Ever since his—accursed—birth, Messmer was never alone.

Ever since he took his first breath, there was the familiar hissing of two snakes in his ears, slithering silhouettes hovering and coiling around his body, large and heavy, as red as the blood he’d come to shed later on. A curse he’d hoped Queen Marika, his mother, would’ve been able to take away—but she only chose to remove one of his eyes and place a seal upon it.

The Demigod had, deep inside him, in a dark place of his mind, stubbornly hopeful, wished that his companions would disappear, die away, and make his steps as light as they’d never been before.

Unfortunately, the two winged serpents stayed twisted around his very own long limbs. And they stayed, when he was left behind in the Land of Shadow by his mother, becoming, despite himself, a welcomed presence.

Another welcomed presence in his life was Irene Sangrevil’s. His sweet, tender lover, who he’d almost made the mistake of impaling—a mistake he’d avoided, thank the Gods, and he was able to relish in their warmth, every once in a while.

Just like now, where he sat upon his throne, in the Shadow Keep, legs lazily stretched out, feet placed upon the floor, awkwardly long arms wrapped around them to keep them on his lap. As much as he delighted in the heat they provided, so did his snakes, apparently : the reptiles were wrapped around their arms, forked tongues flickering to taste the air they all shared.

“Are they upsetting thou, mine dearest heart ?” He inquired, almost tempted to swat his companions away.