Chapter 12 -- The Greatest Tragedy
Hahahahahahaha! Come, come children, gather ‘round. It’s time to tell you a story.
((OOC: Just to make sure everyone knows--unlike the other stories, this one is public! He's too disturbed to make it private. Yes, everyone knows Drossy's deep, dark secret now!))
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Melpomene. She was the daughter of a powerful, wealthy man, and never had any reason to feel neglected or needy. She was her father’s treasure, and anything she asked for, she received. Clothing, books, solid bars of gold if she wished. If she wanted a ruby pendant, her father would fetch it for her straight away.
Not only was she taken care of well, but she was also very beautiful. She had hair the color of a sunrise, and eyes as dark and blue as a lake. The girl had many admirers, and many suitors came to try to win her favor, but none had ever caught her eye. Her father told her that he would find her someone suitable for her place in society and beauty, and she had no reason to doubt him.
Melpomene loved to dance, and every day she would go out to the lake and practice her dancing on the dock. Her dancing was so graceful, so magnificent, that she almost appeared to float.
Anyone that saw her dance would’ve been drawn to her. But, tragically, the wrong man saw her one day as she practiced.
The young man marveled at her dancing when he saw her, and begged her to grant him the chance to dance with her. Melpomene was kind, and saw no reason to refuse the man’s request, so she accepted. They danced together that day, and the next, and the next. The man was greedy, and wanted the girl’s dancing all to himself. He showered praises on Melpomene to deceive her and cast a spell - that she was beautiful, that she was the kindest girl he had ever known, that he loved her. He asked her to be his wife.
She should have refused! She should have never even danced with the man! He was a poor stable boy, he had nothing to offer her, it was his place to serve her, not love her!
But did she refuse? Did she tell the man that she would wait for who her father would pick?
No! She accepted! The foolish girl!
However, her father knew of the match. He knew. He knew that it wasn’t the man’s place to marry Melpomene, he saw the man’s greed, and knew he was unworthy of her. Her father refused to allow her to marry him.
However, the man’s greed consumed him, and he began to make plans with Melpomene to take her away so he could marry her.
Melpomene’s father was not someone to underestimate. He found out the plan, and, to protect his daughter, locked her in her room, picked up his pen, and began to write.
The man would be lulled to sleep early that night, in the middle of preparing for his stealing away of Melpomene. As he slept, a gust of wind would blow open the window and knock over the lantern that had lit the man’s work. The sparks would dance through the room, and catch fire to the shabby wooden cottage. The house would start to burn, but the man would be unable to awake. The flames would be so fierce, his bones would crack from the stress of the heat. He would be nothing but ashes, the man and his entire house would serve as a warning for what happened when you dared to covet after that which was not your place to even look at.
But the spell the man had put on Melpomene was strong. She climbed out her window and went to the man’s house, urging him to hurry and finish their preparations, to leave that night. But as she was saying these words, the two were lulled to sleep by the man’s story.
The wind blew and knocked over the lantern that had been resting nearby a window.
The flames quickly consumed the cottage, but Melpomene and her lover did not wake. No, no, they would never open again, those blue eyes-
Heh. Heh.
There was nothing left of the greedy lover and the beautiful girl but ashes and a few cracked, burned bones. Nothing, accept for ashes, bones, and the maiden’s ruby pendant. It was as if she had vanished. Vanished in the light of the fire….
Hahahahahahahaha! Hah…ah…hah….BWAHAHAHAHA!
Do you see?? How dangerous it is, not knowing your place?? Do you see the tragedies you bring to yourself?!?!
I wonder, where is Melpomene’s ruby-red blood? Is it here, on my hands? My cloak? Covering my face? Where? Where is that precious blood?
I take some comfort in knowing that her greedy, undeserving, deceiving lover’s blood is somewhere here, too. I told him to forget about her. I told him to leave. But all the man wanted to do was take, take, take, take….
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
DANCE AWAY, PRINCESS! BUT REMEMBER YOUR PLACE!
Knowyourplace,youmustknowyourplace,he’sunworthyofyou,I’llprotectyou,theygivememoneyforstories,storiesofwealthanddeathtoenemiesandhappinessandtragedy,Ihaveallyouneedyoumustknowhe’snotworthyouknowyourplace,stayhereanddon’tleave,youmusttrustme,Iknowhowtoprotectyou,mymuse,mydarlingdaughter,Iwillalwaysprotectyou,andnodarknesswilleverpiercethisplace,thiscastle,trustmeandIwillfindhim,I’llfindyouaprince.
((OOC: Drosselmeyer is standing out by the fountain, mumbling words about dances and princesses and fate and roles (and munching on pocky a little, too). Every now and then, he will shout at a hapless bystander in a frantic, crazed tone, and at times he appears to be talking to a girl that isn’t there. Approach him if you dare.))
((OOC: Just to make sure everyone knows--unlike the other stories, this one is public! He's too disturbed to make it private. Yes, everyone knows Drossy's deep, dark secret now!))
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Melpomene. She was the daughter of a powerful, wealthy man, and never had any reason to feel neglected or needy. She was her father’s treasure, and anything she asked for, she received. Clothing, books, solid bars of gold if she wished. If she wanted a ruby pendant, her father would fetch it for her straight away.
Not only was she taken care of well, but she was also very beautiful. She had hair the color of a sunrise, and eyes as dark and blue as a lake. The girl had many admirers, and many suitors came to try to win her favor, but none had ever caught her eye. Her father told her that he would find her someone suitable for her place in society and beauty, and she had no reason to doubt him.
Melpomene loved to dance, and every day she would go out to the lake and practice her dancing on the dock. Her dancing was so graceful, so magnificent, that she almost appeared to float.
Anyone that saw her dance would’ve been drawn to her. But, tragically, the wrong man saw her one day as she practiced.
The young man marveled at her dancing when he saw her, and begged her to grant him the chance to dance with her. Melpomene was kind, and saw no reason to refuse the man’s request, so she accepted. They danced together that day, and the next, and the next. The man was greedy, and wanted the girl’s dancing all to himself. He showered praises on Melpomene to deceive her and cast a spell - that she was beautiful, that she was the kindest girl he had ever known, that he loved her. He asked her to be his wife.
She should have refused! She should have never even danced with the man! He was a poor stable boy, he had nothing to offer her, it was his place to serve her, not love her!
But did she refuse? Did she tell the man that she would wait for who her father would pick?
No! She accepted! The foolish girl!
However, her father knew of the match. He knew. He knew that it wasn’t the man’s place to marry Melpomene, he saw the man’s greed, and knew he was unworthy of her. Her father refused to allow her to marry him.
However, the man’s greed consumed him, and he began to make plans with Melpomene to take her away so he could marry her.
Melpomene’s father was not someone to underestimate. He found out the plan, and, to protect his daughter, locked her in her room, picked up his pen, and began to write.
The man would be lulled to sleep early that night, in the middle of preparing for his stealing away of Melpomene. As he slept, a gust of wind would blow open the window and knock over the lantern that had lit the man’s work. The sparks would dance through the room, and catch fire to the shabby wooden cottage. The house would start to burn, but the man would be unable to awake. The flames would be so fierce, his bones would crack from the stress of the heat. He would be nothing but ashes, the man and his entire house would serve as a warning for what happened when you dared to covet after that which was not your place to even look at.
But the spell the man had put on Melpomene was strong. She climbed out her window and went to the man’s house, urging him to hurry and finish their preparations, to leave that night. But as she was saying these words, the two were lulled to sleep by the man’s story.
The wind blew and knocked over the lantern that had been resting nearby a window.
The flames quickly consumed the cottage, but Melpomene and her lover did not wake. No, no, they would never open again, those blue eyes-
Heh. Heh.
There was nothing left of the greedy lover and the beautiful girl but ashes and a few cracked, burned bones. Nothing, accept for ashes, bones, and the maiden’s ruby pendant. It was as if she had vanished. Vanished in the light of the fire….
Hahahahahahahaha! Hah…ah…hah….BWAHAHAHAHA!
Do you see?? How dangerous it is, not knowing your place?? Do you see the tragedies you bring to yourself?!?!
I wonder, where is Melpomene’s ruby-red blood? Is it here, on my hands? My cloak? Covering my face? Where? Where is that precious blood?
I take some comfort in knowing that her greedy, undeserving, deceiving lover’s blood is somewhere here, too. I told him to forget about her. I told him to leave. But all the man wanted to do was take, take, take, take….
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
DANCE AWAY, PRINCESS! BUT REMEMBER YOUR PLACE!
Knowyourplace,youmustknowyourplace,he’sunworthyofyou,I’llprotectyou,theygivememoneyforstories,storiesofwealthanddeathtoenemiesandhappinessandtragedy,Ihaveallyouneedyoumustknowhe’snotworthyouknowyourplace,stayhereanddon’tleave,youmusttrustme,Iknowhowtoprotectyou,mymuse,mydarlingdaughter,Iwillalwaysprotectyou,andnodarknesswilleverpiercethisplace,thiscastle,trustmeandIwillfindhim,I’llfindyouaprince.
((OOC: Drosselmeyer is standing out by the fountain, mumbling words about dances and princesses and fate and roles (and munching on pocky a little, too). Every now and then, he will shout at a hapless bystander in a frantic, crazed tone, and at times he appears to be talking to a girl that isn’t there. Approach him if you dare.))