Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴜᴍ (Bᴏᴏᴋ 1) (editing)

Chapter 14- Running For The... (Part 2)

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Rayna jumped up from her spot on the grass, feeling a fire burning through her veins with her knew found power. "You're right, Aunt Catherina! I won't have their respect if I am not apart of this. I need to show them that I am apart of this too!" She stormed down the hill, not another word did she utter as she let the fire fuel her walking the few miles back to the Hidden Castle. Catherina and Jewel right behind her.

Part 2

Once Rayna reached the steps to the castle she paused trying to find her courage. The task now almost daunting, the panic rising up a little now. She looked behind her, and there stood both Aunt Catherina and Jewel a few feet away. Her aunt nodded her head, encouraging her to go on. Rayna nodded her head back and raced up the steps and flung the doors open.

The men all paused looking to her like she was crazy, but then went back to their discussion at the table. Rayna narrowed her eyes and marched over to them and sat down at the head of the table. The men were all standing but did not take notice of her. She looked down at the papers that sat on top, and she pulled them towards her and began reviewing what they had written down.

Rayna noted the remark of her revealing her identity to the people a month before her birthday and decided to speak. "I will not be doing this." She said calmly looking down at the piece paper.

All four men grew silent, looking to her, trying to figure out what exactly she was talking about. Kalevi was the first to speak, "What?" Confusion clear in his tone.

Rayna finally looked up from the piece of paper, "I said, I am not doing this. Meaning I am not announcing my identity to the people a month before my birthday." She placed the piece of paper down on the table and clasped her hands together all the while looking at them with not a touch of emotion on her face. Waiting.

Kalevi smiled slightly, still confused by what she was saying. Clearly, she did not understand what she was talking of. "Rayna, you don't really have a choice."

"But I do actually." Rayna leaned forward in the chair, "You know, what with it being me and all. With it being my secret, my identity, my kingdom. I think I deserve a little say in how the situation plays out." She paused looking down at the paper once more before turning to then to speak. "I want to tell the people a few months in advance, I don't want to just spring this on them."

All of them remained silent, staring at her in complete shock until one couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"That is absurd. That will give Malum the upper hand." Andre scoffed at her, rolling his eyes at how her stupidity.

"How?" Rayna asked, leaning back in the chair she sat in.

"How?" Andre looked at her like she was crazy.

"Yes, Andre, how? How will it give him the upper hand?" Rayna pressed on, not raising her voice, making sure to keep a calm voice.

"He will know that's how!" He shouted back at her, waving his arm in the air.

"He would know a month in advance as well. Try again." Rayna raised an eyebrow challenging him.

All four men stared at her confounded. She leaned back in her seat and spoke once more, "The way I see it it will give the people more time to come to terms with me. Although it does give Malum more time to prepare, it does the same for us. It gives me more time to win over the people instead of just a few weeks then bam I take the crown. I want them to want me to be on the throne, not just because they have to let me." She shrugs her shoulders, "Then again compared to Malum I am sure I would be the better choice, but I want time to get to know them. Who knows if I will actually get on the throne right away." She rubbed her hands together looking down at them, "Things do happen. And for all we know before I get the chance to fight Malum, we might have a war on our hands. We need to get the people's support, we need to give them time."