this began as a personal quest and due to the weirdness of 2020 has become an ambition to provide free distractions for anyone who needs them.
About Andrew Hawnt:
Andrew is based in Nottingham, England. Known for his music journalism career, comics writing and film critique work, Andrew is a prolific writer and is the author of a growing stack of books, including the cult hit VHS Ate My Brain. He made the movies The Demon And I and The Demon And I: Birthrite completely in lockdown with cast members filming their scenes remotely, and new films are coming.
Andrew is also the creator and presenter of the YouTube shows Planet Hex and Turn One Shock as well as the video versions of the Compendium stories.
Follow Andrew: YouTube Mixcloud Facebook Instagram Twitter
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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