Chapter 59: The Serpent’s Awkward Arrival

The morning sun had barely crested the hills when Marta pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders and tugged her daughter’s hand.

"Come along, Lila. We need to reach the market before the good vegetables are picked over."

The six-year-old skipped beside her, humming a tuneless song, her small boots kicking up dust from the well-worn path that wound through the northern farmlands. The wheat fields stretched out on either side of them, golden and swaying in the gentle breeze, and somewhere in the distance, a farmer was singing as he worked his oxen through the soil.

It was, by all accounts, a perfectly ordinary morning.

Marta had lived in these parts her entire life. She knew every bend in the road, every crooked fence post, every ancient oak that marked the boundary between her family’s land and the next. The northern farmlands were quiet, peaceful, the kind of place where nothing ever happened and everyone preferred it that way.

The most exciting thing that had happened in the past decade was when Old Man Hemsworth’s prize pig had gotten loose and run through the village square during the harvest festival.

So when Lila suddenly stopped skipping and went very, very still, Marta’s first thought was that she had spotted a rabbit.

"Lila? What is it, sweetheart?"

The little girl didn’t answer. She just stared, her small face going pale, her grip on Marta’s hand tightening until it almost hurt.

"Lila?"

"Mama," Lila whispered. "Look."

Marta followed her daughter’s gaze.

And felt her blood turn to ice.

At first, she couldn’t process what she was seeing. The shape was so massive that her brain simply refused to accept it. It looked like a fallen tree at first glance, a massive, dark trunk that had somehow crashed through the treeline and come to rest in the middle of the wheat field.

But then it moved.

Not much. Just a slow shift. The "trunk" coiled slightly, scales catching the morning light, and Marta realized with a dawning, soul-crushing horror that she was looking at the biggest snake she had ever seen in her entire life.

It was massive. Longer than a barn, thicker than a man’s torso at its widest point, with dark green scales that shimmered like polished emeralds in the sunlight. Its head, which was currently resting on a bed of flattened wheat, had closed eyes the size of plates and a jaw that could easily swallow a child whole.

Marta’s scream tore from her throat before she could stop it.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

She grabbed Lila, hauling the child into her arms and running.

Behind her, she heard the thing begin to stir.

Scales scraping against earth. A rumbling exhale that seemed to shake the very ground beneath her feet. The wheat rustled and snapped as the massive serpent began to move.

Marta ran faster.

She burst into the village square, still screaming, still clutching Lila to her chest. The villagers looked up from their morning routines, startled, confused.

"Snake!" Marta gasped, doubling over, her chest heaving. "Giant snake! In the wheat field! Big as a—big as a—"

She couldn’t finish. She just pointed, her arm shaking, toward the northern path.

The villagers exchanged glances. A few of the braver ones grabbed pitchforks and hoes, but no one moved. No one dared.

And then, slowly, they all turned to look.

The massive serpent had risen from its resting place. Its head towered above the treeline, swaying slightly as it surveyed its surroundings with eyes that glowed. It blinked once, twice, and then let out a sound that was somewhere between a hiss and a yawn.

"Looks like I slept in," it rumbled.

The serpent’s massive body began to shift. Bones cracked and realigned. Scales rippled and receded. The enormous form began to shrink, to twist, to fold in on itself in a way that made Marta’s stomach churn.

When it was over, a man stood in the middle of the flattened wheat field.

He had dark green hair and eyes the color of spring leaves. His skin was pale, with faint scales still glinting along his cheekbones and the backs of his hands. He was also completely naked.

Marta slapped a hand over Lila’s eyes. ℯ

"Zarek."

The voice came from behind the man. A second figure emerged from the shadows of the treeline, this one a man with sleek black hair and angular features. He was fully clothed in dark traveling leathers, and he carried a bundle of fabric in his arms.

He was also, unmistakably, a snake beastman. The slit pupils in his dark eyes gave him away, as did the faint flicker of a forked tongue when he spoke.

"You are scaring everyone," the black-haired man said flatly. "Again."

The leader of the Snake Clan, Zarek, blinked slowly. He looked down at himself, then at the terrified villagers cowering in the square, then back at his companion.

"Hmm."

He took the clothes that were shoved into his arms and began to dress with slowly. Maybe because he didn’t care. Or maybe it was out of embarrassment. Or maybe, it was the fact that an entire village was staring at him in various states of terror and confusion.

The black-haired man, Corvin, pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, suffering sigh. He had served as Zarek’s personal attendant for over a decade, which meant he had long since accepted that his life would be spent cleaning up after a leader who possessed no sense of social awareness whatsoever.

"Perhaps," Corvin said through gritted teeth, "next time you feel the urge to nap in your beast form, you could do it somewhere less.....populated."

Zarek finished buttoning his tunic and tilted his head, considering this. "The wheat was warm."

"The wheat belongs to farmers, my lord."

"Ah." Zarek looked at the flattened field, then at the terrified villagers, then back at Corvin. "Should I apologize?"

"It would be a start."

Zarek turned to face the villagers.

"I apologize," he said, his voice flat. "For the wheat. And the... screaming."

The villagers stared at him.

Lila peeked out from behind her mother’s hand. "Mama, who is this snake man?"

"Hush, Lila."

"He has pretty scales."

"LILA."

Corvin stepped forward, positioning himself between Zarek and the villagers. His tone shifted, becoming diplomatic. "Good people of the northern farmlands, please accept our deepest apologies for the disturbance. Lord Zarek, Ruler of the Snake Clan, has been traveling for many days and was.....overcome by exhaustion. He meant no harm."

"Overcome by exhaustion?" someone muttered. "He flattened half the Hemsworth wheat field!"

"I will personally see to it that the Hemsworth family is compensated for their losses," Corvin said smoothly.

Before Zarek could say anything, a sound cut through the air.

Hoofbeats.

Many of them.

The villagers turned as one toward the road, where a cloud of dust was rising. Moments later, a unit of imperial soldiers appeared, their armor glinting in the sun, their horses moving at a brisk canter.

At their head rode General Aldric.

The villagers immediately dropped into bows and curtsies, their earlier terror forgotten in the face of imperial authority. Even the old man with the walking stick straightened up, suddenly looking much less cantankerous.

Aldric pulled his horse to a halt a few paces from Zarek and Corvin. His blue eyes swept over the scene, the flattened wheat field, the terrified villagers, the two snake beastmen standing in the middle of it all, and his expression became very, very tired.

"King Zarek, it has been a while," Aldric said. "So it’s you who has been...scaring the villagers.

Zarek inclined his head. "General."

"The Empress has been informed of your.....arrival. She requests that you accompany me to the palace immediately."

Corvin stepped forward. "General Aldric, we meet again. We were just on our way to see her, but if I may, might I ask what the Empress intends?"

Aldric’s gaze flicked to Corvin, then back to Zarek. "She intends to speak with her husband. Privately. Before the entire Council of Nobles turns this into a diplomatic incident." He paused. "Or before the Dragon King decides to pay another visit."

Zarek’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Drystan."

"Indeed." Aldric’s tone was dry. "He’s been... vocal. About his intentions regarding the Empress."

A low hiss escaped Zarek’s throat, the first real emotion he had shown since his arrival. His pupils narrowed further, and the faint scales along his cheekbones seemed to sharpen.

Corvin noticed. So did Aldric.

"Shall we?" Aldric said, gesturing toward the road.

"General," Zarek said slowly. "My son. Soren. Is he..."

Aldric’s expression softened, just a fraction. "Prince Soren is well. He’s been spending time with his brothers. And the Empress."

Zarek nodded once, a sharp, jerky motion, and then turned to Corvin.

"Let’s go."

Corvin fell into step beside him, and the two snake beastmen walked toward the waiting soldiers. As they passed the villagers, Zarek paused.

"Your name," he said to Marta.

She flinched. "M-Marta, my lord."

"Thank you. For... not screaming too long."

Marta blinked. "Uh... you’re welcome?"

Zarek nodded again and continued walking.

Corvin leaned in close as they mounted the spare horses that Aldric’s men had brought. "That was almost polite," he murmured. "I’m proud of you."

"Seize your tongue."