“Speak deferentially, listen respectfully, follow his command and accord with him in everything. He will never imagine you might be in conflict with him. Our treacherous measures will then be settled.”– Tai Kung, “Six Secret Teachings” (ca. 4th Century BCE)
here is nothing more deadly in the world than the female of the species. By that I must clarify; there is nothing more deadly in the world than the female of any given species. I cite the examples of the black widow spider, who mates and then kills, the lioness, who is far more tenacious and cunning than male lions are. By her, the pride lives, without her they will starve. Just try to put yourself between any mother, whether or human or animal and her child, and you will know a fury as no other.
But I digress…the subject is about revenge is it it not? Unfortunately, on this subject I have a great deal of experience. Taking the time to render vengeance upon those who have wronged you is an art form. And it is one art form that I excel at and I take a perverse amount of pleasure in.
The first incident of revenge in my life I exacted upon Morgienne, the High Lady of the Fortunate Island and my foster-mother for the murder of my true mother. The poison that I gave her was intended to be extend her pain and suffering. How delightful it was for me that the poison rendered her speechless. It only took her to look into my eyes to know that it was I who had set upon her demise. I was her most trusted protege’, her foster daughter, I was raised as her own. When I ordered the other women away so that I alone would see to her personally, she knew. In quiet moments where she dangled between painful sleep and wakefulness I tormented her mercilessly. She would die in a matter of days, her end would not be a peaceful one. When tears slid from her eyes down her cheek, when she was gurgling and unable to move, my heart rejoiced. When the priests at last declared her dead, I fought down the rising tide of laughter that rose from the very depths of me. At last my mother was avenged.
Only moments after I watched her life ebb from her eyes, I declared myself High Lady of the Fortunate Island and ceded to myself all land and authority thereof. I felt exhilaration when my sister priestesses eyed me nervously, wondering if they were next. And even as I watched Morginenne’s funeral pyre burn in the Temple courtyard, at the very same moment her name was being stricken from all monuments and and all records that bore her name. Before she died I made certain that she knew that her poisoning at my hand was not to be her first death, but rather that I had this second death in mind for her. To our people, there is nothing worse for anyone than to die a second time. This means that you are not to be remembered or if you are remembered, those memories are tainted with both revulsion and hatred. Other than myself in quiet moments, she is never spoken of not even in hushed tones. I insured that she was both of these things, for I had consigned her existence, her very soul into oblivion.
It was, by my judgement, a fitting end for her and a suitable beginning to that which I have become.
Muse: Fanny Fae
Fandom: Original Character / Folklore / Mythology
Word Count: 564 (does not include quotation)
Crosspoted to
Life Belongs to Sekhmet 
this is an aside, and I apologise, but your opening paragraph of
the viciousness of nature between the sexes made me think.
There is an animal in our Antipodean land, the antechinus – a rodent, which is an excellent example of death and sexuality.
The male and female mate so viciously,
so brutally,
that the male nearly always dies
of stress related injuries.
He does not survive more than about four days after their encounter.
The female lives long enough to birth her offspring, and then often expires too.
I’ve killed to avenge someone and make certain the blood debt was repaid, and I took great pleasure in it. For some reason, many that I’ve spoken with don’t understand this, or the need for it.
I commend you, Faelyn.
I am sure that your foster was not the last person to wrong you in your life, but have any since her incurred your wrath this way?
Oh, yes. There was Douglas, whom I let sink with his ship into the ocean. Actualy, I helped effect his ship going *down* in the ocean in the first place. He really should never have bought that barely-ripened girl off the slaveblock in Tortuga. Then there was Prince Itet – who thought that he might like to have my Island. *clucks softly* Sorry to say, he lost his head. And it looked so very lovely mounted on the city gates, it took a great deal of convincing to get me to take it down after a number of years.
There were other minor players that have gottne smaller bits of revenge but those stick out the most.
I notice that these later additions to your List of Scorned are male. Besides your late foster mother, have there been any of your equal kin that have been able to challenge you?
Do they need to be female just so as to even it out? *grins* I don’t know any of my other kin, other than my Father. He has been conspicuously absent. I do have cousins and the like, but not much interaction with them….yet.
I was just curious if there were anyone else who… Now don’t get me wrong, Fanny, you are a truly unique woman and there can be done like you, but I was curious to the nature of the rest of your family tree… Whether it had lead to others with strengths similar to yours.
*small smile* Funny you should ask that of me. There is a small matter which I want to discuss with you about that particular subject.