The Broken Council (The Guardian Chronicles 1) by Steven R. Burke

elements could throw at it.   The round table in the middle was made of
solid black oak from the northern edge of the Forest of Renshaw.   There were etchings of gold, silver, and
precious gems inlaid in the intricate carvings in the wood.   The walls had murals of elven history and in
particular of the recent division of its people.   It clearly outlined the rise of the high
elves and displayed pictures of Queen Kira and her husband, General Yukio.
    Kishi
fought hard to hide her loathing.     She
needed to present her case for the throne carefully as to not give away her
hidden motives.   She really did not care
to rule over all of the high elves because she did not believe that all of them
would be accepting of her.   She was here
to convince as many members of the council as possible.   The rest merely had to have the seed of doubt
planted in them.
    “Princess
Kishi, welcome,” Chairman Merindiel greeted her.   “Now we may begin.”
    “First
order of business on the agenda today is the legitimacy of the right to rule
the high elves as a sovereign monarch.   The eldest daughter of King Ciel, Princess Kishi, has petitioned Queen
Kira to hear her argument for the right to the throne.   Her majesty has convened this council to
definitively determine whose claim is most just.”   Bronwen had a friendly warm smile as he spoke
to the council members.   He had a
particularly kind look on his face when he looked at Kishi.   He respected her as a powerful sorceress and
as an intelligent person.   He knew that
if she was making this claim there had to be something to it.
    “Milady,
will you please present your argument at this time?   There will be no questions until you are
finished.   When you have reached that
point, please indicate that to me so I do not interrupt you at any point,” the
chairman said kindly.
    “Thank
you, most noble chairman.   Your kind
words warm my heart and give me the courage to speak to you all this day.”   As Kishi was saying the last few words, an
ear-piercing crackle of lightning followed by an earth-shaking boom rocked the
hall.   The storm was beginning to unleash
its fury upon the mountainside.
    “I
will keep my presentation of what I believe to be the facts as short as
possible.   I do not want us to be kept
here while there is such a vicious storm raging outside,” Princess Kishi began
eloquently.   “I believe that high elven
tradition dictates that the heir to the throne is the spouse of the departed
monarch.   In the event of his or her
spouse passing before them, then the eldest child is crowned to rule in his or
her parents’ place.”   Lightning streaked
across the blackened sky.   The frequency
of the strikes was becoming more intense and frequent.   They were also striking much closer to their
current location.   This storm can’t be natural , she thought.
    “As
I was saying, the tradition and the law of the high elves are that the right to
rule is passed down from the parents to the eldest child.   If that child is not fit to rule or is
otherwise unable to take over the monarchy, then the next sibling in line would
be crowned.   What I perceive to be the
current situation to be is either a misinterpretation of the law or a change in
the law that I was not aware of.”   She
did not want to appear to be overtly confrontational, so she continued with her
polite presentation of the facts.
    “Many
do not know that my sister Kira is actually younger than I.   Though we are twins, I was the first out of
our dear departed mother’s womb.   So,
according to our laws, I would be the rightful ruler of this new nation.   Noble Merindiel, have I misunderstood the
law?   Are the laws and traditions of the
high elves, in this respect, unchanged?”
    Bronwen
stood from his seat next to the queen and said, “You are quite right about the
law and its interpretation.   Also, we
have not altered or amended the law that you have brought to