The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

- POV General -

Back in Elysium, far from the devious shenanigans of the Divine Realm, the Imperial family was no longer in the hospital but in the main cobblestone street. After some very warm exchanges, the meeting with Kalaa had been cut short for several reasons. Gaya and Kira had started to talk to her but after five minutes, the Empress' new sister had fallen asleep without warning.

Many tears had rolled down her cheeks this morning, not to mention the situation and the revelations that had been spinning in her mind. Only after a few minutes of meeting the Queen and Princess, Kalaa felt tired and unable to ignore the fatigue. She had not yet met the little moon of the Empire or the two little stars, all of whom were still sound asleep.

The fatigue of the Empress' big sister was also due to her mana which resonated very strongly with Shiro's and which for some unknown reason seemed to drain them of all energy. It is thus accompanied by her wife, her little sister and her three children that Freya had returned to the Imperial mansion to rest a few hours. Indeed, even if the War was over, there were still many things to do before the night.

There was to be the very first funeral ceremony, the very first funeral of the Empire, which would bring together a large part of Elysium if not all of it. Since their return, neither the Empress nor the Queen had remained outside the protective walls where the families had gathered. Kalaa had had to be rushed to the hospital and the she-wolf did not want to disturb everyone's private moment with a speech to the deaf.

Those who had lost a loved one, as well as those who had lost no one, needed time to recover from all this information, grieving was an important time and Freya didn't really know how to deal with it. On their return to the Empire, the one who had spoken, the one who had rekindled hearts this time was the Queen who was much more familiar with these difficult and destructive feelings.

However, after a quieter afternoon, it was already time for the Imperial family to head for the exit of the city where most of the citizens of Elysium were already. All had remained on the grassy plain separating the city from the great walls, unable to leave the bodies of the soldiers alone. The families of the deceased, the soldiers as well as those who had lost no one, had therefore stayed to support each other.

The whole family was almost there as Freya accompanied by Kira, Shiro and Gaya carrying Tyle and Altaïs, walked down the main street. They were not on horseback or in a luxurious carriage rolling on a red carpet but on foot like anyone else in the Empire. This time, all dressed in black from head to toe, they walked down with only the sound of their heels on the still wet cobblestones and the soft whisper of the cool wind.

The Empress wore black boots, pants, gloves and shirt enhanced by her black imperial cloak with the symbol of Elysium embroidered with golden threads on the back. The Queen wore a long, simple black dress identical to the one worn by the little Princess who, for the very first time, did not wear white. The fox Princess wore a black shirt and a short skirt which suited her very well.

All of them were also wearing the same cloak as Freya and all of them had, although different, their crowns on their heads, beautiful and glittering. No one was in the streets, they were all empty, silent and devoid of the daily laughter of the citizens. The moment was important, for the first time the Empire was in mourning and every second that passed reminded the Empress of this as she walked with clenched fists.

"Honey, are you going to be okay ?"

"I must be yes..."

On the way, the dragoness would break the silence by asking a question of her wife, who she knew had been more tense than she wanted to admit for a while. The speech Gaya had made had inspired her heart as much as those of her soldiers but Freya was still tense. It wasn't easy to look into the eyes of those who had just lost someone, especially after her promise to protect them all.

In a war it was inevitable but that didn't take away the fact that it was something hard to live with for her too, even if it was different. Indeed, the Empress had not lost anyone but the guilt was still there somewhere in her soul. Yet it had to be faced, it had to be faced by those whose hearts were crying and no matter how hard it was for the she-wolf...it was even harder for them.

"What's the situation ?"

Suddenly, Freya raised her voice surprising Kira who didn't understand why she was suddenly asking such a question in a vacuum. While the Imperial family could already see the huge grouping in the distance on the grassy area of the Empire, Commander Luna then appeared out of nowhere after the she-wolf's words. Exactly as if she had teleported, the young half-panther woman had appeared making Shiro jump.

"Your Highness, the citizens are under stress and despite the fact that a whole day has almost passed, they are still deeply shaken. The soldiers are passing on the wise words of Her Majesty Gaya and we are doing our best to ease their pain but no words seem to reach them."

"Mmmh..."

As Kira grabbed Shiro who had nearly fallen, into her arms to carry her, Freya looked away and pondered Luna's every word. As they went on, she only needed to strain her ear slightly to hear the cries, complaints, and lamentations. The closer she got, the more the she-wolf clenched her teeth and fists at the Empire she had built and which was now crying and suffering.

Yet it was her duty as Empress to say a few words and once again rekindle the fire in the hearts and reassure them. After the morning's rejoicing with Kalaa and her family, it was now time for the funeral of the brave soldiers. Reflecting for a few seconds, Freya suddenly turned her head to ask a question that surprised Luna who was not expecting it.

"And how is Alayna ?"

"I...She...Alayna...she doesn't dare show herself feeling guilty about her father's actions."

As the Empress pondered the speech she would have to give in a short while, her mind had suddenly thought of the former Princess of Zal. One of the only humans to have been accepted into the Empire and who had taken refuge there thanks to Freya herself. Of course, the young human was not responsible for this war, at least not in the eyes of the she-wolf, but that did not change the fact that the King himself had led the army.

"What about the citizens towards her ?"

"We have not observed any acts or words of hatred towards her, your Highness. To be quite honest, most of the anger is not directed at her. In fact..."

Suddenly becoming silent, Luna seemed to avoid the Empress' gaze not knowing how to continue her sentence. At that moment, she hated herself for having to be the one to announce the news to the she-wolf whom she admired more than anyone else in this world. She who had followed the war from beginning to end and knew like all the other Commanders how much the Empress had done to protect her people.

"Commander, speak up."

"Well...the citizens seem to be more angry at...you, your Highness and find it unfair to be among those who have to suffer. However, they are not...I think they are still in shock over what happened and are letting their pain get the better of them. I...I don't think that's against you, your Highness."

Commander Luna was doing the best she could not to hurt her Empress and was trying to find the right words to soften her and ease the weight of guilt or anger. However, Freya was aware of all of this as she could distinctly hear the complaints although she didn't need that to understand what was going on in the minds of the families who had to bear the news.

"Mmmh, I see. Thank you Commander."

"M-My pleasure, your Highness."

Disappearing as quickly as she had arrived, the young half-panther woman had used her element to move as fast as lightning. She had just reported in and as the Imperial family approached the outskirts of the city, the Commander had returned to the others. It was only a few yards before they reached the large expanse of grass and as the silence reigned again, a small voice came from Kira's arms.

"M-Mommy ? W-Why are the people of the Empire mad at you ? Did you...did you do something wrong ? I-Is it bad ?"

Little Shiro had obviously heard what Luna had said very well, and just like her aunt and other mother, she could sense that Freya was tense. However, although the notion of War was known to the little moon of the Empire, its deeper meaning still eluded her. So she understood that some people would not come back, but from her point of view, she did not understand why her mother was the cause of their anger.

The little white-haired Princess had asked this question in the most innocent way possible, sincerely worried about her mother and what was happening. Her two ears were lowered on her head and her tail was not wagging anymore, hidden between her legs. Still in her aunt's arm, while Freya didn't know what to answer, still lost in her thoughts, it was finally Kira who spoke.

"Your mother didn't do anything wrong my chocolate-covered candy cane bun...sometimes...hearts look for someone to blame for their pain to make it more bearable."

"Y-Yes but...if mommy did nothing wrong, why be mean to her ?"

"Because..."

However, Kira didn't have time to answer that already they had reached the end of the paved street where the first blades of grass were growing. She had not been able to give a good answer because they had arrived and because the sound that rose from this plain was deafening. Crying, screaming, wailing, praying...the voices of hundreds of people were carried by the wind towards the Imperial family.

Yet as the eyes turned to her, an almost eerie silence replaced the cacophony of a few seconds ago. On the plain, bodies, most covered in white sheets, lay strewn as far as the eye could see. Soldiers, civilians, families, friends, doctors...all were gathered there to mourn the death of those who had not been able to return and all now had their eyes turned to the Empress.

"Let's go..."

After a deep breath, Freya accompanied by her children, her little sister and her wife, walked forward a few meters. In a few seconds, they found their feet in the grass several meters away from the first bodies and people. For the first time ever, no one had bowed because of the emotion and for the first time ever, the Empress didn't have time to speak when the voices started again.

"Y-Your Highness...my son..."

"W-Why them ? I...why couldn't they be protected ??"

"We...we were to be married..."

"She was my best friend."

"W-Why does it hurt so much ?"

"Your Highness, you promised to protect them !"

Hundreds of voices spoke at once and addressed directly to the Empress herself who did not move and remained silent. She listened...to every complaint, every accusation, every disappointment, every reproach without ever interrupting them once. The voices were broken, bruised, filled more with sadness than anger but still carrying the disappointment they felt at that moment for Freya.

"How did they die ??"

"Our children..."

"Where were you while they were being slaughtered ?"

"I thought she was going to come home alive..."

"He was so young..."

The majority of those present may have been blinded by grief, but that should not excuse the way they addressed the Empress. Yet, she still said nothing and hardly reacted to the words that the soldiers and Commanders found unfair. Only her fists and teeth clenched a little more every second, not from anger but from guilt.

"That's enough I..."

Then suddenly, as the Queen standing behind stepped forward to speak again and stop the unbearable reproach, the she-wolf quietly raised her hand to stop her. Despite these words that seemed unfair to the dragoness, the soldiers and the Commanders, Freya listened to everything to the end. It was only after a few minutes that silence gradually returned to the great plain.

The sun was still in the sky and was slowly beginning its descent towards the horizon and the wind was still whispering in the west. Everyone seemed to have emptied their bags and an almost awkward silence replaced the hundreds of broken voices. Freya was still silent and as she took a deep breath, unclenching her fists, she stepped forward to do something she had never done before.

Before the stunned eyes of the citizens of the Empire, the all-powerful Empress of Ice, the terrifying she-wolf, Lucifer...had dropped to her knees. For the very first time in her life, Freya had unexpectedly knelt before the citizens of the Empire. The, followed by the Queen and the two Princesses, a surreal scene played out at the gates of Elysium, leaving everyone speechless.

"Today, they laid down their lives for all of us, to protect our city and became the hope for the future. I, Freya Nightshade, Empress of Elysium, I kneel in honor of their deaths."

The she-wolf had spoken only a few words, but more than her words, her gesture had been even more impactful than anything else. For the first time, the Empress had bowed to the Lights of her Empire to honor and respect them. For the very first time, an Empress, a Queen and two Princesses no longer had their crowns hanging over the faces of citizens and warriors.

If no word could reach them at that moment, then action was worth more than any word. For the very first time, an Imperial family was kneeling before its people.