Author's Note: I'M BACK!!
***
When it came time for the coronation, Elaine was still scolding Thalia about the window. The older woman had no idea why the alarms had not gone off, no idea why the object had not been burnt and thrown back into the room. She advised Thalia to be grateful for the small miracle and to never attempt anything like that again.
Thalia was almost glad when a troop of ten Assistants came to escort her to the Ceremonial Chamber. It was clear that Elaine was not invited to tag along. Before she took her leave, she clasped Thalia's hands one last time.
"You can do this, Sweetheart." She said earnestly, ignoring the Assistants that were chattering about the delay, "Chin up, smile, look him in the eye. Remember: you are strong. We are strong, and we are all with you in spirit."
A sudden lump planted itself in her throat, so Thalia merely squeezed the other woman's hands in return. It seemed to be answer enough. Elaine smiled, nodded, and stepped back so that the Assistants could lead Thalia out of the room. One Assistant walked closely behind Thalia, the long train of her gown bundled carefully in his arms, as they began their trek down the spiraling stairs of the Tower.
The thought of what was to come next made Thalia's chest tighten and her head start to spin. So she focused her thoughts on the window instead. When she had first been brought to the Tower, the Assistants had explained that all the arrow-slits and windows were protected by lasers to keep out pests. When Thruk had thrown an Assistant at the window, the lazars had activated and burnt the robot before bouncing him back into the room like a fiery net. Alarms had also been triggered.
Yet, both the coin and the metal plate had gone through this net without burning, bouncing back, or triggering the alarms. How? What exactly was Cruft trying to tell her, and why? There was clearly something going on between him and Xieol that Thalia did not fully understand. As a Guardsman, and now a General, Cruft was loyal to Xieol. He had sworn that loyalty to Xieol in the Tower just before he threw the coin.
The more Thalia thought about it, the more she was convinced that the "coin" had actually been a small scale from her dress. How had Cruft managed to get his hands on one? And why bring it to the Tower? She knew he had not gone to her Tower just to check on the malfunctioning Assistant. If that were the truth, he would not have destroyed the robot, thus destroying all the evidence of tampering. He also would not have lied to Xieol about the Assistant trying to attack her. As a loyal, devoted guard and personal friend, he should have told Xieol that she had not been in the Tower when he first arrived. Cruft had been waiting to talk to her. What exactly had he wanted to say before Xieol interrupted?
When they reached the bottom of the spiraling stairs, a troop of six Arktzirax Guardsmen joined their procession. Thalia eyed them each in turn, but none were familiar. She had hoped to see Cruft, but Xieol had obviously wanted him gone quickly. The new General was probably already aboard what used to be Thruk's spaceship. He might even be soaring off to the edges of the Kingdom already, with Abigail in tow.
Hopefully.
She refused to let herself consider the alternative. Cruft had seemed almost kind. Deluded, obviously, but sympathetic. Thalia had to believe that he would have taken Abigail with him. The further her friend was from Xieol, the better. Thalia could only hope that Cruft would be a better mate to Abigail than Thruk had been.
Before Thalia had time to process it, the doors of the ceremonial chamber were looming above her. Butterflies danced in her stomach and she swallowed deeply to calm them. Chin up, eyes defiant. She must stay strong. For Elaine, for herself, for...everyone.
The doors slowly opened and her procession joined the tail end of a much longer procession of guards and gearmen. All were dressed in white draping robes with shining golden thread woven through. No one spoke or so much as glanced around. All eyes were forward and up, although Thalia had no hope of seeing what stood at the head of the room. She had a guess, though.
Her Husband.
Trumpets blared and the procession began to move forward one slow step at a time. The steady thump of the Arkzirax steping in unusion was slightly unnerving. An Arkzirax somewhere ahead was calling out what had to be a cadence for them. Thalia leaned in to one of the gearmen and, after a whispered exchange, procured a set of ear buds to translate for her. Just as she slipped them into her ears, the procession suddenly halted.
"Who comes to claim the throne of Qutrax the Magnificent?" A male voice hissed from somewhere ahead.
"Crown Prince Xieol, the Mighty," Her husband's voice sounded.
Thalia glanced around. Even on her toes, all she could see where white bodies, gearmen and white cloth.
"The Mighty," The same odd voice came again, "Who allowed our eminent majesty to be slain within these very walls, within this very day. Do you rush to pluck up his crown while blood is still wet upon it?"
"I have come to claim what is mine, by right and by deed."
"Your predecessor was slain within these very walls, Prince," The hissing voice sent a tremor down Thalia's spine. "This is a grievous injustice and the highest form of treason. The crown demands the blood of the perpetrator before accepting a new owner. Has the traitor been captured?"
"He has," Xieol returned.
"Then let us begin," The hissing voice was almost a whisper, but suddenly the entire procession was in motion. Thalia caught glimpses of the golden room as she was all but shoved forward. Each of her upper arms were clasped by a gearmen to help her stay in step with the procession. As they came to the front of the room, the Arkzirax column split down the middle. Each side peeled off to be seated on either side of the large aisle.
As she arrived at the front of the room, Thalia finally saw her husband standing before the golden dais. He was wearing a solid golden robe, his three tentacles all out and moving eerily above his head. Each had a small golden circlet at its base.
