"Tighter," Andrea Arron demands to Selene the maid, as she tightens Queen Carina's bodice once again, causing Carina to grit her teeth in pain as she is close to not being able to breath at all. Sheshu hisses at Selene and Andrea, as if she can feel Carina's discomfort.
After Selene stops tightening it, she looks up at Andrea, eager for approval. Octavia Arron then steps closer and opens her mouth to make a remark, but she catches the steely look in Andrea's icy eyes and then hastily shuts her mouth, bowing her head compliantly with a small scowl. Sheshu then slithers closer to Octavia who takes a step back in caution.
Andrea Arron's sharp blue eyes move from Octavia back to the young queen and they scrutinise over Carina for a moment before her look of grim determination subsides and a faint glimmer of approval appears on her face.
"Good," she says, circling Carina to get a full view of her tiny waist in typical poisoner fashion, "Selene, you may depart."
Selene does that, eager to leave but as she does her cap shifts slightly, showing the now fading roots of Arron blonde dye in her hair. An archaic practise in amongst the servants of the Arron household. Outdated if you ask Carina but Octavia insists, eager to have everyone even the common folk marvelling at the Arrons beauty and extravagance, they always want to set the trends.
And they used too. Their fashion and appearances used to be more popular at their former power. In the times of the glorious poisoner dynasty. Four queens in a row. Five if you count Katharine the Unded. But many don't, her rule was short and inspired Fennbirn's civil war.
There was talk of drowning poisoner queens completely for a time when Queen Arsinoe was on the throne. Like the sight gifted queens were removed after Queen Elsabet. They didn't like the stain of Katharine the Undead's mistakes.
But since Arsinoe rule went relatively well, they agreed that poisoner queens could continue to be born into the cycles instead of being culled like the oracle queens.
Still, the island has barely recovered from Fennbirn's war and all the consequences and ill will.
Carina does not like to think about it all, the natural balance being uprooted for a legion cursed usurper is unfathomable. But the Goddess made things right and the cycle was put in motion when Queen Arsinoe, the White Handed, was crowned. And then broken by Queen Halia, the first war queen born in years. Just like that a dynasty was broken and a new one began, for the warriors whose gift grew strong again.
Carina will restore the poisoners' glory back. She will make sure of it. But until then there is no point pretending that they are the peak of society and fashion. Only Octavia's ego keeps the old ways.
Octavia's foot suddenly flies out, tripping Selene but the maid regains her balance a moment later. Octavia beckons Selene closer to her with her long spindly fingers and Selene cautiously moves forward. Impatiently, Octavia grabs Selene's arm forcefully and suddenly yanks a lock of Selene's hair, tugging it harshly.
"Well at least we know your hair is dyed rather than it being a wig," Octavia says snobbishly, her Arron cruelness showing as she smiles wickedly, letting Selene's arm go and with tears in the young maids eyes, she scurries from the room quickly to escape the clutches of cruel Octavia.
Carina is outraged and she looks at Andrea for any sign of emotion; she finds none as Andrea looks bored at the entire situation. She doesn't care. Of course not. Andrea only cares about people with power or that she can use. Carina would normally admire Andrea's ruthlessness but not now.
The queen's viper starts to coil, ready to attack. Carina turns her head to look at Octavia, her face red with anger as she sees the horrid smug smile plastered all over Octavia's face as she looks proud of what she has just done to Selene, Carina's favourite Prynn maid.
"How dare you treat Selene that way!" Carina shouts, exploding with anger which shocks the two Arrons as they both turn their heads and sharp eyes towards her.
Octavia raises her eyebrows at Carina and a sharp look immediately appears on her face as she says, "Carina, she is the help, she has no relevance. Especially since she is barely a poisoner, her father is mainland scum."
Carina's eyebrows narrow dangerously as she takes a step towards Octavia, who has the good sense to let a glimmer of fear appear on her face.
"Selene has more relevance than you," Carina snarls, "I actually like her for one thing I tolerate you because you are an Arron but heed this Octavia when I am queen and I choose who will be on the Black Council, you will certainly not be there, I might even make you the midwife at the Black Cottage, to give poor Hecate Murtra a rest." Carina sighs and then continues, a wicked smile forming on her lips, " what a good idea, Hecate on my Black Council and you as the midwife. Then at least you can be of some use to me."
It is the perfect form of torture for Octavia who loves the luxury of her family's wealth and all it has to offer. Making her have to actually learn and work would be so very entertaining. A cruel amusement for Carina.
Hecate deserves a break anyway and Carina has a fondness for the red haired midwife who was a true mother to her for her first six years. It's strange to think that Hecate is the younger sister of Pele Murtra, the Head of the Black Council.
Pele is war-gifted and fierce while Hecate is sight- gifted and calm. But Hecate deserves luxury unlike Octavia. However she would feel sorry for the next generation of triplets and Carina's not sure she would want or trust Octavia to deliver her triplets. She'd likely let Carina bleed out in spite or cut the triplets right out from her cooling body.
Octavia steps foward almost shaking with anger as she says shakily, "Carina be reasonable, I am a strong poisoner and an Arron, who you will need to help you navigate your reign."
Carina puts her hand up to silence Octavia who does so, as she secretly fears Carina now. The queen used to be sweeter, she has always had a cunning side but not as extreme and Octavia could reason with her and maintain control with more ease but in the past months she has turned into something uncontrollable and quite dangerous almost as if she has been poisoned. But Octavia shakes this silly thought away, for you cannot poison a poisoner, especially a poisoner queen. But the queen is sinister and it scares Octavia, for this wild young poisoner queen cannot be controlled.
"I will have Andrea and plenty of advisors for that," Carina says laughing at Octavia as she looks at Andrea fondly who smiles back at Carina,
"Rina, I am sure Octavia is feeling remorse for her actions, so will you not reconsider later?" Andrea asks, tilting her head at Carina to see her reaction.
Carina sighs and gives a half nod as Octavia nods eagerly, her foot stepping on Sheshu's unsuspecting tail accidentally. Sheshu hisses as she springs from her coil and bites Octavia's calf. It is only a little bite but it is enough to cause pain. Octavia lets out a shrill scream as she looks down at her torn dress and the blood oozing out of the bite wounds. She is in pain only from the bite and not from the deadly poison that Sheshu additionally injected brought her fangs. She's lucky she's a poisoner otherwise she would be dead soon.
"Oh no," Carina says, in a low sarcastic tone, "it's lucky you can't be poisoned or you would be most certainly dead."
Giving another shrill scream, Octavia runs from the room, her shouts being heard from all around the Manor as she demands to the nearest maids that they tend to her.
Andrea turns to Carina, her face hard, "Was that really necessary Rina?" Andrea asks, pursing her lips into a thin line of disapproval. Carina only laughs in reply, waving her hand casually,
"Nothing in this world is truly necessary Andrea," she says, flattening her dress down even thought it is already perfectly flattened, "everything is rather unnecessary but everyone has indulgences. For you it is power, for Octavia it is cruelness and for me well it is probably tormenting Octavia for her own cruel indulgences."
Carina curls her fists as she truly raises her soulless black eyes to Andrea who still looks at the queen in disapproval,
"You blame me," Carina observes calmly, "but how can you Andrea? Sheshu and I do share a special unusual bond yes but you cannot blame me for an animal and predator's impulses, I cannot control Sheshu but I cannot deny that I didn't enjoy watching Octavia in pain."
Andrea sighs, hiding the little fragment of worry that she has now from Carina and her actions lately. Instead she decides to change the subject.
"Alright Rina I'll leave it but before I go I would like to talk to you," Andrea says, starting to scheme in her head.
Carina just nods and gives a gesture for Andrea to continue.
"Carina I've been thinking, you're popular among the poisoners," Andrea begins.
"Obviously," Carina says with a smirk. Her people adore her because of her strength. They see hope. To see their dynasty restarted again. They want power. She is power.
"Yes, but you aren't as popular with the rest of the island," Andrea finishes.
"The people will listen to me when I am queen crowned, regardless of their personal feelings to me, they will accept the Goddess' will," Carina states, not really giving it much thought.
"Don't be naive Rina," Andrea snaps, momentarily losing her usually cool demeanour, "just because a queen is crowned does not mean she will keep it."
"You've grown up learning the history of the queens I expected you to know better," Andrea continues, "Queen Elsabet and Queen Katharine were crowned, yet what happened to them?"
"Elsabet was mad," Carina snaps, growing more irritated by the second.
"Katharine the Undead wasn't yet they still came for her head anyway, do you know why?" Andrea questions.
"Because they lost faith in the queensline because of the failed ascension?" Carina sighs.
She's heard it all before. Everyone on the island has. The time of Katharine the Undead, Mirabella Mistbane and Arsinoe the White Handed Queen are legendary for being such a disastrous yet interesting Ascension. They are one of the only cycles where all three of their names have been remembered. They all somehow had a legacy. But those were different times. Odd queens. Strange times with the first civil war, the Legion Queen and the mist killing islanders.
Mirabella Mistbane sacrificed herself and her elemental gift to vanquish the mist. Katharine the Undead was killed at the end of the war, the shortest reign in history. And then Arsinoe the White Handed ruled as the only triplet left. Chaotic. Carina does not like to think about it, the very natural order of the island had been uprooted and nearly destroyed the queensline. It will never happen again. It can never happen again.
"Yes they lost faith and she may have ruled but the people hated her and ended up dead, replaced eventually by the White Handed Queen, Arsinoe," Andrea says, again recalling history that Carina already knows. Hence the queen's irritation.
"So? It's history," Carina states icily.
"It was only seventy odd years ago," Andrea says, "Fennbirn's civil war wasn't as long ago as you might think."
"What's your point?" Carina asks tiredly.
"To rule you need a healthy balance of fear and love from your people. Katharine and Elsabet had mostly fear. That is why they failed and died as queens," Andrea explains, "with Beltane it is essential that you perform well and I think we should plan for you to perhaps visit different parts of the island later, to show you are both a strong beautiful queen and a queen of the people. That's what the islanders love the best."
"I understand Drea," Carina says, starting to actually take in the Arron matriarch's wise words. She supposes Andrea has a point.
Andrea smiles at that, raising a glass to Queen Carina and says,
"Make them love you Rina and everything else will fall at your feet."