The lion demi-human slammed his hand against the table. The small seal inscribed therein registered the unnecessarily loud impact and lit up the area near them, drawing the eye of the entire room.

"Lord Raymun of Shieldfreeden," said a Prince of Faubrey, who was acting as the arbiter for the meeting, "Your request has been noted. Please speak freely."

Mirellia braced herself. She could see her fellow aristocrats at her side do the same, though less subtly. Some of them even showed their disdain for the arrogant fool who was about to speak openly.

"Our World faces a Calamity that cannot be beaten. Our homes, our families, our entire countries will be wiped out despite our best efforts, but we were blessed with one way to save the World." he said, paused and let the words sink in, his tone solemn, "The Legendary Heroes. Without their power our world is doomed, thankfully, we have fought the apocalypse with their aid time and again. Our ancestors sacrificed everything for the sake of survival and we live today due to their grace. We gathered here to do the same for our children."He stood at this point, the abrupt movement, slamming the chair he was sitting on against the ground, "Melromarc has spit on that sacrifice-"

Mirellia showed no emotion, merely flicked her fan open and studied the man who was staring straight at her. She would like to contest his point but the roar of approval from more than half the representatives in the room silenced that desire swiftly. She knew that none of these people cared about the injustice of the actions that Melromarc had committed to.

It didn't change the fact that they were right to be furious. Aultcray had destroyed any faith in Melromarc. His assassination soon after had crippled their defences and Malty's hasty slaughter of so many of her allies made her nation seem even more vulnerable.

The Queen crushed the weight of such thoughts and attempted to focus on the speech the man was giving. The arbiter should have stopped such demagogue, but the Prince was amused and perhaps convinced not to interrupt.

She knew that he would immediately interrupt any attempt of hers to defend herself.

The Queen stood, her fellow nobles and guards followed, and walked out of the massive chamber with the sounds of mockery behind her.

"Running away?" said the demi-human giving the speech, "Answer our questions!"

Mirellia paused, turned and said, "The Heroes are still alive and well. They grow as we speak and your empty words do not change that," she turned to the other delegates, "Rest assured that Melromarc would gladly help those in need."

She didn't wait for a response. Ignored the calls for her to return and held her regal appearance until she was isolated with her entourage in the solar they had been assigned. They sat down around the massive oak table. The shadows she had hidden as her guards checked the room, blocked the enchanted objects for eavesdropping and moved to various positions around the room in the case of an attack.

It was Alistair Leto who spoke, "Was that wise?" he asked, taking a deep sip of the wine her handmaidens served them all. He would never have challenged her like this before, but the past week had shattered his faith in her.

"It was the best option," said Mirellia, calm as she could be.

Alistair snorted, drank the entire glass in a single gulp, scandalizing Lady Neatial who was seated next to him and said, "Best option," he said, tone mocking, "but hardly a good one."

Mirellia glanced at him and said nothing.

He looked away a moment later and turned back to the wine glass that had been refilled. His despair was understandable, Malty had razed House Leto to the ground, Alistair's entire family was dead. It still stunned her that Malty had been wise enough to figure out who to target and that she was powerful enough to end the entire House so swiftly.

Her Shadows had reported that Malty had walked into the Castle for negotiation and once it had failed razed the entire structure in mere seconds. Mirellia had studied the legends of the Star Cane. Melromarc, in particular, had long records on its powers and abilities. She knew full well how powerful Aultcray had been immediately upon receiving the Cane.

Malty exceeded her father by an unimaginable amount. Worse, every report she'd read suggested the same thing, Malty was gaining strength with every passing second. Strength in all its forms. Her enemies were being ruined, her magic was growing more and more versatile, she was raising an army that was blessed by the Spear and Bow Heroes and in the process, she was tearing the careful balance of power the Mirellia had maintained in Melromarc to pieces.

"Start preparations for our return," she said to her advisors who looked a little stunned before nodding quickly. Only Alistair stared at her with disdain.

"How are you going to stop that monster from murdering us all?" he asked, his voice rising with each word he spoke. The wine spilt from his glass onto the ancient carpets.

Mirellia smiled, false confidence on display calming everyone, even the jaded Alistair down. "Malty is still my daughter," she said calmly, "I know her well despite the power she has gained. Her reckless actions shall have consequences and I have several plans to ensure justice."

Her followers smiled, but she could see doubts seep in moments after her words were spoken. Many were loyal to Mirellia, but Malty had the advantage for now.

The Queen would ensure that her daughter's power was broken soon. She would have to be careful in setting up the board. If not done correctly, Malty would only add to her power, forcing Mirellia to sacrifice more of Melromarc at the worst possible time.

Balmus and the Sword Hero would have to be the strike that shattered the Princess' power base.

It worried her to use the Sword Hero when she had such a limited grasp of his power and personality, but without a Hero, she had little in the way of options that weren't too extreme or too risky and those were options she couldn't risk. Not when it would leave her nation crippled. Siltvelt was already clamouring for war. Zeltoble would join the winning side and Shieldfreeden would be glad to have a chance to tear into her home.

It was fortunate that her Shadows had managed to intercept and convince the Sword Hero. Now she had to make sure that he was powerful enough to matter. There were far too many legends of some Heroes being weaker than the others.

Mirellia would make sure that was not the case here.