Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Rose, and Arriving for the Final Test

The sky was a light gray color when Rose left Dragon's house the next morning. She had less than an hour before sunrise, and needed to check on a few things.

Kyrre and another kitsune were guarding the door now. Rose shook her head.

"You took the last shift? Why? You know I need you at full rest this morning!" Rose accused.

Kyrre shrugged. "Highness. Most of the Den has to stay out of the Glade, and it seemed more convenient to take the last shift and be ready when you were. No spare messengers, and therefore no need to make you wait while someone notified me." He smiled slightly, but did not quite meet her eyes. The other kitsune looked away the whole time.

"You didn't get any sleep, did you?" Rose asked, or more accurately, growled.

"Enough sleep, Highness." Kyrre replied shiftily.

Rose shook her head, certain that there was nothing that she could do about this particular situation now.

"Well, let's go. I'd rather be early than late. Dragon will follow shortly, I think." Rose replied. "I want to get a good look at everyone who is standing against me."

Kyrre nodded, and walked with Rose towards the Palace. Rather than go in, he led her around it, and off to the side was a huge hollow. At the lowest point was a stage, of sorts, and along the rise were petrified logs, laid out like rows of benches. Which, they were.

Already set up at the bottom was a table with seven seats, a low throne on the right of the table, and a podium on the other side of the table. Rose saw how it would go, now. The opposition would speak towards the table, with her at the far end, and her representatives would stand next to her, further from the Council. And as many kitsunes as could fit would sit in audience.

Rose tried not to have a panicked moment of stage fright, but she felt the chill through her bones. Thankfully, it left as quickly as it had come. She was ready for this, after all.

Rose simply walked up to the throne, and sat in it.

"Um, Princess Rose?" Kyrre said, stiffly. "You can't sit there yet... the Council will have to publicly announce your title before you will be able to sit in that throne. Usually, such an announcement will have been made a long time before."

"Oh." Rose said, and got up. She walked over to the nearest tree and leaned against it, waiting for people to arrive. It wasn't too long before spectators began filling in the log benches, glancing at her, and the expectant throne on the stage.