𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

𝐗𝐗.𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫

Japeth walked into the glamorous dinning room with Arice at his arm.
At the table was a single person. Rhian.
He was looking at nothing until Japeth came in. Him and Arice arrived just in time.
Rhian raised his eyes and looked at Arice from head to toe. Then he looked at Japeth.
"Where's she?"Japeth asked reffering to Sophie.
" Let Sophie aside. The question is who is she?" Rhian asked looking at Arice.
"She's the girl I told you about. The one I kept" he said proudly, while helping Arice sit on a chair then him sitting on his own.
Rhian looked at Arice again.
"If I didn't know you better, brother, I would believe that you brought back Aric and turned him into a girl"
 
  Ten minutes passed by, as nobody said nothing while Japeth and Arice were sometimes glaring at each other.
  Rhian was curios. Japeth has never been interested in women, yet now he walked with one at his arm. Why did Japeth kept her? What he saw so important in this girl?

Then the brothers started talking about something called Lionsmane while eating.

"It needs to be harsh. A warning," she heard Japeth saying in the refurbished Gold Tower dining room. "Lionsmane's first tale should instill fear."

"Lionsmane should give people hope," said Rhian's voice. "People like you and me who grew up without any."

"Mother is dead because she believed in hope," said his brother.

"And yet, Mother's death is the reason both of us are in this room," said Rhian.
 
"Supporters of Tedros are protesting tonight in Camelot Park," said Japeth. "We should ride in and kill them all. That should be Lionsmane's first tale."

"Killing protestors will lead to more protests," said Rhian "That's not the story I want to tell."

"You weren't afraid of bloodshed when it got you the throne," said Japeth snidely.

"I'm king. I'll write the tales," said Rhian.

"It's my pen," Japeth retorted.

"It's your scim," said Rhian. "Look, I know it isn't easy. Serving as my liege. But there can only be one king, Japeth. I know why you've helped me. I know what you want. What both of us want. But to get it, I need the Woods on my side. I need to be a good king."

Japeth snorted. "Every good king ends up dead."

"You have to trust me," Rhian pressed. "The same way I trust you."

"I do trust you, brother," said Japeth, softening. "It's that devious little minx I don't trust. Suppose you start listening to her instead of me?"

Rhian snorted. "As likely as me growing horns. Speaking of the minx." He laid down his fork on his plate of rare, freck led deer meat and looked up coldly from the decadent table, his crown reflecting his blue-and-gold suit.

"I heard guards pounding on the Map Room door, Sophie If you can't make it to dinner on time, then your friends in the dungeons won't get dinner at all"

Arice saw a blonde girl walking in next to two pirates.
Rhian ordered the pirates to leave, as everyone in the room looked puzzled at Sophie's dress.

"That was our mother's dress!" Japeth launched to his feet as he got angrier.

Arice wasn't paying attention to her. She said something like "you told me to wear it, not how to wear it" and Japeth got angrier every second.
  Then Sophie's eyes landed on Arice.
"oh dears! Snakeskin is a speciality! Imagine what i could do out of your suit" she told Japeth "or your dress" her eyes turned to Arice.

Then the blonde started to talk about iron gall and how she put it in the dress. Arice knew all of this, they learned it in their first year.
This girl really was smart.
"Now darlings, what's for dinner?" Sophie asked like nothing happened and Arice stopped zooning out.

"your tounge" Japeth said as scims left his suit to Sophie's face. Then a glow. Rhian send them back to their owner.

"she needs to be punished!" Japeth demanded.

"you have to admit.. The dress does look better" his twin said.

Japeth was about to throw a tantrum, then Arice held him by his shoulder. Japeth calmed down a bit.
"careful brother, your horns are growing" he said while getting up and kicking the chair

"enjoy dinner with your queen!" he said as he was leaving, with the snake's mask.

Arice didn't think twice. She got up careful, and left after him without saying anything. Rhian looked at her until she left the chamber.

Then he zooned out.
What can she do? Why did Japeth spared her life and brought her to Camelor? Why did his brother calmed down at her touch? Rhian didn't like it.