The Goblin's Crown

Chapter Seven: Judas

An angry fist pounded against the door. "Open the door, Matilda!" Jasper shouted through it.

"What is this, Pole?" Another man asked gruffly.

I took a deep breath to steady myself before unbolting the lock and opening it. There my brother stood with another man beside him. The stranger was dressed finely in dark blue satin. A white frill of the highest fashion circled his face. He was wealthy, just as Jasper had promised, but he was far older than I'd hoped. There were little wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. His black hair was receding and was flecked with grey. He was trying to hide his hair loss beneath an elegantly plumed hat. "I'm sorry, Jasper. Lily went to help someone. I got scared."

"What happened to her face?" Asked the man, frowning.

"She fell. Do you want her or not?" Jasper huffed, holding out his hand. Waiting for something. Want her? I felt my insides cringe at those words. My eyes froze on Jasper's waiting hand and watered as the man set a full coin purse in his palm.

"Thank you." Jasper's fingers tightened around the heavy bag of coin. I watched him mutely as he tucked it into his coat. "Take as much time as you need. I'll keep watch out here and make sure no one disturbs you." He gave me one final glance. "Do as he says, Matilda." Calm and unfeeling, as if he'd just asked me to buy bread at the market.

The man pushed his way inside. I backed away from him, as far as possible. "Don't be running away from me now." The stranger said. He removed his hat and coat and tossed them onto the chair. "I've paid a lot of coin for you."

"I-I don't know what my brother has told you, but I'm not that sort of woman. I'm not for sale." I shuttered. My heart was beating so loudly I could barely hear my own voice.

"As if you have a choice. The matter's already been settled." He said. "Your brother has a nasty gambling habit, and he owes some dangerous people a lot of coin. I'm helping him, but I can't be expected to give him so much gold and get nothing in return, can I? Jasper tells me you're still pure. Is that true?"

I froze. His thick fingers slid down my throat to the strings that held the bodice of the dress closed. My mind was a jumble of horrible thoughts. That was where all those full coin purses were coming from. He'd hit a winning streak, but his luck had run out and now he'd sold me up the river to save his own hide. Judas!

"Please, stop." I moaned pitifully as I tried to push the man away. His mouth was on my skin, his teeth digging into the soft tissue of my breast. Tears blurred my vision and grief stole my strength. How could Jasper do this to me? He was my brother! My protector! He'd promised me that he'd look after me! That he'd find me a rich husband and see to it that I never went without! How long had he been lying to me? When did he stop caring about me?! Did he ever love me at all?!

I looked past the man to the shadow by the door. Knut was still there with my guards at his feet. Rage seemed to emanate from that spot. Though I couldn't see his face or eyes, I could feel him staring at me, seemingly frozen just as I was with shock and horror.

A chill went down my back as the man's hands roughly groped beneath my skirt, prying apart my thighs to touch where I'd never allowed anyone to before. "Help me!" I managed to finally scream and the sound of my voice jolted Knut from his frozen state into a furious rampage. My guards lunged forward. They leapt at the man, sinking their claws and sharp teeth into his body. They latched onto his legs, making him stumble and cry out in panic.

The door rattled, shaking as Jasper tried to get into the room. I did not recall the man locking the door. In fact, the board was not slid into place at all. As the man flailed, fighting invisible things biting his flesh, the goblins' master stalked out of the shadows, returning to his flesh and blood form. In his hand, he held a plain dagger, gold but void of jewels. I watched, frozen as Knut stuck the dagger into the man's throat and dragged it across, spraying blood across the room and drenching me with it. It splattered across my face, filling my mouth with its taste.

The man fell and Knut kept stabbing. The blade came down then up. Up and down. Up and down. Up. Down. I don't know how many times. He kept going until the man was nothing more than bloody, diced meat.

"Pull the thread, Matilda." Knut panted with exertion. His black eyes, full of malice and misty with bloodlust, slid towards me.

I wrapped my arms around myself, covering my bare skin. My eyes were frozen on the corpse and the little goblins still gnawing on him. "Were you going to let him do as he wished with me just to get what you want?" I hissed.

"No." Shame flooded his face. "I was sure you were going to pull the thread and then..." He squeezed his eyes shut as if doing so would undo the last minute of time. "I froze. I'm so sorry...are you hurt?" He asked, looking me over and wincing. "I will spend the rest of my life atoning for this. I promise you that."

I clenched my teeth. I didn't know how to answer him. I supposed I was physically okay. He'd stopped him before he could do more than touch, but I could still feel him all over me and it sickened me.

"Hurry. We don't have much time. Pull the thread." He said, rising from the bloody floor. His reedy voice was barely audible over Jasper's pounding at the door. "There's nothing left for you here. You see now what I was trying to protect you from. He's been planning this a long time, your brother."

"I am never going to pull the thread." I hissed through my chattering teeth. "Jasper is a snake, but the twins I'm sure played no part in this. As long as I have them, I have a reason to stay."

Knut glowered at me; his lips pulled sharply down. "Please, Matilda."

"You may not even become king! Your brother could kill you! Or your father! Then I'd be their wife instead of yours! If I survive that long! The future you promise isn't certain! I'm not throwing my life away and marrying a vicious creature for that!"

He stalked towards me. Blood dripped off his dagger. "I will be king. My brother is not goblin enough to be king. His heart's too soft. My father is past his prime. I'll kill him with ease. And you, my precious queen, will help me to obtain my crown. I need you. The goblin people need you."

"I said, no." I growled back in defiance, craning my neck to meet his eyes as I lifted my arm baring the red ribbon. "If you're going to force me then go ahead and pull it yourself. Show me how much better you are than the monster you just killed for me."