Chapter 3 THE UNRULY QUEEN CHASKA

Queen Chaska stepped out of the carriage, her shoulders high as she looked around.

Her maid rushed out from the other side immediately and ran to her side.

Ina was a bit surprised. So....it was the Queen? Shilah was watching from afar, not wanting to go close in anyway.

Chaska's pretty eyes dimmed when she saw the lady in front of her.

"So... you're the one ranting at my carriage?" She asked, giving a head to toe glance at Ina.

Her eloquence was charming, but Ina wasn't there for admiration. Instead, she was embittered to hear her saying such words to her.

"Your Carriage, spilled water on me" she stated angrily. And instantly, Chaska slapped her hard across the cheek.

"Hah!" Shilah gasped from where she stood.

Oh, no....

Ina was stunned to the teeth as her hand went over her cheek immediately.

What??? The Queen slapped her??? She laid her hand on her???

"And you must be stupid to stand in front of me and lay such complaint" Chaska said, the scene was already glueing a lot of attention from the people around.

"What's so special about your dress, anyways? I'm pretty sure my horse is even more expensive than it".

She paused and took a step closer to Ina.

"You filthy commoner. You should be lucky I'm in such a happy mood today. Else, I'd have made sure I go back to the palace with your head in my bag".

And with that, she turned around and walked away, going to get what she wanted with her maid following up behind her.

Ina was in deep shook, her hand still over her cheek. The Queen slapped her? She.... she slapped her?

The market women around were mumbling and jittering. And for a moment, Shilah thought of going closer to comfort her, but not wanting a transfer of aggression, she remained where she was.

Ina was boiling with anger, her furs coming out from her skin already.

No; she couldn't shift. Not now. Attacking the Queen would definitely warrant the death penalty.

She turned around briskly and started walking away, while Shilah quietly followed with the heavy basket.

*

"Mother!!!!" Ina yelled as soon as she stepped into the house.

If only she possessed the powers of a witch, she was pretty sure she'd have brought the walls crumbling with her angry roar.

"Mother!!! Father!!!" She cried out again and this time around, her mother came running down the old staircase.

"Ina??? What's the problem??"

"Everything's the problem, mother!! EVERYTHING!!"

Her mother rushed down and could notice the stain on her dress, and the rage on her daughter's face... she'd never seen such before.

Shilah came in immediately, holding the basket.

"Ina, what happened?" Her mother asked.

Her deep growl had attracted her siblings downstairs. She had no idea her father was not at home.

"Take a look at me, Mother! Just take a look!" Ina roared and tried calming down to explain.

"While at the market, the Queen's carriage spilled mud water on me. And when I went to complain, she SLAPPED ME!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

"The Queen slapped you?!" Her younger sister - Vanessa -asked.

"Which of the Queens?" It was her mother.

"Queen Chaska!" Ina gritted the name with so much venom in her voice.

"My goodness! That's the senior Queen!" vanessa gasped.

"But Why would she slap you simply because you went to complain? That isn't right..!"

"Oh....! If it wasn't for the fact that she's a Queen and had guards around, I'd have damned the consequences and skin her alive!! But, I swear mother; I swear on the protectors of the seven mountains, I MUST HAVE my revenge!! It's a promise!!"

And with that, Ina ran away, taking the stairs.

Suspenseful silence circulated round the room for a few seconds.

"Shouldn't be a surprise" Evo suddenly said.

That was the only son of the house.

"I heard Queen Chaska is pretty evil and short tempered".

"And what're you looking at?" His mother suddenly snapped, referring to Shilah who had been standing and watching the whole time.

Quietly, she lowered her gaze and left.

**************

In a big room, capacious and well decorated. Two women and some maids could be seen, standing around and looking sober.

Queen Nosheba could be seen, sitting on the bed with swollen eyes. While the two women stood beside her, trying to convince her to carry her child.

"Please, My Queen"' the one with the child pleaded.

"I understand how you're feeling, but this is still your flesh and blood. She needs your motherly touch and needs you to feed her. Please...."

"I hate repeating myself, Ahiga" The Queen stated hoarsely.

Her voice was so rough and pain-filled.

"Take that curse away from me. I don't want a female child, I want a MALE!!!"

She picked up one of the plates of candies beside her and threw it to the floor, crashing it to pieces.

That was the fifth plate she was breaking.

Ahiga. That was the mid wife. For over an hour, she's been pleading with the Queen to get hold of her child, but she wouldn't listen and had been acting like an insane woman ever since she got to know she gave birth to a female.

"But where do you want her to be? Don't you care at all?" Ahiga asked worriedly and Nosheba glared at her.

"I DO NOT CARE, Ahiga. You can take her to my mother, so she can join her sister over there. I don't want to have either of my female daughters around me!" She barked.

"Okay; fine. Fine. You can send her to your mother when she's of age. But for now, she's nothing but an infant and needs to be nurtured. Please, My Queen, I'm pleading on her behalf. Please... don't forget you carried her in your womb for nine months. And don't forget you're also a female. Please...."

Just then, another presence was sensed as the door was opened with Queen Chaska walking in.

With the space in the room, the door was quite far from the bed and it gave Chaska some time to stare properly at Nosheba's pathetic face. Her maid was following up behind her.

Nosheba glared at her as she walked in, her chest rising and falling heavily.

"Greetings, My Queen" the women and maids around bowed as soon as Chaska got to the bed.

"Oh! Greetings, you all" Chaska smiled and returned her gaze to Nosheba, then, tried putting on a doleful look.

"Hello, Queen Nosheba...."

"What do you want?" Nosheba snapped in immediately, her hands fisting and it was taking Chaska a lot to cloak her smiles.

"Keep calm, dearest. I'm not here for trouble. Actually..." She paused and turned to her maid, signalling her to proceed with the basket of fruits.

"I came over to give these to you".

The maid bowed as she placed the small basket of fruits on the bed beside Nosheba.

"When I heard you'd put to bed, I decided to rush to the market myself to get you some fruits so you can eat and be refreshed...."

Before Chaska could finish up her words, Nosheba grabbed some of the fruits in the basket and threw it at her direction.

"Get out of my room, you demon!!" She cursed angrily.

"I don't want even a pin from you and don't want your cursed presence around me. So, get out...!!"

Chaska finally let out the smile she'd been hiding. It felt so good seeing her that way.

"Calm down, Nosheba, will you? Why being so bittered?" She asked calmly.

"Did I do something wrong by going to get you some fruits? Or...am I the reason you gave birth to a female child who was called Badnews by her father?"

Nosheba's eyes glinted.

"No.......!!!!!!!!!" She roared and threw the entire basket of fruits on the floor.

"I hate you, Chaska! I HATE YOU!!!! Guards!! Get out of my room!"

Chaska laughed menacingly and scornfully; her laugh echoed with so much ridicule, it tore Nosheba apart.

The mid wives in the room thought of asking the Queen to leave since she was troubling the wounded mother, but they all didn't want to get on Chaska's bad side because they knew she could be really deadly.

"Enjoy your sorrow, Nosheba" Chaska said and finally left.