Today was the day when everything would change. Tonight Eira would be crowned queen. Little did the young queen know that much more than this would change tonight.<br/><br/>She had suspicions about Meuric, the man who had held the position of regent until she was of age to take the throne. He enjoyed the power too much and many of his actions had led her to believe that he was attempting to keep that power for himself. Thus far he had failed and her evidence was hardly substantial enough to act on, but it was enough to make her wary of his intentions. Not that it took much, considering she trusted no one.<br/><br/>She was surprised he hadn’t taken any action to supplant her reign thus far. If he planned anything, his window of opportunity was quickly narrowing. Soon she would officially take the throne and then there was nothing he could do. There was little he could do to begin with, as he certainly didn’t have the power to kill her. She supposed that was part of why he had tried to delay or deter her from really training and learning to control her magic.<br/><br/>If she couldn’t control her magic, he would have stood a chance. He may have been able to capture her, even if he couldn’t kill her. Regardless, that ship had sailed. She was too powerful now, it was unlikely that he could overpower her in a fight. Not without some powerful help.<br/><br/>At any rate, she didn’t have time to waste thinking about such things. She would keep her guard up and be watchful, but there was too much to do for her to spend time idly indulging in paranoia.<br/><br/>The young woman entered her chambers where several servants waited to help her get ready for the coronation. She crossed the room with all the elegance and grace expected of a queen. Stopping in the center of the room she stood quietly as the servants helped her out of the gown she currently wore before beginning to help her into the blue gown she would wear for the coronation.<br/><br/>Once she was dressed she carefully sat in front of the mirror where one servant worked on her make-up as the other fixed her long, pale blonde hair before placing a tiara on her head.<br/><br/>After she was all finished she thanked the servants and left the room, heading for the room where war-councils were held. She was supposed to meet with Meuric before the coronation but the throne room, where they usually met was currently being decorated for the coronation that was now mere hours away.<br/><br/>As she approached the doors, the guards on either side of the door moved to the side and opened the doors for her, closing them once she had passed through the doorway.<br/><br/>She was on alert, although she didn’t seem any different from usual. That was the benefit of having an ever-stoic attitude regardless of what emotions might be bubbling below the surface. No one ever know what she was thinking or feeling unless she allowed them to see. If someone who was usually happy all the time suppressed their emotions to hide their intentions it would likely be obvious, but for one who hid everything, it wasn’t unusual in the slightest.<br/><br/>--------<br/><br/>Meuric sat in the chair at the head of the table in the war-council room, a chair that he would soon have to relinquish to Eira if he didn’t act quickly. He only had a few hours left to act before she was queen. He could just sit back and allow her to take the throne, ensure that he kept his life, and hope for a position as an adviser, but he wanted more. Even if it was possible that he would lose his freedom and any chance he had at a position among her advisers, perhaps even lose his life if he failed, it was worth it for the chance to permanently control the kingdom.<br/><br/>It wasn’t possible for him to kill her, but there was a chance that he could subdue her and lock her away. No one would ever find her and he could take control of the kingdom in her absence. A public grab for power would end poorly, so he was forced to act in secret. Even Lord Dardanos didn’t know of his plans. At least he hoped he didn’t. He was certain that the benefit of having his servant on the throne rather than his enemy would prevent his master from killing him, although he expected to receive a good scolding if nothing else.<br/><br/>The soon-to-be queen would be arriving soon to meet with him before the coronation to go over everything. It was a long shot, but he had prepared some tea with poison in an attempt to weaken her. It wouldn’t kill her, but it might be enough to give him an advantage. If she were in the mood for tea, that is.<br/><br/>To avoid suspicion, he had taken the antidote to the poison and had another on standby so that he could drink the same tea to assuage any concerns she may have about drinking the tea. He hoped that she didn’t suspect him, but she was a cautious young woman and she trusted no one, himself included.<br/><br/>He poured himself a cup of tea as she entered the room so that she could see where the tea came from. “Tea?” he offered hopefully.<br/><br/>“No, thank you.” Eira spoke simply, her voice cold as ever as she took a seat nearby. Her choice of seats would go unnoticed by most, but not by him. She positioned herself so that she was close enough to hear him but far enough away that if he tried anything she would have time to react. She was also positioned so that she could easily see him, but she could still see the doors in her peripherals.<br/><br/>He hid his disappointment when she turned down his offer of tea. He took a sip to avoid suspicion in the hope that she might change her mind, before he placed the cup on the table in front of him, avoiding putting more poison in his system than was strictly necessary.<br/><br/>After this they got right down to business, discussing the details of the coronation from how they would enter to her being crowned queen and everything in between. Once they had gone over everything, Eira excused herself and left the room without another word.<br/><br/>Meuric cursed to himself once she was out of sight. He needed to come up with a plan and fast. He summoned a guard and asked him to send for a servant who was loyal to him. The man was to meet him where they always met, a secret passage beneath the castle. The guard wasn’t given this detail, but the servant would know where to meet his master.<br/><br/>Once the guard was gone he summoned a kitchen servant to dispose of the tea, waited for her to exit the room, and then made his way into the secret passageway to wait for his servant to arrive, all the while plotting the capture of the woman who would be his queen.