Bran was announced to remain senator of Gerak. This angered a good bit of people, because they thought he belonged back in Tortu with the other slaves. He gave a strong speech after shaking Bidi's hand, but during her speech, he could tell something was wrong with her, so after the event, he sought her out before she could leave.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he shifted through the crowd to find her.
"Nothing," she said as her eyes darted all over the crowd.
"Something is wrong," he insisted.
"I'm fine," she lied.
"I know you better than that," he resisted.
"Okay," she said as her eyes were still scanning for dangers, "while I was in Frithe— delivering the reveal— ten or so men were there with weapons. I told the guards to keep an eye on them, but one of them still fired an arrow at me. It missed, thank god, but it really rattled me. People want me dead. And they're willing to risk their lives to do it. I don't know. It's probably no big deal, but what if there are more like them, lurking in the shadows. I don't know," she repeated, "I'm being silly, right?"
"That is very serious. But you're right, as leaders, we must accept that some people won't accept our laws. Some people do want us dead. I have a few guards escort me many places. It just depends where I'm going, but most of the time, their presence is enough to make people reconsider their plans," he shared.
"So I should get private security?" Bidi queried.
"If it will make you feel better. It's something the government pays for as well, so you don't have to personally pay for it, unless you have extra guards, but the government will pay for you to have two guards with you at all times. I think it's fair," he happily said.
"I've never considered having guards after the war was over... I thought I'd be able to roam around and do whatever I wanted. I've been very naive," she sulked.
"You've learned," he corrected her. "There's nothing wrong with learning from mistakes."
"Do people want you dead?" She wondered.
"Someone out there does," he said with confidence.
"I doubt it. You're the only senator to get re-elected. You have no enemies," she complained.
"It is impossible to make change without enemies. The second you have no enemies is the second you have given up," he shed a bit of light.
"I don't feel safe anymore," she shared. "I have upset a lot of people, Bran. This could be the first assassination attempt of many to come, especially in Frithe. I bet most of their people hate me."
"A lot of Frizians love you. Have you read into your approval ratings per region? It's the highest in Frithe," he shared.
"What have I done?" She whined.
"You changed the world entirely. We are just now getting out of the Stone Age. Under your rule, we have schools and hospitals being built. Modern medicine is more than putting a few roots in water. We have made incredible strides because of your sacrifice," he enlightened with a gleam in his eyes.
"I wasn't here for any of that. I was gone nearly a year. I wasn't responsible for any of it," she moped.
"You laid the foundation for people to thrive," he wisely said.
"All I did was have half the population killed," she accused herself of being a bad queen.
"It is already rebuilding. This year alone, more children were born than any year in history," he stated. "We have made so much progress under your delicate law making."
