In the centre of the main Imperial palace there is a round room, the biggest court room ever made. With two hundred seats, two main balconies, one centre lectern, four diagonal entrances it only lacked a place for the prisoners. But such great room wasn't in need for such feature, after all, this is not a place for criminals. It would be irrational to hold prisoners in presence of the Imperial family, the palace had cells, of course it did, you could never know what crazy things can happen in any given moment, a staff member could be caught trying to steal something valuable, there could be a conflict, even a fight among the knights in training, or the worst situation of them all. someone could be plotting a murder. even committing it.
Anybody can come in the courtroom with a special pass given to them, regardless of their true identity, there was also an option to bring guests since this is the only time of the year when the Gold gate is wide open.
All royal knights and guards were instructed to keep their eyes and ears wide open and to not leave a member of the Imperial family alone in any given moment. It is not that there is a specific person who means harm but rather many of them. Empire of Arthein is new, only holding the status of the empire for twelve years. Previously a kingdom, sometimes small and sometimes large, Arthein existed for many centuries. Romanet family was the original founder of the kingdom and has ruled it for centuries, never lacking to put a direct heir on the throne. One of those heirs is the current emperor.
When Evan II de Romanet declared his kingdom an empire and himself the Emperor, it caused and awful political reaction, even thou he had every right to so after the piece agreement with province of Yalan. Many protested saying that his family should no longer rule and that if the kingdom is to become an empire there should be a new family ruling it.
This was, at first, just a silly subject of a drunken bar conversation amongst farmers and merchandisers that was overhead by some low noble man who thought it was a great idea to over throw the current Imperial family and replace it with a new one. Such as his own, for example.
It is difficult to assassinate such a well protected family, also very expensive for a small village noble man, so there must be another way of doing it. Another much crueller way: Marriage.
For the first time in history, in family Romanet, a daughter was born. Her name is Neftali and she is a princess, not some lady that happens to be born as a Romanet but a daughter of the emperor himself. Now, even if these village noble men don't have enough money to hire an assassin capable enough for their task, they have sons. And because they are men they think is a rather easy task to make the Imperial princess fall in love with one of their sons who would then abuse their wife's power to over throw her own brother from the throne and take the crown with their family name.
They were stupid.
Stupid enough to underestimate Her Majesty the Empress. Of course a princess will never marry just any man that offered his heart to her or any man at all. The heir to the throne is yet to be decided, even if it is already certain that will be the first born prince, he is is yet to receive the title of the Crown prince. Until that day comes there is still a small chance of princess Neftali becoming the Crown princess.
That is exactly why the Empress forbidden any marriage from happening in the Imperial family until a official heir is named. By making a decision to grant her son that title it seems like she is biting her own tongue.
What could this mean for her daughter's future, even for the whole family?
Nothing and she will make sure that everything stays the same, even if it could cost her a life.
"Mother, have you seen Marquis Favre?" Neftali asked her mother while sitting in her room and waiting for her to get ready for the assembly.
"I haven't, is there anything in particular that happened?"
"He is going to be present today. He didn't even leave the palace to see his daughter."
"Marquis Favre has a job to do today, very important one, but I am sure he is not here because he wants to." Neftali looked at her mother's face in the mirror during this whole conversation, her expression hasn't changed once during this conversation, it remained as it was, with no movement at all, while a maid brushes her hair.
"Is it safe to have him in the courtroom? He is informed about his daughter, for certain." Young princess, even if she is young, did not take matter off this business lightly, for princess Neftali this is the first time she appears in the courtroom, on her mother's side nonetheless. So it is not weird she is so worried about something happening, not just to her mother, but to anybody present.
"Of course it is, his is seated on your father's side, so even if he tries to do something there is a great distance between us." The Empress stud up from her chair and sat beside her daughter. She was in a gold dress showing her collarbone for the first time in a while. On her neck sat a beautiful necklace with a big diamond pendant, her hands remained glowed like they always do and her dress was wide and puffy like the ones she wears at all social events. Big skirts make it easier to keep a proper distance from people who do not know how to respect boundaries. No one is crazy enough to step on the Empress skirt. "There will also be plenty of guards and my personal knights present, so worry not my dear. You are safe, no one will dare to touch a hair on your head."
Only if Neftali could tell her mother's that is not her own safety she is concerned with but her mother's. But for someone, especially at Neftali's age, it is rather hard to speak about those things.
"Alright, if you say so I shall believe you mother." Even with those words, the feeling did not go away. It was just paranoia, the princess thought, after all what else could it be?
Imperial guards were the best, them failing their task to protect the Imperial family is like a tailor not knowing how to sew a button. They are the best of the best, the Emperor picks them carefully and the Empress grants them a title of a knight, as by order, her blessing as the Holy maiden is higher then his as the Emperor. She is in the possession of the family sword who's existence dates back to the first king. Agathon, that blade's name is. He is still sharp as the day he was forged. The sword rests in the throne room next to the Emperor's seat, one that he rarely sits in.
"Can we go now?" Empress asked with a small smile.
Still to worried to fake a smile princess only nodded. So they went together, head high into the room where they will be the only woman in.
*
"Pleas rise for our Emperor." Said the tall man standing in the centre of the courtroom, taking his place on the lectern as the leader of today's assembly. This young man, with a monocle on his left eye is Sullivan. He, despite his age, is the most trusted advisor of the Emperor and his most beloved friend. Sullivan is a scholar, educated in every subject one can think off, he is also a very wise man, intelligent and cunning. Often thought as an extension of the Emperor, as he was seen as his brother. Fulfilling the Emperor in places he was lacking.
As the last person in the courtroom rose from their seat the Emperor entered. Evan appeared from his balcony dressed in his usual dark blue attire, his hair dark and long, left loose, his beard shot in same colour as his hair. That face was tired, like of some old man that has lived a long life and even a longer suffering. Dark circles under his eyes, pores on his forehead and cheeks sank he was a walking example of someone who does not sleep. After years his body lost the definition of muscles he once had, but with no doubt, the strength was still there. In this usual sight there was something unusual, a heavy golden crown on his head. The same one he hadn't worn since it was placed on his head for the first time.
Thalia looked at him from across the room as he sat in his chair, but he didn't bother to glance her way, like he didn't for a long time in a while.
His son was next to him, standing tall with a hand on his sword, where it always was. It was a habit he picket up from someone else, not from his father, the boy's father did not carry a sword.
Iyan looked at both his mother and sister, on the balcony across from theirs his mother was seated in same chair like his fathers and his younger sister was standing behind her. With them there were two red gloved guards from Queen's palace guarding the entrance to their balcony. Unlike there, the Emperor's balcony wasn't guarded, but it was nothing weird, Evan was never in need for heavy armoury around him, nothing ever truly treated him. Empress, on the other hand, needed every guard this empire could offer to keep her safe inside palace walls. It was rear moments like the one this morning she was seen without a guard by her side. You could say that because of this her safety was more valued then the Emperor's, and that is truth. She was the highest priority of the empire, but her powers were not political, they were something far more valuable.
If the Emperor were to die, he could easily be replaced by an heir, but if the Empress died, consequences would be far more worst, she can not be replaced by anyone. That is the core problem of this entire empire.
"We will start with the question of border strength, the western guard..." Sullivan voice echoed in the room. As the leader of this assembly it is his job to make sure every matter gets discussed and for a solution to be found, also to keep order in the courtroom so unnecessary conflict can be avoided and nobody's time wasted. He is good at his job, perhaps the best there was. But even in his strict tone and focused gaze on who ever was speaking at the time, Thalia could notice something, the way his eyes would glance over her balcony from time to time. He was expecting something, but not from her, she had a feeling that nothing about the conversation she had this morning was known about anyone in the palace. No, it was something different in Sullivan's look, like he was making sure she is there, almost like he was checking if she was okay.
Intriguing it was, now she was sure her husband is on to something no good.
Thalia glanced at Marquise Favre, seated all the way belove Emperor's balcony. The old man's face was stone cold, concentrated on the subject of border he was in charge off. Like she suspected he is not going to cause a scene here. Later, when this ends, perhaps then, but not now, not in front all the nobles, it is not worth it.
She took a deep breath, there is a really warm feeling on her back. Sing she dreaded the most. Voices got quieter, the light, coming from a glass dome above the room, was suddenly hidden by a cloud. Thalia looked at her son, he was talking to his father about something, something related to the subject Sullivan was talking about, his nose deep in papers in front of him, another deep breath. Now it all got slower, darker, breath again. She turned her head, enough to look at her daughter who was trying to hide behind a tide red certain, carefully observing everything and everybody in this room, especially her father and brother on the other balcony, like she could hear every word they were saying, another deep breath. This will go unnoticed like always, another deep breath. That is good.
Another breath and with him the pain. Thali looked down, everything slowed down once again, from her chest a long sword was sticking out, covered in her blood. She was stabbed from behind, right trough the chair, straight into her chest binding them together. A red stain is slowly spreading over her dress and dripping down from the end of the sword into her lap. She can not breath, no more. Everything is darker, but not because of the clouds, everything slowed down, like the time had stopped. She knew this feeling very well and no, it was not death.
She lifted her hand, going touching the sharp end off the sword sticking out of her chest. There was a whistle, soft and eery. With her touch the sword disappeared in form of white mist, same colour off the blade traced with blood just a moment ago.
Another breath, the blood is gone, the room is bright, the sound of Sullivan's voice is back, her chair is not pierced, her dress had no stain of dripping blood, everything kept going like it was supposed to, but the whistle is still there.
"Now that we covered the last matter of todays assembly," Sullivan said, room got quiet, truly quiet, yes this much time has passed, she was in the trance for that long, staring into nothing, yet it was natural enough for nobody to notice. "The annual proposal of His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. We will hear both of them and decide by vote, who's is to step in action the moment this High court hearing is to end." He looked at the Empress, who slowly stud up from her chair and approached the balcony, one hand on the place she just, a moment ago, was bleeding to her death, not just bleeding but bled out to her death. "I call upon Her Majesty the Empress to come before this High court and share her suggestion, thought for good of the empire and it's citizens, to everyone present in this room. You are obligated to respect the High court's vote, whatever the outcome for your side may be. Do you have anything to suggest to this very court?"
Not expecting her to say anything, Sullivan looked down and flipped his papers, ready to write her suggestion.
Thalia cleared her throt quietly, now is not the time for fear and confusion directed to this attack. Now she doesn't have the time to turn around and look for her killer.
Duty, it was her duty to complete what she started. No amount of pain could have stopped her from getting up from the chair. Not even the one spreading all over her back causing her hands and knees to tremble.
"I have a proposal for this High court." She said, that words echoed in between every empty corner in this circular room.
Stunned, Sullivan for a moment looked at the Emperor who was just getting ready to stand up from his chair, but froze the moment these words left his wife's lips.
"The High court will hear Her Majesty's proposal." Sullivan said, feather in hand, already writing on the paper in front of him.
Silence overtook for a moment.
In the room full of men, important parliament members, lords and military officials, for a woman to be present is a rear sight, even if she is the Empress. For her to speak freely and cast her vote on important matters is even more unusual. For her to have a proposal was unheard off. But she is not just any woman and she is not just any Empress she is the Holy Empress, the most respected and beloved woman of the empire. Men don't show her respect just because of her position, there is something in the way she speaks that is making her impossible to ignore. Every single person present in this room is aware of that. They were all listening.
"I ask, for my son, prince Iyan to be crowned the first Crown prince of the Arthenian empire." Once her words reached the last ear in the courtroom, you could only hear scraping of Sullivans feather on paper.
"Thank you Your Majesty for your suggestion. Now, I call upon His Majesty the Emperor to come before this High court and share his suggestion, thought for good of the empire and it's citizens, to everyone present in this room. You are obligated to respect the High court's vote, whatever the outcome for your side may be. Do you have anything to suggest to this very court?" He repeated, this time speaking to the Emperor who has stud up from his chair but was too stunned to move. He looked at his son, eyes wide open, stiff like a statue. It took some time, and some whispers to spread across the courtroom.
Evan approached the balcony fence, placed both of his hands on it. He met Thalia's eyes, even from the other side of the room, his, dark like obsidian were hard to miss.
"Nothing from me this year Sullivan." He said and returned to his chair. Sullivan kept looking in his direction, like he was excepting something completely different, All of them were. But no, Emperor just returned to his chair and continued to watch, like this was some kind off play.
Sullivan cleared his throt. "We will now cast a vote for Her Majesty's proposal for prince Iyan de Romanet to be, form this day onwards, the Crown prince of this very empire. All in favour, please rase your hand." Like one, every single hand in the courtroom rose to air, including the Emperors, who's vote did not count. They were all looking at her, the woman that just changed everything.
Sullivan looked around, then took the gavel in his hands and slammed it twice.
"The High court votes in favour of Her Majesty the Empresses proposal. This court is dismissed." He slammed it twice again. "Congratulations Your Majesty." He said to her.
The rock from her heart disappeared, but the burning of her back and the whistle did not. Unfortunately, no amount of victory could cure someone who had just died.