7. Izzy
IZZY
When Safir had mentioned a meeting, I’d figured twenty people in a small boardroom, not an auditorium full of people with me as one of the primary figures on stage.
I was not ready for this.
“You’ll be fine. You can do this,” Rook whispered to me. I must have been yelling my insecurities into his mind. “You’re a princess, a queen, the real queen, leadership is in your blood.”
That was all nice and good, but I sure as hell didn’t feel comfortable leading all these people — most likely — to their deaths.
I hoped some of the others on stage with me would handle most of this meeting.
My grandmother, Olinara, was here, in an outfit which was mildly more conservative than usual, a short, tight, black pencil skirt to mid-thigh and a white blouse with only a couple buttons undone.
I was in black slacks, which were somehow a perfect fit on me — thank you Zora — and a matching black blouse.
Lhorine was here, looking serene and serious, and next to her was Svokol, the dwarf, wearing a somber expression.
With Svokol was a woman who’d been introduced as Elnori, a dryad.
With my limited knowledge of this world, I’d only just managed to recall that dryads were people of the forest and trees, linked to earth.
The surprise member on the stage was Bayn, the titan, looming over all of us. God, he was big.
As we’d made our way from my new residence — which was huge and swanky as hell — to the auditorium, I’d been filled in on the deal the others had made with Bayn and how he’d helped to fight against Saldrea’s forces in the end.
Still, I got the feeling no one really trusted him.
And looking at him now, I could see why.
He wasn’t the sort of man who exuded kindness and friendship.
Even if he did have a baby-face — bald with full cheeks — his size and resting murder face screamed danger.
Safir and Zora were also up on stage with us, but standing behind some of the others, even if they’d been the ones who’d mostly organized this assembly.
Vyns and Myel were still not awake, so they’d not come. Tala, along with a contingent of guards Svokol trusted, were watching over them as they recovered.
The raked seating of the auditorium was filled with students and teachers and staff, including a group of shifters and another group of dragons. No one looked happy. Though, to be fair, I could only see the first few rows, the lights otherwise blinded me.
It reminded me of a school play when I’d been seven, where I’d stepped out into the light, taken one look at the gym full of people and frozen, unable to say the one line I’d had. I’d never wanted to be on stage since then.
As the ranking member of our group — the highest in status — Lhorine began the meeting, stepping forward to the narrow podium.
“I am El Siandalla Lhorine.” The words echoed out through the sound system and the crowd hushed their murmurings.
“As most of you are aware, this woman—” she motioned toward me, “—defeated the false princess Saldrea earlier today. What you probably do not know, is that Sa Brown Izzy, as she has been known for most of her time here, is actually El Anadendyra Isolde, the lost princess.” A rather significant murmur burbled through the crowd at that and suddenly a lot more attention was on me.
Great.
Hey there, world. I’m your new princess or queen or whatever… Nice to meet you?
Lhorine continued after the hubbub had died down.
“Isolde… or Izzy, was born in the human realm to El Anadendyra Ysania, the banished princess, and her consort Sa Eofine Keomar. She is the rightful heir to the throne, hence the power and ability she displayed when fighting Saldrea, overcoming and breaking the binding collar she’d been wearing. ”
Sure, make me sound like some superhero. I really didn’t feel like I could live up to this hype.
“She’s a half-breed!” someone called from the audience. Others murmured agreement.
Yeah… this was the problem. Valnea had no direct claim to the throne. I did, but I wasn’t pure elf, which mattered in this world, even if it shouldn’t.
Lhorine turned hard. Voice booming through the speaker as she said, “Who would you rather have on the throne, a half-breed true royal, who’s perhaps the strongest elf in generations, or Valnea, a power-hungry and vicious woman who — we have solid proof now — was party to the assassination of the royal family a hundred years ago? ”
The silence which hung over the auditorium was complete. Lhorine had shut everyone up… until someone muttered what might have been a private, “shit,” but was heard by everyone.
I guessed most people had been suspicious of Valnea, but having her treachery confirmed was something else entirely.
“And in case any of you haven’t heard, Valnea is marshalling all of her forces to come here and deal with — what she sees as — the rebellion we’ve started by taking her daughter captive.”
“Could we release Saldrea?” someone in the audience called out.
Lhorine shook her head. “The false princess is our one bargaining chip. If we send her to her mother, Valnea will simply wipe Veilblood off the map. With Saldrea here, Valnea must at least be somewhat tactical in her approach.”
From the loud and furious reaction, that hadn’t been what people had wanted to hear. Lhorine had to tap the mic to get everyone’s attention once more.
“Now,” she said, trying to get things back on track.
“For some of you, this isn’t your fight, and you’re free to leave campus before things get…
messy. But before you do, I urge you to listen to the words of Izzy, our true princess, as she has a rather radical view on this world and how her government would be run. ”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I had to speak?
I’d hoped I’d get away with being the sexy-as-fuck figurehead.
“You’ve got this,” Rook whispered as Koar put a reassuring hand on my lower back… then slowly pushed me forward, in step behind me.
Whoa nelly, here we go!
Lhorine stepped aside, whispering, “Just tell them what you want for this world, how you’d like to change things. It doesn’t need to be eloquent, just heartfelt.”
Easy for you to say, lady.
I stepped up to the podium, even more blinded by the lights here. Were those lights hot? I was sweltering. I’d sweat through my blouse in no time.
“I believe in you,” Koar whispered.
And for some reason, his word, more than anyone else’s, meant something.
Perhaps it was because of the stunning sex we’d had, but I thought it more likely from the honest conversation beforehand.
He hadn’t held anything back, whether we’d been talking or fucking and I appreciated his honesty.
If he believed in me, then I should be worthy of that belief.
“Ah… hey everyone, so… yeah, I’m your princess, isn’t that crazy?”
Silence
Okay, so not the best start.
Tell them what you want… how you’d change things…
Since I didn’t really have eloquence on my side, I decided for brute honestly.
“So… things in this world suck, am I right?”
There were a few laughs and snickers at that.
“Maybe it’s because I was raised in the human realm — which I should say is fucked up in its own way — but this whole class system you have here is way more fucked up.” More silence, but this time, I had the feeling it was because people were listening, waiting for more.
“When I first got here, I didn’t know I was an elf. I had a binding which hid my power and my heritage.” Wow, a coherent sentence with no curse words. Way to go, me!
“Everyone thought I was a nymph, so I was instantly less than others. Though, I was also surprised to find out there were even more people below me in status. But that didn’t make me feel superior.
I didn’t want to boss those others around.
It just felt… wrong. Honestly it was having people below me in this whole class structure which made me feel uneasy.
Back in the human realm, I wasn’t anyone important.
Lots of people were above me in the grand scheme of things, but not many were below me, and those that were, they weren’t people I could boss around, just people who had it worse off than I did. ”
I couldn’t really see the audience, but I hoped I had their attention now.
“So… yeah. I quickly learned I didn’t like the way things were here.
I may be half elf, but I still feel like a common person.
I want everyone in this realm, in all the fae realms, to be equal, to have a fair say in how things are done.
I’m not sure democracy always works, but it has to be better than this crap.
So… yeah. I want to tear down the system, make everyone equal, help those who have less, and make it so people are judged on the merit of what they do, not on their race or the station they were born to. ”
“She’s nuts!” someone muttered.
“Yeah, probably,” I responded without thinking. “But would you rather my form of crazy or Valnea’s?”
Ha! Take that heckler!
“What about the elves?” someone else called out, probably an elf.
“What about them?” I asked back. “If you’re asking if they’ll retain power over everyone, control of everything, the answer is: nope.
I won’t be able to take away generational wealth, so it may take some time for change to really happen, but if everyone is equal, that means giving those who have nothing the same opportunities as those who have everything.
And honestly, I have no clue how I’ll do that, but that’s my goal. ”
“Dreamer!” someone else shouted.
“And I say again, would you rather a dreamer like me, or a dictator — emphasis on dick — like Valnea?”
That got a laugh.
But once that died down someone else shouted, “You’re going to get us all killed!” The words echoed in the hall.
I didn’t have a snappy comeback for that.
“Look,” I started, finding the words as I spoke them.
“If I could face Valnea one on one and deal with her, I would. I’m not like other elves.
I care about people. I don’t want to start a war.
I don’t want people to fight for me, die for me!
If I thought it would change anything to turn myself in, I’d do that. ”
I paused, partly for effect… mostly because I had no clue what I’d say next till it came to me.
“But turning myself over to that madwoman wouldn’t change anything.
You’d still be oppressed. Well, most of you.
For the elves in the room, yeah, I’m sorry, but if you follow me, the best I can offer is that, if you’re good people, then not much should change for you.
If you’re an asshat, then you’re shit-outta-luck. Sorry. Actually, no, not sorry.”
There was murmuring and shuffling. I got the feeling some people were leaving. Well, good riddance. If they didn’t like that, they’d probably betray us to Valnea eventually.
“So yeah. If you choose me, if you choose to fight for a better life, then probably some of us are going to get hurt, some are going to die.” I really hated saying that, but it needed to be said.
“Most revolutions aren’t pretty. We’re all going to have to get our hands dirty to fight the power of this world, but that’s what I’m all about. ”
Fuck, I really didn’t want to be a general. I didn’t want people following my orders and getting killed, but still.
“I’m going to fight,” I shouted, raising my fist. “And I’ll be on the front lines, if that helps. I wouldn’t expect anyone to fight for a leader who isn’t leading the charge, putting their own life on the line.”
The crowd cheered.
Well shit, I’d done it now.