I stood nervously in the queue of young Liberan voters, listening to all the hubbub; men talking over one another about the statistics of the voting so far, ladies discussing the First Sons' grandiosity, especially Prince Nova's. Children were scattered through the walkways roaming around the uncountable food stalls and play centers. Caeliski's most significant esplanade, the Viridi had been redecorated entirely.
The Viridi had always been a busy area. After all, it was the common ground of the Spring Realm's three districts, Gemyre, Liberan and Aqros. I could see the seacoast of Arborika, a little east from where I stood. I had been to the sea a lot growing up but it was fetching every time. Civilians from all the three districts had travelled to the promenade in order to cast their votes. I thought of my father's words when he had helped me study for the history assessments.
"But father, aren't you supposed to vote for the House of Libra?"
"It doesn't work like that my dear girl." He chuckled softly. "You belong to the Spring world. Wouldn't you want the best Defensor to represent your Realm? If the First Son of your House is not worthy of being an Emperor, why would you make him the King of Spring Realm? This Defensor will have a huge advantage in the Conquest, would you want someone unworthy to rule the whole world? The Throne of the Four Realms is much bigger than you and me and all the Houses."
He and mother were through and through Liberalis, the ones with a clear mind and a sense of justice hardened like steel.
Life is unfair, but you should do justice to it because it is still yours. My mother's words would echo inside of me every single day, because life had been unfair to me every single day.
The queue progressed slowly, as one by one people entered the townhall's entrance and disappeared inside a vast booth that had been freshly painted in dark maroon. The curtains parted again and I rose on my tiptoes to see a man around my age being led inside the booth by a heavily armed guard. It didn't take much time for him to reemerge from the other exit.
My legs ached as it had already been a better part of the late-twilight hour that I was standing in the queue. I knew the lack of training had made me weak since I joined the Post. I looked around and saw women fanning themselves with hand fans. I cursed my inability yet again, that I couldn't even conjure up such a small gust of wind that could carry a tiny bamboo hand fan mid-air and make it swing to produce flurries of cool wind. I had seen Amelia braiding her hair with mere flicks of her hand. She would move one finger each for the three separated locks of hair and would weave them perfectly together and tie her hair in a braid, sometimes she did it for me too, the magical air swooshing in my dark black tresses and playing around my ears.
I allowed myself a small smile but the thought still remained- I had never been able to do anything like that. A small lock of hair was falling on my right cheek, I tried to concentrate on the air around it. I raised two shaky fingers up and recalled my school's old Elementor's words- Feel the air, become one with its force, imagine your body speaking with the element, control it. I moved my fingers slowly and felt the lock move an inch up my cheek as I focused hard, and then, just like countless other times, I felt hot with perspiration and the tiny connection disappeared in a flash. I sighed my usual failure sigh. I glanced sideways consciously to be sure no one had witnessed my miserable attempt at elementing. I did not have Amelia with me to snicker at people anyways, I realized gloomily.
Finally, I was at the entrance of the booth; a lady guard took two giant steps towards me and made me hold out my hand. "Resist the force." She said and looked at me in the eye. Before I could understand what was happening, she was clenching my fingers together, her wind was forcing my palm into a fist. I knew this was a test, one which I would fail and they would ridicule me. I wouldn't have come if I had known they were checking the Air magic. They must have seen my panic. The thought of being laughed at yet again made me feel sick and just then, the lady howled out loud. "What was that?"
My palm was wide open.
I blinked at her bewildered face not realizing I had been lost in my thoughts. "What?"
She blinked at me back and realized the other guards and the people behind me were getting anxious. "Never mind you. Get in." She stepped back and pulled the curtains revealing an elegant room with flowing cool wind unlike the one outside.
I was still reeling from the weird incident that had happened mere seconds ago, when I saw guards wearing gray and white uniforms waiting around a raised dais with small flutes tucked in their armor along with daggers. I gulped, suddenly feeling nervous than usual and stepped onto the dais. Why would guards need their flutes here? I never had possessed one but I knew of course the darts that flew from them were as deadly as any viper.
The dais was covered with tall opaque panes from the sides for privacy. There was a small wooden counter, with an ornate feather pen and goblet of ink placed on it, and it had two outlets above. I pulled an already half-peeking paper out from the drawer that was labeled in perfect inscription 'Pull the polling sheet'. The inscription was not as beautiful as the ones I was used to be working with at the Post but it was neat enough for the occasion.
I looked at the three portraits on the sheet. Lord Gareth, First Son of the Libra House seemed tempting, I almost touched the pen but had an uneasy feeling. I looked at the next portrait, Lord Eaton, First Son of the Aquarius House. I practically sniggered. If only the Second sons were also eligible, I would have voted for Lord Angus of the Aquarius House in a heartbeat. He was some sort of novelty in our realm but Lord Eaton, well, moving on!
I looked at the radiant smile of Prince Nova looking at me out of his portrait. A strand of his long golden curl fell over his forehead. His hazel eyes fixed upon me. I sighed and picked up the feather pen from the stand and pulled the paper closer to me on the counter. Should I just choose Lord Gareth though? I was a Libra after all.
But father's words echoed again- 'The Throne of the Four Realms is much bigger than you and me and all the Houses.' There was a tapping on the left pane that startled me. "Quick!" a guard said in a stern tone.
Dipping the feather shaft into the ink quickly, I made a perfect blotchy circle below Prince Nova's name as I had been convincing myself of not doing since yesterday, and tucked the paper into the outlet that was labeled 'Put your poll here.' I didn't give myself any chance of overthinking it and stepped down. One of the guards pointed me to a back door and I hurriedly stepped out in the open air again. I was myself surprised that I had done the unexpected.
***
I was tired even after a sufficient sleep. We had an early start from Uncle Barak's place, who had arranged a carriage to take us home seeing my bleary-eyed state. The journey to and fro the central Liberan to The Viridi had already taxed me enough and now the thought of reaching home and going to work straight was more frustrating. Amelia was munching loudly on the caramel rusk that Uncle Barak had packed for our short journey. He had been insisting us to come and stay with him and his wife Julia; the offer was tempting but since I already had a job in the south, shifting base would require a lot of efforts. Or maybe because I didn't want to abandon the house that my parents had worked hard to make a home.
I pulled my sundial out knowing it would be inaccurate due to all the uneven land the horses were running on.
"Oh, not this again." said Amelia with an eye roll.
"Will you kindly mind your own business?" I elbowed her roughly in the tight confines of the small carriage.
"But why wouldn't you just buy the latest version of sundials. They have been in the markets for a long time now. It shows you the time at night too. The Summer people are really good at that. The moon, you see reflects the Sun's light and therefore..." Amelia always nagged about everything. I cut her off. "I know I know. But this has been mine since I was a kid. So shut up."
In answer, she pulled out her own sundial, it was deep blue in color and the edges were smoother than any fabric. It gleamed in the darkness of the carriage and she held it on her palm and it showed a shadow and a glow around the third hour of the morning. I looked at her smirking face and leaned back in my seat. Stupid Amelia and her stupid sundial.
We reached home and found the chickens chuckling loudly. Amelia ran ahead like a child as she was, and grabbed a few small chicks and screamed, "I am home!"
"A little louder, and Uncle Barak will get the message downtown." I couldn't help smiling as she pulled out her tongue in response.
I walked a bit to the left of the house and felt the warmth of relief flooding over me as I found my small, beautiful garden. It was enclosed within a small wooden fence to ward off the chickens and other strays and was in perfect health. Satisfied, I unbolted the firm padlock and entered into the house. The familiar scent of home hit me and I felt what Amelia must have been feeling. Belongingness.
***
I was on time as I made my way to the Post later that day. The settlement where we lived in was only a quarter of an hour away from the Post and so after clearing away the breakfast and dropping Amelia at school, I reached my workplace for another day of parchments, sheets and pens and inks. Paradise.
"Oh, hello Eleni. How was the first-ever polling experience?" asked Serena with her usual cheeriness, my fellow calligrapher as I took a seat in the chair in front of my small oak roll-top desk. Her light brown hair were tightly perched up on her head in an elegant bun and she looked a bit rosier than before.
"Huge queue." I made a tired sound. "What about you? I am guessing it was the first for you as well."
The system of polling was quite efficient so as not to disrupt the working class's jobs and to avoid excessive crowds altogether at the booths. A day was allocated to every person depending on their month of birth and me being born in the ninth month, went on the ninth day of the polling.
"Well yes, I mean I have been of age since the last two years and so I have voted for the small Duke regency once but this is huge, isn't it?" Serena had a knack of talking without waiting for a breath, and I couldn't help chuckling to myself. Her bright brown eyes always twinkled when she had a ton of sentences she wanted to get out. She was going on. "Have you thought about the possibility, that Prince Nova might actually be crowned the King of Spring Realm and then maybe he would also win the Throne this year at the Winter gala. I mean I wanted to vote for our Lord Gareth but..."
She was interrupted by loud clearing of the throat by someone behind her. I grinned as I saw our supervisor looking at our direction with what seemed like his usual amusement.
"If you are quite done, Serena, shall I have a few words with everyone?"
Serena turned a shade pink in the cheeks and nodded her head with a sheepish smile.
"Thank you. So now as most of you have arrived from the Viridi, with the exception of Kevyn and Gale who will be going tomorrow. Am I correct?" He looked at the two men standing around the huge work-bench in our common area. They nodded.
"Alright, as you know very well, this year's Winter Gala is more special as it is the Winter realm's turn to host the Conquest this time about. I can't believe the decade is almost up." The Supervisor sighed wistfully. We all looked at each other, as it seemed like this was going to be a different discussion than our usual ones.
"The last time I witnessed the Conquest ten years ago, when the High King of the Four Realms, Maris had turned victorious. Ahh! History at its best. I was a mere impressionist working here and also had to be the letterman at times. The Summer Realm had been a great host. But you can definitely expect something more from the dramatic Winter Realm. And this time," he paused for emphasis. "I will be going with my own team of Corresponders to the Conquest."
His last sentence seemed to have hit everyone with a growing wave of excitement.
"Does that mean...?" speculated Jorah, a tall and young letterman with wide eyes.
The Supervisor, Landon shook his head in agreement. "Yes!!! My team of Corresponders consists of you lot. That means I have already planned a team to take to the Winter realm with me. We leave in about a month. Lots of work that would be, mind you."
There was a huge wave of whooping and clapping in the hall and I stared into Serena's shocked face mirrored as mine. "Yes, yes." He continued and put on his reading glasses with one hand and fetched a small parchment from his coat pocket. "These are the names of those who are going to the Winter realm- Impressionists- Kevyn and Jorah," there was again loud cheering noises as people clapped for them. "Typographers – Jordan and Rosa," the list and the cheering went on until he said at last, "Calligraphers – Serena and Eleni..."
Serena whipped her head towards me in that moment but I continued to stare at the Supervisor's face as if a lightning had struck me. What? Me! How? Why?
Serena was shaking me by the shoulder and laughing with giddiness. I was dumbstruck but finally as the reality of it dawned on me entirely, I found myself grinning wider than ever!