Blathnaid

"Oh my goodness, what the heck?" Dominique says in shock while watching what is going on from Naomi's eyes. The protests and the slaughter. Not pretty. It's tempting to look away, but it's hard to look away from the screen. All the empires' leaders and most of the Gods are here at the conference table, seeing all we are seeing. It's underground; therefore, no windows, just doors. It's a plain room to avoid becoming distracted by the art on the walls, but going nuts without them. They are well aware of the spy being inside Teketa.

"What are we goin' to do about this?" Ablen mumbles.

"We don't know," Bracus answers calmly, "But my army and I are coming up with more organisation."

"Does Lady of All Kind know about this?" Asks the Titane's King, Eter.

"She only just arrived. Matters will discuss with her eventually."

"So, she doesn't know?"

"She sees all, Eter," Jersome's President, Valor, replies.

"Then why isn't she doing anything? You know what happened when he massacred our empire centuries ago."

"She whooped his bottom for that and lend his land to you," Bracus said coldly, "She has a lot on her plate with many planets to run-"

"Can't she just pick one planet and stay?"

Bracus raises his hand. "One paradise won't fit all. Ourdera ran three planets before Verantuvia, terraforming worlds suitable for life to some sort. As the universe ages, she wants to establish that all kinds have communication and support."

"Reveta, down here! NOW!" We hear Netedinark bark from within the cloud, startling all of us. We watch nervously, hoping our spy doesn't get picked.

"This is too dangerous," Ablen says concerned, "Pull the spy out now."

"Not now," Bracus replies, "She's a clever woman; she will get through with this."

"Clever sometimes doesn't beat danger."

"I'm well aware, Ablen."

Soon after, Naomi and the rest of the soldiers are dismissed. Bracus ends the cloud and resumes the discussion, going to his main question: "It's up to you to share what you saw to the public. How many of you will assist in the bloody battle to take place?"

"Too graphic," Eter comments.

"No one says you share the display you saw here," Forgison tells him.

"I fear not. Netedinark will know very soon of our rallies."

"Who says you have to prepare out in the open when you can underground?" Dominique retorts with a slight grin.

Eter stumbles and goes into thought. He sighs heavily. He slowly blinks as he determinedly says, "We will prepare in secret. I will not let Netedinark continue to bully us any longer."

"So will we, Eter," states Valor.

"I will tell my people what happened. Since Phirus is away from Teketa, I will provide refuge for those who flee, BUT Phirus will not battle. We can still send ammunition," Ablen informs. Bracus nods.

Um, does sending ammunition count as a contribution to battle? I thought, Pretty sure. I give him a warm smile.

"I will further discuss it with Ferilocks. If a vote has been reached, it will determine what Ferilocks will do." Said Forgision.

The rest of the place agrees to inform the people, and they will increase military troops and weapons. This makes me feel relieved on the other side. I can feel the satisfaction and relief from both Bracus and Dominique.

"That's all except one of them," Dominique says.

"Evanity- We need Ourdera," says Valor.

A knock is upon the door. Bracus grants whoever it is to enter. It is a Fai guard with purple short hair with black tips, purple-reddish eyes, and pink skin. We all wait in silence, anticipating what he is about to say.

"Blathnaid, Ourdera is here to see you at once," the guard states.

"Can she come in and decide for her city first?" Asks Valor.

"She can't, President, she is in Evanity."

Valor slumps down.

"Blathnaid, you're dismissed then," Dominique tells me.

I follow the guard from outside of Bracus's palace and into a flying car that only a few empires use, mostly the ones that Ourdera gave up her land to. These things look like cars and monorails fuse into one- Mini shuttles. I am getting Star Trek, but instead of white and grey on the outside, it's black and blue.

"How do I run this?" I ask him, sitting in the passenger seat.

"No need to," he reassures me, "I got this covered."

I put on my seatbelt.

ZING! This thing is fast. He takes high in the sky, the redness in the sky looks so fuzzy with the colourful clouds. Anything in my peripheral vision is going fast. I can't see the stars, only Auta setting in the sky, kissing the planet one last time before fading for another day.

We've reached Ourdera's palace. My palms are sweating, my nerves are sensitive, my heart is racing, and feeling sick hits all at once as the guard guides me to where Ourdera is. They took me to the greenest and most luxurious of all gardens that housed many fruits from all over the planet. Even in different climates, they grow content in Ourdera's garden.

A tall woman is checking out the flowers. She glances at us and stands up. Ourdera is much taller than me. She is still wearing that mask from her festival. She appears to be wearing a pastel blue oversized poncho with a short loose white dress beneath it. She is wearing no shoes. She has green vines on her ankles, hanging clear jewels, which remind me of Christmas lights. The vines are gently wrapped around her body with leaves around it. Her silver hair is put into a waterfall braid. I can only see the sunken-in eyes, which are still hard to make out more detail with the mask.

"Thank you, Yolankini," she says before dismissing him. He walks out, leaving us alone. She walks to me. I feel sweaty and my mind starts to race.

What if I smell?

What if am I too sweaty?

What would she think of me?

Am I going to be screwed?

What if I am not good enough?

"Hello, Blathnaid," she takes my hand and holds it gently, "I am Ourdera." A high tingling sensation awakens in my hand. I want to shake my nerves out.

"Hel-Hello," I greet back, stuttering.

"How are you enjoying Verantuvia thus far?"

"Pretty good," I smile. I want to leave that upcoming war out.

"You have incredible power, you know that, right?"

"I think so," I said unconfidently.

"Out of all my gifts, you're the strongest. Don't doubt yourself. I will help you for the future here."

Day 114

"You're going to do this alone this time around," she informs me, "Okay?"

"Yeah," I nod, but inside I know I am going to screw up.

"Good. Now go in."

For the last two weeks, Ourdera has been training me to be the Queen. There are no customs other than to talk to the people and make them adore me. At first, she let me job shadow her. We teleport to the star pedestals and speak. People will give her hugs as if there's no concern for diseases, getting shot, or space. Her embracing nature is a hug itself. The way she speaks is stern, honest, and friendly. We don't see that in our world. As time went on, she let me take turns speaking.

Then, there's war. Bracus is a Drill Sergeant; Ourdera is an actual nemesis. She tells me to focus on my energy harder and harder every time, understand my powers, and learn when to ghost. Sitting out or wussin' out is a no-no. A queen of a marvellous empire needs to have the ability to fight, not laze around. I barely ghost at all in training. I even managed to hit Ourdera many times. She tells me I am a "Gods' Reckoning." Bracus's and her flattery give me courage.

I take a deep breath, wondering what I am going to talk about. Ourdera never prepares, she just goes out there and speaks. She remembers everything and she's a professional in public speaking. Should I talk about the beauty of Evanity? How do I admire Evanity or Verantuvia as a whole? Should I say nothing? Everything?! Argh!

I step into the teleportation pad, something that is in Ourdera's room, which is kept secret and locked.

"Which pedestal should I go?" I ask her.

"Any one of them," she answers behind me, "It will still broadcast in areas out of the pedestal."

Large empire.

Fine. I will pick the closest to Evanity's borders. Everyone will hear, anyway.

Whisk! I am now at the borders. The community stops and looks at me with excitement. Weakness takes over my legs, feeling I will tumble over. Plenty of citizens go up and give me hugs. Every time, I have to swallow to make sure that I don't throw up. Then, that nerve-wracking silence. The audience is waiting for the speech.

Say something, git! They're waiting for you. Don't waste their time.

Start off with something sweet, ya baboon.

Moments passed before I finally decided to speak. I should've brought notes to remind myself of what to say. I am not so outgoing that can manifest my marvellous speeches right out of the blue.

"Hello everyone," I begin before taking a breath, "I haven't properly introduced m-myself yet. I am Blathnaid."

One of the little kids in the crowd raises their hands. Ourdera tells me I can stop and answer a question or I can wait until after the speech ends. If they are being disrespectful, give them a warning before resuming. By warning, verbally say it or summon a guard and they will take care of them. When letting someone ask a question, I should raise my hand with a slight claw formation. Do not point the finger.

"Go ahead," I say to the little boy.

"What is your homeworld like? What was your planet called?"

"It's Earth from another universe. It houses billions of p-people. There are nations that vary in development. They are far less developed than Evanity. There's entertainment, education, holidays, and so many cultures." I go to the darker side, "There is government corruption, exploitation, war, and diseases. It's sad to say that they can get away from that, censor, or even kill those who expose it."

What are they going to do about it? Shoot me? Are they going to travel into another universe, find Verantuvia, so they can kill me? Heh, they will be killed before they can get to me or I will kill them first. The thought of it makes me relax. Most of my nerves disappear, but not completely. My mind is still going a bit quick.

The little boy fell silent.

I take a deep breath and continue, "I only saw two empires in Verantuvia: Gaeriscelleh and Evanity. All of them are beautiful thus far. I can go outside in nature and take a deep fr-fresh breath of air. Earth is full of pollution and it hurts us, makes us sick, and unable to see our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Something that we also eat for candy. No, not the entire galaxy, a sweet bar named after it." I smile. Some crowd members chuckle, making me feel better. I am not advertising it, just saying.

"Darn, now I'm craving for one," I mutter, which the audience hears and laughs. This is totally not queen material. This isn't direct messaging on a dating app, yet it somehow feels nice I can make the audience laugh. "Anyway, as I first visited Evanity for the Blue Star Festival, I wa-was taken aback about the size, the beautiful skyscrapers, the technology, and the high population density."

A man raises his hand from the crowds. I let him ask.

"Did you enjoy the Blue Star Festival?" He asks.

"Yes," I answer, "I was overwhelmed at first, and needed to take a breather, but I helped one of my friends, who is definitely not used to a crowd like this. We danced together, but we still joined the gracious festivities afterward and met the Lady of All Kind."

The man nods.

"Evanity's air is still clear, beautiful. The days and nights are clear; however, I do miss the weather back at home. The snowflakes, the thunder, and the rain--something that is nice to watch and write poetry. Perhaps, I can share it with you all once I get them back or write more of them."

But you're going to have to worry about stuttering again or vomiting all over the stand.

Be quiet up there, you're making me lose focus.

Remember what Bracus said in his meeting two weeks ago?

A long pause in my speech sparks the belief the crowd doesn't know if I finished my speech or ran out of a train of thought. Should I go and say it?

"Tell them the truth, be honest with them, make them trust you," Ourdera words echo through my head. Will she be mad at me if I say what's going on? Will she yell at me for hiding what's going on? I take a deep breath.

"Aside from pretty matters, there is a serious conflict upon Verantuvia. I do apologise for spoiling the great moment. Two weeks ago, The Gaeriscelleh spy in Teketa witnessed Netedinark's citizens being slaughtered and beaten for speaking up. Due to the graphic content it contains, I am not sharing the spy's eyes with you all. A meeting with the empirical leaders discussed whether or not to share with their nations- I mean empires- with their citizens. In addition, they discussed joining the probable war in the future. Since I am not a full ruler of Evanity, I will give Ourdera to decide our fate. Remember my fellow Evanitarians, if we do go to war, we are strong, and the future lies within our hands."

And for the final piece...

"Bless you all and enjoy the rest of the day."

I pant, but not as bad as in the beginning. I wait in the suffocating symphony of silence, waiting for the citizens to respond. Ourdera is not going to save me if I fail...because I have been preparing to do this.

Then one person starts to clap, another one does, and more people clap. Soon in the eyes all can see, everyone is clapping. The clapping feels like rain to me, uplifting; a sound that I can sleep to after a long day. I breathe out a small chuckle, getting my final nerves out. I wave back. "Thank you all for your patience and farewell," I bid.

The star pedestal glows again and takes me back to the palace again. I walk out, only for me to get startled by Ourdera, who is still standing. I can't tell her emotions behind her giant deer mask. She always looks neutral with that on and she never takes it off. It's either scrutiny, anger, disappointment, or the worse.

"S-So-Sorry," I apologise in advance.

"Ah-uh," she raises her hand up. Her voice doesn't express anger. It's always calm as a tideless moon. "There's nothing to apologise for, Blathnaid, you did well," she tells me. Her voice sounds soft as angelic wings. That's the first.

"I didn't inform you about the meeting weeks ago. That's what I am apologising for."

"I'm not mad. Bracus knew. He was training you to focus in that field. I did see you stumble upon your words, but don't worry, you'll get better. It's best to inform the people and be honest with them. You set yourself up with a good start out there. But up next is your leadership in battle. Time to go to the generals and speak with them."

I nod and take a knee and bow. "Thank you, Lady of All Kind, I will lead future battles with victory," I said to her. Don't know if that's a promise wrapped in hollow candy or clear as a precious heartbeat.

"Uh, no need to do that," she tells me, "Why do?"

"It means to honour," I explain to her, "...Or propose marriage."

Okay, why did you say that?

"First, you're in Verantuvia, not Earth. Second, I'd advise not to do that. You're asking for a duel to the death- It's an old Verantuvian custom. But...It can also mean sex. There's no way I'm getting intimate with you."

I remember Ivelisse kneeling to Bracus the first time we were at Gaeriscelleh. Bracus was knocked off guard because of Ivelisse's obliviousness. My eyes widen and chuckle a bit. I stand back up. "I guess, we shall duel next time you train me," and that was what my kneel bow meant.