Finding Contentus

Chapter 92: Crossed Contact

The hours that led to nightfall blurred through Kakara's memory bank. A half-moon hung in the sky, the other half remained hidden from the critical human eye. Kakara had been sitting on her newly made ice throne the entire time, scowling and seething in silence, while Gabrielle had been talking and talking, right next to her on his ice throne.

They both wore stylized crowns. Kakara wore a sparkling silver diadem with a large raven and wolf etched into the center. Gabrielle wore a golden halo shaped crown with the engravings of a small dove and snow leopard.

The ice palace was filled to the brim with rows and rows of people. The lights from the iconic crystal chandeliers in the vast conqueror room never flickered, they remained bright at all times, like lights that stayed on forever, even in the day. The tiled floors looked like glassy mirrors, as did the glass ceiling and walls. Shards of light reflected off each other like they were constantly at war to shine.

The entire time, Kakara felt the various stares raining down on her, as though trampling over her body in the search for some ludicrous miracle, or at the very least, to hear her speak as Gabrielle did. But she did not adhere to her wishes.

Does death say shit? She questioned as a defense. She could see their inquisitive eyes, but no one questioned her after witnessing the destruction of Maxis and Conqueris. The workers were busy gathering the sugar and salt like diamonds from Kakara's show of strength, preparing to create brand new statues of Reine Kakara and Roi Gabrielle.

"It's for morale, Kakara. They need to see us standing there, solidified in time to boost their spirits." Gabrielle told her when she was about to protest. She didn't want a statue of herself, but the children, the way their hopeful eyes looked at her...

It reminded Kakara of how she would look at Minaleese with hopeful eyes, just waiting for the day in which her mother would save her from the hell of their homeland. They looked to Kakara and Gabrielle in the exact same way. The only difference was that they interacted with their King directly, touching, smiling and laughing with him, while they kept their fearful distance with their Queen, admiring her from afar.

Palé was in the conqueror room. He stood all the way at the back with his men and women, waiting, scheming. Kakara noticed his angered gaze from time to time, but she ignored the large bearded man, placing her focus on her presence of silent death.

When Gabrielle asked for an indication on who was left without food, many hands lifted throughout the hall.

"The Afri destroyed an important marketplace last month when you were still recovering. It was a sneak attack. Non, I don't believe it was Imcke's doing. I know her, she can be... ruthless at times, but it wasn't her. I believe it was Norne. She's... trouble. That's also why Palé is so adamant on violence as the only method of retaliation." Gabrielle had explained earlier in a whispering voice.

He smiled like bags of sugar as he inspected the crowd, but Kakara could see the heaviness of the mantle on his slightly slumping shoulders.

"We'll distribute all our reserves that are meant to serve the palace to the whole city, including the surrounding towns and villages all over the South."

The Beaks of Maximum began whispering to each other, loudly. That's when Palé broke his silence.

"And how do you expect to feed our army?" My army. "How must we sustain our strength against those dogs who keep pushing us to submit?" How can I ensure we too do not starve?

Gabrielle looked at him, still smiling. "I raise you this Palé. How can I let our people lose their strength in exchange for our army? After all, the people supply the army. The people FORM the army. If we want to increase the strength of the army, we must first increase the strength of all our people." He turned to the nearby stock councillors.