As the coronation ceremony began, Gloria watched from atop the balcony, peeking through the curtain. She looked down among the crowd as Nar held up the King's scepter. Everyone was focused on the preacher and Nar. Gloria spotted Julian in the crowd. From Gloria's vantage point, he sat in the front row on the right. Simina was seated on the left in the front pew, next to Nar's Royal Adviser, Blu.
Gloria clutched the folds of her cloak in her left hand, waiting for the moment to strike. Julian wasn't looking at her. He was paying close attention to the ceremony. Nar was kneeling before the preacher. The preacher held a book, and Nar placed his hand on it. Nar was now taking the King's Oath. Gloria gulped. Anxiety pulsed through her veins. Her heart hammered against her rib cage. It was almost time. She glared back at Julian. Still, he did not look up at her.
Gloria grounded her teeth. Come on! It's time! She was tired of hearing the senseless droning of that preacher! It had been about ten minutes. Even the crowd down below seemed restless. Gloria located the spot of each of Julian's mercenaries in the crowd. All of them shifted uneasily in their seats. Gloria started chewing on her bottom lip. All she had to do was use her mist magic so no one could see. Then, before the smoke consumed everything, she'd tackle the Prince, and Julian would aid her in killing him. While that was happening, the mercenaries would attempt to kill Simina. They could see through the thick mist with their special goggles.
Gloria smirked maliciously as she glared down at Simina. You'll get what's coming to you; you and your little Prince. She seethed with hate for Simina. The little brat, I'll have the throne soon. It'll all be mine once you and Nar are dead. Her vicious, hateful thoughts filled her with a sick pleasure.
"Almost time," Gloria mumbled eagerly to herself. She watched the audience, staring with awe at Prince Nar, soon to be their King. But not for long.
"...I must be a humble king," the preacher said. Nar recited,
"I must be a humble king..."
"...that respects the rights and laws of my royal citizens..." he droned.
"...that respects the rights and laws of my royal citizens..." Nar repeated.
"...not peasants..." the preacher read.
"...not peasants..."
"...I will be a fair king..."
"...I will be a fair king..."
"...that treats my citizens with respect..." And every sentence the preacher read, Nar repeated without fail. It was a long and dull process, and listening to it gave Gloria quite a headache. She glared down at Nar's kneeling form below her. Then she glared down at Julian, who sat calmly in the pews, looking bored. Why hadn't he given her the signal yet? Wasn't it time? Gloria gritted her teeth with impatience.
After a few more sentences, the oath ended. The preacher drew Nar's sword and tapped Nar on each shoulder with the blade's tip. Then he slipped the sword back into Nar's sheath. He carefully picked up the King's golden crown, holding it with both hands. He started to lower the crown onto Nar's head. Gloria flicked her eyes in Julian's direction. He still wouldn't look at her. Her eyes bulged. Come on, come on! Give me the signal already!
The audience began to applaud. Gloria's blood boiled. The preacher placed the crown on top of Nar's head.
"Rise, O' Honorable One. Face your people. You are now King," said the preacher. Nar rose and faced the audience. He waved at the applauding crowd. Simina blew him a kiss. Gloria looked at Julian, her heart pounding. Julian glanced up at her, and their eyes met. Julian nodded ever so slightly, indicating for Gloria to use her magic. Excited, Gloria slipped from behind the curtain. She sprayed the mist from her hands in thick waves in Nar's direction, and it wafted throughout the room, creating a bunch of dense, white fog. The preacher stumbled back, alarmed. Gloria jumped down from the balcony and landed right on top of Nar.
A startled gasp rose from the audience and a thick, white fog filled the Ballroom. Simina's vision immediately vanished. All she could see was white. Her eyes started to water. The mist filled her lungs. She coughed. Everyone else was coughing, too. It has to be Gloria; she's using her magic. Simina thought she saw a figure jump down onto Nar right before the fog engulfed everything. She wasn't sure.
Chaos filled the entire room. There were sounds of a struggle. People screamed. Everyone started running blindly, trying to get out, but instead tripped up over the pews. A little to Simina's left, there was a loud crash of people tripping and falling over pews. Simina remained still, not attempting to move around.
Nar expected this to happen, however. As the mist cloaked everything, someone tackled him. With a bang, his crown fell off his head and clattered to the floor. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, landing on his back. Someone was on top of him. Gloria pulled a dagger from her cloak. She attempted to stab him, but Nar could see through the mist with his magical powers. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Nar flipped her and, as he did so, twisted her wrist until she dropped it. He pinned her below him, restraining her. Someone grabbed Nar from behind, grabbing him around his waist. This person pulled him off Gloria and attempted to hold him back while Gloria tried to stab him. But Nar disappeared in a cloud of dark purple just in time and reappeared behind his Uncle Julian; the one who'd grabbed him. Nar unsheathed his sword and swung it at him in a wide arc. Julian turned around just at the right moment and jumped back. The blade barely bit into his right shoulder.
Julian grabbed his shoulder and winced as blood smoothly leaked out of him. He looked wildly about him, realizing the mist was starting to clear. He didn't want the rest of the general public to see him attacking the new King. So he ran off just as Nar swung at him again. Nar saw Gloria trying to run for it, too, but he would not let her escape. He disappeared and reappeared behind Gloria, restraining one of her arms as he held the blade of his sword at her throat. She wasn't going anywhere.
While that all happened, Simina was being attacked. She was attempting to get her bearings about her with the fog when a strong hand clamped around her mouth. An arm encircled her waist. Simina's eyes popped out of her head, and her heart rate increased dramatically. She started to flail and kick, and the heel of her foot met with someone's shin. There was a wince, and then a curse. The hand clamped over her mouth loosened, and she shook it off. Simina threw her butt back into the gut of her attacker, throwing him off her.
"Dammit! Stop fooling around! Just kill her already!" an unfamiliar voice hissed. Her blood froze as if touched by ice. Her face blanched. Someone was trying to kill her. Simina turned tail and attempted to run, but she tripped over a pew since she couldn't see where she was going. Her knees hit the hardwood of the pew, and her momentum threw her forward, crashing all over and across the pews, knocking over quite a lot.
During the fall, she injured and probably bruised most of her body. A throbbing, aching pain zapped through her nerves. On the way down, she whacked the side of her head on a pew, and her head started to spin. Black spots flickered in the white fog as a woozy feeling filled her clouded mind. The noises and all the sounds began to fade around her. Her head started throbbing, pulsing. Her body slammed on the floor hard, the impact shaking her to her core. Simina now lay on the cold, hard floor, everything in her head swirling terribly, everything moving.
Someone got on top of Simina and pinned her legs down with their hips. Someone else grabbed her arms and held them down so she wouldn't be able to flail. Simina flailed as much as her little body could manage, but it didn't get her anywhere.
"Stop writhing," that same, unfamiliar voice said through gritted teeth. A hand wrapped around her neck and slowly squeezed. Something sharp and painful cut into her left cheek and red-hot pain lanced through her face. Simina squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth, attempting to breathe despite the hand slowly trying to crush her windpipe.
A terrified, hopeless scream ripped out of her throat and into the air, mixing with all of the other loud ruckus and commotion around them. Through the pandemonium, Nar didn't hear her scream. He was also fighting off two people who were trying to kill him.
Luckily, Simina had practiced magic enough to know how to cast a defensive spell. Drawing energy from the chaos around her and her own adrenaline, power surged through her. She croaked the incantation with the little breath she had left, and instantly a whirlwind formed out of Gloria's mist. The man on top of her was ripped off by a huge gale, his body flung across the room. The sharp blades of wind tore through the other three men, tearing through their flesh like butter. Simina's wind cut them down mercilessly. When it was finally over, all three of their mangled bodies fell to the floor, blood leaking from the various gashes. Simina opened her eyes. She sat up and observed the carnage her magic had caused. She stared in awe at what she'd done, and couldn't believe that she'd conjured such magic. Just as the exhaustion set in, she realized that the misty fog was clearing, and Blu was standing over here, holding a bloodied blade.
Blu reached a hand down to her. Simina looked up at the Royal Adviser. He offered her a kind smile.
"Here, young lady," Blu said softly. Simina took his hand, and Blu helped her get to her feet. She stood, brushing herself off.
"Thank you, Blu," Simina said with a curt nod. Blu nodded.
"Of course." He re-sheathed his blade. Blu looked toward Nar, the new King, who stood on the raised platform before the crowd. Simina followed Blu's gaze. She saw Nar restraining Gloria, one arm around her waist, his sword under her chin, at her throat. Simina's heart leaped. He must have caught her in the act!
After the fact, everyone else was all dazed and confused. In the crowd, Simina heard Aunt Lyda and Olivia's gasps and exclaims. Stumbling over fallen pews, Aunt Lyda rushed forward, Olivia dogging at her heels.
"Oh, my Zormon! What is the meaning of this?" Aunt Lyda exclaimed shrilly. The Royal Adviser, Blu, stepped into their path, stopping their pursuit, and held up a hand.
"Please, madam, do not come any closer," Blu said calmly. Aunt Lyda's mouth hung agape.
"But-but t-that's my daughter he's got, good sir; please let me pass!" Aunt Lyda cried, trying to find a way around Blu, but he would not let them pass him.
"I'm sorry, miss. But you must stay out of the King's way," Blu said. He gestured to an upturned pew that had gone unscathed during the craziness.
"Please. Have a seat." With pursed lips, Aunt Lyda sat, unwilling to argue another word, as Olivia sat beside her.
Gloria writhed to be free of Nar's restraint, but it was futile. Nar looked toward Blu.
"Blu! Arrest this girl immediately! She tried to kill me!" Nar growled as he wrestled with Gloria's struggling body. Blu strode swiftly over, waving over two guards who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Simina hadn't noticed them before. One guard handed Blu a pair of shackles, which he took silently as he clasped them around Gloria's wrists and fastened them as Nar restrained her. Once firmly apprehended, Nar released her, and Blu dragged her away by the arms.
"You are under arrest in the name of the King for treason against the throne," Blu stated in a robotic tone. She was handed over to two guards, each taking an arm. Blu waved a dismissive hand.
"Take her to the dungeon," Blu ordered. The guards saluted and went off to carry out their duty, dragging Gloria with them. Simina watched them carry her away with a significant amount of glee.
Blu turned to Nar. "Is there anything else you wish me to carry out for you, your Majesty?" An aura of authority wafted around Nar. A cold look was in his eyes, something Simina had never seen before.
"First, I want you to escort my Lady Simina to the Queen's quarters and have two guards posted at her door. Then, I want you to find my uncle. He also attempted to assassinate me, but he got away. Send out search parties, find him, and arrest him. You are to carry out these orders immediately and without fail. Do I make myself clear?" Nar ordered. Blu bowed.
"As you wish, my King." Blu swiftly turned and strode to Simina to carry out his orders.
"Please, follow me, Miss. As the King ordered, I will escort you to the Queen's quarters." Blu bowed to Simina. Simina followed him without question.
"Lead the way." Blu slipped a casual hand around Simina's waist and led her out of the Ballroom. Simina listened to Nar bark out orders.
"Everyone else, please go home! You there, soldier! Find and arrest anyone who had anything to do with overthrowing my throne!" Nar shouted.
Blu and Simina exited the Ballroom and entered the foyer. As he led her through the foyer and up the stairs, Nar's voice faded more and more until she got so far away that she could no longer hear his shouting.