Mad Prince

A beautiful prince forcefully slaughters the cute kitten. His slender fingers twist around the small neck. This is the third kitten he killed. No one else knew. The innocent prince who was too weak for anything else, the poor boy who watches as his brothers win wars and the whole world seems to celebrate them. The queen hides behind a curtain, watching from the balcony. Horror fills her eyes. Her only child. He has her eyes. They’re always full of love for her. Now they’re hidden as he crouches in the back garden. The beautiful bed of red roses she planted herself in March blooms fiercely. So beautiful, the smell fills the whole area. But, the kitten has stopped moving.

It was only yesterday when she watched the prince play with the kitten. She remembers the white fluffy fur, bouncing around the floor. She herself had no particular inclination towards furry things. But this one she thought was rather pretty. She remembers how she scolded the prince, warning him about the untamed claws of the tiny thing. Even a small scrape on the prince’s body frightened her due to his weakened body. Poor boy. But here he was. How would she look him in the eyes when he tells her that he loved her? There were three kittens in the kitchen. Two went missing in September. The cook thought they roamed off and got lost somewhere. But, the carcasses were found in the rose garden. She wasn’t sure if she doubted the prince. But he was the only one who went there except for her maid and the gardener. And recently, she had noticed a strange glint in the prince’s eyes. His eyes were always empty because he was a lonely boy. So she was almost happy.

The prince let go of the dead kitten and dug the cool black earth with his bare hands. The limp carcass was tossed and covered carelessly. The little white tip of the kitten’s tail stuck out of the earth like a placeholder. There was a pause. The wind blew. The wispy white curtain hiding the queen billowed out. This movement captured the prince’s attention. His eyes turned towards the balcony. It was unexpected. The queen watched the familiar eyes. The unusual glint lighted them up. The prince smiled.