The Curse of the Cobra King

Flashback

Once upon a time.....

There was a Mayan King who went by the name King Tadeas. He ruled over his people who were tucked into the Amazon Rainforest. They lived in harmony and away from other tribes. However, it was simply not harmony as it was perceived to be. The young king was selfish, arrogant, and disrespectful. He sat on his throne annoyed at every little thing that went wrong. It was the late afternoon, and servants approached him with gifts and food. He saw the grapes in the bowl and shoved it away. "Away with that! I do not wish to eat those horrid items!" He growled as the servant backed away scared. "G-Great One.....I have given you a gift." One of the female servants said as she gave him a tribal necklace in her hand. Her hands were shaking from nerves, and the king glared at her. He snatched it from her small hands and looked at it. Everyone else in the temple's throne room watched him carefully, including the high Scholars. They were the ones right below the young king, and the ones who were in charge of the politics of the tribe. They had their arms crossed and stared at the male who was observing the necklace.

"You call this.....a gift?" He asked slowly as he looked into the servants' eyes. "A gift...." He mumbled as he calmly looked at it. He then ripped it apart, the beads shattering onto the ground. He threw it back into her face. "There is your gift." He said. "Now away with you." He shooed gets away as the 5 high scholars had enough. They all walked up to him in a line and the king groaned. "What is it now?" He asked as they looked at each other. "We are granting you a feast in your honor later tonight." They all spoke as he smirked. "Of course. After all, I am the ruler and thus it should be in my honor. No one else's!" He said as the men nodded and turned away. They would leave him alone, for now.

Night arrived, and the king was eating his plate cheerfully. The five scholars were sitting at the table, eating as well. Little did the ignorant king know, but his life would change forever. The doors to the dining room opened loudly and some of the torches blew out, leaving the room more dim. A woman stood there, wearing a tatted black dress with skulls on her hips and around her neck. She had black dreadlocks and tan skin. Her eyes were a hazel gold and she walked with a limp. She looked disturbing, and the king stood up quickly. "Get this woman out of my dining hall this instant!" He yelled at the scholars who remained sitting and did nothing. The woman looked at him with a strange tilt of the head, and she came closer and closer to the frightened king. "Get away!" He ordered as she chuckled. "So.....this is King Tadeas....not much to the eye." She spoke in a raspy voice as he frowned at her. "Y-Your tongue shall be cut for that!" He pointed to her. "Ah, Ah, Ah....you are one to speak about the tongue. Your tongue has hurt others around you, and your arrogance has hurt your people. I have come to give you a warning. One to show you the error of your ways." She said as the man laughed. "Alright, woman, give me your warning. But make it quick. I have dinner to get back to, and you are not worth my time." He said firmly as she took out some sort of rock. It was smooth and flat, and it had some sort of engraving on it. The scholars stood up gently and started to move out of the room. It was as if something was to happen.

She then started to chant ancient words, and the rock started to glow. The remaining torches blew out and the wind started to get violent and aggressive, blowing the table and chairs around the room. The food fell to the ground, the wooden plates crashing loudly as the king tried to stay on his feet. "Your heart had been corrupted......selfishness, arrogance, lack of compassion, and love. If you can learn to love another and earn her love in return, then the curse shall be broken. If not, you will be doomed to remain a beast for all time." She cursed him as invisible hands grabbed at his skin as he screamed loudly. "You wish to bite at others as you are above them......now, I curse you......curse you to become a cobra!" She yelled as the hands broke into his skin, revealing snake scales. He screamed even louder as he was beginning his transformation. His eyes turned slit and fangs grew of his mouth. He grew taller as his legs gave way to make a large tail, and two extra arms grew out of him. He was now a monster and he hissed and roared as he held his head and had to accept his fate in the dark. The voodoo priestess disappeared as he was all alone in the room.

Unable to lead his people, he locked himself into the throne room. Doomed with immortality, he watched as his kingdom went into ruins. This exposed them to predators in the jungle around them and destroyed them. He sat on his throne in anger and rage, knowing his consequences. All he had was his treasure that he kept from everyone else, and the ruined temple. As time passed, he fell into great despair and became hopeless. For who could ever learn and love......a beast?