The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

Chapter 213 A Queen's Speech

-- POV General --

In the forest east of the city of Yarlford and west of the Vancesia Empire, a war had just taken place. The King's Expedition, planned by the Supreme, from Zal had faced the newly formed Elysium Army, led by the Empress, the Queen, the Princess and the Commanders. The battle lasted for hours, started around noon and ended in the middle of the night.

The sun had not yet risen and the night was dropping its dark veil over the continent, plunging the forest into an infinity without moon or stars. For the first time ever, as hundreds of footsteps echoed through the trees, there was no light in the sky. Rain drops were even beginning to fall, beading on the leaves, grass and skin of those who were returning home exhausted, wounded and sad.

In the Dark Forest, the soldiers who had survived this unjust war were returning to the Empire, but this time there were no voices announcing victory. A long line of beasts, half-humans, and beast-men marched in unison towards the North, but all had their heads down. There was no sound of a single voice, no smile, no laughter, no clattering of shields, no flapping of armor.

Elysium, the Empire of lights had won, but at what price ? Behind this great silent parade, a few carts covered with white cloths were moving slowly forward. Indeed, underneath were the bodies of all the valiant warriors who had fallen during the fighting. Hundreds of corpses were brought back to their families, friends and loved ones before they died to protect them.

Despite the victory, there was no sense of celebration as all thoughts went to those who would never see the sunlight again. Like a funeral procession, the soldiers made their way through the trees following those who had ended the war. The Empress was in front, accompanied by her wife and little sister, but like her soldiers, she was not in the mood to smile.

In fact, it was quite the opposite, Freya had found her older sister who was still asleep and being cared for in a medical cart. However, at this moment, her heart and mind were elsewhere, also bruised by the first losses her Empire had suffered. The she-wolf said nothing, keeping her head high, but as the seconds passed, her eyes darkened and her chin dropped.

The Empress of Ice, known to be ruthless, bloody, cold and terrifying, at that moment, felt the pain and anger of an entire army. Every breath, every smell, every sound, every vibration, every heartbeat, everything was deafening and even though the forest was silent, the soldiers seemed to be screaming. Freya, hidden behind her role as Empress, lived through them and shared what they were all hiding deep inside.

"This is not the victory I wanted..."

Everything was mixed up in her mind, she herself was lost with her own feelings that she had to learn to deal with for the first time. Yet the Empress also had to endure listening, hearing, the distress of those she had led into battle. It was not the victory the she-wolf hoped for, but was an ideal victory really victimless ? Was there no victory when it came to war then ?

The answer for her was still nowhere to be found and no matter how much she asked herself, nothing seemed to be able to soothe the growing sense of guilt. So much had happened but so much death and so much sadness resulted from it all despite their victory. As the water droplets that fell from the dark, lightless sky grew thicker, the Queen and Princess watched.

Freya said nothing, but her wife had long understood what was going on in her mind and despite her silence, wanted to help. Her soul mate, always strong, always there for those she had sworn to protect, suffered without a word, listening and enduring. Why was it so hard ? The King, Myles, Leto and Jade had been captured, the threat to the Empire was over for the moment, but like the weather, hearts were crying.

"That's enough..."

Murmuring these few words, Gaya pulled on the reins of her mare named Pearl before making a U-turn under Freya's questioning look. This atmosphere, the dragoness knew it very well since it was the same one in which she had let herself be locked up years ago. When she had lost her family, the Empress' wife had almost let herself die of sadness and all those negative waves, she felt them too.

Was she somehow stronger than her wife when it came to these kinds of feelings ? No, Gaya had already lived through them and fought them thanks to the one who had pulled her out of this hellish spiral...her wife. Tonight, it was the Queen's turn to lighten the heart of the one she loved, for she knew best that despite her power, her unwavering determination, Freya also had vulnerable sides.

Supporting her family, her soldiers, her Empire, was all the dragoness had ever wanted and tonight, as the drums of war fell silent, she would prove it. Still on the back of her mare, she faced the Commanders, the Lieutenants and the entire army who had all stopped. Only the sound of falling rain echoed as she opened her mouth to speak under the sad and questioning looks.

"SOLDIERS !"

Raising her voice from nowhere and calling out to those behind her, the Queen stopped the convoy under the misunderstood gaze of these warriors who barely looked up at her to understand. Hearts were aching, minds empty and souls madly sad. The dragoness was wounded in the shoulder, dressed in a robe of ice, and for the first time since the end of the war, she spoke to the Empire's warriors.

"Why did we go to war ?"

"..."

"Why on the way out did we walk through this forest, proud, fearless, with our heads held high, a fire in our hearts and strength in our arms ? We knew that there would be losses, that is the lot of any war, but if we are where we are today, it is thanks to you and your efforts. We lost a lot of soldiers but it is also thanks to them that you can walk and go home. Isn't it ?"

"Y-Yes.."

The Queen had raised her voice and for the first time she did not carry that trace of warmth she always had when addressing her citizens. Instead, her gaze was hard, her voice almost as cold as the Empress's, and her eyes were burning. Was she angry ? Yes. Why was she angry ? Because despite the fact that the dragoness understood those feelings, she could not accept seeing such looks after the courage they had all shown.

"I didn't hear you right, soldiers ! Isn't it also thanks to those who fought like real ferocious beasts that you will soon be able to hug your loved ones ?!"

"YES YOUR MAJESTY !"

"Then raise your head, puff your chest, hit the ground and shout if you want but above all don't show me those faces ! You are sad, we all are but we are also still alive and for that alone we should be proud. This does not take away the sacrifice of our comrades but what would they say if they saw you ? Did I fight to the death to offer a tasteless victory ? Certainly not !"

Gaya's voice carried far, the sound of the rain seeming not to even bother the one who was doing her best to strike a blow. Her words may have sounded harsh, but everyone knew that she was sincere and that her sole purpose was to ease the minds with her own truth. As the soldiers began to nod their heads and slowly realize the significance of her words, the Queen's face closed and turned cold.

"I'm angry, I'm hurting, I'm ashamed, but it's just those feelings that are so hard, so real, that drive me to always do my best for those I love. Don't you want to go beyond yourself ? To shout to the world that you are still here, that you exist despite what they think of you and that no matter what they throw at you you will always fight and rise again ?"

Under the shocked gaze of Freya and her little sister, Gaya had begun to rekindle the extinguished hearts as everyone began to understand the measure of her words. Then, suddenly, as heads were raised, the Queen put a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. The rain was beading on her face and at that moment, as she spoke again, only the Empress understood that what was flowing was nothing but tears.

"I too have lost loved ones in the past because I could not protect them, because I was not strong enough. I cursed myself for years, I wanted to die and I always wondered what I could have done better to avoid this but...it's in the past. There is nothing we can do about it but live fully and proudly for those who sacrificed their lives for ours."

"..."

"Then let us live for them ! Let us keep them in our hearts until the end and only then will their deaths not have been in vain. Because after all...they will always live...here"

Opening her eyes again, Gaya was now pointing at her heart with her thumb for all to see as all fists began to unclench. She was speaking with sincerity, giving herself away in front of hundreds of soldiers who had no knowledge at all of their Queen's suffering. Even the Empress was silent at that moment, unable to speak as her words resonated deep in her soul.

The dragoness had her head towards the ground but as she had said earlier, it was not long before she raised it, showing her face to all. This time, despite the rain, all the soldiers understood that she was crying, but it was not that which would remain engraved in their hearts. The moment Gaya raised her head proudly despite her tears, a tender and sincere smile appeared on her face.

The dragoness' hair was not flying in the wind, she was not wearing her crown, no beautiful dress, she was wounded and exhausted but despite the dark night, all they could see was a Queen...a dazzling sun. The moon and stars did not shine but the army felt bathed in a protective light, the sun was not in the sky and yet all felt this unexpected warmth that enveloped their wounded and exhausted bodies.

Like a reassuring sun, powerful, protective, unquenchable and more alive than ever, the warriors saw in her the entire Empire. A mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a daughter, her words had resonated so strongly within them that the sadness had disappeared. Every soldier had they head held high, some were crying, others were starting to hit their shields, but all of them, without exception, were smiling irreplaceably.

The gloomy, sad, dark atmosphere had suddenly changed and now only the love that everyone had for each other remained. Little by little, the sound of the rain, which was now falling in torrents, was covered by the sound of feet hitting the ground, of shields and swords clashing with vigor. The voices that had been silent until now, were now rising up into the dark sky, fearless, proud and powerful.

"My love..."

Freya had approached the one who had opened her heart for the good of all and as she wiped her wife's tears tenderly, she smiled. No more weight was on her chest, no more guilt hovered over her heart and only a sense of fulfillment sailed through her mind. For the first time, the Empress had not addressed her warriors leaving the Queen to make her speech.

"I-I'm fine, honey~"

Not letting her answer, as the sounds of rain and soldiers grew louder and louder, the she-wolf leaned in to place her lips on her wife's. For the second time since the wedding, in front of the citizens and soldiers of Elysium, the Empress kissed the Queen. While the two women were immersed in their world, the moon finally appeared in the sky, dazzling the imperial couple with its pure rays.

This magnificent, magical, hypnotizing and beautiful love spectacle had suddenly silenced everyone. Like two doves bringing hope, the two rulers of the Empire were finally giving back to everyone what they thought for a moment they had lost during this war...joy. The joy of being alive, of having achieved the impossible and the joy of being able to continue to fight for what was important.

As the she-wolf and the dragoness finally parted, the rain had stopped and the drops streaming down their bodies were like diamonds glittering in the light. Once again, the noise started again as the Empress and the Queen, joined by the Princess, smiled sincerely. Elysium was not far away and tears would be shed in a few hours when the news would be announced.

No one was unaware of it, yet thanks to the dragoness, the entire vision of the army had changed and the strong souls were ready for what was to come. The eyes were shining, the smiles were enchanting and the previously bitter victory was beautiful and pleasant. With her words alone, Gaya had changed everything, with her sincerity alone she had inspired and made her wife proudwho admired her more and more.

The sun of Elysium did not know it yet, but the whole Empire would know her words and this moment would be forever engraved in the hearts as ... a Queen's speech.

[N/A : Beautiful and <strong>official</strong> art of Gaya on Discord (the Imperial Queen is deadly gorgeous) little teaser ] here (join if you want the full one) ->

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FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 20%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 45/70

Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000

HP : 163 000 / 170 000 MP : 66 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 560

Defense : 560

Agility : 566

Endurance: 563

Speed : 562

Intelligence: 560

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 600

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 2239

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 2/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 5)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 2)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]