Love and Revolt

Chapter 15 - Divide and conquer

The meeting room in the palace was spacious and well-lit, with high ceilings and ornate pillars that supported the weight of the structure. The walls were adorned with tapestries that depicted scenes of Eldriador's past glory, and a large meeting table dominated the centre of the room. Queen Sofia and King Scott sat at opposite ends of the table, while Prince Alexander and his loyal advisor, Robert, sat on one side. On the other side of the table sat Quinn and her parents, who had been invited to join the meeting.

Queen Sofia began the meeting by addressing the Thalassia situation. She explained how Eldriador had previously tried to help the prefecture, but the consequences of their aid had only made things worse. Prince Alexander listened intently, his expression a mask of determination.

"It's clear that we need more law and military enforcement to stop vendors from hiking up prices and prevent people from starting fights with magic," he said, his voice low and steady.

Quinn spoke up, her voice tinged with concern. "But the people can't afford to increase the tax that much. And if they can't pay it, we can't just throw them in jail."

Prince Alexander leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto Quinn's. "It puts pressure on everyone to get a job," he said, his tone firm.

Quinn shook her head, her body tensing up. "But the people deserve privacy," she protested. "A better option would be to go to local communities and teach people financial skills and hard skills. And then to create more jobs like the Thalassia revival project."

Prince Alexander scoffed. "The Thalassia revival project has already failed. We need to focus on the other prefectures that are thriving and figure out how to make them thrive even more."

Quinn's parents sat quietly, nodding their heads in agreement with Prince Alexander's ideas. They had always admired his ambition and determination and believed that Quinn could learn a lot from him.

But Quinn was not convinced. Her body was hot with anger and frustration, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "You can't just give up on Thalassia," she spat out, her voice rising in volume. "Those people need our help."

Prince Alexander's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with a mix of anger and frustration. "I'm not giving up on Thalassia," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm just saying that we need to be realistic about what we can accomplish. And we can't waste our resources on a project that has already failed."

Quinn's hands were shaking, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She was passionate about helping the people of Thalassia, and she couldn't bear the thought of abandoning them. "You don't understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Those people are suffering. They need us."

The tension in the room was palpable, and everyone could feel the weight of the argument pressing down on them. The air was thick with emotion, and each person in the room was processing their feelings in their own way.

Quinn's parents chimed in, agreeing with Alexander's ideas and suggesting that Quinn should listen and learn from him. But Quinn had had enough. She could feel her cheeks flushing with frustration and anger. Her body tensed up, and she clenched her fists under the table.

"How can you all just sit here and talk about taking even more from the people?" Quinn exclaimed, her voice rising. "Have you ever considered the impact this will have on their daily lives? We can't just keep taxing them and expecting them to solve their own problems."

As Quinn stormed out of the meeting room, she could feel the stares of everyone in the room on her. She was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions: anger, frustration, and sadness. She couldn't believe that her own family would side with someone like Prince Alexander, who seemed to care more about power and control than the well-being of the people.