how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays

It can no longer be ignored. Valdis desperately tried to suppress her concern and distaste; she tried distracting herself by fawning over her daughter, but her pulse was far too hasten and her heartbeat was throbbing in her ears.

Dracarys was deposited in a secluded area, surrounded by a bed of leaves and saplings. It isn’t far from her, refusing to allow her newborn far from sight. As a first-time mother, she is overtly wary.
But her daughter needs not see the temper and fire rise in Valdis, not yet at least.

So, with her nestled away, Valdis slips through a knot of trees until Mary is found, dappled by the sunlight slanting through the canopy. She wants to be angry already, to funnel her sharpened tongue with accusation, but something – Maturity? Wisdom? – diverts her emotional path to cloak her in an eerie stoicism with only a slight edge to her voice. ”Mary,” her whore queen, she muses but never admits aloud. This, however, if confirmed, would quite possibly force her opinions to leak like poison across the forest.

A mild glance searches for the Queen’s child (little does she know that twins were delivered from her womb) before settling on her face again. ”I assume pregnancy treated you well?” That that she cares, truly. There had been no shouts, no screams, of agony or loss. Sylva, as always, is tranquil and quiet.

Her mouth opens again, to breach the subject that simmers beneath her calm surface, but then it shuts again in reconsideration, deciding to wait for a few moments longer.

 

Valdis

how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays

Mary’s drawl is a thorn in Valdis’ side, another trigger that skyrockets the pulsating of her blood. Fire pours through her, and it nearly surfaces to her skin until she swallows it down with a slow blink of her eyes. The pounding of her heart settles, for now, and she funnels her attention on the children – all of which are absent – and the fertility that Mary seems to possess. ”Congratulations,” she states with the slightest upturn of gentleness in her voice. As fearful as she was to be a mother, Valdis has settled into the position well enough. ”Yes, Dracarys will be quite a force,” she expected no less from her coupling with Sinner, ”and I can only imagine what her future siblings will be like.” A blatant inclination that her time with the King is far from over. There is something brewing between them, but it isn’t so beautiful as a tender lover’s kiss or a warm, passionate embrace. They feed from one another’s strength, empowering each other.

Together, they could be unstoppable.

And she expects their prodigy to mirror that – to bolster the dragon and hellhound heritage – and to thrive.

Smug in her own imagination, it takes a second longer to hear Mary speak, but Valdis’ eyes narrow quickly enough to mask the hesitation. ”Both fathers…” she murmurs with a curled lip of disgust, sickeningly picturing the Queen coupling with more than one at a time.

But then the names hit.

Disgust melts into irritation then into rage. Everything melds together and storms inside her gut. ”You are foul,” her voice is a growl, primal as her blood comes to a boil. Her hooves transition without her knowledge from hooves to talons. They knead the soil and leaf bed in frustration, holding herself back from pouncing. ”Such a Whore Queen you are. You open yourself to anything with legs, it seems!” And to imagine Sinner having been with her, curled into one being to create young Sabrina – sickening. ”How disgraceful,” she inches backwards as though offended (and truthfully, she is by all parties). ”How could my brothers ever find enjoyment in you. How could they taint our family and our bloodlines…” in reality, Mary has done nothing to the family as a whole. It’s a personal vendetta more than anything.

Raul and Velk. Their names are barbs on her tongue, bile in her mouth. And Mary?
Everything that has bottled up inside Valdis spills out all in this one conversation, relentless and free.

”You, Whore Queen, disgust me.”


 

Valdis

how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays

Mary yells, and Valdis’ body kindles a flame. It engulfs her, threateningly, ominously. Even as anger rolls off Mary in waves, Valdis doesn’t cower away. Her stubbornness – something her mother warned her about – refuses to shrink underneath the vehement stare of the Sylvan monarch. Her talons continue to knead the soil underneath and shred the fallen leaves.

Who the hell do you think you are, she scolds, and is immediately met by a step forward. ”Valdis, and I will never bow down to the likes of you.” A malicious snarl curls back her lips and her blue eyes flash with bold defiance. ”You are not a Queen in my eyes – merely a fool trying to play as one.” Although she doesn’t shout, her voice is slick like oil, drenched with disgust and hate. Every word, seething and sharp, hisses through her lips without regret. ”You wouldn’t have your title if not for Sinner,” somehow, she can see it – how his being and presence overshadows hers, how he perceives no one has his equal.

They are all inferior, all below him.

The fire engulfing Valdis rages for another moment longer, debating whether to utilize it further and lay harm on the woman.

But then the children come to mind, and she sneers. A breath slowly sighs from her lungs and the flames dissipate until a mere crackle on the surface of her skin – still ready, but idle. ”Mary, don’t think for a second that you can be rid of me so easily,” oddly – frighteningly – Valdis smiles. It radiates smugness and contempt, all while daring her to even try.

”News flash,” she snaps, ”senseless fucking of multiple men doesn’t mean you have a bond.” She doesn’t breach the children, doesn’t even acknowledge how easily Mary refers to them as niece and nephew. Truth be told, Valdis isn’t certain whether she will be able to ever accept them as family.

 

Valdis

how come I never got used to the feeling of sleeping in a cage?
too long driving, too damn hungry; a tied-up hound but nothing stays

They are nearly at each other’s throats, seething with venomous words and hatred. Emotions are ablaze as truth breaches the calm surface, popping and firing like firecrackers. It would be so easy, so pleasing, to mar the Queen and destroy her in every way possible and to let the anger fuel and guide her sharpened talons.

But, they stop.
They both stop.

An eerie calm suddenly suppresses them, shackling their ankles amid the chaotic whirlwind. They laugh, but not joyously. There is malice dripping from their voices and darkening their unyielding eyes. ”There’s space and air for only one worthless fool in Sylva, and that is already your role,” Valdis spits, holding her ground in their banter. It isn’t in her nature to back away, to submit. Even as Mary berates her and denies her of success in Sylva, Valdis doesn’t stand down. The fire in her veins only burns hotter, even as her face maintains an eerie stoicism – except for the dark gleam in her eyes – to face Mary.

”That’s a cute lie you tell yourself,” her voice hisses much like the serpents she listens to in the dark forest. Their voices, once a terror, are now a lullaby to her sleep. A step, then another, brings her closer to Mary, nearly threatening her as Valdis’ talons dig into the soft soil. ”The funny thing is, Sinner and I are nothing. Go ahead and make up a competition that doesn’t exist if that will help you sleep at night.” A half laugh slips from her. Her tone is convincing, her face never betraying her.

Sinner has unlocked many things in Valdis, but she has assumed him incapable of anything more. Beyond the embraces, she expects nothing from him nor a resolution to the bond they’ve forged. What are they, she has often questioned, but no answer ever readily presents itself. They are nothing except a means of survival, right? Despite succumbing to him, she has mentally kept him at arm’s length. It seems now that it was in her best interest.

Idly flicking her tail, Valdis tips her muzzle forward toward the trees surrounding them, in front of Mary. ”Go, Queen Whore. Go find Sinner and cry to him that little Valdis has upset you. I’m sure he will be excited to see you.” A chuckle punctuates her farewell as she melts into the darkness to find and nurture Dracarys.

Valdis