The Empress First Dance

In this tale, one person will die. And Death will come as quietly as grains of dust brush to the wall. It will take the pitiful soul as swiftly as the waves visit to the shore.

A prophesy of death lingered in the atmosphere of the room. The aroma of fear drifted under the sheets of the bed, between the tiny cracks of the window pane, and smoothly throughout the terrazzo, walls and ceiling of the empress' room. There was a rumor of an attack from a nearby kingdom and the oracle saw a tragic death of a prominent yet faceless man.

The empress was sitting quietly on her bed in that dimly lit-fear stricken room. She was on her night gown and her usually adorned hair was resting lazily on her shoulders. Its four o’clock in the morning but she was still fully awake. She was bugged by the rumored attack and the possible death of somebody close to her or of herself. She was staring at the crown resting dignified on one corner when she heard a cough from the terrace. She felt her blood rushed to her face as fear overcome her. She stood up and started to move toward the door but stopped when she heard him spoke up. It was drizzling outside and crickets are deafeningly silent as if they knew the lurking terror of the night.

“It’s me Athea”. The voice was like cold water poured on her that she froze on where she was standing. “It’s me, Agony.”

‘What are you doing here?’ She picked up the blanket that was crumpled onto the floor like a frightened dog and she wrapped it around her gown.

“I came to see you. I just want to make sure that you are okay. I heard the prediction of the prophet about the death of a significant person of this kingdom and, I don’t know, my feet led me to this room” he said while walking towards her direction.

“It is the least I should think of at the moment. There is a threat of attack and being the empress, don’t you think I should be the most bothered. You should leave. I’m tired and I need to sleep.”

“Well, can I have you for a moment in a dance then?” he asked.

“Are you crazy? You could have been killed by the guards if they caught you. You would be ostracized by the people for being here. And now you’re telling me you came here for a superficial reason as this?” she was almost out of breath.

“I don’t care. Athea, death is also the least I’m thinking of. I died a couple of times before. I died when you decided to leave me. I died again when you chose the crown over me and when…” he was cut by her angry look.

‘I didn’t choose the crown. Destiny assigned it to me. I don’t have a choice. The responsibility runs into my blood and breathes like a fetus on my womb. Can’t you understand that?” The crickets started to cry as if they heard her agonized whisper.

“ You promised me the last time we met in the woods with a dance that never ends. Since it seems like the promised eternity is far from what is happening right now, I'll just claim a dust of that vow. I'll claim a moment of dance with you. I died before but was brought back to life because of hope that we could get back together. But this morning smells like coffin drenched by the water of the river. Tomorrow, I will no longer be your lover but a soldier of this kingdom so let me have now what you have promised me. “ She saw sarcasm and mockery all over his face.

“Please stop this none sense. Let's just stop hurting each other and accept that we can never be together. I am the empress and married to my kingdom” tears kissed her cheeks.

“Athea, I am afraid that my body will die tomorrow without seeing you. Let me hold you tonight even for a moment. That's all I ask of you.” he said calmly

She threw herself to him and cried. She sobbed as he led her to a dance through the music only them could hear. Why do good things never last?

Agony lifted stroked her long hair and lifted her face. “I'm afraid this is the last time I will see you. I can't go on like this. I succumb to this fate and die with this memory of you.

I have struggled in vain and I can no longer bear it. I will let go of you now and find my piece of liberty. Don't look for me Athea for I'll be gone for eternity.”

~~~~~~~~~

Agony took the path back to the streets. He walked fast without looking back. If war breaks in the next few days, he will fight and end his own torment. He knew the moment that he heard the prophesy that it is he who's going to die. He decided to die. He wanted to die. He has to die now.

But days became months and months became a year but the attack didn't come. They lived peacefully and happily. Agony left and found a new love – away from the kingdom and away from Athea. Everything seems to be normal and the people, including Agony, thought that the prophecy wasn't true after all.

But the crickets witnessed a horrible death. Somebody died that night in that dimly-lit room. They heard the soul stopped crying and drifted somewhere else – to her own delirium probably. The crickets knew the prophesy was true and that death came as silent as the grains of dust brush to the wall and as swiftly as waves visit to the shore. They witnessed the worst kind of death: living without hope and without life.