7 Chapter 7

Nobody came out of the teacher's house, not when Alexandra read the charges to the assembled crowd, not when she stated that treason to the state was a crime against every citizen, high or low, and that anything which worked against the common good was treason. Even when the effigies were hanged, and the crowd cheered, no one came.

Princess Anaeth was white faced and silent, but Alexandra could feel her glare burning on the back of her neck. She had made more than just a school child enemy with this day's work. All the Kingdom of Sopo would be outraged at their precious sleeping beauty being hanged, even if only in effigy.

Yet after her laughter the night before had died down, Alexandra had tried to think of a way out. She had kept thinking until she wept with despair. When she had stopped crying she had thought again. This farce in the square was the only way she saw to deal with both her problems and that of the School Kingdom. She turned and walked to her room. No one tried to speak to her when they saw the look on her face, not even Herbert.

Later in the evening, after the square had been cleared, the principal came to bring Alexandra over to the Governor's Mansion. They walked across the square to the mansion which filled the entire north side. The only time students went into that for-bidding grey stone building was on graduation day, or on the extremely rare occasions when a student was expelled. Since Alexandra's graduation was still two years away, the only reasonable explanation was that the governors had finally come to their senses and decided to expel Alexandra for her failure to meet the true royal measure. In spite of her brave words to Anaeth, Alexandra knew she was a fraud. Without an enchantment to justify her reign she was just another girl with pretensions to rule. No matter how well she ruled, everyone in her kingdom would know she was a fake. She had no magic, and every ruler who ruled in the known world either had been en-chanted or had broken an enchantment, the lines were clear.

For generations back, Alexandra's ancestors had been en-chanted. The enchanted princes were rare and had their princesses chosen to unenchant them. In the not so subtle distinctions of royalty it was considered much better to be enchanted and have a rescuer come to you. If necessary, Alexandra's parents could have arranged a disenchantment, if it weren't for stubbornness and pride. The years had passed and nothing had been arranged, her mother grew more desperate; Alexandra's troubles at the school had only made things worse. Today was the capping moment of her dubious career.

The pair walked in the double doors of the mansion. The hall was dim and cool and Alexandra could smell the wax on the floor. Their footsteps echoed through the hall as they walked up the wide curving steps. She could barely hear the echo over the pounding of her heart. While she had deliberately planned to force the governors to expel her, that was a far cry from this lonely walk to meet her fate.

On the top floor of the mansion a square of gold light beckoned to her. The principal waved her into the room ahead of him. As her eyes adjusted Alexandra saw that the entire Board of Governors was waiting for her. They were relaxing in chairs before a roaring fire. Candles burned in every corner, sending the scent of warm wax through the room. One of the men indicated a chair for the young woman. As she sat, Alexandra wiped her hands on the arms, and realized that she was in the center of a circle of the twelve governors. One leaned forward and put his glass on the floor beside his chair.

"What do you think the consequences of your actions today will be?"

"I expect that the peasants will return to their work, and if the judges don't deliberately provoke them again will be reasonably content. The students will likely work harder on being good rulers knowing they may be held accountable for how they pass judgment. The Kingdom of Sopo, specifically Anaeth's parents, will be furious at Anaeth's public humiliation. It is unlikely they will take any action against my parents' kingdom considering Sopo's vulnerability once they are sleeping. For the same reasons they will avoid any overt action against people who have any potential for revenge. Logically then, they will attempt some covert action against either the school or me. So I judged that the best course of action would be to remove myself from the school, thus eliminating the school as a source of anger. Once in my parents' kingdom action of any kind against me becomes very difficult."

Alexandra sighed and shifted in her chair.

"Very interesting," said an elderly woman, "but what about the other kingdoms?"

"The personal differences are between me and Anaeth; once the other parents are apologized to and informed that I have been expelled they will accept that as sufficient and not press the matter."

"And of the consequences you will face, child?" one of the younger woman asked. "What will happen when you go home?"

"It doesn't matter. My parents have all but given up on me. Regardless of what I do, I'm a hopeless case. With no enchantment, can I truly rule?" She forced back tears, and turned to stare at the fire.

"You have great courage, my dear, to deliberately try to protect everyone at your own expense." The old woman sighed. "Expulsion from this school carries a great burden of shame with it. No one is sent away except for the most terrible of transgressions. Your little display today may have been a little extreme, but we don't believe that it changes the fact that you are the best student this school has ever seen."

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