Re: Picture into story

[Herr D]

The Advisors’ Failure

King Yhgi’s forehead was dusk-pink, and his forehead vein was throbbing fast. The guards brought in his three advisors.
“Yes, sire?” they said as one.
“You three told me it would be fine to go to that ceremony last night. The chief saw me this morning. He said that MY WIFE WAS IN THAT TENT AND IS FURIOUS. Go look for yourselves.”
They went inside, and saw two boyish but beautiful identical women–one dressed as a Gintu scout, one dressed as a Gintu huntswoman–standing beside the king’s sleeping pallet.
“We’re dead,” said Benna.
Demma started talking to them in his best Gintu, but couldn’t get them to respond. “Silence or celibacy,” he muttered, “By their chief’s decree.” Higgu fainted. The guards came and took them directly to the king.
“This is not a problem!” blurted out Benna, “Tell the queen it’s a misunderstanding! None of them speak our language. Everything is fine! No one will know what you did, and we can kill them quietly–“
King Yhgi said, “Torture him to death.”
As Benna’s screams faded with distance, Demma said, “Sire! The ceremony isn’t binding!” King Yhgi looked at him, shocked. “No, sire–you are NOT married to–“
At a gesture from King Yhgi, a guard stabbed Demma in the liver, cut out his tongue, and led him away to die. Another guard doused Higgu with water. Higgu sputtered awake and staggered to his feet, seeing the king present and blood on the ground.
“I am VERY SORRY. I don’t know what happened. I saw them. I imagined the queen trying to kill you in your sleep, and the Gintu chief declaring war–not to mention stopping all trade forever. We can pretend that I slept there instead of you. A misunderstanding NOW is death.”
King Yhgi said, “You are sure?”
“Yes, sire.”
King Yhgi nodded and said, “Painless, then.” The guard closest to Higgu spun his axe, removing the upper two-thirds of Higgu’s skull almost silently. The king made a rapid set of orders, and was at the queen’s tent in a moment.
“My darling,” he said, “You were right. My advisors HAD been smoking the rock poppies. They sounded quite mad. None of them had ANY idea what was going on! My guards are looking for three SOBER sages now. Thirty servants are mixing thirty different shades of paint. With your guidance, if you will give it, one of those will be close enough. If we hurry, you can watch the samples dry. Then I can watch you work again, and they will be dry as dust by this evening. Don’t be angry, dear. I think you made both statues VERY lifelike!”