The rest of the morning after breakfast was normal, at least as much as it could be after everything that had happened, and before we knew it lunch was over and we were seated in the throne room for the council. Before, there were only the thrones for the king and queen, but now there’s a large, round, wooden table with seats for all attendees. Of course, the thrones were still there, they were just repurposed to be at the head of the table. Knowing how dynamic Forest magic could be, I imagine the setup was made by Wendell.
Luci and I ended up being the last two to arrive, and the council quickly began with the king announcing introductions, starting to his and continuing counterclockwise around the table until it would be his turn. The first to introduce himself, Isaac, stood up.
“Isaac Revierre, representing the Revierre Duchy,” he bowed, and sat down.
Normally, it should be his father, the current family head, who would be here, but he hasn’t been in the right mind since he found that his daughter was taken from him, so Isaac has temporarily taken his role as family head.
Next, a woman I recognize as being one of the Pleiades stood up. I’ve noticed that while all of the group had the same silver hair, they all had unique eye colors, with the one at the table having the same silver color in her eyes as she did in her hair.
“Petra Taygeta, representing the Taygeta Duchy as well the families of my sisters,” when she bowed, the rest of her group, which was standing behind her, did the same.
She sat, and the next woman stood up.
“Duchess Anne Augmonica, representing the Augmonica Duchy in the place of my late husband,” she bowed, and sat.
She was the widowed wife of Duke Augmonica, who was killed during the attack. We were lucky he ended up being the only casualty we suffered, but as lucky as the rest of us were, I doubt the Duchess feels the same way. It’s practically written on her face that she’d rather be mourning her husband than sit at this council…
The next attendee to stand was someone I didn’t recognize.
“Duchess Eri Sylph, representing the Sylph Duchy,” she said. She was an older woman, and from what I can tell, has been in her position for a long time. Additionally, her hair was green, like mine, but a darker shade.
Osakara only had four Duchies, and those four families were the only ones present, with the exception of the six Pleiades still standing, who, to my understanding, come from Baronies. The royal family was not in attendance at the wedding, and while there were other Baronies and minor Lords, they were not needed for this council, and were dismissed to return home after the events of the day before.
The other human kingdoms were not on good terms with Pristella, or really anyone else here, so they had no representatives present. With that said, it was time to move on to the Dwarves, and unlike the Twin-Sun Festival, where only four of the seven Council Members were there, there were six seated at the table, with the only one missing being Jackson Ironwall, who I met last time.
“Clarence Clearmind, Dwarven Head of Foreign Affairs,” the first one introduced himself, bowed, and sat down for the rest of the Dwarves, who all repeated the same process.
“Brady Strongarm, Dwarven Head of Military Procedure.”
“Jordan Stalwart, Dwarven Head of Military Security.”
“Garrett Greenthumb, Dwarven Head of Agriculture.”
“Michael Smith, Guildmaster of the Smithing Guild.”
“Larry Forger, Guildmaster of the Enchanting Guild.”
After the Dwarves all introduced themselves, and I learned of two Guilds I would have to ask Luci about later, Clarence Clearmind stood back up.
“Absent today, Dwarven head of Citizen-Government Relations, Jackson Ironwall,” he bowed like all of the other introductions so far, although this time it seemed more apologetic than out of respect.
After the Dwarves, it was time for the Beastkin leaders, starting with the Harekin.
“Harekin Tribal Chief, Elle,” she said, following the same routine as everyone else so far.
The Beastkin leaders not only had a representative sitting at the table, but also others standing behind the leaders like the Pleiades.
“Harekin Chief Advisor, Milly.”
The Wolfkin were similar, with a chief and advisor attending.
“Wolfkin Tribal Chief, Corey.”
“Wolfkin Chief Advisor, Curtis.”
The Catkin had the same setup.
“Catkin Tribal Chief, Mikaela Lovecat,” she bowed like everyone else, but threw in a wink with it for some reason. Strangely, she had a last name, which is something I knew was possible, but hadn’t actually seen before aside from Setsuna.
Unexpectedly, the man behind her wasn’t another Catkin, but was instead a Dwarf.
“Catkin Chief Advisor, Parker Lovecat,” he said, answering my question about the Chief’s last name. Looking closely, I noticed they had matching rings. Knowing how Dwarves are given their last names based on their personalities and what they do in life, I wonder just how he got that name…
While Setsuna is technically the Chief of the Kitsune, and one of the Beastkin leaders, the Tribes are mostly a separate entity from the rest of the Beastkin. The Elders are its main governing body, so they had a representative at the table as well.
“Representative of the United Kitsune Tribes’ Elders, Freiya,” since the Elder’s rarely leave the village, Freiya- the wife of one of their members- was designated to be their representative if they ever needed one. Standing behind her, was her daughter.
“United Kitsune Tribes’ Security Chief, Shimo.”
The next introduction was Setsuna’s, and as I was sitting next to her, I started trying to figure out what I should introduce myself as.
“Foxkin Tribal Chief, Setsuna Ryuto.”
“Foxkin Chief Advisor, Inazuma.”
When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and stood up, deciding to just say whatever fit the best, since everyone else here clearly rehearsed their introductions before while I didn’t even know there would be any sort of introductions today.
“Leader of SS rank adventuring party Claws of the Orange Fox, Mira,” I bowed, choosing to ignore Setsuna’s snickering as I sat down.
After I was done, the only ones left were Elves, starting with Luci.
“Lucindell Aerostill Regali-Pristella, first princess of Pristella and member of SS rank adventuring party Claws of the Orange Fox,” she said.
Setsuna, upset about her failed attempt to get a rise out of me when I said my admittedly embarrassing party name, nudged me in the side with her elbow as Luci said it, intent on getting some kind of reaction. Ina, the amazing advisor she is, noticed and decided to lightly kick her in the back of her leg to get her to be more serious.
“Vicadra Igni Regali-Pristella, crown prince of Pristella,” Vic was after Luci, leaving only the king and queen.
“Lanadri Roushi Regali-Pristella, Queen of Pristella,” Lana said, standing and bowing like everyone else. Under normal circumstances, she and her husband would remain seated, but at this council, the other leaders are their equals, so they make sure to show their respect.
“Wendell Excelsus Regali-Pristella, King of Pristella,” Wendell said, finishing off the introductions. “I now call the council to session.”
