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Clothing: Cloth Transport: His feet With: No one
Going: Nowhere Mood: Angry
Thoughts: "one two three..."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow and leaned on his cane that he had been using ever since his heart attack and stroke and he turned back around to look at the map "It doesn't matter weather or not you want to not be needed, somewhere you will be, and if you think that that dream is a possibility you will last hardly a year before someone, maybe one of your remaining sisters, runs you though. Most likely Esther now that Valters dead" he grumbled "He would have made a great Emperor, I saw so much of myself in that boy" he whispered as he moved another piece "I have many things near completion except for one. As my current heir you had a say in a few matters now." he said "Tell me, what would you do about our Lionis problem?" he said "Only one is proven dead, that red haired harlot" he said "Though Prince Mikhail's body hasn't been found I'm certain he's dead since that witch of a woman Catherine, said so....Our concern is Evelyn. How would you deal with her and the possibility of the Drosselmeyer's forced abdication if she gets enough people on her side" he said, his hand gripping the cane.

Once she had dismounted her horse Evelyn would walk up the center of the throne room in silence, it wasn't like the outside anymore, these people looked at her and she knew many of them knew it. She was not fully one of them. She also knew that most of them wouldn't bring it up, at least for a time. This was the world she had thrown herself into, a world of vipers, scorpions, and various other poisonous animals that would either was to gain a foot or chop hers off. Of course they couldn't outright take her head off now that she was the head of heads but they could wound her and make her bleed. They knew it. She knew it. That was why she had left and it was also why she was back. As she walked the pink fabric would pull behind her, the gap in the back would be barely covered by her black hair, she felt so strange with a dress on but she knew that this was a different sort of war now. If Hysteria had taught her anything in Bellris, s**t if her step mother had taught her anything for the time that she had bothered long enough to keep her pointy heels out of her ears it was that the battlefield was a place you could get away with murder without justification- a destruction of the body, while the court was a battlefield were one would have to destroy the mind and leave no scar visible.

Evelyn would stop at the bottom of the stairs just long enough to be considered acceptable, just a few seconds, as she took her silk skirts in her hands and lifted them just enough for the tips of her shoes to be seen as she ascended the stairs, She would then stop and bend so she was on her knees, and she would listen to the Oracle in front of her. She felt that quite a lot of it was bullshit, not that she didn't believe in the gods, she just doubted that they were actually that bothered with the empire or any of the other kingdoms- well, save Ethe apparently. Yet when she saw the crown she had to admit that it was rather beautiful and she had to wonder how it had been made. A question for another time. Evelyn dipped her head slightly and she felt the crown placed upon her head.

She would wait, eyes closed now as she let the crown flatten her hair. She would wait until it became silent before she would slowly stand up and walk up the last step and turn around. She looked out at those in the throne room, all nobility. All likely in one form or another thinking that they could either do a better job or impose a better policy. "For generations Lionis has been the head of this Empire." she started before looking around at all of them, they remained silent, it was so strange to hear silence "Not just the Empire of Lionis but the family of Lionis. Strife and misery has only ever come when those that think that it is wise to change policy that has worked for generations come to take what they underestimate, however it is never correct to underestimate those with power despite how they wield it, we live in a changing world. For the first time since the land gave my family the right to rule we see what happens to this Empire when it is deconstructed from the top down. We get chaos, suffering, death and humiliation." she let the last word ring out, she knew that what she said now would be released within moments of her words, she would use this time carefully "We all know that such things are not pleasant. No one here wants to loose power" she moved her arm in a sweeping motion in order to gesture to all those gathered "Those within the Empire of Lionis give us strength as we give them strength. Those outside of the Empire have their own way to gain strength and power. Things are changing both inside and out, it is time that Lionis takes a step forward both as the ruling family and as an Empire."

With that she would take in a deep breath and put a smile upon her face "However nothing of such not can be done in one day, we all have many days and years left in this world. After three years of a spiraling fall it is time for just an hour or two for all here and all outside to release any breath and tension they have held in for the so long. To relax in the arms of loved ones,to watch and dance and sing, to join in and finally see that a brighter day will come for work on the future begins." with that she had finished and sat down as people were lead to or pointed toward the great hall for food and drink if they so desired to stay. Evelyn herself took a single step backward and lowered herself into the throne, she felt a little light headed.

Evelyn would look at Roland from the throne and a smile snuck onto her face that she would hold and play off as she nodded to one of the last nobles to file out of the room "Lady Jasper" she nodded her head as the noble woman would curtsy to her before leaving the room. Evelyn would then look at the guards and she lifted a hand, moving it in a sweeping motion "you may leave us, thank you" she said. The guards would bow before going in to protect the guests. She would slowly stand up and walk down the steps, again lifting her dress just enough so that she wouldn't trip over it, the crown upon her head changing color depending on the light as it had when the Oracle had moved it within the light.

Once she reached the last step she moved her hands and grabbed one of Rolands, holding onto his hand tightly "I'm glad you could make it" she said to him, a smile gracing her pink stained lips, her green eyes flashing slightly as she looked at Roland "but i'm surprised. Your sister was very clear that Bellris would remain distant from the Empire" she said to him as she finally took the last step down "Would you like to join the other guests?" she asked him as her eyes darted toward the door before looking back to him, "I'm not to partial to joining, We could have a more private drink as friends if you'd prefer, gods know the Emperors chambers are big enough to host a small party"

With a quick stop by her chambers in order to change into something she would normally have worn on the battlefield except it was a bit more embellished and wouldn't have been accepted on the field due to it having no armour, and it wasn't accepted at court since it wasn't bright or beautiful enough. She had summoned the court, not just the nobility that lounged around but also the servants and Evelyn smiled at them all, she had also summoned from outside the court the royal banker and the commander of the army...just below her of course. Those two she had waiting just outside the doors.

"Something that I have realized since I have returned last night" she said to them "Is that I don't understand why my predecessors allowed any of you to stay here. Now I am sure they have reasons like trying to make you curry favour with them but I do not desire such small trinkets of favour. What I want is ability and loyalty. So from here on out" she looked over at the scribe "Lionis will be a place of ability, you all retain the right to choose in whatever way you want to pick your heirs but unless they can prove that they have the ability to govern, they will not be recognized by the crown." she said to a bunch of irritated grumbles but then Evelyn smiled again "and until further notice court is dismissed. If any wish to attempt to win my favour you may learn how to do it from home or wait until the palace gates are open again." she then stopped in order to address the servants, she used less frivolous words to convey her message "You are all fired." straight and to the point "beginning tomorrow you may all attempt to regain your original positions so long as you are willing to go though a screening process." Evelyn finally stood up and walked down a few steps, she would bring up the arm that was on the side of the nobility "I hope you will not think of me as ruthless in this regard but I must learn from my predecessors. If you must blame someone blame those that would have given favour based on fatuous desires and wanton action. If you can prove loyalty to me it will not be based on either and thusly you will find the benefits far longer lasting" she then lowered her arm and smiled over at the servants "I do not doubt that the majority of you are loyal, trustworthy, and hardworking. But because their is at least one of you that is not loyal or trustworthy or hardworking in the name of the crown, I must do this to all of you. Spies will not be tolerated in my court" she said as she went back to her throne and took the paper from her scribe "You may go."

Evelyn would wait a good fifteen minutes for everyone in the throne room to file out. As the time drew on she would find herself tapping her foot in annoyance, but once they were gone Evelyn would cough loudly and step down from her throne to go open the doors to let the head of the bank and the head of the army into the throne room before closing them behind them "I've read your complaints" Evelyn looked at the banker and smiled at him "I don't know what Drosselmeyer did if anything at all during his short reign but this is not his reign anymore. You have my permission to reject all notes coming from this 'subsidiary'. If they ask why simply say that it is not a subsidiary if they do not have permission to open it from the holding branch. If things get violent" she looked at the captain "please have fifty guards on retainer" she said to him before looking back at the banker "On top of that, Anyone that come in with these notes are to have their accounts frozen, weather Ethen, Bellrisian, Phobosian, or Zalton. The Crown has not authorized any bank outside of the capital. If the owner of this so called subsidiary comes to you with any demands you are to give them nothing and instead tell them to make an appointment with me. You are dismissed."

She would wait for the banker to leave before looking at the Captain and she smiled "I have a few jobs for you if you are willing" she said "You've already heard what I want you to do for the bank" she nodded her head to the vanishing banker "On top of that I have a few more tasks. First of these is that you are to start routing out spies, traitors, and Drosselmeyer loyalists from the army. If you need help you can ask Alistair Drosselmeyer and Kaz Lupin to help you, this is to be an ongoing task." she said "Second task, I want a civil guard organized in patrols of six that go around the city at random times from here to slums, in times of peace the all of the able bodied army that isn't on border patrol or escort duty is to participate. They may grumble about it but remind them that it is to keep them sharp and... if it will encourage them, ask them if they are willing to duel me instead. If they win they don't have to do patrols, but if they don't its doubled." she said. The captain bowed and then Evelyn said "From here on out as well, the barriers we use in times of war...the ones that stop people from flying into places is to be constantly raised around the castle. NO ONE is to be aloud to fly in or out. she stopped "One last thing for now." she said "I will need two hundred men to meet me in the slums immediately" she said.

The guard took it as the cue to be dismissed and Evelyn would wait for him to leave before she went around locking doors, starting with the throne room. It would take it a good hour to get around locking all the doors, that by the time she was finished the barrier had gone up. She would walk up to her sons bedchamber, seeing the sleeping boy she would pick him up and walk out the front doors with him and head for the slums

[exits]