Forever Destined To The Silver Shadow

Celestia's POV:

"The truth is," I said in a slightly low tone so that my throat wouldn't get hurt. "The King is on a quest to end the Demon princess Lilin. He is going to come back here once he accomplishes his quest. So please don't panic or spread false fables and scare others in the Kingdom."

I wasn't able to comprehend what was going on in their heads now. The Mages were not showing a reaction. Perhaps they don't believe in my justification.

The Mage, who was seated in the last row, got up from his seat and shouted, "Your Grace, I am sorry. But we didn't hear a thing that you said to us. Could you please repeat your words?"

Are they unable to hear me? So that is why they are not reacting to me. Holy Aiden! I can't raise my voice more than this. Lord Magnus, who was seated in the front row, got up from his seat and said," The Queen doesn't have to repeat herself. But I can recite her justification for you."

I was so relieved when Lord Magnus recited my words to everyone else in the room. That was a close one! When Magnus was finished with his speech, everyone in the room began to discuss and argue among themselves. 

I didn't know if this was a positive response or a negative one. But a positive reaction doesn't involve arguments. So they must be reacting negatively. 

What am I going to do now? What would a leader do when his people are in dismay? I recalled the fiery court sessions that used to happen in my father's courtroom. 

He used to handle it gracefully! Whenever someone in the room begins an argument, my father would listen to it patiently. He would wait until all the chaos in the room settles down. 

When all got calm, he would hear them out patiently and give out the final judgment. That is what I should do now. I quietly watched them quarrel with themselves. 

Eventually, the room got quiet. But no one was saying anything to me! It looked to me like they were scared to talk to me. Why are they scared of me? It is not like I would chastise them if they shared their opinion. 

Even though I am a warrior, I have never threatened anyone in my life. I glanced at Lord Magnus and hoped that at least he would say something. Surprisingly, he was quiet too. 

"Looks like you all have something to say to me," I shouted at them and hurt my throat again. I completely forgot that I shouldn't raise my voice. 

I lowered my tone again and said," You all don't have to be scared of me. I assure you all that I will not reprimand any one of you for expressing your opinion. In my courtroom, my subjects always have free will to express themselves."

The last line that I said was my father's words. I hoped that at least one of them would stand up and speak. Still, no one got up. 

I got frustrated and glimpsed at Magnus. "Lord Magnus, I order you to speak up on behalf of everyone here."

He instantly jumped to his feet and moved to the center of the room. He turned to me and began his speech. "Your Grace, I would like to apologize to you in advance for everything that I am going to say to you now."

"Okay, please go ahead," I replied. 

He trembled a little as he continued his speech. "We all have faith in our King Silver Shadow. He is our savior, and we are sure that he is going to succeed in his quest. But if his highness failed, then….."

He was tight-lipped after that. Still, I understood what he was implying. Everyone is tense that Theo might fail his quest.

"You all are underestimating your King," I declared to them. "His highness has not failed in a single quest till now. He always thinks before he acts. All of you can relax and wait for our King to complete his mission."

"But what if our worst fear comes true?" Lord Magnus crossed me again. "In that case, we need to establish reinforcements to protect ourselves."

It was hard for me to counter him. What can I say now? 

"Lord Magnus, we already have enough reinforcements on our side. We have thousands of fierce demonic warriors. The whole Selene Kingdom is with us now. So even if the worst situation comes, we can face it!"

The whole room applauded for me after that. Finally, I convinced everyone! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only after I came back to my room did I feel guilty for lying to my people. The reinforcements are not enough! If Lilin attacks us, then we will be outnumbered and lose the war. 

I can't protect my people if something happens to Theo! For the sake of Aiden, Theo has to succeed in his quest. 

It took me a long time to notice that Tangerine was not in her cage. She disappeared from her cage without my consent?!!! It was too hard for me to believe. 

A few seconds later, she appeared in her cage again. I was about to scold her for leaving me, but I stopped myself when I saw a white scroll tied to her yellow claw.

My father has sent me a message! That is why she disappeared from her cage to get the scroll! I opened the cage and took out the scroll from her claw. 

I eagerly opened the milky sheet and began to read it.

'My dear daughter, 

I was devastated as I heard the news about your man! I know that you must be in distress right now. As a father, I want to support you. So Darius and I are going to arrive at the Emerald palace shortly.'

I was confused for an extended period after I read the scroll. Theo is on a quest now! But my father has written this message as Theo already failed and got consumed by the darkness! 

Anyway! It is good to know that my father is there for me in a difficult situation like this. All the anxiety that I was feeling earlier vanished immediately. 

My father is there for me!