General Marek watched him for some time as he walked confidently toward the outer wall. He had a feeling of dread come over him that left him quite disconcerted. He did not know the source of this apprehension, but he knew that something was going to transpire that would alter the high elves' future for ill. He could not explain how he knew it, but he did. He decided that he had to share this information with the queen. She would need to know about the secret passages along with everything else Yukio had discussed with him. This would make her be on guard for anything, and she would have an idea of what options were available to her if she needed to flee. He looked again at the general marching off in the distance and saw his friend turn around and wave at him.
Yukio could see his friend still standing where he had left him. He finished waving to him and hoped that the good general would not let him down. He felt assured that Marek would defend her as well as he could. He saw the high elf turn around and march resolutely toward the castle. Good, now he will go and tell the queen everything we discussed. This way she will be prepared and will not have to rely on anyone to save her. He smiled at his own cunning and continued his march to the defenses of the outer wall.
Kira walked resolutely toward the council chambers knowing that she would need to talk with her loyal friend Bronwen Merindiel. She had waited for a long time after her husband departed to make her way back to the meeting hall. She was consumed with the uneasy feeling that something horrible was about to happen. She did not like the feeling of not being in control and not knowing what to do in order to protect herself. She felt that by speaking with her mentor she would gain some insight and knowledge that would help her deal with what she was experiencing. He had always seemed to have excellent council to give and was vital to her success in leaving the woodland elves behind to start a new country.
As she continued her walk, she came across General Marek, who appeared to be heading right for her. She could tell right away that he had come to find her for a very specific reason. She may not have her husband's ability to read minds, but she was a rather good judge of a person's intentions by their non-verbal communications. It was clear that the leader of her army was distressed about something and that she would soon find out what was making him so agitated.
'My queen!' hailed General Marek as he got down on one knee with his head bowed to the ground.
'General Marek, please rise. You do need not bow every time you see me. Especially when no one else is present,' she said as she brought him up out of his prostration with one of her delicate hands.
'May I have permission to speak with you in private, Milady?'
'Of course, General; follow me to my private office. We will be safe from unwanted listeners. I get the feeling that what you are about to share with me should be kept secret. Am I correct in my assumption?'
'As always, Your Majesty… if you please,' he said with a bow while his left hand gestured for her to lead them to her office. He did not have any idea where it was located, and it was proper eti quette to follow royalty instead of leading them. He was grateful for the discretion Queen Kira was using in this matter. She could probably sense the importance of his impromptu visit. He never spoke to her aside from their daily meetings during which he reported to the queen any notable events regarding security.
They walked briskly in the shade of the walkway as they neared the office of the queen. She came to an abrupt halt at a wall that had a tapestry of Alanderas. She looked at her general in such a way that made it clear he was not to see how to open this secret door. Marek did an about-face and looked out over the courtyard of the queen's castle. She muttered some unintelligible words, and an opening immediately appeared out of nowhere. She motioned for him to follow her as she walked through the magic door. He immediately followed her through the dark entry.
Once they were within her impressive office, the door behind them disappeared. The room was dark and filled with books and scrolls. This appeared to be the private library of the queen as well as her sanctuary from the pressures of leadership. She took her seat behind a massive black oak desk and motioned for General Marek to take a seat opposite her. He bowed slightly to acknowledge the command and sat down. She then inclined her head to indicate to him that he was now free to tell her what exactly why they had come here.
'Milady, I have just spoken with General Yukio, and he has provided me with intelligence that will prove beneficial for you to know. He did not forbid me to share the information with you, so I felt it prudent to tell you so you would be prepared for any eventuality,' General Marek started confidently.
'You are wise to share with me secrets that my husband did not choose to tell me about. He is probably testing your loyalty to me by confiding in you information that I would need in order to be prepared. He knew that if you were true to me that you would tell me everything he told you. So, go ahead and reveal to me what he told you,' commanded the queen kindly.
General Marek then related all of what General Yukio had told to him. She seemed to take the information well and knew that her husband had prepared for the worst. She only loved him more for his preparation and for his methods of revealing such information to her. She would be ready for an attack from any direction. The main difference now as that she knew of an escape if the worst should happen. She was extremely grateful for Marek's diligence and honesty.
'Thank you, General. I believe that my husband has chosen his confidant wisely. He knew that he could trust in your loyalty to me to pass along this vital information. Now I will be prepared for anything that may take place. It is comforting to know that I have an escape plan.'
'What would you like me to do now, Your Majesty?'
'I want you to inform the home guard that they are to report any suspicious behavior to you immediately. Tell them to have a full guard every hour, day and night. We must be vigilant if we are to survive the storm that is coming. Once you have instructed the troops, return to me. I will be in the council chambers speaking with Chairman Merindiel.'
'Milady,' he said with a low bow. He then stood up with a smile and did an about-face. He marched resolutely toward the place where the door had been and was surprised to see it had reappeared. He walked through the exit quickly and headed for the barracks of the home guard. He knew that what he had done was right. He knew now that he would be able to keep the queen safe from any assassination attempt. Now it was up to Yukio to keep his end of the bargain.
The queen watched the general march out the secret door and had a sense of peace come over her. For the first time in many days she felt that she was safe and on the right track. She knew that no attempt on her life would be successful with the new information she had. She was now prepared for any eventuality. She knew that she would feel even more comfortable when she had shared these things with her trusted friend, Bronwen. He would be able to give her additional advice about the situation. He would reinforce what she had been told and help her think of more options that were available to her.
She continued to think over the information she had received as she walked to the meeting hall. She began to formulate different scenarios in her mind about possible assassination attempts. She then carefully thought of ways to thwart each and every attempt on her life. She was so consumed in her musing that she did not notice the clouds breaking up and the sun peaking through openings in the covering. The rain had stopped, and a fog began to form as the sun heated the drenched mountain city. Her line of sight became compromised, and she immediately had a feeling of dread come over her. She snapped back to reality and took notice of the physical changes that were taking place around her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. There is nothing to fear. I am almost to the council chambers, and then I will be safe within its walls. She also knew that there were guards watching her as she moved along the walkway, so she really had nothing to worry about.
As she approached the main doors to the chamber, a rush of uneasiness came over her as she reached to open the main doors. Instead, she turned about and headed for the rear entry. She did not want to be caught by surprise if there was a trap set for her in the council room. She knew that she could trust Bronwen, but she did not know for certain that he was even in there. She reached the back door and pushed against it gently. The door opened just far enough to allow her to peek inside the room. She immediately saw that Bronwen was there with a few of the other council members. She then opened the door all the way, which made a creaking noise that got everyone's attention.
'Queen Kira, what can we do for you?' asked one of the council members with a bow.
'You all can leave so that I may speak with Chairman Merindiel in private,' she ordered the extraneous council members to depart. They did as she had commanded. They all bowed and immediately left the hall through the double doors at the front. Light began to fill the room through the glass dome.
