Chapter 41
Stadium-style seats were placed on the opposite side of the room from the table. To make sure the council sat in the bleachers, the entourage sat at the table.
Lauren sat on her throne waiting for her council. She shifted on the seat trying to get comfortable and just couldn't. "Well, this is ridiculous. She stood up. Who picked this thing out? It is totally uncomfortable." She thought about her comfortable chair at her old house. The chair she would cuddle up with a good book in and magicked a higher, larger version of that chair as her throne. She sat down, drew her feet up under herself, and sighed.
"Are you comfortable now?" Tom asked.
"Almost. Come sit here." She pointed behind her and he sat down. She leaned on him and sighed.
"Better?" Tom asked.
"Yes, but not quite it. Antonus, come sit here." She pointed to her other side. He sat and she stretched her feet out over his lap and sighed. "I could get used to this."
Tom and Antonus just laughed. It was like having God guards. Before the council members came in she sat up between them. Carlton came up and stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders.
"Don't feel left out. Today is all about your new position in my life."
"I'm ready." He replied and kissed her on the cheek.
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. By the time the council members had all sat down, Lauren was ready and back serious.
"Lady Lauren, I present to you, the council of the imagination realm." Kento announced.
The members rose to their feet and bowed, then before they were given permission, they sat down.
"I think we have a problem. First, I must introduce myself to you."
The chancellor interrupted her, "No my dear. We know who you are. We have been waiting for you for years. Welcome." He thought he was being clever but Lauren was just letting him dig a hole to fall in.
"Excuse me but I was talking. Is it proper for you to interrupt the keeper?"
"Excuse me, my lady." He replied with no bow.
"Anyway." She waved him off. "I'm thinking that I want to change some things."
"Well, my dear, you are new to all this, so, why don't you just let us continue to manage the day to day and you continue to learn for now."
"Um, that doesn't work for me. And if you interrupt me again, all of you will have to pass a testing regiment to keep your position."
He puffed his cheeks up like a fish but held his tongue.
"Now, as I was saying, I want to introduce myself and my entourage to you. These are the people you will have to get to know in order to do your job." She pointed out each member. "Now, I would like to introduce four of my men. This is Tom, my personal bodyguard. This is Antonus, my personal assistant. This is Gerald, my personal advisor. And this is Carlton, my chancellor."
"Preposterous!" The chancellor yelled. "I am not stepping down. I have held this position for centuries and have done so with dignity. Why would you remove me?"
"Well, I wasn't. I was going to let you work with Carlton in a partnership but since you can't honor me as the new keeper, you cause situations for the guardians that are unsafe and refuse simple job changes for my people, you will be removed. I have the power of discernment. Do you know what that means?" Lauren asked as she stood and walked down the stairs from her throne. "I know everything you have done from birth till now. You can't lie to me. Because of what I know, I think you should quietly step down before I expose it all." Lauren walked back to her throne because she really had discerned his life and she really did see how rotten he was. Gerald and Cartrell both wanted to come and beat him down. He has killed to get his position, exploited the guardians, sold the charges, and fattened his pockets. "If you don't sign the resignation papers the secretary for this council has for you in the next few minutes, I will start airing your dirty laundry."
Symon brought the papers and set them on the corner of the table closest to the throne. He bowed to Lauren and stayed bowed with the pen held out for the chancellor.
The chancellor walked up and began reading the papers. Lauren was not going to wait. "Two hundred years ago, you killed the former chancellor's wife. Since he was a shifter and she was his true mate, you knew it would drive him crazy and he wouldn't even know why until the pain of loss hit him and he died."
"How would you know that? You weren't even alive back then. You are just a human like all the keeper's have been."
"One hundred eighty years ago, you decided that your wife wanted too much from you so you poisoned her so you could be free to marry a young girl that you have chained to your bed."
"Shut your mouth. You are saying things that are just lies."
"Her name is Melissa by the way. Council member, Shaw, isn't she your daughter? Did you know she hadn't been out of that bedroom since the day he married her." Shaw cried for his daughter and lunged for the chancellor. Kento and Damon almost couldn't hold him back since he was about to turn bear.
"I don't see your signature." Lauren taunted. "One hundred years ago you had a rival for your position and she found out you were selling guardians to the witch so she could use them in her magic and experiments. One of the guardians was a legacy that you wanted to hurt because they were going to report your sexual harassment. You sold council member Jones' daughter to a vampire and he gave what was left to the witch. Jennifer walked around as a zombie killing people for years until her brother found her and had to cut off her head and burn her so she would stop regenerating."
"You are the reason my family lost my daughter and son. You are pure evil." Councilor Jones yelled. He began to create a ball of magic, but MaGayla put him in a force field so he could calm down. The old elf fell on his knees and cried and screamed for his children.
"You see chancellor, I know all your secrets and these packets have all of them. Since you have not signed, the press and the rest of the council have your sins to read."
"You little brat. How dare you. I have served for years." Before he could say anymore, Tom had him pinned to the ceiling trying to breathe.
"You will not disrespect Lady Lauren, ever." Tom growled. He had turned into a giant without knowing.
Lauren walked up to the giant, Tom and touched his leg. "Tom, come back to me." He looked at her. "Tom, put the ex-chancellor down so he can sign his resignation and go to the dungeon."
Tom finally calmed down and put the ex-chancellor down. He then came back down in size and cuddled Lauren. His eyes were filled with fire and she could feel his heat.
Lauren maintained eye contact with Tom while saying, "We're going to take a small break and then we will be back." Tom followed Lauren out of the throne room and into the antechamber. She keeps her eyes on him. "Dad, I need you." The Almighty popped into the room.
"Wow, what happened to him? Sleep." Tom went to sleep and God floated him to a couch and laid him down.
"He just grew into a twenty-foot-tall giant and he has fire in his eyes. He is acting like he is possessed."
"He is not possessed by anything. He is part Titan and he needs more from you than just a power dumping station. He needs to be loved. You have to open up to him and soothe his broken heart and soul. I know you can do it. I know the family you are creating will help heal him. Resheph destroyed this beautiful soul made of god, magicorn, Titan, and angel. Other than you and your dragon, he is the strongest being here. Gerald can help him learn his powers and develop control. But he is so precious and ready to be loved but he is working hard to not scare you off so he told you he just wanted friendship. He has always wanted more."
"I understand that I am not good with this multiman encounter. I see now I have to give him more. I will do better."
"Listen, if a dragon, a selfish, no sharing being can let another man touch his true mate. Not only let him touch you but coach you through it and then watch the entire event. If a dragon can change, you can."
"I'm changing. I really am."
"Yes. You are. Listen to your dragon. Open up and give to your men and they will take care of all of your needs and desires."
"Okay. So, he will stay asleep until you kiss him awake." God laughed. "He is safe here and will be here when you finish all this council business."
"Thanks dad." She gave him a hug and he popped away.
"See, even your dad wants you to listen to me." Gerald jibed.
"Yep. You are my rock and my fulcrum. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Me too. I love you too." Cartrell said in her mind.
"You are both going to make me cry."
Lauren walked back into the throne room. Carlton met her half way and escorted her to her throne. "Is he okay?"
"He will be. We will take care of him this evening."
She sat back down and put her attention back on the council. "Now, let's move on. As I said, there will be a testing regiment that each of you will have to pass to retain your seats. I don't know you and I believe that if I am going to take advice from you, you will do what is needed for me to build a quick trust. You have the option to retire and leave with the pride of the wonderful job you have done for creation. I have discerned all of you and with the exception of the fact that you were manipulated by the chancellor, you have passed the first test. You are a great group of people. I just know some of you have other things you want to do. Feel free to go do it."
The council members looked at each other. Then Shaw spoke. "Lady Lauren, those of us that still want to be on the council will honor your testing regiment. Those of us that wish to retire will sign the retirement packets and give them to the council secretary. Symon, if we had known you wanted to change, we would have moved you. We are truly sorry."
Symon bowed, accepting the apology.
"We will continue this tomorrow. Meeting adjourned." The entourage let everyone else leave and then began to talk.
"What happened to Tom? Is he okay?" MaGayla asked.
"Yes. He is fine. The family will help him this evening."
"Good. He is such a great guy." Demeatral said.
"You were great in the meeting. I mean your performance was flawless." Carlton said.
"I loved the attitude and demeanor," Antonus said.
"Okay. You're going to make me blush. Let's go eat."
"I have to go back to the Dragon realm, but I will be back tonight," Gerald said. He gave Lauren a deep kiss and disappeared.
"Yes. We need to have a family power talk."