Chapter Nine

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Inside the Lion's Den
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For the Glory of Angelou
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"The last queen will die with her kingdom."

Coronation
Inside Imroth, the day of the queen's official coronation had come, preparing Kyrill to accept the crown of the dying kingdom. Assisted by her adviser, the girl arrived at the palace plaza, where she received the crown of her mother from the elders of Angelou. Plagued by regret, Kyrill finally realized the weight of what she had given up by accepting her role, finding the cheers of her people, which had been promised to give her a feeling of adoration, to be a painful ringing in her ears. Now crowned, the queen would have to fulfill her duty of restoring the connection to the world's ley lines, which would allow the withering civilization to return to its former glory. Defeated by the feeling that she had let her father win after so many years of rebelling against these cruel traditions, Kyrill reluctantly ceased to struggle against her fate. Following the ancient ritual, she entered the palace's fountain of her ancestor queens, where a construction of chains and a helmet formed from runic mithril aided the kingdom to re-establish the connection between the queen, the ley lines, and everything that depended on their nourishment inside Angelou.

Waking up in her chambers several hours later, Kyrill realized she had failed to stay awake during the ritual, though it seemingly was a success, as the city of Imroth illuminated with the energy of its queen. Noticing her adviser talking to some soldiers, the girl inquired if something had happened, but was assured that an opportunity for a potential alliance had occurred and that it had been taken care of. Claiming they would soon meet with said ally, the man continued to promise that Kyrill's sacrifice would inspire her people and mark a turning point for their inevitable return as a flourishing nation. However, Kyrill could not find herself sharing the enthusiasm, feeling no comparable joy to the feeling she have had at the lodge, with the person who truly made her happy.