"What the fuck!", yelled Agan. It couldn't be, how was it even possible? Growing up he had heard legends about the infamous Naga King, but he never believed any of them. But there he was, standing there is all of his slithering glory. Then again, Agan had never talked to snakes before, so at this point nothing was shocking.

"Now, now,"laughed the smug naga, "There's no need for such—language. Besides, it's so disrespectful to speak like that to one of royalty.

"How do you know my name?", Agan cried out in anger, "What have you down to my students? Where's Hailey?" The naga looked at him , and smiled

"So many questions," he replied in a smug tone, "where to even begin? I know, I start with the one you feel is most pressing. I can assure that the lamia is safe, and that no harm shall ever befall her. She's resting comfortably. The poor girl needs her rest. I kept her very busy, as well as very—satisfied, throughout most of the night."

"You son of a bitch!", exclaimed a furious Agan, "You took her against her will! You raped her!" Agan lunged at him, and stuck his arm through the cage as far as he could. Sweat, and tears of anger running down his face. Agan tried to grab at him, but he was just out of reach. An evil laugh began to erupt form Agan's captor.

"I can assure, Agan," he said. "All I took, was what rightfully..belonged...to...me. But I didn't take all of it. She was the one who received all of the physical pleasure last night. The only real pleasure I received, was watching the effect I was having on her—as well as experiencing her beautiful naked body, literally first hand. Don't worry, as of now, her virginity is still intact. However, not after tonight. That's when I will finally take—what's mine. You have done well, Agan. I couldn't asked for a better queen."

"Queen?", asked a frustrated Agan. "What the fuck are you talking about? And how the fuck do you seem to know my name?"

"Because, I'm the one who gave you your name.", he replied. "I was the one who safely delivered you to the orphanage in the first place. I was also your mysterious benefactor. Who else could have provided an entire treasure chest full of gold? I was also the one who found you as an infant, and saved your life. So perhaps you should be a little bit more respectful towards me. Didn't your mother ever teach you any manner. Oh wait, I forgot. Sorry."

Agan was surprised by what he had just heard, as tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Did you kill my family?", asked Agan.

"I'm sorry, but I know nothing about your family.", he responded. "As I just told you, I found y0u as an infant abandon in my rainforest. I normally kill any human male that enters my rainforest, but you were just an innocent babe. Even I'm not that much of a monster. I don't kill women or children. If I had come across a mother, or a sister, they would being living in my kingdom, under my care. They would be living out the remainder of their lives in my kingdom. But since there hasn't been any female companions in well over a century, I can assure you that you were all I found."

"Why did you even bother to make sure I was well provided for?", asked Agan.

"Isn't t obvious?", he asked. " My father sent you to me. I rule this kingdom, and protect it from the destruction of man. That's why I kill any human male that comes upon it, while in the past I have comfortably imprisoned any female humans. I can't let mankind know of this sacred place. I rule it in my father's honor. My father being the snake god. You see, I was conceived when he fell in love with a human girl from one of the tribes that used to reside here. You see this tribe worshipped my father. She was a present to him, and he more than gladly accepted. He rewarded them by turning all of them into immortal nagas and nagins, the female equivalent. They looked similar to my older brother, and me."

"You have an older brother?", asked Agan.

"Had, an older brother.", he replied. "He was the original king, and guardian of the rainforest. But we had a disagreement, and unfortunately it turned deadly. I killed him out of jealousy. Not over the throne, but the love of a girl—a human girl. She was beautiful, much like Hailey."

"Was she some woman kept imprisoned here," Agan asked. "as some plaything?"

"No,"he replied. "Just like Hailey, she was special. Like Hailey she was the first female that I had ever laid eyes upon, either nagin or human, that truly looked a beautiful as the legendary lamia. There was once a time, over thousands of years ago, that we peacefully coexisted with a neighboring human tribes. While my people enjoyed dalliances amongst ourselves, we also enjoyed the pleasure of humans as well. But my brother had made a deal with the chief of the neighboring human tribe. The chief's daughter was off limits. As the tribe's princess, he wanted her to reman a virgin. He had already promised her, to the son of a chief, of another human tribe."

"And so what," asked Agan. "Did you go behind your brother's back, and rape her? Like you raped Hailey?" He looked at Agan, now both men were staring each other down.

"No!", he growled. "Even though I fell in love with her, the moment I first laid eyes upon her, I honored my brother's agreement! It was my brother who broke it, not me. He didn't warm me not to touch her because of the treaty, he did it because he wanted her for himself. I caught them making love one night in the forest, and I became furious. It was even the night before her wedding to the other chieftain's son."

Agan was completely dumbfounded by what he was hearing. Although he had heard of the mythology of the nagas form this area, none of it compared to the craziness of the story that he was now being told.

"Perhaps if I been given a chance," the naga continued. "she might have fallen in love with me instead. While he was on top of her, he had even take human form. This only angered me more. I grabbed him by the hair. I then pulled head up towards me, and took out a knife that I had with me. Before he had a chance to react, or even knew what was even happening, I slit his throat. Unfortunately my lamia screamed in horror, as his blood spilled upon her."

"You sick motherfucker!", exclaimed Agan. A stone cold expression of anger flashed in the naga's eyes.

"Watch your tongue, human," he growled. "Or I may remove it from you. Now before I was so rudely interrupted. I tried to comfort her, I tried to profess my love. But after her watching me murder my brother, her lover in cold blood, she wanted nothing to do with me. She ran back to the village, and told her father. He immediately waged war upon us. It turned into a bloody battle. Many humans, and nagas alike were killed. And half the forest was burned to the ground, including the section that held my father's sacred temple."

He paused fro a moment and gave Agan a sarcastic smile.

"Needless to say, my father wasn't happy." The naga explained. "He took my brother's dead body, to be with him. He also preformed what the Christians would refer to as The Rapture. He took all of the nagins, and turned all of the naga's into snakes. Though they did keep their intelligence, as well as other cognitive abilities. I was the only one to remain in true form. My brother was the one who broke his own treaty, but my father blamed me. He left me to rule a broken kingdom."

"What happened to the girl?", asked Agan. Tears then began to actually fall from the naga's eyes.

"After all of the smoke cleared," he began, "I ordered my now snake soldier to capture all of the human survivors, and bring them to me. She was among them. Once again I professed my love for her, and asked her to be my queen. I promised that I would always love, and protect her. I even left her alone, in my quarters, to give her some time to think. When I returned, she had given me her answer; she had hung herself. Enraged, and heartbroken, I took my rage out on the humans. I ordered the immediate execution of all the adult males. I allowed the women, and children to live out there lives n my kingdom. The only thing was, they were not allowed to ever leave. I couldn't risk the outside world finding out about us, or this sacred part of the forest. It was the only time the human males were allowed to live among us."

"What eventually happened to all of them?", asked Agan.

"I allowed them to fully live out there lives." He replied. "If that is what you were wondering. However ever I didn't want any more human males in my kingdom. so I made sure that the humans couldn't breed."

"And how the hell could you possible control that?", asked Agan.

"Simple,", he replied. "I had them all castrated. Not only did it keep them from breeding like rabbits, but it made them easier to manage. Besides, my snakes, and I more than made up for it. We took very very good care of the human females that lives among us. They were kept more that satisfied, as were we. Plus the males didn't seem to smell as bad, after it had been."

"Why are you telling me this?", asked Agan in annoyance. "Is that what you have planned for us?"

"Don't worry," he replied, "I would never do anything that have horrific to you."

"Then what have got planned?" Agan asked as he felt both fear, and anger."

"Patience my dear Agan," he replied. "I thought you wanted to learn more about yourself, as well as the true history of the rainforest. I mean that is why you spent all of those years studying to be a paleontologist. Right?"

"Fine!", spat Agan, as he folded his arms.

"Now," he began. "Unfortunately when our kind breeds with human females, the offspring takes the form of the male during conception. That was why my brother was in human form. So they could continue their affair after sshe married the other chiefs son. If she gave birth, her husband would just assume it was his. Now when the mother is a nagin, the offspring takes on her form. You see nagas, and nagins used to be able to take either a full snake, or full human form. But after my father cured us, the forms he forced upon us were permanent. I on the other hand, was made infertile."

"Well I'm pretty sure Hailey talked about wanting children," Agan interrupted. "This might not be good for you. You may have a more difficult time endearing your self to her."

"Oh but you're wrong," he replied. "You see, Hailey is the key to breaking the curse. My father told me that the curse would be broken once the Naga King found a queen to truly love. In a wedding ceremony, under a blood red moon,we must pledge ourselves to one another. Luckily there just happens to be such a moon tonight. And this is where you come in, Agan."

"What do I have to do with this sick, and twisted plan that involves Hailey?", Agan asked in anger.

"I have no idea who your parents were, or where you came from.", he replied. "All I know is that my father projected you, so that I could form a mental link with you. So you could serve me, and you have. You know, the reason you've been having migraines since you arrived. It is the same reason you felt the need to bring her here. It wasn't your love for her, that brought her here, it was mine. I guess like my brother, and I, we fell in love with the same woman. Hailey reminds me so much of the one I lost so long ago. Both were beautiful, intelligent, loving, and kind. But I won't make the same mistake that I made, as I did with my first love. I won't let her own free will get in my may. You see I can easily take control of her mind. I can make her pledge herself as my queen."

"Hailey will hate you for that!", cried Agan.

"Oh, you see, this is where you will fulfill your final act of servitude to me.", the naga began to explain. "I will have all of eternity to have her change her mind about me. You see, I made a deal with my father. To grant Haley her immortality, he demands a blood sacrifice. He asked for ten human hearts.

Agan looked at him in complete horror. For he himself was the one who brought them all here. It was the reason that they were all in this predicament, including his beloved Hailey. He played right into the naga's hands. His whole life was made to unknowingly serve this cold hearted snake. He looked up as the naga began to laugh.

"Now," said the naga, "I already have four. One from the repugnant ape who tried to take advantage of my bride-to-be. And three from the cowards who abandoned all of you. But now, I shall get eight more from those gentlemen passed out in the other cell. I'm already up to twelve, more than enough. But I will give him all twelve anyway. I mean actually, thirteen. My father specifically asked for your heart in particular. The twelve hearts will be presented to him as an offering before the ceremony. But your's shall be after. I'm glad he ordered your death, but I want you to watch me make her my queen. For you see, you have something that belongs to me."

"And what pray tell might that be?", Agan asked as he seethed with rage. The Naga King looked at him, and flashed an evil smile. He then leaned forward, and whispered into Agan's ear.

"Her love."