Steven Burke - The Broken Council

"Jaali, Harley, I am so glad you are here," she said as she ran up to them. She threw her arms around each of them in turn. She felt that these high elves were comrades, her equals. "I am sorry to come to you at such a late hour. I assume Lord Aellenas has explained what will take place tomorrow?"

"Yes, we are prepared for the dissenters to arrive tomorrow. We have made arrangements with those who wish to depart to pack their belongings during the night. They will then leave when the council meeting is in session. The queen's guard will be focused around the chamber, and that will leave the soldiers at the gate for us to deal with. The departure will go unnoticed until the meeting is done," Jaali stated as if he were making a report to a superior. He was, in fact, the consummate military man and could not help such behavior. He would be the perfect leader for Kishi's army.

"Who will lead the people?" asked Kishi.

"I will lead the people from Alanderas while Harley watches our rear to ensure no one follows after us. Lord Diikker will wait here to receive your faithful followers," reported Jaali.

"Excellent. We are ready to proceed then. I will return now to finish preparations for what I will say to the council and my impetuous sister. I will see you soon, my friends," she said as she reached out to embrace Jaali and Harley again.

"Lord Aellenas, any last words of advice?" she asked.

"Yes, I do in fact have some last-minute council to give," the warlock said gruffly. "You must remember to direct everyone's attention in the council room to your sister and her husband. Their union is not against the law of the high elves, but it was consecrated by an Elemental. They never interfere unless it is to torment or punish the peoples of Tuwa. This line of logic will persuade those that we need and plant seeds of doubt in the rest. If you do this, you will be most successful in your argument." She will be able to sway those fools! Then they will see what real power is all about.

"That is wise council indeed. I will definitely use your approach. Be ready for my triumphant return tomorrow then," she said with a bow to her teacher. She turned around and went back down the path she had come without glancing back. She had her plan, and she would execute it without any further hesitation. At this time tomorrow, I will be the queen of the true high elven nation and I will be the one with real power.

The sun rose high into the sky as the heat of the day increased gradually. The air was thick with moisture as storm clouds began to gather from the north. This combination made for a very humid and unpleasant feeling for anyone who decided to venture outside. Princess Kishi walked purposefully toward the council chambers in the capital city of Alanderas. The streets on this particular day were void of life. The pending storm had driven everyone into their homes for cover. As the black clouds rolled in, the sound of thunder boomed and lightning crackled all about the mountainside. The sun disappeared as the winds sped the storm with great velocity toward the city.

As she neared the meeting hall, she could see the queen's guard in their jet-black armor surrounding the building. She looked more closely around the scene, and she noticed there were archers stationed on the rooftops. Horsemen were positioned on the opposite side of the courtyard and were armed with swords and spears. She had never seen such security for a council meeting and knew that her sister must be scared. She also knew that her friends had been right in their decision to move the people at this time. There would be a very light guard at the outer wall, which would make the evacuation of the loyal high elves relatively easy.

"Princess Kishi, the council and her majesty are waiting for you inside. Please proceed," the guard said as he opened the door for her with a slight bow. The double doors opened inward to admit the crowned princess of the high elves. She looked around the room while carefully hiding any hint of her intentions or feelings. She smiled graciously at the council members and bowed slightly to her sister as she neared her seat at the round table. She sat directly across from the queen, which pleased her because she wanted to look her in the eye for what she was about to do. She wanted to make her mentor proud of his faithful pupil.

As she took her seat, the doors of the domed hall slammed shut with a resounding boom. Silence engulfed the tense council room as Kishi continued to look at the members in attendance. This meeting place was very different from the elven High Council's chamber in the Black Forest. The ceiling was made of magically reinforced glass that could withstand whatever the elements could throw at it. The round table in the middle was made of solid black oak from the northern edge of the Forest of Renshaw. There were etchings of gold, silver, and precious gems inlaid in the intricate carvings in the wood. The walls had murals of elven history and in particular of the recent division of its people. It clearly outlined the rise of the high elves and displayed pictures of Queen Kira and her husband, General Yukio.

Kishi fought hard to hide her loathing. She needed to present her case for the throne carefully as to not give away her hidden motives. She really did not care to rule over all of the high elves because she did not believe that all of them would be accepting of her. She was here to convince as many members of the council as possible. The rest merely had to have the seed of doubt planted in them.

"Princess Kishi, welcome," Chairman Merindiel greeted her. "Now we may begin."

"First order of business on the agenda today is the legitimacy of the right to rule the high elves as a sovereign monarch. The eldest daughter of King Ciel, Princess Kishi, has petitioned Queen Kira to hear her argument for the right to the throne. Her majesty has convened this council to definitively determine whose claim is most just." Bronwen had a friendly warm smile as he spoke to the council members. He had a particularly kind look on his face when he looked at Kishi. He respected her as a powerful sorceress and as an intelligent person. He knew that if she was making this claim there had to be something to it.

"Milady, will you please present your argument at this time? There will be no questions until you are finished. When you have reached that point, please indicate that to me so I do not interrupt you at any point," the chairman said kindly.

"Thank you, most noble chairman. Your kind words warm my heart and give me the courage to speak to you all this day." As Kishi was saying the last few words, an ear-piercing crackle of lightning followed by an earth-shaking boom rocked the hall. The storm was beginning to unleash its fury upon the mountainside.

"I will keep my presentation of what I believe to be the facts as short as possible. I do not want us to be kept here while there is such a vicious storm raging outside," Princess Kishi began eloquently. "I believe that high elven tradition dictates that the heir to the throne is the spouse of the departed monarch. In the event of his or her spouse passing before them, then the eldest child is crowned to rule in his or her parents' place." Lightning streaked across the blackened sky. The frequency of the strikes was becoming more intense and frequent. They were also striking much closer to their current location. This storm can't be natural, she thought.

"As I was saying, the tradition and the law of the high elves are that the right to rule is passed down from the parents to the eldest child. If that child is not fit to rule or is otherwise unable to take over the monarchy, then the next sibling in line would be crowned. What I perceive to be the current situation to be is either a misinterpretation of the law or a change in the law that I was not aware of." She did not want to appear to be overtly confrontational, so she continued with her polite presentation of the facts.