The Chapel of Deliberation’s doors closed behind us with a loud thump that echoed through the large circular hall. As has been routine these last few days, my Sisters and I got to our seats at the round, ornate wooden table that occupied about one-third of the Chapel’s area. I still wonder how they managed to bring such a large piece of furniture into the Chapel, as it’s simply too big to fit through the doors, and it doesn’t seem like it can be broken down into smaller pieces. I guess they put it in place before finishing the walls centuries ago.

In front of every seat were several pieces of parchment, as well as freshly sharpened quills and inkstands. There were also empty cups for each of us, and pitchers full of water, placed between seats in such order that there was one pitcher for every two seats. Thirty pitchers in total for the sixty of us in the Chapel.

Sister Zafira, the Head Mentoress, stood by the northernmost seat, which besides having the necessary tools to cast a vote had a small brass bell on her right-hand side; as Conclave’s Arbitress, she would use it to call us to order or to summon a servant waiting in an adjoining chamber. To the right of Sister Zafira stood the next eldest Sister, then the next senior to her right, and so on to the last one, the youngest of us all: me.

Before we sat down the Head Mentoress rang the bell to signal the start of the session. She then directed the initial orison. As we closed our eyes to silently join her in prayer, she said:

“O Lords of Creation, who are Myriad, Nameless and Unknowable; we beseech you in this, our hour of need! Guide us to the one You deem worthy of leading Your City! Grants us Wisdom, so our hands and hearts are led towards the Truth. As It Shall Be!”

“As It Shall Be!” we repeated in unison.

We opened our eyes and took our seats at the table. Once we were settled in Sister Zafira rang the bell and spoke again:

“My Sisters: as we begin the sixth day of Holy Conclave to elect the one worthy of leading Ysle, I deem necessary to remind you that the matters of the City carry on while we deliberate. I pray that today we can finally tune ourselves to Their Will, and through our votes, a new Blessed Princess is finally chosen. With that said, which of you wishes to start today’s proceedings?”

There were a few seconds of silence while we looked at each other, unsure of whom should have the first word. Until Sister Nadya, the Head Healer, stood up.

“Dear Sisters, I think we must again reconsider the background provided by the events of the last twelve years, during the tenure of the late Princess Jaaha; may the Gods grant her Soul Peace.”

“May the Gods grant her Soul Peace!” we recited while tilting our heads.

We still mourned Princess Jaaha greatly; she was a kind, devout soul. But I also mourned her not just because she was my fellow Sister, and a beloved, capable leader for Ysle during her darkest hour; she was also my mother.

“Thanks to Princess Jaaha’s leadership, we not only endured Anchlesian occupation but reclaimed our freedom with the help of our new allies, the Yeonbrooke Compact,” Sister Nadya continued. “She paid a heavy personal price when she lost her Champion, and yet she showed strength when others would’ve faltered, and guided us to freedom and renewed hopes for the future.”

At the mention of mother’s Champion, Shiraz, I briefly closed my eyes to implore the Gods for his Soul. He was the noblest of men and the sworn protector of my mother. But above all, he gave her all of his love and devotion. Yes, my mother showed strength and led our people after she witnessed her Champion being struck down by the black iron swords of the Raven Legions, but she never stopped mourning and missing him in private. I also mourned him because he was my father.

After a brief pause Sister Nadya continued:

“Twelve years have passed since the Raven Legions withdrew from our City, and thanks to Princess Jaaha’s initiative, plus the kind support of our allies, we managed to rebuild most of the destruction caused by the Anchlesians. We still have a long way to go before restoring Ysle to its former glory, but now more than ever we need one who can carry on our previous Princess’ legacy; someone capable of strengthening our City further, but more importantly, capable of consolidating our position within the Compact, whose aid will be instrumental in preventing further aggression from the Empire.”

“Hear! Hear!”, a few of my Sisters said as the Head Healer returned to her seat.

“Princess Jaaha was a great leader indeed; she truly had the Favor of the Gods. As strong as our bonds of Sacred Sisterhood were, we also shared ones of personal friendship.”

We turned our gazes towards the next speaker. But her mellow, hypnotizing voice immediately made my stomach turn before I caught sight of her. For it was Sister Asli, the Head Confessor.

“Sister Nadya’s right to point out that, were it not for the Compact’s assistance, the Raven Banner would still fly over our great City.” Sister Asli proceeded. “But it’s no secret that I’ve always been in disagreement over Princess Jaaha’s decision to make Ysle a full member of the Compact. We owe them our freedom, yes! And we’ll always be grateful to them for coming to our aid in our hour of most need. But does it mean we owe them part of our sovereignty, not to mention a sizable portion of our Treasury, as well?”

This is the part of Sister Asli’s pitch that has the most approval from my fellows. Unlike Sister Nadya’s case, no one voiced any overt support to the Head Confessor, but I could see some approving gazes and quiet, discrete nods. I admit that up to this moment she might have a valid point. But this isn’t what upsets me about what she brings up to the table. It’s what normally comes from her mouth next.

“And what do we gain from the Compact in return? Promises to keep the conflict with Anchlesia going on forever! The difference is that we must now shed our blood as well as our gold. We could still support the Compact’s efforts to preserve the freedom of Central and Eastern Alnor the way we’ve done it in the past, by keeping vital trade routes open, providing critical resources for their war effort. It has worked well for Ysle in the past; I fail to see why this can’t be so again.”

Sister Asli took a sip of water from her cup before carrying on.

“Even better still: why can’t Ysle be the one that takes the first, bold step to put an end to the conflict for good? It’s no secret that the Compact’s been weakened by decades of near-constant war with the Empire. It’s safe to assume that Anchlesia must be in a similar position. Perhaps the time has come to once more attempt the route of diplomacy with them. Let it be Ysle the one that sets the example for the rest of Alnor to follow!”

This was the moment my other Sisters started whispering among themselves. I shifted on my chair, which started to feel quite uncomfortable after hearing Sister Asli’s call for diplomacy with Anchlesia for the sixth time in six days. An Empire that only wants one thing, and will never stop until it gets it: absolute dominion over the whole of Alnor.

“Sister Asli speaks of diplomatic outreach to Anchlesia,” Sister Lyra, the Head Fire-keeper, said after rising from her seat. “Is there any history of diplomacy between the Empire and the rest of Alnor? Please correct me if I’m stating the facts wrong, but I understand that there has never been any diplomacy with the Ravens, except when signing temporary cease-fires. All the emissaries the Compact has ever sent had either returned with their heads detached from the rest of their bodies or not at all. And Anchlesia has never sent any emissaries of their own, except to make demands and issue ultimatums.”

“That is true, dear Sister Lyra,” the Head Confessor conceded. “But does it mean this should remain so forever? Are you saying, then, that this conflict will only end when either the Empire conquers everything, or Anchlesia is defeated? Innocent people are living there as well. Shouldn’t we strive to prevent their suffering as much as our own people’s? Isn’t the Way of the Gods to forgive our foes and try to bring them into the Light? So when do we stop preaching the Way of the Gods and start practicing it?”

Again, no open support for Sister Asli, just silent nods of approval from a few. Of course, I agree with this. But you can’t bring into the Light someone who refuses to step out of the Dark. And the heart of Anchlesia is dark, indeed. Perhaps beyond redemption.

“Does the Empire hate Ysle?” Sister Asli carried on. “They’ve only wanted one thing from us. So why don’t we give them just that? The reason they have tried to conquer our City, despite not even being directly involved with the conflict until recently?”

“Are you talking about giving them access to the Wastes, do you?” Sister Zafira asked with no little concern in her tone. “Do you know why Ysle had remained neutral on the conflict for so long, Sister Asli? Because no good can come out of that accursed land! Princess Jaaha only agreed to let Ysle join the Compact on the non-negotiable proviso that the gates of The Vigil remain closed. Gods only know what the Ravens will do if they get hold of even the least valuable trinket laying around that place!”

I suddenly felt the need to speak up, so I rose from my chair and took a deep breath of air.

“Have you something to say, Sister Shjasta?” Sister Zafira asked.

“Indeed, Sister Zafira. My dear Sisters,” I paused for a couple of seconds. “There might be a day when we can finally sit at the table with our enemies, find common ground, and bury the axes for good. But I don’t feel… I don’t think… that that day has yet arrived, and... Gods forgive me… I fear it might never come at all. Anchlesia is an unstoppable tide of darkness threatening to wash us all away, leaving only suffering and despair on its wake.”

I paused to gather more air. I saw several nods of agreement.

“Sister Shjasta,” the Head Confessor spoke before I had a chance of continuing, her little smile irking me. “While we appreciate sharing your words with us all, as any other Sister seating at this table is entitled to, I believe that you are letting the natural eagerness of youth, as well as your personal losses, cloud your judgment when it comes to the Anchlesian Empire. There are evil people there, I don’t argue against that, but saying an entire nation is evil because its rulers are is too simplistic at best, and dangerous at worst.”

I clenched my fists before proceeding:

“You are correct, my Sister. But everything we’ve seen from the Empire is nothing but cruelty. While the Compact treats its prisoners according to the rules of so-called civilized warfare, the Raven Legions had never, not even once, done the same to our captured soldiers. We all know that those that aren’t executed right away become slaves or, should we give credence to the tales, something much worse.”

I saw several nods, and this gave me the confidence to carry on:

“Do I need to mention that we know for a fact that the Anchlesian elite is consorting with dark forces? The few refugees that still flee to Ravenwatch tell stories of the horror the Legions and the Raven-Priests inflict upon their people in the name of the Dark God they worship. What does any of this have to do with my youth or my losses, dear Sister?”

More of my Sisters started to chatter among themselves. The face of the Head Confessor, however, was no longer smiling.

“Unless that darkness seeping out of the heart of the Empire is healed, there will never be true peace in Alnor. Until and if that day finally comes, the Yeonbrooke Compact is the only force powerful enough to stem this dark tide, and Ysle must be… must remain... a part of it.”

“Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us on the matter, Sister Shjasta.” Sister Zafira said.

She sounded quite pleased, and even managed to show a bit of a smile. The rest of my Sisters, except the Head Confessor and a couple of others, showed varying degrees of support to my words. The Head Mentoress rang the bell to motion us to order, and once there was quiet once more she spoke:

“Hopefully this first exchange has informed us all about who is better suited to lead Ysle in these hard times. I think it’s time to call in the first round of the day. May the Gods will it to be the last one of this Conclave!”

Each of us took a piece of parchment and a quill. But as I submerged the tip on the ink my mind started to work…

Talking is easy but casting a vote is much harder. Who among us deserves to become our next Princess? At least I know Sister Asli won’t have my support! But who then? As much as I like Sister Zafira she’s too old to rule; her health has declined a bit recently. I’m not looking forward to another Conclave anytime soon! Sister Lyra has similar viewpoints as mine yet I don’t see her as ruler, she’s too academic for that! Sister Nadya? She supports the Compact and speaks of furthering our ties with them, but not the most diplomatically inclined of us. If only she had the Head Confessor’s talent for words! Humph! I guess it’s still Sister Maral for me!

As we jotted names down, the bell rang again, and a servant came in with a small mahogany box in her hands, approaching Sister Zafira first. She folded her parchment and placed it inside the open box. Then the servant visited each of us in order of seniority until it was finally my turn to cast a ballot. As soon as I dropped the little piece of parchment, the servant presented the box to Sister Zafira.

“Thank you, my child,” she said kindly.

The servant bowed again and left the Chapel. Sister Zafira announced that she would proceed to count the votes. She sifted through the box, taking the first parchment out and unfolding it. She took a pair of tiny reading glasses from within her robes and placed them over her nose.

“Let’s see… The first vote is for...” Sister Zafira paused for a couple of seconds trying to discern the writing, before finally saying: “Well, now this is a real surprise here! The first vote is for… Sister Shjasta.”

If Sister Zafira was surprised by that, I was completely flabbergasted. “What!?” I yelped. “A-are you sure, Sister?”

“I know my sight isn’t what it used to be for sure, but I’m not blind yet, my dear Sister. Care to verify, then?”

Sister Zafira handed the parchment down to me and certainly, my name was in there!

“Indeed, it was cast with my name on it,” I confirmed. A cold shudder ran down my spine.

“Well, at least we now know who you voted for!” Sister Asli interjected with a smirk.

“I didn’t vote for myself!” I blurted out defensively.

Sister Zafira rang the bell. “Sister Shjasta, there’s no need to tell us whom you voted for. And Sister Asli, please refrain from pointless remarks.”

“Sorry, Sister!” I said, lowering my head ashamed. The Head Confessor simply nodded.

“And now… let’s continue tallying the votes…”