Rowans Choice

Chapter Six- Kings counsel

The counsel were assembled at the round table, ten fairy's of ancient age, they had overseen the reign of two queens and now a king, soon to be a third queen.

Aster took his seat, looking to the faces around him and the worry that he saw there.

"Your highness" came the serious tone of his most trusted Advisor, Arden. "Princess Rowan has made a grave mistake in choosing a female Mate. This can't go ahead. A line must go on Aster... it cannot die with a Queen"

Aster ran his hand over his beard, considering his daughters choice and how it could be overturned... but they all knew it couldn't and shouldn't be.

"Aster" another counsel member urged "we must find a way to get rid of the girl, and have Rowan choose again"

Aster looked up and glared at Reed "we will not kill her"

"Have her disappear then" Arden suggests "Without a king by her side... the whole of Olamoore will suffer. I don't think we need to remind you Aster that there has not been a fairy child born here in almost twenty one years. The kingdom need the line to continue with their queen"

It was a fact Aster could not deny. A kingdom without a queen, it did not reproduce, not until a fairy queen sat on the throne, all life in that kingdom came to a standstill. No child would be born unto that kingdoms people until a queen presided over it. The only Fae born into it, would be the Royal line, a fail safe in the event a Queen died on the throne before a female heir was born. With Queen Hazels death coinciding with Rowans birth, a Queen had not been on the throne in almost twenty one years. Olamoore was childless for the first time in centuries. Not a child's laugh or cry had been heard in a decade outside of the Oak, so long now that the kingdom feared they had forgotten the sound altogether.

There was a lot riding on Rowan taking the crown, and nothing could go wrong. The kingdom needed to thrive once again and create another generation of fairy's. The fear of her choice, of choosing Andromeda, was that it was an unknown. If Rowan didn't continue her line and have a child... would the kingdom?! She would have to rely on the offspring of her brothers for heirs, but hope in the meantime her reign brought life to the kingdoms people.

"Arden bring me the book" Aster demanded.

Arden shook his head as if this was a fruitless point he was about to make.

The large and ancient book was placed down with care at Asters bequest. Reed rounded the table and placed a glove on Asters hand before he could touch its delicate pages.

"Sit" Aster demanded as he began to turn its ancient pages, like tissue paper after centuries of use.

The ancient book of Olamoore was a record of every family line in the kingdom. As each page turned you saw bright lines flow between fairy's families like streak lightening on the pages.

King Aster turned to the last pages filled, the last generation of Fairy's to be born into the kingdom. He struck his finger down on the page, at the bright and golden line that seemed to pulsate upon the page, glistening brighter than any other.

The line went from Rowans and shot across the page to Andromedas birth record.

Aster turned the book and slammed it down in the centre of the table for all to see.

"Have we not known about this for five years" he asked loudly, his voice booming through the counsels chambers.

"Rowan has had a line since she was sixteen years old...we buried it then... considering it the prophecy's birth"

The counsel all looked to the page and then back to Aster, faces of concern and fear, for all that this could mean.

"Rowan chose Andromeda today... and yet this book predicted that choice... five years ago. We cannot turn our backs to the fact that Andromeda is connected to the prophecy as Rowan is. We cannot interfere with the book" Aster instructed, raising his voice.
"Andromeda is fated for the Oak... and the royal line. We must let it play out"

"But Aster" Reed interjects.

"Quiet" Aster shouts taking the book back. "The prophecy... it is fluid... able to be manipulated still. I know Rowan, we all do. She is not the evil that is being discussed in every kingdom but ours. We must have faith that she leads us to glory and not to despair. Rowan could take all six kingdoms and rule them all with fair and good intentions. My child could change the fae world forever, and for the better. We must let it play out, whilst protecting her at all costs."

"Aster this is not advisable...we do not know what this pairing means. Their names could be connected for all of the wrong reasons. What if it is Andromeda that leads Rowan to the dark side of the prophecy. The one the kingdoms fear"

"I've never seen a line like this one" Colt, an elder older than them all by a century, observes. He looks back to the ancient book still on the table and curls the corner of his bushy white moustache around his rickety finger.

"None of us have" Reed replies. "We know it's not a joining of family genes... and lineage. So, what is it... and why did it appear that day. The day her magic came in"

Arden shakes his head and looks back to Aster "So you propose we let this play out... put our future, and the existence of all future generations on Princess Rowans choice... despite it being the wrong one"

"That's the thing" Aster begins. Taking the book and closing it once again. "The choice is never wrong"

"It's Rowan and Andromeda who will lead us now... against all odds...and against tradition...we must allow it"

"The prophecy will begin in two months then" Arden says glumly. "The day is upon us"

Aster shakes his head and laughs. The room falls silent as they look to him disturbed.

"You imbeciles... are you so old you are now blind... the prophecy has already begun..."