ANGUIS

Chapter 1

Unus - Chapter I

Her mother has always told her that one day, she would have inherited everything that was hers. Such as her huge reign, her benevolent servants, her sly merchants, her treasure, even her heartfelt people, since they were a part of her govern. Andrea wanted her daughter's life to be as wonderful as humanly possible, therefore she had transmitted all of her knowledges to the little and smart girl. Taylor was only twelve years old when she saw her father die in front of her, the tip of a lengthy lance being the reason. She recalls her sudden rage when she saw a silhouette disappear between the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Andrea has always warned her not to venture inside of it, because there were atrocious and horrific creatures there, and she was too little and too young to defend herself.

"M'lady?"

A small young man knocks on her door, showing only his head inside. It's her personal servant, Timothy. She turns around and throws him a kind smile, telling him silently that he has all of her attention.

"There is an angry man who really wants to speak with you about something, Miss," he says slowly, slightly tilting his head to the side. His long dark locks fall onto his wrinkled forehead, and he quickly tucks them back behind his ear.

"What does he want?" she asks, somehow annoyed by this weird situation. She knows she shouldn't be, since she's the Queen and she has to please everyone in her reign, however sometimes someone would go to her just to say something really illogical and incoherent.

"He just said it was really urgent, m'lady," he replies apologetic. A frown forms on his thin lips, and Taylor is obliged to follow him outside. They walk quickly to the Main Hall, the place where she greets her guests and needy people from the village just below her castle.

She sits on her throne, letting a soft sigh escape her lips. Immediately, her reptile counselor, a king cobra, wraps itself around her left forearm, whispering something in her ear. "These people are really stupid, aren't they?" it hisses, and the Queen smirks, nodding in agreement.

She turns her head to the entrance when suddenly the door is being slammed with force. An angry old man makes his way towards the blonde, dragging along a lanky girl with him. The girl was tall, at least six feet tall, and her hands were tied. Her thin mouth was cracked and blood was overflowing from her bottom lip. "My lady!" the old man screams, his white beard dirty and his clothes ripped. "This girl," he begins, harshly pulling the tall girl towards Taylor, whose plump lips form a hard line, her blue eyes icy. "She robbed me!"

The Queen sighs quietly, asking, "What did she steal you?"

"My eggs! She even killed two of my chickens!" he replies desperately, throwing his hands on the air. The two guards who are standing beside the crazy man eye him skeptically, unsure if they should just drag him out of the castle or let him be.

"Do you have proof?" Taylor asks calmly. When he nods furiously and takes two eggs out of the tall girl's pockets, the Queen stands up from her throne, holding the cobra close to her. She moves closer to him with elegance, her blue eyes scanning his stance. She then turns towards the girl, who immediately averts her eyes as if she was too ashamed to look the Queen in the eye.

"What's your name, dear?" she asks in a sweet voice. She knows from experience that politeness is the key to almost everything. However, the man makes a disgusted noise as soon as he hears her courtesy. She quickly glares at him, and that's enough to put fear in his feautures.

"I can't tell you," the girl says, but she lifts her head to meet the Queen's hard stare. That's when Taylor notices how green her eyes were. How captivating, wonderful and fascinating they were.

"Yes, you can," Taylor replies with an innocent smile. "C'mon," she encourages.

The girl's eyes find her own shoes, and mumbles quietly, "Karlie,"

Taylor was unsure if she got the name right, but somehow it opened an old wound in her soul and heart. It sounds familiar, that face looks familiar, but she quickly pushes these thoughts in the back of her mind. "So, Karlie," she begins, taking a deep breath. The tall girl stares at her red dress instead of her eyes, but Taylor keeps going. "Did you really steal this man's eggs or were these already yours?" she asks.

"It's not like she's going to confess, m'lady!" the old man interrupts her, but as soon as he tries to move closer to her, the king cobra wrapped around her arm harshly hisses at him, scaring him away.

"I--I stole them. What he says is true, my Lady," Karlie confesses, lowering her head, feeling incredibly flustered. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and Taylor almost cringes when she thought that that particular color looked really good on the tall girl.

The Queen's lips form a thin line, as she looks at the guards with an unreadable expression on her face. "Get the man out of here, and give him two new chickens, please," she orders, and one of the two takes the old man out of the castle.

She then turns to the jailer and says quietly, "Take her to the prison on top of the tower, please,"

A look of pure sadness and sorrow forms on Karlie's face, as the jailer quickly drags her out of the Main Hall. Her cobra then suddenly hisses quietly, "Don't pretend you don't know her. You exactly know who she is,"

The Queen overthinks the reptile's words, as the two girls share one last look, before Karlie's green eyes disappear behind the walls of the tower. Taylor doesn't know this yet, but those eyes will haunt her dreams for quite a while.