Transcend

Chapter 4

And now we get to the good stuff hehe :)

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Chapter 4

Emma sat on the large, jewel encrusted throne, feeling smaller than ever. It was actually quite uncomfortable considering it was built for royalty. The large rubies that lined the sides of the armrests cut into Emma's hips, while the large, jagged crystals along the top dug into her arms where they rested. Maybe it was a good thing the chair was so uncomfortable; Emma would have been asleep by now if it weren't.

"Yes, let's proceed with the extra provisions to the Astoria Pack," David affirmed. The Astoria Pack had been hit hard by a storm, wiping out their crop and dirtying all of their water.

"But Your Majesty, the extra resources that we can afford to offer have already been sent to the Dresden Flock area," Paxton, a large Were-bear who served as one of David's advisers, said. "I recommend not overextending our resources, the famine can only get worse before it gets better."

David rubbed his temples, a frustrated sigh escaping. Emma rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. She couldn't imagine the turmoil he was going through, provisions across the kingdom were disappearing and her mate couldn't do anything about it. All of the men in the hall started arguing, each trying to assert their plans for the provisions. She had to admit, it was no wonder her mate was always so crabby around these people; they were annoying and she could feel a migraine growing already.

"We have feasts in the palace almost daily, and a lot of the food goes uneaten," Emma spoke up timidly, tensing as all of the advisers went silent after hearing their queen speak up at a meeting for the first time. "Why don't we stop all the feasts and, um, give the extra food to the people?"

"The nobles won't like that, but it seems like our only option," David smiled at Emma in encouragement. He didn't mind giving up a lavish fare, giving up all of the rich foods would certainly help training and exercising. 

But the advisers were not as keen to relinquish their precious food. After all, it seemed like more than a few had overindulged, if the numerous large guts in the room said anything. "Majesties, you cannot possibly believe that we don't deserve the best food," a large man stood to confront his rulers. "After all, we  work the hardest for our kingdom."

Murmurs of assent swept through the crowd. The noise grew greater and greater as the wealthy men in the room defended their lifestyle. Emma frowned and was about to speak up, but David did so first. "Silence!" he yelled angrily. "Do you morons mean to say that while our people suffer, you glut yourselfs within the castle walls? Consider this palace on austerity measures, a few of you could stand to lose those guts anyways."

"But, Your Majesty..." the same man who had objected to Emma's suggestion quibbled.

"No buts, Quinten," David growled. "Remember who is the ruler and who is the subject!"

He stared the quivering Quinten down. Slowly, as to not provoke his angry Were King further, Quinten knelt on the marble floors and showed his throat in a sign of submission. "My apologies, Highness," he whimpered. Emma thought the poor man was going to pee in his pants. The advisers around him looked scared as well, but relieved that none of them were receiving the end of their king's wrath.

"Moving on to the next business in order." With a wave of his hand, David broke the stare and Quinten crawled back into his seat.

At that moment, Emma's mind drifted, remembering the previous day. She knew she and David were making headway as mates, and it excited her. Her inner Avian preened its feathers, satisfied with its human's accomplishments. After her emotional confession, Emma fell asleep in David's embrace, totally exhausted. And now, here they were. She was happy that David really had taken her advice to heart, and was at least making an effort to be less harsh. With time, he would improve more, but for now, Emma was happy he was at least making the effort.