Sheshu slowly slithers around Queen Carina's shoulders, her scales are the only source of comfort for Carina as she reflects on what has happened and what is to come.

A few days ago she participated in the Gave Noir which was a success until one poisoner turned the tables completely, making it swiftly turn into a disaster. The foolish poisoner girl had her hand chopped off by order of the Arrons soon after for the crime of stealing from the scared Queen's birthday Gave Noir and Pele Murtra, Head of the Black Council, had to agree due to the laws set down generations ago when the Arrons ruled on the Council. In truth the worst crime the girl committed
was more for exposing the Arrons weakness. Her weakness.

Not all the poisoners blame Carina but most now think her gift is flawed and that is something Carina cannot bear.

"I am not weak," she says angrily, voicing her inner thoughts. It helps her concentrate and form plans but she only does it in her own company, excluding Sheshu, because they would call her mad. It is a small thing but any bit of gossip can sour a queen's reputation. It is not a precedent that is good to set. Mad queens are disposed of, Queen Elsabet, the oracle queen, is proof enough of that. 

To distract herself she carefully opens her new testing bird's onyx cage and feeds it bird food that has been combined with her latest creation of poison, laced with Sheshu's toxic venom with small traces of oleander and hemlock. 

Sheshu hisses, her tongue poking out as she eyes up the bird, Carina turns her head to face Sheshu, who's still draped across her shoulders. She shoots Sheshu a warning look and the snake's tongue retracts and she hisses as if she is sulking. 

The little bird happily chirps away, pecking at the seeds and swallowing them with no hesitation, it is completely oblivious of what is to come.  Smirking at the small bluebird, she carefully latches the cage with her smooth nimble fingers, and then walks away from the cage, still bubbling with quiet anger at the Gave Noir.

Sheshu slithers from her shoulders around her arm and Carina holds her arm up so that they may face each other, though it takes a great deal of effort as Sheshu is such a large viper. 

"I am no mouse and I am more poisoner than all of them put together and I will cut down anyone and anything who thinks I am weak," she says, stroking Sheshu's head as she often does and Sheshu's pointed tongue flickers out in response. 

Carina smiles wickedly and continues talking to herself and Sheshu, "I cannot wait to see the reactions on their faces when I kill my sisters," she pauses, her smile growing more sinister by the second, "and I cannot wait to see the fear and surprise in their eyes when I kill them and claim my birthright and my power."

Still smiling, Carina glances back to her bird cage and sees the frail little thing dead on the floor of the cage, though still twitching uncontrollably. 

The poison works quickly and efficiently. Good. 

She is startled when the door is opened and Andrea Arron walks in and the room, which was freezing before, impossibly drops a few degrees lower making goosebumps rise up all over Carina's pale arms. She holds her head high, showcasing her strength and dignity, even when her icy eyes show a glimmer defeat under the facade of triumph.

"Carina what are you doing?" She asks quietly and carefully knowing to precede with tact as she always does with her ward.

Carina turns her head, lowering her arm as she watches Sheshu slither off onto the shiny cold floor to hunt the few poor unsuspecting mice that reside in the shadows of Prynn Manor, much like the ghosts of dead poisoner queens whose presence still lingers even though their bodies lie in the Breccia Domain, the heart of the island or perhaps they don't lie there but rather they are still falling down the pitch black chasm that has no end, silently screaming as true death never reaches them. 
What a horrible fate for Arwen and Nalani, Carina thinks, almost feeling sorry for them. Almost. She can not afford the weakness of empathy, that could get her killed.

Carina then acknowledges Andrea, while sitting down on her chair and replies, "I am just plotting the array of ways I can kill certain people."

Andrea smiles in approval as only a poisoner woman would. Everyone on the island knows that poisoners are the cunning ones, always with treacherous plots and plans of murder. No one has ever heard of a kind poisoner. 

"The ways that you can kill your sisters?" She asks, "wonderful Rina." 

The young queen shakes her head at Andrea and laughs, "No Andrea, I am plotting the ways in which I can kill all the poisoners at the Gave Noir who think that I am weak and the Black Council," she pauses, "I'm thinking about killing everyone really, well I'll spare you and Amara; perhaps I'll even spare Octavia and Eirene. But I need a show of strength and quickly, I will not have those simpering fools of poisoners question my legitimacy or my strength."

Andrea's eyes flash with worry in slight fear of the young queen's words and almost shudders when Sheshu slithers past her leg, the tip of her tail flickering along the top of Andrea's shoe. 

Carina laughs at Andrea's anxiety before she takes a large gulp of the drink inside of her silver goblet which Selene had brought her beforehand, before placing it back down onto the table beside her, taking a deliberately slow time to revel in the atmosphere of fear she has created in the room, making Prynn Manor seem that much more sinister as the dead queens sing silently in delight.

To further Andrea's fear, Carina starts tapping her nails on the wooden surface of the table and then she looks up at Andrea and smiles, 

"Do not look so afraid Andrea," she says, getting up and walking over to Andrea stroking her cheek slowly, "I am only joking." 

Andrea nods her head but is clearly unconvinced at the young queen's words. She desperately wants to believe Carina, as her tone and expression give every indication that her words are genuine, but she knows Carina. She knows that Carina is well apt at the art of manipulation and the fabrication of lies; she knows full well that the line between reality and lies is nearly non existent when it comes to Carina. Everything that leaves her mouth sounds genuine. Almost nothing is. She didn't always use to be like this but for months now a sweet cunning girl has shapeshifted into a ruthless manipulator. She will kill her sisters easily and seize the crown. She will be a queen who is feared so she will be obeyed. Being strong is one thing but Carina needs to remember to be smart and that killing isn't always the best solution.

"Did you squash the rumours like I instructed?" Carina asks quietly, her rage still bubbling within as she remembers the humiliation of the Gave Noir.

Andrea nods like an obedient servant, "yes Rina, I put it down to it being a fault of one of the chefs, a novice who forgot to put the hemlock in the hen."

Carina smiles, pleased, "what did you do to the cook?"

"Banished from Prynn permanently and I poisoned her a little for her foolishness, we can't have irresponsible novices like that making mistakes with the queen's Gave Noirs," Andrea says calmly, "I made sure it was known there was poison in every other part of your meal and you ate from every dish, the rumours have subsided. Do not worry Rina I have taken care of it."

Carina gives her a curt nod in reply, smiling a little in approval.

"good, I cannot have rumours like that tarnishing my reputation not when it is so close to my ascension and to me becoming queen crowned, weak queens do not inspire support," Carina says and it makes Andrea smile, she is thinking more like a queen, "and although I want the people to fear me I also want the people to love me so I need their support to win and to be reign."

Carina knows because recently she has been reading about the past queens of Fennbirn and on how they reigned, to give herself an advantage and to hopefully become a good ruler. She has been educated growing up on how to handle matters of tax, conflict and general matters in the queendom and she has always paid keen attention to the lessons Andrea taught her, alongside her poison training. Andrea tells her that Fennbirn can never have another civil war like there was two generations ago and that people's faith in the queens needs to build again, they need queens that the people both love and fear, hence Carina's lessons on running a queendom. Upholding the monarchy and the queens-line is the most important thing - that is the first lesson Carina learnt.

"That is a wise strategy Rina, it is good to rule like that, both to be feared and loved is a healthy combination," Andrea applauds, happy to see Carina is showing the beginnings of a successful queen as she continues, "too much love invites weakness which brings enemies from the mainland to our shores, too much fear makes the people hate and a queen can't rule if her country isn't behind her," Andrea says, thinking of the tales of Queen Katharine, the Undead, who sparked the first civil war the island had ever seen because Fennbirn grew to hate her and rallied behind a legion cursed usurper, Jules. It is odd for Andrea to even think about, such chaos on the island because that cycle of queens failed. It doesn't matter now Andrea supposes, for both of them died in the end and a forgotten triplet, Queen Arsinoe was given the crown. And since she was another poisoner queen it doesn't really matter how she got the throne since it still boosted the poisoners strength regardless.

Andrea turns to Carina, thinking of a more successful reign and smiles as she looks at her ward fondly, "Queen Illiann, the Blue Queen had both the love and fear of the people, she won the war with Centra and she had an incredibly long reign of forty six years."

Carina nods again. Everyone on the island knows of Queen Illian, one of the legendary queens of Fennbirn, a Blue Queen. A rare fourth born. She ruled twelve generations ago. She made the mist that won the war and it used to guard/surround Fennbirn but no longer. It disappeared in the first civil war of the island during the incredibly short reign of Queen Katharine the Undead, just before Queen Arsinoe's reign. And in the years following Fennbirn has had to reengage with the outside world, as the island is no longer completely isolated. So Carina will not only need to charm the islanders, but the mainlanders as well when the time is right.

"Queen Illian was a good queen," Carina admits, "she became a legend because of her reign but I am no Blue Queen."

Andrea tilts her head to the side slightly in agreement, the movement oddly snakelike, reminding Carina of Sheshu, "no you are not," Andrea agrees, "but you will rule just as well, better even and perhaps an even longer reign."

"Hopefully," Carina says wistfully, almost sounding like her old self for once as she dreams of all the glory that lies ahead in her future. She will be a good queen, she promises herself that now. Perhaps she will be less bloodthirsty after the Ascension, more human as Carina has found her emotions slipping away from her lately. It is a difficult thing to describe. But when she is crowned things will be right and make sense, Carina is sure of it.

Andrea's voice speaking again completely snaps Carina out of any trail of thought, "Rina, I forgot that I have news, Silas and Adrion will be arriving shortly." 

Carina's black eyes almost light up at this. She has always been friendly with Andrea's youngest two sons, Silas and Adrion but not Niklaus. She barely remembers him as he's been gone for years. She's become friends with Silas and Adrion in later years as none of the sons were there when she first arrived. They were being tutored elsewhere for many years, with family of their father - the Vends. She was raised alongside Eirene and Amara as a child because Andrea values her daughters more than her sons and devoted more time to tutoring them/raising them along with Queen Carina but this is common in the matriarchal society of Fennbirn but she met the others when they occasionally returned in her teenage years. Niklaus never returned.

Niklaus Arron is the oldest Arron son, he is the serious brooding type from what she's been told. The youngest two sons, Silas and Adrion, are the amusing and fun types. Adrion is her age and is even more reckless than Silas. He tends to annoy Andrea to no end. The two boys are always both up for anything daring and she has always enjoyed attending the rare poisoner party with them or going for hunts in the forest with them.

Suddenly, Carina hears the sound of thunderous hooves vibrating as they collide with stone, it sounds like a storm. 

Pulling herself from her thoughts, Carina stands and brushes past Andrea, quickly running down the stairs, swinging around the banister before colliding with something hard and solid. 

Carina looks up immediately and finds a pair of unusual lilac eyes. Creasing her brow confusion, she looks at the rest of the person but she already knows who it is. Only one person has those rare Arron lilac eyes aside from Octavia, well so she has been told.

Niklaus Arron.  He looks as tall, handsome and alluring. With his enticing eyes, medium build, chiselled jawline and perfect ice blonde hair, that is almost white due to its lightness, he seems irresistible. He possesses a different kind of handsome from other poisoner boys, he is simply beautiful.

Without a word, he quickly glances down at her, his eyes flashing in annoyance before he disappears down another dark hallway. He is gone almost as soon as he appeared, making Carina wonderif their encounter was a fantasy or reality. That has thrown her off slightly which is rare for her.

Shaking her head, Carina continues to the courtyard, deciding to forget about the mystery Arron for now and sees both Silas and Adrion. 

Silas dismounts his magnificent palomino mare while Adrion dismounts his impressive black Arabian stallion. Both brothers are handsome with the typical Arron features but Silas' face is slightly more wicked looking than Adrion's. But Adrion is eighteen, barely a man and wild, not truly wicked yet. 

As she walks, the few servants in the courtyards all bow before departing; the stable hands are the last to leave as they take the two horses to the stables. 

Both boys bow although Carina thinks that maybe they should be called men now as Silas is twenty and the third oldest child while Adrion is eighteen,  like her and is the youngest child. 

The oldest, Niklaus, could never be called a boy by anyone Carina now deduces after laying eyes on him but he is twenty two so he is a man. 

Carina then wonders if she should think of Eirene and Amara as women. As Eirene, the second oldest child, is Niklaus' fraternal twin, though they aren't close and is twenty two and Amara is the fourth Arron child at age eighteen, nearly nineteen and would be the youngest if it wasn't for Adrion, the baby of the family who has only just turned eighteen, though he looks older because of his height.

Carina believes that no Arron has even produced ugly offspring because all of them have the looks of angels and the hearts of devils. Their beauty and charisma allows them to lure you in only to stab you in the back. Literally. 

Adrion walks quickly over to Carina first and kisses her on each cheek, as all poisoners do when greeting old friends. Carina almost blushes as she smiles at Adrion, 

"Adrion, did you get chucked out of Indrid Down by the priestesses already?" Carina asks laughing, a few loose strands of her tight bun blowing in the gentle breezes.

Adrion shakes his head,  "No they simply cannot appreciate good entertainment," he remarks, "those tedious priestesses needed some livening up, so as usual I delivered." 

Carina laughs again before hearing Silas' voice from behind her, 

"Little brother, the reason those priestesses are so tedious now may have something to do with the fact than the queens' are now eighteen and it is nearly time for the Ascension Year to begin."

As usual, Silas is right and Adrion nods irritably,

  "I know Silas, I'm not a fool" he says, shooting Carina a beaming smile, "except there is no competition not when Carina is going to kill the shadow and elemental and become Queen Crowned." He pauses, "Soon we shall have to bow to her and address her as her proper title of Queen Carina in public." 

Carina shakes her head in disgust at Adrion's words and replies, "Queen Carina is too much of a mouthful for both of you to address me as." 

"I assure you that I'm not too much of a mouthful for you to handle Carina," Adrion says smirking and raising his eyebrows suggestively, "I think you can handle big things." 

Carina rolls her eyes and cringes at the innuendo. Classic Adrion. He's been this way since they were sixteen after they first met. One reason why she did not miss him. 

"It's a pity I don't like small things then Adrion because you are without a doubt in that particularly small category," she says, shooting Adrion a smirk of her own at the clear double meaning behind her words. Silas lets out a rare roar of laughter in reaction and claps a scowling Adrion on the back, 

"Don't be moody brother," Silas says merrily, exchanging a smirk with Carina, "you forget that our dear poisoner queen, Carina, is not one of those foolhardy priestesses that you play with."

Adrion just grunts in response and Carina laughs. She has missed her friends and especially Silas, who has always been her ally in teasing his siblings, particularly Adrion. 

Silas just gives one last infuriating smirk in Adrion's direction and comes over, kissing Carina's hand before looking up at her, hypnotising her with his dark eyes of ice. 

"Let's not get into formalities now," he says, pausing to look at both Carina and Adrion with the expression that a snake has when it hunts its prey, "Let us go for a hunt." 

Adrion nods, his mood brightening considerably and laughs,  "Perhaps we shall find Arwen and Nalani on the way." 

Carina laughs along with him but little does he know that when Carina does hunt her sisters it will not be a hunt, but rather a slaughter. 
A slaughter of queens'.