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THE AIR SURROUNDING THE PODIUM WAS THICK. Small murmurs fill the crowd, silencing as the heiress walks up to the stand. The sky was a pastel blue, with small puffs of white clouds decorating the undisturbed atmosphere. Birds chirped and the animals continued about. It seemed that the world had already moved on from the Queen's disappearance, but it was the people that held onto her—it was Apollo who held onto her.
Astrid's chartreuse eyes scan over the crowd, her hands curling over the corner of the quart stand. Her heart raced and her palms grew clammy. She was never one to back down from speaking in public, it was what she was taught to do as a child, however, it was different this time. It was more than just another speech or announcement, it was her temporary crowning. She would become Queen in just a few moments until her mother returned. If her mother returned, a cruel voice in her head cackled. Her jaw clenched and her eyes instinctively moved to a hidden corner of the streets where Anakin and Maya watched hidden in the shadows. She had to do this. For her mother, for her people, for her family.
She clears her throat, forcing herself to ease up. She slowly relaxed from her fingers gripping the stand to her toes resting in her heels. Tilting her chin up, an air of confidence grew around her once more. Her tongue quickly swipes over her bottom lip, and she begins, "hello, my beautiful people. As many of you have heard, the palace was bombed yesterday and my mother, our Queen, is missing. I wanted to thank you all, not just the people here standing in front of me, but the people watching and listening at home, for being so kind and patient for this announcement."
