Part of the reason behind the troubles that Ameila faced when she first took the throne was that people were stupid. It seems to be a universal law that intelligence decreases with the amount of people gathered. This does not hold true nessacarily for military units as they become disordered only when their plans that look so good on paper fall apart.
As it was, the notion that the heir to the throne was so stupid that there was only room for one thought in her head, that the nobles had been ready to pounce on her and try to make her their puppet. They were surprised when she summoned them to the throne room and a legion of Zakath Mercenaries was there to greet them.
The Queen may have been single minded and perhaps even obsessed, but no moron can achieve any real skill with magic without intelligence and Ameila was among the foremost white magicians in the world when she assumed the throne and one of the few living sorcerers or sorceresses who had any skill in Black Magic or the Shamanistic arts.
The first week came to be known as "Blood Week" as Ameila took the throne back from the vultures who had stolen it as the disease known as Skyler slowly stole first her father's mind, and then his life.
There was no great amount of physical violence, as the name might suggest, instead, the blood was social in nature as Ameila used first the Zakath and then the Knights of Sailoon, who were the paramount warriors in the world, to one by one, restore order, and arrest her opponents for high treason.
Surprisingly, she did not have them killed, instead, she stripped them of their lands and fortunes, then sent them on various diplomatic and trade missions.
Though it can not be confirmed, legend says that she offered them enrollment in the Foreign Office, or to be stripped of their rank as well and then banished from Sailoon. A fate veiwed by many of them as worse then death and accepted by at least two of them.
They had no one to blame for their precdicament but themselves. Ameila had spent the previous five years roaming the world with the Sorceress Lina Inverse. A minor legend already, Ms Inverse took the girl under her wing, training her and molding her for her future role.
Indeed, destiny had brought them together.
- History of Sailoon, Professor Ingals, Author. (8023)
Zelgadis snorted as he marked his place in the leather bound book. Lina's acceptance of Ameila had been anything but gracious and the training had been more in the form of their various acts along the way.
The coup had also been more violent then the way history saw it.
Ameila had the capability to be completly ruthless when the situation called for it and she had demonstrated it on that day.
Ameila, Queen of Sailoon for barely an hour sat in her throne. Faintly, she could hear the sounds of her coronation party. A party she should be attending, but she wanted to get this out of the way.
So it was that she sat in the throne room. Across from her, stood twenty men, mostly barons, and several Sailoon Knights, hook pointed lochaber ax in hand, stood among them to discourage any thoughts of mischeif.
"And that's my offer gentlemen." Ameila said, trying to sound as smooth and urbane as she could. "I will enroll you in as agents with the Sailoon Foreign Office and you can at least be of some service by carrying out different tasks that must be done. Or, you can be stripped of your rank and turned out the city gates where you can survive by your wits."
"What's the difference?" One baron called.
"The difference, gentlemen, is that you have some hope of redeement with one, provided you serve faithfully. The other leaves you with no hope of redeement."
"Better to die then to be humiliated!" One of the lords called and ran forward, followed by two barons.
Swearing, Zelgadis went for his sword, but Ameila was quicker.
"FIREBALL!" She cried, as two burning balls of flame leapt from her fingertips, roasting the lord and one of the barons, obliterating them in white hot flame. The other baron stopped cold, staring in shock at the charred remains that lay before the throne.
Quite calmly, Ameila leaned back in her throne, hooked one leg over the arm and smiled beatifically at the survivor, who's face was very pale.
"So what'll be old boy?" Ameila asked him in that same smooth, urbane tone. "The Foreign office, the front gate, or would you like to try your luck against my rock faced friend here? He's not very friendly, but I'm sure you two would play very nice together." At that point, Zelgadis, responding to some nameless prodding, slowly drew his sword, the sound of metal against leather somehow ugly in the stillness of the room, but it left no doubts as to the type of playing Ameila was thinking off.
"If it please you Majesty." The Baron said. "I think I'd like to try my luck at a trade mission."
"Smart Man." Ameila observed and then adressed the other seventeen. "Anyone else?" Nobody answered.
"Good." Ameila stood up. "Captain Gorl here will escort you back to your cells. Good Evening gentlemen." With that, she turned and marched through the curtains behind the throne.
When Zelgadis got through the curtains, he found her pale and shaking, on her hands and knees, the contents of her stomach spread out on the stone floor.
"Gods, I can't believe I did that." Ameila qauvered as Zelgadis gave her some water from the small flask he carried and then held her as she latched onto him. "Cold Blood Zel! I murdered them in cold blood!"
"You did what you had to do." Zelgadis said, wishing that didn't sound so cold. "Rulers occasionally have to do unpleasant things, it's part of the job."
"Why does it have to be like that?"
"It's part of the Job of being a leader. If you tell someone to do something, knowing that they know that you would never ask them to something you wouldn't do yourself, it inspires loyalty.
That's why so many kings led their armies to war in the Old days. Because the soldiers knew that their king was right there beside them, taking the same risks they were."
"I don't know if I can do this."
"You can." Zelgadis said softly, putting his finger under her chin and raising her eyes to meet his. "You have to. You have responsibilities now Ameila. If not yourself, then to the people of Sailoon who have gone before you, to the ones that are still here," He laid a hand on her belly, which was only slightly swollen. "And to the ones who are yet to come. To them especially, you have the responsibility to be the best you can be so your descendants have an example to follow."
"I-is that what I'm doing now? Setting an example?" Zelgadis nodded.
"Exactly that, along with every other leader. Now let's get you cleaned up, there's still a coronation party going on, and you're the guest of honor.
Grumbling, Zelgadis dragged his pack from its space under the bed and began to pack.
He had never told Ameila where the notion to draw his sword had come from, nor where the words of wisdom he had given her in the hallway had been born.
Privately, he suspected he had been used that day by a higher power. Something wanted Ameila to be the best she could be, and he didn't think it was L-sama.
At that, his thoughts drifted to the one called Conrad. He had accepted Ameila's decsion far to calmly for Zelgadis's peace of mind. The boy smelled like an unholy union between Mazoku and one of L-sama'a creatures of pure chaos.
Zelgadis made a mental note to keep a close eye on him.
But then again, Zelgadis kept a close eye on everyone.