This chapter is inspired by the Brethren Court scene from the Disney film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End". Enjoy! :)
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Syrena entered the large circle of grey stones with curiosity. The last time she saw the leaders of the Unicorn breeds enter a circle of stones, the typical gathering spot for grand and important meetings, it was the day that she and Whipstaff were chosen to go on their quest to unlock the barrier.
That task was nearly spent and about to be completed.
The Valley Unicorns, with their pink coats and light pink spiral horns, were present, all disgruntled by the fact that they had another meeting to attend to. The Desert Unicorns, with their tan coats and tan spiral horns found themselves quizzical about this meeting. Did they not know what would transpire here? Then there was the green-coated Forest Unicorns and the brown-coated Tree Unicorns, who stood next to each other, as if they were allies. The blue-coated Sea Unicorns burst into the scene from a nearby stream, as well as the black-coated Dark Unicorns who soared down from the sky in their clouds, while the many-colored Hill Unicorns kept close to the silver-coated High Unicorns on their right.
Silvestra, leader of the High Unicorns and all the Unicorn breeds, was the last to arrive for this special occasion. She was the one who summoned all the leaders of the Unicorn breeds together. She would wait for Aslan to begin the meeting, as Syrena, Whipstaff, and Lockslear joined her, too.
Silvestra waited until the crowd gone silent, before she spoke to the assembled Unicorns, humans—Syrena, Whipstaff, and Lockslear—and Aslan, "Thank you. This meeting is of the utmost importance, which is why I summoned you all here tonight. I trust, with the portals opened freely, that life can go on as planned."
"It's difficult, but easier to access the portals," the leader of the Valley Unicorns stated with ease. He raised an eyebrow, stating bluntly, "We have an influx of unicorns passing through the portals freely. I'm not sure what you want to do with that, if the situation worsens."
"The pirate unicorns have grown relentless!" the leader of the Desert Unicorns spoke, gruffly. "They're slipping through the portals by the day. It's difficult keeping track of them all. They won't stop until they get their prize."
"And what prize is that?" the leader of the Hill Unicorns, a unicorn with sea-blue coat, a black mane, black hooves, a black tail, and a black spiral horn, asked the leader of the Desert Unicorns. She had been newly elected, since the last meeting took place, in which Syrena and Whipstaff went off on their journey to reach the Land of Talking Animals.
How much had changed in such a short time?
The leader of the Valley Unicorns stifled a laugh. The leader of the Hill Unicorns eyed him suspiciously. "What? What do you find so funny?" the leader of the Hill Unicorns asked, confused.
"Jezebel, you're a newcomer to these meetings. You don't understand," the leader of the Desert Unicorns said.
"That doesn't mean I'm not willing to try!" the leader of the Hill Unicorns cried. She faced Syrena, pointing out, "Not long after our last meeting was held, this one ventured out into the Land of Talking Animals. She succeeded in bringing a prince to us, an outsider! How many of you are willing to do that?" She looked at Syrena, asking her, "What do you propose we do, now that Lockslear is here?"
"We open the barrier!" Syrena cried in angst. She received an outburst of complaints from the other leaders of the Unicorn breeds. Only the leader of the Hill Unicorns tried to calm them down, while Silvestra glared at them all, not liking how this meeting was going. Syrena spoke loudly, getting all the Unicorns' attentions, "Look, I know this sounds hard!" A silence followed, allowing her to speak up, "Not long ago, I didn't dream of venturing out of my homeland, but here I am, speaking with all of you, newly elected and old timers.
"That doesn't mean I won't stop fighting for you. I just wish… I just wish that I had been selected as your leader, the leader of the Hill Unicorns," Syrena spoke up with candor, making the leader of the Hill Unicorns smile.
"She's a year old!" the leader of the Dark Unicorns stated, annoyed and annoying Syrena's Dark Unicorn father, Hornblower. "Year olds can't run for the title of leader, not unless the council deems it."
"No, they cannot," Silvestra said, getting the leader of the Dark Unicorns' attention, "but hear one of your own, before you start questioning me and your fellow leaders. I have high hopes Syrena will be given a title of her own very soon, as her father, also a Dark Unicorn, can agree."
"Yes," Hornblower said, shocking the council, "Yes, I think you should elect Syrena for the title of Ambassador to the Unicorns. She has done her part well, and we'll need an ambassador in our lands, if we're to unlock the barrier." He turned to Silvestra, asking her, "We have the peace treaty ready, don't we?"
Silvestra nodded. "Yes. I have been speaking with the other leaders from the other realms. The treaty is about ready to be signed."
"Good, "Hornblower said, pleased. He turned to the council members, adding, "We need to open the barrier. It's time the Unicorns were revealed to the worlds and to this Universe."
For a moment, there was silence, followed by an uproar of chatter. Complaints and agreements were given amongst the leaders of the Unicorn breeds, startling Lockslear and confusing him. Did this happen all the time?
"I thought you said this was a peaceful meeting," Lockslear whispered in Syrena's ear.
"They're just agitated. They'll be all right," Syrena whispered back with a light happy chuckle.
Aslan had enough. He moved to the centermost part of the circle of stones, getting every Unicorn leaders' attention, "Listen, all of you! The time has come for change, whether you like it or not. The time has come for the barrier to be opened and you will see to it that Syrena becomes your Ambassador, whether you want to agree to it or not." He faced Silvestra, asking her, "Silvestra, you have the final say in this matter. What do you propose?"
"We open the barrier," Silvestra said with ease, leading to more outbursts, complaints, and, to her surprise, agreements from the Unicorn leaders. She looked at the council, asking them, "Now, if anyone wants to be selected for the role of Ambassador, now is the time to do so. Otherwise, Syrena automatically takes it."
Lockslear stared quizzically at the Unicorn leaders. He had known politics was done one way in the Land of Talking Animals, but in the Land of Unicorns… how did they ever decide when to elect their members? He hadn't expected this. He lived amongst kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, princes and princesses. Here, the rules were different, but how different were they from other realms?
"How do politics work in this realm?" Lockslear asked Syrena, confused and nervous.
"Well, the politics in this realm, the Land of Unicorns, is run by the leaders of the Unicorns. The leader of the Unicorns is the highest position a Unicorn can take. They're usually selected amongst all the Unicorn breeds, depending on who they favor most for that year. How Ambassador works a little differently. Usually the leader of the Unicorns selects an Ambassador. If the other leaders don't pick out a campaign runner for Ambassador, on the day of their council meeting, then the title automatically goes to the Ambassador chosen by the leader of the Unicorns," Syrena explained with candor.
She added, "It's the quickest way to get elected by the Unicorn Council."
"Oh, it's that simple? What happens if you run into any problems?" Lockslear asked, curiously.
"Well, the leader of the Unicorns usually resolves the matter, before more trouble brews," Whipstaff pointed out. "Usually, Aslan resolves the conflicts, but this time is a bit different."
"Oh, I didn't know," Lockslear said, softly and with a sheepish grin on his face.
Aslan faced the council with satisfaction. All the leaders of the Unicorn breeds didn't want the title of Ambassador. It was just as well. Not many Unicorns ventured out into the other realms anyway. But maybe tonight, things would be different. Then again, what would the Unicorn Council have to say about it?
"Well, ladies, gentlemen, it has been decided," Aslan said, as a silence fell amongst the council members. He turned to Syrena, informing her, "You are now Ambassador to the Unicorns. You will be the one venturing out of this realm the most. I see no alternative except to name you Ambassador to the Unicorns."
"And as Ambassador, you're my right-winged unicorn," Silvestra said with pride and great joy. She looked at Syrena, asking her, "What do you propose we do?"
"We unlock the barrier. It's as simple as that," Syrena said, watching Silvestra nod and wink happily at her.
"And so, it shall be. This meeting is adjourned. Let's get that barrier broken," Aslan said, right as the Unicorns disbanded from the circle of stones, making their way to the main source in the Southern Forest, which kept the barrier intact. Aslan approached Syrena, telling her, "Come with me." He looked at Lockslear and Whipstaff, telling them, too, "All of you. I need you to see this." He added, "Everything in the Land of Unicorns is about to change after this is over."
"Where is the vessel keeping the barrier intact?" Lockslear asked, clearly.
"It's here," Aslan said, gesturing to the forest ahead. He faced Syrena again, asking, "Are you ready? The Land of Unicorns will be changed, due to these actions."
Syrena nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go."
Aslan nodded, following Syrena over to the brown wooden ship, stuck on land, where beams of golden light flowed up from a large silver metallic pot and into the sky. Syrena sighed in angst and impatience. It was time to open the barrier and set the Land of Unicorns free. But what would happen after? That remained to be seen.