Chapter 8: Uli

The day after my long chats with Uli and Dahlia had been just as tiring with far less insight. Two days after however, Uli and I came together to brainstorm. Uli would be especially important in my plans for the next council.

Gaining the support or approval of Grand Lady Marina was perhaps my most important goal at the upcoming council. In order to do so, not only would I have to present myself as a proper ruler, but I would need to provide valuable insights on how our two nations could come to work together.

As such, Uli and I were spending almost every waking moment together for the next week. Every meal, I would eat with Uli and we would discuss our plans. In that time, I had come to learn more about her quirks, and what she really was like. Yes, her fussing meticulously over every detail that appeared could be frustrating, but it was also brilliant. It was not necessarily enjoyable to listen to her list off everything about how Anguli di Aqua was structured politically and all the quirks and features of the nation, but it was quite brilliantly educational.

Uli would chat for so long that the information would sink into you, as if the person she was conversing with became some kind of sponge for it. Soon enough I had the names of each and every island within that great ocean memorised, no problem. This would certainly prove to be incredibly helpful when it came to the Council. I was in no position to be picky, I needed friends and allies-the quicker I found them, the better.

Before the council was to be concluded, I would be in more than good graces with Lady Marina. I had to be certain of that. Lady Marina...it still had not quite sunk in to me that we would have royalty and the leadership of the entire world within our walls in but a month's time. I could not know if I was ready for it. It would be the biggest test yet.

"Uli, what is the biggest problem Aqua is faced with constantly?"

A question I posed for my companion for the day slipped off my tongue without thinking. At the least, I had made myself sound ambitious, or so I hoped. Not that I would be of any help with the most ambitious tasks given my experience.

"The Leviathan, perhaps?"

"Heavens no, Uli! I do not think we have any right to interfere there, we should leave it be. What was it that you said before? Pirates perhaps?"

"Well.."

The hesitation in Uli's voice was like a punch to the gut. She had to know I was attempting to take on burdens I would likely not be able to bear as well. I knew what came next.

"That would be...well, your majesty, you see...I do not think we could help as much as we may hope to in regards to that. As you know, the only military we really have are the Earthen Knights, but they are not infinite nor have most of them ever ventured into dealing with ocean combat before."

"So with training, there is a chance it may be possible?"

"Perhaps...but I would not hold your breath. It certainly shouldn't be possible to achieve within the next year at least with how much training may be required, as well as the resources we would need to gather and expend."

I had fallen into an emptiness once more. Once again, I was out of my depth. How was I meant to compete with the other nations? See them as equals? Have them see me as equals? Quite simply, I did not think it was possible as things stood. I could not help but feel that with this information, even Uli would have made a better Earthen Mother than me. Those questions repeating themselves in the back of my head once again, echoing like a drum, becoming louder with each beat.

What did I do to deserve this?

Why me?

Am I really the best choice?

Was it a mistake?

"Your majesty!"

A violent shake and a concerned shout brought me back to the forefront of the reality I did not wish to confront as Uli scanned over me in concern.

"Are you alright, your majesty? It seemed as if you were blinking one minute, then the next you were on the floor!"

I could hardly believe it. Uli was not wrong, I was now looking up at the ceiling from my back.

"I am fine, Uli. I simply...lost concentration."

"Are you...are you sure that is all?"

"Yes, Uli, do not worry. Please. I was simply deep in thought."

"Very well...where were we?"

"Aqua. You must tell me their greatest needs in this hour and how we can help to relieve them."

"Well... we probably can't help much with the pirates, as I said. Perhaps, um, transport? They are the only nation not connected with the world rail."

"How would we help? Overseeing construction of a new line into Aqua?"

"We could start with one to Western Isle, the island just next to Port Terra? And see how it develops from there."

"That is perfect! I had wanted to do something with the World Rail! I still do want to bring something up for more stations and stops across the nation of Terra but this is perfect for building friendly relations with Marina!"

"She'll love us, your majesty!"

Uli and I embraced, both jumping for joy and skipping around the halls as if we were children playing and frolicking in a field of flowers. It was fitting then, that she felt as if she was the weight of a child, so light. She had always been a little bit smaller than myself, but I had not imagined she would fly up so easily.

In hindsight, we are both quite lucky we did not hurt each other. I had only broken away from our fun when I felt my crown come flying off and hastily retrieved it from the floor. Luckily, it had not sustained any damage that I could see other than perhaps a little of my dignity as ruler after that display in it.

Luckily, there had been no other witnesses to our celebration.

"We should create a structured plan for this, Uli." I mentioned, readjusting my crown to fit atop my head properly.

"Yes! Such as...how we'll build it? When construction might start and well...the logistics of it?"

"I am certain we can find Waveborne who will assist us in construction if it is a project we are working together on, and we have plenty of Earthborne construction workers ready to assist as well."

"The funding?"

"We have the funding already, do not worry on that front."

Our talk and plan went late into the night, to the point that Adoria had to almost drag me away from Uli and the ideas we had been brainstorming. It cannot have been a good look for a new queen to be dragged away by her own knight like that, but it certainly felt worth it given all that we had got done in the day.

I simply could not wait for the council. Though, I had some other things to attend to first.

Once again, I found myself writing to Gaius. It was not anything all too different from the first letter, and I had to make sure not to include any sensitive information so I simply told him of the new friend and companion I had made in Uli.

At the end of this night, for once there was a positive query floating around in my head with the negative hypotheticals. Even as the odd one among the crowd of overwhelming thoughts, it provided some comfort.

Am I really meant for this?

Do I deserve it?

Would someone else have been better?

Perhaps I will be alright?

Perhaps...perhaps things could turn out well after all. There was a glimmer of hope for me.

I had been such a fool. No Earthen Mother of Father ever did it alone. They had people to lean on, people to guide them. I knew this already, I had even sought out help from others at points, though reluctantly. But it was so clear. I needed to forge new friendships as well as finding ways to embolden the existing relationships. In the process of trying to find a way to do it with Marina, I had found a new friend in Uli. More than someone I could simply eat with. Someone I would lean on, and who could lean on me.

Even royalty need friends beyond subjects.