Steven Burke - The Broken Council

"Many do not know that my sister Kira is actually younger than 1. Though we are twins, I was the first out of our dear departed mother's womb. So, according to our laws, I would be the rightful ruler of this new nation. Noble Merindiel, have I misunderstood the law? Are the laws and traditions of the high elves, in this respect, unchanged?"

Bronwen stood from his seat next to the queen and said, "You are quite right about the law and its interpretation. Also, we have not altered or amended the law that you have brought to our attention." He nodded slightly to Kishi to show that he was done and to give her the floor back.

"Thank you, Chairman. I believe the only possible question in anyone's mind should be why did we stray from those laws? Is it because my dear sister thought of the plan and facilitated all of the necessary elements of it? If so, then why has the law governing the right to rule not been changed or amended to allow for bravery and foresight to be requirements for the crown?" She had reached the point that she had been yearning to get to. There should be a significant number of council members who would now follow her. The others should have sufficient doubt in their minds to suit her needs.

"Gracious Chairman, I am done with my presentation. If you please," she gestured to Bronwen to take over the proceedings. There would be questions now, but not too many. There would be a significant amount of debate over this issue, and she was not going to stick around to hear all of it.

"You have presented a strong case for the council to consider. At this time, I would like to open the floor for questions for either myself or for Princess Kishi." He looked around the room at the bewildered looks on everyone's faces. He was caught off guard too because of their apparent oversight. He did not see how they could go on justifying Kira as their rightful queen and ruler. Kishi's presentation of the facts was too direct and to the point to be misunderstood.

Silence fell over the room. The sounds from the storm were growing worse still and seemed to be filling the silence in the council chambers. No one had the look yet of even forming a question on their faces. However, when Kishi looked at her sister, Kira was giving her a look of mingled indignation and disbelief all at once. The princess did not need the ability to read minds to know what her younger sibling was thinking. She knew that she felt betrayed by her older sister and by the faces of those who clearly agreed with Kishi. She could not believe that she would ask for the right to rule after doing nothing on her part to secure it.

Queen Kira could take it no longer. She was too incensed to sit quietly on her throne and say nothing after such an attack. She stood up, and as she did so her, eyes began to have blue mist coming out of her eyes. No one had ever seen her so angry before that she would use her magic unknowingly. "You traitor!" she bellowed at her sister. "What gives you the right to come here and belittle what I have done to save these people? Who are you to question my ability to rule? You are no better than those that we left behind! They were ignorant fools who wanted to do the minimum and still reap the rewards of hard work off of the backs of others!" The blue mist was now surrounding the queen and seemed to be freezing the very air about her.

Kishi smiled at her sibling's reaction to the truth. Everything was going better than she could have wished for. She had sufficiently provoked her sister into attacking her verbally. That should give everyone sufficient doubt in her ability to rule. She just needed to egg Kira on a little more to reach her breaking point. Now she would attack the queen's illegitimate husband who was king. He will be the perfect trigger to push her over the edge.

"Dear sister, you question my right to come here to petition this just council of high elves? What about your own violation of our laws in marrying a member of a different race? Have the laws changed for everyone in this regard, or did we bend the rules for you and this pathetic excuse for a spouse? Haven't you defiled yourself enough by marrying him? Why bring these good people down with you through your inept leadership?" She had a triumphant smile on her dark face. She had done it. Let the storm come. I am ready!

Kira sent shards of ice hurtling toward her sister, who deflected the darts just enough to prevent major damage. She wanted it to appear that she was unprepared for this attack. Many of the icy daggers had pierced her clothing and grazed her skin. Blood began to trickle down her sides as she struggled to stand erect.

"What did I do to deserve this treatment, Queen? I am your sister. Why do you attack me so? As a leader, you cannot allow for your passions and anger to rule your judgment. You must think outside yourself." Kishi, with the help of the queen's guard, stood all the way up now to make the declaration she had come to make this day.

"I feel that my sister is not a competent leader, so I have taken it upon myself, the rightful heir, to start anew." The queen looked shocked for an instant, and then her countenance fell.

"I have established the true kingdom of the high elves on Mount Konane without the help of the deceitful guardians. All those who wish to join us will be welcome on our mountain kingdom. What I have done cannot be construed as treason because I have followed the laws of our people. I have set up a monarchy that is in keeping with the right of rule established by high elven law. I vow to lead the people by their voice and limit bureaucracy to fulfill their purpose and nothing more." She winced from the pain from the cuts on her sides. She turned around and used her magic to blast open the doors of the hall and departed into the unrelenting storm.

As the council's meeting was beginning, Jaali met with the people who had gathered together for their departure to the east. From their vantage point, they could just see the outer wall and the massive gate. There were only four guards protecting the entrance because of the high security at the council chambers. The people began to murmur amongst themselves that their escape would come off without a hitch. However, as the black storm clouds began to move in, many feared that this was an ominous sign that what they were about to do was wrong.

Jaali immediately took control of the situation. "The clouds you see overhead were created by our friend Lord Diikker. He felt that a little darkness along with rain would assist in keeping our departure secret." He knew something of how to inspire people and how to cajole others into accepting what he said. The people seemed to understand and had a surge of new hope to move forward with their plans.

"By the time our queen has made known to the council what her intentions are; we will be off this mountain. The rain will slow any pursuit if they choose to act so rashly." He was a natural at this kind of leadership. He knew that he would get all of the people off this mountain and not get caught in the process. "Tenanden will guard our retreat from any possible pursuit. As you can see now, the guards at the gate have been dealt with." He gestured toward the main entrance. "They have not been harmed, just rendered unconscious. The doors will be open by the time we reach them, so let's move out."

The group that departed that day was not pursued. They made it all the way to their new home without seeing another soul. The total number of those that left the main body of the high elves under Queen Kira's rule was just a little more than half the total number of people. Many of them were traditionalists who felt that King Ciel was not bad but that he had lost control of the kingdom. They saw Queen Kishi as a powerful leader who would not allow the rule of her people to suffer the same fate as the elves. They also understood that Kira was leading them down a treacherous road with all of the rules and laws she had personally broken.