Sharchan and S stared at Sienna's empty room, their hearts squashed in quiet fear suddenly...
"You should rather keep that tiger..."S noted uncomfortably.
"Like you would!"Sharchan shook his head.
"Where is she?"S asked worriedly.
Sharchan looked around the room."There is no other scent apart from Sienna's one!" he noted.
"I sensed father's in the corridors. Do you think he took her?"
"Father?"Sharchan asked in a bit of disbelief.
"Akita was under his window," S noted.
"Father must have her then!" they said almost in one voice as they looked at each other rather confused.
"Let's go," Sharchan said with a murderous look on his face. He did not like his father's game, whatever it was for...
The snake brothers walked faster and faster till they ran to their father's room!
They stopped in front of the heavy wooden snake-carved door and knocked. Well, they hit it hard a few times with an impatient urgency.
Sharmut was just changing his shirt when his sons banged on his door wildly. He smiled to himself and opened the door, still buttoning his silken shirt nonchalantly.
"Where is Sienna...?"Sharchan and S looked at him with desperate expectation.
"Good morning, father...One would expect his big sons to say..."Sharmut shook his head seriously.
"Good morning, father," S said politely and punched Sharchan's elbow with his as a little boy.
"Good morning, father. Where is Sienna?"Sharchan asked impatiently.
"How was your sleep?... One would expect you to ask."Sharmut shook his head in pretend disbelief at their rudeness, with a serious look on his face.
"How did you sleep, father?"His sons asked in one breath.
"Not much... A little bird was roaming around the castle and got caught by your zombie servant."Sharmut nodded.
Sharchan furrowed his brows..."What bird?"
"Pretty cheeky bird. I had to come to its aid before it got killed... "He looked into Sharchan's eyes firmly.
"Where is my queen?"Sharchan asked worriedly.
"Did you lose her?"Sharmut asked innocently.
"We know you have her, father," S noted cheekily.
"Come in then... "Sharmut decided to finish his little teasing game.
Sharchan and S came in just to see Sienna sleeping in their father's bed with a gold chain hanging from the blankets!
"What is this?"Sharchan looked at Sharmut in quiet rage.
"I did not want her to fly away... "Sharmut grinned.
"And why do you have her in your bed...?"Sharchan asked dumbstruck.
"Well, I could not let her sleep on the floor..."Sharmut chuckled.
"But why did you take her?"Sharchan looked at his father curiously.
"I was thinking you take too long, so I could make you another brother. I miss having kids around...Don't you want another brother?"Sharmut asked innocently.
"You, you did not take her...like that...did you...? Sharchan almost lost his voice.
"Well, we are snakes... "Father teased him.
Sharchan was lost for words...
"Silly son, brother! Not, half-brother... "Sharmut burst into laughter at him." You look at your queen and your brain freezes, hm ?"
Sharchan and S sighed in relief so his father continued.
"Here is my deal. You two will go to your mother and convince her to change the chains with your little queen... "Sharmut said with a cheeky smile and serious eyes. This was his chance to get back at Sharchan!
"I gave mother my word of a king!"Sharchan called a bit enraged at his father's sneakiness. He did not mind playing his silly annoying games, but not when the mother was involved."Mother is under my direct protection, father. She is free as long she wants to be."Sharchan's voice turned icy cold."Rather give me my queen back, father. I would not like to end our blossoming relationship..."Sharchan looked at him seriously.
"Well, I saved your queen's life, she is mine."Sharmut smiled cheekily. He knew he had the upper hand.
"Akita?"Sharchan furrowed his brows.
"Yes, yes, he tried to kill her...you can't leave the young curious queen in the care of a heartless zombie servant! What a grave mistake it was! If not for me... "Sharmut shook his head."He wanted to torture her to death slowly in your dungeon! Imagine how much time he would have to do that if I did not stop him! All night!"Sharmut hissed. He was quite upset at Sharchan for his negligence. He wanted to let him eat all of it, with a cream and cherry on the top!
"Torture her?"S was pale at this thought. He felt rising rage in his heart." I should not listen to anyone and just kill him. S was cutting him into pieces in his head." Akita was lucky to be dead!
Sharchan held his forehead like a broken man. His thoughts were racing wildly."Watch my queen in secret," he said to his freshly unfrozen servant before he left to hunt. "I want to know her every step!" Sharchan wondered a way too late. "Akita must thought, that I did not trust her..." he felt at war in his mind...."I should let him die as father said. Why do fathers have to be always right? This just sucks! Well, he saved my Sienna, so I can't fight him. Will I also be always right when I become the father? Father...I have to raise my sons better...or I could get locked in the cold room..." he chuckled bitterly and glanced at S.
"Hm, Sharchan, father is right!"S bit his lips. He felt guilty too.
"My queen. I want to talk to her."Sharchan said a bit calmy. His father made him feel like a little guilty kid.
"Let her sleep, she is tired, "Sharmut smiled gently." My daughter-in-law looks so cute when she sleeps," he noted.
"Tired? From what?"Sharchan asked.
"She was waiting all night for you..." Sharmut shook his head..."And she won chess yesterday..."
"With you?"Sharchan asked surprised.
"Yes, so you will take this cage to the goldsmith. It should be melted and this pendant made..." he gave him Sienna's drawing..."For all females..."Sharmut chuckled..."You deserve to live free... Don't you love it? She fits our family so well..." he nodded.
"She indeed does..."S nodded sweetly and watched Sharchan staring at Sienna's drawing. The Snake King felt it as a knife piercing through his heart."Does she want to be free of me?"He thought.
"Stop fuming."Sharmut knocked the Sharchan's forehead with his fingers.
"I'm very happy with my daughter-in-law, so we will be spending more time together...till you fetch me your mother, son."
Sharchan's face was red, he raged inside...
"Let's go, brother."S pushed him to the doors.
"That is a good boy...I will keep an eye on your little treasure and Sharchet fetches her some nice breakfast, I would rather not leave her alone."Sharmut chuckled."But first, Sharchan pick up your mess..." he pointed at the cage leftovers.
S sighed and helped Sharchan load the heavy cage bars onto his broad shoulders. Sharmut sat on the sofa and watched as his two burly sons worked..."This is fun. "The sneaky white snake smiled.
Sharchan glared at his father but carried the leftover golden pieces with him .S helped him to take them outside.
They dropped the golden pieces into the atrium and Sharchan was so angry he squashed them all into a huge golden ball. He put it over his shoulder and slithered to the Snake City without a word. He just wanted to get them to the goldsmith and be done with it. He felt really hopeless and so belittled by his father. The worst thing was, that Sharmut was right and it was eating Sharchan as a hungry worm in his mind!
S watched after his leaving older brother for a while and then he went to get some female food from the kitchen. He also felt upset and was thinking about how to convince his mother to come back. It seemed impossible to him and wrong at the same time. It was just not fair to her!
When Sienna finally woke up late morning, Sharmut was reading a book next to her in his armchair.
"Good morning," she smiled at him. "Did you sleep well, Sharmut?"
"Sure I did. "He nodded seriously."And I had a visit this morning. Two wild snakes woke me up. One got you still warm breakfast and the other one went to order your pendants. "He smiled victoriously. It was so good to order his sons around again!
"Thank you..."Sienna smiled chuckling."You sent Sharchan to the goldsmith, yes?"
"He liked your message the most..."Sharmut grinned.
"You are so great!" she chuckled and stood up."I need a shower and a new dress, can we go to my room, please?"Sienna asked carefully.
"You stay here for now."He smiled. "Go bathroom, all is ready."
Sienna sighed and went. Really, everything was waiting for her in the bathroom. The beautiful warm red velvet gown and warm fragrant bath. The thoughtful S even prepared her little scissors and sewing stuff in there as he figured she would be not able to get her new knickers on with the chain on her leg!
" This is so humiliating!!"She raged quietly as she sewed the side of her new knickers back together on the top of her hips after her bath. She had to cut one side to get them on! But it was still a better option than asking Sharmut to help her...
She got ready after all and then went back into the room to eat her breakfast...the golden chain was still around her ankle dragging behind her as a shiny trail...Sienna sat at the table eating the warm oat porridge and kind of played with that golden chain nervously. It was cold, hard and shiny and her other feet could not resist moving it around. It made that soft ringing noise as heavy golden bracelets do and it kept echoing inside Sienna's ears as a wicked laughter of the golden monster from her childhood fairytales.
Sharmut lifted his head from reading his heavy book and watched her eating and making noise with a chain for a while...
" I can see you are not used to any anklets." he chuckled." You make too much noise for me to read," he said seriously.
" Yes, is way too much gold for me."Sienna bit her lips as she watched him close his book and stand up.