Even legendary figures like the Imperial Couple took time to get where they are, and it's easy to forget that there was a time before they were a couple.
But Gura remembers.
Gura would rather not think about how long she's been sitting here.
If she's being technical, she's in charge. She does have the authority to swim out right now and end this mindless meeting… if she doesn't mind angering just about every advisor she has, as well as the nobility, and being the subject of even more rumors than usual.
In practice, however, she is under the supervision of her regents. She is 'too inexperienced' to manage the kingdom herself, says tradition. Never mind that she's kept her eye on the kingdom's politics for almost a decade now, knows the military inside and out after spending a separate ten years serving, and was already considered ready to rule by her parents before their untimely death. She never underwent the formal co-rulership process an heir is expected to undertake before becoming a solo king, and so she is saddled with a bunch of old men peering over her shoulders, questioning her every decision, as a 'surrogate' for her parents until her co-rulership period is finished.
That wouldn't be so much of a problem if they didn't have their own agendas, and display it rather blatantly. Pretty much the only thing she's managed to get done without some level of interference is allowing herself to be titled "Queen" instead of "King" due to some old legal bullshit that specifies a solo ruler is always a king for some reason.
(She knows why. It's because a woman was never expected to take the throne on her own. Alas, her parents only had one child, much to the disappointment of everyone else… especially when she refused to marry and allow one of the other noble houses to get their hands on the crown.)
That's how she finds herself here, sitting at the head of a table, having very little say over the doings of her own kingdom.
Some children dream of scenes like this. Of noblemen and women in all their finery, talking in reasoned fashion, making choices for the good of the realm to safeguard its people…
Yeah, right. Maybe the Atlantean council was once that, but it's fallen a long way since. For one, she's the only woman here who isn't a servant, and two, there's very little 'safeguarding' going on, unless you count protecting the nobles' coffers and real estate. Even the fashion is painfully stifled. She's more or less mandated to wear her 'official' outfit constantly to 'maintain appearances'.
She never thought she'd miss being in the military, but during times like these she absolutely does. Military life may not be fun, but at least there's usually a purpose to what you're doing.
"-increasing amount of shipping activity from the humans." One of the councilmen is saying. "One of their petty kingdoms was even so bold as to send us a request for diplomatic contact."
"How, pray tell?" Another councilman scoffs. "Did they carve a message into a rock and drop it over our city?"
"Worse. They sent some mutant mockery of sealife to deliver it." The first councilman scoffs. "My servants are still trying to chase it out of my estate. It refuses to leave."
"You are under attack?" Gura cuts in. This is the one thing she can sometimes speak with authority on. The councilmen will not dare question her dedication to national defense; her title of general was no formality.
"In a manner of speaking." The man sniffs. "My view is certainly under attack, as is the mood of everyone in the keep. Having such a foul creature around sits poorly with them, Your Majesty. I do not believe it poses any military threat however. The mutant is smaller than a child."
"Hmm." Gura taps her fingers on her chair. "What was the message?"
"I care not to read human gibberish." The man says, turning up his nose. "I had one of the servants deal with it."
Her lips curl in distaste. "I would hope, Duke Hammarish, that is a joke."
The man blinks once, the only sign of his surprise, before his composure returns. "Not so, Your Majesty. I saw no reason to even toy with the idea of entertaining a mere human kingdom, much less one that disgraced us with such a tasteless envoy."
Gura closes her eyes and takes a deep breath through her gills. This is a monumental event, yet Duke Hammarish is brushing it off like a school prank. "If that message has not been destroyed, bring it before me. Primitive or not, such an unusual event needs to be cataloged."
Hammarish clearly doesn't like this order. His tail twitches in irritation, and his eyes subtly glance to his fellow councilmen, gauging their reactions, seeing if he could get away with defiance.
He almost certainly could, in Gura's eyes. She can count perhaps a single ally among the council, and old General Gwight does not have nearly the sway of other council members outside of matters of war. Still, perhaps Hammarish decided it is not worth the trouble, or he simply wishes to placate her, for he agrees to her demand with a dramatic sigh and an almost scornful: "Of course Your Majesty."
Gura doesn't say anything more. An agreement is an agreement, no matter how begrudging. No need to salt the wound and antagonize them any more.
The rest of the meeting is a blur. She listens, of course, but she has precious political leeway, there's only so much she can do before the council will start to shut her down. She's heard the whispers from lesser nobility and the public that she's a lazy queen, allowing the council to do all her work for her, but that's hardly by choice. Her influence has to be carefully rationed out until she can finally be rid of the co-rulership period and the shackles imposed by it.
It's a relief to finally get out of the council room after two hours of inane discussion. Gura sweeps out of the room as soon as possible; a white-knuckled grip on her trident as she walks down the halls. She doesn't have to walk, in fact there are a few council members swimming past her as she does so, but she prefers it. Things look quite different when seen from the floor; more majestic. Staying so low allows buildings and rooms to loom and feel large in a way that swimming doesn't always afford.
It's easy to feel the palace is small when you can swim so high it looks like a toy.
Gura at least counts herself lucky that most of the council isn't around too often. The full council only assembles for one weekend every two months, but thanks to the 'surrogacy' thing they've enforced she can't actually make significant decisions on her own. Just about the only thing she has control over is the capital dukedom due to its technically not being covered by the responsibilities of being Queen.
Politics. Nothing can be simple.
Still, she much prefers the tedious work of administration to anything to do with the council, and if that isn't a damning piece of evidence for their distastefulness, she doesn't know what is.