The Headless Princess - A Faerie Tale

"The Headless Princess"

by Jamie Agatha Rose

Princess Sienna was set to come of age in her preparations to become heir apparent to the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Serenabonia. Her father was the good King Reginald who was slowing in his age. He watched with pride as she prepared to take a worthy noble as a husband so to continue his legacy, but such events were not to come to pass. As she arrived at a secret liaison where she expected to meet a suitor who her father did not approve, she instead found him slaughtered by a demon, who raped and beat the princess. She crawled her way to the nearest road and was fortunate to be discovered by a passing patrol who rushed her to the safety of the castle.

Princess Sienna survived her wounds, but now carried a child within her. Months passed, her father grew more weary but Sienna remained strong. Soon she birthed the child, a baby girl, whom to the horror of the witnesses was born without a head and yet still lived. The baby cried out with an ethereal voice that echoed through the castle. The priest and the ministers quickly agreed that the baby was an abomination and must be destroyed. But the princess pulled a knife from the table and defended her child. "Demon or no" she cried, "I shall not kill my daughter! I carried this baby for months and felt only love from her." The clergy and ministers would have none of it and chased her from the castle.

The princess ran from the kingdom, with the baby in her arms and the royal guard in hot pursuit as ordered by the High Abbot. Fortunately for her and her child, she escaped. But the king died that night, and with the princess missing and deemed a heretic there was no one to succeed the throne. The kingdom fell into chaos as nobles, politicians and clergymen positioned themselves to take the throne by intrigue or force. In the end, after seventeen years of bloodshed, infighting and murder the son of a rival family, with the backing of the high abbot won out and was to be crowned the new king. But at his coronation, an uninvited guest appeared.

The sounds of combat rang through the courtyard as guards were cut down by the intruder the abbot ordered the doors to the castle sealed but it was of know use. The intruder kicked in the door to the throne room. All gasped in horror as they saw a warrior woman with no head on her shoudlers, but only wisps of spiritual energy rising from her neck.

The elite guards and musketeers gathered their courage to stop her, but their efforts were for naught. With her bladed polearm and dual pistols she struck them down with uncanny precision. As the guards fell and she approached the frightened nobility her voice echoed through the halls.

"I have come to take back what is rightfully mine! I am Desdemona, daughter of Sienna, granddaughter of Reginald and Lucinda. Though you chased my mother and I from this place, she raised me with love and kindness and those of The Bright Order who stand against injustice and evil, trained me to one day return and seize from you that which you have abused. The kingdom that my grandfather ruled with a fair and just hand. I have seen the  people of this land starve and suffer with no money or food as you of the nobility bicker and argue with only your own selfish desires in mind. For that reason I have come back to this place and punish those responsible for these crimes.

The nobles cowered in fear at the sight of her as she waved her pistols menacingly. The High Abbot however, glared in defiance at the creature. He responded boldly and with unquestionable contempt. "YOU ARE A DEMON CHILD! YOU HAVE NO PLACE IN THIS KINGDOM OF GOD!" Suddenly the Abbot froze in fear as he he was suddenly struck by her intangible eyes. Her ethereal stare piercing to the very center of his rotten soul.

"BLASPHEMER! SPEAK NOT TO ME OF DEMONS!" Her voiced echoed like thunder in the halls. "Though I am of demon blood, I am not an evil person like you. Not all demons are evil, though my father was very much evil. He was summoned to kill my mother, but instead simply beat and violated her. Then he escaped and raped and pillaged the valleys and lands until he came to see his daughter and I sent the perverted bastard back to hell." The Abbot froze as her "eyes" locks gaze with him again. Her voice boomed "AND THE ONE WHO SUMMONED HIM WAS YOU!!!"

"No, no! You lie abomination! You are hellspawn, you can't expect us to believe any of..." Suddenly the headless woman, holstered one of her pistols. And raised a signet ring for all to see.

"THIS IS MY PROOF!" Her voice rang out again. "THIS IS THE SIGNET OF SERENABONIA! THIS BELONGED TO MY MOTHER AND HER MOTHER BEFORE HER!" "You Abbot, colluded with the father of the man you are about to crown, to end my line and take the kingdom for yourself. Placing a puppet on the throne that you would control. But your "puppet" turned against you and you've fought a bloody war of intrigue for nearly two decades that was locked in stalemate until this vile brat poisoned his father to gain the throne through your hand." Her "eyes" caught the fearful king to be and he stammered to defend against the accusations."

"No. No, this is not true." he stuttered" I..I...know nothing of this. These are the falseho...ho...hoods! The ravings of a m.m..mad d.d.d..d..demon..."

A calm voice of a nun broke through the seen. "Wait." she pleaded as she approached the headless woman. She was calm and brave and met ethereal eyes of the accuser and felt no fear in her heart. She spoke softly.

"I know you. I know that you are Sienna's daughter. I was the midwife who helped to birth you, and I could feel the warmth of goodness and light within you even as others screamed in horror. I believe that what you say is true and that you have come back to help the people who are suffering. But these are great accusations you make of both these men. What proof have you of their crimes?"

Suddenly a raven perched upon the headless woman's shoulders. It spoke. "I am Damar the Wizard!" The nobles were shocked to hear that name. Damar was the court magician who served the royal family for nearly a century before he disappeared. "I have been imprisoned in this fool's manor for fourty years, ensorcelled as a raven. I can attest that all this woman says is true. The High Abbot has dabbled in the dark arts for many years. He created a pact with the demon who raped Desdemona's mother.  Desdemona banished that demon which the high abbot sent to finish the job upon learning she was still alive."

Hushed whispers passed through the halls, for all know that the king's most trusted mage would never lie about such a thing. The Abbot , furious at being exposed, raised his scepter in anger to strike the headless girl, but she grabbed quickly for her blade and split him twain with a single pass. The young noble quickly got up and ran fast from the door. Though fast he was, the bullet from Desdemona's pistol was faster. Catching him in the back of the head and killing him instantly. As the bodies were removed from the great hall. Desdemona walked to the throne and before she sat she looked over the confused and frightened crowd of nobles. Her voice floated through the great hall again. This time with measure and poise as she addressed them.

"I take this throne back, not for honor or lineage or vengeance. I take this throne back because I see what the loss of our line has wrought upon the people of this land. They grew poor and starved as the pettiness of the nobility ignored their needs." She placed her pistols in their holsters and sat crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap as she continued. "There is no further need for bloodshed, enough lives have been lost and ruined. I will punish no one else for these transgressions, but you will help me make amends to the people. For without them, we as rulers are nothing."

The nun approached her and took her hand. "Welcome home, Princess Desdemona." With that the nobility took knee in reverence. Regardless of Desdemona's appearance and demonic blood they knew that it was clearly divine right that had returned the royal line to them. Still one noble rose from his knew and indicated that he had a question.

"Forgive me, Princess." he asked, "but how shall we crown you if you've no head?"

The princess put a hand to the warm blue essence that slowly lifted from and then her ethereal voice broke out in joyous laughter. The laugh touched the others in the room and they began to chuckle as well. The question went unanswered amidst the outburst of laughter, for all knew that in truth, a crown does not a princess make.

And so it came to pass that the Desdemona the Headless Princess ruled with fair and wise hand. Surrounded by trusted advisors and nobles, she brought back prosperity to Serenabonia and was celerbrated by her people despite the wars and disasters and incidences that are sure to plague any country. One day she would take a husband and rule as Queen and her children would not have to share her demonic traits as the blood of her father thinned.

Centuries would pass and Desdemona's tale would become one of myth and legend. Many scholars disputed if the Headless Demon Princess was truly what the stories claimed. Some say she was a rebel who led a failed coup, and was put the block and beheaded. Her death causing an outrage that rose the peasantry to overthrow the royal family. Other's say she was the target of the coup, and the peasantry revolted out of loyalty. Still others believe that Desdemona was a cruel and unpopular ruler and that and she was beheaded by a revolt that labeled her a demon. Nothing is known for certain. Much of the records regarding Desdemona were destroyed in a fire, a fire some believe was set by the church to hide evidence of their own machinations.

Still, the descendants of the nun who birthed the Princess say the stories are true. That Desdemona walked with no head on her shoulders and singlehandedly stormed the castle to remove the corrupt nobles from power before ushering in an age of prosperity under her watch. They say that her spirit returns every now and then to check on her kingdom and assure it is still ruled with a fair and even hand. They say that perhaps you will see Desdemona, the Headless Queen walk the old castle halls in the moonlight. Perhaps she will stare into your soul with her ethereal eyes, to see if you are worthy of it.