ONE DARK QUEEN ❖ (A Three Dark Crowns Tale)

CHAPTER FOURTY NINE: PRYNN

The immediate family is here today in Prynn Manor at their sprawling dinner table, with a beautiful intricate table cloth of emerald, purple and gold. Andrea instructed the kitchen to make everyone's favourite meals and to bring out their grandest and oldest silverware set. All ancient and expensive, bought in the years where they profited and controlled the whole island. The glory days.

All her children are sat today. Amara. Niklaus. Silas. Adrion. And Eirene. A rare occasion to see all of them together. Especially as the brothers are rarely around, they stay with the Vends usually, their family on their late father's side. The children are all clothed in various emeralds and purples as Andrea instructed with the colour theme of tonight.

Purple, so the traditional colour of the poisoners is represented but some also wear green to honour Carina personally, the same shade of bright green of Sheshu's scales. Traditionally, green is considered the colour of the naturalists but since there is no naturalist queen they see no harm in claiming the colour for themselves.

Various snakes and deathstalker scorpions drugged to their finery, perfect accessories for a perfect poisoner gathering. And of course her sister Octavia sits to her left and Queen Carina at her right, Sheshu wrapped around her pale bare shoulders, a vibrant accessory to her pretty sleeveless dress, queens blacks of course as is tradition.

Her brother, Vincent, also sits further down the table
along with his wife, Madeleine Bethal, who has made a rare appearance along with his two children, Lydia and Kol - his daughter, still very young and already looking bored at this grand family event. Kol is older, around sixteen and his gift has fully developed as is expected; Lydia's has still barely developed, although it has started to a little quite recently much to Andrea's delight. Her niece is a favourite of hers, reminding her of when Amara was a child.

Since Lydia is still a small child, she is the only one with taintless dishes of roast duck, parsnips, parsley and potatoes with gravy, though the gravy itself has a hint of crushed foxglove. Disgustingly plain but she is only a child, hence why she only has a hint of poison in her dish. No need for her to sicken and stain the dinner cloth, it is rather expensive.

Everyone else at the table has poison soaked in every meal, every bit of seasoning and in every wine glass. Except from Eirene, her food is only slightly seasoned with poison - her gift can't handle the amount of poison in each dish.

But only Andrea knows that, they can't have everyone knowing how weak Eirene is compared to the rest, especially not Melinda. An ally though she may be she's still a Marlowe. Anyone who is not an Arron is not to be trusted with key secrets that could threaten the stability of the family and their reputation among the poisoners.

However, for the rest of the brood, even though the last queen was a war one, their power has not faded from the generations of poisoner queens before them. So poison is in every meal they eat. But if they fail to get a poisoner queen on the throne that will fade, the oracles are proof of that.

"It is the start of the rise of our queen Carina, where we will take back what is ours and restore our family's glory and legacy," Andrea says which gets murmurs and claps of agreement. Everyone, even sour Eirene, is excited. This is their opportunity to rise again. Melinda smiles politely, she is more excited to have the strength of poisoners rejuvenated than the Arrons to rise again.

Andrea raises her glass of wine, tainted with mistletoe berries and all her guests follow suit.

"To the Ascension and to Queen Carina," Andrea says smoothly with a smile.

"To Queen Carina," they all echo, having a sip from their wine glasses.

After Queen Carina begins to eat, they all begin their meals as well. It is only etiquette to allow the queen to eat first. Everyone tucks in using their hands as usual for the meats in particular. Strange table manners considering the poisoner's eloquence in all other matters. However they use their silverware for the rest of the food, mostly the soups and potatoes. A few servants sit at every point of the enormous dining room, handkerchiefs and wine at the ready, waiting to be called on at a moment's notice.