Bitter tears

The priestess strained a little bit and pulled the mask off my face as I remained quite.

I turned my face downward to prevent a direct contact with the priestess, I wasn't sure Myian saw me.

"Who are you?" She asked the third time. 

"I.. I'm" I stuttered as I bowed my face to the ground.

"She is my new maidservant and I intend showing her around" Ustra interrupted as she decends slowly to where I was.

"What part do maidservants have in the inner court's portion Ustra?." The priestess exclaimed.

She appeared hostile towards Ustra.

"How does that affect you Miguel?, Did you bother asking Fyren who he brings in during the court meetings? Or who that man is, that's behind him? He brings whomever he wishes to the meetings and I'm sure someday he must have brought in some of these filthy wench disguised as men, all in the name of ." Ustra paused,

"Silence!" The queen snapped.

"Would you not mind your words before me?!" She added.

"MAINE-ARMI-NA-HAL!" They chorused again on their Knees and I joined them too.

Miguel the priestess returned to her place.

"Your filial servant Shilon, the minister-of-the-right your grace" He stepped foward and bowed before the queen.

"Speak!" The queen responded.

"Your grace, what should be done? Since the king is currently Ill, unable to face the Emperor and Emperor Jeen would see no queen other than His. 

Do we send what he had requested or an envoy beforehand?." The minister-of-the-right, Shilon, asked.

"I would suggest Ustra be sent instead, since she had brought this on us. Why should another take blames for her consequential actions!" Prince Fyren said

I shrunk back at what he said, non of the officials seem to favor Ustra.

From the books I've read, people who go visiting as envoys especially because of some wrong doing don't usually come back with their heads.

"I know we are deeply concerned about the Emperor of the Northan gates and his unbearable demands but how about the unusual suppressing force I could feel in this arena? Your grace?" Miguel the priestess retorted.

The queen raised her left hand a little bit past her shoulder,

"General?, How many armies are stationed outside palace presently?" She asked.

"Your grace, we have in total about one hundred and twenty two thousand fox-spirit foot soldiers, sixty thousand hefty snake-spirit commanders, sixty three thousand thunder drivers and..." Miguel, the priestess interrupted him.

She fell on her knees,

"My queen, your grace. I do not speak of the armies or battles we must be prepared to fight with full strength but..." She paused.

"The Werewolves Ustra had brought into the province had caused the evil aura, I could possibly feel and touch it with my hands!" Fyren said, cutting Miguel off.

Prince Fyren was so fond of interrupting the officials, despite he seem to be the youngest among them.

He seem to behave too rashly, possibly because the queen never paid attention. I wondered.

I saw Myian whispering into prince fyren's ears.

I felt a little bit scared, I'm sure he must have seen me.

My heart throbbed with so much distress.

"Prince Fyren, please, would you let the priestess explain all by herself? It would be wiser we deal with this without being sentimental about it". The emissary said as he bowed.

Prince Fyren shook his head slowly, showing his disapproval towards the emissary but he remained calm.

I've never seen such a prince as saucy as prince Fyren. 

Despite his unique stature and handsomeness, he behaved totally different from all I've read in Petra's books.

"Your grace, I would plead an audience with you privately, something is not just right here!" Miguel said firmly, turning her face at my direction.

Ustra stepped foward immediately,

"Your grace.." she said,

"I wouldn't know what Miguel is trying to say or what aura or omen she's talking about. I never allowed the Blue Moon Park into the province because I knew doing that would attract the emperor's wrath. I never killed a single soul, except that the seven winged creature attached and killed some of our armies" Ustra paused.

"How then was it possible that the seven winged creature attached the troops and I?" 

She sighed softly and continued,

"And from what I've learned about the king's from the North, the seven winged creature is certainly a king's pet. Usually assigned to the king from birth" Ustra said.

I saw some of the officials nod in agreement.

The minister-of-the-right and the chief of the guardians seem to be muttering words in agreement.

"Someone amongst us had done this, someone must have reported to Emperor Jeen that I had moved some troops from the province," Ustra flinched her right hand.

"The spies could be anywhere around the palace and even among the officials. I drove the Werewolves to the barricaded magic webbed walls at the relegated walls, just before the border. Agrabos, nyvnne, shimon and some other troops could attest to this, your grace. These spies that has brought this upon us would be exposed soon!" She exclaimed firmly.

Some rays of flashes could be seen underneath her red and blue silky hood attached to her flowing robe.

"This is your filial servant your grace, eunuch Leon." 

"I would advice, just as prince Fyren had suggested, that lord Ustra, as it is according to the law, report to the Emperor and present a full explanation and plead before him. My queen" Eunuch leon said. 

"Do you all agree to this?" The queen asked.

"Yes, your grace" they all chorused, except for Ustra and myself.

I could feel the disgust in ustra's countenance and the turbulent rage in her cain's as we knelt before the queen.

"The court is dismissed" The herald yelled.

"Miguel?" The queen called out.

"Yes, your grace?," The priestess motioned a little bit closer to the inner chamber where the queen was.

As I walked hurriedly behind Ustra out of the courtroom, I noticed Myian guesturing at my direction and before prince Fyren. 

I was too nervous to pay him much attention, so I pretended like I never saw him. 

I equally heard some words escaping from what the priestess was uttering as I couldn't make much of a sentence from the words as they filter into my ears.

"Pearl, werewolves, what serving girl?" Was all I heard.

My heart raced the more.

The words kept on fading off as we aimed for the entrance.

We eventually retuned to Ustra's quarters 

The living room had become so lightened up. 

There were so many aloes and strawberry sweet-smelling candles on the window rails and the candle stands were so numerous.

Ustra shut the door behind us and crashed on the couch.

I tried thinking about what I could say or do. All my life had always revolved around my half sisters and stepmother. 

I figured I could start somewhere. 

The events that took place at the palace had suddenly made me feel grown in few hours. 

"I'm sorry about everything" I said, as I tugged at my fingers.

I could feel the rage exuding from Ustra's aura.

"When do...you leave?" I stammered.

She pulled off her hood and sighed,

"Tanya, thank you, but I'm fine. They can conspire all they want, but I'll overcome" Ustra said.

I watched as tears slowly rolled down her cheek.

"Oh?" I fluttered, trying to decide whether to embrace her from the left or right side, or probably the center.

She leaned foward and pulled me over with so much force,

"I miss my mother!" She wept bitterly.

My gown, especially my shoulder, became so damp with tears and mucus that I felt slightly irritated.

Ustra sniffed to keep back the tears with all of her strength, 

"Dear mother, I miss you!" She unapologetically teared up the more.