Chapter 180 The Courts of the Queen
In the royal chambers.
Three girls and five boys were gathered around an elegant table. The young queen passed some coins from a pouch to six of them.
Olivia: I wish to expand my secret court by incorporating another person. Antonio is a page to Tatiana and Esteban, a friend, and a man of honor and valor. In the past, my great-grandfather established a tradition whereby members of the royal court would occasionally use coins to express their opinions. I want to use that for us.
Marco: Why are there three gold ones and three silver ones?
The Queen: In the royal court, there are high-ranking members and lower-ranking members. The opinions of the latter count somewhat less. In this court, bastards are high-ranking members and possess gold coins. I am sorry, boys, but the voices of bastards like me, are important to me.
Gunther looked at the silver coin from Puerto Blanco: I understand. It means a great deal to me to be in this court, and I accept my position and the silver coin.
Frieder held up a similar coin: Yes, it is a great honor.
Yegor, with sad eyes, picked up the coin and bowed his head before the queen.
Olivia: If you support Antonio, place your coin in front of him. If you oppose him, place it in front of you. Yegor, please.
The young man placed the coin in front of the page with black hair and blue eyes. One by one, they placed their coins. In the end, there were three silver coins and two gold coins in front of the fifteen-year-old.
Before Marco lay a gold coin from Costa Lunas. The queen looked at him and spoke in a timid voice.
Olivia: Marco, why do you not want him in my secret court?
The burly young man smiled: He is not a bastard, and I do not trust him.
Lupita whispered fiercely, Marco! Be serious, you jackass!
Marco laughed and pushed the coin in front of his friend: Fine. Give him a silver coin; his parents are married.
The Queen smiled: Very well, Antonio, do you accept this coin as a sign that you are part of my secret court?
The page received the coin from the hand of the queen and smiled broadly. Two girls and one boy noticed the significance of that smile and the hand-to-hand contact that lasted a little longer than it should have. Three boys did not understand it.
Olivia: Thank you. Now, there is something else, something very important and very serious.
She took out a parchment and unrolled it. She read to her friends for ten minutes. Finally, she placed the parchment on the table and looked at them.
The Queen: A coin near the parchment to support it; the front of your body to oppose it. Please tell me what you really think.
Antonio placed his coin on the table in front of him: They decided to follow a traitor instead of a good queen. That is far too lenient for such a crime.
Yegor, with the coin on the table in front of him: They are traitors. They deserve death.
Gunther placed the coin beside the parchment: Many people hate me, but they know nothing about me. They are soldiers. The words on that parchment are part of the reason you are a good queen.
Frieder placed the coin next to that of his boyfriend: He is right. Aurelio and his captains deserve death. But a poor soldier does not.
Lupita placed the gold coin next to the parchment: Peace is better than war.
Kerstin placed the gold coin on the table, in front of her chest: If they won, how many of them would rape the women and girls of this city?
Marco picked up the coin and looked at it: I fought for you. Would I deserve death for that? When you decided not to kill the soldiers of Valero, was it because you needed them?
The young man placed the coin near the parchment.
Olivia: Thank you, my friends. I want each of you to join me in the private room. I want to know somehing you need. Kings grant rewards to their supporters when they win wars. I want to provide things that are necessary.
The Royal Court.
The queen entered and sat across from five men and three women.
Olivia: I want to define the roles for now. Danilo and Emiliano will continue as senior members, representing the two cults.
The men nodded.
The Queen: Tatiana, I wish you to represent the North. Your husband shall retain his position as Count of Arms and represent Colina Verde; both of you shall serve as high-ranking members. Marisela, please continue as a senior representative for Colinas Gemelas.
The women bowed there heads in agreement.
Olivia: The final senior member will be Wulfhelm, representing Puerto Blanco. The junior members will be Heinrich, for White Hall; Sorcha, for the Royal Isles; and Rodrigo, for Colina Alba. I have ideas for some others.
Danilo: I have someone for the Ridges. Oleg, he is a good man and very intelligent. If you want someone younger, his granddaughter was a great help to us.
The Queen: That is a good idea; thank you. I think another voice from the islands is a good idea. Furthermore, I want Captain Pedro to be part of my court. The soldiers died for me. They deserve to have a voice here.
Marisela: You are assembling an excellent royal court. Do we know if we are going to win?
Danilo: The Pegasi have returned with news of the enemy army. To the northeast lies a force of three thousand men or more. There were no banners belonging to any captain or to the Count. In the center and the west, there are small groups scattered across various locations. Many of them are marching away from the city. I believe they are deserting.
Heinrich: According to the accounts of the Sisters of Shadow and our soldiers, they suffered more than fifteen hundred deaths and another thousand wounded. If they were to mobilize their entire force, it is possible they could field an army of four thousand men.
Rodrigo: We can field a similar sized army. We still have seventy Unicorns, and the Pegasi in the air. They cannot win.
The queen placed a parchment on the table. She pushed it toward Marisela: Please, read it before the court.
The woman read the document. Then, she placed it in front of them and showed them the royal signature.
Some men began to speak, but the young monarch raised her hand, and they fell silent.
Olivia: Captain Rodrigo, please present the terms of surrender under a flag of peace.
Rodrigo: Of course, my queen.