The Bloody Birds of Britain

Chapter 6

Despite Charles' kind words he was still imprisoned. He, Edward former King of England was still imprisoned!But it was not just any prison, no. It was made from a kind of wood that made his skin burn. There was no way to escape, it was a four sided wooden prison built by the devil himself. And he'd been in it for five very long years.

He had cried out for help for the first year, when he'd started to change into an unholy beast. Now, now well he was slowly losing his humanity, his faith, his love England. It was as though it had been drained from him by every second that went past.

Some days he had had no recollection of at all, they were just hazy blurs lived by some other person. Those days his conscious self dreamed. It dreamed of his early reign, a King with the whole future ahead of him. No mistakes, no regrets and no stupid risks taken yet, but this conscious self knew there was a time limit to this euphoric stupidity and that's what drew him back to his body. Kicking the beast out, if only for a little while.

Sustanence came from drink, a strange dark thick liquid which was brought twice daily by a youngblond maid. He knew only two things, that her name was Elizabeth, as he had heard Charles call her that. Secondly that she and Charles were lovers, which he found surprising, as the man had never shown any interest in women or men at court. But he knew this because of their passion enthused shouts and screams that echoed down to his prison.

One night when the before mentioned maid came to give him the strange liquid, Edward lured her into close quarters. He had been wanting more then just the liquid, more then the empty drinking. Something in him wanted flesh as well. To feel it tear in his mouth, to lap at it... To lap at blood with his tongue. The idea had sickened him at first but then his hunger took over, and the the need became more and more attractive, until one day he simply caved in.

With Elizabeth apparently transfixed he ordered her closer. When she was within reaching distance he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her to him. It was then he feasted. He gorged himself on the sickening new sensation, warm blood as his humanity fought against the beast. Tearing at her arm, her flesh until bone was revealed, he laughed, bloodstained and disgusting as the girl passed out. He reached for the other arm but was stopped.

Although the dungeon were the wooden prison was held, was pitch black everything was visible.... Including the furious Charles who looked down at him, a firm grip on both his arms. Edward tried to break free, but Charles was too strong, he gave Edward an unrelenting stare that drove such fear into him, that he whimpered like a babe.

"Please..." he begged, still trying to free himself.

"I had such great plans for you," was all Charles replied in a cool voice. "You were going to be a King again."

"I can still be King," he whimpered in reply as Charles released him.

"No, no you can't," Charles looked down at the motionless Elizabeth, she was slowly bleeding out. "Look what you've done..." He bent down and tore at his own wrist, he fed his blood to Elizabeth. "Snap your arms in half."

"What?" Edward gasped in surprise.

"That's an order," Charles snarled as Elizabeth's finger began to move. "As you master I order you to snap your arms!" He shouted so his voice echoed around the room, the command echoed around around Edward's head. He tried to resist but the need was too strong. He cried out in pain as he drove his hand up into the bone of his elbow, so it moved puppet like connected to him only by skin. He cried again in agony but this time for his crippled arm.

"And the other," said a voice in his head. He shook his head in defiance, no he thought, no! Charles reached in and grabbed the other still whole arm and snapped it completely in half, removing it completely from his body. "There, that wasn't so hard was it?" The voice laughed, as Edward watched Charles carry Elizabeth away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into the darkness.