Winterfall

Once Marcel and I arrived back at the castle we were greeted by Fredrick in the grand hall. He was finally dressed in an all black suit and his hair slicked back. The smell of aftershave filled my nostrils which was a nice contrast to the smell of brimstone that Marcel was trying to hide with some fancy cologne.

“Princess Maria, it’s about time you showed up.” His pace was steady and his tone radiated confidence.

“I believe we still have time.” I looked between him and Marcel, “Isn’t the celebration at six?”

“Yes.” Frederick responded. “At least you have a decent excuse, I see you and Marcel were on a date?”

“Yes.” Marcel said before I could respond, “I apologize if I kept the Council waiting. I wanted to take her out to mark the occasion.”

“I see, well let’s continue this conversation on the way to the Council chambers. No sense in keeping the rest waiting.”

Fredrick turned and walked with a steady pace as he led us to the basement of the castle. Each step we took down the stairs echoed through the enclosed space that was made of fine stone.

“How did your date go?” Fredrick asked as we continued our descent down the spiral staircase. Descending down these stairs took a couple of minutes.

“I think it went well.” Marcel said, “A bit more informative than I was expecting but overall not bad.”

“Informative?” Fredrick questioned as he did a quick glance back at me.

“Well, I took him in the rings and gave a bit of a history lesson so to speak.”

“I see.” Fredrick responded.

Thankfully by this point we had reached the bottom of the stairs. Fredrick pushed open the dark oak door and led us down the empty hallway to the door of the Council chambers. Nothing was heard as we approached the door due to the silence spell that was cast upon the room.

Fredrick placed his hand on the knob of the door and looked back at me. “Are you ready?”

I didn’t hesitate when I responded and I could only hope that my voice carried as much confidence as Fredrick did when he said, “Yes.”

“Good.” Fredrick responded as he opened the door to a lively Council room.

In the room was the circular table filled with decorative measures such as name plates indicating where everyone was sitting. Lively flowers like blue lilies and roses and floating candles create beautiful centerpieces. Along the ceiling there were fairy lights hanging down making for a fantasy like room compared to its typical dull appearance.

I scanned the room as all of us stepped over the threshold and the door closed firmly behind us. There was Wulfric, in similar attire to Fredrick. He wore an all black suit with a blue vest and his hair was slicked back. Then there was Cedric wearing all black with a silver vest and his hair too was slicked back. All three men on the Council were well dressed and sharp.

Then there was the lovely Thora, her hair curled and flowed freely. Her dress outlined her body perfectly as she wore a black and silver dress that features a classic black base with elegant silver accents. The black provides a sleek, timeless foundation, while the silver adds a refined sparkle. Thora’s dress was well crafted with high end fabrics and I could tell it was one of Caroline’s creations.

Along the back and side walls stood Théoden, Quinn, Brienne, Hank, Thorin, and Borin stood in a formal position up against the wall. All were wearing full uniform attire all the way down to their weapons on their hilts and backs.

My eyes met Théoden's who gave me a quick smile as I approached the table. You got this Mi Amor. Théoden told me through the bond.

I took a deep breath and nodded. As all three of us approached the table, the Council members who were sitting stood and waited for further direction. Marcel went and stood alongside the guards, standing between Théoden and Quinn.

Fredrick walked to his seat that was across from an empty spot, which was marked for Sybil. I took my stance in between the empty seat and Cedric.

We waited one minute before the door creaked open and Sybil walked in, her heels clicking loudly against the marbled floor of the chambers. Sybil wore her classic red heels and a stunning black dress that hugged her body perfectly. The strapped dress covered her body fully, making it an elegant dress for the occasion. It was floor length with a four foot train and sleeves that flowed behind her and she gracefully walked.

“Welcome one and all to the formal celebration!” Sybil said as she approached the dark oak round table. She took her stance and glanced over everyone. “Today we celebrate the unification of the royal family and the Council. It has been more than a few years since King Mikail left the Council. Making us the ones responsible for making laws and regulations. Of course, we had the aid of King Mikail as he had the final say in what we were allowed to pass. Due to a tragedy that hit our kingdom, we had lost that connection, and now we welcome it once more.”

I felt a pull in my heart as she mentioned the passing of my parents but I dared not to cry. Thankfully for me, I had Théoden and a ring that siphoned the negative emotions away.

Sybil turned to me before addressing the rest of the Council, “Maria Roza Silvermist, I am terribly sorry for the tragedies that have struck your life so far. But I am pleased with how far you have come, we all are. We see you everyday growing stronger and more dependent. It is truly a fantastic turn around and one we hope to continue to see in you everyday.”

I honestly wasn’t expecting this from Sybil, considering Sybil is Crimson. However, I assume that because she is portraying the part, she has to pretend to be polite and formal.

“Thank you Sybil.” I said hoping I didn’t sound too shocked at her statement.

“Now, before we truly begin, all of us will welcome Princess Maria into the Council.” She turned towards Cedric, “You may begin.”

Cedric cleared his voice, “Yes, thank you for that introduction Sybil. We all worked alongside your father for years and have watched you grow into a wonderful young woman. A woman I know that your father would be proud of. A woman that you should be proud of. The strides you are making to protect the kingdom and better yourself has been noticed. Training alongside your guard Théoden, along with taking your predicament in stride proves that you will be a great ruler one day.” As Cedric spoke I watched his eyes fall to Théoden and then fall on Marcel as he made mention of both.

“Thank you Cedric, I am appreciative that you have noticed my strive for betterment.” I responded with a smile.

Sybil's eyes fell to Wulfric next. “I-” He stumbled slightly and cleared his throat before he continued. “Sorry, I wasn’t prepared to go second but atlas I shall deliver. What Cedric was well said and I second that. For my own touch of uniqueness to my speech, I must say I was alarmed at first when we learned that you were training. A princess fighting is a bit unheard of. Now, I am not against your training, in fact I encourage it as I know you have had a bit of a mishap, three to four weeks ago correct?”

“Yes.” I responded firmly as my eyes darted quickly to Marcel and back to Wulfric.

“Being able to defend yourself, gives us reason to firmly believe that you will be able to defend our kingdom. I’m not saying go head first in battle of course, but I know you will stand by our kingdom no matter what. And that is one of the main things we can ask for in a leader.” Wulfric finished with his addition to Cedric’s statement.

“Thank you Wulfric. I’ll admit training with Théoden hasn’t been exactly easy. Trust me, he doesn’t go easy when it comes to his training. It’s no wonder his fellow guards are so well equipped for anything.” I paused and gave a look of pride at Théoden, giving him a subtle smile before I turned my focus back to the rest of the Council. “With my training that I am doing, I will be more than ready to face anything that comes our way.”

“That is great to hear,” Sybil said, turning our attention back to her. “We have two more people to hear from.” She said as she turned and looked at the lovely Thora.

Thora smiled at us and her fair voice began, “Yes, saving the best two for last I like to think. Your bravery has been noticed. Your willingness to do what it takes for our kingdom is noticed. Even if some of us may question it from time to time.” She paused and I felt a tinge of worry seep over me. “But, that is normal for us to question. If we didn’t question anything at all then I’d be concerned if something was wrong. Heck, to this day I still question things that we all have done in the past. Like the revivification law or allowing you to handle your predicament your own way. And perhaps all of this is a test. A test we won’t know the outcome of until the day of your ignoration.”

I looked at her with raised eyebrows. A test?

Maybe to see how you will deal with certain situations? Théoden responded in the form of a question but it made sense.

“How do you propose I am doing so far?” I asked Thora as I was curious about her response.

“So far,” she paused briefly, “you are doing decently well. A few strange calls but we are interested to see the outcome. So far, we have had to intervene so that is a plus, as if we had to intervene that would not be good.”

At least that is a plus. I told Théoden through the bond.

Mhm.

“Now, like the rest I firmly believe you are more than ready for this next step and I welcome you as our Royal Head. And dear, it isn’t because I want to drink that fine ruby ruby red wine that has been sitting in the cellar for centuries.” Thora said with a smile on her face as the men at the table chuckled.

“Thora you and your taste for fine wine,” Cedric said, shaking his head.

“What can I say, I got a fine taste.” Thora responded.

I couldn’t help but smile as it didn’t surprise me that Thora was the one to bring a bit of humor to the formal celebration. However, Sybil didn’t seem too pleased as her face was firm and unphased by the bit of commentary that Thora brought to the table.

Sybil clapped her hands loudly twice causing the room to fall silent and all the attention brought back to her. “Now that I have your attention once more, we have one more Council member to hear from before Princess Maria can give her speech.”

“Sorry Sybil.” Thora said as she averted her eyes from Sybils and stared straight ahead.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as Sybil rolled her eyes. “Anyways, Fredrick, you may have the floor now.” Sybil said as she turned and stared at him.

Fredrick cleared his throat and stood firmly. His voice carried like it did in the stairway, “Thank you for allowing me to have the floor.” He paused for a split second before continuing, “I have had the privilege to work alongside Maria the last few weeks. Teaching her the ends and outs of the Royal head and all she needed to do to prepare for this role. I am pleased with her progress over the course of the last few weeks. I firmly believe she is more than capable of taking on this role as well as being our Queen in the future.

She is showing the aspects of a true ruler, taking each thing thrown at her and dealing with them personally or at least trying. Besides her own strides to form connections in her own kingdom, her already formed bonds with the other rulers on The Isle will prove beneficial as our kingdom grows and expands. I look forward to working alongside Princess Maria both with her in the Council and as our future Queen.”

I felt a burst of relief wash over me. I was pleased that they all said happy things about me. I was truly worried that there would be negative comments about how I have handled things or how they view my potential for ruling over my kingdom. But their positive outlook on me, gave me a new sense of self gratitude.

The room had fallen silent as they all turned their eyes on me, “First, thank you all for your kind words. I truly appreciate it.”

“Now, before I let you give your speech, is there anything else anyone has to say before we continue with this proceeding?” Sybil asked.