The True Story of Macbeth

    The first clue was found in the abandoned royal castle.
    Elizabeth hobbled down the dusty old castle hallway barely maintaining her balance while holding a giant portrait she had taken from the wall there.  She gently laid it on the ground next to seven other portraits, all of the same woman.  Her mother.
    Elizabeth was told the day she was born was the day her mother died.  She later was told that the day her mother died the king declared that this castle be destroyed and a new one built.  Yet, the castle still stands.
    Dust blew in the morning sunlight that glimmered over the collection of her mother's portraits.  Each one was just of her mother alone, young and beautiful.  Strangely, none of them had pictures of her father and at the other castle the royal hall only had pictures of her father and herself.  This was the first time she had ever seen her mother
    It was as if her father had tried to remove her existence completely.
    What if she didn't just die, she thought, what if she was murdered?  By whom?
    A shuffling sound came from outside and the sun turned into a shadow briefly, as if someone had looked in the window the light came from.  Elizabeth silently retreated down the hall and deeper into the castle.  The design of the castle was identical to the one she grew up in.  She knew all the best places to hide and how to escape quickly if she needed to.
    Turning sternly down a hallway she paused at a room that appeared to have had the door ripped off violently.  The room currently wasn't a room as it had been demolished.  Sunlight poured in from here and only bricks and wood were scattered about inside, but this wasn't what caught her attention.
    This room didn't exist in the castle she grew up in.
    As she moved one foot to enter this doorway she heard a horse snort.  She took her foot back and moved out of the sun.  She slowly walked to another window and looked outside where she saw a horse tied to a tree.  There was no rider.
    Elizabeth drew up against the wall flat as she could, but as she did she heard a man clear his throat.  He was in the room with her.  He had been watching her this entire time.  He was standing in a dark corner, just a slight suggestion of his silhouette could be seen.

    The king was short for a king.  He was small in general, but wore thick boots to make himself stand above the rest.  Standing upon the staircase that led to his throne he looked like a giant.  Below him a man was bowed on one knee and Elizabeth was standing behind him.
    "Sire", the man said.
    "You may go," The king's kind, but orderly voice, said.
    As the man left the room he gave Elizabeth a look as if asking her to not make him waste his time looking for her again.  She simply ignored him and sat on the base of the stairs in an rather commoner style.
    "I told you to not be so obvious," The king said as he tried his hardest to not trip down the stairs in his big boots.  He slipped on the last step and unintentionally sat next to his daughter.
    "Why can't you just tell me the truth."  She said as he groaned.
    The king sighed as he tried to stand again, but couldn't.
    "I told you, you will understand after you learn the truth."  He paused after giving up his struggle to stand and dug through his thick orange beard as if irritated by it.  His dark eyes looked over at his daughter.  "You were at the old castle.  Did you learn anything?"
    "Maybe,"  She said while looking at him, "Can you at least tell me why-"
    The king put his hand over her mouth.
    "The rule."  He said firmly.
    Elizabeth gave the room a look of disbelief that could make the stones agree that the situation was too much.  "You aren't making this easy,"  She said while facing away from him, "Perhaps you had mother killed and you're planning to kill me once I find out the truth.  Is this some kind of justification?"
    The king ground his teeth and let out a burst of frustrated air.
    With hushed words he spat out "Finish your quest, and don't get caught this time!"
    Elizabeth snapped up from her seated position and walked into the hallway.  She stopped at the flat wall just there in the hallway.  She turned around and shot her father a mean look and looked back at the wall then walked out of sight.
    The king shook his head thinking she was being short with him, but then realized what she had done.  He smiled and laughed, then summoned his servants to help him up.

    The next clue had Elizabeth walking up and down the familiar hallways of her own castle in the dark.
    The smells of burning candles were starting to blow away as the air grew cooler and the hallways slowly became darker.  She couldn't be completely silent as she walked through the empty halls.  She walked to a window and drew a rolled up piece of paper from her dress.  She looked at it hard in the faint night light.  It was a drawing she had made of the areas where the room should have been, but there was no door.  There was plenty of space for a room to be there, but no way in.
    She had checked every side of this area except one, the wall inside her father's chamber.  Elizabeth's face lit up at this idea.  This is it, she thought and decided to wait until morning.

***

    As the king jogged out of his room cheerfully making "hup" noises he waved to his daughter in the hallway and went on his daily romp around the outskirts of the castle.  A large group of his men followed behind him as he passed.
    Elizabeth watched them as they all disappeared outside and she quickly slipped into her father's room. There she found the giant bed she had known from her childhood.  She passed the huge balcony her father used to survey his kingdom, but ignored it and focused on a particular wall that was covered by a huge bookcase.
    She made a weak little noise.
    The wood on this bookcase was thicker than her entire arm's length and so solid she couldn't even hear herself knocking on it.  She felt the solid form and found no grips for moving it.  She ran up and down the rows of books, gently moving each and looking behind each book to see what was behind it and only found the back of the bookcase.  After she finished the lower shelves she went to move the movable staircase to the bookshelf when she noticed that the staircase was against a small curtain on the wall.  She gave a small bit of effort to moving them, but looked up at the oddly placed curtain.
    She climbed the stairs where they were and moved the curtain to the side and gasped as she found a door sized window there.  She stepped into a dimly lit room filled with the smell of perfumes and flowers.  It was a woman's room, filled with a huge bed and more pillows than she had ever seen in her entire life.  There was a huge open closet filled with old dresses, mostly in ruin and opposite of this the wall was nothing but a huge mirror.  In the reflection she noticed a bare window to which she looked out.  She saw the king and his men were just now exiting the front of the castle.
    Excitement flew through her blood as she looked around the room she had found. This was her mother's room?  Or some other woman's secret room?  What was her father hiding?
    She sat on the edge of the bed deep in thought.
    What did her father want her to find out about her mother?
    Looking around further she noticed there was a wooden shelf against the big mirror.  It was covered in the perfume bottles she was smelling.  They were all sealed and none were leaking and yet the smell was so strong... On the floor below she noticed a folded piece of paper.  She picked it up and unfolded it.
    Her mouth and nose twitched with curiosity at what she read.

***

    "Berlinda Crow?"  A man repeated.  He wiped dirt from his eyelids and tried to carefully examine the woman asking him this question.  He glanced over at the others working in the field with him.  "Hey, anyone here know where ole Berly the witch lives?"  he called out.
    Several moans and curses came across the field and a few shot Elizabeth ugly looks.
    "Yeah,"  a voice came out, "That ole hag is out in the valley forest.  Don't mess with her if you know what's good for you."
    Elizabeth thanked them and walked back through the tall grass to the muddy road.  Three people knew about this woman and they all refused to give her any information, but now she knew where to go.
    She looked and saw the sun was starting to set.  She had been in the village all day, surely someone back at the castle would be wondering where she was and she might be forbidden to leave the castle again if they found out where their precious princess went.
    She quickly ran back the direction she had come from and into a deep forbidding shadow cast at the forest covered mountain.  A tingle of fear ran through her bones as the same cold wind that blew through the castle late at night met her in this shadow.  It was as if finding the place where darkness lived.

***

    Hours passed and it was so dark she could not tell if she was still on the path to the valley or wandering aimlessly.  Suddenly an old woman called out.
    "Who goes there?"
    Elizabeth's heart raced as the voice startled her.
    "Are you Berlinda?"  She said firmly into the darkness.
    A small laugh came from the darkness.  "So you're the one."  The old voice crackled, "I hate attention, everyone in the village told me some young woman was asking about me."  There was a pause and the sound of footsteps came closer to Elizabeth, suddenly the air smelled like overcooked beans and something that had died long ago.
    "Well," came a humid whisper in Elizabeth's ear that set her goosebumps on fire,  "ya found me."

    Elizabeth's mother lived the life of a witch on the outskirts of town, or so she was thinking.
    Berlinda pulled her further into the woods and to a small fire next to a small worn tent.  In the light she suddenly saw the ugly face of Berlinda.  She was covered in warts with hairs, she was licking her lips randomly and the shadows cast by the fire seemed to show insects were crawling all over her.
    The old woman let out a crazy crackle of a laugh.
    "You're every bit as pretty as they say."  She said.
    "This is why my father was hiding you from me?  Is he ashamed of you?"
    The old woman laughed again.
    "My dear, you think I'm your ma?"  She laughed harder, "What old fool told you that?  Someone from the village?  Tell me who, we'll put a curse on him just fer fun."
    Elizabeth looked at the woman closely, she didn't look like the woman in the portraits and she seemed too old and haggard.
    "I want to know about my mother, she died when I was born."
    The old woman fiddled with a pot on the fire and smelled the contents.
    "I'm an old lady, I've done a lot of things, seen a lot of things.  She must be important for ya to come all the way out here?  What village ya come from?  You're not from around here."
    Elizabeth watched as the old woman turned towards her and licked her lips once.
    "Actually," Elizabeth said, "I'm from the castle.  My father is the king of this land."
    The old woman's eyes grew large for a moment then shrank until they were hard to see around the wrinkles.
    "Ah, so it's the child from that night.  You came to me?  Of all people?"  The woman set out a fading laugh then quickly turned to Elizabeth with her arms up, "You should have listen to the warnings!"  She yelled.  "I'm not a good person," She added, "Not good at all."
    Elizabeth wanted to run away, but she was closer now to ending her father's strange request.  There had to be something to all this.
    "What happened to my mother the night I was born?"
    The old woman stared her in the eyes.
    "No one told you?"
    "No."
    "The truth, is it?  You want to know the truth?  What happened on that horrible night?"
    "Yes."
    "Nothing happened to your mother."  The old woman answered.  "She never died, she's alive and well.  The night you were born she came to me."  There was a long pause, "That is all."
    "But, where is she then?"  Elizabeth pleaded.
    "Look, child, when someone comes to me there's a reason.  They want something done that doesn't happen naturally.  Didn't those fools in the village tell you that much?  Your mother wanted to follow the laws of the land, but to do so she disobeyed the laws of nature, and there was a price to pay.  Now leave me.  That's your only answer."
    "That's answers nothing," Elizabeth said boldly, "You only give me more questions, what law of nature?  What law of the land?"
    Thunder rumbled in the distance as if in response to the boiling rage inside the old woman.
    "Listen young child, there are things in this world you're better off not knowing."  She grumbled.
    "I want to know these things!"  Elizabeth yelled at the woman.
    A blast of wind shot across them, the fire danced wildly.
    "Oh you do?"  The old woman said, her words sparked with anger, "Then so be it!  Tomorrow morning when you wake all will be revealed to you.  The kingdom shall suffer a great loss because of you.  Your father as you know him will be dead!"
    "What?"  Elizabeth uttered.
    "Too late!"  The old woman's hair shot up in the air wildly.  A bolt of lightning flew down to her body and she screamed with laughter.
    "Don't hurt my father!" She yelled as the old woman lifted her fingers towards her.
    "Oh, I won't!  That's a promise!"  She yelled and lightning shot from her fingers into Elizabeth.
    Elizabeth's vision went white, then into the darkest darkness she ever saw, then into nothing.

***

    When she woke all she heard were the words, "Sir, wake up.  Glorious news!"
    Elizabeth was pulled up from the ground.  Her body felt numb and distant.  Villagers were everywhere cheering and walking towards the castle.
    "What's going on?"  Came a strange voice.
    Elizabeth looked around to see who said the exact words she meant to ask.
    "The queen has returned!" Said a dancing man, "We were all told she died when the princess was born, but now she has returned to us!  Our beloved queen!"
    She stood on her own two feet as the others ran off up ahead.  Something really felt strange about her body, something the old woman did?  Or was it that lightning?
    She looked in a puddle and saw a man looking at her from in front of her.  She jumped back and realized no one was standing next to her.  She looked into the water again and he looked right back at her doing everything she did.  She put her hand on her face and so did he.
    "Who are you?"  Came a man's voice.
    "Why are you doing this to me?" Came the same man's voice.
    Elizabeth touched her lips and spoke again, it was her own voice.  Suddenly two soldiers came up beside her, she saw them in the reflection with the man.
    "Hey," One said, "This is a strange question, but by chance do you think your name is Elizabeth?"
    "And, are you confused?"  The other man added.
    Elizabeth turned toward them.  She nodded slowly.

    The two men guided her to the king's chambers telling 'him' this was at the queen's request.
    The queen walked down the hallway with the man who had found her in the other castle a few days ago.
    "Yes, I tell you he was my jealous brother and when I returned he fled the country.  And the night the king died he sent me to another land, far away."  The queen said.  Her voice was soft, yet familiar.
    The man looked in at Elizabeth and back at the queen, "Who's he then?"
    The queen looked in the chamber at Elizabeth and grinned.
    "Why, that's my son, Macbeth."
    "What?" Elizabeth said in an effort to take in all the craziness that witch must have created for her.
    "Excuse me," the queen said, "I must speak with my son in private."
    The man had a distraught look on his face as the queen shut him out on the other side of the room.
    The queen laughed with a high pitch.
    "Good job, Elizabeth!"  She shrilled.
    "I'm confused, what's going on?  You're my mother?  And where's father?  Why am I a boy? And what about your brother and son?"
    The queen grinned and took Elizabeth's hand, "Okay, I've spent a lot of time thinking this through and I'm going to go slowly, but I didn't die when you were born.  That was a lie and I'm sorry for it."  She paused as she saw Elizabeth's face contort with more questions, "Your father was the one who died.  He was killed by my brother when you were born, my brother killed him because you were a male child.  He wanted to be king, you see?"  Elizabeth made the same face again. "When you were born and your father was killed I escaped to find Berlinda and asked her to turn me into a man so I could pose as my brother and be the king."
    "And made me a boy?"  Elizabeth squeaked out quickly as possible.
    "Well, Berlinda did that, because she knew only a man could take the throne.  This was her price for letting me rule the kingdom as a man.  She turned you into a female so you could never be king because of me."
    The two looked at each other silently, the queen was smiling happily while Elizabeth frowned deeply.
    "Well, anymore questions?"  The queen asked.
    Elizabeth blinked softly.
    "What happens now?" He asked.
    "Ah, don't worry, I have it all planned out."  The queen winked at him, "You're my son, Macbeth.  We were banished to another country and now you get to become king since my alleged brother fled the country when I returned.  He was afraid you were out for revenge."
    Elizabeth looked at his mother and gave a half smile.
    "Right, one of the first things we need to do is have the old castle restored, I'll let you have this one all to yourself to rule with and I'll live in the other.  How does that sound?"
    Elizabeth shrugged and slightly grinned.
    "This is all going to work out perfectly.  Tomorrow you'll be made king!"

***

    The next day all the soldiers in the kingdom were looking for 'Macbeth' who had disappeared sometime in the night.  The queen was in a mad panic and the people in the village were in an uproar.
    "Without a male to take the throne," said a man reading from a scroll, "we shall have no kingdom and the queen shall be killed for not bringing forth a king.  So are the laws of our land."
    "No, there is a king.  Macbeth, my son, just wait and find him."
    "We can't wait much longer."  The man said as he rolled up the scroll and signaled the queen to be taken.
    "No, this isn't how I planned it!"  She screamed.


    Elsewhere the figure of a man and an old woman walked into the sunrise.
    "Well, you surprised me, young man.  Ya came to me on your own free will."
    Elizabeth said nothing and just walked with the old woman as they left the village forever.
    "They'll be telling your story for generations."  She said with a cackling laugh.  "Let's just hope they get the details straight."