THE CHAINED KING
"Tell me, poor thing, who is the king who rules in this country?"
"Sir, the king who has ruled in this country for the past twenty-one years is an outright scoundrel. The queen is worth as little as he. Tell me about the former king. Here is one, who was just and a chaplain. Who knows what became of him?"
"Is he dead?"
“Sir, I believe so. Still, I'm not sure. One day, the brave man did not reappear. So the queen's gallant killed all the former king's daughters. It's not a pity. They would have become worse than their mother. The queen's gallant has married his mistress, and both are in command, to the misfortune of the country."
The poor man fell silent, and the captain left. So he thought:
"Just watch out. You didn't take on a little work. Try not to say anything, to do nothing, which helps anybody to understand what you want. Maybe that poor guy was telling the truth."
The poor guy had told the truth. The captain made more than twenty people speak. All hated the king and queen and missed the former king. Finally, the captain arrived in front of his father's Louvre and knocked without fear.
"Bang! Bang! Jacks, here comes the night. I'm dying of hunger and thirst. My horse can't take it anymore. I want to speak to the king. He will not refuse me supper and a bed for this night."
"Sir, since this morning the king has been traveling alone, mounted on his great white horse. He won't be back until tomorrow evening, at sunset. The queen is alone in the Louvre."
"Well! valets, let me speak to the queen."
The servants obeyed.
“Good evening, queen. Here is the night. I'm dying of hunger and thirst. My horse can't take it anymore. Please do not deny me supper and bed for this night."
“My friend, come and have supper with me. Valets, prepare a nice room."
They both went to sit down. The captain was so handsome, so handsome, that the old queen immediately fell head over heels in love with him.
“My friend, eat your fill. Drink to your thirst. Don't let yourself miss anything."
The supper finished, the old queen dismissed the valets and threw herself on the captain's neck.
"Listen. You are very handsome. I am in love with you. Let's pretend to go to bed. But, when the people of the Louvre are asleep, come find me in my room. I will receive you in my bed, and we will make love together."
“Queen, you will be obeyed."
They both pretended to go to bed. But when the people of the Louvre were asleep, the captain went to find the old queen in her room. She received him in her bed, and they made love together.
While making love, they were talking about many things.
"Gallant, do you want to be king? I will be your queen."
"Darling, you are so beautiful, so beautiful, that I would die not to see you anymore. What does it take to be king?"
"Gallant, I must kill my husband, who makes me suffer death and passion."
“Darling, tell me where your husband is."
"Gallant, since yesterday morning, my husband left alone on a trip, mounted on his big white horse. He won't be back until tomorrow evening, at sunset."
“Darling, tell me where your husband went."
"Glorious, my husband has gone far, far away, towards the rising sun. He has gone to the top of a high mountain, carrying a loaf of black bread and a jug of water to an old prisoner who has lived chained in a tower for twenty-one years. Another worthless thing, that one. I hear that he goes there, like my husband."
“Darling, tell me how I will get into the tower."
"Gallant, against the tower's walls, the pickaxe and the mine can do nothing. To open and close the iron door, you need a golden key, a unique golden key in the world."
"Darling, I love you. Darling, you are more beautiful than the day. Darling, poor darling, tell me quickly where the golden key is, the unique golden key in the world."
"Galant, the golden key, the unique golden key in the world, hangs night and day around my husband's neck."
"Oh! bitch! I know everything. You are done doing wrong."
With a twist of the hand, the captain strangled the old queen, opened the window, and threw the carcass into the yard.