“And a woman would not be?”
Dani turned back and looked at Arthur suspiciously, but resisted speaking any harsh words. The two continued forward, walking up the long pathway until they arrived at the palace.
Arthur was stricken by the beauty and magnificence of Dani’s palace. The palace was a shimmering white and, Arthur had to admit, much larger than his castle in Camelot.
Apart from the size and color, the shape of the palace was certainly nothing ordinary. The palace was covered with towers. In the center of the palace was one massively tall tower that jutted up into the sky, that he found out was called the witch’s tower. Surrounding the witch’s tower were many other smaller and shorter towers. The roof of each of these towers was elegantly curved downward so that Arthur thought it impossible for any man to create such a thing. Arthur supposed it could only have been built by magic, although the design seemed similar to his own castle.
Arthur looked back down and saw that the stairway up to the front of the palace was covered in gold and made Arthur feel even more like a king, as if he were climbing a stairway to heaven.
Suddenly Dani turned around and spoke, “I am sorry Arthur, but your horse and sword are not welcome in my house because my house is a place of civility and peace. But do not worry, my servants will take your horse, put her safely in the stables, and make sure that she is taken care of. As for your sword—you will not need it here. Your sword will be placed with your horse in the stables.”
Arthur was reluctant to surrender his sword, thus leaving himself defenseless against this woman; however at the same time he knew he had no other choice if he wanted to better understand this woman and heal his kingdom. So he politely acquiesced. Before parting, he patted Llamrai leisurely on the head. She didn’t look the least bit happy to leave him, but he knew they must separate (at least for the night). From around the corner Arthur watched two hunchbacked, scar-faced men walked slowly towards him. They were clothed in clothes that seemed to have endured an entire decade—although not too well. Their clothes were torn in several places just as their bodies were. But, nevertheless, they continued forward, wobbling almost like penguins. Their skin was old and dark brown and they smelled like they hadn’t bathed in a very long time.
Once these two men arrived they took his horse and he then, with reluctance, handed them his sword. Dani seemed pleased as she watched them walk off. “Excellent!” She then moved her hand in front of the door and, a few moments later, the double doors were pulled open from the inside by several more of her servants. “Come in Arthur! Enter my abode and I assure you that you will not be disappointed!”
So Arthur followed Dani as she moved through the front door and into her palace. Immediately upon entering her palace Arthur was stricken by the lavish luxury of her palace. The walls were tall and white. Her palace smelled of flowers.
Apart from the wall, the floor was made of what appeared to be a white rock. Light streamed through the open windows. The entranceway was a long hallway which then emerged into a grand living room. Everything seemed so clean that Arthur felt terrible walking inside, being so dirty himself. “This is my living room, a place for all my guests,” said Dani, pointing towards the room. She then continued forward. Past the living room and to the left was an elegant dining room. In the center of the dining room was a massive oval-shaped black wood table, surrounded by at least twelve chairs. “This is where we will dine tonight. I think you will find it quite elegant.”
Dani continued leading Arthur on, on past the dining room into another room—a room that looked very much in between a library and a living room; the expansive room was filled with books on nearly any subject Arthur could think of, which indicated to him the astounding intelligence of this woman. “This is my study, a place where I read of the greatest writers of the past. It is in this room that I learned of the history of this world. This library is more comprehensive than the library in your castle. I am sure that you would find that you could easily spend months pouring through the treasures that are contained in these books.”
Arthur nodded as he stared up at all the books. “It is magnificent—that I cannot deny.”
Dani nodded and seemed quite pleased that Arthur agreed. She then led Arthur up to the second level by means of an elegant spiral staircase. Once on the second level, she moved through another expansive room, a room lined with many massive glass windows. The entire room was one long, wide room that extended from one end of the palace to the other. “This room is my favorite. This is the collection room and observatory. From here I can oversee the garden and in this massive room I have all of my brilliant artifacts.”
Dani smiled, opened one of the doors, and stepped out onto the attaching balcony looking out over the garden. Arthur stood next to Dani looking out over the garden. The setting sun was about half-way concealed but it wasn’t yet dark enough to mask the garden. Indeed, the view was both magnificent and horrific at the same time. From the balcony the beauty of that expansive, heavenly wonderland of the garden was contrasted with the poor men—her male-servants who were laboring intensely in the garden.
Arthur looked at Dani, this time noticing something he hadn’t noticed before. A small wand-like object hung from the outside of Dani’s tunic. The wand small, short and straight, like any other wand he had supposed existed. The wand was also very smooth and completely black.
“So are you a witch?”
Dani smiled. She knew Arthur had seen her wand. “You may call me a witch if you like, but know Arthur that there are both good and bad witches. So you must not be so quick to judge.”
“And what kind are you?” asked Arthur.
“What kind do you think me as?”
“I am not sure,” he replied honestly. There was silence for several moments and then Arthur gazed back down at the garden and desired to change the subject. “Where will they sleep, your workers?”
“They don’t need a place to sleep,” replied Dani, gingerly.
“What? No place to sleep!”
“You see Arthur, my magic sustains them as long as they serve me. They can serve me for all eternity if they wish…”
“Eternity!” exclaimed Arthur, clearly confused.
“Yes, eternity,” replied Dani. She smiled and then motioned for Arthur to return back into the collection room. “I think it is about time for you to understand the true nature and magnitude of my magic.” Dani continued forward towards the other side of the long room and Arthur followed. She led him to the west wall, where against the wall, stood a table. On the table were several glass compartments containing many different colored liquids. In front of the glass compartments were shelves and cupboards with various phials and beakers, some empty, but most filled with liquid. “Here are my potions. I have almost any kind of potion that you can imagine Arthur.” Dani began picking out the various potions from the potion stand and displayed them before Arthur. “This potion may transform a human into a rat,” she said as she pulled out an ugly brown-colored phial. She then put that phial down and picked up another. “This one can give someone the ability to fly…” She picked up another. “This one can make someone deaf. I crafted many of these potions myself, each having different abilities and each close to my heart. Although I rarely find the need to use these potions it gives me joy and comfort to have them here should I need them. You never know when you will need a potion.”
Dani looked pleased to behold Arthur’s fascination as he scanned all the different phials, along with their associated labels. A few of the labels he read were, “BUG POISON,” “FLIGHT,” and one, filled with a dark black liquid, was simply labeled “DEATH.” The last one spooked Arthur out, and he quickly placed it back down.
“If you are so powerful then why do you need potions?” asked Arthur.
“Because, no witch can have all power and, although the power of a witch is very diverse, every time a witch uses a spell the loss of her magic slightly drains her. It makes her feel a little weaker o
n the inside. This is, of course, only temporary and is easily mended by a quick meal and a good night’s rest. However, besides this potions also allow non-magical people to do things that witches or wizards would normally have to do themselves. Thus if the witch or wizard cannot be in that place at that time to enact the spell the witch or wizard may use a type of potion or delegate a servant to use the potion. But the great thing about these potions is that it only takes one drop for the potion to work. Just one drop through the lips and it will work to its fullest potential. Are you not impressed?”
Arthur nodded. Then he noticed one phial in particular situated on a large stand in the center of the table. Its liquid was a dark red and seemed somehow alive and mystical.
“What is that one?” asked Arthur, pointing to the phial.
Dani laughed. “Ha, you have found it Arthur. Now this is my favorite potion!” Dani reached over and carefully picked up the small phial. “This is a potion that someone may use to make another person fall in love with them. You just put one drop through a person’s lips and they will fall in love with the first person they see. It is a powerful love potion that I could use on anyone, although I have never used it on any man. But know this Arthur—there is no spell or potion powerful enough to bring anyone back from the dead. Spells and potions may be able to kill or transform, but they can never bring anyone back to life. Now come! You must see the greatest artifact of them all!” Dani placed the phial back down and directed Arthur farther into the room where, on a cylindrical stand about three-feet high there stood a round, glass case containing a flawless red rose. “This is the source of my magic. Come and behold the Poison Rose, the rose that I owe all my power, my love, and my very existence.”
Arthur stopped near the rose and surveyed it, noting the mystical qualities it possessed. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like an ordinary red rose. The only exception was that this rose magically floated above the top of the stand and remained perfectly still. He wanted to remove the case, grab it by its stem, and smell it but he figured Dani wouldn’t approve. He knew that this must be the rose referred to by Merlin, the rose plucked by a woman so long ago who would become the first witch.
“You are impressed, I can tell. And you should be. This rose no doubt is the most amazing of all my ancient artifacts and, believe me, I have many. As you can see, in this room I have collected ancient swords, swords of old kings and commanders that now have long since fallen in battle. I have also collected their armor, their writings, and even seemingly insignificant objects.” She pointed to all around the rose, where, all along the walls hung various objects—many old swords, medallions, rings, pieces of parchment, and many other random objects (that were nevertheless very valuable). Many objects stood, like the Poison Rose, on a stand and were protected by a thick piece of glass. However these objects did not float, nor did they seem as magical or mythical as the rose. Arthur’s gaze was once again drawn to the rose, and it seemed difficult for him to keep his eyes off it.
The whole time he stared at the rose he couldn’t help but think about how such a small thing began the entire line of witches. Such a small object, one rose from a rose bush, began the line of witches which led to the time he now lived—the time when the land of his kingdom seemed to be turning against him. This rose, its implications and meaning, was something Arthur knew he had yet to understand completely and, because of this, the object baffled him.
Dani could tell that Arthur was mesmerized by the rose. “Arthur, you must know that this simple magical rose is the most valuable of all my objects. But don’t worry. Nobody may break it through physical strength. This object is attached to me, a witch, as I am to it. Thus as I am a witch it lives as I live and I, great Arthur, am immortal. And not only is my physical body immortal, but so is my beauty. Yes, my beauty, like the beauty of this rose, is immortal…” Dani reached over and pulled off the glass covering, setting it on the floor and running her fingers gently along the rose petals. “One of the greatest weaknesses of women is that their beauty eventually fades. When this happens so does their power. After all, most of the power of a woman comes from her beauty. But know Arthur that my beauty never will wane and that is the greatest magic of all.”
“Great magic indeed,” mocked Arthur as his eyes suddenly diverted away from the rose. “I do not suppose that true beauty ever dies as long as the human heart is true.”
“My dear Arthur, you are strong and noble, but lack knowledge.” Dani suddenly stopped rubbing the rose and quickly put the glass back over it. “Tonight I will tell you all that you need to know. But you must be patient. Now you must be tired. Come and I will show you to your room where you may linger until it is completely dark, after which I will invite you downstairs for dinner.” So Dani escorted Arthur up another level where there was another hallway that contained several more rooms. “These are my guest rooms. My room is down at the end of the hall if you need me. There are clothes on the bed for you as well. So get ready and enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you,” replied Arthur as he entered his room, amazed by its cleanliness and comfort.
“And you should know,” Dani added before she left the room. “All the rooms in the palace are available to you but one—the one in the basement. That room is, at least for now, off limits to you. The time may come when I may show it to you, but for now, that room is restricted. Is that clear?”
Arthur nodded and mumbled, “Of course.” Even though Arthur said “of course” he couldn’t have been more insincere. Thoughts rushed through his mind of what could be in that room. What was she holding back? The woman had been very open, friendly, and hospitable about everything so far, but he wondered what could be so great or terrible that she would hold it back from him.
Arthur tried not to think about it and moved around the room, exploring the elaborate beauty and decadence of even her simplest bedrooms. The room did not appear to be a woman’s room. On the south side of the room there was an open door that led to a small balcony.
From this place he could look out over the entire garden, although it had now gone entirely dark. He had to admit that, up to this point, everything he had supposed about this woman—namely that she was evil, ignorant, and inhospitable seemed entirely untrue. She had given him a place to sleep and was to serve him a meal. He couldn’t imagine that a woman such as this could be the cause of what was occurring across the kingdom.
But, for now, Arthur didn’t want to bother himself with this troubling dilemma.
Chapter 7: The Fateful Evening at the Poison Rose Palace
After Dani, or the “Poison Rose,” left Arthur moved towards his bed and prepared to change. He stared down at the clothes that were provided for him. They looked brand new although he supposed that they weren’t but instead were made to look like new by some of her magic. The clothes seemed to have been the clothes of some ancient king or warrior who had died. However, they fit Arthur perfectly, which he found surprising.
After Arthur was ready and neatly dressed he was summoned down to dinner by some of the witch’s servants. When he entered the dining room the entire room was dark except the candlelight that came from the few candles that stood in the center of the table. The plates and utensils of the table were already prepared. They had been arranged neatly and perfectly. On the far end of the table sat Dani. She sat still and upright for several seconds, letting Arthur get a good gaze at her beautiful brown hair that trailed down past the end of the table. “Welcome Arthur! My servants have already prepared the meal and it is ready to eat. I have prepared for you the best fruit of my garden. We will eat no meat however, because meat soils my beauty.”
Dani began eating the food first, but ate it delicately like a princess. Arthur looked down to see his plate covered with neatly cut slices of every kind of fruit and vegetable he could think of. “This is very delicious,” said Arthur, after he took his first bite, trying to act polite.
“Of course it is, it is from my garden after all,” Dani repl
ied.
Arthur nodded. He was sick of small-talk. This wasn’t helping him at all. But at this time he was torn between talking about what he felt he should talk about, how to get this witch to restore his kingdom back to its former glory, verse what he really wanted to talk about (who this woman was). In these moments he could feel his defenses lowering. He suddenly began to want to ask her questions—more real questions, questions about her; whereas only a few minutes ago he wouldn’t have even thought of learning more about her. He couldn’t understand why he wanted to ask questions about her because all he intended to do on this journey was to demand an explanation as to why she was making the land corrupt itself, and if possible, fix the problem. But now, it seemed, he had deeper questions to ask. He didn’t know what it was—the great food, the amazing aroma, or the woman’s amazing beauty. Either way, the intoxicating surroundings made him feel secure, wanted, and loved in her presence.
Arthur was silent for several moments, trying to figure out some question to ask without sounding too intrusive or personal, but more casual. “So how long have you lived here in the palace?”
“For a very long time,” she replied. “I moved here as a young child, after my people, the Danites, were destroyed. You see, I was the only one in my group that survived a raid from terrible men—men poised only on evil and greed.” It seemed as if tears were beginning to form in Dani’s eyes. “My people were a peaceful people. We had no true home, after our home was taken from us by evil Anglo-Saxon men. So we were mere wanderers, wandering to and fro in an attempt to find a new home for ourselves. We never felt we needed to bring weapons for defense, but only what was truly needed such as food or water. After all, all of our travels were done in peace, wandering peacefully from city to city and town to town to find friends where we could find them. But one day it all changed…” More tears streamed down her cheeks. “I remember the day like it was yesterday. The dark riders, the evil swords, the burning of the fields of Badon! I barely remember what happened that day, but I remember the terror inflicted upon us by these men. I remember the smell of death, the sight of dead corpses, and the terrifying sense of chaos and injustice. I remember crying over the body of my mother. Her being slain by these men was something beyond anything I had ever experienced. As I knelt over her body I prayed that somehow God would let her miraculously come to life, but, alas, this was not meant to be. She died there, with me hunched over her. I thought I too would die, but then, from a distance I saw a woman—an amazingly beautiful, strong woman dressed in white.”
The Poison Rose: A King Arthur Tale Page 8