Chapter 26 – The Mediator

❄️Snow❄️

“Where is Arthur?” Snow wondered as she and Lussuria stood outside the inn again the next day. Their ever-present Lotus guard was conspicuously absent.

“We still haven’t seen Ares or Crow either. Strange.” Lussuria muttered as she looked around.

“Do you think we should wait for them?” Snow asked unsurely.

“The council building is right across the street. I don’t think we need Arthur for that.”

“You’re right and it’s the last vote we need… let’s just get this over with.” Snow decided they would go into the council building alone.

Arthur not being there was strange, but they should be fine on their own. The council hall was just across the street so there was practically no risk to their safety.

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead this time, but don’t get used to it.” Lussuria sniffed.

Surprisingly, they weren’t questioned by the outer guards as they walked in but there was a checkpoint before they entered the inner chambers of the building. The entrance to that area had a long line of not so happy people waiting to go in.

“What’s taking so long?!”

“Come now, ya’ll owe me two-hundred silver for grain!”

“I get robbed, and I can’t even report the crime! This is absurd!”

The line forming was made mostly of farmers, merchants, and business owners. Seems they were trying to put in requests, complaints, or inquiries for government intervention on their behalf. Snow got on the line and Lussuria gave her a confused look.

“Snow, what are you doing?” She asked, a perplexed expression on her face.

“I’m waiting on the line?” Snow answered, just as confused by the question.

The look her sister sent her at that answer reminded her uncomfortably of the looks their mother would send her when she said something the queen considered the “height of stupidity.” Lussuria grabbed her hand and led her to the front of the line. They approached the guard who was stationed just behind the checkpoint table.

“Hello. We have urgent business here, please allow us through and direct us to Head Councilor Frederick.” Lussuria stated, radiating the kind of authority she usually did when discussing magic.

The guard glanced up from the mountain of documents he was trying to organize, and sent her a bland, dismissive look.

“You and everyone else here. Go wait on the line with the rest, little girl.” He said before going back to waging his war on unruly paperwork. Snow almost forgot, their hair was still disguised so they appeared as regular people. Surely there must have been some way of letting the guard know of their status.

As if to answer her thoughts, something heavy was dropped on the table. It was a large, golden medallion with a lotus insignia on it-the official emblem of the Regalian royal family. Lussuria had just dropped it on top of the guard’s paperwork.

His eyebrows shot up as he quickly glanced back up at the sisters.

“You were saying?” Lussuria asked, her voice dripping with a sense of superiority.

“Apologies for my rudeness, your highness, I wasn’t made aware of this business. Frederick’s office is upstairs by the lion statues, can’t miss it.” The guard answered, his voice a prime example of deference.

“Thank you.”

They were let through without further trouble, to the ire of many of the other people waiting in line.

“Well, that’s convenient.” Snow noted.

“You will never catch me on a waiting line with peasants.” Lussuria’s narcissism had helped for once.

The inside of the council hall looked like a church and as they reached the staircase and started ascending, they could hear large stones moving.

“What is that?” Snow wondered aloud.

“Ok! I’ll give my support!” They heard a man yell out. When they got to the next floor, they saw a man running down the hall. He ran right past them and down the stairs.

Snow looked at Lussuria, and saw the same puzzled expression reflected on her face.

They walked through the upstairs hallway until they saw two big, lion statues in front of a set of expensive wooden doors. There was a gold plaque on the wall next to them that read: ‘Head Councilor-Frederick Stone’

Snow knocked on the door and It wasn’t long before they heard a voice call from within.

“Enter!”

They entered the office and the first thing Snow saw was a large desk backed by three floor to ceiling glass windows that gave a view of everything in front of the building. Snow could even see the inn they were staying at from here. Head Councilor Frederick sat behind the desk. He had a sharp goatee, brown hair tied up in a tight knot and wore a crimson coat embroidered with silver lions.

“The Lotus graces me with her presence or should I say her children do. I hate to sound rude, but this will have to be quick. I don’t do unannounced visits, no matter who you are.” The councilor gave off the air of arrogance and entitlement better than Lussuria did. Snow was determined however and got straight to business.

“Hello Head Councilor, I speak on behalf of the Lotus Monarchy, and I wish to inquire…”

He cut her off with a raised hand.

“Don’t tell me, this is about the vote, isn’t it? Construction for a Labor Guild, and all that?” He asked, his voice dismissive.

“Yes, I am afraid it is.” Snow forged on, thrown off balance by his behavior.

He shook his head.

“I didn’t think it was true, but it seems it is. The Lotus sends her own children to lobby for a bill? Like some lowly messenger nobles. Funny. I never thought the High Queen of Regalia would stoop to that level.” He smirked as he leaned back in his seat. Snow and Lussuria shared a glance, the same perplexed expression on their faces. They were unsure if this blatant disrespect was really happening right now and how genuine it truly was. Important officials tended to say all sorts of things before being humbled by serious stakes after all. A moment later, the councilor put his hands behind his head before continuing to speak.

“But this isn’t some lesser bill I suppose. It’s to my understanding this is the launching point for some very large plans your mother has. I guess I won’t belittle you for acting as her hands and feet in this. I’ll hear what you have to say.”

Snow stepped up to the desk.

“After careful consideration, it has been determined by Her Majesty that the labor guild will yield the most benefits to everyone who takes a hand in its creation: Regalians, the Mountaineers, and the servants that will eventually be released. But she also understands there is some resistance to the idea.”

“Why yes. There is plenty of resistance, because it is a horrible idea.”

“Why do you believe that is?”

“Slavery should not be banned, this kingdom cannot sustain its blooming economy without it. Not to mention that a good portion of these servants are immigrants or those taken from challengers to the kingdom’s authority. Why should they be granted the same rights as people who were in born and rightfully fight for this society?”

“Blooming economy? You have hundreds of people who are on the streets. This project aims to allow not only the slaves, but also the Mountaineer’s poorest to accumulate sustainable income without hurting anyone else: a new portion of city that requires builders, new guards, new shops, bakeries, masons, painters. It will be an economic opportunity for everyone else as well as them.”

“Economic opportunity that will be prioritized for the labor guild, that will be in Lotus control, that will house mainly ex-slaves. I, and many others, find it hard to believe that anyone else besides those just mentioned will benefit.”

“…I don’t understand.” Snow confessed, and from the sound of Lussuria palming her face behind her, she knew she had made a mistake.

“’I don’t understand.’ Do you hear yourself speaking right now, child? That’s a good one. Your mother wants to control and micromanage our dealings while not actually being here. Harper and Augnem may be weak willed, but the rest of the council stands with the kingdom on this matter and will not budge.”

“How do you know about Harper and Augnem? Have you been watching us, councilor?” Lussuria cut in, her voice heavy with suspicion.

“Of course I have, the second your carriage came through the front gates, it was brought to my attention.”

“Sir Stone,” Snow began again, hoping that a more casual approach would defuse the rising tension, “What if I told you the High Queen would allow you to reinstate the Merchants Guild, if you agree to allow this vote to pass smoothly, as you are the tiebreaker. We only need your vote.” Snow stated as she played her only card.

Silence reigned in the room as the Head Councilor contemplated the offer, getting up out of his seat to look out the windows behind him. After a moment spent looking at the view, he turned back to them.

“After what she did, she thinks she can just offer me the guild back and all will be well?” He turned back to them, his face was marble, that was soon crumbling into that of anger.

“Sir Stone, I will be honest with you, my mother still harbors distaste for actions during the war ten years ago, yet she still prioritizes the most peaceful outcome, she seeks harmonious success for both kingdoms.” Snow tried to placate his anger.

“Distaste for actions? I see mirrors don’t exist for the Lotus even with all that ice in Regalia! Remarkable! No. I have no intention of supporting anything the Lotus has to offer. I don’t care if it’s the grandest plan ever thought of. We don’t want your help. In fact, we want your icy claws off of us. This kingdom is ours; this district is mine. Any outside influence, especially from someone like the Frost Queen. Is. Not. Wanted.” He answered, his voice heavy with malice and wrath burning in his eyes.

“What’s your deal Sir Stone? We only seek to help!” Lussuria cut in once more, the open hostility causing her to speak in defense of her sister.

“It is as I said: we don’t want your help, nor do we need it.”

“The Mountaineers swore fealty to Regalia’s monarchy. Why wouldn’t you accept our help?”

“Our ignorant fool of a king swore fealty to your mother, out of nothing other than fear. Butchers like the Lotus only leave destruction and fear in their wake. It is individuals like me and the Council that are the real protectors of this realm, we make the decisions that drive us in the right direction.”

“You can’t stop the ban Sir Stone and your words right now sound like you are conspiring to rebel.” Snow accused him.

“There is no conspiracy, only a movement that’s been set in motion.” His eyes took on a sinister cast as his mouth formed a snarl. “To finally eradicate the Lotus and rid their hold over our domain.”

“War?! Are you insane?!” Lussuria shouted, while Snow stood shocked in disbelief.

“It was you…you sent that mob in Regalia, the one that tried to kill Gravis and I!” Snow shouted as she shook off her stupor only to have it replaced by mounting horror.

The Head Councilor didn’t even try to deny it, if anything he looked smug.

“Of course it was, you stupid little girl. I bet your mother didn’t think anyone had the grout to attack her worthless offspring but we do. But, I’ll stop there because I can’t be bothered to waste anymore words on you.” He scoffed, the contempt plain on his face.

“Wait until the king hears about this!” Lussuria threatened as she took Snow’s hand and pulled her along to the door. “Snow, let's go! We are leaving!”

They moved to the door, only to again hear heavy stones moving, followed by deep snarls coming from the other side of the door.

“There won’t be any of that.” Sir Stone tutted as Snow and Lussuria backed away to the middle of the room, wary of the source of the sounds.

“Now, I can’t outright kill you both here and now, but I can arrest you until war is properly declared. Don’t need you meddling with councilors anymore and you’ll serve as nice leverage against your mother…or maybe not, considering she sent you here alone. Like piglets to the slaughter.” He laughed.

“The Council would never accept it! Your kingdom would suffer too much from a war.” Snow tried to reason as she turned back to him.

“And your kingdom cant even fight a war, any fool can see how overspread and under manned your armies are. The other countries may be oblivious to that fact, or got their tongues stuck licking your mothers feet but Vulcas sees the truth. That you are as weak as ever! The only strength your mother has are those monstrous wardens, but no warden can fight an entire country!”

The doors blew open and the lion statues were no longer just statues. Their nature as stone golems was plain to see as they entered the room and circled Snow and Lussuria.

“Surrender yourselves for conspiring against the Mountaineer Kingdom. You have no-one to protect you. Your guardians are all... what’s the word... indisposed.”

Snow realized why she hadn’t seen any of their guards since yesterday. “What did you do to them!” Snow yelled at him, but the councilor just laughed, his voice full of cruel humor.

Lussuria bumped into her as they went back-to-back to keep an eye on the golems circling them.

“Snow.” Her sister whispered.

“Yeah?” She whispered back.

“When I tell you to, duck.”

The air grew colder, not that either sister could tell, as the floor near their feet frosted over. Lussuria’s eyes glowed as she prepared to cast a spell.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. My lions will rip you to shreds by the time you utter your second word. Runic magic won’t help you here, start chanting and it will be the last thing you do.”

Lussuria’s eyes flashed an even brighter blue as the chill in the room grew stronger.

“Attack!” Frederick commanded.

The lions lunged.

Lussuria spoke.

And four words became one.

“Ru-pi-r-e!”

The eruption of magic threw the golems back against the walls as most of the blast headed towards the Head Councilor, who dove out of the way. The magic kept going and exploded, blowing out the wall of windows behind Frederick’s desk. Lussuria grabbed Snow’s hand again and together they jumped onto the desk and then out the window, gone before the lions could get back to their feet.