Dance at The Kings

Based on the poem 'The Laboratory' by Robert Browning

"Better sit thus, and observe thy strange things,
Than go where men wait me and dance at the King's."
       - Robert Browning ' The Laboratory ' (1845)

 

I.                                  

“My darling Pauline,” Benedict sang as he located his beautiful Fiancé amongst the crowd gathered in the Kings luxurious Grand Ballroom.

“My darling, where have you been? The dance is about to begin?” Pauline beamed.

“I am sorry my love, duty calls even on evenings of supposed Celebration,” Benedict smiled and laid a chaste kiss on Pauline’s rosy cheek. Benedict, recently appointed a Great Officer of the Court of France, regarded his duties with the upmost importance but could not shake the slight guilt at having to abandon his beautiful Pauline at the most Grand of events.

“I shall endeavour to make it up to you my love,” Benedict grinned, “Come and dance with me.” With that he took Pauline’s delicate hand and the pair swirled and sashayed their way around the Grand Ballroom to the exquisite music that floated on the air.

As Benedict held Pauline in his arms and looked into her beautiful face, he could not think of any other place he would rather have been. Almost one year previous Pauline and her family had been called away from the Kingdom unsure if they would ever be able to return. Benedict had been heartbroken and had felt as if the hope had been taken from his future. Months after her departure, as he had begun to adjust to an existence without Pauline, her family had returned and upon the moment of hearing the news, Benedict had returned to his beloved and taken her back into his arms.

“Excuse me My Lord,” François, one of the elderly Butlers of the Court, mumbled as he lightly tapped Benedict on the shoulder, interrupting the dance.

“What is it?” Benedict snapped.

“Apologise for the interruption to your evening, but an urgent message has been delivered for you,” François mumbled.

Benedict sighed; he did not want to handle Court business anymore on this celebratory evening.

“It is alright my love,” Pauline uttered sweetly, “I was beginning to tire from the dancing. I can see Marguerite on the patio, I shall keep her company. You go and see to your duties.”

In that moment Benedict could not help but fall in love with Pauline all over again. Her patience and understanding were nothing short of saintly.

“You are a wonderful woman,” Benedict said and kissed her sweetly, “I shall hasten to return.”

Benedict kissed her once more and then turned to follow François. The Butler led the way, through the imposing corridors, lined with filigree and the most exquisite of oil paintings, into a small study where the majority of the Court members conducted their business.

“Well, what is this message?” Benedict asked as François closed the door.

“It is there, on the desk, I thought it better you receive it in private,” François mumbled with a slight sound of concern in his voice. 

Benedict turned to the ornate wooden desk that inhabited the centre of the room. Upon it lay a single white piece of parchment. No seal, just folded once to conceal the message. Benedict picked up the parchment, unfolded it and read the message.

Once he had read the final word a torrent of fear, anger and disdain began to course through his veins.

II.

“Which is the poison to poison her?” Seraphine chirped as her eyes danced around the dank and dark Laboratory, studying the hypnotic glow of the potion vials that lined the stone walls.

In the depths of the Devils Smithy, Seraphine had sought the assistance of a kindly Alchemist. The events that had ensued over the past month had been too much to bear and left Seraphine with no other choice.

At that very moment The Kings palace was filled with merriment. In their finest apparel, gorging on the finest of food and dancing to the finest of music, the men and women of the Kingdom wallowed in the extravagance of The Kings hospitality under the laws of the Ancien Regimé. Among the merriment there would be The Kings Men and Women, the Politicians of the Court, the Butlers, Maids… and Benedict. Sweet and loving Benedict. Seraphine should be standing in amongst the finery, in her most beautiful ball gown, proudly displayed on the arm of Benedict; her one true love.

Benedict’s love for Seraphine was destroyed when his estranged Fiancé, the small and stout Pauline had made an unexpected return one month prior. The moment Benedict had learned of Pauline’s return he had told Seraphine that ‘his heart had only ever belonged to Pauline’ and swiftly ran back into her arms.

    “He is with her, and they know that I know where they are, what they do,” Seraphine mused as she watched The Alchemist at work. “They believe my tears flow while they laugh, laugh at me. They think I have fled to the drear empty church, to pray to God,” she turned to The Alchemist, “But I am here,” she smiled.

Seraphine knew Benedict loved her, more than he loved Pauline. The six months they had courted before Pauline’s return had been too wonderful to be a lie. But Pauline had ensnared him upon her return. It was a well-known whisper that Pauline may have consorted in the Dark Arts as several members of her family had. She must have summoned some spell to snatch Benedict away from Seraphine and bind him to her forever.

Seraphine wished to see that Pauline suffered for her misgivings.

 “It is remarkable, you can create such potions to allow one to carry pure death in a signet ring,” she pondered as she fumbled with the ring which she had chosen to be her deadly vessel.  

“It is nothing, My Lady. A service to those who seek justice,” the elderly Alchemist grumbled.

“Soon, at the King's, a mere lozenge to give and Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live,” Seraphine sang.

“I must ask my lady, do you not act in haste?” The Alchemist grunted.  

“Haste? No. Pauline has been a constant thorn in my side for years now,” Seraphine squealed. “It is time that her head and her breast and her arms and her hands, should drop dead!”

III.

The ornate bedroom was buried in darkness, not a candle or lamp lit. As Benedict entered further into the bedroom, his hand roamed the darkness for anything with which to defend himself. Suddenly, on the far side of the bedroom, a curtain opened, allowing the moonlight to pour in through the paned glass.

Benedict could see a figure in the shadows.

“What do you want?” he hissed.  

The message which had led Benedict to this disused part of the Palace had infuriated him. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have brushed the message aside. But these were not ordinary circumstances.

“What are you doing here? You were exiled from the palace."

“Hush my love," a sickening voice cooed from the darkness, "that was merely a misunderstanding. I am here to release you from that witches grasp. I am here to set you free-”

“You are a mad woman! Was it not enough that your manic behaviour caused your dismissal from your duties?!” Benedict yelled. Seraphine, a maid whom Benedict had courted in Pauline’s absence had been sent away from the palace a month ago as her fixation with Benedict had caused her to behave erratically.  

“My behaviour was just! As a member of the Court, Pauline should not be consorting in the Dark Arts, I had to discover the truth to protect not only you but-”

“How many times! Pauline does not consort with the Dark Arts, she had to leave because her Grandfather took ill! And before you insinuate it, she did not cast some spell over me! I am marrying her because I love her! I never loved you!”

Seraphine slowly stepped into the moonlight, the rays casting shadows over her sharp features. “Then answer me this,” she said in a deadly whisper, “why did you pursue me, court me for six months? You cannot tell me that time we shared together was a lie?”

Benedict sighed. “Answer me this. In those six months, did I ever, even once, tell you I loved you? Did I? No. So that is delusion on your part-”

“You kissed me,” she blurted, “many times. You held me. That is not delusion.”

“No, you are right,” he sighed accepting his mistake and trying to soothe Seraphine. “Now I feel I should not have done so, I feel I was merely seeking comfort for my broken heart. I apologise if my actions have caused you any confusion, but I do not love you Seraphine and I have never said anything to the contrary.”

After a moments deathly silence, Seraphine whispered, “But you could.”

“What?”

“You could love me,” she repeated manically and reached out towards Benedict, “Come with me know. I have no place here anymore and I am leaving for the coast. Come with me and we can start a new life together.”

“Stay away from me,” Benedict shouted, throwing Seraphine away from him and onto the grand bed. “Have you not listened to a word I have said? You must leave. I will give you thirty minutes then I will inform the Guards to sweep the grounds and if they find you they will punish you. Now leave and never come back.”

As Benedict left the bedroom he could have sworn her heard Seraphine utter, “So be it. You had your chance,” but he was too enraged to speak with her ever again. He needed to return to the Ballroom and wash his hands of her madness forever.

 

IV.

            The rest of the evening flowed with a sublime beauty. All the Kings men and women danced and drank without a care in the world. Thirty minutes after his return to the Ball, Benedict sent the Guards to sweep the grounds and ensure Seraphine had taken his threat seriously. The Chief Guard had returned and informed Benedict that there was no sign of Seraphine.

After that, Benedict had sought to enjoy the rest of the evening.

As the final notes of jubilant music played, the men and women of the court began to say their goodnights and slowly retire for the evening.

“Come Pauline, let us go,” Benedict said softly as he re-joined Pauline at their table.

“Of course my love, let me finish this drink,” Pauline took the final sips of her wine. Benedict said his goodbyes to the other members of the Court as Pauline rose from her seat and began to leave the Ballroom.

As the crowd filtered out of the Ballroom, Pauline slowed and came to a complete stop in the middle of the dance floor.

Benedict turned to face her, “Pauline are you alright?”

As he looked into her face, she did not speak but her eyes were full of panic. Suddenly her hand went to her throat as she tried to speak.

Panic consumed Benedict as he called for someone to give Pauline a glass of water.

Tears broke from Pauline’s eyes as she manically grabbed at her throat and then Benedict for support. A glass of water appeared at Benedict’s side and he held up the cup to Pauline, but she could not drink it through her struggle.

Suddenly she fell to the ground and continued to gasp for breath.

“Somebody help us!” Benedict yelled and a crowd formed around the desperate couple. Butlers and Maids attempted to attend to Pauline as Benedict rose to give them access.

Benedict turned to ask the bystanders to leave, but all he saw was Seraphine, with an evil smirk, slithering amongst the crowd clutching the garish signet ring that adorned her finger. 

 

V.

Seraphine had done it and she looked on with glee as indeed, Pauline’s head and her breast and her hands did drop dead.

Author's Note

The Laboratory by Robert Browning (1845) is one of my favortite poems. It has an addictive and twisted story line, therefore i thoguht it would make a great short story. I wanted to explore what happens before and after the poem. I have also taken some of the lines of the poem and tried to insert them into the prose. Anyway thoughts please.

Reviews

[bookworm0812]

This was an incredible story! I haven't read the poem that it is attached to, but oh my god, I think I will, since I read this and it was so good! I am really happy that I read it. It was very entertaining, and I found myself adoring all the characters, even though there was only a limited amount of their presence, as this was a short story. As well, I found that described the story line well, and filled the reader in on what had happened before this story occurred quite nicely. I wasn't confused about anything and I understood everything fairly well. I don't know who I enjoyed more, Seraphine or Pauline...I always have such insane infatuation with the evil characters, and her motive was simple enough, but cause for a lot of rage, and it worked really well in the fact that there was so much emotion pushed behind one action, and she never faltered. She knew what she wanted, and went after it. She tried to be gentle and compassionate and take her beloved with her, but realized it wasn't happening and stopped clinging, and killed his beloved for smashing her heart into broken pieces.

I noticed a few grammar and spelling mistakes, but they weren't atrocious, and they didn't distract from the plot too much. I'm not the type of person to point out all the mistakes individually, and I'm sure as the author you know there were some mistakes somewhere and could pick them out yourself, so I'm not going to draw attention to it all. Thank you for the incredible story, and I look forward to reading more of your writing in the very near future.

[MoriartyMesa]

My mind thinks to many a great war or service of a King. A young Buck or Blade to take up service when the brass horn is called, but to know the love, the loss, emotion and thought, is more than what could Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George".



And by Gods you caught it.

[Sheik]

It's fine. I prefer original work.

[G!o]

Correction first:
-Third scene...on the third last paragraph, i guess you meant "now" instead of "come with me know"...
-last paragraph same scene "he heard her" instead of "her heard her"
-first paragraph scene four "without a care in the world" instead of "word"
Okay i read this from the blog but somehow i reread it here again. Lovely as always Hester. What happens next?

[Kyle Sky]

Wow. This is really good. I love how the plot grew and how the perspective gave enough details for the reader to want to keep reading. I've never read "The Laboratory" but now I am motivated to read it. great piece.

[Author Rucha Joshi]

This is classic! Awesome! xo

[Ana Drake]

Love it, I'm obsessed with historical romances and this is a great one. If only you would've made it into a novel :'(

[Lina Grey]

Not what I expected after reading the title, but so very enthralling that I couldn't stop reading till the end. Brilliant job. I love the personalities and the switched perspectives, the development of the plot. The ending was like a stone dropping to the stomach, a sure sign against the whole idea of "love triumphs evil", a twist on the very idea of it, as love was evil. I haven't ever read The Laboratory, but now I think I'm going to have to!

[Felicity's Eve]

I feel honored to be the first to review this. ^^

Yet sad because it deserves some amazing reviews. :(

And this IS amazing! The story-line and the personalities of the characters are so vibrant!

You have taken a theme used many a time, and turned it into something very original, in my opinion! :)