The next day dawned, and the golden brother returned, alone. The sun had clearly left him, his hair was dull and limp, his face was swollen around his blood shoot eyes, and his hands were stained in red. The crowded court parted for him, as he made his way toward Terrible Tessa on her gilded throne. He placed at her feet a golden tray. What lay on it, was concealed by a scarlet cloth.
Tessa eyes fluttered as she glanced at the vast crowd, her eyes settled on the grim man in front of her. Her beautiful mouth twitched in disgust.
"My love." he croaked. He eyes searching her for the fire he saw in them on there last meeting. " I have it, I have what you asked of me."
" I asked of you something? I don't think i would ask anything of you." She turned her head, clearly bored of the Dirty man before her.
" Yes, yes my love, my darling remember... Yesterday?" Hope briefly flickered in his poor wretched face, dwindling as a cruel realization slowly dawned upon him.
Tessa raised her hand in a bored gesture, slowly fingering the mountain of delicacies, and sweets beside her. She gave him the slightest of nodes as she popped a sticky tart into he perfect mouth. " Well go on then," she yawned. " I do have other wretched creatures after you, every body wants something from me."
The now tarnished man, face was streaked with tears as he removed the cloth from the tray.
The court gasped, as those in the front whispered to those behind.
On the tray lay a quivering, dripping, scarlet heart.
" I have done what you asked of me, the impossible cruel feat you asked of me, and i did it because you asked it of me, because i love you, you above all things." He eyes hungrily searched for hers yet still she would not look at him.
" I have sacrificed one love, for a greater love. My brothers heart as proof of my love and devotion to you." Even as the words Flowed smoothly and clearly from his mouth, his eyes shinned with the tears he shed for his brother, for the pain of the guilt in his soul. He got to his knees, bowing before his great and terrible mistress.
Silence. Not a soul in the room coughed, sniffed, The silence was so great one could swear the people stopped breathing.
Terrible Tessa smiled, then the smile spread to a giggle the giggle lead to a chuckle until her laughter echoed around the court hall. She laughed and laughed so hard and loudly the chandeliers shook. Finally, she turned her evil smile upon the broken man kneeling at her feet. At last he had her whole attention, and now he was afraid.
"Do you know? " she started. " What that wormy little brother of yours dared to ask of me?" She leered. " He asked me, if you can believe this, He asked for me to love you, With as much compassion and devotion as you, YOu sad pathetic excuse for a man, loved Him? " Like a fox full of chicken she grinned." You loved you brother did you? You who would serve his brothers heart on platter? I think not." OH how she preened. "Now," she approached him. His head bowed, shoulders shaking savagely as he realized how foolish he was. "I being so wise, compassionate, and generous shall now grant both of your requests, this is my decree. YOu shall live as guest in my house, in your own room, Though it might be a touch dark and damp for your liking. You shall live in your shinny new steel fittings, where you can think on, and bask in my good will and beauty until the day I shall come for you. On that day I will have your beating heart ripped from your chest and feed it to my beloved pouches on the same platter that once held your brothers. Your body will never be interred to the ground, but it will remain Mine forever, as will your wretched soul." She smiled and spread her arms like a gracious hostess," But first, let us have a treat." She retrieved a knife From her waist belt, and carved the severed heart into many pieces. A whistle called forth her precious puppies from the sleeping places, throwing them selves on the chunks of meat with a starving, savage frenzy.
The golden Man was never seen again, though it was whispered around town of a night when you could hear raw screams drifting down from terrible Tessa mansion. They continued all night long until the screams were replaced by the snarls of terrible tessa , terrible terriers. When the snarls faded into a erie silence a song was carried down on a breeze to the sleepy towns man, it went. A heart for Tessa, a heart for me. What's theirs is mine, and what's mine belongs to me!
