Chapter 115: Chapter 115
Tempest couldn’t believe it.
Within a day, they had gotten everyone they needed in order to go up in front of the high royals with their issues. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would be a part of an uprising, but all it took was a few well-placed calls and a few visits from everyone that was involved in the destruction of the poor class to do just that.
She was excited.
Not because she was off to see Prince Jaqen again. Honestly, if she never saw the man again in her life, she wouldn’t care one bit because she would finally be able to see Dron in all his glory.
She was so proud of him. There was no doubt in her mind that Dron was more than a little uneasy with all that was going on. He wasn’t used to so many people supporting him. Wasn’t used to so many people saying that he was right, but Tempest knew all he really needed to do was show up.
The people of Thraqen weren’t as horrible as she might have thought before. They were all just unaware.
That was the connecting thread with everyone; they told what happened at the poor class. No one seemed to think that something like that would ever happen. They all assumed that the high class had their best interests at heart. To know that it wasn’t the case stirred anger in even the most stoic of thraqens.
"We need to make sure we all keep our wits about us. They are going to see us, but that doesn’t mean they will react how we want them to react." Gerax spoke. His voice wasn’t loud enough for everyone to hear him but simply just Tempest. She didn’t know if he was saying that to warn her that this might not go how they want it to, but she took heed to his words. Taking a deep breath, she moved closer to Dron and steadied herself. She didn’t want to blow her lid if Prince Jaqen or someone else told them all that they wouldn’t help. She knew it was a possibility. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
At least if they didn’t help, the people around them might be more likely to help in other ways.
There was a total of one hundred and ten people in the large room deep in the royal mansion. The fire from the candelabras and other floating light sources bounced off the gilded walls and sparkling floor.
Something was different about the space that they were in. Instead of showing how grand and impressive the space was, it felt more like a dungeon. It was unsettling.
"Gerax, you should be the one to speak to them," Dron spoke. His words were loud enough for everyone to hear.
"No, you were there. You were the one attacked; this was against you. You should be the one to speak." Gerax tried to argue.
"The high royals don’t care anything about me. They don’t care that I was attacked. They’ll try to twist my words and make them my error. You have to be the one they hear. It’s a better chance of them listening to someone they respect," Dron replied.
"If you think they respect me, you’re mistaken," Gerax huffed.
A clear resolve washed over Tempest. She’d never felt like a savior before. Never felt like the voice of reason, but she knew in this case she was going to have to be. "It should be me."
"No, I don’t want you to become a target for these people. You’re already not well liked by all the royals because you snubbed Prince Jaqen. You speaking out now would make it worse." Dron shook his head and pulled her closer as if he could stop her from doing something stupid.
"Dron, don’t you understand? It has to be me. I’m the only one here the royals are trying to impress. They’ve spent all this time trying to make me see how great and progressive their world is and how I should want to stay here. Everywhere I go, the red carpet is rolled out. If I’m the one with cause for concern, they are going to want to save face and assure me that they’ll fix it. After all, if they are planning on bringing more humans here to join your world, they are going to need another human to tell them how great it is. It has to be me."
Mexyn shrugged her shoulders once. "It makes sense. There is less of a chance that they will try to assassinate her, especially with all these people present."
"Remember what I said," Gerax piped in. "You have to keep your wits about you."
Tempest took another breath and nodded her head. At that moment the large double doors at the entrance of the room opened slowly. The creaking sound echoed through the room, and everyone fell quiet.
Tempest watched as a line of large, alien men started to filter their way into the room. Some of them had horns, some had cat-like eyes, and all of them had shiny gold markings along their visible skin. Some of them had gilded beards that reflected the light in the room. It was a sight to see. What Tempest wasn’t excited to see was Prince Jaqen who brought up the rear of the small group of people who’d just walked in. He glared at her for a second before he donned his royal mask of indifference and smugness.
Tempest knew then that this was going to be a fight. It wouldn’t be as easy as getting what she wanted just because she asked.
"It took a few moments for all the royals to find their seats and be ready to hear what was to be said. Tempest scoffed when none of the royals addressed the people in the room for a long while. They were sending a clear message that they didn’t have to move fast for anyone. It was so annoying.
After a few seconds of the royals just staring at the group of people in the room Prince Jaqen finally spoke. He moved with a flourish, one that made Tempest roll her eyes in disgust.
"My esteemed neighbors and friends. I’m quite surprised to see all of you here and together at that. Whatever has happened must be of great importance if it means all of you are here to speak with us. Come now, speak with us; tell us how we can be of assistance." He looked in Dron’s direction as if he expected him to be the one to talk.
Dron was right to be suspicious. They were waiting on him to be the one they would cut down. Tempest hoped that she was right about them not wanting to go against her.
She stepped forward and nearly chuckled when she saw the very slight surprise on Prince Jaqen’s face. He wasn’t prepared for this. Wasn’t prepared to have to go up against the prized omega, at least not in the clear view of all the public.
Tempest cleared her throat and lifted her chin. She stood tall because she wanted to portray strength. She wanted to be taken seriously. It in no way meant that she wasn’t scared. If she could, she’d be shitting bricks at that moment.
"I’m here to talk with you all about the atrocities I’ve seen in some of the other classes. Importantly, what I’ve seen in the poor class."
Prince Jaqen shrugged his shoulders twice slowly. "Ah yes, we’ve been made aware of what has happened there. It’s truly a tragedy." "
"Yes, the fire was devastating, but I also want to talk about what I saw before the fire. The living conditions of those people were abhorrent. Is this how you treat those under your rule? Not only were they all left there with no real way to provide for themselves, but they were also denied any help from the higher classes. The poor class are as much a part of Iraq as any other class. On Earth, my home planet, when there is a group that needs aid, it is rendered, not pushed aside and presumed to be forgotten." Tempest’s voice rang through the large room, and she felt herself getting more and more agitated. It wasn’t having the effect on any of the royals. She should’ve known better. They weren’t going to do anything.
She had only one more plan of action, an attack on their reputation.
"I assure you that we care about every last citizen. It’s quite brazen of you to speak on things you know nothing about."
"I’m speaking on things I know about. I was there. I saw the state of the poor class before the fire. I saw the sad state the people had to live in. It wasn’t new; this was a long time in the making, and yet the high royals have done nothing to help them." Tempest raised an eyebrow and kept her gaze locked on Prince Jaqen. "If this is how you treat your people, it’s no wonder the omegas are no longer able to bear children and your population is on the verge of extinction. You don’t deserve to flourish; you don’t even deserve to rule."
There was a round of gasps from the people behind her, and Dron tightened his grasp on her waist. Tempest had just thrown down the gauntlet, and everyone in the room knew about it.
