Another short story, discussing recent goings-on in the Empire.
In Sickness and In Health Part: I
Asterna Lae stood outside the great oak gates of the Council Chamber, a took a deep breath. ''It sounds like a war zone in there'' she thought to herself, clutching Alexis's latest proclamation tightly in her hand. She had always found the Nobleman's Council a terrifying and intimidating place, preferring the far more tame Chambers of Internal Affairs. At last, she summoned all of her courage and knocked on the door. The sound resonated clearly and loudly through the chamber, as if by magic, and the noblemen fell silent.
''Enter!'' Lord Agron called, sitting at his traditional place to the right of the Throne.
Asterna slowly opened the door, which gave a long, ominous creak. Breathing deeply, she walked quickly between the rows of Vampires on either side, keeping her eyes focused solely on Agron, who smiled to see the document in her hands. At the foot of the podium, she bowed her head in a sign of respect and began the short climb upo the stairs to the Ruling Seat, the wooden platform upon which Alexis and her chief advisors sat. Today only Agron sat there. Alexis was allegedly ill with Jeringtosis, a non-fatal sickness that had spread throughout the Calabim Empire of late, and was refusing to see all but her closest companions, choosing to remain locked in her majestic quarters, although most of the Nobility did not truly believe she was ill, and conspiracy stories spread through the Nobility like a forest fire. Agron, the newly appointed Ikrasa of the Empire, had taken it upon himself to dismiss the other advisors of the court, claiming they were unnecessary while Alexis was away. The Ikrasa was a position held by a Vampire of great status or royal favour who's duties were to run the Nobleman's Council and handle the day to day running of the Empire while the Queen was unavailable, a small, but important increase in power for Lord Agron.
Asterna handed Agron the document, and sat down in the empty seat to his right. Somewhere in the crowd a Vampire gasped, but was immediately hushed by her neighbours. To take a seat at the Ruler's Seat uninvited was a disgraceful act, especially for a human, but most of the nobility now saw the way the wind was blowing and turned a blind eye. Agron unrolled the document carefully and began to recite it to the Council, barely needing to refer to the parchment at all, after all he had wrote it himself:
''The Royal Proclamation of War upon the Ljosalfar Court''
---
A horn sounded, and then another, and another. All around town the city watch called the signal again and again. The Calabim were at war.
Just outside the city walls, regiments of militia readied themselves for the long journey into the forests, gathering their weapons and checking their supplies one final time. ''Agron's Justice'', as they were called, would soon be on the move. In the midst of it all, a round canvas tent stood, guarded by several Moroi. Within, Agron sat at a round table, covered in maps and other documents, with the commanders of each regiment and a Haloi agent, in deep conversation of strategy and tactics.
Although Agron had no intention of taking part in the fighting itself, every aspect of the army's strategy, including the use of Haloi agents in battle, had been designed by him and discussed in detail in the Proclamation of War. On a map of the Eastern world two areas were marked with croses, the Zwir and Razor Forests, the barbaric borderlands beyond the empire and the primary targets of ''Agron's Justice''.
---
Asterna sat quietly in the Royal Chambers, at the bedside of her Queen. She had been assigned the role of Royal Companion of the Queen while Agron was unable to attend to her himself. She looked over at Alexis, who was asleep, chest gently rising and falling like the tide. She looked like death, Asterna observed, and a wave of pity overcame her. It was difficult to believe that she wasn't really ill, and her unusual sleeping habbits had been caused only by a strange concoction of Agron's, intended to give her some well-deserved rest by bringing sleep to the sleepless. She began to sob, quietly but forcibly, unable to hold back her tears. If Alexis ever did become ill, and died, then what would become of the Empire? Of course, she knew of Agron's plans, and that they did, eventually, require the removal of the Queen, but sometimes she worried. Even if Agron's plans were successful, what would the peasantry think? Although Agron didn't like to admit it, their opinion did matter in these times of change. They were devoted to Alexis entirely, as from a young age every human of the Empire was taught the story of Al-ash-Ir, and how Alexis had saved the first of the Calabim from destruction. Asterna imagined what a powerful woman she must have been in those days, not withering and thin like she was now. She had lived for almost a thousand years, and had seen the Calabim grow stronger and greater by the day, all because of her hard work. Could the Empire even survive without Alexis, she wondered.
I'll probably return standard 10% bonus but reduce their income bonus.
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(also, check pm)
