Case 03:
Fallen From Grace
GLENN LITBEIT STEPPED into the Central Plaza with first-generation Molly.
“This…”
He could see a massive castle before them through the mist. The council hall that normally stood in the Plaza was gone, replaced by the majestic building. Its design was simple, but sturdy, and based on what Glenn knew of architecture, a bit old-fashioned. There was a central tower, but very few other embellishments. It looked more like a fortress on the front lines than the residence of a dignitary.
“The Lord of the Underworld is here?” Glenn asked.
Molly looked back at Glenn, head tucked under one arm, as she opened the gate to the Plaza.
“That’s right, the Queen of the Underworld. No one in the Underworld can defy her, so be careful how you behave. Or you know, don’t say anything stupid, ’kay?”
Considering the cavalier manner in which the severed head always spoke, Glenn wasn’t sure how to react to such a warning.
She opened the gate, and they went in. As they did so, they were surrounded by an ambient buzzing, like the sound of many flying insects.
“Bzzzzz…”
“Buzzz… bzzz…”
A number of dark shadows appeared around them. These were small human-shaped beings, very much like fairies, but with dark bodies and heads shaped like houseflies. The sound was coming from their wings, which also resembled that of a fly.
They flew closer to Molly, still buzzing.
“Ergh, what are you?!” Cottingley said with disgust, perhaps feeling threatened by the fact that they were nearly the same size.
“Teehee, don’t be afraid. They may look scary, but they’re the messengers of the Underworld. Think of them like dark fairies, or… just servants of the Underworld. I mean, I’m a fairy too, so we’re the same. We just look different and do different jobs.”
“Err, fairies? I see. So, they must serve the Queen of the Underworld instead of the Fairy Queen.”
“Right, right. Don’t fight with them, Cotty.”
“Who said you could call me Cotty?! You need to learn some manners!” Cottingley screamed at Molly, unable to curb his anger.
Deeming him a danger, a dark fairy flew directly in front of Cottingley, and they proceeded to glare at each other. The dark fairy’s wings continued to buzz.
“Ugh, I told you guys not to fight,” Molly said as they arrived at the central castle.
“Molly,” Glenn called out as she started to enter the unguarded castle. “Uhh, you said that the Queen of the Underworld is sick. But what is she sick with?”
“It’ll be faster if you just see for yourself,” Molly answered.
“I understand. One more thing… You called me here to treat the Queen’s illness. Does that mean when I’m done, I will be allowed to return to the living realm?”
First-generation Molly was silent. That was when Glenn realized she’d made the decision to ask him to treat the Queen on her own. He’d been hoping he could go back once his task was complete, but it seemed it wouldn’t be that simple.
“I’ll tell you one important thing before you meet with the Queen,” Molly offered.
Glenn listened.
“First of all, it was the Queen who called you to the Underworld, not me. The Queen really hates you. She hates you so much she wants to kill you. So all I really did was use the Lord of the Underworld’s authority to bring your soul to the Underworld.”
“She…hates me?”
He had no memory of earning the ire of the Lord of the Underworld. He had never even met her.
While Glenn contemplated this, Molly continued. The head under her arm stared straight at Glenn.
“All I did was follow orders. Of course, I wasn’t lying when I said that I want you to cure her illness…but she doesn’t want you to.”
So, Glenn was right. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t treat her, of course. In the past, he had treated Tisalia at the request of Kay and Lorna, and Skadi at the request of Kunai. It wasn’t rare for someone other than the patient to request treatment.
“She is the Queen of the Underworld, after all. Everyone here is under her rule, ’kay? If you get on her bad side, she’ll destroy your soul. I’m sorry, but if you want to return to life, can you leave it to me?”
“You just say whatever’s convenient. We can’t trust you!” Cottingley said angrily as he returned to Glenn’s shoulder. Apparently, he and the dark fairy had concluded their feud.
“Yeah, I know.” Molly sighed, as if she had expected that answer. She turned her head around. Her countenance seemed lonely.
“I…will trust her,” Glenn decided.
“What?” Cottingley asked, surprised. Glenn disregarded him.
“Oh, are you sure? I probably shouldn’t be saying this about myself, but I am an exceptionally suspicious and mysterious young woman,” Molly warned.
“Yes, well, I’m not denying that,” Glenn assured her.
To be honest, he had no good reason to trust her. However…
“I’ve heard about you from people who knew you. Skadi, Kunai, Dr. Cthulhy…they all praised you. They said you were wonderful. So, for now, I will trust you,” he explained.
“I see…” the severed head answered without turning to look at him. He wasn’t sure what expression she wore. “Hehe, maybe that means this is one of my charms? In life I was so beautiful that I became so popular I was executed for being a witch…Teehee. Well, at least you know how sexy I am, Glenn.”
“No, that’s not what I—”
“How about I give you a smooch with my severed head to thank you?”
“My wives wouldn’t like that,” Glenn firmly declined. This was all happening before they’d officially gotten married, but he had a habit of referring to his fiancées as “wives.”
“Hmm? I like a faithful man. I’ll do what I can to avoid saying anything disadvantageous to you in front of the Queen of the Underworld.”
“What…” Cottingley was disgusted.
“I’m trying to tell you—” Glenn tried again to protest.
Just then, the door to the castle opened. The Dullahan still wasn’t letting them see her face. Glenn suddenly thought that the reason she was hiding her face but didn’t change the manner of her speech might be because her serious expression didn’t match her tone.
“Now shut up and try not to say anything dumb, okay?”
Glenn and the others followed Molly into the castle. The Underworld fairies were hard at work inside, flying around and carrying things much like the fairies in the clinic did.
They headed to the central part of the castle at the suggestion of one of the fairies. Finally, Molly opened one especially ornate door to reveal a dark throne on the other side of an expensive-looking carpet.
“So you’re back, Molly,” a woman said from the throne.
This was the throne room. Which meant the woman on the throne was none other than the Queen of the Underworld.
Glenn followed Molly’s lead and entered the room. While the air outside the castle had been muggy, this room was freezing cold.
Ohhh.
He moaned. The source of the cold air was in the center of the room. It was the Queen. In other words, she was losing more heat than any of them.
“Took you long enough,” the Queen said impatiently.
“Sooo sorry, Your Highness. My body got away from me, and these cuties over here had to save me. But I’ve brought them before you now. Here he is. The doctor of Lindworm, Glenn Litbeit.”
“Hmph.” The Queen of the Underworld stared silently at Glenn.
She had a strange look about her. At first glance, she looked human—or at least, something close to it. For some reason, however, her hair was asymmetrical, with only the right side grown out. Her bangs were also long, hiding the entire right side of her face all the way down to her neck. The skin of the exposed left side was pale—but not deathly pale, even though she was the Lord of the Underworld. Just white.
Her deep purple dress was asymmetrical too. Her right arm was covered with a long glove that hid every inch of skin, but the only adornment on her left was nail polish. Her right leg was hidden, with a long boot and high sock to further reduce its exposure. However, on the left side, she wore only a sandal with no sock.
Glenn found the asymmetrical fashion strange. The right side of her body was entirely cloaked, while the left side was entirely exposed. As a finishing touch, she was wearing a skull-shaped mask over her face and hair on the right side. Her left eye—the one not covered by her hair—glared at Glenn.
“So, you are the doctor,” she said.
“Yes, that’s right. And he came all the way here, like a good boy,” Molly answered.
“Fine, fine. I would expect him to obey my invitation—all living things die after all, sooner or later. I’m sure he knew it was futile to scream and cry,” said the Goddess of Death, stifling a chuckle. She rested her elbow on the throne without breaking her self-important stance.
Except for the strangely cold temperature of the room, nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary. There was a suffocating smell of flowers that didn’t seem to fit in the Underworld, though.
The scent of flowers is thick…but wait, this…
The perfume was mixed with another smell.
“Relax, Glenn—I don’t like formality. I am Queen of the Underworld, the goddess who controls the afterlife. As a god, I am a perfect being and therefore do not require a name…but if you find that unsettling, you can call me Queen Elle. Just make sure you use the proper title,” the Queen explained.
Glenn looked around. The cold air emanating from the Goddess of Death was abnormal. But that was all. He saw nothing else that made him think of death. Her style was unique, but overall, she looked like a normal, human woman.
“Queen Elle, you’re so cool.”
“Hehe, praise me more, Molly.”
“By the way, Queen Elle, Glenn says that he has nooo idea why in the Underworld you would call him down here. Please give him just a little bit of an explanation, won’t you?” Molly asked.
“You’re really not taking this seriously, are you?!” Elle raised her voice but made no move to discipline Molly. Instead, the Queen let out a sigh and just stared at Glenn.
Despite being one of Elle’s subjects, Molly seemed to have a friendly relationship with her.
“Hmm? Mmm? Hmmm?” Elle eyed Glenn. “You…there is something strange about you, yes?”
“Huh?” Glenn was confused.