Refiris strode into the large, circular chamber with a high, domed roof that was made of a unique transparent stone. The tall, stern faced man glared maliciously at the seven members of the High Court.
“Why was I, head of the Imperial Army, forced to come here by your orders when our nation is in a state of utter chaos? Furthermore, why is it that I was just now informed of the crisis our nation is in? Explain yourselves this instant!” Refiris exclaimed, looking from one figure to the next with disdain.
“Sir Refiris, we are quite confident that your second-in-command will be able to handle matters of response to the bombings. However, we have much more pressing and urgent matters to attend to,” the head of the High Court began in a solemn, monotonous and somewhat cold manner. “First of all, by order of law you are hereby appointed the new ruling King of Navarra. Are there objections, fellow Court members?” not a single movement came from any of the officials. “Very well, do you have any objections, Sir Refiris?” Refiris thought for a moment, I knew that this was a possibility… but I never thought it would happen. Refiris merely shook his head, dumbfounded. “Therefore, by order of the Imperial Law of Navarra and by order of the High Court, you are now the new King of our Elemental Nation. Congratulations.”
Refiris bowed, his shaggy head of thick brown-blonde hair falling down as he bent low to the ground, his anger cooling into a state of humility, discomfort and surprise. “I am honored by this new request of my duty. I shall do my utmost to serve our great nation.” With that he raised, the looks on his face calming and softening. “Now,” began the head of the High Court, “you shall be sent to the debriefing room to contemplate on our next actions.” Refiris nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, Refiris?” came the voice of the Head, “I am sorry for the loss of your father. He would have been a wonderful King.” Refiris turned, his eyes shining with tears of sorrow, yet smiling with gratitude at what was just stated. “Thank you, sir. I hope I can follow in the footsteps of his leadership.” With that, he turned and left the room behind him, wiping a tear out of his eye.
Walking down the dimly lit hallways of the Imperial Palace he quickly reached the debriefing room and walked in, taking his seat at the head of the room on a small throne atop several stairs as he overlooked the other four people in the room. They were all leading officers in the militias for their provinces of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Dressed in elaborate shades of red, blue, brown and green the officers looked unsurprised to see Refiris sitting upon the King’s throne.
Hm… They must have known what was occurring. Refiris thought, looking out upon the four. “Hello and thank you for coming. Please, let us get right to the case. What has gone on in your provinces? I am unaware of anything aside from the attacks on the Capital City which ended the life of the former King. Rhodis, you may go first.”
Rhodis, the official from the Earthen province stepped forward. “Thank you, your honor. It seems from what we have concluded that attacks have been prepared on every capital city in each province, along with various major cities. Casualties are very severe; we range around one-hundred thousand wounded and twenty-five to fifty thousand dead by the bombings squads. And it is confirmed, the planes were sent by Valkero.” Refiris nodded, his face gone pale with fear. This task is incredible… he thought, his eyes lowering towards the ground as he shook in disbelief.
“What of the damages?” Refiris asked, not looking up. At this, Rhodis stepped back and Falonius from the Water Province stepped forward. “Sir, damages range from city to city. But on average each capital was hit terribly hard. Terra Firma and Aeris Liberis have not sustained extensive damage, but many company buildings are down. And in Flammis Invstius the entire city has been ruined on account of it being so dry; fires have spread rapidly throughout the city, leaving nothing in its destructive wake. Water Elementalists are working hard to help extinguish the flames, but many of our Elementalists are stranded at Agua Infeirma, attempting to free civilians from collapsed buildings.” Refiris shook his head. “Very well…” he said quietly.
“Sir!” came the voice of Raphael, the fire official, “Valkero has directly broken the armistice it signed with us three years ago. We are at war now!” Refiris smirked. “You know we have not the power to fight back against such a powerful nation! They are so advanced in their technologies… Even with our mastery over nature, we can not hope to fight off such a country! And think of population! They are close to one-hundred million people! We only have half that at best.” Refiris sighed. “But, we must try. Amass your Provincial Armies, and get them ready for war. We also must contact the Elemental leaders. We can try to stem the attacks, but we will not last. Not against an army the size of our population.” He sighed. “You are dismissed.”
With that, the four officials bowed and left the room. Refiris quickly followed suit and strode out into the open courtyard where he sat under a large, twisted old oak tree that provided a cool shade as the two suns slowly went down in the sky. “Perhaps I can contact the Ancients,” Refiris said aloud to no one in particular. He played with a loose thread on his blue over coat, showing he came from the Water Province. A leaf fell on to his lap and he froze it over and tossed it high into the air, and smiled as it shattered on the ground.
“I shall send delegates to the Elvish countries to gain their alliance in this war. And…the Ancients shall provide much support! I need to try!” Quickly, Refiris stood and strode over to the entrance back into the castle. He looked up at the sky disdainfully. The beautiful, dimming sunset did not match his mood, or the mood of his country.
Summoning up some of his energy, he concentrated his sight on to the sky. It is time to call a meeting for the final actions of our nation, he thought, even though he also had some doubts as to calling the meeting so early on in the war, and his kingship. But… I must… Finally, after persuading himself to call the Finality Meeting he sent a blast of transparent, blue energy into the sky that formed a half-dome over Imperial Palace and the various governmental institutes within it. Then, the air began to vibrate with a pulse that managed to obtain the attention of anyone within the dome’s range.
“Animone, melidrone finis c’halmalia – Now, the Finality Meeting is Established,” came a soft voice that wafted on the pulsations of the air. Refiris strode though the open entryway and walked towards the Great Hall, which was now swarming with governmental officials, chatting to one another in wonder as to why the meeting had been called already.
Refiris strode in through a back chamber and took his seat on a raised dais where the members could see him, and behind him in seven similar chairs to his throne sat the members of the High Court. Refiris looked out on to the Great Hall, relishing how beautiful it was to the human eye. The magnificent, large room spanned several hundered feet across, and even more length-wise. The roof, painted with a beautiful portrait of the creation of the two suns by the Great One still allowed the diminishing sunlight through it, casting a faint glow upon everyone in the room. The large, white-marble floor and tables were packed with people cloaked in various colors showing their particular element and status.
As the last of the expected peoples strode in, Refiris stood and the room came to a complete silence. Refiris, sweating nervously as hundreds of eyes stared up at him wondering why their day had been interrupted for this, cleared his throat and began to speak.
“My fellow people,” he began, his voice somewhat unsteady, “thank you for taking the time out of your day to come and join me in this beautiful hall!” He took a shaky breath and continued, “we are at war now. This is a war that has surprised us and shaken our very fibers to the core. We are not even a day into this devastating battle, and already our great cities have been leveled and thousands lay dead in the aftermath of the destruction.” Refiris stopped, letting his words sink in to the many listening ears. He prepared himself for what he was about to propose to the many people sitting in front of him as a palpable, sorrow-filled silence filled the room.
“How can we compete? How can we even try to defend ourselves now? We can’t. Our army does not amass to even one-half the size of theirs. Our orders are collapsing, and our provincials governments are in a panicked disorder.” Refiris stopped once again, allowing the severity of his words to hang in the air. He continued, “I will tell you this. Navarra shall not lose this invasion! Valkero shall pay, and we will strike back with the most unforgiving forces of nature that this world has ever seen. There is no longer room for both Technologies and Elementalists in this world. Therefore, if we are to win this war, I ask you for your consideration of two risky plans.” He stopped, once again, as the faces of the people changed from melancholic to curious at what their new King would bring forth.
“I propose, first of all, sending delegates out to the Elves to gain their alliance in helping our cause and-” he was cut off as a loud murmur raced through the crowd.
“My King,” came the voice of an anonymous person in the crowd. “The Elves have made it clear that no human shall ever find them and that they shall never again converse with us humans! What you are proposing is impossible!” There was a murmur of agreement within the crowd and Refiris waited for the talking to quite down.
Smiling cunningly, his eyes shining brightly, Refiris said with utmost confidence and pride, “I can mediate… I am a half-elf.” There was a gasp of astonishment and excitement as suddenly the volume of talk in the room rose to an uproar. Refiris held his hands up, and slowly the room dimmed back to a silence, though now an air of excitement and hope crackled with energy in the atmosphere.
“Secondly,” Refiris continued, “I would like to propose that we summon the Ancient Ones back; to help us in this war effort.” There was a sudden uproar once again, this time in surprise and fear.
“The Ancients have not been around for a reason!” cried one person.
“They are a danger to the world!” came the scream of yet another protestor.
“Please, quite down. Settle down, please!” Refiris cried, trying to calm the Great Hall. But the government officials were no longer paying attention to the King, instead they discussed how the Ancients had once been here, and how their ancestors banished the creatures from the world.
“Silence!” the entire Hall immediately became quiet once more. The Head of the High Court was standing up from his chair, with a look of disappointment and condescension on his face. “You shall show respect to your King!” he cried out, taking his seat once more and looking around from person to person, his lip curled in slight disgust.
“Thank you.” Refiris said somewhat abashedly, nodding to the Head. “Now, I know in the past the Ancients have not been the most… trustworthy of all creatures. But we need all the help we can get. And I believe that they would certainly help us if we released them from their banishment.” There was a murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd. Refiris turned his back to the crowd, and looked at the members of the High Court. “Do I have your approval to send ambassadors to the Elvish peoples and to bring forth, once more, the Ancient Ones?”
One by one, the members nodded their heads in agreement. Slowly, the Head of the High Court stood and said in his crisp, clean voice, “By order of the High Court, your requests are granted! May Navarra be successful in their attempts to win this war!” There was a loud burst of applause as hope was restored to the government officials.
Refiris quickly dismissed the Finality Meeting, and began to head up to his quarters for the night. Finally, there is hope. There is hope for us all to live in peace once more…
“Why was I, head of the Imperial Army, forced to come here by your orders when our nation is in a state of utter chaos? Furthermore, why is it that I was just now informed of the crisis our nation is in? Explain yourselves this instant!” Refiris exclaimed, looking from one figure to the next with disdain.
“Sir Refiris, we are quite confident that your second-in-command will be able to handle matters of response to the bombings. However, we have much more pressing and urgent matters to attend to,” the head of the High Court began in a solemn, monotonous and somewhat cold manner. “First of all, by order of law you are hereby appointed the new ruling King of Navarra. Are there objections, fellow Court members?” not a single movement came from any of the officials. “Very well, do you have any objections, Sir Refiris?” Refiris thought for a moment, I knew that this was a possibility… but I never thought it would happen. Refiris merely shook his head, dumbfounded. “Therefore, by order of the Imperial Law of Navarra and by order of the High Court, you are now the new King of our Elemental Nation. Congratulations.”
Refiris bowed, his shaggy head of thick brown-blonde hair falling down as he bent low to the ground, his anger cooling into a state of humility, discomfort and surprise. “I am honored by this new request of my duty. I shall do my utmost to serve our great nation.” With that he raised, the looks on his face calming and softening. “Now,” began the head of the High Court, “you shall be sent to the debriefing room to contemplate on our next actions.” Refiris nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, Refiris?” came the voice of the Head, “I am sorry for the loss of your father. He would have been a wonderful King.” Refiris turned, his eyes shining with tears of sorrow, yet smiling with gratitude at what was just stated. “Thank you, sir. I hope I can follow in the footsteps of his leadership.” With that, he turned and left the room behind him, wiping a tear out of his eye.
Walking down the dimly lit hallways of the Imperial Palace he quickly reached the debriefing room and walked in, taking his seat at the head of the room on a small throne atop several stairs as he overlooked the other four people in the room. They were all leading officers in the militias for their provinces of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Dressed in elaborate shades of red, blue, brown and green the officers looked unsurprised to see Refiris sitting upon the King’s throne.
Hm… They must have known what was occurring. Refiris thought, looking out upon the four. “Hello and thank you for coming. Please, let us get right to the case. What has gone on in your provinces? I am unaware of anything aside from the attacks on the Capital City which ended the life of the former King. Rhodis, you may go first.”
Rhodis, the official from the Earthen province stepped forward. “Thank you, your honor. It seems from what we have concluded that attacks have been prepared on every capital city in each province, along with various major cities. Casualties are very severe; we range around one-hundred thousand wounded and twenty-five to fifty thousand dead by the bombings squads. And it is confirmed, the planes were sent by Valkero.” Refiris nodded, his face gone pale with fear. This task is incredible… he thought, his eyes lowering towards the ground as he shook in disbelief.
“What of the damages?” Refiris asked, not looking up. At this, Rhodis stepped back and Falonius from the Water Province stepped forward. “Sir, damages range from city to city. But on average each capital was hit terribly hard. Terra Firma and Aeris Liberis have not sustained extensive damage, but many company buildings are down. And in Flammis Invstius the entire city has been ruined on account of it being so dry; fires have spread rapidly throughout the city, leaving nothing in its destructive wake. Water Elementalists are working hard to help extinguish the flames, but many of our Elementalists are stranded at Agua Infeirma, attempting to free civilians from collapsed buildings.” Refiris shook his head. “Very well…” he said quietly.
“Sir!” came the voice of Raphael, the fire official, “Valkero has directly broken the armistice it signed with us three years ago. We are at war now!” Refiris smirked. “You know we have not the power to fight back against such a powerful nation! They are so advanced in their technologies… Even with our mastery over nature, we can not hope to fight off such a country! And think of population! They are close to one-hundred million people! We only have half that at best.” Refiris sighed. “But, we must try. Amass your Provincial Armies, and get them ready for war. We also must contact the Elemental leaders. We can try to stem the attacks, but we will not last. Not against an army the size of our population.” He sighed. “You are dismissed.”
With that, the four officials bowed and left the room. Refiris quickly followed suit and strode out into the open courtyard where he sat under a large, twisted old oak tree that provided a cool shade as the two suns slowly went down in the sky. “Perhaps I can contact the Ancients,” Refiris said aloud to no one in particular. He played with a loose thread on his blue over coat, showing he came from the Water Province. A leaf fell on to his lap and he froze it over and tossed it high into the air, and smiled as it shattered on the ground.
“I shall send delegates to the Elvish countries to gain their alliance in this war. And…the Ancients shall provide much support! I need to try!” Quickly, Refiris stood and strode over to the entrance back into the castle. He looked up at the sky disdainfully. The beautiful, dimming sunset did not match his mood, or the mood of his country.
Summoning up some of his energy, he concentrated his sight on to the sky. It is time to call a meeting for the final actions of our nation, he thought, even though he also had some doubts as to calling the meeting so early on in the war, and his kingship. But… I must… Finally, after persuading himself to call the Finality Meeting he sent a blast of transparent, blue energy into the sky that formed a half-dome over Imperial Palace and the various governmental institutes within it. Then, the air began to vibrate with a pulse that managed to obtain the attention of anyone within the dome’s range.
“Animone, melidrone finis c’halmalia – Now, the Finality Meeting is Established,” came a soft voice that wafted on the pulsations of the air. Refiris strode though the open entryway and walked towards the Great Hall, which was now swarming with governmental officials, chatting to one another in wonder as to why the meeting had been called already.
Refiris strode in through a back chamber and took his seat on a raised dais where the members could see him, and behind him in seven similar chairs to his throne sat the members of the High Court. Refiris looked out on to the Great Hall, relishing how beautiful it was to the human eye. The magnificent, large room spanned several hundered feet across, and even more length-wise. The roof, painted with a beautiful portrait of the creation of the two suns by the Great One still allowed the diminishing sunlight through it, casting a faint glow upon everyone in the room. The large, white-marble floor and tables were packed with people cloaked in various colors showing their particular element and status.
As the last of the expected peoples strode in, Refiris stood and the room came to a complete silence. Refiris, sweating nervously as hundreds of eyes stared up at him wondering why their day had been interrupted for this, cleared his throat and began to speak.
“My fellow people,” he began, his voice somewhat unsteady, “thank you for taking the time out of your day to come and join me in this beautiful hall!” He took a shaky breath and continued, “we are at war now. This is a war that has surprised us and shaken our very fibers to the core. We are not even a day into this devastating battle, and already our great cities have been leveled and thousands lay dead in the aftermath of the destruction.” Refiris stopped, letting his words sink in to the many listening ears. He prepared himself for what he was about to propose to the many people sitting in front of him as a palpable, sorrow-filled silence filled the room.
“How can we compete? How can we even try to defend ourselves now? We can’t. Our army does not amass to even one-half the size of theirs. Our orders are collapsing, and our provincials governments are in a panicked disorder.” Refiris stopped once again, allowing the severity of his words to hang in the air. He continued, “I will tell you this. Navarra shall not lose this invasion! Valkero shall pay, and we will strike back with the most unforgiving forces of nature that this world has ever seen. There is no longer room for both Technologies and Elementalists in this world. Therefore, if we are to win this war, I ask you for your consideration of two risky plans.” He stopped, once again, as the faces of the people changed from melancholic to curious at what their new King would bring forth.
“I propose, first of all, sending delegates out to the Elves to gain their alliance in helping our cause and-” he was cut off as a loud murmur raced through the crowd.
“My King,” came the voice of an anonymous person in the crowd. “The Elves have made it clear that no human shall ever find them and that they shall never again converse with us humans! What you are proposing is impossible!” There was a murmur of agreement within the crowd and Refiris waited for the talking to quite down.
Smiling cunningly, his eyes shining brightly, Refiris said with utmost confidence and pride, “I can mediate… I am a half-elf.” There was a gasp of astonishment and excitement as suddenly the volume of talk in the room rose to an uproar. Refiris held his hands up, and slowly the room dimmed back to a silence, though now an air of excitement and hope crackled with energy in the atmosphere.
“Secondly,” Refiris continued, “I would like to propose that we summon the Ancient Ones back; to help us in this war effort.” There was a sudden uproar once again, this time in surprise and fear.
“The Ancients have not been around for a reason!” cried one person.
“They are a danger to the world!” came the scream of yet another protestor.
“Please, quite down. Settle down, please!” Refiris cried, trying to calm the Great Hall. But the government officials were no longer paying attention to the King, instead they discussed how the Ancients had once been here, and how their ancestors banished the creatures from the world.
“Silence!” the entire Hall immediately became quiet once more. The Head of the High Court was standing up from his chair, with a look of disappointment and condescension on his face. “You shall show respect to your King!” he cried out, taking his seat once more and looking around from person to person, his lip curled in slight disgust.
“Thank you.” Refiris said somewhat abashedly, nodding to the Head. “Now, I know in the past the Ancients have not been the most… trustworthy of all creatures. But we need all the help we can get. And I believe that they would certainly help us if we released them from their banishment.” There was a murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd. Refiris turned his back to the crowd, and looked at the members of the High Court. “Do I have your approval to send ambassadors to the Elvish peoples and to bring forth, once more, the Ancient Ones?”
One by one, the members nodded their heads in agreement. Slowly, the Head of the High Court stood and said in his crisp, clean voice, “By order of the High Court, your requests are granted! May Navarra be successful in their attempts to win this war!” There was a loud burst of applause as hope was restored to the government officials.
Refiris quickly dismissed the Finality Meeting, and began to head up to his quarters for the night. Finally, there is hope. There is hope for us all to live in peace once more…
