A tale long forgotten and a book long removed from the library... Or perhaps, just a word passed along verbally, only to be written now? Ah, but such things are currently trivial. Please, do read on, my friend, and interest yourself in this tale.
There are many a tale that exist from the kingdom of old. Ruled by the Toad King, a man who appeared so repulsive that the nickname became an accepted title, and that would roll through hardships and live through peaceful times. Throughout it all the king did rule and in that time, many a thing would occur, some most unexpected and dastardly. Others, most welcome and lovely.One of the most easiest, most lovely thing to happen to that king, to that kingdom, was the dancer. One of the most dastardly, was what would happen far down the line.
Not a soul knew of her name, but yet not a soul dared to care for it. She was merely known as “The Dancer” and it was a word all lips knew, man or woman, adult or child. At first, she had been a street performer, vocalizing songs and dancing around the town square like it was her stage and that is where she belonged,Though indeed, little could one imagine her elsewhere. Her snow white hair to her shoulders and eyes of gold seemed to somehow perfectly belong to the backdrop of the town square.
Eventually, a group of players who had fallen on hard times heard of her dancing and came out one day to meet her. They reached an agreement there in the square and from that day forth, they played music for her to dance to, though she still never missed out on an opportunity to sing.
Her popularity with the people only grew with time and many came to love her. She was like sunlight, for even on the darkest days and the pouring rain, she’d go out and dance. When she smiled, she smiled wide and true. She was always so sweet to the kids, who would flock to her feet and be taught to dance by her. Women for miles inquired to her tricks while men fell to their feet in awe. Yet, perhaps the most enchanted of them all was the Toad King, who had yet to even meet the girl he so greatly admired!
It would come one day, when the sky was blue and clouds dotted the sky above like thoughts, that the king’s men would come, requesting her presence before their king. It was interesting, as the townspeople watched this event occur before their eyes, for she smiled knowingly and agreed to go with them with surprising calmness and willingness.
There, at the castle, it is most obvious of what happened to the beloved dancer. She was brought into the castle to be a dancer of the court, to dance for the entertainment of guests and his own pleasure. The dancer agreed... But only on the term that he would not only accept her, but the people who had provided her music in the town square. Wishing to only have her in his sights, he agreed, even more amazed by both her charm and bravery to stand up to him.
From that day forth, any event of any kind involved the lovely dancer in some way. Balls featured her form dressed in the style everyone had long accepted to be her own; short dresses with a trail of see-through cloth that breezed behind her like remnants of a dream.Her usual clothes were considered little less than that to anyone else, her top but a strip of cloth, a white see-through cloth draped around her back and tucked into the creases of her elbows.Her pants slightly puffed and clung to her the space above her ankles. All her styles took after its freedom of skin, showing more of it than any woman would dare to at the time and easily knocking aside any man who dare thought himself rightfully worthy to try and take her to bed for appearances alone. Easily picked out were the fakes as well and it was thought for a long time that not one could get to and own her heart.
Not even their dear king, who coveted her so and did all he could to gently sway her to him. Sometimes the people would swear he had her, though like a fish held in one’s hands, she’d slip free of him yet again. Though it soon came to their attention that there was a heart in the dancer’s bosom, though it had been traded in secret to some man no one quite knew yet of. A man of masks and owner of more secrets than simply the ownership of the dancer’s heart.
Though, as one might have already foreseen, this secret soon became no more and it wouldn’t be long before the word reached the ear of the Toad King himself... Not a soul alive or dead found him more furious and broken-hearted than that day he learned his desires were not within reach, nor might they ever be. To make matters all the more infuriating, the masked man was simply that and nothing more. Only the dancer knew of him truly and he could not ask her upfront, for that man’s head on a pike is all the king grew to desire from the knowledge. She would be too smart for him, knowing the word of the people must have already reached his ears.So while the dancer hummed her songs of nights passed and twirled on her feet, the king suffered. Through his pains his kingdom suffered with him, forced to try and uphold itself against an absent leader.
It wasn’t until the day a man entered his throne room did the memory of the masked man who had ruined his dreams returned. Though the Toad King had never seen nor had been described of the man’s face or appearance, the simple view of a man in a mask brought forth the memory and his full, boiling rage. Far more than that, the masked man had the audacity to say, “Greetings, wretched monarch. Leave this land at once or perish at my blade.” To further stand his point, from his dark cloak he withdrew a sword, silver gleaming in the light of the throne room.
Fury had already been boiling through his veins, eroding away his right mind and true sight. In reply, he growled, “I am the king and you are my subjects. You are not to go against my will.” It took neither of them another word before the masked man took one step forward, darted across the room at a speed that seemed nearly inhuman, and sliced his head from his body.
What ended up happening to that kingdom? None remain who know. Though perhaps if one was to find a masked man and a lady who sang and danced between giggles... Well, they might know.
