Chapter 9: Northern Coup + After
Just as there is Intel coming in about the Pure Ones on the move, Autumn and Barran fear the worst will happen. Barran tells the owl she considers like her sister, that Boron might take up arms and miss the hatching of their baby. Autumn assures Barran that he would never miss an important moment for their family.
In the Parliament meeting, Boron then decides to take all the guardians and leave the tree, meaning in that Barran's fear comes true. They later say goodbye and Autumn and Lyze follow close behind Boron while Barran watches them leave with a saddened face. Boron had promised her that he will be back in time and she knows he will, but is worried anyways.
They get to the Beaks and the Pure Ones are nowhere to be found. They fly north to find the atrocity itself, the Northern Coup. Autumn and the other guardians tried valiantly to save the Schana, but things were taking a turn for the worst. Autumn herself couldn't believe the sight. She could remember when the Pure Ones attacked Ambala. They had attacked and all were fighting to save their kingdom.
She remembers images from that night. There was a lot of arson going on as the Pure Ones started a fire to try and kill everyone. Autumn remembers seeing her mother and father fighting to save the kingdom. She remembers seeing the flames and many owls dying as she and her brother, along with others, were escaping.
She flashes back to now and a Pure One is almost about to attack her when Lyze pushes it away from her.
"Thank you." Autumn says
"No time for that, I had heard someone calling for help in the palace." Lyze replies
"I'm coming." She says
"me too." Strix says
The three guardians fly into the palace as it is caving in. Nyra and her battalion got into the forge underneath the palace and it is now falling apart from the pressure of the explosions have on the palace core. The foundations are falling in and the caves are caving in. The three owls are weaving around falling rocks and follow the noise; Autumn remembers the palace being set on fire by the Pure Ones when they attacked Ambala in her owlet hood.
"Stand guard." Lyze orders as he enters the room
They are outside when they hear a noise. Making both Strix Struma and Autumn jump.
"What was that?" Autumn asks
"Look out, Princess!" Strix yells
A Pure One is about to attack Autumn before she moves out of the way. The two spotted owls share a nod before they engage in battle. Strix uses her swords to battle one while Autumn uses her (smaller version of what seems to be a) Katana blade to fight the Pure One who had tried to ambush her a few moments ago. She has it pinned to the ground before she decapitates its head and Strix slices the crud out of the other. Then the Palace starts to shake again and Autumn is getting worried. They fly back to the door and Lyze comes out carrying a helm and with a snowy owlet (Guess Who?).
"What happened?" Autumn asks
"Queen Nynia is dead from being crushed. Let's get Princess Lydea among other things ourselves out of here!" Lyze replies
The three owls are escaping the heavily caving in palace as they barely make it out before it caves in. They begin to fall back as Boron is calling retreat. They are flying back to Ga'Hoole, some wounded and Lyze carrying the owlet and Autumn carrying the helmet.
"What do we do about the Schana Princess, Lyze?" Strix asks, unsure of what to do next
"If we tell Boron, he might freak out that there is a Schana alive and in Ga'Hoole." Lyze replies
"So that means…?" Autumn asks
"We will have to cover up her identity." Lyze finishes her sentence
"This has been a dark day for the North." Strix sighs
"Indeed it has been, Strix Struma. Indeed it has been." Lyze sighs
They make it back to Ga'Hoole and Autumn and Strix are hanging around the city centre. Then an announcement is made. Prince Josh has been hatched. Strix leaves Autumn to go see and Autumn decides to talk to Lyze as he had just arrived in the now celebrating centre.
"You found someone to adopt her?" She asks
"Yeah." He replies before seeing the celebrating Ga'Hoolians "Let me guess, the egg hatched?"
"Yes, it is a boy. Boron called him Josh." She replies
"So his name is Prince Josh Nyctea." He mutters
Over the next few days, Ga'Hoole is still celebrating and everyone gets the first glance of their prince. Strix is named the godmother and she is thrilled. Lyze is happy to see his goddaughter happy, as he knows all she would have wanted was to be a mother, especially as he found a harrowing prophecy of the steward monarchs and told Barran the only failsafe for her is that she has to mother an alternate heir.
Autumn is joining in the merriment as she celebrates the hatching also. As she is Barran are like sisters, Barran says that Josh could call her "Aunty Autumn". The two owls laugh at the notion, but Autumn could play along with it.
After all of that, the meeting comes when a statement is made. Autumn has been fighting against fighting to take the North back, as it will cause devastation. Barran had barged into the meeting and started to go off at all of the ideas of fighting the Pure Ones.
"Whatever we do, whatever we try, it will always go on. The wars, the battles. I have had enough of all the things wrong in this world that have something to do with Guardian V Pure One. I have stood by while innocent lives have been lost in these battles and wars." Barran starts with anger in her voice
"Where is this going exactly?" Boron asks
"I am getting there, your majesty." Barran replies
"Continue." Boron says
"I have hopes and dreams and a hope is for peace. I have grown up in the midst of wars. My parents died protecting me from the Pure Ones. I want a world where it is peaceful and allows for all to be happy. My husband, his majesty, Boron can agree with me when I say this following sentence. It is: I want a world where our children and our children's children can be safe. I want a world where our children can grow up in peace and not to endure the things we had grown up with. I have one thing to say and it is for you all to hand over the Northern Kingdom to the Pure Ones. It is the only way for peace and it will keep their beaks shut." Barran starts
Everyone is shocked to hear what Barran said, but some are becoming more open minded of the notion and some are already crying.
"I want for everything to be ok. My son cannot grow up like I did. Our children and children's children owe it to us that we create a peaceful world for them. I want this world for my son especially. He would be happy this way if the young'un grows up happy. I say this to say that as a mother and the Queen of Ga'Hoole, I want what is best for my family and the Great Tree and all of our inhabitants. No matter what the price is." Barran finishes
Autumn is wiping her eyes when she says "I agree with her majesty". Strix and Lyze agree also. The rest of the guardians agree also. Barran takes her place and sits next to Boron and he is trying to not cry from the words I have said. They all agree with what Queen Barran said, as she made a good point and it was a moving and passionate speech about the future and what they could do to help it.
"That was a beautiful speech and I think she is right. The children shouldn't grow up in midst of wars." Strix says
"Someday, if there is a likely chance, we will get the North back." Lyze says
"It is agreed then. We will… Drop the Northern Kingdom. For the greater cause: the children of the Great Tree and of all the Kingdoms and for peace." Boron says
Just as Boron bangs the gavel, Autumn then chases up Lyze as he is planning to tell Barran about Lydea.
"Shall we tell her?" She asks
"If we want her to hide the crown, the answer has to be yes, Autumn." He replies
"Who will write the scroll?" She asks
"I'll do that, you just tell Strix about the meeting. Alina is holding it at her hollow after dawn." He replies
Autumn then takes off and tells Strix about the meeting. Autumn is merely playing the messenger when she is given the scroll later. She flies to the Palace Hollows and places the scroll to where Barran can read it. Barran receives the scroll in the middle of the day and Autumn flies off before she is caught.
That next night, the owls meet at Alina Toscarne's and Lydea is resting. Alina pulls out a bottle of wine and then Barran arrives. They had all agreed on a way to keep Lydea and her secret safe.
"Barran, I ask you something to do with this crown. Nynia Schana's crown is what is left and Strix and I did one thing. We saved only one Schana. Alina, bring in Lydea." Lyze says to Barran
Alina brings in the owlet and she is a Schana and she was born on the coup. It has been only a few days after and the owlet is lying in her basinet. Later on, they had explained to Barran that they saved her and that Alina is her surrogate mother and that they will entrust her with the secret and to hide the Northern Queen's crown that rightfully belongs to Lydea. Sadly, Barran has now gotten herself drunk.
"Will she ever know? When will we tell her? I don't know the child, but I feel like I am betraying her trust." Barran asks
"That depends. The child is only a few days old." Strix says
"I agree. She will not be able to understand when she is the right age." Lyze says
"That means she will have to be 18." Lydea's adoptive mother, Alina says
"Exactly, Barran will hide the crown and keep your beaks shut, everyone. Lydea will never know she is a Schana until she is 18." Lyze announces
"I hate to break topic. How is Josh? How are you handling being a first time mum?" Strix asks Barran
"His eyes are full of life, Strix. I am handling it all fine. He just makes my smile when he gives me those little golden eyes and… Aww!" Barran swoons
"Ladies, we are in the middle of something. Barran, are you ever going to grow up?" Lyze asks
"Maybe. I am a newcomer to being a mum. See you on the other side of seriousness, Lyze." She says before breaking into laughter
"Leave her be. She has had five glasses of wine you realise. In this case, she is blind stinking drunk!" Strix says
"Be that as it may, we end with the pledge." Lyze says
They then say in Naya'va the pledge to protect Lydea, to keep her secret and will always stand by her as we will be like her surrogate family. Autumn finds it sad that the poor owlet is an orphan. Lyze then escorts her home and she then bids him a good day as she goes to bed as soon as she gets home.
