Every single one of her invitees had come to Loess. Guardian Reave, Prince Obscene, King Nashua and his southern monarch Queen Oceane. Even a few important faces from Cheri’s early years in the red rock country showed up: Tarian, who’d taught her that being strong didn’t necessarily equate to being bad, and Ledger - the one-eyed bear shifter who’d counseled Cheri in the arts of diplomatic nuances. In the smallest corners of her heart Cheri felt the painful absence of her parents, siblings, and friends, but she had a firm belief in their unspoken support even if those she cherished most were not here to speak it.
Aloft, she replied to both Oceane and Reave’s mirror questions. “Beyond the shadow of a doubt.” She looked amused.
They could keep their concerns. Cheri had cast her own aside long ago, knowing that if she wanted to be perceived as the leader they all expected her to be, she’d have to continue forward with the same confidence Reave exuded along with the natural grace and poise Oceane was renowned for. Apprehension had no place at this gathered round table; one way or another she would leave this summoning as a changed mare.
Quickly, she turned and stretched out her nose to plant a swift kiss of goodwill upon Oceane’s cheek. “You will always be my Queen and sovereign Lady.” She whispered a promise, then pulled back. In a few steps she leapt from the cliff, fluttering down to the level countryside where the majority of her guests had gathered.
“My friends,” She called them, “having you here for my rite of passage is overwhelming. Thank you.” Cheri landed and folded her wings away, intent on mingling with the grounded herd of mostly stallions. Obscene had kept to the shadowy fringes of the canyon wall, Nashua had found her looking for him and his warm, familial smile relayed the pride he left unsaid. Cheri smiled back. “But there are larger things at play for us to discuss first, I think. Pressing concerns that’ve been voiced by all of you.” She swept her gaze across them one by one, including the others still on high, and found herself amazed at the contrast of powerful elites holding court at her behest.
Cheri inhaled a long breath.
“In order to combat these worldly evils, I propose two plans: we combine the northern and southern territories in order to create a larger united front, or we attempt to create a new Kingdom seat and make it more difficult for our combined alliances to be split.” The black and white spotted pegasus proposed. Of the two ideas, only one had been at the forefront of Cheri’s mind. The other had been a fallback in the circumstance of any one horse disagreeing to be absorbed and possibly losing their title.
The fact was, she and the other court members knew that chaos in the Eastern lands wouldn’t be kept at bay for much longer. Pandemonium like the kind she was hearing about lately had a tendency to spread, and she assumed they’d all had enough of dealing with that alone. One way or another, Cheri expected anarchy to come knocking. Her fear was that it would come raining down like hellfire instead.
“The empty seat in Taiga leaves us vulnerable to outside infiltration.” She turned thoughtful. “I’d personally rather see it dissolved or shuffled around before I see it used against us.” Cheri concluded. Pausing, she took a breath before opening the floor for discussion. “I know this might not be to everyone’s taste, so I'm going to start by opening the floor on the matter.” The young monarch deferred to her elders, silencing herself thereafter.
Aloft, she replied to both Oceane and Reave’s mirror questions. “Beyond the shadow of a doubt.” She looked amused.
They could keep their concerns. Cheri had cast her own aside long ago, knowing that if she wanted to be perceived as the leader they all expected her to be, she’d have to continue forward with the same confidence Reave exuded along with the natural grace and poise Oceane was renowned for. Apprehension had no place at this gathered round table; one way or another she would leave this summoning as a changed mare.
Quickly, she turned and stretched out her nose to plant a swift kiss of goodwill upon Oceane’s cheek. “You will always be my Queen and sovereign Lady.” She whispered a promise, then pulled back. In a few steps she leapt from the cliff, fluttering down to the level countryside where the majority of her guests had gathered.
“My friends,” She called them, “having you here for my rite of passage is overwhelming. Thank you.” Cheri landed and folded her wings away, intent on mingling with the grounded herd of mostly stallions. Obscene had kept to the shadowy fringes of the canyon wall, Nashua had found her looking for him and his warm, familial smile relayed the pride he left unsaid. Cheri smiled back. “But there are larger things at play for us to discuss first, I think. Pressing concerns that’ve been voiced by all of you.” She swept her gaze across them one by one, including the others still on high, and found herself amazed at the contrast of powerful elites holding court at her behest.
Cheri inhaled a long breath.
“In order to combat these worldly evils, I propose two plans: we combine the northern and southern territories in order to create a larger united front, or we attempt to create a new Kingdom seat and make it more difficult for our combined alliances to be split.” The black and white spotted pegasus proposed. Of the two ideas, only one had been at the forefront of Cheri’s mind. The other had been a fallback in the circumstance of any one horse disagreeing to be absorbed and possibly losing their title.
The fact was, she and the other court members knew that chaos in the Eastern lands wouldn’t be kept at bay for much longer. Pandemonium like the kind she was hearing about lately had a tendency to spread, and she assumed they’d all had enough of dealing with that alone. One way or another, Cheri expected anarchy to come knocking. Her fear was that it would come raining down like hellfire instead.
“The empty seat in Taiga leaves us vulnerable to outside infiltration.” She turned thoughtful. “I’d personally rather see it dissolved or shuffled around before I see it used against us.” Cheri concluded. Pausing, she took a breath before opening the floor for discussion. “I know this might not be to everyone’s taste, so I'm going to start by opening the floor on the matter.” The young monarch deferred to her elders, silencing herself thereafter.
@Oceane
@Obscene
@Reave
@Nashua