The Crown Prophecy

by M. D. Laird

  “I shall not become some tyrant ruler who does what is best for my friends,” she said. “You are overthinking this, and you obviously have a poor opinion of me if you think I won’t care about the Arkazatine people.”

  “I’m not saying that you won’t care, I am merely pointing out that you are going to make your role difficult for yourself if you are too friendly.”

  Eve nodded. “I’ll think about it. Is Lord Thalia still around? I need to speak to her about the fight we had.”

  “I believe she retired to her room.” Calab sighed and gave her the exasperated look of someone who wished he had just banged his head against a brick wall rather than speak to her. “I will show you the way.”

  “Your Highness.” Thalia greeted her with a smile and invited her into her room. Calab closed the door and left.

  “Lord Thalia,” Eve said, “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for my conduct the last time we met.”

  “There is no need, I know you were under a lot of stress.”

  “I wasn’t happy with the plan, but that did not give me the right to speak to you as I did and I am sorry.”

  Thalia smiled. “Apology accepted. The Imperator was not removed as cleanly as I would have preferred, but there were no alliance casualties so we should be grateful for that.”

  “I’m sorry I interfered. I was anxious. I wanted it to be over with, and I rushed you all into it.”

  “The Imperator was plotting against us, it would have been a more difficult meeting than the one we had, I imagine. They were planning to go after you the whole time.”

  “I hope we can be friends despite my role as the Crown.”

  “Of course.”

  Eve smiled feeling a little relieved.

  I’m glad someone wants to be friends with me.

  “You conducted yourself rather well,” said Thalia. “I was most impressed. As you know, I am not in favour of adding defensive planning to the role of the Crown. I think it should be left to those of us who are experienced and not a newcomer. However, your argument that the Crown has been hiding from the responsibility has given me pause.”

  Eve gave a small smile for a little victory though she clearly had work to do convincing Thalia. “I won’t be a tyrant or a warmonger. I will learn from my mistakes, and I’m going to listen to everyone. I will do my best to be a good queen.”

  “That’s all we can ask of you, though you may wish to slow down and not make so many drastic changes so quickly.”

  “That is what Calab has just said. I thought they would want to see me swing for swanning in and changing everything. Calab had convinced me they would be furious at my plans to ally the fae.”

  “It came as a shock to me. I admit it will take some adjustment. The fae are more powerful than we are, it puts us at a disadvantage.”

  “Surely that’s a reason to have them on our side.”

  “It is a drastic change to our court. Losing the Imperium and our Elion allies and then gaining fae allies in such a short space of time. We are not accustomed to such rapid alterations.”

  “The Imperium and the Elion were not my doing.”

  “No, but you have not helped with your changes to defence and your alliance with the fae.”

  “I am not willing to renege on my offer unless I receive a more convincing argument.”

  Thalia’s eyes widened. “I think we have underestimated your determination.”

  Eve smiled. “Calab hasn’t, he has realised the extent of my stubbornness.”

  Thalia chuckled. “Well, it is done now, so we shall have to adjust. The hominem are furious, I expect they will form an argument and present it at the next meeting. There will be members of the public who will be unhappy; this may make you unpopular for some time. However, you can always introduce something that they’ll like, and they will soon forget about your unsavoury alliance.” Eve smiled weakly.

  Do all the alliance manipulate people?

  “What is it, Your Highness?” Thalia asked, regarding Eve’s expression curiously.

  Eve frowned. “Calab thinks that I should not be friends with any of the rulers, including you or himself. He believes it undermines my rule.” She felt it best to leave out the part where he told her to manipulate everyone.

  Am I manipulating Thalia by only telling her what I want her to know? Damn that demon and his mind games!

  “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” Eve sighed. “I can see what he means I suppose, but I hate the thought of not having any friends for the rest of eternity—is that selfish? I can’t put my own happiness over my role as queen.”

  “If you’re too familiar then it will make ruling difficult I agree. You’re less likely to make decisions that we won’t like. On the other hand, Arkazatinia has chosen an outlander queen, and as you said, perhaps that was so things would be different. You must decide what you feel is best.”

  Eve groaned inwardly. She missed her old job.

  Science, how I miss science—clear, rational, logical sense. Not this wishy-washy ‘test which way the wind is blowing’ nonsense.

  “Should I trust Calab’s advice?” she asked timidly. “He was quite happy with the plan to strike the Imperator and he did execute him.”

  “Calab is arrogant, obnoxious, impulsive and pig-headed a lot of the time,” said Thalia. “He also tends to be a little too pragmatic; however, he can also speak a great deal of sense. Nevertheless, you should never take advice from just one person, and you should consider it from all sources. You should also be mindful of your own instincts and always be aware of what is motivating you. If you are acting from fear or from anger, it is likely not the most sensible time to make decisions.”

  “I will listen.”

  “I hope so.”

  Over the next two weeks, the alliance moved back to their respective guilds, but Eve remained at the demon guild and had yet to meet any of the Impærielas. The Guild of the Crown had been reopened, and their next meeting was scheduled to take place there. They had agreed to meet on a two weekly basis initially with the meetings becoming monthly when the Crown was fully re-established. They had invited the Elion ruler and the fae queene to the next session. While Orrla had gladly accepted the invitation, the Elion had been reluctant citing that they were unwilling to compromise with the alliance who had executed their ruler.

  With the aid of Tharazan, Eve had compiled a dossier to send to the Elion which detailed their expected contributions to public spending. As part of the reintegration of the Crown, Arkazatinia had returned to its former financial system instead of the tax regime the Imperator had installed. They operated a donation system with each ruler offering a contribution to the amount that was required which would be decreased or increased as necessary. There was no Crown treasury and money was collected as needed. Rulers who did not attend had their donations made by proxy and often made up for any shortfall. The rulers had mixed views on this system as they never knew what they would spend though they knew their attendance at court would cost them something and their lack of presence might cost them more.

  It was detailed in the dossier to the Elion that, despite their unwillingness to ally with the Crown, they would still be expected to make a financial contribution and this could not be negotiated unless they were present. Following this, Eve received a note from the Elion ruler to advise that they would attend the meeting though they would only be willing to discuss financial matters.

  Lord Caius of Elion had attended as planned. Eve had asked if there was anything that could aid their alliance and was advised that they would not accept anything less than the Crown itself. A regular payment towards public spending was agreed based on an average of a year’s contributions, and their attendance was deemed no longer necessary. Queene Orrla’s first meeting had gone well, and despite the initial complaints about the inclusion of the fae in the alliance, the hominem had not offered much more of an argument beyond it being a
drastic change that should have been considered with more care and greater respect for their traditions.

  Eve’s official ascension ceremony was arranged to crown her as the Queen of Impærielas and Crown of Arkazatinia. Eve felt terrified. She had carried out the role of the Crown for several weeks, but having it made official was frightening.

  The Impærielas had sent a trunk with her proper Crown attire to the Asmodeus guild. Everything was midnight blue.

  Almost black.

  There were several gowns and robes which she was expected to wear daily much to her disgust. Thankfully, the dresses were not huge and were simply made except for one formal dress that she was to wear for her ascension. Still, they were full length and far too formal for her tastes—much more formal than the other rulers. While the male rulers tended to dress in tailored suits, they usually forfeited a tie and an overcoat, and the female leaders seemed to wear whatever took their fancy that day.

  Why do I have to wear this?

  Eve wished she had thought to invite Thalia over to help her with her dress as she struggled with the corset. She huffed and wondered if she would have a lady’s maid at the Impærielas guild to help her get dressed. Eve was still struggling when a knock came to her door. She pulled her bathrobe over her dress, opened the door and found Calab standing there.

  “You’re not ready?” he said. “We need to leave soon.”

  “I can’t put on this stupid dress,” she exclaimed.

  “Well, I’ll give you a little longer,” he said and started to turn.

  “Can you help?” she asked. He looked horrified. “I’m perfectly decent, I just can’t tighten the corset as the strings are at the back. Please.”

  “I assure you this is entirely inappropriate,” he said, entering her room.

  She turned her back on him and smiled as he tackled the corset. “Did the last queen wear this stuff every day?”

  “I didn’t really notice. It was a while ago. I suppose they did. The King always wore regalia of some description and always this colour. I’m sure this is for formal occasions, and you’ll have simpler outfits for each day.”

  “Why do they go through so many rulers if they’re immortal?”

  “They are not truly immortal in the sense that they will live forever, they do live a very long time—several thousand years,” he said. “Although, this can be too much for many and a lot of people give up and fade out well before.”

  “What does that mean? Do they die?”

  “Yes,” replied Calab, “it means that the soul leaves the body and either ascends or descends. Usually, this happens in old age, but if they have tired of their existence, then it can happen much sooner.”

  “Why would they tire of life?”

  “Ask yourself that question in a thousand years,” he said, “when you have experienced ten human lifetimes, and it is the same routine year after year.”

  Eve frowned. “You have lived much longer than that, how do you cope?”

  “My lack of emotional depth helps, I suppose,” he said, “and I find joy in my books. Many immortals have experienced everything and have nothing left that they desire, nothing they are passionate for and too much life left. In the words of Poe ‘for passion must, with youth, expire.’”

  “That is a profound statement for someone who lacks emotional depth.”

  “I’m repeating things I’ve heard,” he answered plainly.

  “Why do you like quoting things so much?”

  “Why do you?”

  “I only do it because you do.”

  He sighed. “I suppose it is because I don’t understand…feelings or…well, most things really. Quotes help me make sense of things. They’re always out of context and never what the author meant when they wrote them, but they help me understand people a little better.”

  “Help you to manipulate them?”

  “I suppose so. They help me to get along with people, especially impossible people like moody and demanding queens.”

  She laughed. “I don’t want to be the queen.”

  “Why? Because you don’t want to wear gowns? I thought you fancied yourself wearing corsets and taking turns about the room.”

  “It sounds better in fiction,” she said dryly. “I don’t think I will stick to the dress code.”

  “You should,” said Calab, “it will give you more esteem, and you cannot afford to throw away the respect that comes with your attire.”

  “You are probably right. But that’s not why I don’t want to be queen. Everyone hates me already, and I’m going to be awful.”

  He turned her around slowly, her shoulders warming to the heat of his hands. “You may have made yourself unpopular, but you have also made your position clear. As you say, they will accept it eventually, more so if you respect their counsel. Just try to be more cautious about your decisions in the future. And remember what I said: you do not need them to like you as a person, you need them to understand and respect your rule.”

  “Do you hate me, Calab?”

  “It’s Prince Calab,” he sighed, turning her around, “and what makes you think that?” She shrugged and said nothing. “There,” he said cheerfully as he finished her corset, “how is that?”

  She smiled. “Good, thank you.”

  She expected him to leave while she finished readying herself and was surprised when he moved a pile of clothes from her bed and sat down. She slipped on the suede leather shoes also in midnight blue and began to pull the midnight blue brocade around her before finishing with her official Impærielas Crown sash. The sash contained the only other colour in her outfit and had the official Impærielas Lynx seal stitch on it in gold thread. She studied her reflection. She looked like she was ready for a ball or for fancy dress. She did not look like she was ready to take on a crown and rule a land. She sighed and tidied a few stray strands of hair before declaring herself ready.

  Calab stood. He was wearing a full suit today complete with waistcoat, tailcoat and a wine coloured cravat. He looked as though he was attending a Victorian wedding and looked very elegant—she liked it. He opened the door to her room, and she stepped through into the corridor. She stopped to take a breath. Calab offered her his arm, which she accepted, and he led her to the waiting vector.

  He sat beside her in the vector, and her demon guards sat opposite. Calab had suggested that Eve should be provided with an official guard for whenever she should venture outside of the guild. They would accompany her wherever she went, and although the Impærielas would not accept them within their guild, they would stay close by. Each of the angel and demon guilds provided four guards who would take shifts in pairs in addition to their decree. Calab and Jacob had made the role an official one and had the interested angels and demons apply for a salaried position as one of her guards. They had then organised the chosen guards into ranks with a captain in charge, ordered them midnight blue uniforms with the lynx stitched on the breast pocket and the back of their cloaks, and had styled them as the Queen’s Guard.

  Eve was relieved to have her own guards. She was concerned about threats to her life once she moved to live with the Impærielas. However, she did find the uniforms and the titles a little unnecessary.

  Eve cringed at the sight of the crowd that had turned out for the ceremony and felt a wave of nausea. She hoped the layer of foundation would disguise the fact that she had suddenly paled. The vector stopped on the front steps of the Guild of the Crown. Calab and the guards stepped out of the vector and were joined by the rest of her guard. The angels were armed with their heavenly blades and the demons with their claws. Calab motioned for her to leave the vector and she stepped out. She had turned to smile and wave to the cheering crowd before she followed Calab up the steps and into the Hall of the Crown.

  She had not been in the hall yet as it was used for official purposes and found it was not as grand as she expected though it was large and beautifully decorated with fresh flowers. Th
e hall was full of the rulers of Arkazatinia and many other faces who she did not know. A small group of people sat far from everyone else and Eve wondered if they were the Impærielas.

  The ceremony began and Eve approached the dais and the thorian high priest who was waiting to ascent her. She could not recall much of what was said at the ceremony as she struggled to contain her nausea, but she pledged her allegiance to Arkazatinia and promised to pledge her life to the protection of Arkazatinia and its people and to protect Lycea from Arkazatinia. She was handed a sceptre, a cloak was placed upon her shoulders, a crown was placed upon her head, and then Eve was officially Her Majesty Queen Genevieve of Impærielas, Crown of Arkazatinia.

  There is no escape now.

  Following the ceremony, there was a feast held in another hall of the guild. Eve was to sit with the other rulers at the head table. Their places were already marked with placeholders, and she was disappointed to find she was not sitting beside Calab. However, she was pleased to sit next to Lord Tharazan, the only ruler happy with her decisions so far. Members of the public filled the rest of the tables.

  Before entering the hall, Eve was approached by the group of people who had sat out of the way, and they introduced themselves to her as her Impærielas brethren. They welcomed her to Arkazatinia and to the order but advised that they would not attend the feast. They gave her a gift of a handcrafted personal seal for her correspondence which would allow her to emboss the Impærielas Lynx and her initials into the wax seal of her letters. She could not wait to try it.

  During the feast, each of the rulers gave a speech to pledge the fealty of their orders to the Crown and each order offered her gifts to welcome her to rule. Her gifts mostly consisted of jewellery though she did receive a heavenly bladed dagger from the Guild of Uriel and a black stallion who was already stabled with the Impærielas, from the Guild of the Fae. Calab had instructed her before the ceremony that she was to nod her thanks, accept each ruler as her vassal, and give the promise to rule justly and honourably. Though they had not attended, gifts had been sent with a messenger from the king of Axandria, the king of Vernasia and the lords of some of the islands to welcome her to rule. After the speeches, a quartet serenaded them with music for the remainder of the feast.