An Ilderon tale of the Sky Queen

The Signing 

written by Emi Kennedy

Cerai gazed thoughtfully at the parchment on the table before her. She held a quill dipped in ink in her hand hovering over the document. She could not bring herself to sign the ledger. Cerai dropped the quill back into the ink well.

"Your highness, what is the problem?" One of her advisors asked.

Cerai began to pace back fourth before the table of advisors and elected officials. "These numbers scare me."

"And so they should." Imen Solemn responded. Imen was the chosen Supreme Light of Dawntouch, one of the many stretches of territory Cerai ruled over.

"Putting fifty thousand soldiers at our border? Ardorserii won't see this as us protecting ourselves from bandits, they'll see it as an act of war." Cerai glanced uncomfortably once more at the document.

Her advisor spoke up again, "My queen, this decree doesn't directly place any soldiers on the border. This decree allows the Supreme Lights of Dawntouch and the Shattered Lands to recruit mercenaries to combat this growing band crisis."

"Mercenaries? Soldiers? I don't care what you call them. The fact is if I sign this we are putting Serii trained to kill dangerously close to Ardorserii." Cerai protested. She turned to the high prophet who stood steadfast next to Cerai's empty chair. "Philezra of light, what do you think?"

"I'd happy to offer the assistance of the Orders of the Sunyith, but the people of Ardorserii reject our doctrines. The sheer amount of area we need to spread out to protect the merchants of Dawntouch and the Shattered Lands would require an equally large number of Orders. Ardorserii would be more uneasy having such a concentrated force of the Church so close to their lands. We are of no help to you in this matter." High Prophet Philezra responded.

"This decree essentially threatens war... Is there no other way to solve this problem?" Cerai searched for other answers. Cerai was chosen from the Risen to be the Sky Queen of Alilnegi. As a Risen of Grace she was prepared for leadership in the arts of civil service. Naturally, her instincts warned her away from war.

"We could try having diplomacy talks with one of their gods." The Supreme light of the Shattered Lands, Lyra Primada, spoke.

High Prophet Philezra shot Lyra a look of disapproval, "The Four Ascended are not gods. The Sunyith encourages diplomacy but we will not cater to their pagan idols who openly shame the will of the Goddess."

"Light Balesin," Cerai looked to Balesin Rudnik who sat next to Lyra, "You're the Supreme Light of the Sun Stretch. You speak for Nozeram in this matter--An alliance between all three Serii nations to stand together against darkness. Wont committing these numbers to defend ourselves from our neighbors and our brothers weaken us as a whole in our fight against the Tierii?"

"If I had 50,000 additional soldiers I'd lay siege to the Darken Vale, start an assault into Murkwaters, and cut the heart out of the Tierii lands." Balesin shook his head, "But our part in the Nozeram alliance has never been about the soldiers. We provide the gold that keeps the Nozeram Initiative moving. If the merchants of Dawntouch are being sieged by bandits we can't fulfill our role in the alliance."

Cerai bowed her head silently, then grabbed the quill and signed the document. She closed her eyes then addressed the table, "We must prove everyday that we are the light that fosters life. We are guided by the Wills which we hold true. In the sun we serve and grow, of the moon we must be vigilant in our respite. I sow my seeds here so that we all may reap a world greater." Cerai repeated a chant of the Given Wills. She opened her eyes glaring at Supreme Light Lyra Primada and Supreme Light Imen Solemn, "I have given you a great power, use it to serve the people. If I find out you so much as unjustly take the life of one Ardorian you shall witness my wrath in the way of the Sky Queens of old."

Imen and Lyra nodded.

Her advisor cleared his voice to speak. "On this hour in the 168th day of the Moon Season in the 1014th year of the Ascended Era The most high Sky Queen of Alilnegi, Cerai Elevhal, the bright flame of our beacon nation, Risen from the preparation of Grace has decreed that seven million five hundred thousand gold sea-coins are to be transferred from the high vaults of Sky's Reach to the stretches of Dawntouch and the Shattered Lands. These funds are to be used to recruit willing fighters at the price of one hundred fifty gold sea-coins per recruit to combat growing regional security problems."

Cerai turned and left the council room.