Trials of royalty

"All right!" Kali yelled from her balcony "I have asked everyone to gather today as we are running out of time!"

Everyone capable of moving and working was summoned to the courtyard. Kali had a balcony that looked directly at it and was allowed to give speeches and proclamations. This was the first time I saw her use it.

The group wasn't that big, but it was a nice group of people for a small village.

I was summoned to stand on that balcony with her, Dara, and Nayleth.

Not sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

"From today on, for all of us to ensure our survival, we must put ourselves to work, become more powerful, gather resources, make items, and prepare for what is to come!" she hits the railing with her hand. She was much more energetic than usual "I will need everyone that can work to start doing work: gathering, hunting, mining, blacksmithing! Anything that can help us grow and gather resources!"

Dara took a step forward.

"As we speak, the enemy is gathering resources and preparing for an assault" her voice was reaching the whole place. Even when she was not raising her voice. Probably a spell or something "Anyone that has any form of profession please, report yourself and help us in whichever way you can"

"Not only that!"

At that point, Nayleth slapped me on the back and made me take a few steps forward. I looked back at him confused.

"Marcel has decided to become part of our kingdom!" Kali pointed at me and I turned to look at her, stunned in surprise "He helped us during the evacuation, and is the user of a special class that has helped him defeat a creature like the White Wolf from the forest at level 3!"

I could hear the people listening to her speech gasp and talk in surprise with one another. She managed to make them get curious about me.

Then one of them started to clap, and others followed him. In mere seconds, people were cheering at me.

"I didn't even kill him, and Dara was-" I started to talk low, feeling embarrassed. Nayleth placed his hand on my shoulder.

When I looked back at him, he nodded with a smile. I was still confused.

"We will explain later," Dara said while fixing her glasses, a faint smile on her face.

She orchestrated this. I know it.

"Now, don't let him do all the work!" Kali said, while I was hoping she did not decide to make me do all the work "We all need to do something to help! Hunters, tailors, crafters, gatherers, anyone that can work! We need you to come out on top of our current situation!"

The clapping slowly went down while she was talking.

"I know everything seems bleak right now! Since I became the Demon Queen, I know I have not managed to gather up and become the leader you all deserve!" Then she lands her fist on the railing. "But I promise this changes today! Our first objective is to recover the land that was taken from us! Let us help Marcel! He needs your support, and we will recover what is ours!"

The people started to clap again. I wonder if there is still people doubting her, but maybe this is their last chance to survive. I have not checked on how they feel about the whole situation.

All I have been doing is focusing on myself and learning my way around.

Once we were walking out of the balcony, and we were behind the curtains, Kali inflated her chest, feeling proud, and placed a hand on it. She closed her eyes when she started to gloat.

"No need to cheer for me, my loyal followers! I am just doing my job!" She said,

So we are her loyal followers now?

"What was that?" I asked then "And why I was not informed you were going to use me for your speech?"

"Are you allowing me to use you in my speeches?"

"No!" I answered to Kali.

"And that is why we did not ask you" Kali answered.

"Sorry, Marcel. But we need a hero for these people" Dara explained "Some of them know you did take part in the party that entertained Balor and survived. And now they know about you defeating the White Wolf the other day"

"You are putting too much on my shoulders!" I told them "At least Nayleth is not trying to push me into it"

Then I looked at Nayleth who tried to hide himself when I said that by standing behind a chair of the room.

"You too?!" I asked. Traitor!

"Sorry, but is true" Kali sat on said chair "We need a figure that they believe they can trust and that will have their backs in these times of uncertainty"

"And why me and not you? You are the Queen here, aren't you?"

Kali looked at me with disdain and murderous intent. It was like I touched some delicate nerve.

"What?" I asked.

"You haven't talked with any of the villagers and other army members, right?" Dara asked.

Kali looked to the side when Dara started to talk. She clicked her tongue and avoided our eyes.

"N-no… I haven't" I answered.

Kali then stood up. She walks past beside me and pushes me with her shoulder as we pass through.

"Then maybe you should, helpless human!" she said while she passed by me, and then walked out of the room like she was running away.

We all looked at her leave like she was running away.

"What is wrong with her?" I asked.

Nayleth's ears flattened while he let out a long breath of air.

"You don't know," Dara said "I suppose Kali would never tell you directly, but you seriously have not spoken with anyone"

"N-no, I have not talked with anyone besides all of you, Maple and Reynard" I admitted. I feel like I was missing something.

Dara looks at Nayleth and he nods back. Then he casts a spell at us.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked.

"Casting an invisibility spell" explained Dara as she disappeared in front of me "It will be easier to show you. You should be able to see us, but no one else will"

Then Dara and Nayleth's silhouettes were visible to me. What was it that we needed to avoid being seen?

Dara and Nayleth guided me towards different parts of the castle, spying on the different people that were there, until we found a vulpin and an orc speaking. I was told to not make any noise and to listen carefully.

We were in a secluded storage on one of the wings of the castle. There were some barrels and boxes through around, some broken and with holes. The place was not commonly used.

"So, what do you think about this Marcel?" said the orc.

"He is an odd human" answered the Vulpin "I have never seen one hanging around demi-human settlements before"

"Seems our 'queen' is much more desperate than we thought" The way the orc said queen was dismissive and mocking "Maybe we should do as we said. This is going nowhere, we are going to get killed and our families murdered"

"I got a few people already convinced to leave" Then the vulpin looked around, checking that no one was looking at them "Some are willing to sell the Queen to the leader that attacked us in exchange for their safety"

When I heard that, my breathing hitched, and I gasped. I placed my hand on my mouth when I noticed I was making noises.

Both men seemed to have heard me, as they started to scan the room, alerted.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" said the orc, pulling out a sword.

"I swear, if someone heard that, we'd be dead," the vulpin said.

"Shut up!" the orc ordered.

They continued scanning the room. We made sure to not be seen or heard again. Both men started to look around, afraid and paranoid of anyone listening to their secret conversation.

Then one of them, the orc, got too close to me. Way too close. He almost touched me while trying to look behind some boxes that I had behind me. His arm passed right by mine by mere centimeters, but I made a few slow and methodical movements to not be touched.

"Let's go," said the vulpin "Probably they left, we better act like nothing"

The orc nodded and, still observing and listening to their surroundings, they slowly left the storage room. They passed right by where Nayleth was and almost touched him. Luckily, they did not.

I saw Dara's silhouette make a signal to leave the place.

We slowly came out and a piece of wood I stepped on made a small noise. Nayleth turned towards me and placed his index finger (I believed it was) in front of what (I believed) was his mouth. I tried my hardest not to make any noise.

When we left the room, we noticed the orc and vulpin checking on the exit in case someone came out. They were smart trying to ambush whoever was spying at them.

We just left the place and let them to their devices.

"I knew those two would be again there," Dara said as the invisibility dispelled. She was angry "How dare they think about doing that?"

"They are trying to betray Kali?" I asked as if trying to make sure. Nayleth nodded "Does she know?"

"She does, I informed her"

"Then why does she not do anything?" She could easily punish them or something, right?

But Dara shakes her head, telling me no.

"On her own words" she took a long breath "I will convince them to stay with my actions and no threats"