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Dawn of a New Day: A Story of Empress Hyanithe IX
by Acelon
Chapter 4
Three weeks had passed. Daily updates from Seridia came to the Empress. The armies of Luxin had been completely unprepared for the attack and the armies of the Idal Empire easily overtook White Stone. This left the Empress with another decision to make: what should the next move be? She knew the council would have to discuss this, so she called them to order.
"Our armies have easily tossed aside the defenses in White Stone. It is time for us to decide our next plan of action." The Empress gestured for the discussion to begin.
"We have already proven our point. We should retract the army now!"
"If we bring them back, what if they just plan a counter-attack upon our lands? If we leave our soldiers there, we can at least facilitate the area to make sure they don’t attack us."
"That leaves our citizens who remain there at risk! What if the Seridian civilians revolt against our troops? It could cause more casualties!"
The council threw ideas back and forth until finally, Glinda spoke up.
"We should continue our attack on the Seridian continent and prove our military dominance over them. We will strike fear into the hearts of our enemies and any future enemies. No one would dare mess with us after conquering an entire continent!"
Glinda’s comments only caused more commotion within the council. The Empress was getting a headache from all the arguing as she tried to listen to everyone’s idea, but after four hours, it only seemed as though people kept repeating their ideas using different words. The Empress dismissed the council saying she would think things over and, once again, announce her decision the next day.
With a profound sense of deja vu, she found herself pacing within her chamber, contemplating her choice yet again. Her train of thought was interrupted, much like last time, by a knock at the door. She expected it to be Glinda, but to her surprise, it was Siran.
"Hello," Siran greeted the Empress with a cool tone in his voice.
"What a surprise!" The Empress was indeed pleasantly surprised, but very thrown off. Siran had never visited her chambers before.
"I hope I did not catch you at a bad time, but I saw the candle light in your chamber from the court yard." He paused for a moment. "Would you like me to step outside for a moment? I didn’t mean to catch you in your night gown."
She noticed that the gown she was wearing was more revealing than usual. The Empress quickly threw a shawl over her shoulders and turned to face Siran. "I am so embarrassed, I’m sorry. You just caught me off guard, Siran." The light in the room was dim, but it was easy to tell the Empress was turning a slight shade of red. "What brings you here at this hour?" She wanted to change the topic as quickly as possible.
"I have heard whispers throughout the castle that you are deciding your next move, Empress." Siran was there for one reason, and one reason only.
"Yes, that is true. My council is split on the decision, which makes this much harder. I am fairly sure that it is time to withdraw the troops and negotiate peace with Lord Luxin."
The Empress realized how much trust she had for Siran by hearing the words coming out of her mouth. She usually kept her thoughts hidden until it was time to present them to the council, yet she still told Siran.
"My Empress, I am not one of your council, but I feel you should continue to conquer the remainder of Seridia. I fear for our empire's safety otherwise."
"Siran, I understand your fears, but my heart tells me that I should recall them."
"Victoria," said Siran with slight annoyance in his voice. "Heed my council. I am more experienced in the art of war. It would be in your best interest to continue your crusade. This is no time to listen to your heart."
The Empress was taken aback by Siran’s words. Was everything he said to her on the docks that one day a lie? Or was she really making the wrong decision here.
"You might be right, Siran. I will take your advice into careful consideration."
"I have said my piece. I bid you a goodnight Empress." Siran left the room very quietly.
The Empress just stared into nothingness as she considered what Siran had said. Something seemed different with Siran tonight, but she could not quite place her finger on it. The Empress decided that it would be best to sleep on it and hope that everything worked out the next day.
* * *
The Empress followed Siran and Glinda’s advice and announced the continuation of the Idal Empire’s conquest of Seridia. It dawned on her that she should heed the advice of the two people dearest to her. Word quickly spread across Irilion of the Empress’s decision. When the news reached the Dwarven and Elven nations, rage consumed them. While it did not help that they had relatives in Seridia, the icing on the cake was that the Empress made a decision without consulting the other Irilian leaders. Did she not realize that her decision affected all of Irilion and not just the Idal Empire?
With their faith broken in the Empress, it left them with one decision. General Axin of Thelinor and the clan elders of Zirakinbar met with the Elven leaders of Irsis, Willowvine, and Aeth Aelfan. They decided they must end the attacks on Seridia by defeating the source. They prepared their armies to attack Idaloran.
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