Mwari Chronicles

Chapter 4

There was a saying by the itobantu tribe of Valon, which goes as follows. "Politics is a hyena laughing besides you, soon enough it would try to eat you."

No truer words had been spoken in the eyes of Natasha Hachibambo, Queen of Valon. These words had been driven into her mind since she was a young naive girl, freshly married to the prince of Valon and with dreams of childish fantasy, born from a low born girl who had just spent her teenage years living a fairy tale with a marriage to a prince in the end.

Her time in the war had dulled much of her expectations but it was her time in the court that had removed the scales of naivety fully from her eyes and she saw a side of the political game most would never have even dreamed of. The very building that she stood in had been the classroom and it's occupants her teachers.

The House of Law, the parliamentary and legislative heart of Valons government stood at the heart of the royal palace, its marble walls lined with images of councils from ages past who had held court in this very area.

Today one hundred parliamentarians and the most important stakeholders of Valon. Added to their mix were the diplomatic corp of the whole world, all with eyes fixed on the man seat at the heart of the room, upon a throne carved curved from a single black stone. This ancient throne was placed on an elevated dais, overlooking all of the men and women whose eyes burned with an hunger akin to a thousand rats in the night.

Natasha would have liked to seat besides her husband, the Mwami of Valon, but she had diverted from that path all to long ago. Her duty as Queen required her to be his shadow, to cast webs in which his enemies would be bound and for her to be his ears amongst his friends and his enemies. Thus she sat in the crowds, not too far from him that it would be obvious to all that she was attempting to hide herself.

Her cold golden eyes cast a wide gaze from the representatives of the Ocean Lords, Unar Empire and the Marthon league, all knowing that whatever choice taken today would affect them greatly. She looked to the parliamentarians who pretended to hold a stance publicly whilst whoring themselves out to whichever faction would guarantee their bid or their allies bid for the position of First Minister.

The current First Minister looked just as weary of his fellow parliamentarians. Jon Phiri cast a pitiful figure in his blue suit that was two sizes too big and though the old elf looked exhausted, his eyes showed the same fire that had won him two terms. He was a somewhat trusted ally who she could count to control the vultures of the House of Law.

But such power in her side was almost rendered worthless in the eyes of Natasha, for her gaze was always returning to Asthor, the old she wolf. Asthor had been in this world for so long as a supporter of the policies placed by Undi's father, Mulambo the first. Even after his death she still openly pushed for them making her Undi's and thus Natasha's greatest internal threat.

A day had not gone past without her and Undi regretting having pardoned the old snakes life at Tungogo. Mercy had looked the better option after the blood bath of that day and now Natasha wished that they had listened to Justinian and hardened their hearts to the prisoners bound before them that day.

Infact the silvered haird Grandmaster of the Vortiguard alongside his two captains stood besides the throne clade in gleaming gold and red plate armour with the golden dragon of the order of Vortiguard proudly emblazoned upon their chest plates. These few honoured men and women were amongst the greatest of warriors in the whole of Valon. And they served as they personal guards of the Mwami.

Their leader was a giant of a man, with silver locks and a thick grey beard which contrasted his tan olive skin. Old Justinian's eyes remained locked upon Asthor with his right hand resting upon his sword's pumel as if he was expecting at any moment to rush Asthor and behead her.