IGIWS: FIRST DRAFT: Chapter 257

An hour had passed, and the King and Queen returned to the Capital. During that time, Duval tried introducing Prince Zane Stoneworthh to the King and wanted to talk him out of letting Quinus marry a dark elf. But the king and queen weren't having it. Rya passed Rianna's test, and it was up to her to get the other Nobles to accept her as the next Queen. Duval pressed the King about a low possibility of getting a next heir from Rya and that it was a better guarantee to get one from Hilda. Cyndre just said that if push came to shove, Quinus could take on a mistress since his son wasn't under the same treaty that he and Alaric signed to keep the peace by only taking on one wife when Cyndre was declared the next king. Duval was not happy that he couldn't change their minds.

Rya, Quinus, Nieren, Johan, Tayna, Dalia, Percy, Yuliana, and Sir George were relaxing in the Rose Room. At the same time, Rianna and Hilda had a one-on-one were Rianna drilled the Redhead to see if she is really worthy of being Quinus' wife. Hilda was able to keep her cool during the questioning, and Rianna was surprised that Hilda could be the future Queen of Fiafyr. But she felt sorry for her because her son's heart belongs to Rya. She didn't fully deny the possibility of her son taking a mistress but didn't want Hilda to have her hopes up that Quinus would be hers alone. But Hilda was a firm believer that Rya was an evil creature that has pulled the wool over Rianna's eyes. Rianna tried to reason with her, but Hilda didn't have it, and she promised to save Quinus. The Princess's words dumbfounded Rianna. She couldn't help her see that she was wrong about Rya being evil, and she just had to accept that Hilda was going to be heartbroken by the end of the week.

In the Temple of Balance, which was located two miles south of the Royal Palace. Lady Astra was in the middle of praying to the Idol with twenty-two acolytes behind her. There were preparing for the ritual of the Goddess's favor. The idea was to try and get the attention of Iyomelka and see if she will show her self to the people of Fiafyr and grant her favor to them. The last time Lady Astra saw the Goddess showing favor was to Rianna all those years ago. She was a simple cleric at the time, and her faith was justified when seeing the ten-foot statue of Iyomelka's eyes lighting up in front of Rianna. She was fourteen years old at the time. Lady Astra's faith was renewed.

Lady Astra was now the High Priestess and was preparing to perform the ritual. Lady Astra had shoulder-length blonde hair. Her skin was a bit pale, and she had hazel eyes. She was in her late thirties, and she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have a Dark Elf praying to their goddess. Still, when Lord Brice said she was possibly the next Queen of Fiafyr, she wasn't going to turn down the request, especially when she heard from Marquess Duval that another candidate to become Queen might come into the picture. Lady Astra was a very spiritual person and had a lot of faith in her Goddess, and she was praying hard that the ritual would work. She believed the Goddess would know who the true Queen is, just like when she showed favor to Rianna.

"Oh, great Goddess of Balance, I call upon you, please answer my prayer and shine your grace upon us and accept our offering," said Lady Astra.

The twenty-two acolytes then joined Lady Astra in her prayers. The acolytes were wearing simple white gowns, and the symbol of balance was on the front and back of their gowns.

The Idol didn't respond, so Lady Astra continued to pray with her acolytes.

"Great Goddess of Balance. Please hear our prayers and give us a sign to the possible future Queen. We wish to serve you and the Kingdom. And we hope you choose the best future ruler for the next King. And may your blessing be bestowed upon them."

All twenty-three of the people were praying and begging for the Goddess's favor. And like all those decades of ago. The Goddess Iyomelka didn't respond. But Lady Astra was going to keep trying.

Acolyte Lilliana was a 22-year-old female. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slender build. She was nervous. A Cleric named Dante came up to her and brought up how she had taken large amounts of food from the Temple's pantry. She did it to feed orphans, but Cleric Dante suggested otherwise and claimed that he would out her for stealing food from the Goddess's Temple. He said that such a sin could be punishable by death or imprisonment.

She didn't know if the cleric was speaking the truth, and she wanted to talk to Lady Astra, but Cleric Dante didn't want her to speak to Lady Astra. He said the High Priestess wouldn't believe a simple Acolyte. She felt helpless as she asked what she could do. The Cleric said the only way to fix this problem would be to place this large ether crystal on the Goddess's Idol when the next candidate for the Queen's ritual was here.

Cleric Dante said she would get away with no punishment and be able to keep feeding the orphans if she accomplished her goal and wasn't caught doing it. The cleric left her alone after that, and she felt conflicted about the decision she was about to make. It was forbidden to touch the Idol unless the High Priestess commanded it. The Idol was the only thing that was sacred in the Temple. The Idol had been there for over five centuries.

The Goddess's Idol was a giant white statue of Iyomelka standing up straight with her right arm slightly raised. She had an angelic look on her face, and her long flowing toga-like robe only added to her divine beauty. Her hair was tied back in a long ponytail, and the symbol of balance was on the Idol. The statue was made from a material that no one knew how to replicate or recreate.

It was impossible to damage the statue, and no one had even attempted to try to see if magic could work on the statue. Everyone who served in the Temple respected the Idol, and even though they weren't allowed to touch it, they could gaze upon its beauty. The Goddess's Idol was the holiest thing in the Temple.

The acolyte decided that the only way to avoid the wrath of the High Priestess was to wait until the candidates arrived at the Temple. Everyone would be distracted by the King's arrival and the ritual that would be taking place. She had a good feeling that this plan was going to work. She continued to do her duties, praying to the Goddess. They were close to finishing, and that's when she will have to make her move.

A half-hour later, the sermon was completed as the High Priestess finished the final prayers. A cleric came into the auditorium and hurried over to the High Priestess.

"Lady Astra... The King and the nobility are on their way to the temple."

"Thank you, Frederick. Please get everyone ready to greet them. We need to give the King and the noble families a grand welcome. And we must make sure the royal family feels comfortable here in the Temple... Everyone!... It is time to honor the goddess by fulfilling our duties... May the Balance Be upheld."

"May the Balance Be upheld," everyone said in unison.

The High Priestess and everyone else left the auditorium. And a few Acolytes stayed behind to straighten things up.

Lilliana kept up her brave front, but she was sweating as she looked around the room. Her hands were clammy, and her heart was beating fast.

'I can do this... Just stay calm... This will all be over soon.' Lilliana thought as she slipped her right hand into her pocket to feel the Ether Crystal. Her fingers slowly caress the smooth surface, feeling a slight tingle.

"Sister Lilliana? Are you ok—"

"ACK!... S-Sister Ada!?... Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"Sister?... Are you okay? You look really pale... And I didn't sneak up on you. You were just lost in thought."

Lilliana's mind began to race as she quickly devised an excuse.

"Y-Yes... I-I'm okay... But I can't lie... I'm nervous about meeting the King and Queen... It's the first time that I'll be in the same room as them."

Ada smirked and shook her head, "I see... Well, you won't need to worry too much, Sister Lilliana. We would be lucky to see them from the back of the auditorium... As long as we complete our duties, then they won't even notice us."

Lilliana's shoulders slumped, but she sighed in relief, "You're right, Sister Ada... I'm sure everything will go well... I'll make sure that the base of the Idol is clean."

Lilliana thought she was in the clear until Brother Samuel chimed in, "Oh!... I cleaned the around the base before Lady Astra started the sermon... Everything should be good there."

"Thank you, Brother Samuel... But I will double-check your work... I do not wish to disappoint the King and Queen," Lilliana said with a forced smile.

Lilliana's thoughts were racing, 'Why is everyone talking to me today?'

Brother Samuel nodded his head, "That's a good point... Thank you Sister Lilliana. You can also check the candles in the Auditorium. I lit the candles earlier, but we will need to replace the candles after the ritual."

Lilliana smiled, "Right... I'll do that after I finish cleaning the base of the Idol."

Brother Samuel nodded his head again and he walked towards the door, "Ok... I'll take care of the pews."

"And I'll clean the Confessionals." Ada chimed in.

"Oh... Okay. Thank you, Sister Ada," Samuel said and left the Auditorium.

Lilliana watched him leave and she took a deep breath, 'Alright... That was a close call... Time to get rid of this ether crystal and be done with this mess...'

She walked up to the altar and examined the floor around the Idol.

'It's spotless!... Samuel really knows how to clean a floor... Maybe he can help me clean the orphanage. Gah!... Not now, Lilliana! Just hurry up and place the crystal on the Idol already!'

Lilliana was sweating bullets as she swiftly moved behind the Idol. She glanced around the auditorium seeing if anyone was watching her. Luckily everyone else was busy cleaning things up.

'If I get caught, I'm done for!... Lady Astra will punish me in was I don't know... Has she ever punished anyone?... I don't think she has... But I don't want to be the one to find out the hard way... Okay... Father Dante said it place the ether crystal on the white stone of the Idol... Got it... Here we go.'

Lilliana grabbed the ether crystal and placed it on the white stone of the Idol.

The ether crystal had a soft white glow coming from the core.

Lilliana looked at the ether crystal and whispered, "What's it supposed to do?"

She waited for a few seconds, and saw the crystal shrink into the white stone like a ice cube going into water.

Lilliana was confused as the white stone ripped a bit like it was liquid. It took a few seconds before the rippling faded and the white stone looked like stone again.

'What just happened?'

Lilliana was lost in thought, and she heard a loud voice shout, "Sister Lilliana!?... Are you stuck?"

Lilliana yelped as she jumped back and fell on her butt.

"I-I'm sorry!... I was admiring the Idol."

'Dammit! That was a close one!... How long was I staring at the stone?'

"I-It's okay, Sister Lilliana... We still have some time... Come help me set up the pews."

"Y-Yeah!... I'll be right there, Brother Samuel."

Lilliana sighed. She looked at the Idol and saw that the crystal was gone. She was happy that she didn't get caught and decided to stop worrying about it for now.

'What the heck is this Idol made of?... I never thought about it until now. It looks like marble, but I don't know anymore...'

Lilliana went back to the pews and started helping the others.

"Hey?... Funny question... But do you know what the Idol is made of?"

"Huh?... Umm, I'm not sure."

"I've heard the goddess herself crafted her Idols out of Primordial Essence... It is what separates us from her realm. If it's destroyed, the Goddess will no longer hear our prayers..."

"But the Idols are indestructible!... Right?" Lilliana asked.

"I hope so. But no one has ever tried to destroy an Idol." Ada responded.

"I heard that the Idols are made of something called Mana-Stone." Said another acolyte.

"Mana-Stone? There you go with conspiracy theories again, Mary." Ada replied.

"Well, that's the theory I heard from my dad."

Everyone snickered.

"Yeah, right!... That's impossible! Mana-Stone was only a theory!" Another acolyte said.

"That's what I heard from my dad." Mary reaffirmed.

"Yeah, yeah... We need to focus on cleaning the pews and the temple." Ada told the group.

Everyone nodded their heads and continued to clean the temple, and a few minutes later, the door opened.

Everyone stopped and turned around.

It was the High Priestess Lady Astra.