Poison Rose(Roses & Kings #1)
Chapter 1

Reyna

Reyna had just returned from the library-where she had re-read the history book of the outbreak for the umpteenth time. Hoping the long book would help lure her to sleep, instead it made the questions that have always plagued her sprang into her brain. Questions she had no way of knowing the answer to. Reyna was still as wide awake as when she'd sneaked into the library some hours ago-which defeats the purpose of going there in the first place.

She never could go to sleep on nights like this when it's raining. There's something that plague her about raining nights,Reyna didn't know what it was but she always had nightmares on those nights. Even though she desperately needs sleep-with the training and everything,she couldn't go to sleep and she's always tired in the mornings.

But it seems she's become a creature of habit, she guess the countless sleepless nights she'd walked this hallway throughout the years. Had made it part of her nightly ritual, walking through the castle helped calm her nerves. She was just rounding off the corner of her mother's room when she first heard it.

A low groan/grunt sound that gave her a fright. Reyna wrapped up the shawl she had taken to wade off the night chill, tight to her body as she took a hesitant step towards the ornate double doors of Cassandra's room.

The sound came again, only it wasn't just a groan/grunts, there's a feminine moan that was low and long. Reyna bites her lips hard and moves closer deliberating on the course of action. She could run and call the guards to come and check who is inside the room. Or she could take the risk and check it out herself, she's well trained and could hold off an enemy before the guards arrive. One thing Reyna was sure of is whoever is inside the room it's definitely not Cassandra.

Her mother doesn't retire to her room until midnight, sometimes even dawn. She guessed that has to do with her job as the queen of this Queendom. She's always busy with work, trying to replace ways to govern and protect her citizens.

So Reyna doesn't believe it's her inside the room. The guards were supposed to be here,what could have been so important for them to leave their post? She could try to call them, but that would means whoever is inside will run away. Or she could wait out until they came back so they can check it out together, but that would be cowardly and Reyna's not a coward.

The moans and whimpering sounds remind her of a wounded animal or of someone who's in pain, and it's only growing in crescendo accompanied by a strange slapping sound. Her mind was already decided, she would check out who is inside or what's going on before she raise the alarm and call the guards. It could be that the person inside needed a doctor instead of the guards.

Just in case she might be wrong and be faced with a dangerous situation. Reyna stopped and silently pulled out her dagger from its sheath on the thigh knife holster bind to her left thigh. She twisted the knob opening the door quietly. Reyna was light on her feet as she quietly made her way into the lavish big room that's more like a throne room than a sitting area. When she finally reached the bedroom the sounds were louder. She carefully knelt down, her heart galloping faster in her chest, she squinted an eye and peek into the room through the keyhole.

There are bodies writhing on Cassandra's massive bed, but she couldn't see much. There was no way to know who they were without bursting into the room and giving herself away. The bodies were under the sheets twisting and grunting/groaning.

She felt her heart beat increased,her right palm was suddenly so sweaty which made the silver handle of the dagger slightly slippy. Whoever is in there must be in pain. She concluded, they needed help desperately, the whimpering/moaning she'd heard cemented that thought.

There's a part of her that was afraid the people inside had contracted the blue mist virus and might attack her if she suddenly barge in without backup. Part of her wanted to go back and call the guards. But Reyna didn't want to make a fool of herself without any concrete proof as to what is really going on.

She blamed the book she'd just finished reading for her overactive imagination. The sound came again and Reyna stick to her belief that, it was sounds of pain that she had heard.

"What in God's name are you doing here?" Reyna let out a startled squeak,and turned sharply to shush her inquisitive Nanny. She's sure it doesn't paint a good picture seeing her peeking through the keyhole of her mother's bedroom. But she didn't plan for this.

"Why are you here Rey? It's midnight. And what are you doing peeping into your mother's room? How would you explain yourself if she catches you?" Nana whispered furiously. Reyna bite her lips, her face worried about what she'd just saw and heard.

"I couldn't sleep Nana, so I decided to come and stretch my legs. I knew mother was not in her room,but just now I heard voices in her room. Come see, there are people in her bed. I've been hearing painful moans and groans from two different voices."

Reyna whispered back contemplating whether or not the people hiding in her mother's room needed the doctor. Nana looked doubtful, but she got down on her knees with a huff and did as she had done a few minutes ago. She squinted an eye through the keyhole,just as they heard the moan/groan sounds again. Nana Maria had only seen a part of the writhing bodies. But instantly she understood what was going on.

“Reyna! We must leave here immediately.” Nana said hurriedly her face has reddened, did she know what's was going on behind the door? Or what kind of ailments is this that would make them cry out this way? Reyna wondered. Nana Maria didn't know what to say, Reyna was as innocent as the snow. Girls in Marlenia were kept in the dark about such intimacies.

“Oh my God, Nana it's that bad? What do we do? The people inside must be in great pain. You have seen them right Nana? What if they are dying? We need to leave and call doctor Elizabeth, she needs to come here.”

Nana look confounded, like the time Reyna had first bled and she didn't know how to explain what was happening to her. That's how she looked to Reyna. Nana Maria didn't know how to explain that the queen isn't really moaning because she was sick, but rather because of pleasure. That particular subject was forbidden for her to discuss with her mistress yet.

"Why Elizabeth?" Perplexed Nana Maria asks. Reyna rolled her eyes at her, really sometimes her Nana's could be so slow and clueless.

"Because she's a doctor. And you heard it yourself, whoever is in Cassandra's room is terribly sick, maybe even dying. We will be saving their lives." She whispered.

"Oh Reyna, I really don't know what to do with you. But then I'm not surprised you don't know what is really going on, you've been sheltered on that particular topic all your life." Nana Maria was torn between amusement and sadness her mistress was denied such knowledge. Reyna was only half listening, as she was back to peeping inside. It was then that one of the writhing figures inside the sheets emerged.

She gasped her blue gray eyes bulged out of their sockets when she saw it was Cassandra. Her face was red and sweaty and she was rocking her lower body in circles. Reyna squinted some more trying to see if she could tell what was wrong with her from here. But she couldn't see anything, the door had shielded Cassandra's body. She could only see her face and shoulders and the sweat running down her face. Worried she sharply turned towards her Nana.

"Stop talking Nana. We haven't the time to argue, we have to go call the doctor, it's mother, she's really sick. She's red and sweating profusely in this cold weather, it must be a fever." Nana Maria's cheeks heated when the image she's trying to rid herself of, came up clear and unbinding. A sick woman wouldn't be rocking a man's member with determination like the queen is currently doing. But that's something she could never tell the princess.

Girls in Marlenia are kept innocent from all the intimacies of men and women, with a Queendom full of women and only a handful of men to go around. Laws were established. No girl under the age of nineteen is allowed to have any knowledge of a man be it theoretically or practically. So she did what needed to be done. Try to dissuade Reyna from calling the doctor.

"Listen to me Reyna, your mother's not sick and If you trust me even a little, you'll come with me before we're found and punished severely for spying when we shouldn't be even close to this room."

Nana Maria straightened up and forced Reyna to her feet, she could clearly see her mistress was torn between trusting her and doing what was right. Reyna knew she trusted her Nana more than anyone,but what if her mother is really sick? How could she just go and leave her? But what if it turns out Nana is right? They would both be severely punished. Her Nana was a heavy set woman and older she couldn't take the punishment Reyna knew Cassandra was going to mete if they got caught.

Not wanting to cause any kind of pain to her Nana, Reyna started walking out of the sitting room with her. When suddenly they heard a loud high pitch scream. It was definitely Cassandra's, so she halted, about to bolt back and check on her.

But her Nana roughly dragged and pulled Reyna out with her. Her face was very red with mortification. If Reyna didn't know any better she'd would have thought her Nana was embarrassed. But there was no reason for her to be. Or is there?

She didn't let go of Reyna until they were inside Reyna's room. Her mistress was angry with her and frustrated that she couldn't help her mother. Nana Maria didn't blame her better that than for the queen catching them spying on her. She knows Reyna thinks she understands the enormity of the situation. Her mistress's body was shaking. Her eyes were teary. While Cassandra is not a loving mother, Reyna still loves her as any daughter loves her mother.

"Nana! What are you doing? Why won't you let me call the doctor? Didn't you hear that scream? Mother's definitely in pain." Nana releases an insufferable sigh. Sometimes she blames herself for not educating the Princess on sex and intimacies. If she had she wouldn't have to suffer through this. But the law was the law. If the Queen found out she'd thought her daughter all about sex secretly, she would have her head.

"She's alright Reyna, you would see." She replied, fluffing up the pillows on the princess bed.

"But what If she's dying? We need to do something." Reyna asked doubtful. Not entirely sure that Cassandra's okay. Nana Maria almost snicker, the only thing the queen was currently dying of is pleasure.

"You know Reyna I would never lie to you, If your mother's really dying-which I know she's not. Trust me on this and go to sleep. I swear to you she's more than okay." Even though she believed her Nana. Reyna stayed long into the night. Worried about her mother's health, wondering if Nana's right. That she's okay? Until she inevitably succumbed to the lure of sleep.