SALT IN THE THRONE ROOM

Thunder rolled above the drowned cliffs of Lemuria. Amara was dressed up in a mystic blue robe clinging to her skin staring at her mother’s grave. The bells had not stopped ringing since the queen was lowered beneath the roots three nights ago. Rainstarted lashing out for one last time as if the gods were grieving for their benevolent queen. Amara still heard her mother’s soft voice between the echoes of waves.

Amara headed back to the sapphire castle as the clouds grew darker.

The high priestess Devalya, Amara’s mentor and the late queen’s best friend sat in the shadows writing the lemurian chantwith a dying candle beside her. Amara entered the room drenched in denial and rested her head on Devalya’s lap as her teacher caressed her rain-soaked hair as the final wax was melting. “You’ll be queen tomorrow” Devalya whispered. Amara watched the flame tremble. For the first time since the burial, the castle no longer felt like home.

Amara later returned to the western wing of the castle to see Elara, Elara was wearing a white gown in comparison to the darkness spreading within her sitting down in the glass courtyard, knees drawn close to her chest beneath the beautiful coral statue of her mother. Amara rested a hand against her sister’s shoulder before sitting beside her in silence. “Amara, do you think the ocean still listens to mother?” Elara asked. Amara heavy heartedly nodded. They could hear the Sea rumbling in a chorus of agony. Beyond the cliffs The Lemurian flag hung lifeless in a storm like a dying rose petal, Elara leaned against Amara’s shoulder. “I could never see you as royalty” she whispered, “You’re too human for that”.

For the first time that night, Amara smiled. The palace quietened after Elara drifted to sleep against her sister’s shoulder. mourning drums echoed faintly through the rain. Amara remained beneath the statue not able to sleep, quietly looking as the water gathers at its coral feet. A cold breeze hit her as the rain stopped. The silence was eerie. The ocean had suddenly turned quiet. Too quiet. The wind carried no salt, and she could hear the seabirds fleeing inland. The palace bells suddenly struck and started ringing violently.

Devalya woke up gasping by the sound of the distant sound bells. She could hear the forbidden final prophecy running through her mind. The sea was not meant to fall silent. She quickly warned the priestess council to shut all the temples immediately and rushed to find Amara and Elara. Amara in confusion looked at Devalya. Devalya said softly with her hands trembling “Your highness, we need to have a word”. Elara woke up hearing this and looked at Devalya. “What happened”? She asked

Amara looks at Elara and asks to go to her room and sleep for a bit. Elara half asleep obeys her sister and walks to her room. Amara in confusion and still in grief moved towards the throne room with Devalya where the priestesses were already gathered murmuring in fear. Amara did not sit in the throne yet. She sat in her place amongst the counsel, tired. “Have you heard about the prophecy” Devalya asked. Amara nodded no. Devalya did not want to be the one to break the truth. “Oh, I wish your mother was here” she said. A huge knock arrived at the palace door. It was commander solen gasping for his breath. “Your highness, the se… the sea is gone.” Amara’s eyes opened wide as she knew what was coming. Amara rushed to the palace balcony facing the west to see the ocean retreated for miles. Their war ships were leaning crooked against the wet sand and thousands of fishes lie across the seabed with their silver scales shining as the lighting hit. Amara turned to look at Devalya already looking at her in fear. Amara turned back and looked at the eastern side of the capital to see people in the Pearl market clueless and panicking in fear.Amara whispered to herself “Mother, what have you done!”.

Devalya held Amara’s shoulder. “The kingdom needs a queen now” she said. Amara held Devalya’ s hand and looked her into her eye. “We don’t have time for a coronation. We need to get everyone to safety. I will remain as the Princess and will lead the way”. Devalya was surprised seeing Amara’s hope but deep down she knew.  

“Commander solen, What’s the fastest way we can get everyone to the palace Mount Icarus” She asked. Amara’s mind was majorly focused on getting her people to safety. “It’s going to take 1 hour your highness”. Amara lost in thought took a moment and ordered “I want it done in 30 minutes, evacuate all children and woman make sure the Queen’s guard protects everyone”. Commander solen sighed in fear and started alerting the guards to open all the gates. Devalya still lost by the prophecy said, “You should come with us your highness”. Amara turned and looked towards the throne and looked at it and saw a vision of her mother nodding in denial.

A small breeze filled the room. “I need a minute alone, start evacuation immediately” Amara ordered. Devalaya’s gaze still stuck on Amara left the throne room.  Elara wakes up and in search of her sister wanders in the corridors not knowing about the threat the kingdom was facing and enters the throne room to look at amara staring at the empty throne. “What’s happening Amara?” she asked in confusion. Amara turned to look at Elara and breaks into tears “I wish mother was here, I’m clueless, all my life I’ve been training to be queen, but it’s gone Elara. Lemuria is gone”. Elara still confused asked “what are you talking about”. Amara walked towards the balcony as Elara followed her. Elara looked at the sight in shock. The pearl market was filled with people evacuating their shops and right by the west the sea kept retreating. Elara lost in thought asked, “does this mean…?” Amara wipes her tears and quickly said “I’ve only heard about it while we were young, it happened in the great war while the sea couldn’t take any more blood. It’s been centuries.”

Elara silently asks, “What are we going to do?”. Amara slowly turns to look at her sister still calm but scared within she holdsElara’s face and says “I stay in the streets until every citizen of Lemuria has left the city. we never know when it’s going to hit and you are going to stay with me until the very last second”. Elara nods as Commander solen enters and says, “The gates are open and we have started the evacuation but your highness the streets are crowded. People are panicking”. Amara grabs Elara’s hand and moves outside the palace and heads towards the pearl market. The chaos was slowing the evacuation. Elara looks at Amara blank and lost. “They need you Amara they need a leader”.

Amara closed her eyes and remembered a moment from her past during the war between the cold north and Lemuria. She remembered flashes of how her mother used to talk to all the people before the attacks and she remembered the love the country had for their queen. Amara hesitantly asks commander solen to ring the bells. The chaos turned silent for a moment when amara stood above a fountain in the middle of the market and yelled “PEOPLE OF LEMURIA”. They all turned to look at Amara. “Listen to me, the queen’s guard are here to take you to Mount Icarus, I assure you no one will be left behind. A woman near the front shouted, “Is it true, is the sea coming for us”. The crowd erupted in panicked murmurs. Amara pauses for a moment, her instincts told her to lie and give people hope but she chose to stay the truth. She calmly said “Yes, but Lemuria has gone through famines, wars and darkness before, we will survive this too. Long Live Lemuria. The Crowd chanted the same lines in unison.

She saw Devalya amongst the crowd leaning against the temple gates with her eyes narrowed down in confusion. The crowd slowly started moving in order in the hope of Amara’s words. Amara and Elara walked towards the streets back towards the priestess temple as the people bowed down not to the memory of their late queen but to Amara. Elara looked at Amara and said, “Do you see that?” Amara didn’t answer “They already see you as a queen” Elara whispered. Amara shook her head in denial and entered the temple to look at Devalya lost.

Elara asked Devalya “Do you know something that we don’t? “My child, I know a lot. Something more painful than the burden of power is burden of knowledge”. Devalya said and turned towards Amara “Your mother used to tell me after her time Lemuria will have the best ruler it has ever had but…” Elara looked at Devalya in confusion “Are you talking about that stupid prophecy”. Amara looked at her sister in shock “How do you know about the prophecy” Devalya asked. “I used to sneak into mom’s underground chamber where the old books are kept when she used to travel away, I know it was off limits but that was the best place to smoke a bit of seaweed and read some lore when I’m bored”. Amara nudged her sister’s shoulder in anger but also let out a smile. Amara still in confusion asked, “what is this prophecy”.

Commander Solen suddenly rushed running out of breath. Amara took some water from the side and gave it to him before he talked. “Your highness, the central market district, the south and north districts are clearing fast but the people in the West are refusing to leave. They believe the sacred caves will protect them.

Amara cursed under her breath “The caves won’s stop an ocean, Religion without logic is just blind”. Devalya looked down towards the crowd still lost about the prophecy. Elara let out a giggle and looked at amara and said “You need to stay here these people need you. I am the only person who can talk some sense to the west, and you know that”. Amara hugged Elara and said “I know but you must stay here. If it hits the western gates will be flooded. It is I who must take this risk”. Elara broke the hug and said “Look at how these people look at you, look at how much they need a leader. Just because you are the elder daughter doesn’t mean Lemuria is your burden to carry. Stay here. I promise I’ll be back within you know it. Amara looked at her sister and said “Don’t try to be a hero” as commander solen was ready to accompany her and a path was formed.

Elara started moving towards the carriage she paused for a second and sarcastically replied, “I always have been the better actor”.

Elara got into the carriage looked at commander solen and said, “are you sure we will be back on time”. Commander solen sighs and says “Your highness, my loyalty to the throne will never fade away. It is my duty to bring you safe, but I just know that more than loyalty, more than respect. The sea doesn’t wait; the sea takes what it wants I just hope it’s not Lemuria”.

Elara looked back at the sapphire castle and thinks about her mother as she could see her moving away from her sister.

Amara turned to Devalya and spoke “Devalya, you need to start to mount Icarus right away”. Devalya interrupted “but your highness how can we leave you alone”. “That’s an order mam. I’ll be there with Elara, the people of the west and the crown” Amara said. Devalya obeyed and closed the temple gates and hugged amara still lost with the prophecy and started her journey to the mountain with the queen’s guard.

Amara remained in the central district long after the evacuation should have ended. The streets were almost empty now. A handful of elderly couples walked slower towards mount Icarus and young children hung to their parents as the bells continued to ring across the kingdom. Far beyond the horizon she had sensed the sea had stopped retreating. Amara refused to look at it instead helped the last set of people move towards the planned route towards mount Icarus. The capital of Lemuria had now become a ghost. For the first time there was utmost silence in the city. Amara slowly started to walk towards the sapphire castle and entered her mother’s underground chambers and looked at the old books stacked. She took one of the books to find a bit of seaweed ash as she struck a smile in remembrance of Elara and in hope that she would see here soon. Suddenly she heard whispers of her mother’s voice “My little princess, the time has come”.

She closed he eyes for a moment and took herself back when young amara and young Elara were walking the streets of Lemuria with their mother holding their hands. She remembers asking the queen “Mother, why do you love Lemuria so much”. She remembered tickling Elara as they kept walking. The mother took them to a small shop where they bowed before them and served them with a grand meal. The queen caressed both of her kid’s heads as she looked at them full of love. The queen then looked at both and said, “one of you is going to be queen and I want you to promise me that you guys will have each other’s back no matter what”. Devalya is going to train you both to be witty as a princess and brave as a warrior. One of you will be a hero and one of you will be a Leader. Lemuria is not just about its wealth and knowledge but it’s about the people. The people who look to us as their final hope. One day when it comes to choosing between power and the people even if you fail choose to help the people. We might rise or fall but the people of this kingdom are what makes Lemuria what it is.”

Amara opens her eyes half teary and half proud that she understood what her mother has said years ago.

She took the book with her to the throne room and was finally brave enough to look at the horizon. This time she could see a giant wall forming and slowly moving inwards. She couldn’t see distress signals from mount Icarus, nor she could see any signs of her sister.  She looked over the horizon again to see a wave greater than she has ever seen. A wrath that she never had fathomed. A wave huge enough to sink the highest point of mount Icarus.

She closed her eyes for a moment and could feel her sister, mother and Devalya right beside her. She opened her eyes and she knew there was nothing left for her to do. She suddenly felt her heart tighten as she heard her sister call her name. She looked at the Wave hit the western district cancelling the temple bells that kept ringing. Her hands trembled as she moved beside the throne and sat on it. She opened the book as she could feel the waves hit the path to the mountain and the castle walls started to slowly break. The prophecy said “When the sea claims Lemuria, the queen who never was shall refuse the throne walk among the people until there is no kingdom left to rule. The sea shall take the kingdom and the queen alike”. Amara now realises the prophecy was never about her becoming a queen, but it was about her being the last person left.

A strange calm set over has a ray of light broke from the clouds and shined at her. The waves hit the throne room as the Last lemurian let her final breath with the throne beside her. The sea had reclaimed what had always belonged to it.

Years passed, then centuries, The world forgot Lemuria. Coral grew over shattered bell towers. Fish swam through broken windows. The sapphire castle rested beneath the ocean floor. Silent and forgotten.