From Grief to Colour| ✓

XXI- Winter's War

After a delightfully warm morning in the gardens and a hearty breakfast with Grandma, I leave her to her book as I make my way towards the throne room, pushing the tall double doors to the ornate chamber to be invited by quartets of chatter already filling the room.

    I catch the eye of Trevor as he is arguing with one of the advisors as I make my way to the throne as my advisors and some governors sort themselves out into place, rearranging their graphs and notes on various areas in their seats and when I'm seated, they start to push on their questions again.

    Talks of panic, anger and frustration rise in the air, tension on arguing over the protection of royals and the warnings of Dahlia's of the battle she asked for. I struggle to answer a single question so my hands find the battle staff-used to silence a room in talk of war- by the back of the throne and I slam it down three times and instantly everyone turned their eyes to me.

    "Calm down! I'm aware that the Omissionary made their threat last night, to near disastrous endings at the ball. We only need to figure out now how to approach her ultimatum."

    A frowning man with grey hair and a mustache- the Governor of Cancens- raises his hand before speaking, "But Your Majesty, that woman is dangerous. We all saw what had happened to two of our villages! Burned and demonized! She is powerful, and I'm afraid you can't go to that fight: we need our queen here."

    "Yes yes!" One of my advisors- Elisa- supported. "And she challenged you at the last place of war; the Everfield! She is practically condemning you to the Ancient Duelings! And at the place of the death of your sister, our former General! If you go, you're surely in great danger, especially when it's in the dead of winter!"

    The Ancient Dueling was a rule back when kingdoms were much more rustic; when kingdoms were only tribal villages with chiefs instead of kings and queens. When someone feels they will better their current ruler, they can challenge them to a duel at a secluded plain where they can duel without distractions or advantages.

    It has been abandoned for many centuries as civilization grew with far more regal teachings but it has been used to a much lesser degree to earning inheritance from another relative but it rarely happens.

    And in this situation, it's almost like the Ancient Duelings; but I have a feeling it will involve magic, not just swords alone. The Everfield was a place where we had war with the Northern earlier in the year but generally, it's a spot lush with green grass stretching out onto low hills for miles to the east in spring but a snowy plain in winter and because it's only fifty miles away from our gigantic mountain range of the Alpines, the winter winds will be much stronger there thus rendering most metal armors defenseless to the biting cold.

    I grit my teeth as I answer back, "Yes, I'm aware but I'm sure I can conjure up something that can fight against the cold and serve as my protection from the Omissionary-"

An advisor stands to retaliate, "But-"

    "-But our Queen is powerful too! You all saw what happened last night!" Trevor interrupts, his hand in the air as he addresses the room, meeting my eye, "She has magic that can spar with those of the Omissionary! She saved the ball from collapsing from the danger and deaths of the chandeliers that the Omissionary dropped to make her statement! She can definitely go against the Omissionary-"

    "But the battle she is asking of! What will ensure that our Queen can fight the Omissionary? The one people have started to call 'the Black Arsoner' ?" The Governor of Cancens interrupts Trevor as he states of previous messages and threats the Omissionary had made- killing villages and harming the Queen's- me- mental and emotional health at such effort to harm the kingdom.