Queen Zipfarah watched her council of elders murmur and argue amongst themselves and sighed. If only they knew that their input on the situation was not necessarily needed. Before the meeting had commenced, her mind was already set on the path she would undertake concerning the issue; the meeting had just begun to fulfill all righteousness.
There was no way she would turn down Emma’s request. The girl, apart from being likely the chosen one, had carved for herself a soft spot in her own heart.
So, she wouldn’t want to let her down, or hurt her anymore than she already was. And although she had foreseen the situation of hurt, she still couldn’t help but wonder that the Alpha boy was incredibly stupid.
If only he knew. She thought, shaking her head from the left to the right. Time to stop this squabbling. Prescott has to be on his way soon, going back to meet with Emma. And although the squirrel had mentioned the trustworthiness of the vampires, she was still skeptical about trusting them.
He had to go back now. She concluded, watching Shitta explain something that must be of utmost importance to one of the elders. She could tell by the creases of lines scarring the forehead of the old man, a very old man. He had been a little above ninety when she had ascended the throne.
“My wonderful council of elders…” She started, getting the attention of the whole occupants of the room, stopping the murmurings in the process.
“Thank you for honoring my request to come, and what more, thank you for your wise inputs on the matter. And although they are diverse, they are still all important, and in the end, one must be taken as the final decision, no matter the risks accompanying it. Actually, every decision made has its accompanying consequences or risks. We just only hope that whatever decision we will take here today wouldn’t bring a devastating consequence on us all.” she paused, looking down at her tea cup and small tray, taking in a deep breath, her mind going on and through about the decision she was about to make. Her head jerked up when she heard Shitta begin to talk.
“That was why we had chosen you to be our Queen. We trust you to take that bold step, brave enough to take certain decisions which we might be able to take on our own. It is the same now. Whatever decision you take, we will always be by your side, our good Queen, whether the decision seems right to us or not. You have been a true leader these many years. You have kept our kind from destruction many times. Despite whatever and whenever, you are always true. And that’s how and why we have come to trust you. What is your say on the matter? Decree it, and it shall be done.” The elder, Shitta, concluded, a short smile on her face as she saw that her words in some way relaxed the tension she had noticed on Queen’s Zipfarah’s shoulders.
“Thank you Shitta. Your words are quite rejuvenating.” Queen Zipfarah said, smiling at Shitta who gave a bow at that compliment.
“Well then… to the topic on ground. I believe that Casper should be given a warrior’s burial. I think it is better to be on the side of the chosen one, than to be on the other side. If Prescott thinks that she is the chosen one, then I believe that too. And if she isn’t, then Casper is really lucky. But I don’t think it would have any consequence, other than some bitter taste in our mouths. Now, disobeying the chosen one, would not just leave a bitter taste in our mouth, it might wipe off our community. I don’t know about you, but I believe it is better to be safe than sorry.” She pointed out, hiding a smile when she saw many of the elders nodding in agreement with her, including those that had voted earlier for Casper to be buried as trash.
“But…” The old man with long white beards who had spoken before, was about saying something when Shitta cut him off.
“Listen to our Queen, Ferro. I know that you bear a grudge against Casper for killing your son. But is it worth losing our community over?” She asked, and Ferro kept quiet, but he was unable to stop himself from glaring at her.
Seeing that her speech had won over her council, Queen Zipfarah clasped her hands together, placing on the table, and with a loud authoritative voice, spoke:
“Let the burial arrangements for Casper Peters begin.”
**
Leornaya sat on her infamous black throne, so lost in thoughts that she hadn’t noticed when her second in command, Kyran, stepped into the throne room. She had been this way since she had received the letter, who according to the phantom was from her mother. She was still contemplating whether it was true or not. And if it was true, why would the woman send it now, why would she say those words now. She had been expecting to hear those words seven years ago, but no, she had gotten something else in return. So, why now? She looked at the letter again, her right thumb grazing the letters as if absorbing the feel. The handwriting was surely her mother’s. She could have said that her sister had forged it, but she had killed the latter and her husband.
She sighed, feeling tears brimming in her eyes for the second time today, unaware that Kyran just stood there looking at her, observing her.
A shout down the hall snapped her out of her haze.
She jerked her head up, her eyebrows furrowing when she saw Kyran staring at her like she was a lost sheep. She hated that look.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” She asked, anger ringing in her voice.
But before Kyran could give an answer, he bent over, gnashing his teeth in pain.
“That was a rhetorical question, idiot. Next time you look at me that way again, you might not be so lucky.”