Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 764: No Thorns ()
~Aloria: The Fae Royal Forest~
The Fae royal hall had once again opened its doors to the council. It was an event that had not taken place in centuries and should have been a cause for celebration, yet this was not the case.
A tense atmosphere dawned over the council and a few council members exchanged glances and whispers. The atmosphere quickly converted to a tense silence as Keila appeared in the doorway.
She glanced between the rows of council members and clan representatives briefly before she strode down the center of the hall to the elevated dais.
Once again, the dais was completely empty. No throne in sight as it had been for centuries and for a moment, Keila stood in place, her gaze fixed on the empty platform.
The last time she was here, the Fae royal throne had made its appearance. Thinking back to it, Keila wondered just how much magic it had taken for her aunt, Diandre, to force the throne to emerge, only to be pricked by the thorns as it resisted her claim.
Yet she dared sit on it. Even when blood pooled around her feet, and what was worse, on that night, she dared say even more atrocious things.
’If they had just acted right... why couldn’t they just act right?’ Keila thought. Her hands clenched into fists by her sides.
She stepped up to the platform and it trembled beneath her. Sensing the arcane, vines rose slowly from all edges, crafting the Fae royal throne before all eyes. There were quite gasps from the Fae council, though they knew of the return of the arcane, to witness the throne reveal itself after centuries of dormancy was unlike anything it had been described to be.
Keila turned to face the council and took a seat. The council members waited with bated breaths... watching, but even after a few moments, there were no changes and no signs of discomfort.
’No thorns.’ Keila thought, ’It answered to her now...they all did.’
It was a bittersweet feeling. For both Keila herself and the Fae council. It was difficult to tell if the council had hoped for a different result, and as for Keila, her gaze was hollow and distant, too out of body to acknowledge the significance of the moment.
However, the moment was soon interrupted. "I am certain we must all already be aware of the current situation, but the Fae battalion dispatched to Fort Inferno was annihilated." Lord Fintan’s words restored the tense atmosphere. "Word of this has already spread through all the Fae forests. Public sentiment will turn sour if nothing is done."
Keila was prepared for this. It was precisely the reason the council had gathered, to criticize her for the defeat they suffered.
The Fae council, they were yet to make peace with the loss of shared authority. She had known that she would face resistance in taking over the throne of High Queen, and the result of this first battle had created the exact opportunity they needed.
"It is... unfortunate." Keila muttered, her fists clenched tighter around the arm rest of the throne. "I had expected more...of the revered Fae soldiers." She passed a look to the head of the Fae royal guard.
Even now, Keila could see the grief reflected in his eyes. His loyalty to her aunt made him a variable... one she would have to take care of in time. But not yet... the highest ranked Fae soldier could not be done away with while they faced a war.
And this war, Keila needed it. For many reasons, but most especially to establish her position and title in the stronghold. It was not a war she could afford to lose, the fate of the child she carried depended on it.
"It was beyond our expectations that the dragons would employ the services of mages, or retaliate with magic." The head guard replied, his arms rested on the hilt of his sword as always. "The morale of the battalions is greatly affected. I fear Your Grace and the council will need to consider it properly before ordering a counterattack." He murmured, his tone blank and distant.
As always, the head guard was neither in support of royal authority or the council. He simply executed his duties and reported when it was demanded of him. Perhaps the only time he had ever been partial was in his favour of her aunt...
There were murmurs of agreement from the council but a light tremor of the earth silenced the hall.
"This...is all her fault." Keila said through gritted teeth. She had been certain she could predict the retaliation of the dragons, but she had not considered the involvement of an unlikely commander in the battle... Neveah.
Keila felt a deep sense of regret and rage burn through her veins. Adrienne had been right about the girl and had she listened and taken care of it all that time back instead of just overlooking Adrienne’s words, she would not be in this position now.
"Do you dare suggest we end it like this? Their Queen caused the death of my aunt and sister!" Keila hissed.
"The fall of one battalion is not nearly enough to have the Fae running back into their shells. If we were to retreat so easily, I would never have begun this in the first place." Keila made her stance clear. "We need only take precautions against the mages."
"We have the arcane on our side. The mother of all magic... the one true power...we will not lose. Dragon dynasty will be brought to it’s knees." Keila’s tone was dark and determined. "Rather than sitting around here, return to your forests and muster your forces!"
The council came to an abrupt end at her dismissal and Keila remained seated, her glare fixed on the only clan representative who made no attempts to leave the hall.
Lord Fintan sat casually, as he had since raising the topic that had resulted in all the tension.
"Your Grace..." He began. "I did not like your aunt very much, but I know she was a force to be reckoned with. To think she was so mysteriously killed...is something I find hard to make sense of."
