A Trial Of Emperors and Empresses

Chapter 12 - Lauren

"The votes are in. From the Northern Kingdom, our current candidates are: Evangeline Mirrors, Shawn Via and Caleb Lee.
"From the Southern Kingdom: Amaryllis Van Gulierro, Sophia Velichko and Max Valdez.
"From the Eastern Kingdom: Phoebe Canterbury, Daniel Parker and Mark Fields.
"From the Western Kingdom: Ariana Summers, Warden Lang and Henry Mirack.
"And from the Central Kingdom: Lauren Smith, Drew An and Katya Sanders."

***

"A warm welcome to our remaining 15 players. But of course, this is not a game, as I am sure you are all aware. The next Trial is that of elegance and manner. Televised, one member of each kingdom shall be voted out. Good luck!"

Lauren sat at her spot on the table, next to her fellow competitors, Drew and Katya. She wished Ella was here, or at least somewhere.

To their right were Mark, Phoebe and Daniel. Across from the 6 of them were Sophia, Amaryllis, Max, Warden, Ariana and Henry. Evangeline, Shawn and Caleb sat at the head of the table, opposing Emperor Arthur, Empress Berenice and Aisling.

Lauren looked at Aisling closely. She was weak for a Sorceress Supreme. Lauren remembered when Hera had been Sorceress Supreme. She was her third cousin or something like that.

She remembered Hera's light brown curls that were always tossed over her shoulders. And though she was young, only 10 or so when she died, Lauren still remembered her vividly.

And though she had not even been born, even before Hera was born, Vira was the Sorceress Supreme. Now, she resided away from civilization, still healing from the destruction of the magical institution and the Sorcerer's Guild.

Servers came out, carrying silver trays and laid the food down. Some of the most expensive foods from across the 4 empires were on proud display tonight. Luxuries that had been long forgotten to the taste buds in Lauren's mouth.

Lauren noticed some of the other candidates stare hungrily at their food. Some, like that Warden boy from the Western Kingdom looked ready to devour his steak. Lauren understood him, how even simply the rich aroma and juicy look of the tender meat could drive him insane. But luckily, nobody broke the etiquette of having the Emperor have the first bite.

As soon as he did, the scrapes of knives against plates could be heard from all around.

Lauren gently cut her own steak open, making sure to not seem to fuss with the knife. Others didn't seem to care. Lauren could almost hear the cries of disapproval as Henry Mirack of the Western Kingdom tore into his steak, and ripped open his crab and lobster with bare hands. Even the butlers grimaced at that.

She had heard that the Western Kingdom were the most troubled out of all the kingdoms. Few people had enough to live. And with their rather high birth rate, there were way too many mouths to feed.

Lady Evangeline of the Northern Kingdom looked over the crowd. Lauren knew she would be a fan favourite.

Her cold and calculating eyes darted quickly over the bustling banquet table. At the head of the table, she looked regal. Sitting between Caleb and Shawn and the direct opposition of Emperor Arthur, she seemed like an Empress herself.

With her laced navy ballgown and silver jewellery, Lauren felt a sudden impulse to curtsy. And one of jealousy. She was truly beautiful.

Lauren saw that Evangeline was thinking the same thing she was. Her gaze drifted between Warden and Mark. They would soon be gone.

Mark was only here because of pity. The people took pity on him for his little speech and Lady Amaryllis took pity on him for his helplessness. It was a good strategy, really, but it was bound to fail sometime soon.

And Warden... He was horrible at everything. He was only still here due to the fact that despite all odds, somebody was just worse than him.

Even now, his eyes were ravenous, his hands and mouth busy. But Lauren knew that he would be saved once again by Henry's purely horrendous manners.

The boy tore into his food, ripping apart the parts with nothing but his bare hands. It made even me grimace with second hand embarrassment.

But a part of me could take pity on him and understand. Even my own conditions were kingly compared to the ones in some parts of the West. While I had barely over the line of enough, they had barely over the line of nothing.

Lady Amaryllis, whom I knew to be from the poorest district of the South, looked at Henry with a sort of both deep understanding and disgust.

The conditions there were beyond what any of us could imagine.

One look at Mark of the East could tell everyone that he was not fine. His face was troubled as he seemingly forced down his food, accompanied by much liquid.

A camera whirred around Lady Evangeline's head. She didn't seem to notice, or if she did, didn't care. It was an admirable and desirable trait to the others. Part of being a royal meant always being in the spotlight, and not letting it take you down.

Another camera spurred around Lauren's head, and she tried her best not to flinch or duck as it changed angles again and again. The sound was driving her crazy. The constant whirring was irritating.

Miss Sophia of the Southern Kingdom looked a bit confused and tired. Her eyes were glazed as if drunk. Lauren sighed. Irresponsible. Then she noticed it.

A small amount of foam had formed around Sophia's mouth. Her mouth hung slightly open and she slouched on her seat. Lauren realized the same moment that Mark Fields did. But they were both too late.

The moment that Lauren and Mark had scrambled out of their chairs and ran towards Sophia, she slumped over, slid down the seat and hit the stone cold ground.

Somebody screamed. Panicked voices were whispering to each other. Lauren pressed her head against Sophia's chest as Mark checked her pulse.

They met each other's eyes but didn't say a single word as the doctor raced to her body.

Breathing heavily, the doctor looked up and Lauren and confirmed what she already knew.

"She's dead."