Complete silence.
No one said anything for the longest time while I stood there, pressurizing them with my eyes. Finally, Sir Arvid, a very old Council member, who had been there while my father was ruling, and since, stood up. "She's right. This Law oppresses the elves' rights."
I knew Ivy would have kicked him off the Council a long time ago, had he not been so influential and respected. I figured he was my greatest ally in the room. Possibly the only one who didn't completely agree with my mother.
The silence in the room broke up as it filled with tense whispers. I waited for the final verdict.
Then Sir Nairn stood up. "Princess, what you are suggesting is- to say the least- completely unheard of. While it may, in some ways, make the elven people unhappy, it also enforces the Queen's complete authority on our Forest. The elven people cannot see the big picture, but the Monarch thinks of the whole Forest and acts for it's benefit."
"And what if the reigning Monarch follows their own individual goals instead of working for the betterment of the Forest?" I asked.
There was a collective intake of breath.
Most elves' eyes were divided between me and Ivy, but I didn't have time to look at her. I focused on Sir Nairn. He continued, "Princess, such a thing has never happened before."
I felt like rolling my eyes. I restrained myself and said, "But in the future? You cannot account for what future rulers will do, Sir Nairn. What if they do not rule for the Forest, but for themselves?"
"Princess, how can anyone descended from your just line of ancestors do so?"
"You can still not account for future generations, Sir Nairn. Anyhow, assuming elves from the Elowen line cannot be untrustworthy- though they can- what about someone who's married into our clan? How do you know what they, or their descendants, will do?"
Another huge gasp.
I noticed a bead of sweat trickling down the side of Sir Nairn's face. It gave me immense satisfaction. But he was a seasoned player, and he wouldn't back down so easily. "Princess, I think you can trust your clan to marry the right people. Surely they can differentiate between good and bad?"
"And if they are deceived? Duped? Or compelled?" I said quickly.
"How could the ruler of this Forest, bound by no regulations, be duped or compelled?" He said smugly.
But this was getting off-topic. I had to steer the conversation back in the right way. "Sir Nairn, you have forgotten what we are talking about. Not the decisions of the Elowens in marrying, but how this Law oppresses the elf people's rights."
"You are right, Princess. Even so, to abolish this Law does something which cannot, in any cases, be allowed." Branch said from his seat, not bothering to stand up.
I turned my attention to him. "What?"
He smirked. "It undermines the Monarch's authority."
Ivy suddenly stood up. She didn't even look at me, but the glare in Forreston's eyes chilled me to the bone. She spoke to the whole Council. "I have heard both sides of this argument, but I cannot disagree with Sir Branch's point. And so, Princess (she turned to me), the Law will not be abolished. Adjourned."
Her glare was much darker than Forreston's now.
She turned, and with Forreston at her side, swept out through the door in the back. The rest of the Council stood up and filed out from the normal doors. Sir Arvid went last, shooting me a worried look while going.
I was left standing there alone, and I allowed the tremble I had suppressed till then to take hold.
My plan had failed. And now my punishment would be terrible.