The First Empress

A Colony of Liberia

Delacroix stood before his people, unable to stop the shaking in his legs. Helena had seen to it that the soon to be dethroned king looked his best on this special evening. Resting his hands on the balcony rails, he took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself.

'My people of Roenesia!'

The buzzing below turned to silence as all eyes were trained on their king. The air was thick with apprehension as rumours of the palace being overrun had now circulated all over Vorien. He had already signed off the land to Helena, in return for her sparing his life. In his last moments as king, he felt a surge of greed, why should he hand over the country he fought so hard to build? He turned back to face his captor with wild eyes, a move he later realized had cost him. It was too late though, for the second she noticed his fighting spirit, she rose from her seat to meet him at the forefront of the balcony.

Helena's eyes glinted in the glow of the setting sun, she contemplated killing the vain king in front of his people but then decided against it. His death would be slow and painful, he secured his fate with his near rebellion. Smiling sweetly at Delacroix, she let the tip of her unsheathed dagger touch the back of his spine, under the guise of holding his hip. She felt the weight of all her subjects' gazes at the back of her head and chose to ignore them.

'Choose well, your majesty. Slitting your throat here would only make for a messy exit. Think of the imprint it would leave upon your people,'

He turned a pale shade of grey at her threat, swallowing hard he plastered a wide smile upon his face,

'It is with a heavy heart that I come before you today,'

Her dagger pierced his side lightly,

'I have failed you!'

Delacroix cried out dramatically, hands fluttering dramatically. This seemed enough to stop the blade, though it was not withdrawn.

'I have let you fall into neglect in my mindless pursuit of Liberia! It is only fitting that I remedy this grave error,'

He looked to Helena, she looked at the floor of the balcony in wait for his announcement, her face void of any emotion. Taking a moment to process it all, he realized how foolish he had been in making light of this noble-turned-queen. Underestimating the lengths she was willing to go to in order to free her country from tyranny had cost him his own. A sad smile formed on his lips as he surrendered to his fate, may it at least be a peaceful one.

'You see beside me, a woman I had the misfortune of underestimating,'

Helena glanced at him now, intrigued by his words,

'She has proven herself worthy not only in leading her own people but coordinating a controlled attack on one of the nations that tried to overtake her land.'

He reached out and held her by her hips, a gesture he would later come to regret bitterly,

'I present to you, the new reigning monarch of Roenesia! Her Majesty, Empress Helena Clairmont!'

Goosebumps broke out on the skin of everyone who heard king Delacroix's heated decrement, it sounded as though he was a man in love. He further cemented this suspicion by tearing the crown off his head and gently placing it on Helena, publicly crowning her queen of Roenesia. There she stood, dumbfounded, dropping her dagger to the floor with a soft clang of metal. Tears began to streak her cheeks at the former king's declaration, the reality of it dawning upon her. It was almost done; she had not left her home for nothing! Liberia would be hers once more!

Shaking her head, she snapped back into her usual demeanour, a bright smile replacing the momentary chaos on her face. She dared not wipe her cheeks for the crowds to see, choosing to play the part of the queen who got lucky.

'People of Roenesia!'

She raised her hands to quieten the crowd that had begun to murmur to themselves at the former king's passionate declaration.

'I am as surprised as you are at the admonition of King Delacroix. I humbly implore of you to not judge me as a tyrant, for I am only here to take back what was mine. The forces of Roenesia took a lot from me, you see. I had to stand watch as my men fell in battle, and then as their distorted corpses were buried in fields. I fled my home, in fear for my life. I hid in the shadows refusing to step out of Liberia. But alas, it has come to this.'

She looked at Delacroix in mock sympathy,

'Your king chose the peace of his people above his own! I stand before you here today, asking you to give me a chance to lead you, with your king's blessings! I will bring Roenesia back to its former glory and beyond!'

One by one the crowd below began to clap in acknowledgement, they did not raise their hands in cheer, yet their faces wore expressions of confusion mixed with relief. Her speech had softened their hearts as a queen who had lost everything. Delacroix left first, Crozat intercepting him at the door, escorting would seem too good a word to use in the description of how he was taken back to his room. Helena left last, slowly bowing before the crowd who had gathered to hear the royal announcement.

--

Annie watched as her queen accepted the crown from King Delacroix, her heart about to burst with pride at what Helena had accomplished. Without a second thought, she swung around and hugged the nearest person, who happened to be Sir Bassot. After a few seconds of jumping in his arms, she came to her senses and broke away, beet red at what she had just done. Sir Absil silently fumed beside them, but soon his fallen spirits rose upon his queen's speech. They slowly made their way through the crowd, Annie and Sir Absil were to safely escort the duke to the castle where Sir Bassot was to give her majesty a status report.

They could not verbalize the weight they felt lift off their shoulders that day, their home would soon be restored. Liberia was soon to be safe enough to return to!