The Breakers

Chapter 19: Political Affairs

Trigger warning: mention of minor violence

Raelle's POV

As if I didn't have enough going on, I slept no more than three hours last night. I was up reading the tome the Breakers provided me until well past sundown, soaking in as much information as I could.

Kessia woke me at dawn, and immediately began fussing over me. Despite my protests, she helped me bathe, insistent that I needed my energy for the long day ahead. Next came my hair. The design was elegant and pulled at my hair more than I liked, but I didn't complain. Thankfully, the gown Kessia chose for me was a soft purple high neck gown with a slit on the right side. Slightly darker purple swirls lined the bottom, starting at the hem and ending at about my knee. It suited my style perfectly while still keeping the level of regality needed for such an event.

Lastly, kohl lined my eyes and shiny white flats were slipped onto my feet. The final touch was my Archmage pin. It had the same design as my personal seal, but was black with gold lettering rather than the deep maroon color I used to seal my letters. It was pinned above my left breast, prominently displayed for all to see.

Dressing me took an entire two hours, and my stomach growled loud enough for Kessia to hear. She chuckled and called for the servants to bring breakfast to my room. She would be briefing me over court decorum until midday when we were to report to the Grand Hall.

"So, Kessia. Is court a Breaker affair or is it just us Archmages making the decisions?" I asked in between bites of bacon and potatoes.

"That depends on the subject matter. Most citizens come to court to request permission for new experiments, complaints about other citizens, or other minor grievances. But sometimes, the Breakers will need to be involved and the court will reconvene privately after they have offered their guidance."

"What sorts of things will warrant Breaker interference?"

Kessia put a finger to her chin and looked at the ceiling, contemplating. "Well, it's uncommon, but when a citizen comes to court to report non-magical sightings or other major events like that, the Archmages must be given orders from the Breakers before action is taken."

I let this sink in for a moment. I hoped I wouldn't have to be in charge of a raid. I hated needless violence, and from what Elydis had told me, the Batlemages were brutal when it came to non-magicals' refugee camps.

"Will you be accompanying me?" I asked my messenger.

Kessia gave me one of her signature smiles and replied, "Yes, I will. I have no power to make decisions, but I will be by your side to collect your vote. This will be my first time at court, actually."

"Really? You seem so knowledgeable about it and I thought you'd been a long time court attendee by the amount of information you have given me."

"I'm flattered, Raelle. Messengers are trained for years before we get assigned to an Archmage. I've been training since I was fifteen, and court decorum is drilled into our head frequently. I'm sure by now you know I'm on the younger side compared to some of the other messengers. Sometimes, messengers don't work out with the Archmages they're assigned to and they get replaced. I was never chosen as a replacement. Your predecessor, Sirah, was in charge of assigning your messenger and she chose me. So you're the first Archmage I've been assigned to."

I gave a small bow and giggled, "I'm honored to be your first, Kessia. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you, so I don't see myself ever replacing you."

The woman blushed and we returned to our earlier conversation, talking the morning away until Calder came to collect the both of us.

Jestae was standing next to Calder holding a stack of parchment as well as a quill and inkpot with her. Since Calder was the oldest Archmage, his messenger was in charge of taking minutes. Calder greeted Kessia and I and kissed the back of both of our hands before leading us through the Keep toward the Grand Hall.