История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: 29. Долгий день королевы эльфов

Long day of the Elf Queen

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:20

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Camrad_RIP 20.05.24 в 15:39

The Royal Palace, despite its name, was not a palace as such. In the sense that it wasn't just a very large residence of the crowned ruler, where he lived with his retinue and family, as in some human countries. In the case of the Forest, it was a huge complex of buildings, both integrated and freestanding. Here were the main buildings of all departments that governed the life of the elven state, residential buildings for residents and guests, barracks of a separate battalion of the Palace Guards, some of the best workshops, and several educational institutions of various kinds, including magical. And of course, it was the most important logistical hub, as the palace complex was home to several portal arches, including some of the largest.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:24

Every day, a considerable amount of cargo passed through them, both transit cargo and cargo destined for the royal palace, which consumed a colossal amount of food alone. In addition to cargo, some passengers needed to visit the Capital of the Forest or to get through it to another place. Because of this, the portals did not stand idle. Since their work consumed a lot of energy from the natural magical sources on which the royal palace was built, their schedule was strictly regulated and scheduled for weeks in advance. Who, when, and through which archway would arrive and who, when, and through which archway would depart. They were the responsibility of a separate department, which also monitored their condition, carrying out scheduled and, when necessary, major maintenance. Over the millennia of the Forest's existence, this logistical mechanism had been honed and perfected to a state close to the ideal. And now, the “Quarantine” interfered in this well-adjusted and almost continuously working mechanism quite unexpectedly for the absolute majority of the inhabitants of the palace, stopping it at full speed. Hardly, abruptly, and without any intelligible explanations from the Secret Guard who had announced it.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:43

To say that this caused surprise and serious discontent among the inhabitants and guests of the Royal Palace would be an understatement. No one understood what was going on, and everyone demanded answers and explanations. And considering who lived and worked in the Royal Palace, these explanations had to be given willy-nilly. As it happened, this duty fell on Sivila's shoulders, not Third's. Although the Head of the Secret Guard was not to be envied right now either. Immediately after the quarantine was announced, the queen returned to her chambers, and since then she had never been able to even exhale. Because her entire complex of communication amulets did not stop for a second, moreover, the number of calls continued to increase. Some of them could be transferred to Fiorel, who briefly explained the situation, but some had to be answered personally. And there were more than enough of them. And the calls came not only from those in the palace but also from all other parts of the Forest. There were even a few people who came from the Human lands. And all of thesecalls had to be answered by Sivila.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:46

"I understand your displeasure, but I ask you to understand this. The decision to conduct this exercise was initiated personally by the Head of the Secret Guard."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:46

The Supreme Emissary's face in the reflection of the artifact mirror on the queen's desk remained virtually unchanged, remaining as suavely displeased:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:47

"I heard you, Your Majesty. In that case, perhaps you know how long this “exercise” will last and how far it will go?"

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:47

Without a wavering voice and also without a change in her face, the queen replied to the chief of the diplomatic department:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:48

"I cannot tell you that, as the Secret Guard is in charge of everything. I, like you, am in my chambers and cannot leave them until the end of the exercise."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:48

The Supreme Emissary subtly bowed his head and replied with the standard diplomatic courtesy:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:49

"I understand, Your Majesty. Please keep me informed and let me know as soon as it is possible to re-establish communication with the rest of the Forest."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:49

"Of course, as soon as I have any information from Third, I will let you know immediately."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:49

Saying goodbye to the Forest's chief diplomat, Sivila extinguished his reflection in the mirror, only to immediately switch to the next call. A brief ripple, and the face of the Supreme Treasurer appeared before her. Bowing briefly, the queen said politely but firmly:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:51

"I'm listening and I'm going to ask you to get right to the point."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:51

A faint smile appeared on the face of the person in charge of Forest's finances, and he bowed briefly and said:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:52

"Of course. How long will the Quarantine last, Your Majesty?"

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:52

"I have no way of knowing that, these drills are conducted by the Secret Guards."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:53

The smile grew a little wider on the Supreme Treasurer's face:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:53

"I see. In that case, I assume they will also be paid for from the current budget of the Secret Guard?"

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:54

Without flinching her face, Sivila groaned doomfully to herself. Even though she wasn't directly involved in the Forest's finances, she'd been queen for almost three and a half thousand years. And she knew how much it cost to keep the barriers that covered the entire palace complex and each of the buildings cut off from the rest of the world and from each other. No, of course, these expenses could be charged to the emergency line item. They fell under them a little more than completely. But such a thing required, given the size of the expenditure, the full Forest Supreme Council to convene and report in detail on what the treasury reserves had been spent on and why. And it would not be desirable to hold such a report until the operation was completed and the enemy's accomplices had been identified. But it was impossible to leave the Secret Guard without half of the funds for current needs. Oh...

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:54

"I believe so. If Third doesn't agree, we'll have to hold another extraordinary meeting of the Council. Or we could wait until the scheduled meeting, if the situation permits, and discuss it there."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:55

The Supreme Treasurer nodded faintly with an understanding smile:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 15:55

"I heard you, Your Majesty. If these “drills” do not take too long, there will be no need for an extraordinary meeting of the Council, and we will be able to discuss everything at the scheduled one. That will be all, I dare not disturb you further."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:02

After saying goodbye, the queen finished talking to the Supreme Treasurer, and his reflection in the mirror disappeared. It was immediately clear to all the more or less intelligent leaders of the Forest that this was not a drill. But it was also impossible to announce to the public that there were agents of an unknown enemy in the palace. Not yet. Oh, when would it end? As soon as the reflection of the chief financier of the Forest disappeared, the mirror rippled again. A moment later, the face of another elf appeared in it. Like all firstborns, he looked very young, with long straight blond hair and piercing gray eyes. Eyes that had seen a lot in his extremely long life. On his head, he wore an elaborate and enchanted wreath of pure gold. Well, this challenge was to be expected.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:04

"Sivila."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:04

Her husband and father of all five children bowed his head in greeting. When he called the queen by name, he put all officialism aside at once.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:04

"Iardahl."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:05

As she bowed her head in return greeting, the King of the Forest asked in an extremely polite yet demanding voice:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:06

"What's going on at the Palace?"

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:06

In an equally polite voice and without flinching a single muscle, the queen replied:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:07

"The Secret Guards staged a surprise drill, practicing a “Quarantine” scenario."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:07

For a few seconds, she and her husband stared silently into each other's eyes with the same politely unperturbed expressions. Then Iardahl spoke:

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:08

"I have to say, it was quite a surprise."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.24 в 16:08

"That's the point of surprise drills. If you let everyone know about them in advance, they will be completely useless."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:22

"Indeed. Perhaps there was some reason for this suddenness on the part of Third?"

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:24

" I suppose so. You know as well as I do how serious he is about his work. And that he never does anything for nothing."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:25

"Indeed. In that case, I would be most grateful if you would ask him what prompted him to set the whole Forest on alert?"

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:26

"For sure, but knowing Third, I believe we will only learn that reason at the meeting of the Forest Supreme Council.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:27

"All right, then. In that case, that's all I wanted to know. If you need help with the “drill,” contact me immediately."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:28

After saying goodbye to her husband, the queen extinguished the artifact mirror and exhale in relief. Taking the glass of water Aneta held out to her, Sivila took a few greedy sips, then resumed her official and unruffled appearance. And accepted another challenge.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:28

"I'm listening."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:29

The elf with short dark hair and light purple eyes reflected in the mirror nodded briefly in greeting and got straight to the point:

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:39

"Your Majesty. I request your verbal confirmation of the order you have received to give full cooperation to the agents of the Secret Guard within the Caratine."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:40

"I confirm the order you have received, and add the confirmation of the Elder Enchantress Mirael. Until the end of the exercise, you and your men will be under the command of the head of the Secret Guard. Accept."

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:40

After receiving confirmation from two of the Forest's top leaders at once, the commander of the separate battalion of the Palace Guard nodded briefly and immediately cut the connection. Sivila, on the other hand, switched to the next caller. And then to the next one. And the next. Because there were plenty of elfs wanted to know what had happened in the Capital. And there were only a few working channels of communication with the Royal Palace. Sivila was one of them. All the others were under the direct control of the Secret Guard and were strictly official. So the entire information load fell on the queen's shoulders. The most difficult were the first few hours, when the flow of calls seemed endless. But after the information about the exercise spread, the number of calls decreased noticeably, although they did not disappear completely. Then, however, their number increased again.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:43

The reason was banal. The fact the drills were not really drills became clear to some of the palace's residents and guests before noon. Because the complete lockdown of the entire palace complex, including a ban on any movement and cutting off the vast majority of communication channels, still fit into their framework. But it was a bit difficult to write off the drills as a general inspection of ALL those who were on the palace grounds. Especially very specific checks. As a result, there were more and more elfs wanted to know what was really going on in the Capital. Sivila couldn't tell the truth, but she couldn't ignore some of these calls either. Fortunately, everyone who needed to know was satisfied with the rather transparent hint that everything would be explained to everyone in the near future. And luckily, it was not necessary to shave off the hair of everyone in the palace like Tiantrel. Knowing what to look for, how and where to look, the Secret Guard agents, with the support of the battalion of the Palace Guards, who had been checked first, as well as the Elder Enchantress and a few of her students, quickly searched everyone in the palace.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:46

It took all day and all night and lasted until morning. By then, it was clear to everyone in the palace that this was not a drill. But no one thought to openly resent or even challenge the Secret Guard agents supported by the Palace Guards. At some point, everyone began to realize that something really serious had happened, if such inspections were taking place. How was this possible, given that everyone had been travel and communications were restricted is a mystery. It wasn't until the sun rose again over the Forest that Sivila was contacted by the Third and told that the Quarantine could be lifted. He also asked the Queen to arrive at the Secret Guard Corps as soon as possible. The head of the elven special services looked tired, but his voice sounded firm and his gaze was full of determination. Nodding, Sivila announced to the palace's inhabitants that the exercise was over and the Quarantine Mode was lifted. She also thanked everyone for their understanding and reminded them that such drills were being conducted solely for the good and safety of the Forest. Which, as you know, are above all.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:49

Almost immediately, all the Supremes, or their deputies, who were on the palace grounds at the time the Quarantine was declared, informed her that they understood everything perfectly well. But they would very much like to discuss the details of the exercise at the next meeting of the Forest Supreme Council. Or in private conversation with her and/or Third. The Supreme Emissary was particularly insistent. After that, everyone began to clean up the mess that had been created by the fact that the capital of the Forest had been cut off from the world for almost twenty-four hours. Sivila herself also had a lot of things to do, but there was no way to deal with them right now. Which meant that she would have to cut back on her schedule and sacrifice sleep again. It's exhausting. And she wish she could just go to bed. Ah, dreams.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:53

Sivila forced herself to get to her feet from the soft and comfortable chair. The queen yawned loudly and looked longingly at the window, where a new day was beginning. With great difficulty, Sivila kept herself from moaning out loud. She just wanted to lie down and sleep. Shutting off all communication amulets and locking herself away in her bedroom. But instead, she let her girls and Fiorel rest (lucky them!) and went with Astra to the Secret Guard building.

Camrad_RIP 11.06.24 в 14:53