"Serenity, when is the shuttle set to depart?" Melia asked as they walked briskly through the corridor towards the Great Hall.
"At the end of the hour. It'll arrive by one o'clock, and hopefully be back here in Alcamoth by seven o'clock." Serenity responded, checking her notes.
Melia tucked her hands in her pockets to keep her from fidgeting; a habit of anxiety. "And have the rooms been made up for the Mayor, the Homs Entia woman, Fiora, and Shulk?" Today was the election and she would have no time to think about the Colony 9 delegation later. A lot rested on the day and she needed to be completely focused. The polls would open in an hour and close in four. Then the votes would be tallied and the results would be announced in the evening.
"They're being fixed up right now." Serenity said. Out of the corner of her eye, Melia could see her assistant hesitate, and finally ask, "Will Sir Dunban be joining them as well?"
"I have been given no indication that Dunban will be joining the party. So I will assume that he will not." She said curtly. Melia refused herself the moment to think about the Homs man. Her mind had more pressing things to be occupied by, such as making sure the voting procedures ran smoothly. Not that she hadn't thought about him. There was a sore disappointment gnawing away in her gut that she still hadn't heard from him. But could she really expect to?
Avoiding further thought on the subject, the Empress changed the subject: "My statement regarding the Soothsayer Kaneva's accusations. How was the reception?" She'd released her statement the previous morning. By now, it should have been fully circulated among the High Entia public.
"Mixed at best, your majesty. I've taken the liberty of taking a poll. About 35% of the readers believe your side of the story and support you. 38% are skeptical of both sides. And the remaining 27% believe you are trying to cover up the truth."
Melia bit her lip. She had hoped that her explanation would change the conversation, convince her people she had done nothing wrong, but it seemed the Soothsayer Kaneva, whoever this person was, had already gripped the minds of the public. No doubt it had to be the saboteur. Or someone working with him. Or her. A wave of frustration rolled over her. Who was it? She was tired of being left to fumble around in the dark against an unknown opponent.
"Thank you for collecting data, Serenity. You're always one step ahead." Melia gave her assistant a small smile. "Did you receive my present yet?"
The Homs Entia blushed; the red of her cheeks a stark contrast to the paleness of her skin and blonde hair. "W-what present?"
"I apologize, I've spoiled the surprise. Just something to thank you for your hard work. I'll see you later." Melia didn't give Serenity a chance to respond as she turned and walked into the Cabinet Chamber in the Great Hall, where the Cabinet awaited her.
"Good morning, everyone," she said as she took a seat at the head of the table. "I trust that everything is in place so that we may have a successful election day?"
Kiefer nodded and answered: "There will be four sets of voting areas around the city. At each area, there will be four booths. The Cabinet has been split into pairs and they and their teams will monitor a specific area during the voting period. Once the voting is done, each group will bring the ballots back here and they will be counted."
"And the ballots will be counted using my algorithm. It should speed up the time and will negate any human error." Camar said, crossing his arms over his chest with a look of smug satisfaction.
"The announcement of the winners will be done at seven o'clock this evening. Everyone will gather in the square as you read off the names, your highness." Shalen added.
"And then I'll perform the ceremony," Melia finished. It had taken her quite a while to purse through the Histories to find any information on the ceremony to induct the People's Council. Since the People's Council had been an inactive and somewhat defunct body of the government for thousands of years, she'd had to go back into the archives for thousands of years to find what she had been looking for. Finally, after hours of page-turning and deciphering ancient text, Melia had happened upon a few passages that documented the exact steps of the ceremony. At least she wouldn't have to make it up.
"It sounds like everything is place. Let us see it through to the end that the day runs smoothly." Melia said, looking at each face of her cabinet.
The Empress was about to switch the subject when Songya asked, "Any idea who this Soothsayer Kaneva is?"
Melia shook her head. Despite her desire to think the best of each person in the room, she had to be careful in case one of them was a traitor. "I'm having some people look into it. I hope to have some clues as to the identity of this person soon. If any of you have suggestions or thoughts on how to uncover the identity of this person, I invite you to share them with me."
"What are you going to do if you find out who this person is?" Jarack questioned, his eyebrow raised.
Melia sat in silence, thinking. She really hadn't given any thought to it, especially since she considered that the saboteur and the Soothsayer were one and the same person. Which would mean some sort of punishment. And especially if that person was sitting in this room, at this very table. But there was always the chance the Soothsayer was a completely separate entity from her opponent. Cautiously, Melia responded, "I plan to have a discussion with this person and understand what his or her motives are. I have no intention of prosecuting them, as our constitution guarantees freedom of speech. But I do wonder why this person would decide to keep his or her identity a secret unless he or she was afraid of something."
The Cabinet sat in silence, absorbing her words. Anxiety spiked in the back of her mind and she felt a brief tingling and shot of pain through her right arm. Had that been an incorrect response? No. She knew, logically, that this was the correct course of action. Still, she worried how it would be perceived. Not that it mattered: the Soothsayer would twist every word or action of hers negatively.
Then her mind stopped. An idea sprouted and took root, growing as her neurons fired electronic pulses between each other. She didn't have time to weigh the pros and cons. There was no time to consider the potential consequences. With all eyes on her, the Homs Entia needed to make a decision. Fast. It was risky, but if she did it, she could possibly get a lead on the Soothsayer, or perhaps discover the identity.
Here it goes.
"As you all know, I've been reestablishing relationships with the other races of our world. An incident has occurred in Colony 9 between Homs Entia and Homs. From my understanding, these Homs were refugees from the destroyed Colony 3. Some of the refugees decided to kill the Homs Entia that lived in the Colony. I am still unsure of why, but I believe this to be a hate crime." Someone gasped, but she pressed onward, "Out of the three that were kidnapped and subjected to violence, only one survived. After the incident, the Mayor exiled the refugees, and Colony 6 has also pledged to do the same." Melia looked from one face to another, registering the degrees of shock, disgust, and anger. "I have invited the Mayor to our city to discuss the ramifications of this hate crime. He will arrive tonight after the results of the election are announced and he and I will have engage in talks tomorrow after the first People's Council meeting."
"What about the survivor?" Miriall asked, her voice quivering with emotion.
"She will be arriving as well. The Mayor has assured me that she has received medical care but I want her to go straight to our doctor's upon her arrival."
"I would like to volunteer myself as her escort." Miriall said.
"Of course." Melia nodded and said, "I will let Serenity know and she will include you in arrival preparations."
"What are you going to say to the Mayor? Are you going to demand justice?!" Songya asked angrily. "We can't just stand by and let this happen. We must strike back!"
"I have yet to decide what my goals for this meeting will be. There is no precedent for this sort of thing, so I will be taking time this evening after the announcement to determine the best course of action. All thoughts are welcome, of course." She folded her hands in her lap, eyes wide, expression blank. There were murmurs, but no one directed any comments back to her. After a few moments, Melia stood and said, "If there is nothing else, then we are adjourned."
Gradually, the members stood and filed out of the room, Melia watching each one intently. As they exited, she began to doubt her plan, if she made the correct decision to tell them about the Colony 9 situation. But if it appeared as a headline in the Soothsayer's pamphlet tomorrow, then she would know that one of her Cabinet had betrayed her confidence.
"Empress, please wear this jacket today as you visit each of the election sites. We've outfitted it with ether shield spells so it will provide extra protection in the event of an attempt." The words hung awkwardly in the air as James held open the garment for her to put on. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and he laid it back over her shoulders, feeling the twist in her heart as she remembered Camille and her knife. The jacket fit snugly, and the ether spells generated their own warmth in the fabric. Despite the circumstances under which it was given, the garment felt cozy. It was a good idea; she would be walking around in public much of the day: seeing election sites and encouraging people to vote. While it was her duty, it was also something she felt right for her to do. As she buttoned the front, Melia noticed an embroidered symbol against the navy blue fabric. Her family crest.
"Thank you, James. This is...very thoughtful of you." She turned to him, understanding the recognition behind the gesture. Feelings bubbled up in her chest, more than she could express. The family crest was worn on clothing only by the monarchs; the rest of the royal family wore rings with the crest on the signet (which she always wore on her left hand). Since her ascension to the throne, Melia had been bogged down in Restoration efforts that she had forgotten the little customary details befitting her position.
James shook his head and responded, "Elrich executed it. We just believe if you were planning on visiting all the election sites today, it would be wise to add another cautionary layer. He was the one who thought of the ether-infused blazer."
"Well, thank you both. I am very touched by the gesture." She looked from one to the other, her eyes saying more than her words. James smiled and Elrich grunted in response. Melia couldn't help but smile. It was more than just a shield for protection and more than just a signature of her status. It was a gesture of intimacy. They had been her escorts since she took up the throne, watching her every move. They had become close in their own way.
"Where are we heading first, Empress?"
"We will head to the site by the Fountain of Hope."
"I will call for the carriage."
"No need. I prefer to walk today. It is a beautiful day and I'd like to take advantage of the sun. Besides, I could use the exercise."
The trio set off, exiting the Imperial Palace and making their way through the city. As Melia walked, she felt the eyes of passer-bys on her. She could hear the whispers as she passed conversations between the High Entia. Immediatley, her mind flew to the negative. Were they speaking ill of her? Discussing the Soothsayer's accusations? Wishing her to relieve the position of Empress? Everything in her screamed to head back to the palace and hop into her carriage, thus avoiding the questioning eyes, but she set her jaw and kept walking. As Empress, she could not afford to run and hide as her Father told her many times before. She had to walk with confidence, even when she had none.
A few minutes later, she and her guards arrived at the voting station. A long folding table was set up next to the fountain with two single person tents on either side all bathed in the imperial colors of blue and silver. Melia knew that inside each tent was a pedestal that the High Entia would use to fill out their voting cards in privacy. Then they would return to the check-in table and place them in the lockbox. It was simple in its procedure, and Melia hoped that the lack of complexity would make the process seamless.
At the current moment, the table was empty of occupants. Where are Shalen and Jarrack? They were to be monitoring this station together. Confused, Melia rounded walked around behind the tents, but still saw no one. The election stations would open to the public in the next half hour; where were they?
Raised voices came from around the fountain and Melia hesitantly walked around. Her eyes spotted Shalen and Jarrack in a heated argument and she slowed her walk, catching a few moments of the conversation.
"Don't you care about the collateral damage?" Shalen demanded.
"She asked for it!" Jarrack responded.
"This is wrong. You have to stop. You're going to hurt someone."
"This isn't your business."
Jarrack caught sight of Melia, stiffened, and said, "Empress, how can we help you?"
"I came to check if everything was ready and found you away from your posts." Melia raised an eyebrow. The words of the argument rang in her ears. What had they been discussing exactly?
Shalen whirled around, her face a combination of anxiety and frustration. "So sorry, your highness. Everything is set up and ready to go. Our team members will be arriving to help out with organizing voters in the next few minutes."
"Good. Then I trust you will take up your posts now as I take my leave."
They nodded and hurried past her, back to the table. Uneasy, Melia turned away and began walking towards the Fountain of Eternity where Songya and Kiefer were stationed. But her mind was filled with thoughts regarding Jarrack's words. Who was he talking about? What collateral damage? Nae'ell's own warning echoed back to her. The Entia had observed to two of them together in secret conversations previously. But that could be about anything. There was no evidence pointing to sabotage. But Jarrack's words...they haunted her. She balled her hands into fists in her pockets as she walked down the road to the other end of the Main Square. Casually, Melia looked over her shoulder at Elrich and felt the tiniest bit of relief. At least he and James were there. They would protect her from whomever.
But what if they couldn't?
Hastily, Melia moved through the Great Hall towards the Ascension platforms. She did not want to give anyone the opportunity to catch in conversation, especially a conversation she had no interest in having. Already four of the candidates had stopped her for private audiences, and she regretted every single one of them. There was no way she would endorse any one of them. She firmly believed that this was her people's election, not her own. She wasn't even planning on voting, as she had no interest in showing favoritism to any of the candidates. Successful, the Homs Entia reached the teleporter without obstacle and warped to the audience chamber.
Her footfalls echoed off the walls of the room as she walked to the center and stopped. It was empty save for herself and her guards. Melia avoided this room as much as possible. There was too much sadness and pain here. Too many things she had yet to confront and wrestle with. She'd only stepped inside a handful of times in the past nine months. Memories of her father and brother filled her head and she took a deep breath in and out. Crushing her eyelids together, Melia felt a surge of sadness and a warmth in her eyes.
No.
It was a simple word, but carried so much within it. She could not mourn now for the family she'd lost. When her people were safe and happy, then she could think of her father and brother.
And when exactly would that be? Months? Years?
She put an end to this line of thinking and strode across the room, to the glass case mounted behind the throne. Enclosed was the Scepter of Heaven. Encrusted with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, it dazzled in the light. It was with this Scepter she had been crowned. And it was with this Scepter she would bestow the People's Blessing upon the new members of the People's Council.
It was passed down from one monarch to another as a symbol of the right to rule over the High Entia. It signified the trust placed in the monarch by the people to lead them and bring peace and prosperity. If it was ever lost, it was said that the trust of the people was lost as well. A chill ran down her spine as she thought about the significance it had to her people.
Digging a golden key out of her pocket, Melia opened the case and delicately placed her hand around the gold handle. It was cool in her grip, and she could feel the weight of the spherical head as she pulled it out of the case. Energy hummed through her as she wrapped her other hand around it. There were myths about the Scepter. That it was more than just an ornamental piece. That it had power. But none had seen that power in thousands of years.
Melia doubted the stories were true. Most likely legends that served to elevate the power of the Scepter, and thus the power of the monarch.
But as she held it in her hands, feeling a pulse beneath her fingertips, the Homs Entia wondered if there really was more to the object.
"Empress? It is almost time for the Cabinet to reconvene in their chamber."
Melia looked up at James, moved from her contemplative state back to reality. His eyes held a question, different from the one he said aloud, but he stood, simply waiting for her answer.
Her eyes moved towards the empty throne and she recalled seeing her father sit in the chair, presiding over court. Was she ready? Was she ready to take up the Scepter? Everything she had done in the past nine months had been under the title of Empress. Undoubtedly, she knew she was already well rooted in her position despite the efforts of her saboteur. So why did she feel nervous? Why did holding this mere inanimate object make her heart beat faster? Why did the young Homs Entia feel as though she were about to step over a line, into the next chapter of her reign? What was so different now in comparison to everything before?
"Empress." This time it was Elrich. His gaze was serious. Ready for battle.
Swallowing, Melia set her shoulders back and proceeded to exit the throne room. It didn't matter if she was ready. There was no choice. She just had to be.
When she arrived in the Cabinet Chamber, the room was silent. A nervous energy hung in the air as Melia walked towards the conference table. Around the table, she saw Kiefer and Songya, Camar and Miriall, and Nae'ell and Serenity, all with their lock boxes. Three out of the four groups that had spent the day monitoring the election sites. Shalen and Jarrack were nowhere in sight.
"Where are Shalen and Jarrack?" Melia asked.
"They haven't shown up yet." Songya said, carefully removing ballots from the lockbox and placing them on the table.
Melia gave Nae'ell a side glance, and the Entia woman raised an eyebrow. Flutters of worry rippled through Melia's chest. Was this something to be concerned about? Especially after what she'd heard earlier in the day? She wanted to be optimistic and say that they were just late. But her pessimism whispered that everything pointed to sabotage.
"Well, start counting the votes. They'll just have to add theirs later." Melia directed.
The cabinet members put their heads down and got to work. Catching Serenity's eyes, Melia waved the young woman over. "Serenity, I need you to go find Shalen and Jarrack. Can you do that?"
Serenity nodded, her eyes wide with her usual apprehension.
"Good. Get those votes. Take James with you." The Empress looked at her guard, who nodded. The two Homs Entia exited the room and Melia turned back to the cabinet members.
Now all she could do was wait.
An hour and a half later, Melia felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Serenity, Shalen and Jarrack, none looking excited. James had returned to his post next to Elrich. "What's wrong?" She demanded.
"The votes..." Serenity trailed off, looking at her feet.
"We lost them." Jarrack said, grimly. Next to him, Shalen wore a look of shame.
"What do you mean, you lost them?" Melia questioned, uncomprehending.
"We think someone took them."
Melia's eyes went wide. Someone stole the votes. Someone is sabotaging the election. She looked from Shalen to Jarrack, eyes narrowed. What if they were lying about someone stealing them? What if they had stolen them in reality and were blaming a nonexistent person?
Then of course, they could easily be victims in the matter. But their carelessness had resulted in the votes being lost.
Either way, it did not matter. The immediate problem was the missing votes.
"Do you still have the list of those who registered with you to vote?" Melia stipulated. Her mind was racing, trying to find a way to solve the immediate problem.
Shalen shook her head. "No, we put the list in the box with all the ballots."
Melia cursed under her breath. "Roughly how many would you say voted at your site?"
Shalen looked at Jarrack, who looked away, humiliated. Shalen sighed and said, "Maybe...between 70 and 80."
Just over a quarter of their population. Melia turned away from the waiting faces and closed her eyes. Could she ignore the loss of that many ballots? Of course not. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard. The only course of action was to shut down the election. Shut down and start over. They would hold the vote in the next few days. It would create unrest and generate anger, but there was no way around it. Even if she were to send her cabinet members to the homes of those whose ballots went missing, she could be accused of tampering with those votes and fixing the results. No, the only way to solve the problem was to force a re-do of the election.
Melia could hear the voices now at the announcement of the election re-vote. They would say her administration was incompetent. That she was attempting to fix the election in favor of one candidate over the other. That she wasn't really interested in restoring the People's Council, and the election for this government body had been solely a political move to incur favor with the public.
It wouldn't be a popular decision, but it didn't matter. She wasn't supposed to make the easy decisions; she was supposed to make the right ones. As Empress, she needed to protect her people, and that included protecting their equal status. Despite how easy it would be to ignore the stolen votes, she knew in her gut it was wrong.
She could feel her heart clench.
Turning around, she clasped her hands in front of her and cleared her throat. Conversations died and all eyes flew to her. "It has come to my attention that a large number of votes has gone missing. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, we will need to stop our current efforts. We will have to ask the people to re-vote to ensure everything is done fairly." Someone gasped but Melia continued, unperturbed. "Please leave the ballots on the table. I will deal with them. Tomorrow morning, we will evaluate a new set of procedures of the election. I apologize that your hard work has been undone."
Silence. No one knew what to say.
The emotions stirred in her stomach and she felt the urge to explode. But she couldn't, not in front of them. "You are dismissed." She said, clenching her jaw, struggling to keep her voice monotone.
Slowly, they started to leave the Cabinet Chamber. Camar walked over to her and she could feel herself desperately wishing him to leave like the others. "Your Highness, if there is anything I can do, please tell me." He looked at her intensely, as if his eyes were trying to pierce into her soul.
Melia shook her head, swallowing a lump in her throat. "No Camar. Thank you though. The offer is very much appreciated."
"You Highness-" he began.
"Camar, please. I wish to be alone right now. I will see you tomorrow morning."
His back stiffened and he said curtly, "Good night." Once he exited, only herself, Serenity and her guards were left.
"Serenity, would you please draft a release regarding the misplacement of votes and rescheduling of the election? I just need a moment."
She could see Serenity's eyes filled with sympathy, but the girl merely nodded and exited without a word. Melia's eyes flicked from James to Elrich silently, asking for privacy silently. They exchanged a glance and sighed. They walked to the door and just as they exited, Elrich called, "We'll be right out here." Then he shut the door.
She was finally alone.
The frustration and anger came crashing down. Tears poured out and she began to sob uncontrollably. Leaning against the table for support, Melia covered her mouth with her hand, smothering the sounds of anguish and despair. How had this happened? How had everything spiraled out of her control? Her face felt hot as she felt her eyes squeezed tightly together while tears continued to travel down her cheeks and her chin, falling to the ground. The despair threatened to swallow her whole as she gasped between sobs. Was she to face an obstacle at every turn? Would she ever get a single victory, one where she didn't feel as though she were being torn down on one side or the other?
Would she ever be fully accepted by her people?
Thoughts of her father and brother clouded her mind. They would know what to do. This would've never happened if they were still alive. The Empress dropped to her knees and fell against the leg of the table, wrapping her arms around her waist. Everything hurt. Her stomach turned and she felt the urge to gag. Who could hate her so much to jeopardize not just her future, but that of the High Entia people as well? Perhaps it would be best if she stepped down and left. To minimize the damage.
Exhaustion settled into her muscles. Slowly, the crying stopped and the trails of tears dried. The anger, the grief, the sadness were still there, inhabiting her body, but the monsoon of emotion had passed. Her throat felt dry as she swallowed. The intense pressure had been relieved, but the weight hung on her heart.
The truth was, the saboteur had won.
The realization made her angry and heartbroken all over again. Gritting her teeth, she wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. Blinking a few times, her eyes darted up to the clock on the wall. The convoy from Colony 9 would be arriving any minute now. She needed to get up and go. No matter what thoughts she had, or how much she wanted to disappear. She had to get up and move forward.
As she watched the seconds tick by, Melia began to count down. At the end, she would get up and walk out into the Great Hall, as if nothing had happened.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
"How could this have happened? How did they lose the lockbox?" Melia asked as they moved through the Great Hall towards the loading bay at the eastern end of the palace.
"Your Majesty, we have no idea right now. When I found them, they were searching within a five mile radius of the voting site..." Serenity trailed off, hurrying to keep up with the Empress' quick strides.
"Find Shalen and Jarrack." Melia snapped. "I want to understand exactly what happened. Their every single move. When they lost sight of the box." The fire in her stomach sprang to life at the thought of the thief. "This is unacceptable. Have them report to my suite directly. Do not take no for an answer." She ordered as they rounded the corner and out onto the landing pad.
Miriall was waiting at the entrance. "Your Highness, they've just arrived."
"Good."
The shuttle had already landed and the ramp extended to the ground. As she neared it, she watched as Mayor Laden of Colony 9 and a Homs Entia woman walk down the ramp and towards her. She and Miriall met them halfway. Melia plastered a smile on her face and extended her hand in greeting as the Mayor neared her. "Hello Mayor Laden. Thank you for coming to Alcamoth."
The Mayor took her hand and said, "Yes, thank you for having me, though I wish it were under better circumstances." Her eyes darted to Fiora and Shulk, who were next to walk down the ramp. Hand in hand, Fiora gave a small wave to her while Shulk smiled.
"And this is Avalia, the Homs Entia woman I wrote of." The Mayor said.
"Avalia. It's a pleasure to meet you." Melia said, taking the woman's hands in her own.
"The honor is mine, Empress." Avalia met her eyes with a solemn gaze.
"And this is Avalia, one of my cabinet members. She will be your escort during your stay here."
A spark of movement behind Avalia's head attracted Melia's eyes as Miriall engaged Avalia in conversation. The Empress watched as one more person descended the ramp of the shuttle. Her heart missed a beat. Melia's eyes locked with his as his feet touched the ground.
There he was.