Standing on a black dune stood something unusual. It was a small, silly little court jester. His two-cornered hat had silver bells that jingled with the wind, and his colorful pastel outfit had different shades of the rainbow. It was clear that the poor fool didn't belong where he currently was. The black world made him stand out like a sore thumb, and he knew it.
"I made some pretty bad jokes, but not enough to land me in hell!" Chester said and stepped forward, but he slipped and rolled down the dune. The sound of bells jingled every time he hit the black sand, and he let out a small groan each time it happened.
He stopped rolling downhill when he reached the bottom of the dune. He made a small frown before getting up and hearing the sound of waves near him.
"Oh my, to think I'd have a beach vacation in the underworld, this may not be so bad!" He said, jokingly, of course, the black beach water reached out and pushed black sand towards him. He took a few steps back to avoid it.
Something was pulling him in, and he was getting pulled. He glanced at his colorful outfit in the water before looking at his face. His white hair and eyes distorted slowly. He felt something pulling him in, reaching for him beneath the water like arms wanted to reach out and grab him, forcing him under.
"I'd joke about water… but I only have dry humor!" The jester stood silently after saying that and shook his head.
"…Never mind, I deserve to get sent to hell, that joke was terrible…"
He sat by the shores peacefully, refusing to get his outfit wet by the water. It was bestowed by the emperor, and the only thing that was truly his other than his name. He watched as black mist formed above the water and slowly moved towards him. Again, it was reaching out and wanting to pull him in, but he didn't want to get pulled.
"It reeks of death and despair, just like the emperor's palace, I wonder what tragedy's do these shores have to tell." Chester stood up and walked along the shores before stumbling across a worn-down dock. There he waited, and waited, and waited. His feet dangled above the water, the bells on his shoes jiggling filling the silent air with sound.
Until he heard the sound of splashing water. Consistently. In a slow yet fluid motion. His gaze looked around to figure out where the sound was coming from, but all he saw was mist.
Then a slow boat approached the deck, black with silver rims. There stood a being, a being Chester knew was not human. He had heard stories of spirits guiding souls to the other side, but never really believed such a thing was true, until now.
'He must be a psychopomp, here to guide my soul…'
Where he was from, there were believed to be three words, the living, the dead, and the in-between. It was said the spirits would guide you to wherever you belong. He stood staring at the being in black as it approached.
'I must be in the in-between right now, and across is the world of the dead.' Chester frowns before turning around to the black dunes. If forward would lead him to the world of the dead, then backward would lead him to the world of the living. '
'That looks like a long walk…'
He faced the being now docked and moved forward. Chester didn't know what to do, but felt like he should probably check his pockets since he heard from fairytales you must give something of value to the spirits for them to guide you safely. He also heard stories of what happened to people who got stuck in the in-between, and didn't want such a thing to happen to him.
He pulled out a string of colorful handkerchiefs from one of his left pockets, before they eventually ran out. He then tried his right pocket, only to be left with the same thing to happen. Chester wondered if giving the guide handkerchiefs was appropriate before remembering he had back pockets.
Chester pulled out three golden bells noticing the guide stare at him completely frozen. The guide was covered from head to toe in a black cloak but was clearly facing him. Chester stretched out his hand and placed it on the palm of the already outstretched hand of the guide. He took notice of the pale and old complexion of the guide but didn't linger on it.
"It's pure gold, bestowed upon me by the emperor," Chester said, making sure the guide knew the bells' worth before hopping on the boat. He also made sure to grab the handkerchiefs and stuff them in his pocket again before leaving.
The guide only dimly nodded before making the bells disappear into thin particles, making Chester frown yet not say anything.
The boat ride was calm, nothing out of the ordinary to Chester. He slowly drifted off with his thoughts, sensing it would take a while to reach the underworld.
'I wonder… how did I die?' Chester slowly began to recall the last events he remembered. Glancing at the black water calmly before closing his eyes.
___
"Your majesty, please, not like this," Chester said exasperated, pulling on the emperor's red robe. He stared at the back of the man who once dominated the continent, who once was called the ruler of all.
"Chester, both of us knew it would end like this…" The emperor spoke calmly, before reaching for his sword. He didn't face Chester, he only faced forward at the closed doors. His crown glowing in the white moonlight, and his blonde hair flowed softly.
"Your majesty, please." Chester was still holding onto the red cloak, but his knees fell onto the ground, desperately trying to make the emperor reconsider his thoughts. "We don't need to end like this..."
The yells in the halls behind the door began to grow closer, and both the emperor and Chester could tell. Chester knew, if he ran, he would only be able to make it so far. No one wanted a court jester who served under what many considered a tyrant. He could feel that the emperor knew that as well. Dying wasn't the thing that scared Chester, it was his world falling that scared him.
The emperor stood tall, and to Chester he seemed larger than life. That man met the small court jester's gaze, "Chester, the only way to progress is forward."
'There won't be much progression if we both die.' Chester wanted to ask if the emperor truly meant what he said, but he knew it wasn't the right time. He heard the shouts of the knights and maids, and he heard the metal swords clashing against the opponents' weapons and armor.
"Your majesty, would you like to hear one final joke?" Chester asked, already giving up on the thought of running, he knew, the second he agreed to become his majesty's court jester, his fate was sealed. He already knew he was bound to die by the emperor's side. Chester calmly pulled himself off the ground, still tear-eyed, and stood by the emperor's side. Strangely, he didn't have regrets, he himself agreed to serve the tyrant many call the devil.
The emperor glanced at him but refused to look away from the door, still grasping his sword. "What is it?"
"Well I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Chester asked looking confused at the emperor. He noticed the small smile on the emperor's lips before looking at the doors the emperor was staring at.
"I always wondered why you hired such a fool to be your jester…" He heard loud crashes and things breaking on the other side of the door, before hearing a loud bang.
He glanced at his emperor one last time, patiently waiting for revolutionists to knock down the door and light the throne room on fire. The last thing he could recall was the emperor's words echo in his head, as the doors came crashing down.
Before his world fell, before the emperor fell.
"Because being a fool is not a sin."