"Beneath every crown,

  there slithers a serpent."

  Nest Of Serpents

  by E.S.Mare

  _________________________________________

  Assra Marian Sallister

  The Kingdom of the White Snake, Elessmier

  “Death to the White Snakes!”

  I slammed the glass in my hand on the table and continued cheering on the group engaged in a fierce fight. One look was enough to see the Black Snakes would win. There were only three of them, but they were all huge. The White Snakes had probably relied on their numbers, but despite being six, they were all mediocre compared to the Black Snakes.

  When a few more pieces of paper were shoved into my hand, I turned my head. It was a man with his beard slick with dripping oil. Raising his fist into the air, he shouted, “For the Black Snakes!” His hair was completely white, but I couldn't tell if that was because he was a White Snake or because he was very old. Actually, the difference between the two races was quite easy to see, but my mind was so confused that for a split second, the man seemed to split into three. Which White Snake would support the Black Snakes anyway?

  I think I knew the answer.

  I swung my fist into the air. “To the Black Snakes!”

  The White Snakes would soon be dead here. Except for one...

  “Tell him!”

  When I turned my head, I found a woman beside me. The hood of her cloak covered her face, but when I looked at her, she raised her head slightly, revealing her face. She wasn't young, but she wasn't old either. No scales. No glimmer of a White Snake’s mark. She had a sharp nose. Her eyes were a deep orange. An owl? I decided I must have drunk too much, thinking that an owl would have no business in the White Snakes' territory, let alone in a secret Black Snakes' tavern in the White Snakes' territory, and that she would never dare to do such a thing. My eyes had rebelled before my stomach, it seemed.

  “Tell him!” the woman said again.

  I scowled; her voice was unbearably high-pitched. ‘What should I say? To whom should I speak? Who are you, and why should I listen to you?”

  “Tell him!” the woman said again.

  I took a big gulp from my glass, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and set the glass down on the table. “I shouldn't drink anymore,” I said, my tongue starting to slur. “The imaginary owls... This is bad.”

  “He will go down the wrong path,” she said, tilting her head to the side and staring at me, her image wavering. “Tell him to kill you!”

  I started laughing. “Alright,” I said, dragging out the word. “Tell him to kill me... Alright, I'll say it. Him? Who is he?”

  “The Ruler,” she said, her voice echoing in my ears.

  “Ruler,” I repeated with a smile. What was a ruler? My mind was very confused, but the imaginary owl's mind was even more confused than mine. “Kill me, Ruler! Is that right? Or is it like this?’ I lowered my voice. ”Kill me, Ruler! I... me...”

  My tongue stumbled, but the imaginary woman didn't laugh. “Don't forget this!”

  “I won't forget,” I said, laughing. “Kill me, Ruler! Or I'll kill you. Should I say it like that?”

  “He must kill you,” she said slowly. Her voice wavered. ”Otherwise, you'll be the end of everyone!”

  In the name of Lesster, Sovereign of the Soil!

  “Exactly, yes!” I shouted. It was hard to keep my head up, so I leaned it on the table. ”I'm the only madman here! Moelli, give this madman another drink! Or I'll kill everyone.”

  Fat Moelli placed another glass on my table a few minutes later. I lifted my head, took the glass, and took a big gulp, the liquid burning my throat. My stomach couldn't take it anymore, and the liquid I had drunk almost came back up. I took a deep breath through my nose and waited a few seconds. I drank the rest of the glass in one go. The room began to spin around me. When the blurriness in my vision finally cleared, I saw that all the White Snakes had disappeared. I turned to the Owl beside me, but he was no longer there either.

  “Thank Sovereign of the Soil, you're gone. This is prooooof that I can still drink... Proof... Or whatever it is.”

  I pursed my lips and turned back indifferently. My voice joined the shouting. Damn the White Snakes!

  Curses and insults flew through the air. Some people began pouring the drinks in their glasses onto the White Snakes, and Fat Moelli pushed another glass toward me. I turned to him and smiled dazedly. “I love you!”

  “Or your head is really pretty,” said Fat Moelli. She was right. Fat Moelli was approaching fifty, her breasts sagging down to her stomach, with a large mole next to her nose. Still, I was in love with her at that moment; tomorrow I might despise her.

  When I reached out to grab the glass, it slipped away from me. Struggling to keep my head up, I looked at the hand that had grabbed the glass. My half-closed eyes climbed upward. “Asra!” he said in a harsh voice.

  “You’re a hallucination too,” I said, reaching for the drink.

  “You’ll wish I were,” came the furious reply.

  Oh, no! He wasn't an hallucination. He was a pain in my neck.

  “I'm caught,” I said, grinning. I held out the money in my hand toward him. “Take this and pretend you never saw me!” He frowned and continued to stare at me silently. “Come on,” I insisted. “I won it gambling.” I looked at the White Snakes on the ground, blood flowing from their faces as they writhed in agony. “Disgrace... Disgrace... Shame, yes. Do you see the disgrace?” I lowered my voice. “Good thing everyone’s too drunk to... what’s the word... notice!”

  “So are you,” he snapped.

  My face contorted so much and my eyes narrowed so much that when I turned to him, I could barely make out his face. Perhaps even if my eyes were wide open, I wouldn't have been able to see him with this mind. ”Do you have to find me every time and ruin my mood? There are dozens of taverns in the Kingdom of White Snake, and just as many forbidden ones!” I raised my hand and pointed inside with my index finger. “This place is underground. Literally Black Snake territory. I ch-chose this dump just to get away from you!”

  “Choose. You chose it,” he corrected. He looked around. “And yes, You found a place as disgusting as snake shit this time.” He turned back to me and drained the drink. Slammed the mug down. Grabbed my arm. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  When I quickly pulled my arm away, he didn't let go, causing me to stumble. The hood on my head fell back, revealing my face and hair. When he saw me clearly, his eyebrows furrowed. “What happened to your face... Your hair... What did you do to yourself?”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Ah, well,” I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “It's coal. I changed my look. Come on, ask why!”

  “I won't ask,” he said, pulling me back again.

  “No, ask!” I insisted.

  “Stop making things difficult! Come on!” he said quietly, pulling me back and causing me to stumble forward. When he turned around at the same time, I bumped into his back, but he didn't move. I tilted my head to the side and turned my gaze to the three Black Snakes standing directly in front of Vilas. They were the ones who had previously crushed the White Snakes into the ground.

  I grinned and grabbed Vilas's arms, raising myself up on my fingertips and whispering in his ear. “I told you to ask me why. They don't like White Snakes around here.”

  When the men pounced on him, he let go of me and deflected the first Black Snake's punch, but he couldn't dodge the one aimed at his stomach. Such a huge man's punch could have broken the ribs of a normal person, but Vilas just bent slightly and cursed.

  “How rude,” I said, pursing my lips. ”What inappropriate words to use in the presence of a lady!”

  I took a step back and sat down again on the old, worn-out chair I had just gotten up from. Fat Moelli, as if he had been waiting for this moment, placed another glass in front of me. I turned to him, pursed my lips, and blew him a kiss. “Marry me!”

  His thick, misshapen lips parted, and he let out a loud laugh. He pointed to Vilas, who was standing between the men. ”Who is this White Snake?”

  “A freak who's in love with me! A White Snake, no less. Isn't that disgusting?” I looked at Vilas with feigned disgust and finished the contents of my glass in one gulp. My stomach rebelled, but I didn't care. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Then I raised my fist in the air. ”Death to the White Snakes!”

  Shouts of support rose from inside. Vilas cursed, directly at me. I looked at Moelli, who was still standing beside me. “Did you hear what he said to me? I'll tell the queen and have him hanged!”

  Moelli laughed again. “Reach the queen? My dear, you've lost your mind. As for this White Snake...” He grimaced with disgust. “...he won't make it out of here alive.”

  It will be difficult to reach the queen... Hmm...

  This White Snake won't make it out alive? Ah, Vilas, how painful that they don't know you at all, my dear friend!

  I shoved a large wad of money into Fat Moelli's hand, and he was so happy that I gave him more than he deserved that he turned toward the bar with a speed that belied his bulk and filled another glass. Vilas knocked all three men to the ground one by one, but this time it was more difficult because it didn't take long for new ones to take their place. Except for the White Snakes who cowered in fear, those who attacked him formed an ugly carpet pattern on the floor by the time I had downed two more glasses of Black Snake liquor.

  When he turned to me, his gray eyes burning with anger. I slowly stood up, swaying where I stood. Vilas's image also swayed in front of me. When I extended my arms, he hurled another curse at me. At me...

  The moment he picked me up, I said, “I will have you executed. I have strong connections with the queen.”

  He clenched his teeth, reopening the cut on his swollen lip, and more blood trickled down. “What?“ I said in a shocked voice. “I didn't do anything.”

  When he reached the door, I saw the men who had been hiding in the corners retreat even further. If Vilas hadn't kicked the door violently, I might have laughed at their state. The deadly glances he shot at me as he left were also quite effective, of course. “Death to the White Snakes!” he mimicked me.

  Smiling, I began to play with the medallion that had come loose from his shirt. I had given it to him. It contained pictures I had drawn. On the back was a single inscription... Forever...

  He had also given me the pearl earrings in my ears. They had belonged to his mother, who had died when he was too young to remember her, and I knew that all that remained of her were those two earrings in my ears. Vilas and I... We were more than brothers; I didn't even like most of my brothers.

  “Take your hands off me!” he said, and I dropped the medallion.

  “You're so touchy.”

  “Did you ever think of helping?” he said with narrowed eyes.

  I widened my eyes dramatically. “Are you kidding? I'm a lady. A lady doesn't fight.” I stiffened my chin. “She is elegant, beautiful, and noble.”

  “So you're not,“ he said, scowling.

  “You're rude,” I said in a hurt voice. I rested my head on his chest. “I'm a lady.”

  “You're a drunk, Asra Marian.”

  “You're doing it again,” I snapped. Vilas raised his head as he walked down the street filled with the drunken ramblings of a few men and glanced around. He pretended not to hear me. “You're saying my full name. And you're not emphasizing the ’s'. Assra...” I said my own name, emphasizing the ‘s’ like a snake's hiss. “Say it again!”

  “Don't be stupid,” he said, glancing around. ”Be quiet!”

  I was about to punch him in the chest when the alcohol churned with bile and filled my mouth. Vilas suddenly pushed me off his lap. Actually, he threw me off. When I hit the ground, I wanted to get angry at him for a moment, but then I started vomiting.

  Vilas cursed. At me...

  After what felt like forever, my throat raw with pain, I was finally able to catch my breath. And I started vomiting again. At one point, my stomach might have even come out of my mouth. My eyes filled with tears, and drops began to wash my face. Vilas, however, watched me the entire time without saying a word, without even moving. I guess I hadn't picked my friends well, and I was probably going to get him killed.

  I raised my head and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Is it over... my lady?”

  Vilas said. When I turned my misty eyes toward him, I could barely make out the mocking tilt of his head. “I'll feed you to my snakes,” I said in a voice filled with hatred.

  He shook his head slowly. “Words unbecoming of a lady.”

  “You cursed a lady!”

  “You're very touchy.”

  I grumbled and tried to stand up. When standing on my feet felt like torture, I sat back down. I reached out my arms to Vilas again. ”I'm drunk! Carry this lady!”

  Even from his blurry image, I could tell he had rolled his eyes. He stepped toward me and grabbed me under my armpits. He straightened me up slightly. I thought he was about to lift me again, but instead, he grabbed my hair and shoved my head down. The water hitting my face made me curse, but it only caused the water to run down my throat. When he pulled my head back, I realized he had dunked me into the horse trough. The taste of water in my mouth made my stomach churn again, and I cursed. “Such words don't become a lady!” he said, dunking my head back into the water. He pulled it back and repeated the action.

  Finally, I kicked his leg and he let me go. Taking deep breaths, I leaned on the edge of the trough and stood up. The black water dripping down revealed the stark white of my hair. When I turned to him, he was smiling for the first time today. "Finally awake, my lady?"

  “You threw me into a horse trough!”

  He looked me up and down. His disgusted gaze climbed back onto my face. “And I'm sorry to say, you look covered in horse dung!”

  I looked down and saw that my light brown pants, and even my white shirt, were indeed covered in horse dung. As my stomach churned, I raised my head and looked at Vilas. He was still quite neat. I noticed then that he had taken off his military clothes. He was dressed like a commoner, in a tattered shirt and faded pants. Still, his white hair was quite neat, only a little disheveled from the fight he had just had. Not even his boots, which came down to his knees, had a speck of dirt on them. He was still clean in his old, tattered clothes. “I have something to say,” I said as I approached him.

  He stood there, his eyebrows furrowed. “If you're going to punch me, I'll throw you back into that pit...” He grinned. “...my lady.”

  A drunkard passing by hissed, “White Snakes!” and spat on the ground, but we both pretended not to notice. The Black Snakes had started making noise, but that was the White Snake Kingdom's problem, not mine.

  My steps finally brought me to Vilas. I looked at his handsome face, batting my eyelashes. The palace servants were falling for that face. “Let's kiss.”

  His eyebrows furrowed even more, and he took a long breath. ”Stop being ridiculous. Let's get out of here before someone notices us!”

  “What?” I said immediately. “We look very poetic right now. I think we should kiss.”

  “You just drank from a horse trough. I wouldn't have kissed you even if you hadn't. We don't look poetic at all.” He gave me another disgusted look. ”On the contrary, you look quite repulsive.”

  “Who is the woman you cheated on me with, huh?” I said, raising my chin.

  She let out a moaning sound. ”Asra, do you really have to do this all the time? Look at the situation you've put me in! Look at yourself. You know what could happen to you, don't you?”

  I laughed in response to his seriousness and punched him on the shoulder. I wasn't going to punch him because he still cared about me. He mispronounced my name to hide his noble origins and protect me. “You're no fun, Vilas. You don't know the meaning of excitement.”

  “I've had enough excitement fighting Black Snakes. Stop talking nonsense.” He looked around wearily. “Where's the horse?”

  I turned my head and looked at the corner where I had tied my horse. I pointed to it with my chin. “Over there.”

  “There's nothing there.”

  I turned to him and shrugged. ”Someone stole it.”

  He let out a sound of disbelief. “Are you telling me that after all the training you've had, you let them steal your horse?”

  “What training?” I said, taking his arm. My steps were still a little unsteady as we walked. “I'm a lady.”

  “You're a pain in the neck, Asra.”

  “You didn't pronounce the 's' again! I'm a lady!”

  “They stole your horse!” he said, raising her voice. “Don't you think you should be more concerned about that? You're a terrible lady.”

  “You have a horse, don't you?” I said, shrugging my shoulders. I glanced at her and smiled maliciously. “You'll wrap your strong arms around my waist, and we'll go together. Maybe we'll even kiss.”

  “I wasn't going to take my head out of that trough,” he said. As we left the back alley of the tavern, I was still smiling at her teasingly, but when he stopped, I stopped too.

  “Are we going to kiss now?”

  “Stop it!“ he said with furrowed brows. It was clear now that there was a problem. I turned my eyes in the direction he was looking, but the front of the tavern was empty. There wasn't a single person in sight, let alone a threat. This place was hidden away, far from people.

  “What's wrong?” I asked, becoming serious.

  He bit his lower lip hard. Hesitantly, he turned his head toward me. As I looked at him with furrowed brows, he said, “Don't say a word and don't... Don't laugh!”

  “What?”

  He clenched his teeth, his lips parted and closed. When they parted again, the two words he said caught me off guard. ”They stole my horse!”