Channary's smile widened as she made the last necessary brush stroke on the fine parchment. As far as she knew, the character that she had just etched out meant 'regality'. However, she wasn't quite sure; many of these old runes had been devoid of meaning or had more than one definition. She liked to think that it meant something great, though. Regality seemed like a good choice.
She set her calligraphy brush back down into the pot of black ink. It was not often that things were written by hand in Artemisia; runes were the only exception. Channary listed her head and held the parchment out in front of her. In the modern age, runes no longer held any meaning as a communication tool and instead were an art form for the pretentious and the bored.
The beauty of it made her swell with pride. She might not have been good at mathematics or geography or politics, but she could write pretty runes. That should've been enough to please her father. The runes were as beautiful as she was, at sweet eleven years old. He shouldn't really want any more from her. When she sat on throne, her mother had told her, her job would be to dazzle the people. The politics were best left to thaumaturges. Channary was satisfied with this; she was good at dazzling the people and the thaumaturges already did most of the work at court. With every passing month, the king gave up some of his responsibilities and they were passed among the high-ranking officials.
Her bubble of serenity and joy was shattered with giggles echoing from the hallway. The door to the glass parlour where she had settled was closed, and yet she could still hear the annoying laughter floating through the air. She braced herself, hoping that the little rat would pass the room by and not come to ruin her day.
The door was pushed open and Levana came sliding into view. She had a big grin on her face, revealing her missing front tooth. She glided across the smooth floor in her socked feet. Channary let out a groan.
"Get out," the crown princess hissed.
Levana came to a stop in front of her and held out a living guinea pig. The critter scampered in her hands, seeking an escape. Its whiskers twitched. "Dirty Harry wanted to meet you."
Channary sniffed, her nose crinkled. She had never really appreciated rodents. "Dirty Harry? What, did you name it after yourself?"
Levana seemed unperturbed at the insult. Then again, she probably didn't understand; the stupid thing was only four years old. "He's really fluffy. Papa got him for me yesterday," she cooed.
Although Channary had no desire to be given a guinea pig of all things, she couldn't help the pang of resentment that curdled her stomach. Marrok had never given her presents—not even on her birthday. She would never admit, though, that she was jealous of all the gifts, attention, and time that Levana received from their parents. To admit that she was envious of her useless sister would be beneath her. Channary had never gotten any of these things, although it was blatantly obvious that she was more entitled to it all. She was the future queen, was she not?
"Uck," Channary spat. She waved her hand in Levana's direction. "Get it away from me."
Levana pouted. "But he wants to be your friend!"
"I hate mangy things! Get it away!"
"You're so mean. Harry doesn't like that."
Channary jumped as she felt something soft rub along her back. She turned to see Juno creeping along the top of the table, her bushy white tail gently caressing the princess. At some point, when neither of them was looking, Levana's cat had snuck into the room in search of the guinea pig.
"No, Juno!" Levana cried, holding the guinea pig above her head. The poor creature squeaked at the sudden movement. "You're not allowed to eat him!"
The cat let out a hiss and leaned down her hind legs. She was eyeing the guinea pig ferociously.
"Levana, stop shaking it around! The cat's gonna—"
As soon as the words left Channary's mouth, the cat launched herself from the table all the way to Levana's shoulders. The girl cried out and fell over with a thud. She barely had the time to scream before the guinea pig scurried from her arms and was let loose on the floor. Juno seized the opportunity and pounced on the smaller pet. Channary rushed forward to do something, but not before Juno had managed to sink her teeth into Dirty Harry.
Levana had rolled over and saw the entire scene; Juno biting, killing, ripping flesh apart. Blood and fur sullied the polished floor. She began shrieking hysterically, her face red and soaked in tears.
"Stars," Channary whispered. "Hey—Levana! Get the cat away, it's making a mess!"
"He's dead!" Levana roared, her hands gripping the fabric of her pants. "Harry's DEAD!"
"Yes, I know! Stop the cat before it ruins the floor!"
Levana continued to cry. The cat had sat herself down, licking her bloody paws. There was not much left of the guinea pig save for the bones and the head. By then, the rush of feet could be heard outside. Several servants rushed into the room.
"Your Highness! Why are you crying?!"
Channary shrugged. "The cat killed the guinea pig."
Many of the newcomers made disgusted faces at the sight of dead Harry. It was rather gruesome, and Juno began to stalk away, leaving red pawprints on the floor. Mila, their nanny, scooped Levana up into her embrace. She spoke softly, soothingly, trying to calm the child down.
Channary huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Her afternoon was effectively ruined, like she knew it would be. Levana had a knack for spoiling anyone's day. The sound of scraping and meowing echoed behind her. The hair on the back of her neck bristled.
Juno had scampered all over her parchment, smearing the ink with scratches and guinea pig blood. The edges were completely torn up. Channary's heart sank. Three hours of work, all wasted.
She let out a scream as well.
Jannali brushed back Levana's hair. "It's not the end of the world, Sweetling. We'll get you another Harry."
"He was special. I can't just get another one."
The queen tilted up Levana's chin, but the princess whined and swatted her away. She then buried her face in her pillow. She had remained tucked away on her bed for the better part of an hour, crying and beating up her stuffed toys. Juno sat on the carpet, licking herself. She seemed oddly pleased.
"You shouldn't have had him out of his cage in the first place."
"Why did Juno kill him?!" Levana sobbed, her face still red. "Harry didn't do anything!"
Jannali let out a long sigh. "It's what animals do."
Levana wiped her eyes. "You and Papa kill people who've done nothing to you."
"Yes. And you too, Sweetling. We kill prospects together."
"I don't like the blood, Mama. It's scary."
Juno finished her grooming and leaped onto the bed next to the queen and the princess. She purred and paced to Levana's side. The girl made a face and swatted the cat away.
"Leave me alone, Juno. It's your fault that Harry's gone."
Jannali pursed her lips. She remembered vividly the last time she and her husband had Levana involved in a hunt; the girl had cried for hours and refused to sleep anywhere but with her parents. She said that the nightmares were too much to handle. That the dead prospects lived under her bed and would try to drag her to hell every night.
"Harry is in a better place now. I don't think he liked living in a cage anyway." Jannali held open her arms. "Why don't you come and give me a hug?"
Levana sat up, swallowed her sobs and crawled to the queen's side. Jannali shifted her weight to allow the child into her embrace. She kissed the crown of Levana's head and gently rubbed her back. "Is that better?"
The princess nodded. "I love you, Mama."
Jannali's smile had frozen on her lips. Her finger came up to the girl's face and she rubbed her knuckle against Levana's cheek. Her skin crawled. The princess' obvious attachment to her mother was growing stronger every day; this began to worry Jannali greatly. Levana wasn't making the progress that Jannali anticipated. She was too happy, too careless. She cared not for her parents' hobby. The sight of blood made her cry and she got upset over silly little animals.
Swallowing her disappointment, Jannali kissed Levana again. "I love you too, Sweetling."
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Again? You have to start sleeping in your own room; you're not a baby anymore."
Levana looked up to her, sheepish. "I'm still scared of the dead people under my bed."
"You have Juno to watch over you," Jannali replied.
"I'm mad at her."
The queen sat silently for a moment. Then, a gleam made its way to her eyes. She glanced down at the haughty cat, who was still trying to paw for Levana's attention. "You're mad at her…should she be punished, then?"
Levana brushed her bangs out of her face, confused. "What?"
Jannali clapped her hands together. "Yes! That's what we'll do—we'll punish her!"
"Will she get a spanking?"
Jannali laughed. "No, no. She'll get the axe. Can you go and fetch one for me in my bag?"
Levana's face fell. "No…no! I don't want to cut her!"
"Go and get one, Levana. If you don't, Mommy will make you do it."
As if she had no idea as to what was going on, Juno curled up on the bed so to have a nap. Her whiskers twitched. Levana began to cry again, refusing to budge. Jannali hated to do it (she shouldn't have had to do it), but she gripped Levana's mind and forced her to her feet. Forced her to open the bag that rested by the door. Forced her to reach in and take out Jannali's favourite hatchet.
A sick grin on her face, Jannali snatched up the unsuspecting cat. Juno began to screech and thrash and scratch, but none of that deterred the queen. She slammed the cat down flat on what used to be Levana's changing table. Now, it was used as a shelf for books and toys. Juno was left unable to escape.
"Come here and cut her, Levana."
Levana stood still, sobbing, the axe clenched between her strained fists. "No—"
"Stop crying!" Jannali barked. "We don't need the servants coming in here!"
"I can't lift it! It's too heavy!"
The queen rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of having to tell you twice! Give that to me!" She snatched the weapon from the trembling princess. Her grip on the struggling cat tightened even more. Her eyes sparkled, her grin widened, and she raised the axe over her head. All her muscles were clenched. The adrenaline rushed through her veins. This was the feeling that she always sought after.
She brought the sharp blade down on the poor animal, right in the middle. Juno was immediately silenced. Levana buried her head in her hands, too afraid to even scream. Jannali flipped back her hair. Her face was spurted with blood. The dirty axe, now stained with red and flesh, was put on the floor. She gazed at the severed cat; she had made a perfect cut between the chest and the gut. Tufts of white fur fell around the table.
"There," Jannali sighed. "She's been punished."
Levana let out a croak.
"You know, I used to do this to my mother's cats. I forgot how much fun it was."
Blood began to drip on the white carpet. Jannali eyed it, amused. The maids would have quite the mess to clean up. She will have disposed of the dead animal by the time they came in, but they would still have the stains to contend with.
"Juno…" Levana whimpered, her cheeks once again soaked with tears.
Jannali crouched down to her level. She flicked some blood onto Levana's face. Laughed when the child cried more and grimaced. "Don't worry, Baby Girl. We can get you a new cat."
"I…I don't want another cat," Levana managed to say through her hysteria. "I want Juno!"
"And then," Jannali continued, "when you get your new cat, it will be your turn to kill it."
"Why are you doing this to her?"
Jannali leaned back in her seat. "Levana was complaining about the cat. Therefore, I killed it."
Marrok let out a loud groan and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I got Juno for her birthday. She meant a lot to her."
"You don't understand. The way she's going on, complaining about being scared and hating what we do…I feel like I'm wasting my time! I need to do something!"
Marrok's gaze was dark and disapproving. "Maybe this is a sign that it's not meant to be."
Jannali's own stare grew deadly, and she knew that she was cornering him. There was no way that he wasn't afraid of her. "I didn't carry her inside me and have her cut out just so I can give up when it's not going easily. I just have to take a different approach."
"You're actively hurting her now. She's afraid of her own shadow because of you."
Jannali threw her head back. How great the desire to shout at him became, yet she had to keep it down. Levana was sleeping in her nursery right next door. Against all odds, she agreed to sleep in her own bed—most likely because she wanted to stay away from her mad mother. "I won't have you telling me how to raise my child."
"You're abusing our child," Marrok seethed. "It's bad enough that Channary knocks her around. I don't want to have her terrorized by you as well."
Jannali scoffed. "Abuse? You've lost it completely. I'm training her, Marrok. I never lay a finger on her. I never threaten her. What I'm doing is anything but abuse."
Marrok must've known that he wasn't getting anywhere. Jannali would not budge on this matter. She was the one who had carried the kid, and she was the one who did what she wanted with said kid. His resistance was both baffling and incredibly irritating. It seemed that since the beginning of their relationship, he'd been opposing her. Didn't he know by now that life was so much easier, so much sweeter, when he obeyed like a good husband?
"I don't believe—" Marrok grit his teeth, "I can't believe what you're saying. Would your mother treat you this way?"
Something odd happened within the queen. A little snap, like a string breaking on a violin. "My mother, when she wasn't crying about my behaviour or my father's infidelity, would drink herself unconscious and spend nights on the floor behind her desk. I pretty much raised myself." Jannali looked up, smiling. As if it was a fond memory. "There was once, when she was so drunk that she killed one of my father's mistresses. Stuffed her corpse in a box and threw it in the lake. I saw the whole thing from the hallway. My father didn't even care; he moved on to the next one within a day."
Marrok's jaw clenched. His eyes misted over, and he seemed supremely uncomfortable.
"So no," she continued, "it's not what my mother would've done. Although, interestingly enough, she stopped drinking so much after I killed him. She seemed happier. Took on several lovers. She even paid more attention to me." Jannali shrugged. "I, on the other hand, spend most of my time with Levana. I do what I do because I love her, not because I got saddled with a kid I didn't want."
There was a heavy silence. Marrok was lost for words. He didn't know how to fight her back. "Please, Jannali. Don't hurt her anymore. Don't hurt me," he pleaded.
She nearly laughed. Don't hurt me. It had to be the most pathetic thing she had ever heard him say; it was also very funny, though. If Marrok was insisting on being silly and melodramatic, Jannali would play as well. A fun little game.
The queen's gaze softened, and she took his hand in hers. Their eternal act of trust.
"I won't do anything like that again," she said. "Because I love you, Marrok. I won't hurt our baby anymore."
And it was true. She vowed never to manipulate Levana again. Even ignoring Marrok's annoying complaints, the whispers from the servants and nobles were becoming more and more accusatory. It was odd that the queen spent so much time with Levana. It was also odd that there were so many bloodstains and knife marks in the princess' nursery and playroom. In their eyes, Jannali was starting to become suspicious.
It would be best if she began to detach herself from the child as soon as possible. Fortunately, she had Channary around to manipulate Levana's feeble mind. The work could be done without Jannali even coming in contact with her daughter.
At her words, Marrok tensed; it had to be the first time that she ever said she loved him. He let out a long breath. "You promise?"
Jannali took a seat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. She breathed in his scent and a shudder shook her to the core. How she loved to lie through her teeth. It was always so much more fun that way.
"I promise."
Please don't forget to favourite, follow and review if you want to read more! I should be updating this story a lot more now that summer's almost here.
