What Makes a Monster

♱Five♱

Town is as bustling as the day I arrived, only Hael and I are at South End where we actually fit in. There are no townhouses, only small time housing complexes for local shop owners and families of workers of the estate. Commoners walk about either to pick up everyday items for mansions of their lords and ladies, or those like us enjoying their time off. As Hael said, the stores are within our price bracket, ranging from bookstores to eateries to smalltown plays.

I've never seen a play so upon spotting the posters plastered around town, I'm ecstatic even if I can barely read a word of it. I just see a stage, lots of colors, and people on the poster. Somehow I convince Hael to sit and watch the play with me.

A stage is set in South End square that isn't a square but a circle so I never get why it's called a "square." Either way, the white cobblestone path sits among the shops with a fountain of Goddess Aena at the center. Her long hair is carved into stone, billowing behind her while her hand is outstretched towards the sky, water dripping from her open hand to cascade into the pool below. The stage is set up nearby. There are wooden benches, enough to sit at least a hundred with even more crowded about. The show hasn't started yet, so the crowd is chattering away. When I hear the name "Makai," my head turns slightly to peer over my shoulder at the women behind us.

"I heard there has been another death on that wretched monsters estate," hisses one of the women. "My sister works there, said a body was carried out yesterday."

The second gasps. "What? How disgusting!"

"He can get away with murder. I wish the Knights and Priests of Aena would get rid of him already."

"They've been trying for centuries, even King Baylor has set up new laws in hopes to keep the beast's power in check."

"Yet the Makai name is everywhere and he owns almost everything." The first woman turns her chin up. "What a hindrance to our great kingdom, a mockery to our Goddess Aena. If I were him, I'd just lock myself away out of humiliation."

"How can your sister even work there?" The second woman asks with a shiver. "I'd be terrified. What if he were to drain me dry?"

"Perhaps the workers there are lucky then. He got his meal from the dead man so their lives are spared for a bit longer, but my sister doesn't talk about her job when she visits. She's frightened, as she should be."

"But of course, he's a monster. The world would be a better place without him."

This is uncomfortable to listen to. There's almost a part of me that wants to defend Lord Makai, but I bite my tongue.

"Oh! The play is about to start!"

I face the stage just in time to watch the curtains being pulled back and out walks the actors in a story of our king, Rufus Baylor, and how he defeated the Treddin army 14 years ago. If I had known that was what it was going to be about, I wouldn't have come.

The Treddin army comes running into the small city of Chandri. They take the village to use as their primary camp with the villagers becoming hostages and slaves. Gasps of horror and despair ripple through the crowd, some even shout in anger and frustration until King Baylor steps on stage.

The crowd claps and cheers with delight when the battle scenes begin and, in the end, King Baylor impales the evil King Treddin, whose features are grossly exaggerated. His hair is a mess and there's a giant mole on the side of his clearly fake bulbous nose. Even his clothes don't match, he looks a mess, a complete joke, while Baylor is pristine and bright. It's kind of ridiculous, but the crowd loves it when all come out to take their bow at the end of the performance.

I feel sick after watching it.

"They have that same show every year," Hael sighs afterwards, leading me to the local bookstore. "I don't understand how they still make money."