"And your advisor hid this from all of us for two weeks!?"
Calem shouted as his voice echoed around the council room.
Valkaerys sat on the biggest seat of them all, the seat for the headmaster that she held now.
"That is not the worst of it." A voice raised, to the left of her, closest to her sat the minister of economics, Alder.
A man in his 50s, his voice sometimes trembling from his age.
Half white hair and the face of every annoyed old man ever.
"She has already taken drastic actions without consulting even one of us!"
He raised his voice as high as Valkaerys' uncle did.
"What is the meaning of this? Do you understand your responsibility? Do you think you can do anything just because you sit on the strongest side of the council?"
He went on and on about it but Valkaerys was having none of it.
"You'll not speak to me in that manner ever again or I will see to it that someone more patient enough sits on your seat."
Her tone grasped her anger as she looked him dead in the eye.
"and as for your claim, i already discussed this with sir Argus here."
Her eyes drifted to her right as she told him. There sat Sir Argus, a brooding force of a man in his mid thirties, a scar on his left right cheek, white shirt and a hat atop his luscious brownish hair, lightly black bearded.
He was the man who fought many wars and was given the position to handle the ministry of military.
His lost left arm was a sign of the wars he took part in as he walked around with a stick forged from steel.
"Your majesty,I am grateful that you did but the councilmen are your people now. They're yours to order and to control. I am sure sir Alder here meant no offense to you but a request to take your matters in the light of all the councilors."
He began with the voice of a deeply wounded and heavily experienced man.
"All? Even today I see only the three of us and pardon my lady if it offended you but shouldn't everyone know of this."
Sir Alder spoke, this time with patience and solemnity.
"There are only a few that I can trust on such matters. Rumours spread faster than flames that set ablaze the muddy men's wooden houses."
She answered as he followed them one by one.
"Sir Alder is the oldest friend of my father, Sir Argus taught my brothers how to be soldiers, Sir Alan was a great advisor to my father for more than 20 years and sir Calem is my uncle, blood can be trusted more than strangers."
She said, as Alan stood beside, admiring her courage.
"And what about those muddy men, you sentenced to shelter in our nation? And no ordinary dirts either, you have invited those magical freaks."
Sir Alder added.
"And not as slaves but equals. Do you understand what the commonfolks will think of this? We do not even sit on the same level as those filths and you expect us to treat them as ours?"
Sir Calem added.
"Because of my father and you all who put blind faith in him."
Her voice pierced theirs as her expressions tensed on her brows.
"The mountains are gone. Nothing is there to protect us from destruction. These people are our only hope in understanding what can make us live. They've records predating our arrival on this land. Knowledge straight from almost a thousand years ago."
She said as she tried to reason with them.
"We have the stones from the mountain, we can always rebuild a wall."
Sir Calem replied.
"About 40 percent of that material is already consumed in building sanctuaries, statues and guns and what not. How do you suppose a wall half the size of the mountains will protect us from the witherings?"
She asked her council a question but Sir Argus listened in silence.
"We can always take from the northern mountains."
Sir Alder presented a counter argument.
"It is not just the material but the geographical alignment of the mountains that projected the winds away."
Sir Alan answered as Valkaerys went next.
"And how do you suppose we take the northern mountains from the hill tribes?"
She asked.
"Exactly how we took the midlands."
Sir Alder replied.
"Trust me, Sir. I will spare you the details of what happens in a war but I will tell you that it is the last thing you would want."
Sir Argus finally presented his opinions.
"It is better we call it a truce and protect ourselves."
He told Sir Alder.
"It is quite embarrassing to hear it from you, a General of your rank."
Sir Alder commented as he snickered.
"If it is war that you desire, you can have all the spoils of it but do bear in mind that I and my Army will take no part in it."
Sir Argus made his words clear.
"Then it is decided. I would need to send men to Himlands for recruitment."
She announced.
"Don't be so hasty. There are enemies in the north, we would be sending men to die."
Her uncle told.
"Then soldiers will be sent with them for their protection."
She suggested.
"Do you understand what you're saying? That will be like sending our most crucial information to them."
Sir Alder argued.
"We'll first have to wager a truce to the mountain people to get to the north first. How about we see to that first."
Sir Argus told Valkaerys.
She gave some thoughts to it before announcing her orders.
"Then do so."
She answered.
"And what of your ceremony? People still yearn to know who it is that sits in that chair."
Sir Alder asked.
"Surely the public can wait until then I would need reports on everything that is happening in our capital. Every crime, every money, not even a single pebble is to be moved before I know of it."
She said,
"The ceremony can be held two days from now. You are all dismissed."
She announced as she left her seat and headed her way.
Shortly afterwards, everyone got up.
As Sir Argus began to leave he was stopped by Sir Calem.
"Do you have a minute, Sir?"
He asked.
"It better be worth it."
Argus said.
The sunset flamed the sky as it panned across the Eden garden of the White halls.
Greenery so rich as vines hanged from domes made of whitestone, the mind from the mountains.
In the middle of all was the pond on which Sir Argus saw the reflection of the sky.
He sat inside the dome as Calem walked in front of him.
"Do you really think there is going to be a war soon?"
He asked Sir Argus but no reply came from his side.
"And if it does, who will you stand for? The council or the people of our nation? Or perhaps even the muddy men?."
He said as Sir Argus looked his way, annoyed.
"Was that it? You called me here to pose a riddle and fool around with me?"
He asked Calem.
"That was not my question. Let me ask again, who do you fight for?"
He replied.
"The people." This time Sir argus had answered.
"And do you think the people will be in support of my niece once they learn of her policies? That is if they're even willing to be ruled by a woman in the first place."
Calem said, as he smiled at him.
"The second she lets them in our city there is going to be a civil war." He said as his tone turned serious, "then who will you fight for? And against whom will you fight?"
"So you suggest we commit treason against her and make you the next leader? Is that what you want?"
Sir Argus raised his tone.
"I suggest we do the election in the old democratic way."
Calem hastened his words.
"Everyone knows that our Democracy is manipulated by us. That is the reason why she is the new leader and you think I'd allow you to win?"
He asked.
"And why is it that you hate me so much? Certainly even a man like you can understand that she is no good for that seat."
Calem asked as his anger palpitated on his face.
"And what good are you? You never sat in a single meeting, your Brother held."
Argus replied.
"So you'd let her do as she wants? Or do you want the seat for yourself?"
Calem posed a question as his smirk vanished.
"I do not serve you or her. I do what is in my best interest and right now we have a better chance with her than we do with you."
Sir argus made it clear as he got up and left.
Calem was left defeated in frustration as his words did not work.