The Ceremony Begins

Filtering through the throng of guests, Noble looked for anyone she knew. To her far left, Alyx had a lady on his arm while talking to two other beautiful women. He was laughing as one of the girls blushed heavily.

'Good. Give them all your attention and leave me alone.' Noble would have been content to never talk to the man again. Part of her wondered if she should have left him immobilized on the wall forever to save those three women from his fake charm. 'Better to let them make their own mistakes, I guess.'

The last time she had interacted with Alyx, it had been delightfully brief. She had taken the speech and slammed the door in the man's face. What was she going to do about that speech? She couldn't in good conscience affirm the Queen's rule. 

She would have to find a tactful way to reword things. It would be a balancing act between not angering the queen and also not lying. 'I don't want to get in trouble just now…I'll have to figure it out soon!'

There was so much to consider, but the room was too full of people wanting to interact for her to be able to fully focus. 

In the rest of her sweep, Noble recognized a few emotional signatures from the feast with the Queen, but most of the guests were unknown faces.

Beside her, Counsel's mood had soured. "Is the one who has your heart here?"

"What?" Noble blinked a few times at him, confused.

Counsel forced a smile at those around them as he spoke softly. "You seem to be desperately searching. Who else would require so much of your attention?"

"Oh, no. I wasn't looking for him." Noble answered.

"Good," Counsel relaxed, "If the man really loves you, he would seek you out. He needs to show his face…"

Noble pictured Fort's chiseled features and wistful smile. "Trust me. If he could show his face, he would."

Opening his mouth to inquire further, Counsel was interrupted by an older gentleman with grey around the temples.

"Lady Brenna! Counsel!" The man dipped his head cordially.

"Lord Gavin," Noble remembered sitting next to the man at dinner on the evening after the 'hunt.' He had been kind to her and given Noble no reason to doubt his friendliness. "It is good to see you."

"I am sure it is." Lord Gavin winked before becoming serious. "I am looking forward to a memorable ceremony."

'I don't like the way he said that.' Noble's eyes swirled slightly. Memorable had many meanings, and not all of them good.

Counsel did not seem bothered by the comment. "One hundred years is a long time."

"Indeed." The Lord responded. "The Old Guard is all here. We remember her reign well."

'Old Guard?' It was the same term that the elderly gentleman had used the night they had first met.

Glancing around, Noble could guess who was part of this esteemed group. A few were Awakened while others were mundane, but all of them wore shortened capes of emerald green draped over one shoulder.

'Interesting uniform.'

It was not the only special form of dress in the crowd. Many soldiers were lining the walls wearing armor. Other young men and women wore silver-leafed emblems in their hair or embroidered on their clothing. The symbols looked humanoid and yet also animalistic. Some only had one, while others had many different pins up to six.

"What are those?" Noble asked quietly when Gavin had moved on to another group.

"Those are emblems marking the Hopefuls. Children or grandchildren of nobility who are actively trying to form their core. They pledge their allegiance to the Queen and the Beast God–as well as any other god they see fit–in hopes of increasing their essence control and forming their core faster." Counsel frowned.

As one of the Hopefuls came closer, Noble got a better look at the pin in her hair. She recognized the symbol. It was the same as the one on the wall behind the arena!

"Does the Beast God help them form cores?" Noble wanted to know.

"Were you helped by the Beast God?" Counsel turned the question on her.

"No." Noble was forced into Awakening by the Spell.

"Me either. But I know others who swear that they were assisted by their patron. Really, you and I both know it all comes down to essence control…" Counsel said those words as if the answer was as natural as breathing.

But in the waking world, things were the other way around. Awakening preceded essence usage.

Could normal people in the waking world discover how to use their essence without the trial of the Spell? How amazing would it be to get an Aspect without having to suffer through a Nightmare!

Except Counsel had said he still hadn't mastered his Aspect of communication. In contrast, the Spell had handed Noble her power without her having to take any action.

'An interesting trade. I still think I would prefer to discover things at my own pace than to be pushed through a Nightmare against my will. But I suppose that is just a silly dream.'

Oblivious to her thoughts, Counsel patted her hand which was resting on his arm.

"Don't worry about the Hopefuls too much. They are all mostly harmless. It is impossible to tell if their allegiance or ambition will win if you are looking for allies. Best to look elsewhere."

Noble nodded. Straightening her back, she made note of who reacted favorably and unfavorably to her presence.

The room was relatively split, with a third group that had no feelings toward her at all. Even the newly appointed General Theo seemed conflicted about how he felt when he looked her way.

'Not the best odds.' Noble kept her smile in place. 'But not as bad as it could be.'

Noble felt a little bad that she was actively planning a revolt while the Queen was about to be celebrated, but what choice did she have?

'Very little…' Noble would do what needed to be done to get home.

Finally, the doors to the larger Great Hall opened and people filed into the space. 

In another place and time, this room could have easily been used for a luxurious ballroom. It had a massive floor for dancing and a gallery for those who wished to look down at the scene. But now both the floor and large balcony were filled with chairs. 

Noble was positioned on the front row with Counsel to her left. The other seat sat empty for the moment, but Noble was almost positive it was meant for Alyx. Emira would not have wasted the opportunity to put the two together even if it was to just sit in silence. 

But for the moment, there was peace. 

Even without turning around, Noble could sense hundreds, possibly thousands, of different emotional signatures exhibiting every feeling imaginable. 

Noble could feel the excitement of the Hopefuls as they realized that they were situated at the front of the hall. She chuckled slightly at the next generation of nobility, who mostly found their placement in the middle of the room distasteful and offensive. Of course, none of them would ever say those words aloud, and many tried to comfort themselves with the prominent seats of their offspring. 

The third group–the Old Guard– was placed up in the gallery overlooking the scene. In the back of the hall, grey-haired men and women in their green capes were the farthest from the throne. 

Noble did not have to turn around to see that their faces were grim. They all felt a collective distaste, determination, and...anticipation? 

The last feeling made Noble's fake smile falter. 

What had Lord Gavin said about the Old Guard? That they would support her whatever she decided. 

"Counsel," Noble whispered.

"Yes, My Lady?" Counsel tilted his ear toward her. 

"That thing I said I would talk to you about tomorrow. It's about to happen right now, isn't it?" 

Counsel smiled slowly. "Yes, My Lady. It is." 

Just then, the first beat of the fanfare blasted. 

The ceremony began.