The Skabelse

Touched

Rowan sat on the edge of her seat as she leaned forward, elbows balanced on her knees. She did not want to miss a single word.

"Let us begin," King Isen said in an old but authoritative voice. Those that were murmuring and whispering ceased and the room fell deathly silent as everyone waited to learn of what was to come.

King Isen looked to his left at King Tomwulf, giving him the permission to take over. With a curt nod, King Tomwulf stood up, then took a few steps forward towards the mass of men and women.

"Tis no secret why you have come here today. A group of heathens broke the law by disturbing a Skabelse, kidnapped two young royals, and most importantly banded together to overthrow and kill the High Kings and Queens that have worked so hard to uphold the laws that have been in place for hundreds of years to ensure that the human race continues to exist. This band of misfits have taken it upon themselves to collect kingdoms and tribes to take up arms by feeding them lies that a new age is upon us and I won't allow it!"

His brown eyes bore into the crowds as rage filled him as he bawled his hands into fists. He took a deep breath to collect himself before he continued. Queen Nilac noticed his anger and decided to speak, giving him time to settle down. Standing up, she joined Tomwulf at his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The Brotherhood must be stopped at all cost and I thank each of you for sojourning to our Palace and heeding the raven's message. I fear that this is the sign of the times, and if it is true, we must take action immediately."

Her voice was soft yet stern and Rowan found herself mindlessly nodding to herself at her words. She quickly looked over to Bjorn and saw that his arms were tightly folded across his chest and his jaw was clenched. When King Tomwulf cleared his throat, she tore her eyes away from Bjorn's tanned face and focused on the King's words.

His features were no longer hardened though there was still a hint of irritation in his voice, "We must go to war, there is no doubt about that, but first we must find out more of our enemy. Those that agree say aye," King Tomwulf said quickly.

"Aye!" the entire auditorium replied. Their echoes bounced off the stone walls.

King Tomwulfs dark eyes scanned the Gladeswomen section until the landed on the fair haired princess. He then quickly moved on to the Roriks and quickly found the attractive young prince whose emerald eyes bore into his. "I ask Bjorn, Prince of Rorik and Rowan, Princess of the Glade to join us on stage. You two have the most experience when it comes to this band of heathens and we would like you to tell anything you can about our adversaries."

Rowan swallowed hard. She didn't expect to have to speak in front of so many people or address the situation at hand. Her adrenaline quickly turned to anxiety as she rose from her seat and walked towards the stage. She felt hundreds of pairs of eyes on her and she bit the inside of her cheek.

Bjorn noticed her anxious state though she did well to mask it as her face was stony and her chin high. She tried his best to conceal a smile that wanted so badly to be displayed, and he made a mental not to patronize her about it later.

She quickly walked up the stone steps and joined his lioness on stage. He quickly decided to be the first to speak in hopes that it would give Rowan some time to relax.

"That night, when we were taken from our tent, our world changed. I imagine most of you have heard of the events that took place up until my good friend Leif led a party to liberate us. A woman of the name of Blanche escaped that day, and even though we had a victory with regards to the battle, we did not win the war. Blanche is a woman with power and many allies. I have never seen her prove herself as a warrior with a sword, but her tongue is no doubt her greatest weapon. I have never met someone as heartless and shrewd as her and I wouldn't be surprised if she had scouts watching the Palace at this very moment. I pledge to do whatever is necessary to put an end to her and the Brotherhood," Bjorn finished, earning many applauds.