Wholly Undead 71 Our Business Stays With Us

"Yes?" Emily called out uncertainly.

"It's, ah... It's me."

"The Mad King?"

"What?" Jack replied, he heard that!

"I mean come in... Come in!" Emily quickly tried to cover up, as she tried to steel her nerves. She was failing miserably, as the pile of skulls outside her window unnerved her every-time her gaze fell on them. It would have behooved Emily to have asked someone for the reason of such a monument, but she failed this as well...

Jack opened the door, and closed it behind him. As he walked over to the table, where Emily was sitting, and sat, just like last time. Same sized chairs, that looked to be too small for Jack and too large for Emily.

"Mad King?" Jack asked breaking the silence, while the flames in his eyes danced ever so slowly.

"Ah. Ah... I didn't mean anything by that. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Emily quickly squeezed out, while lowering her head. She trembled all over, while speaking.

Jack heard the familiar sound of bones rattling ever so softly. He looked deeply at Emily... "Are you afraid of me?"

"...." Emily wasn't sure how to answer this question, but the answer was unequivocally yes.

Jack mentally frowned...

[Why is she afraid of me?]

"I know I wiped out one of the armies of Neolith, long ago... But I don't see a reason to fear me for that." Jack said softly.

"What? That was war... That's different... But..." Emily lifted her head to look at the mad king.

"You... You..." She shuddered on her words.

"I've what? Far as I know, I haven't harmed you or your servants... I mean it was rude to drag you to my office yesterday, but I see that as no reason to fear me... Furthermore... You're my consort, now..." Jack felt slightly odd saying these last words, but he did have her agree in front of his most trusted people. He had wondered how the people of the Kingdom would react when they found out.

[That's right! I am his consort... He dotes on his first consort so much... Would he... Would he do that for me?] Emily quickly thought.

"If I say... You will not punish me, right?"

"Pfft... No. Speak, now. What's the matter?" Jack said with a slight laugh in his voice.

"You... You killed all those undead, and made a monument out of their heads..." Emily whispered, almost like she was unwilling to speak, as she pointed to the window.

"Oh... That..." Jack finally realized what had her spooked. He turned his head to look out the window she had pointed to, and realized that her window was right over the palace square, in full view of the hill of skulls.

Jack shook his head, "We didn't place you here, in this room, to be frightened by the executions. In fact, this is a gross misconduct on my part. I should have known, and made better arrangements."

"To hide this from me?"

"No... It would be to hide the ugliness of this world from you." Jack said following up something he had watched before in his last life... What a beautiful world... what an ugly world... What a show. He mused.

"Then... Why did you execute them all?"

"Didn't you hear the town criers?"

"...No? I know I seen undead standing around, and guards... What were they crying about?" Emily had not bothered to collect the information on what was going on... She lacked the thought process, as she was handed everything in her life. She had never gone for wanting.

"These were all Officials from my court. In my long absence... Decay of law and morals occurred. These Officials used their seats to not serve the people, but to serve themselves. So... I cleaned the court of filth." Jack spoke with firm resolution. He had yet to take a life, but he was certain he could do it.

"I... see... Then what makes you different?" Emily asked without thinking. As soon as the words left her, she slapped both her hands over her mouth.

"It's okay. I'm not going to do anything to you, if you speak with me in private. Now if you take Our business, outside for everyone to hear... Then I would." Jack jokingly said, but Emily could feel a real threat in these words.

"I Understand, and obey." Emily quickly nodded.

"...I've been calling you Emily, without really your permission. I'm very late asking this, but can I call you Emily?" Jack asked, trying to restart the conversation.

"...Of course... I am... I am your consort now... You can even... You know." Emily turned her head to look back out the window.

"Not without your permission, also... You do not have to obey me. You only have to understand me, and do or not do. I'm not your master. I am your husband-to-be." Jack said this too, with firm words.

Emily muttered, "Not my master, but my husband-to-be?"

Jack heard her clearly, "Yes. If you are to be my consort, let alone, my wife. We will be equals. With that being said, my name is Jack, Jack b.o.n.e.reaper, and I am the Holy Witch King of the Holy Kingdom of Deagoth." Jack stated this clearly, and only at this moment did he feel that it was true.

He really was Jack b.o.n.e.reaper. He accepted his hand that was dealt to him. He didn't get a choice over the hand of cards he was dealt with in his last life, why protest it in this life. He was the King.

"Jack... Jack... Jack... I... I like this name. This is a good name. Your last name though... Seems a bit... Perverted, doesn't it?" Emily commented.

"..." Jack made no comment. This was the same thing Leslie said. What did this little consort of his know about 'boning?'

"Well if We are saying Our names, my name is Emily Neith. Princess of the Grand Tomb of Neolith, and your consort."

[Where have I heard Neith before?] Jack wondered.

"Will you really treat me, as good as, my... Sister-Consort?"

"I will be honest with you. I will make Leslie, my first Consort, my first wife. The Queen of Deagoth, but I will treat you as good as I treat her, if you allow me."

"Is... Is there no chance of me becoming Queen of Deagoth?" Emily asked... This was her sole purpose. She was born into this word for this one job. If she could do this, then what was she?

"...Wait...? Is this related to a prophecy?" Jack thought for a moment. Why was she so h.e.l.l bent on becoming Queen, unless it had to do with something from Neolith? Leslie just got done telling him to talk to Emily about this sort of thing.

"Haaaa~ So my Sister-Consort... Knows about it. Has she told you the prophecy?" Emily asked, she figured when she heard what Leslie said yesterday that she had told him.

"Actually, she told me to speak to you about it. She only said that somethings I am dealing with are related to a prophecy you know."

"Dealing with?"

"Let's do this... Tell me the prophecy, and then I'll tell you what just happened to me today." Jack said with an authoritative tone.

"Well... Alright. It goes like this"

Emily began to sing,

"Behold in the sky,

A pillar,

A pyre,

A fire it lights,

The dead's last rites,

terrifies it's enemies,

but with hatred to end from age old centuries,

to be wed to the one that would become the Lich King,

A child bride must be made as an offering,

To the new G.o.d of the undead for wors.h.i.+pping.

Only when the G.o.d-King places a wedding ring on the child bride,

Can she obtain her new form's pride,

A new queen is born and the road is paved,

and only then will Neolith be saved."

Jack let the words just sung hang in the air. It wasn't really a song that sounded good, but Emily's voice was angelic when she sang. Jack could listen to it again, and again, but the words. The Contents...

"G.o.d-King... Are you kidding me? And How do you know I am the one that this prophecy even talks about."

"Uncle spider, Uhh... The current Spider Prophet of the Web said it was you. He seen the pillar of light in the sky, and said that was the sign he had been waiting for... It's why I was sent here, and If this is right. I need to marry you and become Queen of Deagoth to save Neolith."

"Frist off... You don't have to be Queen of Deagoth... You have to be "A" Queen. I could just knock over another kingdom and make you the Queen of it, and that fulfills the requirement."

Emily gasped, "You would do that for me?"

"We will see." Jack had plans to take over the continent. He needed the power. There were things out there he wished he didn't know about, that he could only combat if he had power.

"Second of all... Saving Neolith? What disaster is going to befall them that I would have to save them?"

"I... I don't know." Emily said helplessly.

"Child bride? Is that why you look like you do?" Jack asked a very sensitive question.

"Yes. I never had my coming of age ceremony for my adult body. I can only have such after I marry you. Then I can gain my form's pride, also known as, my adult body. I will be so happy to shed this stupid body! You have no idea why I have endured for so many years..."

"But what troubles me the most... G.o.d-King... G.o.d of the Undead... Are you sure these are the lines?" Jack asked, to make sure... This was all too weird to him. Was there a force of destiny that was pus.h.i.+ng the cog wheels of fate?

"Yes! I've read this prophecy over thousands of times... If anyone knew it... It would be me!" Emily said with a slightly hatefulness, but quickly looked to Jack. He could tell even though she started to open a bit to him, she was still afraid...

Jack choose to overlook it, "Alright... Do you know about an undead Official in my court known as Jordan Grimnight...? Well, use to be known as..."

"Did you kill him, too?"

"No! Haaaa~ He... Well... I'm going to tell you this, and you better not say a word of it to anyone else. Don't even think about it again after today..." Jack said fiercely.

[So much for not having to obey...] Emily remained quiet, but lowered her head.

"I know what you're thinking... This is Our business! We don't talk about it out there! This isn't an order. I mean it."

Emily lifted her head to look again, at Jack's visage, "Alright. Our business."

"Leslie is a Grimnight, of the Grimnight clan."

"...What does that mean to me?"

"She just changed her name to mine, Leslie b.o.n.e.reaper. She no longer wants to be a part of the clan. Long story short, she was exiled for stupid reasons, and the Grimnight clan later got into some shady business."

"Oh, I see. She's shamed by them. I get that. So... Jordan Grimnight came from this clan?"

"Yes, and at the time, Leslie had a soft spot for them. I'm not sure she still does, but love for one's clan or anything else... Just doesn't go away. It either remains or turns to hate... I'm getting away from the point. The point is instead of executing him on the spot in court. I ripped his soul out of his body, and forced him to tell the truth to me and for everyone to hear."

"YOU RIPPED HIS SOUL FROM HIS BODY?!?" Emily shouted in a high voice.