Dahlia Court Lore
The Jester's Mourning
It wasn’t the first time he had witnessed a blood bath of this magnitude. Yet, when Kixx pushed up the marble tile that covered his hidden nook, his stomach still rolled. He knew when the tile seemed too heavy and his fingers met with blood seeping through the cracks, that the corpse was sealing him in. He had not expected it to be the King’s corpse.
“No…” His voice trembled, resisting at first from cracking into a sob until it burst like an explosive. “NO!” He shoved the corpse and tile off completely, letting the light and tears blind him as he reached for the King’s body. The only man who had ever cared about him, now cradled in Kixx’s arms.
“You fool. You stupid, stupid, idiot.” Kixx sobbed. “You should’ve hidden! You shouldn’t have worried about me. YOU IDIOT!” He hung his head as he cried, one of the arms of his jester’s hat hung over his eyes. The bells of the hat had been ripped out to keep them from being discovered, so the room was silent as he cried. Eventually he looked up, across the smears of blood and guard’s bodies to the hallway. Sitting here would do nothing. He had to find the queen.
Kixx stood on his exhausted legs and ambled to the throne room. He stepped over the bodies of the guards, purposely ignoring their faces. He didn’t want to see his friends among the dead. Then he heard a door slam and a scuffle. He rushed to press his body to the wall and looked around the corner to see if it was one of the invaders. Instead he saw a scientist trying to strangle a bird.
“Frank?” Kixx called. The scientist looked up, and his hands clenched until the bird’s neck snapped. Frank threw the raven off to the side.
Image by Y-Man
“Jester Kixx,” Frank said, cleaning his coat. Futile, since it was as stained as Kixx’s clothing.
“Where is Queen Dahlia?” Kixx asked, his muscles still tense. Frank had only showed up a few months ago, begging the King and Queen to let him work on experiments in their court. Always the creative souls, they were more than happy to have him, but Kixx never trusted him. He knew that Frank didn’t exactly follow the rules. He knew people got hurt that the royals never found out about.
“Back there.” Frank glanced at the throne room door. “You don’t want to go in there, I assure you.”
“She’s….”
“We need to leave here. They might come back to finish us off.”
“Finish us off? Why? They already killed everyone!” Frank looked away, and Kixx’s eyebrows raised. “Did…did they come here for you?” Frank turned away. That was enough proof. Kixx rushed him, hitting Frank square in the stomach with his shoulder. Frank gasped and sank to his knees. Kixx backed off, then punched him in the face. Frank screamed this time. Kixx pinned him to the wall, so close that he could smell the rat’s breath.
“You are going to fix this. You are going to help me fix this.” Kixx said in Frank’s ear.
“H-how?” Frank asked, blood dribbling from the side of his mouth.
“You make those mechanical dolls, right?” Kixx’s voice lowered to something inhuman. Frank nodded with a stiff neck. “Good. Because I’m not just a jester.”
The Clockwerk Angel
Image by Rockgem
The dahlias had finally bloomed. The queen had been waiting impatiently for them, complaining to Kixx nearly every day.
“Please make them bloom, Kixx. I know you can.” She would say. Kixx would smile and shake his head.
“I don’t do that anymore, your highness.” They both knew the King wouldn’t allow it. Then they would change the subject to whatever gossip was relevant, crack a few jokes, and usually by then the queen had some royal business to attend to. Now Kixx wished he had made them bloom early so she could have seen them.
It was a cruel mercy that the invaders had left the royal gardens untouched. Frank led Kixx down the steps toward the gazebo, and he passed bloom after bloom. Something deep inside made him want to tear them to shreds and cry, but he swallowed the emotion and kept walking. Perhaps one day he would enchant them so that they would never die. For now, he had a plan to execute.
A couple days later, Kixx sat in the middle of the circle he had drawn on the floor of Frank’s laboratory. Across from him was the winged robot, spread out on the floor. He had pieced her back together to the best of his ability, and now all he could do was hope everything would work correctly. She was circled by runes that glowed like lanterns in the darkness of the room. Using words he had tried to force out of his memory not so long ago, Kixx focused his energy into the circle. Then from the entrance of the room, a golden sphere rushed in. It floated around the robot, as if asking what this thing was. He spoke the ancient words again. The sphere moved to the robot’s chest and sank in. Light exploded from the joints of the creature and it jumped up into the air.
“Who has called me?” The voice was static, unnatural.
“My name is Kixx. I have summoned you to help me take back my home.” Kixx answered. The robot spread her wings, and examined itself.
“This form is appealing.” She said, doing a turn. “I may accept. What is your payment?”
“I am happy to offer a few years of my life.” Kixx said. She tilted her head, her golden eyes meeting his green ones.
“It’s rare for a summoner not to bargain. I take it you believe this task to be impossible.”
“Oh angel, guardian of the dead, I believe this will take a long time. I need to raise an army, the strongest army. Since it is time I am asking for, I will give you time in return.” Kixx stood up in his circle. “Do we have a deal?”
“I accept.” She responded, looking down. “Now please, open the runes. I would like to get to work.”
Frank kneeled on the floor, pushed a fake bush aside and opened a trap door. Kixx hadn’t seen it before, even though he was so talented at finding the hidden spots of the castle. It looked original to the architecture, built long before either of them were born. He wondered how Frank had found it. Frank slipped through the trapdoor, and together they climbed down the staircase until they reached a huge underground room. The deeper they went, the more it began to reek. Kixx held his breath at first until he began to get used to it. Even though he pushed through, he still wanted to vomit.
The sunlight from the opening was the only light, but it was just enough to see. There were tables around the room. Some of them with dessicated corpses, one that Kixx recognized as the cook’s grandmother. He didn’t look at the faces after that, just the metal parts that decorated most of their bodies. Some were full shells formed to look like human beings. But the one that stood out the most was the one in the center of the room. Held up by wires and supports, this one had a pair of metal wings extending from one end of the room to the other. That’s the one Kixx wanted.
“What are you going to do?” Frank asked.
“You don’t need to know.” Kixx said. He moved forward, amazed by Frank’s creation. She was beautiful. Cold, dead, but beautiful. In fact, she looked a little like the queen. Then he heard something wrong. Kixx turned around, seeing Frank frantically messing with wires and buttons. Lights turned on in the eyes of several robots. They started to stand, and that’s when Kixx noticed the weapons built into their arms and hands. Kixx lunged at Frank, but Frank dodged and ran for the stairs. Kixx chased him, but was blocked by the cook’s grandmother swinging a butcher’s knife at his head. Kixx moved out of the way, a piece of his hat floating down to the floor. He could hear Frank laughing as he climbed out.
“FRANK!” Kixx screamed. A flash of light erupted from his body, and rushed in all directions until the burst hit the walls. The eyes went out, and the robots slumped. Kixx sank to his knees, exhausted. He turned to see the wires holding up the angel snap, and the entire set-up collapsed to the floor. He crawled to reach it, but before he could, his body betrayed him, and sleep stole his consciousness.
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The Executrix
The sun was unforgiving. Kixx kept his distance from the angel since heat was rolling off of her like a salamander who had just poked her head out of a volcano. They had been walking non-stop, avoiding the cities completely. He knew that she would be hard to hide. They had not spoken either, since Kixx still reeled from the death of his monarchs. His grief was quiet and persistent. Still, as the days passed, the country was getting hotter; and as the angel moved, she kept flashing light at his eyes. He began to complain, but he realized he didn’t know her name.
“What am I supposed to call you?” Kixx asked. The angel didn’t slow her gait as she responded, but her head did tilt.
“You have called me. That is why I am here.”
“No, no. Your name. What is your name?” Kixx asked. The angel righted her head and kept walking, as if the issue was unimportant. “Do you not have a name?”
“I do not know what names are.” She said, now slowing down. The sunlight caught the metal, burning his eyes again. She was more pleasant to be around after dark. He lowered his eyes and walked forward until he felt the angel’s burning fingers on his shoulder.
“Do not walk to your death.” She said. Kixx looked up and realized that the cliff before him was a sheer drop. As he looked further up to the horizon his heart sank. He had been hoping to find the army, but not like this. The battlefield brought memories of his childhood. Mangled bodies, blood soaked ground… except this time it wasn’t his village. This time it wasn’t his fault. Kixx looked nervously at the angel. To make her, he had broken his promise to the king… but it didn’t matter now, did it? Everyone really was dead.
“Is General Loganus down there?” He asked. The angel scanned the battlefield.
“Yes.” She answered.
“Take me to him.”
Image by Unknown
They had killed him by cutting his throat. The same way the king died, Kixx remembered. Maybe it had been the same murderer. He must have been one of the last to die- he was alone in the far corner of the battlefield, surrounded by seven dead invaders. Kixx picked up one of the white coats, which was torn in such a way that the wings could poke out.
“Put that on.” He said.
“Why? I do not feel heat or cold.”
“So you can quit blinding me.” He said. She did so as he examined the corpse. The general died holding his sword, which was lodged deeply into an enemy. He had an arrow in his eye, probably from the archer by the tree who had been killed by a throwing knife.
“If they had not cut his throat, he would’ve died from bleeding. Ugh.” Kixx got up and sat by the tree. “I don’t know what to do. There’s too much.”
“Is that who you need?” The angel asked.
“He was the general. He knew how to run an army.” Kixx said. The angel nodded and walked over to the corpse. She yanked the arrow out of the general’s eye, then raised a hand to the sky. Lightning struck out from nowhere. Kixx yelped and scrambled behind the tree. A deep throated yell followed the lightening. Then a clank. Kixx poked his head out to see what was going on. Loganus was on his feet, swinging his sword at the angel. She held the blade in her metal hand, no emotion on her face.
“You have been called.” She said. Loganus raised his sword and swung it at her again. She caught it, “You have been called.”
“Loganus!” Kixx called, running back to the clearing. Loganus backed up and looked at Kixx.
“Get off the battlefield!” He ordered.
“Loganus, look around. Everyone is dead.” Kixx said, keeping his distance. Loganus looked at the angel first, who lowered her hands to show she wasn’t a threat. Then he examined the battlefield. Reaching up, he felt his throat, running his fingers across the open, ragged slash.
“How?” He asked.
“She brought you back to help me take back the court. The king and queen…. They’re dead.” Kixx said. Loganus sheathed his sword, processing the information. “I wanted your help to raise an army. The invaders have taken over the cities. We want them back. We want it to go back to the way it was.”
“It will never go back. It’s too late.” Loganus said. “But we can move forward. I take it the nobles in the castle were killed?”
“Yeah. Everyone. Even the king’s brother.”
“Then we must find the heir apparent.”
“The what?”
“The one who has the next claim to the throne. You aren’t royal are you?”
“No.”
“Do you want to be king?”
“No.”
“Then we are going to the country. The king’s brother had a child recently. Wouldn’t have been in the castle. That is the royal we are looking for.” Loganus looked up to the horizon. “We go west.”
“What if they know? What if they are sending their forces there next?”
“Then I know the perfect person to talk to.” Loganus began to walk, followed by the other two. “We need to visit the court executioner.”
Lady Arachnae
Image by Yue Yue
The cave opening was bigger than anything Kixx had ever seen. He stopped in front of it, breathing hard. He begged Loganus and the angel to slow down, but neither of them seemed at all tired.
“At this rate, the heir has probably been assassinated,” Loganus groaned.
“Don’t say that!” Kixx said.
“Then hurry up.” Kixx rushed to catch up. Now in front of the cave, Kixx just wanted to lay down and die. Loganus was looked around the edges of the cave, then unsheathed his blade to shift the spider webs. The spiders grouped together and hissed at him loud enough that Kixx could hear them.
“Are you going in there?” Kixx asked. Loganus shook his head. “You’re dead. It isn’t like they could kill you.”
“These spiders are flesh eaters. We used to throw traitors into this cave until the King found out about it.” Loganus said. “Sometimes we still use it without permission. Winged person, you won’t be eaten, so you need to go in.”
“We really need to give her a name.” Kixx said. The angel moved toward the cave entrance, and touched the spiderweb. The spiders rushed at her finger with several pinging noises, before they scattered away again. Loganus handed her his sword.
“Use it well. It’s my best friend.” He said. The angel entered, low to the ground and ready for battle.
“So. Why did you bring me to life, and not the royals?” Loganus asked, taking out a throwing knife and flipping it in his boredom.
“It would be…wrong. They deserve their rest.” Kixx said. “I hope she comes out of there.”
“You know what?”
“What?” Kixx met eyes with Loganus.
“You are the least humorous jester I have ever met.”
The angel moved carefully, cutting the webs to make sure she didn’t get trapped. Spiders came to investigate, but as soon as they realized she wasn’t made of flesh, they scuttled away, disappointed. Even so, there was something more dangerous here, and the angel was ready to wake it. The tunnel narrowed until the angel had to close her wings tightly to fit. Suddenly, it opened up again. The angel was adjusting to the space, when a rock came flying at her and clanged off her head. The angel spun around, unable to find the source of the attack.
“You are new.” A taunting voice came from the darkness. The angel’s eyes and joints glowed, but the voice remained undetected. “Do you not speak?”
“You are Bloodfae Arachnae. I have been requested to bring you with me,” the angel said. Tendrils of web shot out, grabbing at the angel’s legs and wings. She struggled, cutting them faster than humanly possible until a tendril pulled the sword out of her hand.
“I’m not going anywhere,” the woman hissed, laughing as the angel struggled. Arachnae crawled upside down across the ceiling before lowering her red and black body to the stone floor. The angel attempted to rush the spider lady, but the webs tightened and she was thrown back.
“Did Loganus drop you off? He’s such a naughty boy. He knows I only eat meat. He didn’t send you to kill me, did he?” She asked. The angel yanked at the web, and managed to free her arm. She reached out to touch one of the spider lady’s legs. The lady screamed, the metal burning her. She scuttled back, the injured leg folding underneath her for protection. It was enough for the angel to tear forward, one of her wings popping out of its socket, and the rest of the webs splitting apart.
“You will come with me.” The angel said, picking up her sword. “Master Kixx and Loganus request it.”
“Why?” Arachnae spat, shrinking back against the wall as the angel approached.
“They want to take back the court of Queen Dahlia.” The spider lady’s expression twisted at those words.
“Take back? Take back from who? Did the Queen or King approve this?”
“Target has not been identified. The royal family is dead.” The angel tore her wing off of the ceiling. “Let us go. We are wasting time.”
Arachne came out of the cave as night fell. She gasped when she saw Loganus’ throat and eye. Close behind her, the angel came out carrying her wing. Loganus took his sword back from her and returned it to its sheathe.
“Why did you come here?” Arachnae asked Loganus, keeping close to the mouth of the cave.
“The reason the royals hired you. We need soldiers, and your spiders are a force to be feared.” Loganus said plainly. “I need to build an army, and find the heir to the throne now that the king and queen have died. Only the child can unite our people and save our kingdom.”
“Have you ever met this child?” She asked.
“No, but we will find it. Will you help us?” He asked.
“So be it. But if you are going to raise an army, don’t worry about the child. I will find it.” Arachnae turned to the angel. “You may be chaos incarnate, but you cannot win alone.”
“Don’t worry. We will find the greatest warriors in all the lands.” Loganus assured her. “None shall stand against us. And… Chaos. That’s what we will call her, jester.”
“Chaos. That sounds right,” Kixx nodded.
“ Arachnae will find the heir. I will go to the barbarians.”
“And where will we go?” Kixx asked, helping the angel pop her wing back in.
“A few years ago, the royal guard had a scuffle up in Cloudpass. The people there spoke of an artifact protected by a powerful beast. The two of you should be able to handle it.” Loganus smiled as if he knew more, but wouldn’t tell. Kixx swallowed. He had a feeling that Loganus was throwing him to the wolves.