//------------------------------// // Dawn For A New Val Roa // Story: Yaerfaerda // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Throughout the streets of Val Roa, elk, deer, ponies, and gazelle poured out of their apartments in droves. As they met with a blockade of eye-shimmering Soul Sentries along the southern edge of the Royal District, the crowd grew more and more restless. Gawking faces turned to frowns and frowns turned to vicious snarls. The guard thickened along the border to the Royal District. In response, the crowd flowed about, made an about-face, and marched into the Sandstone District. Once there, the citizens gathered thickly around the High Council Building, growing louder and louder in angry outbursts. “Where is Prince Eine?!” “Where is our King?!” “Val Roa is eternal! We will not stand for this!” “Bring back our King!” “Long live Val Roa! Long live the House of Evo!” Guards and Soul Sentries congregated on the steps to the High Council Building, only affording room for the occasional stagecoach full of dignitaries and representatives to pass through. Dukes and Duchesses gazed worriedly out the windows of their wagons, eyeing the ever-growing crowd of unruly Val Roans. As the locals saw more and more Council Members being allowed in, their anger and their ire only increased. Soon, the hulking crowd surged tighter and tighter against the lines of guards, demanding for the truth in loud shouts. “Where is Prince Eine?!” “We demand answers!” “We demand our King!” “Crown the King! Crown the King!” “You cannot hold back the glory of Val Roa!” “Long live King Eine!” The roaring voices of the crowd formed a repetitive pulse that rolled through the walls and foundation of the High Council Building. Even from her office, Chancellor Fishberry heard it, and she shuddered. “Madame Chancellor.” A servant bowed at the entrance to her office. Outside, in the hallway, several reindeer guards stood, shifting with unease. “The crowd is swiftly turning into a mob outside. They look like they might turn on the arriving representatives at any second!” The deer gulped, trembling slightly. “Is there anything we can do?” Fishberry, meanwhile, stared out the thin blinds to her spacious window, gazing wearily at the shifting sea of hooves, muzzles, and antlers. “How could it have gotten so far out of hoof?” she muttered aloud. “She had planned for everything. Everything.” She gulped. “Hadn't she?” “Chancellor...?” Shuddering, the doe turned about with a twirl of her gown. “Ahem.” She glared. “The meeting of the High Council shall go as scheduled.” “But... b-but Madame Chancellor!” The servant trembled. “That meeting doesn't commence for another two hours! I don't know if the crowd outside will wait that long before—” “If they wish to cherish the laws of Val Roa then they shall abide by them!” Fishberry snapped, trotting forward. “However, I am not inconsiderate of the concerns of the citizenry.” She gestured with a cloven hoof while speaking. “Harness a leyline of sound stones and have our clerks set up a broadcast system immediately outside the High Council Building's steps. You can inform the public—seeing as they're so restless—that they will be able to collectively hear the proceedings of the meeting in due time.” The servant bowed low. “Aye, Madame. Right away, Madame.” “We are all on the same side,” Fishberry insisted. “Tell them that Secretary Sharp Quill is scouring the city for the whereabouts of Prince Eine along with the nefarious foreigner who abducted him. He has all of the forces of General Saikano at his disposal. This kingdom will have its king.” “Aye, Madame Chancellor. I shall make sure of it.” “See that you do.” Fishberry waved her hoof. “Now, begone.” The servant rushed out, jittering. Fishberry leaned forward and closed the door to her office herself. She leaned against it, shuddering. After several seconds, her eyes pulsed green and she stood up with a frown. “Saikano, for the love of God, have you gathered anything from the prisoners yet?” Fishberry stood dead-still. Her muzzle scrunched. “Saikano? Saikano?!” She gazed for a prolonged time into open space. Her lips parted. “What in the blazes is going on...?” She snarled. “Saikano...?!” Just then, her eyes pulsed brighter, and she writhed in pain. “Auugh!” Clutching her head, Fishberry seethed and snarled at the ceiling. “Not so loud, Sharp Quill! I register you...” Silence. Her brow furrowed. “If you must know, I was attempting to contact Saikano. The damned fool has gone silent.” More silence. She spun and snarled into the shadows. “What else could I possibly mean?! He has cut himself off from us!” At the Val Roan Royal Palace, Secretary Sharp Quill was a frazzled, jittery mess. He paced along a sun-kissed balcony overlooking the spires and streets of Val Roa. In the distance, the air thundered from hundreds of thousands of angry, chanting citizens. “Impossible!” he stammered, his purple eyes twitching as he trotted in a fast, furious circle. “The General is the most loyal elk in the land! He would not abandon us in our time of need! In her time of need!” He clenched his teeth in the ensuing silence. Gradually, his eyes pulsed green and pulsed again. “Negative. No luck here. I was hoping Saikano would provide us answers with the prisoners you delivered him. So much of this depended on him!” He scuffled to a stop, panting for breath. “Do... do you think that we depended too much on him?” He rubbed his chin, shuddering. “Between the Cartel and the Soul Sentries and the reindeer guard... could it be that we overloaded the elk?” He gnashed his teeth. “Blast! We've failed her, Fishberry! If only we had been wiser! Stronger! If only...” He clutched at his skull, growling. “...if only I had gone north to the Lemuel Tundra to feed her more, then perhaps none of this would have happened!” “Ahem...” At the sound of a reindeer guard's voice, Sharp Quill spun, purple eyes flaring. “What?!” His nostrils flared. The guard nevertheless stared calmly at him. “Secretary Sharp Quill, sir.” He bowed slightly. “Sorry to... intruded, but we have discovered something.” Sharp Quill gasped, his ears drooping as he twitched slightly. With a dry gulp, he took a pensive step forward. “The... the Prince?” “We're not quite sure,” the guard said. “But we think we've discovered a secret passage.” “Secret... passage...?” “Yes.” The reindeer nodded. “It could have provided the abductress with the means to smuggle the Prince out of the palace.” Sharp Quill stood up straight, seething. “Well, what are you waiting for?! Show me! Let me see it!” He snarled. “It's already the morning of the Coronation, and we must do everything to find the future King!” “Understood, sir.” The guard spun about and marched into the heart of the Palace. “Right this way.” Sharp Quill galloped swiftly after him, leaving the roars of the crowd far behind.