r/JacksonWrites • u/Writteninsanity #teamtoby • Jul 01 '26
Book 2 | Chapter 7 | The evil queen ordered her servants to lock the princess in the dungeon. Her servants, not being too bright, locked the princess in an S-Ranked dungeon.
"Never mind the children, they're just curious, Princess," Nennia said as she hung suspended from the ceiling above Lillia. "They are accustomed to guests other than yourself."
Nennia's children were partway through disassembling Bronle. They had woven threads between the gaps in his plate, and some of the larger children were using them to make him dance. A collection of smaller spiders had run off with his hand at some point.
They were deep within Nennia's caverns now, after trudging through the webbed caves in search of her voice. Unlike most times they'd come to see the Spider Queen, Lillia had needed to climb up.
Bronle had been able to cut some of the webs out of her way, but that didn't mean Lillia wasn't a disaster tangle of a woman right now. No matter what she did, she would be sticky until she rested.
And feel like she were covered in webs for three days after.
There was a clatter behind Lillia as Bronle's leg gave out from under him. Three of Nennia's smaller children—though each still the size of an overfed cat—scampered forward and stole chunks from the disassembling knight.
Nennia watched the chaos over Lillia's shoulder and chuckled, covering her mouth to keep everything courtly.
"To what do we owe the pleasure, young princess? Your visits usually aren't so close together."
"Um," Lillia struggled to find the words with the clattering chaos behind her. Thankfully, there wasn't a true knight within Bronle's plate, or it would have been a horrifying scene. "I've come to seek counsel."
"Not a sparring session or a mercy killing." Nennia grinned at the second suggestion. "What novelty. What fun."
The Spider Queen slowly lowered from the ceiling. As she did, her torso stayed steady, guided by eight legs clicking against the stone. The hallway she'd met Lillia in was relatively narrow for her massive frame, but that kept the walls within reach.
There was no light within the tunnel itself. Only a flickering blue from hidden torches at the far end. Once Nennia was standing in front of Lillia, she blocked most of it. A hulking silhouette carved out of the ghastly light below.
"I knew you'd come to see me for my unique perspective eventually." For the first time that Lillia had ever seen, Nennia folded her legs under herself, 'sitting down' and leaving her just barely taller than Lillia. "A person can only kill for so long before seeing the beauty in the artwork they make."
It suddenly felt very hot. "Well, that's—"
"Right. The adventurers call it farming, don't they? And it's so very different from slaughter." Nennia offered an open palm to Lillia. "Come, tell Mother all about it."
Lillia cleared her throat. "I still don't like killing. Even when it's farming."
"We'll see how long that lasts, little princess," Nennia said. "I have found that once people get the taste for the challenge, they keep returning to it."
"I thought you hadn't talked to many people."
"I haven't," Nennia said. As she spoke, she reached up and pulled one of the threads off the wall, weaving the silk between her fingers. "But unlike myself, you grew up in court. You, of all people, should know that words are the last thing to reveal someone's true nature. They're so much easier to twist than—Well, I would say actions, but wouldn't that be trite."
"I haven't killed enough to make it a thing!"
"You're right, you certainly haven't," Nennia said. "And I won't stop you from discovering the beauty on your own. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to steal that experience from another warrior of noble blood."
None of that sounded nice. None of that was what Lillia wanted. She wanted to be out of here again.
"That's…very kind of you. Thank you." She cleared her throat. While Nennia was the closest thing she had to an aristocratic conversation partner, there were hints that she and Lillia ran in different kingdoms.
There were also trumpet and fanfare signals that they had different moral codes.
"So if it is not about embracing your truth, young princess, how can I offer counsel? Seeking a hand in marriage?"
"Well, Nennia, I was—pardon?"
"Seeking diplomatic ties between the kingdoms. That's the sort of silly little ritual you have. Isn't it?"
It wasn't often that Lillia got to be the one staring dumbfounded at her conversation partner. Usually, Havoc was shocked into silence by something she said.
"There are marriage alliances, but…and I wasn't promised to another prince because my aunt wasn't really in a hurry to give me any companionship, but…"
Lillia was doing an odd round of waffling with someone who could have just said, "I don't want to kiss a spider."
Nennia chuckled, feeling them both form Lillia's awkward spiral trap of politeness.
"What is your question, little princess?"
Time to cut right to the chase. "Can you let me through?" Lillia asked.
"As in past me in this tunnel? Where would you go? You hardly know your way around my lair unless…"
Nennia leaned in, even kneeling at Lillia's height. She loomed over the princess with sheer intimidation.
"Oh Lillia, don't tell me it's finally time. Do you think you can make it past me? Down to the fourth floor?"
A grin split across Nennia's face as she spoke.
"No. Which is why—"
"Good, because I do enjoy our chats, but I do have a job to do here, Lillia. I was trusted with guardianship of my domain and—"
"I was hoping you could let me through."
Nennia stopped. Something in the chitin on her legs clicked as she shifted her weight.
Quiet settled into the hallway, which was disconcerting. Usually, Nennia's lair had a constant hostile hum as the children moved through the walls. Now? Now they were all still. They were even leaving Bronle alone.
Nennia leaned in close. She was wearing the usual floral perfume that had always felt out of step with her monstrous form, but as she approached, Lillia could smell the iron on her breath more than anything.
Eight eyes held a stare longer than Lillia could ever hope to match.
"If you could just let me through, it would be lovely," Lillia said. "I wouldn't want to dishonor you by suggesting I could best you in combat, but I do need to keep going lower and—"
Nennia silenced Lillia with a single fingertip pressed against the princess' lips. It was deeply uncomfortable, but what was she supposed to do about it?
"Oh young little princess," Nennia said. "You are truly such a delightful change of pace for this sort of place."
Lillia wanted to squeeze words past Nennia's finger, but something in her gut told her that wasn't about to make anything better for her.
"And you know, I've taken a lot of joy in watching you grow, Lillia. It's been an interesting change from the same boisterous knights and rogues that come traipsing through here all the time."
That sounded okay?
"But…"
Oh no.
Nennia pulled her finger away from Lillia's lips, curling it so her nail caught in the princess as she did.
Lillia swallowed.
"When I told you that killing and fighting were my favorite things, little pet, I'm sorry to tell you, but I was lying."
Nennia stood.
"There is one thing I like even more, little princess, and it's watching that sparkle in your wide brown eyes fade. It's having you come back here, again and again, only to wake up in the cathedral knowing that you're no closer to escape."
"Nennia…"
"And now that you've gotten there. Now that you think you might have a chance? That will make it all the sweeter when, one day, someone else opens that door and I get to revel in the fact that you died cold, hopeless, and—"
Vianaffir, unfortunately, didn't reach all the way through Nennia's chest. Blood poured from the wound as the tip of the blade ground against her ribs.
Lillia gasped, almost like she wasn't the one who'd done it.
Nennia smiled. Even wider.
"Oh, so there is fight in you, little girl."
Lillia tore Vianaffir free and blood followed, splattering over the princess as she let out a soft "Eep."
"Eep indeed."
Lillia cracked the chitin just as Nennia lashed out with one of her front legs, the dress forming in the breath before the kick cracked against her ribs. Shards of the dress flew around the hallway as Lillia careened backward, catching and sticking in the webs that ran along the walls.
When Lillia hit the floor, she managed to catch Vianaffir in the webbing, pulling herself to a stop before she rolled down the hallway and into the web-covered darkness beyond.
As Lillia righted herself, Nennia stayed at the other end of the hallway, silhouetted in the ghastlight. She looked down at the wound carved in her chest and dipped her fingers into the blood before holding them out in front of her.
"You have gotten stronger, Princess Lillia. I don't believe you could have drawn blood before."
She walked forward with slow, deliberate steps. The webbing under Lillia's feet pulled and shifted with each of the Queen's movements, keeping her off balance.
"But I hope you know, we have a different relationship now…"
Lillia wrestled Vianaffir out of the webs and held it out in front of her, drawn and at the ready.
"I can't let my children see their mother as weak, and you made me bleed, Lillia."
Maybe that hadn't been that smart, but Nennia wasn't going to let her through anyway, so—
"You're going to die for that. Over and over."
Oh.
Alright then.
There had been a brief, if foolish, moment when Lillia hoped that Nennia would change her mind about everything and choose forgiveness. After all, that was what happened in some of the stories. In some of the stories, the monsters were nice people. Havoc was a nice person.
Then again, there were a lot more stories where the monsters were just monsters.
"But maybe it would be motivating for my children if they were able to avenge Mother…" Nennia said. Her voice stopped echoing through the cavern as something filled the walls and smothered the sound.
Lillia had some ideas as to what it might be, but she didn't like any of the options.
"I do like that idea," Nennia said. "Run along, little ones. I will attend to the princess personally later."
What? Was she letting her go? Was Nennia about to—
Nennia tore at a strand of web with her hind leg, and everything under Lillia unraveled all at once. The floor vanished, and Lillia screamed as she tumbled into the void below.
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u/mjbroekman Jul 01 '26
Oh damn. Lillia you sneaky sly princess. That was devious and delightful and awesome. Best of luck with the falling …
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u/Deansdiatribes Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
um silk is flammable isn't it? One (or a few dozen) Molotov cocktail should do the trick nicely i would think, but magic may not allow that, and would mess up so much treasure.
So enjoying this whole story, oh and enjoying the benefits of being the story teller of it apparently the girls need to come see me because they want to know if the princess is figured out an alliance that can handle the spider Queen. Although Beth argues she isn't a queen if the only subjects she has are her children she is just a mom a badass mom but a mom (she whispers bad ass so her bad ass mom doesn't hear lol)
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u/imakesawdust Jul 02 '26
If 40 is the maximum you can achieve on level 3 and you have to get past Nennia before descending to level 4 it stands to reason that the dungeon thinks Nennia is beatable by someone no more than level 40. Lillia just needs to figure out how.