Nobody But Her

"No date?"
Ralph stares at Elder Nicolas with his mouth open, the blood draining from his face. "How can that be? Doesn't the Moon Goddess want a Queen for her Kingdom, then?" he asks, frozen with shock.
The rest at the table also stares at the Sages in disbelief. This is by far different from what everyone expected. "Elder, you know this is impossible. Never before has the Oracle kept quiet on such drastic matters. Or do you mean it has rejected Saray? Then is she not the chosen one after all?" questions Randall now with an almost tight throat. "You do understand the impact of the news you bring here, don't you?"
The Elder is confident.
"Listen, I am merely the Oracle's messenger. And indeed, it has never been silent on matters crucial to the progress of the Kingdom, Randall," he replies. "We were amazed, too. We spent hours clamoring for an answer to our question, but it remained silent. Then we checked the writings. In case the Oracle is silent, it means that there are far-reaching issues ahead that are not necessarily negative," he further explains. "In addition, this attitude definitely does not mean rejection of Saray. Remember what I said a few weeks ago? Saray belongs in the Kingdom, so she is the Queen. She is going to do great things for this Kingdom.
"But then, how do you explain this? Then why is there no date when she belongs here? Can you explain that? This is nonsense, I'm telling you!" the King-Mother now exclaims. She now turns to her son, furious as she is. "My King, this is the right time to use your authority against this pathetic kind of Sages! They are worthless. How dare they come here with such news? They know we are waiting for the great day to finally have a Queen beside the King. And look what they all say here!" Her face runs dark red, her eyes spitting fire. Looking at Ralph, his eyes are blood red, his teeth grinding audibly. With all his strength, he tries to control his Lycan.
And then the Secretary chimed in.
"My King, keep your peace, please!" he states with a heavy undertone that makes me wince. "King Mother and Father, let's keep our emotions in check. The Sages are only messengers, we cannot kill them for the news they did not personally produce. Let's keep our cool and see how we can get out of this, please. We must think of the welfare of the Kingdom," he insists in a high-pitched tone. Behind him, I see Ivor standing up and goes leaning against the wall. A warrior stance, ready to intervene if necessary.
I still sit silently, watching the drama unfold before me.
Slowly I feel the tension easing, although there is still a danger of an emotional outburst. Ralph takes a seat next to me again and clutches my hand. "I am the King with the blessings of the Moon Goddess. As the Sages said, Saray is destined to be in the Kingdom, in the Palace. So that leaves no room for doubt that she belongs with me," he resumes. "No one else stands beside me as the Queen but Saray. There is simply no other Queen possible than her," he determines forcefully, looking at the Sages sternly. His parents nod approvingly, only Eric keeps quiet.
"Fire these old men!" his mother now demands venomously. "They are doing a lousy job here. They add no value to the Palace. All come here declaring nonsense! We need new Elders," she states firmly. Randall intervenes. "Alidya, please. Control yourself, please. I'm also disappointed in the Sages, but we don't have to go that far," he soothes. "They are messengers. We need to find a solution and they are the most qualified party to advise us." The woman snorts sarcastically into the air but remains silent.
The King-Father turns back to Elder Nicolas.
"Elder, all these outbursts are understandable. We were all looking forward to the date you would reveal, but everything turned out differently. We must now focus on a solution. How do you see us moving forward with this?" he asks the Sages while his mate mutters all sorts of reproaches inwardly. The Sages simultaneously clear their throats, their faces blank. Probably they had counted on this tirade. "King-Father, we know Saray is the coveted daughter-in-law and Queen to be. We too, look forward to her swearing-in full of excitement, we have no doubt that she is perfect for the Crown," Elder Nicolas began. "But we have traditions. Ancient old ones, we cannot ignore them, even if the King kills all three of us, they will stand tall," he stresses.
The man stands up and looks at me in awe.
"The King has brought a jewel of the finest kind to the Kingdom to become the Queen. We presented it to the Oracle as well and it was colored white. White is the color of acceptance, Saray is the Moon Goddesses' choice, that's a fact," he continued without hesitation. "But everything the Moon Goddess does is flawless. She has decided that the installation will not take place yet. She has her reasons. Who are we to question this? Remember, we owe our existence to her," he reminded the Royals.
"That is not the point here. Your statements are contrasting," the King-Mother now intervenes icily. "If she is the chosen one, what is stopping her installation now? Ralph is the King with approval of the same Moon Goddess. Elder, are you even listening to yourself? Those statements of yours make no sense!" she growls. Her wolf's claws are already slowly coming out. It also refuses to consent to the Sages' story. "Two pups are coming in a few months. The heirs of the Throne. Please, explain to me how much value we should place on your nonsense."
Hearing the last sentences, the King-Father begins to get worked up again.
"That's a strong point, Sages. I can't believe the Princes are about to be born out of wedlock. That's unacceptable," he cries. His breathing starts to get heavy now, he seems to be suffocating from the emotions going through him.
"Stop - stop all this, in the name of the Moon Goddess!" intervenes Eric instantly.
Believe me, guys, the King's Secretary is awake, finally!
"We're chasing ourselves here. Look at the King-Father, the man is close to a heart attack," he exclaims with authority. He looks toward the Sages. "Let's agree on this. To accommodate the King-Mother, you will return to the Oracle for a second consultation. Perhaps the time when you were there was not convenient for it. Just try consulting it again and tell that its silence is causing a rift at the Palace. For she has a point with her argument," he declares, in his eyes flames an unprecedented light I cannot see into. "My King, King Mother and Father. Let's make this all sink in. When the Sages return here, we can discuss the matter with more serenity."
Unwillingly, the Royals nod with scathing glances at the Sages.
"Agreed," it sounds in unison. And finally, I can let out my breath that I didn't even know I was holding all along....