Queen Camille stared blankly at the three babies that Willa fussed over. The three Queens. As her eyes wandered upon them, words formed in her head. Naturalist. Poisoner. Elemental.
Katharine. Arsinoe. Mirabella.
It was as if the goddess was whispering in her ear; twisting the strings as always. But Camille had her own strings to pull. 'Those two.' She whispered, the blood loss taking a toll on her. 'I was mistaken. The third born was a poisoner, and the second a naturalist.' Her eyes were desperate, pleading, as she looked at her nursemaid.
Willa inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. 'Queen Cami-'
'Another poisoner cannot sit the throne.' The Queen rasped. It is for the good of the island. But as she studied the midwife, she knew the woman was too kindly, too weak to do it. She had not endured the torture the Queen had at the hands of the Arrons. She had not had a Gave Noir when she was a young child with a weak gift, had not been subjected to countless excruciating venoms and poisons as part of her 'training.' Only Queens could experience that. Only Arrons could peform it.
Three days after the triplets birth, when Camille had healed and rested, she left for the mainland with her king consort. When she gave birth, her title was passed to those babies. Queen Katharine, the naturalist. Queen Arsinoe, the poisoner. Queen Mirabella, the elemental. Willa would be their mother now, for six years, and then the girls woud be passed on to the prospective families. Then the only mother they will ever have is the goddess. May she protect them.