ANGUIS

Chapter 32

Their first argument happens on a cloudy day.

Taylor was walking through the wide garden of her castle, situated right beside the stables, the rays of light coming from the sun kissing her skin lightly. She has a small bunch of daisies in her right hand, her left one picking up the most bright and chalky flowers that surrounded her feet. She became alert as soon as quiet and gentle steps filled the silence, coming from behind her. Taylor smiles when she realizes that she has recognized the owner of these footsteps just by the sound of them.

The Queen turns around with a smile, it becoming even bigger when she sets her eyes on her lover. "Hey," she says softly.

"Hey,"

Karlie smiles back, her hands in her pockets. She was wearing a chestnut jacket and a grey tee underneath, her pants hugging her muscular and infinite legs in just the right ways. She seems nervous, as if she's afraid of even speaking to the blonde. Sensing fear from the brunette, Taylor stands up and closes the distance between them, pecking her lips softly. Karlie visibly relaxes, one of her hand coming up to cup the Queen's cheek in order to kiss her once more.

"I have to talk to you,"

"About?"

Karlie clenches her jaw, looking away from Taylor's eyes. "You know the small outpost, the one which is like five or six miles from here?" Taylor nods slowly. "I think we should conquer it," she confesses quietly, not meeting the Queen's stare.

Taylor has nominated Karlie the General of the Army weeks ago since she trusts her and is aware of the brunette's intelligence and tactics. (Plus, she's a semi god.) The taller girl has the task of leading Taylor's troops, the only thing she needs to do before attacking a city is request for the Queen's approval. So, practically, the blonde is the only one above her; Taylor is her boss, the only person who will tell her yes or no.

However, this time she doesn't know why she's so nervous to ask her consensus for attacking the small town nearby Anadea. After all, that outpost was one of the most important ones for Bradley and Damian even though it was so small, so if Anadea (and Taylor's lineage) could have the pleasure to defeat the outpost it would be amazing.

"Why? They didn't do anything bad," Taylor says, skepticism beginning to make its way onto her voice.

Karlie bites her bottom lip nervously, saying, "You know that Cassio is one of the most important outpost under Damian's control, right? If we could just––"

"No," Taylor interrupts her abruptly, a sudden coldness to both her features and voice. Her irises have become a lighter shade of blue, almost as if they were made out of ice, and her plump and soft lips were pursed in a straight line. "We won't attack a city out of the blue just because it has value for our enemy. It's a waste of time and soldiers, and you should be aware of that," Taylor says with an authoritative tone.

"I know," Karlie replies, furrowing her brow. Where is this coldness coming from? She tries to place her arms around the small of her back, but her lover takes a step back. "Taylor, I'm aware of that. Of course I'm aware that it's a waste of soldiers, but it's not a waste of time. If we succeed on defeating Cassio, we would be ahead of Damian and Bradley. We would be stepping towards victory and a possible peace between all types of Anguis. Don't you want that?"

Taylor has her arms hanging stiffly by her sides, her stare hard as she gazes at the green grass beneath Karlie's dark shoes. "I don't know, Karlie," Taylor's voice is low and softer than ever, as doubts begin to show on her angelic face. "I know that conquering Cassio would be the perfect opportunity to step towards the victory and peace, but I just––I'm skeptical,"