Alpha King's Mate

50. Address

My knees shook beneath my dress, my hands would have been shaking too had I not been furiously pressing them together. My fingertips squeezed the knuckles on each hand tightly. It almost hurt, but the concerns in my mind were more prominent. I watched Zac speak, trying my best to keep a solemn expression plastered on my face. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the two of us and the fact that any one of them could spot a quiver  in my strength was terrifying. Granted, a slight twitch of the cheek probably wouldn't signify total incompetence, but the standard I held myself to was one unplagued by the smallest appeared imperfections.

I was listening and reacting to his words. But most of it was disingenuous, a show for the cameras and the audience. I was thinking more about my body language than about the words being spoken by the King.

He stood behind a podium, about twenty feet from the thrones behind us. Usually it was custom for the Queen to sit while the King spoke, but I couldn't, I needed to do something, even if it was as trivial as standing about a foot behind him. He didn't seem bothered by this break in protocol, perhaps because neither of us had done this before, addressed the Council, the country as a pair.

Chills ran through my body with the thought of going next, stepping behind that podium and staring out at the angry faced crowd, and the terrified public.

"I demand that we declare war on those who would harm us!" He shouted and was met with a thunderous round of applause. Shouts of support cascaded through the Council Chambers, but my confidence was hindered by the handful of unimpressed congregants. We knew not everyone would support the cause. Yes, they wanted reparations from the attack, but they felt there would be a lack of public support with a declaration of war on an unnamed and unspecified group. We didn't exactly know who we were fighting, or who to protect ourselves from. I somewhat agreed, but that, to me, was exactly why the war was necessary. To unfold this collection and infiltrate the secrets they held.

And with that thought, Zac looked at me with the confidence I lacked. He knew what he was saying and knew how people would react, even those who were uninspired. I respected and valued that insight into a audience, and prayed that my speech would surmount my deficiency in that area of expertise.

The applauses died down slightly and a servant approached me. I took the leather folder he passed to me and held it as tightly as my gloves-hands previously held each other.

"Now," Zac said and my heart suck into my stomach, which was spasming in anxiety. "The Queen."

The Queen.

I bowed my head as he stepped down from the elevated podium and traded positions with me. He gave me a smile meant to be reassuring as I proceeded to first position.

I looked out at at Council, and their silence was intimidating. They waited and watched me assemble myself. Yes, my stature was one shorter than that of Zac's, I had to lower the microphone in front of me in order to be heard at all. But my face was nevertheless perfectly accessible for the cameras and eyes. I placed the folder down and opened it to view the pages that held my address.

The speech had taken me all week to write, day and night I was writing and editing and perfecting, all in attempt to achieve was Zac has mastered, knowing and reaching the audience. In high school I took a public speaking course which somewhat delved into the craft, but never did they expect nor prepare for a student one day having the audience of an entire country. Needless to say, the prospect of it all was tiresome and immense pressure. Zac was a source of help, but I didn't want him to help me write it. I wanted- needed the speech to be my own, otherwise it wouldn't feel right.

But as I cleared my throat I second guessed that decision. With a deep breath and a conscious awareness of the placement of my hands, I began.

"Lords and Ladies of the Council," I greeted with a stately, somber expression. "It is with a heavy heart that I address you today. As you know, approximately seven days ago we faced an attack on this country like no other in its young life."

I looked up from my paper at the audience, having memorized the next couple lines.

"King Zachary led a battalion of one hundred and thirty men into battle following an unprovoked assault on a patrol team, which left one survivor. Of those one hundred and thirty men, ninety two were wounded. Of those ninety two, sixty five were killed in battle or died later from injury or infection... That is exactly half of our army."

The group was rightly uncomfortable and expressed it through sighs and hums. Some downright called out their upset with words like "unacceptable"and "god help us." These people were in the minority, but their voices echoed in my ears.

I looked back down at my papers for a moment.

"Not once in my ascension to the throne did I anticipate an event such as this one. Where my first address as Queen, would be one of irrefutable gravity. However, despite the shock and grief these events have put our country though, we remain strong. Walls and bridges are rebuilt; fires are put out; and those who are lost, are honored and remembered in our hearts. The people of this country are good, and those who wish to bring us down have truly infected minds and infected souls."

I flip the page.

"It is clear that the only way to stop the infected is to cut them out."

There seemed to be some shock at the severity of my words, but that was exactly the point. People were murdered during a time of peace, and more would meet the same fate, especially if his force was left unchecked.

"My first vote as Queen will be toward the approval of King Zachary's Declaration of War. I cast my ballot in full confidence. War, despite its unpleasantries, is necessary to eliminate the infected. Under no other strategy, would the king be able to take the necessary liberties to protect his people, such as fighting with them."

There was a muffled sound again from the crowd, this time more universally heard.

"The king felt that the only way he could hold to his ideals would be to participate in his own draft, such as the brave men and women who sacrificed life and limb to protect their country. In his stead, I will lead the state."

The discomfort in the room increased even more audibly. I stared at my 90% male audience, completely bewildered. These were the men who voted in favor of the sorting and the matching, taking girls from their homes and shipping them off to marry a stranger. I suppose I never expected to be so disrespected as Queen. Zac let out a low growl from behind me. I didn't know how to continue other than read flatly.

"I assure you, I will do everything in my power to protect the liberties of the people at home, while the king protects those in the field."

The line sounded wrong, like women were to be left home. Maybe that was just me, but I subconsciously cursed my speech consultants from allowing me to say it. My knees shook worse than ever.

"Thank you."

I stepped down from the podium and turned away from the eyes and the cameras, to face Zac. He smiled, but as he spun to walk in my direction, it faded quickly.

"That was bad," I said. "Very bad."

"No it wasn't," he lied.

"What do I do," I whispered, taking my time to get to the thrones and his arm.

"Prove them wrong," he responded quickly as we turned back tot he crowd, who applauded ceremoniously.

We sat in our thrones and smiled as they clapped, but I knew their celebration was purely routine. Most of the crowd was dissatisfied with a woman governing them, especially me. I had ended the sorting, a system nearly all of them were in favor of, mean to slowly immunize against Hunters Disease. Now look where we are, with rogues somehow coordinating an attack of infected wolves on the capital.

They blamed me for this.

They were wrong, but they still blamed me, and I had no choice but to sit on the throne and smile.