Aeloria lay on the bed with her eyes opened. The morning rays seeped through the window, grazing her cheeks lightly.
"Šërēĺįťh, huh. An ability that makes common sense useless, I wonder if I'll be able to wield such an ability. The Commander said I should meet the Queen." She hadn't been able to sleep because she kept thinking about the secret Orin revealed to her yesterday.
"Now this is a surprise, I didn't think you had the ability to wake up on your own," Yoru's voice echoed gently from the door.
"Oh, Yoru, good morning," she quickly greeted when she noticed her presence.
"Good morning to you too. Sleep well?" Yoru asked, stepping into the room.
"Yes, I did," Aeloria responded with a smile.
"Glad you did, because today is one of the days we can't afford to be late," Yoru spoke with urgency in her voice, already turning to leave.
"Are we expecting someone important today?" Sitting up on the bed, she asked, wondering what could make her so anxious.
"Didn't the Commander tell you? We are all supposed to meet at the Royal Court in the throne room."
"Really, he said no such thing."
Aeloria quickly followed Yoru out. The two maidens began to prepare themselves for the meeting.
...
At high noon, the sun's rays were filtered by thick dark clouds that promised rain. The wind's breeze was cool wherever it blew, however, it could not calm the tension in the throne room.
"Announcing the arrival of the Royal Army's Great Commander, Orin the Tyrant," A thunderous voice bellowed, silencing the room as all heads turned towards the door with expectant looks.
Soon, Orin entered. Right behind him was Aeloria, and behind her was Yoru and a few other captains.
"That is the Tyrant, even as I stand here, I can feel the strange air around him. Soldier's sure are different from us ordinary people," a commoner on Nyxelene's left spoke.
"Look at that, what is a man-eater doing in a room full of men?" A noble standing to the right of Nyxelene spoke with a frown.
The whispers grew as the soldiers entered the court. Orin walked in front of Aeloria as though shielding her from the insults.
When they reached a certain threshold, Aeloria stopped. She watched Orin walk up to Nyxelene, bow, then stand to her right as the Right Wing-Watcher.
A few of the captains moved left and stood with the Commoners. Yoru moved right to stand with the nobles.
No matter what rank they attained, a commoner was still a commoner and a noble, a noble.
There was no rule that stated that commoners should stand left and nobles should stand right. However, it was an unspoken rule.
But Aeloria had no way of knowing since this was her first time attending a court meeting. Lost on what to do, she followed Yoru.
Nyxelene's gaze followed her but said nothing.
A few paces right, golden bracelet hit her forhead and fell down. It didn't hurt, but in front of everyone, Yoru, and Orin, it did.
"Fiend, go stand on the left with the other commoners..." He had not finished speaking when Orin dashed towards him, unsheathed one of his daggers, and sliced off the arm he used to throw the bracelet.
Blood gushed out as the man yelled in agony but he quickly swallowed his shriek when the Queen looked at him. The noble around him moved back as the watched the Tyrant walk back to his position.
'Aeloria stared at Orin blankly, unsure of what to do.'
"Take your arm and see yourself out." The voice that came out was dangerously cold. It did not belong to the Queen nor did it belong to the Tyrant. The voice came from the man revered as the Great General Strategist of Runevale.
With trembling fingers, the noble picked up his severed arm and began to walk out of the hall. However, he collapsed after a few paces. An effect of loss of blood.
"I don't understand, what crime did he commit, he only spoke the truth. The Cannibal is a commoner, is she not?" A noble whispered at his friend who had a frightened look on his face.
"Hey, don't talk to me, lest I also get my arm severed. Nonetheless, that was Glon, the man was a wealthy merchant who contributed greatly to Runevale's economy, yet he was treated like a street rat. Those in power must not be trifled with." His friend gently pushed away.
"You are all to speak only with the Queen's permission. If anyone acts out of line again, it won't end with just an arm. Throw that fool out." With his words, three guards stepped forward, two dragged the body away while one took the severed arm and followed, leaving a thick trail of crimson.
Admist all this, Nyxelene remained imperturbable, her gaze never leaving the pages of her leather book even as the hall filled with the scent of blood.
Stepping between the Commoners and nobles, Ramius continued.
"All are equal in the presence of Lady Nyxelene. You're only important when the Queen deems you worthy. Leave your worthless status and household names behind when you step into this room," he looked at the commoners, then turned to the nobles.
"Who gave you the right to decide who is important and who is not. You're only a noble because the Queen permits you to be. A warning will not be issued a second time," with that said, he walked back to his position at the Queen's left, the Left Wing-Watcher.
Aeloria then walked towards Yoru. She stood inviolate amidst the shrinking nobles. Aside from the fact that she was used to others treating her in such a way, she had seen more flesh torn apart and blood spray on the battlefield that the sight before her looked almost normal.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I should've explained things to you beforehand," Yoru whispered a quick apology.
"It's fine, you don't need to apologise," she smiled at Yoru.
They both watched the Queen, waiting for her words to start the meeting. However, Nyxelene flipped her third page, unbothered by the anxious stares.
By accident or maybe curiosity, Ramius peeked over from the left, wondering what the Queen was reading so intently.
Sweat broke down his brows. 'There's no way this could actually be true. She had been looking through the pages for over a year, and yet when I looked, it was empty. Then, what had she been reading?" As Ramius struggled to find the logic behind Nyxelene's actions, the court room was filled with nervousness.
The awaited her words as she flipped another page.
She then closed the book after a few heartbeats and rubbed it gently on her stomach.
'Be patient, Rya, it's not yet time to come out. When the time is right, I'll permit you passage.' With those thoughts, Nyxelene spoke.
"Ramius," she called. The Queen's voice was evanescent, a beautiful sound that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
The General strategist quickly stepped towards the center and bowed his head as lower as he could.
"You called, Lady Nyxelene." Any other Ruler would've began with 'my loyal subjects,' or 'citizens of Runevale,' A gesture of respect towards the people. However, Nyxelene is different. The only important person in the room was her and her alone. Everyone else could be replaced, but not her.
"It's been a little over two years. Tell me, why have you yet to win the war?" Nyxelene asked, however, she did not look at the Strategist.
"Victory is not the goal of this war, Lady Nyxelene. The goal of the war is to force submission from our neighbouring kingdoms," Ramius spoke with pith, stripping away the flowery language of the court to reveal a plan that was as cold as winter's breeze.
"Just look at him. In wars, there's only victory or defeat, yet he treats victory as a mere stepping stone towards a grand achievement," a commoner whispered in a low tone.
"I'm listening," Nyxelene fixed her crimson eyes on Ramius, expecting him to explain his intentions.
"It's true that Runevale is a Great kingdom, however, there still remain a possibility of future squabbles with our neighbours. With this in mind, why stop at victory? With Namesh losing every battle, their morale is bound to drop. The number of their forces decreases with every confrontation. Even if they were to win this war, they'll be vulnerable to enemy's attack," Ramius explained.
"How do you intend to force submission out of Namesh? They are not a Great kingdom, but Jones is a competent man," the Queen spoke with the same melodious, unsettling tone.
"As the saying goes, 'if you can't win, then join the victors.' When they realize they had been fighting a losing battle, they'll be left with a single choice, alliance. With the stars aligned in our favor, if we play our cards right, it should be possible to put a leash on Namesh," Ramius concluded.
"Just how many steps ahead is he planning? I really can't phantom what goes on his mind," an older man standing right behind Yoru, whispered. He had the same color of eyes and his tunic was adorned in gold.
'All this while, I thought the end goal was Victory. I always thought it was strange that we always used minimal forces in our encounters with Namesh. Now I see, it was to make them think they had a fighting chance. I can't beleive he wants to leash an entire kingdom. Is this what the smartest mind is capable of?' Aeloria thought as she watched the man in admiration.
There was silence in the room for a while.
"How long will it take?" Nyxelene asked at last.
"Exactly eight years." Ramius answered without hesitation.
'Eight years? That means I'll have to give birth this year. This is quite troublesome. I had planned to wait a few more years. It doesn't matter anyway, looks like you get to come out after all, Rya.'
"It has come to my attention that you intend to use two thousand soldiers for this coming confrontation. You plan to send the Head Captain with four hundred to the Lonorith river southward. You must know that Namesh have spies in our midst, why such a reckless move? I'd wager they'll try to use this opportunity to get rid of the thorn in their side," Nyxelene's gaze shifted to the far end of the door as if looking at somthing only she could see.
"My analysis points towards their failure. Even if they get help from thornsleepers, their opponent is the Cannibal. Unless the heavens themselves interfere, the results will be the same."