Into The Maze

by Euan McAllen

  Football pulled them together. Mozak taught his brother, and sons of the nobility, and servant boys - enough to play four-a-side: the served versus the servants. Everybody except the twins found the experience both bewildering and fun. The twins were competitive. They did not want to lose. At half time, when the servants were winning by a slight margin, their captain decided it might be a good idea to not win the match. They threw it near the very end and the other side leapt up and down with joy upon winning - the twins even held hands.

  Sometimes things turned nasty. Tascho would shout an order at a servant whereupon Mozak would immediately countermand it. Sometimes Esmeralda or Lady Agnes was there to calm things down, separate them; sometimes not. On one occasion a fight broke out over Stevie: Mozak kicked him; Esmeralda saw it, told Lady Agnes; Lady Agnes told Tascho; Tascho confronted Mozak; Mozak laughed him off. Bizi found out and gave them a strict telling off: princes should not be seen fighting. (Secretly he was pleased that they could fight anyone, even brother against brother. That may be required in the future, when he was gone. History had a habit of repeating itself, he reminded himself.)

  Tascho saw little of Gregory. He seemed to be hiding himself away. Concerned, Tascho visited him twice at the cottage but both times left feeling empty-handed, ignored, repelled even. Gregory was distant, withdrawn. He was alone. Gregory explained that Mutz was gone for good - off to find family - and that Fargo was rarely there - slipping in and out as if wishing not to be seen. Tascho was glad to see the back of Fargo, the maddest of monks. Gregory told him that Fargo had - quoting him - ‘gone on a pilgrimage’, ‘to meet the people’, ‘to spread the word’, ‘to understand their suffering’, ‘to make a difference’. And as for his brother Foccinni, well they were no longer speaking. Gregory seemed to have no time for him and Tascho felt it. It was as if his guardian and mentor had washed his hands of him now he had returned his charge to the Castle intact. He was Tascho now, not Timothy, and Gregory didn’t seem able to handle that. Not my fault, thought Tascho and he left him to it: Gregory seemed to be thinking a lot these days at the expense of talking, making chat. So be it.

  Tascho made frequent visits to the King’s Library and rummaged through the books and manuscripts he found there, which was not many. They made up a small pile, stashed away out of sight and mind; now never read but never to be thrown away. Dust flew everywhere as he opened a book and turned the dirty, well-thumbed pages - unpicking those which were stuck together. He found more pictures than text with many pictures incomplete and the text badly laid out: difficult to read, but fascinating. There were depictions of the Maze, under construction; its bricks piled high to the sky; its labourer bent over, toiling under a vicious sun. When Mozak found out what his twin was up to he joined in; telling Tascho to read out loud; wishing he could read then denying the thought. Kings had others to do the reading.

  One manuscript told Tascho a lie, a very Big Lie. It was a contract, signed between the ‘Master Builder’ and the ‘Senior Noble’ on behalf of the Republic of Napolia, detailing the construction of a maze to confine and restrict the flow of migrants and religious extremism from ‘Within’. Only those who needed to know would be given the knowledge required to navigate through it. Tascho did not understand the ‘Within’. He had come in from the Outside. He did not tell his brother. He talked to no one about it except Gregory. Gregory was not taken by surprise: life on the ‘Outside’, ‘Within’, had prepared him for such an anomaly.

  And always at the back of Tascho’s mind his previous life persisted: his life with God at its centre. It haunted him at night, reminding him of the better person he could have been if only he had not been weak, if only he had stayed the course. But I am the son of a king, he snapped in his sleep. I must do my duty. I cannot have both.

  While the twins slowly learnt the art of accommodation and putting up with each other, the Lady of the Castle took the girl from the Village under her wing, like she had been given a puppy dog to look after. At first Esmeralda rarely left her side. She was struck dumb at times, spellbound by the enormity and sophistication of the place and all that was happening around her. The Castle was a complex thing: a maze; a rabbit warren of endless passageways and corridors, and stairs up and down; and more unfamiliar faces than she had ever encountered in the Village. At first she would not go anywhere unless accompanied by Lady Agnes or one of the twins - she didn’t mind which. The Castle sent her dizzy and Lady Agnes had to hold her hand; to reassure her; to rescue her from her own senses when they began to overload. She received the attentions of young men but unlike Lady Agnes she did not have the confidence to repel their advances. If caught alone she would smile and wait until they became bored and left her alone. Other times Lady Agnes would send them packing with a stern warning backed up by a fist. Many young men thought Lady Agnes was a joke but they still took her seriously.

  The effect of new clothes and new hair - a new look - was to make Esmeralda feel beautiful, older, empowered - a real lady! The twins saw the change immediately and were impressed, as was Lady Agnes who soon regretted letting fresh competition out of the bag. She wanted to fatten up her new friend, to balance the odds. She would make a point of watching Esmeralda when Esmeralda was not watching.

  Her change did not always net a positive result: one day Esmeralda saw the twins set out riding with their king, their father. She waved but they did not wave back, perhaps not seeing her; perhaps needing to hold on tight to their reins; perhaps mistaking her for a lady-in-waiting or a servant girl. At times like this Esmeralda still felt like a servant girl, always on the outside.

  Like Esmeralda, Lady Agnes had fallen for Stevie. Like Esmeralda she wanted to gather him up in her arms and protect him. Together they took him for walks and at times almost fought over the right to hold the lead. Tascho thought it funny. Mozak thought it ridiculous. He did not like Stevie. He would never regard Stevie as a proper dog. Stevie disliked him just as much.

  Together, at sunset, the four would sit together on the top of a parapet; to watch the sun slowly melt away as another day drew to a close; each wondering where the future would take them; each hoping it was somewhere good; each wishing to survive the world; each wishing to fall in love; each wishing to reach out. The coming banquet loomed heavy over the twins. Mozak looked forward to it. Tascho did not. He did not wish to be put on public display again - but if his brother was going to be there then so was he. He would somehow make himself enjoy it and be seen as a bold, confident prince like his brother. He had to celebrate his coming of age: eat; drink; pass out. That was what princes were supposed to do, just like the kings.

  ***

  A day passed before anyone who cared noticed the absence of the Hermit - also known as ‘Harry’ - true name Helmotti. Esmeralda assumed he had left - run away - to return to the Village and the Maze beyond. He had been acting weird: quiet, withdrawn even during the journey. He had always made it clear to her that he did not intend to hang around but she felt insulted for he had not said goodbye like a close friend would. But straightaway she missed him terribly, like a deceased relative. She did not stay angry with him for long, only disappointed. Even Mozak missed him, and shared his loss with Esmeralda for they had shared good times in the Maze. Esmeralda comforted him, which only reinforced her confusion: did she want to fall in love with Mozak or Tascho? Or both? Was both allowed?

  Gregory could tell her nothing. Foccinni could not - or would not - tell his brother anything. (For which Gregory expelled him for good from his cottage, wishing never to see him again.) Unwilling to confront a crazy King Bizi - for he might lose his head or be exiled from the kingdom - he had already passed his concerns on to Queen Anneeni (via a helpful lady-in-waiting who was a relative), and she was immediately suspicious. In secrecy, late at night, when the man on guard was ‘one of theirs’, she spoke with both the King’s Secretary and Chancellor and shared her secret. They were ecstatic. Without a moment’s delay
the Chancellor sent his best spy sniffing around and soon discovered that Helmotti was locked up in one of the king’s hunting lodges.

  Queen Anneeni was outraged when the Chancellor told her of Helmotti’s incarceration. She wanted to confront the bastard Bizi - or the ‘pig-king’ as she now learnt he had been nicknamed - and expose him. Only the firm hand of the Chancellor stopped her. He demanded secrecy and patience if they were all to get through this. And by all, that included the twins, he told her. That shut her up.

  For the King’s Chancellor the return of Helmotti was a cause for celebration and crafty planning. Bizi could not contained this. Problem solved! he shouted at his colleague who told him to hush. Walls have ears, whispered the King’s Secretary. The Chancellor apologized immediately for his outburst but added that he was still right. The true king was back to reclaim his throne. All they had to do was annul the existing marriage - easy - and get him to marry a woman, or girl, who could produce an heir, and the twins ceased to be a problem. The business of life could return to normal. Are they still princes? asked the Secretary.

  The two chief servants of the king began to scheme. They cornered certain important individuals unhappy with the current regime and put out tentative feelers. They crept and crawled their way along the floor, from the vague towards the definite. Lord Fucho was the first to come on board. The Dowager Queen was much later down their list - though they did not tell her that. Let the poor emasculated woman think she was the first, the most important conspirator.

  ***

  When finally cornered by Lady Agnes - desperate to know - Mozak came clean and made it clear: the wedding was off; he did not want to marry her. She pretended to take it on the chin, refusing to look weak in front of a boy but in truth the announcement hit Lady Agnes like a kick in the stomach. Her steely exterior gave nothing away but later, alone, she wept into her pillow, like the little fat kid she knew she was. She wanted Esmeralda to hurt too. She wanted revenge, justice: such things girls - women - all females - never got in this place run by men for men. At the very least she wanted a plan B, and even while she was still crying such a plan jumped into her head. She snatched it up and did not let go. She saw a spider going about its business as it crept up the wall, seeking out a new spot from where to eke out a living. She stamped it flat with her fist and stopped crying. The spider never saw it coming, never felt a thing. Time to go after Tascho. Tascho enjoyed the sudden attention - his brother did not. Both girls loved to be with him. Now he simply had to choose. But he could not choose.

  When Bizi found out he was furious with Mozak - until it occurred to him that Tascho could marry her instead. She was too good an opportunity to miss: full of energy, with a man’s head; fit despite being fat with good childbearing hips. Bizi had to have her blood in the family. So it would be Tascho then: no point wasting his breath trying to argue Mozak out of it. The bad boy had clearly made his mind up. Forceful and focused just like his father, thought Bizi proudly. He would make a good king, thought Bizi. But then Tascho could read and write - a match for the Chancellor and the Secretary. Hard to choose between them. Bizi didn’t want to choose. No parent should be forced to choose.

  Alone at night Lady Agnes and Esmeralda (best friends thought Esmeralda, competition thought Lady Agnes) huddled together on a big bed; to talk, to share intimate thoughts: a soup of questions, fears, aspirations, comments and conclusions upon the world; with particular emphasis on boys and sex, marriage, and bringing babies into the world. Their thoughts and words fell out in a tumble, to scatter or mix.

  Esmeralda wanted to be a woman, like Lady Agnes. Lady Agnes kept telling her ‘to survive out here you must catch your man before some other man traps you, and before you are over the hill!’ She boasted that ‘beating boys at sex was fun’. Such statements strengthened Esmeralda’s resolve. She wanted to give herself to Mozak or Tascho - or Timothy as she kept thinking of him. But she could not choose. She felt the time was right, the place was right. But she could not choose. She saw both common features and differences: in Mozak she sensed the warrior; in Tascho the scholar. A warrior would protect her? A scholar would enlighten her? She watched them both while Lady Agnes continued to watch her - when not also watching the princes. But she could not choose. She confessed her dilemma to her new confidant and Lady Agnes decided she act fast, before the village girl messed things up. From then on they were in serious competition, though only Lady Agnes knew it.

  The twins were in competition for the attentions of Esmeralda. For Tascho this was hard: he also fancied Lady Agnes and it was clear that she fancied him. For the girls it was simple: each wanted a prince. Princes were the biggest catch.

  Esmeralda saw the soft gentle side of Mozak quickly vanish the moment he arrived home - the Mozak she had nursed back to health was gone, left behind in the Maze - and in her presence the soft gentle side of Timothy slowly returned to haunt Tascho. And sub-consciously, deep down, that may have decided it for her. She wanted Timothy - or Tascho - she didn’t care which. She wanted Tascho to fall in love with her. She wanted to make love to Tascho. Now all she needed was a trigger. That came in the shape of an incident involving the now elusive Rufus. Hungry, she and the twins had gone to the kitchens to snack. These days, Lady Agnes was passionately against snacking - but not extra portions. There Mozak spotted a furtive looking Rufus, probably stealing food. Mozak threw a whole cabbage at his former servant - it hit him hard - before running after him, shouting ‘traitor! coward!’ His behaviour made Esmeralda shiver.

  Catching him up, Mozak grabbed the rogue Rufus, pushed him to the floor, and struck him once whereupon Tascho rushed in and pulled his brother off before Rufus could rise up and hit back. (Rufus wanted out of this place so hitting a prince no longer bothered him.) Rufus ran off, cursing all princes loudly. Mozak cursed him back just as loudly.

  ‘You’ll not work in this place again!’ he screamed.

  ‘Stuff this place,’ shouted Rufus as he disappeared out of sight.

  Esmeralda was shocked by what she saw, by what Mozak was capable of. She knew then and there who was right for her. She would love him, no one else. He would have to love her, no one else. For her it was that simple, that clear-cut. Seeing the change in Esmeralda - her devotion now fully focused on Tascho - and the clues she accidentally let slip, Lady Agnes realised that she had to act, fast. She had to seduce Tascho before she lost him to the younger, slimmer girl. She had to have him. She had to have her prince. And she got him, by the horn.

  ***

  Lady Agnes chose her moment carefully, catching Tascho alone when Esmeralda was at the cottage; when he was troubled by his latest encounter with his mother - or his father, she could not tell. He was on his way into the maze, his big green cushion of green hedges and green grass, so she tagged along. She got him talking about his God, about his previous life, saying she wanted to know everything that made him tick. With extreme skill she made it look like she was hanging on to his every word. Tascho took it as a compliment but talk of his past made him feel vulnerable, guilty, even hollow inside.

  Then as it grew dark and the shadows closed in and the maze shut down, Lady Agnes feigned fear and pleaded to be held tightly as they escaped the maze. Tascho fell for it: he regarded himself as a gentleman; he could not refuse the lady; and holding her body had always reenergized him. But he did not grope her.

  Outside, she thanked him by pecking him on the cheek. Then she kissed him, quickly. The boy did not look bothered. She kissed him again, slowly this time, trembling this time. That got him trembling and he kissed her back, with vigour, and he went berserk inside. He fell into her arms and she pounced; and filled the hole in his heart by leading him back to her bedroom and on, on into her bed. She did not have to pause to tempt him. She had pushed all the right buttons with consummate ease. Between the centre of the maze and her bed they never once stopped holding hands.

  After a short but fre
nzied act of love-making, Tascho took stock: he hated himself for being weak, then regretted that she was not Esmeralda, then felt ashamed - ashamed for comparing the two, for Lady Agnes was quite a power in bed. He knew he had to keep this secret. Almost weeping he begged her to do so: he did not need to beg for she agreed absolutely. Later, when he thought of his mother the Queen, he saw an older Lady Agnes; and when he thought of Lady Agnes he saw a younger Queen. He did not like such thoughts: thoughts in which the present, past and future collided, and were biting.

  And during all this, while they were trying to cope with each other, and female interest, the twins had to cope with parents - parents who were having a bad time, a very bad time of it. Their father tried to consume them: always telling them what to think, who to watch, who to believe; how to dress, act. He told them, over and over, that there were enemies all around, behind every door, and they had to be on constant alert, keep their ears to the ground. They had no idea what he was on about so just smiled as best they could. They found him suffocating, intrusive, overbearing, even paranoid. They wanted to tell him that the way he treated their mother was despicable but neither had the nerve to come out with it - and both wanted to inherit so each vied to be his favourite.

  Bizi paraded his sons proudly, sometimes making them stand side by side - which they hated. When he ordered them to dress in identical clothes they refused, point blank, surprising him and secretly pleasing him that they had the fight in them. As he tried to push them together they pulled apart, neither wishing to be dictated to. They avoided him as best they could, prefering the company of those their own age, and ideally the opposite sex. Sex: Mozak boasted of his exploits; Tascho boasted back. Mozak won on points. Tascho won on the difficulty of the challenge.

  It was much the same with their mother - but with added angst and heartache. She would get them to sit on the floor at her feet and look at her - to her - like puppies. They didn’t like it but did it to avoid something worse. She expected them to show gratitude for some unspecified reason, but received nothing. They were not her puppies. They could not be charmed or cajoled. She assured them, repeatedly, that they were both perfect, equal but in different ways. Tascho might be able to read and write she told Mozak - who didn’t want to be reminded - but he could shoot better and ride faster - she told Tascho, switching faces in mid sentence. Neither of them wanted to hear this stuff but both had to put up with it, for which the prize was a lot of cake - but cake which came with too many kisses.