The Secret Kingdom

The Decision

Chapter 6 - The Decision

The people were all gathered as they had been when I was to be crowned as Queen, only now they looked afraid.

"Do not be alarmed. We are safe for the moment. The Hunters have been put into a sleep that will last for ten days."

Murmuring went through the crowd. They were all wondering who had cast the spell because that spell was more complex than many of them knew. And none of the older Riders had been close enough to cast the spell.

"I have found a way to weaken their leader, but in order to do that I must marry." All talking ceased and they turned to face me. "You have all heard of the Mark the Hunters can give to a specific victim, and you know that I have been given a Mark. That Mark was given to me by the man that now leads the opposing Hunters. For me to be able to break the bond he has forced upon me I must marry my mate. Some of you have doubts about me in your heart and I wish for you to bring them forward."

Silence rang through the crowd before one man dared call out his doubt. "You are a mere teenager. There are many Riders older and much more experienced than you are. Why should we listen to what you have to say? How do we know that the Hunter that gave you the Mark isn't controlling you right now?"

"That is a great doubt." Confusion showed on many of the people's faces and I gave them a smile. "I once doubted myself for many reasons, and that was one of them. I am very young, but I have grown faster in the past four months than I had in the past seventeen years of my life. Among the humans I would be considered an adult when I turned sixteen, and I had acted as an adult then. Though it was a human adult. Riders live much longer than humans do and I realize that. I have done my best to make the right decisions, but I will not make this decision without your help. If you do not see me fit to marry Shamir, my mate, then I will leave. I do not wish to put you in harm's way and will do whatever I can to keep you safe. So now I ask you. What do you decide?"

The crowd stayed silent for a moment longer before they turned to each other and began talking.

I could hear many people saying it was a danger just having me stand there, while others were proud with what I was doing. And others still had no idea what to choose. They didn't know if it'd be a good idea for me to marry the man that had taken care of them while they waited for me. But they also wondered if it'd be a strong pairing.

A collective silence fell over the crowd as I raised my hand, silently asking for permission to speak.

"I have presented you with the problem at hand. I do not wish for you to rush your decision, for it will have a great effect on our people as a whole. Take the rest of the day and think it over. I will come back here at dawn and I will ask for your decision. Do not take this lightly for the decision could mean life or death."

I gave one last look over the crowd before walking back to Olena and climbing back on. As she took off for our home I gave one last look at the slowly separating crowd. I had grown to care for them and would desperately miss them if they chose to send me away, but I would willingly leave. They had a right to be able to live in peace, and it seems that I was the one that brought the trouble upon them.

"Take us home Olena. It may be our last night to be there." I could feel her sorrow, but it had to happen.

The worst thing was that I already knew what they were going to decide, and I had a feeling Olena did too.