~Mirandiona💎

Drip

Drip

Drip

I listen as I watch the water from the previous nights rain steadily make its way through a small crack in the dark gray stone above me. The water was landing in a small puddle on the stoney floor mere inches from the white wing I was lying on. I stretched out my other wing and let a droplet hit it. Landing on one of the black stripes that cut through the white feathers. Looking at the four stripes adorning the backside of my wing I follow each of them with my eyes across its surface, none quite touching any edge of the wing, surrounded on all sides by white. Lifting my wing I repeat the process with the three stripes on the inner side.

"Your majesty!" I hear someone shouting for me down the dark corridor. "Your majesty!"

Breathing a slow sigh through my nose I roll forward to push up off the ground. Standing I flick the wing I had been lying on to rid it of the dust and dirt from the floor. Giving my limbs a slight stretch, stiff from lying on the floor for so long, I start to make my way towards the sound of my advisor calling me.

Peaking out from around the edge of the stone I make sure the man's back is turned my away before slipping out to silently approach him. "Yes, Avar?" I ask, drawing his attention.

Turning to look at me his features are set into a scowl. He was rounding his tenth century and I would turn one hundred and twenty-six in a few moon cycles. He wasn't happy about my rule and was constantly questioning my right to power every chance he got. Quite often I wanted to kill him but he was a friend of my parents and however much I may despise the man, my parents had liked and trusted him so I refrained from letting my feelings take action.

"Where have you been, your majesty? Surely you're not slacking in your service to your people." He says in a faux respectful tone as if he wasn't accusing me of ignoring my kingdom. Some times it was really hard not to take one of the guards spears and impale him through the heart. "Surely your kingdom comes before relaxation my queen." Or I could grab one of the swords sheathed within my wings and behead him.

"Avar?" I interrupt as we walk down the corridor to the higher levels of the castle.

"Yes, my queen?" He responds with a smug tone. I'm sure if I were to glance over my wing at him I would see a self satisfied smirk.

Keeping my gaze strait ahead, "If I were to cut your tongue out, would you still be able to talk?" I ask as if having idle conversation.

He doesn't respond for a moment before asking in a relatively steady voice, "Why, your majesty?"

Glancing over my wing at him, "No reason." I answer dismissively before returning my gaze back to the front.

We walk in silence until we reach the outer wall of the thirteenth floor. The outer walls of the castle towers were mostly open, allowing for easy flight access, and supported by large white stone columns rising diagonally to give the towers a slightly spiraled look. Looking out across the city, we weren't terribly high up but we were high enough that it wouldn't take much effort to lift off.

"As much as I enjoy your company, is there a particular reason you were calling for me?" I ask turning to the bronze skinned man.

"Yes." He answers stopping in front of me, "The guards spotted a group of ruffly six rebels at the outer wall trying to find a way into the city undetected some three hours ago. The patrol killed one and captured two, the others managed to slip away."

'Damn' I curse, "Where are the two they captured?" I demand.

"The guards took them to the holding cells under the barracks at the east wall where they were captured." He responds curtly.

"Why am I just now hearing of this?" I question with a slight bite to my tone.

"I was looking for you. It's not my fault you like to hide." He answers with a sneer. Not his best move considering my mood.

Taking a step forward I bring my face an inch from his. He tries to pull back but I grab his face, my black talons extended grazing the sides of his face. My voice low and dangerous, "Remember your place, Avar. One wrong step and I'll have your wings on a mantel above my bed." I threaten.

His eyes are wider than usual with fear, "Y-yes, your majesty." He stutters.

Letting go of his face I step back and leave him standing there as I turn to the open wall. Taking two quick steps I leap onto the short ivory railing and push-off extending my large white and black wings.

As I enter the sunlight the pristine white of my wings becomes momentarily blinding to all who look. The sunlight always made the stripes of silver running along my wings and over my skin shine, as if someone took a giant brush dipped it in glitter and painted curving lines along my wings and across my body. I had silver dusting along my cheekbones and down my arms and waist. It was faint and blended remarkably with my pale white complexion. The silver hilts of my swords helped bring out the silver in my wings and skin. I could still feel the metal sheathes that were imbedded into the meat of my wings long ago.

The sheathes ran along the outside of my wings just next to the bone. The hilts of the three foot swords they held protruded from the top of my arches like blunt pikes.

Sailing through the air I pass over the castle wall and have to give a few beats of my wings to rise above the large towers and flying patrons of Algrie. Making a gentle bank to the side I head towards the East wall.

As I near the wall a patrol of three guards comes up to stop me from exiting the city without reason. As they near the lead guard catches sight of my necklace, a small pure sapphire sphere caged in two smooth swirls of silver on a thin silver chain, recognizing it as the queens lavaliere he guides his companions back to their rout and leave me be.

Looking down I see the eastern barracks a little ways ahead and start to descend. I make one large loop around the barracks and its courtyard to keep from coming in too fast. As I come down I spot the captain standing by one of the platforms, a small stone pillar with a slightly slanted top about two foot off the ground with a single step to aid in both lift-off and to step off the pillar after landing. They weren't necessarily needed for either but they did make it a bit easier.

As I come down I spread my wings to their full twenty-eight foot span from tip to tip. The captain lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the bright white of my wings and the sun at my back. I had to fight not to chuckle at his actions and instead get strait to the point. "I heard there was an attempt to sneak into the city."

"Yes your majesty. We managed to capture two of them. I've had one of my guards trying to extract information from them." He informs me as we walk into the barracks.

"Does Katal know about this?" I ask as he leads the way to where the prisoners are being held.

"I sent a guard to inform her. He was sent back with orders from Avar to leave the general alone, that he would inform you, your majesty." He explains.

'I swear by the Drace I'm going to cut that man's tongue out.' I growl to myself. "Tell your guards anything regarding the unrest is to always be reported to Katal and myself, no matter what anyone else orders." I command, stressing anyone.

"Yes, your majesty." He answers curtly. We travel the rest of the way in silence. Approaching a staircase with a single guard at attention, he stops and turns to me. "All the way down this hall and at the end of the hall to your left, there are two guards keeping watch outside their holding-cells." He informs me, standing at a rigged attention stance. Nodding my thanks I dismiss him and turn towards the stairs.

As I walk down the flight of stairs to the underground holding-cells, dug out before the city was even built, I hear the clicking and clacking of chains against stone and metal.

"Why, what do we have here?" I hear someone call from one of the cells to my right.

"Looks like we got ourselves a fancy high-riser." Another answers from the opposite cell. Ignoring them I continue on my way. "Awww...What's the matter? In a rush to learn the rebels plan to assassinate her majesty, are we?" He calls after me. Stopping in my tracks I stand frozen, "You didn't know?" He taunts.

Spinning around I walk back to his cell. He was filthy from the dirt and grime of the prison, he was missing a fang and it was anyone's guess what color his wings were or if he could even fly with the tattered things. He was grinning at me with his shackled hands griping the cell bars, like he just won the greatest prize of all time.

Crouching down to his level, "Is there a plan to kill the queen?" I question with such an innocent voice, I almost convince myself.

"Tell you what." he says leaning into the bars, whispering in a conspiratorial voice, "You help me get out of here and I'll tell you everything I know about the rebels. Sound like a deal?" He ask.

Faking a pained expression, "I'm sorry but I can't." I excuse.

"Well then I'm afraid I don't know much." He sighs, leaning back before leaning forward again, "Unless you want to give me something." He says glancing down at my chest. "Not many females on this side of the dungeon." His voice sending a wave of disgust through my body.

I was wearing a black one piece set of clothing, the top part wrapped around my neck attaching to a band of cloth across my larger than average bust, the ends of the band ran down my sides at a severe angle attaching to a silver ring at the top of either hip and another piece attached to the rings ran down along the V of my abdomen attaching to my shorts and two more came around the back connecting just under the ends of my wings which stopped at the bottom of my back.

My clothes didn't leave much to the imagination but then again few people's did.

Smiling sheepishly I look down and give a nerves chuckle, "I don't know..." I trail off sounding unsure.

"Aww..Come on sweetie just a peek." He says leaning forwards looking down at my breast.

"Well....." I trail off again before my hand shoots through the bars and grabs the filthy man by his throat. "I think her majesty would much rather show a filthy vermin, such as yourself, what she can do to a caracas from the inside out." I snarl in a dangerously low voice.

"Y-y-your majesty!" He stammers as it dawns on him who he's talking to, "I'm terribly sorry, I-I-I had no idea." He stutters in a panic.

"And now you do." I say in a calm even voice, far more dangerous than any snarl. "What do you know about this plan?" I question. The whole hold once filled with the noise of shifting chains and mumbling from the prisoners was now an eerie quiet as all the prisoners grew wary, for they were in the presence of the queen. Much like the quiet before a large storm.

"A-all I know is that the two guys the guards captured were sent to get in the city and kill ya." He says shakily.

"Bloody hell." I mutter as it hits me, "They wanted to get captured." Releasing the mans throat I quickly stand and walk back to the bottom of the stairs.

"Guard! Do you have a key to these cells?" I call up to the woman stand on duty.

Turning to look down at me, "Yes, your majesty." She answers holding up a key ring.

"Come here." I order as I swiftly spin around, my wings flaring a bit as I do, and walk back to the man I had been talking with. Once the guard comes up beside me, "I want him taken to General Katal for questioning. Make sure he gets water and a roll of bread." I order, then as an after thought ask, "Where's your captain?"

"The parlor, your majesty." She answers, quickly unlocking the cell and removing the filthy man's shackles from the wall.

As the man is brought out of his cell he looks at me with grateful eyes, "Thank you! Thank you, your majesty!" He says in gratitude.

"Oh don't thank me." I say in a dark voice, "You very well may have just saved my life. But now you're going to be a different kind of prisoner." I inform, grabbing his chin between my thumb and forefinger.

"W-what do you mean?" He ask in a shaky voice. Trembling in fear.

Pulling his face closer I let my voice go low, "You are going to work for me, my loyal subject. I need you to keep an eye on someone for me." I give him an almost evil smile full of promise. "Can you do that?" I ask with a raised brow.

"Yes, my queen." He answers without hesitation.

"Good." I say letting go of his jaw and heading back upstairs.

Following the smell of food and rum I make my way through the barracks until I come to a larger room lit with lanterns and full of guards on break. As I enter the room all the guards not incapacitated immediately stood at attention. Waving my hand dismissively they retook their seats. They were allowed rum in the barracks as we did not want them near civilians or in public because even an untrained angelo was dangerous under the influence, and a trained one was lethal.

Looking around I spot the captain at a table with a few other guards. Walking over to them he calls out to me, "Made them talk already, your majesty?" He questions heartily.

"Hardly." I answer in a blunt tone, "On my way I came across a man who new something about their plan. Based on what he told me they wanted to get captured to get into the city and have an audience with me in an attempt to take my life." I elaborate.

At this every guard in the parlor drunk and all were on their feet in an instant. Rising to his feet so fast his chair flew out behind him, "What!" The captain shouts. Turning to two of his men at the table, "I want you two to go down there and get everything you can from them. Cut off their fingers, promise them freedom, I don't care get them talking and when you're through chop their heads off with an ax." He orders.

"Yes, sir!" They both quickly lower fold their wings, in a near horizontal position, in a salut before trotting off back the way I came.

Turning back to the captain, "I'm having one of your prisoners taken to General Katal at my castle. I'll take my leave now." I inform as I make my way to the door.