A Difficult Decision

**Date Started:** February 24th 2020
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play**:
**Next Role-Play**: N/A
**Users Involved:** User:Jmayfie01, User:PuddingCups
**Setting:** Boeotia
**Characters Involved**:
* **Belladonna Family**: Belladonna D. Megara
* **Boeotian Elder Council**: Melea

## An Interesting Case

"The idea is- it's just- simply preposterous!" A short man shouted, standing up from the round table, his chair sliding into the wall behind him as he banged the table with his fist. "Nerium you cannot be behaving this way, it's very clear who the child belongs too." The woman said, her chest pounding as she laughed and coughed, taking a big puff of a pipe and blowing the smoke into the air which filled the room. "Oh shut up Drangea." The man scoffed, huffing as he once again took his seat. The two went back and forth, arguing over the unknown problem while even making a few snide remarks about one another personal lives before being interrupted, the doors of the large chamber slamming open to reveal their stunningly beautiful queen in her regal attire, and bearing an angry look on her pretty face.

"Is this what my mother and her mother entrusted you old coots to do? Argue and bicker back and forth for hours on end and getting nowhere about the problem at hand! I question their judgement, as to why I need a council, those women have been moping in front of my throne as all of you squabble about these petty matters!" The woman shouted, the room silencing. Nerium stood, making his way to comfort his queen. "Now dear, lets watch that attitude of yours! Tut tut carry on we'll be done momentarily." Despite being shorter, and much.. much older, Nerium nudged Megara from the room, leaving an angry queen to stomp back to her throne.

Suddenly the council looked towards a women who had been rather quiet during the entire ordeal, the only one who could get through to their queen, Melea. "Go and help her!" They hounded the women, practically shoving her out of the room just as they did Megara!

Melea was practically shoved out of the room, the council’s room wasn’t too far away from the palace, only being a small building where the elders could discuss problems and decisions regarding the country or disputes. “If only smarter people were with me on the council.” She sneered, using her staff to walk slowly to the palace. Melea was a rather short woman, only standing at about 4’10, her hair was pure white and her skin was wrinkled. Even if she wasn’t the most beautiful, she was the oldest and therefore wisest person on the island.

As melea walked into the queen’s court, she noticed two women standing in front of the queen, both seemed to be distraught though a guard held in his hand a rather young baby, seemingly only a few months old. Melea had heard the case when it was brought to them but didn’t expect it to last this long. She knew the queen’s patience was rather thin so she didn’t delay in walking up to the throne and standing beside her. “Hello, Megara.” She didn’t smile though, simply looking at the young queen like a grandmother would her bratty child.

Megara glared at the counsels room, the massive doors opening to reveal a women, small and frail, she hardly looked like she could open them! But in that tiny body held a lot of strength, and a great sharp mind. The sharpest in all the council, and also the oldest which was easily identifiable due to the silvery white bun which rested on her head. She made her way to the throne, slowly of course, but it wasn't a race. "Melea." Meg said, nodding her head as if to acknowledge her presence. "I'm glad the council gathered enough wit to send you out here." The queen huffed, looking towards the women in front of her, who had been bickering the entire time. "SILENCE in my court." Meg commanded, banging her fist on her throne. "Restate your case." The queen leaned back, making herself comfortable as she crossed her legs and prepared to hear it all over again, something she had ordered so that Melea could catch up on the problem at hand.

The women had been quieted, their argument stopping as they stepped forward, both bowing to the pair in front of them. "I'm sorry your majesty." Both of the girls said in unison, awaiting further instructions, only to be kneeling in awkward silence for several seconds, hearing only the tapping of the queens nails on her chairs arm. "I don't have all day. One of you step to the plate and explain yourself." Frantically, one of the women stood, clearly in a scattered state of mind.

"Well, your majesty, as we've... well tried to explain, we both believe this baby is our own!" The woman spat out, pointing to a nearby guard which carried the babe. "But it's MINE!" The other women shouted, stepping forward and throwing her arms down. "I birthed it myself, I would know!" They kept going like this back and forth, back and forth, Megara was losing her patience...

Melea had known the queen since the young woman was born, being there for her birth as she had advised a few generations of queens, her eyes narrowed towards the arguing women and let out a sigh of relief as the queen had silenced the two. "Clearly, one of you is a liar." The elderly woman stated, though it was obvious this was a technique to see how the women would respond. This alone would not be enough to tell who truly owns the child as it was not old enough to have distinctive features. "Hm.." Melea looked over at the queen, she could tell the younger woman was losing her patience as the women continued their mindless arguing about who owned the child.

The elderly woman stood quietly with her eyes closed, she was deep in thought and pondered on an idea to solve this problem quickly, if they didn't end this fast then there would be dire consequences. Her eyes wandered to the baby, looking closely at the child when an idea randomly came to her. It may have been a little morbid and rather strange but this would be the deciding factor in who the child truly belonged to. A mother's love is strong and they know what is best for their child, even if it breaks the mother's heart. "Megara, I've come to a conclusion.." As the words were spoken, all eyes were on melea. "We will cut the baby in half and each mother will receive an equal half of the child." It may have sounded like some kind of sick joke at first, but the look on melea's face was point blank.

Megara rarely listened to her adviser, but the words from her mouth couldn't have been wiser. It was perhaps, the smartest thing the women ever said! A true stroke of genius. "Very well. Bring me my sword." She snapped, one of the guards brought her blade, Ophidia, kneeling before her to offer the weapon. It was masterfully crafted, made for the royal family some odd years ago by a blacksmith of Boeotia, one of it's finest. Grabbing her signature weapon, she stood from her throne, raising the snake sword over her head only to hear weeping? The tears of one single woman. "STOP! PLEASE, I BEG YOU!" The women called out, just as Megara had begun to bring her weapon down in order to seal the babies fate. "You each would get a half, what is not fair, what is not JUST? What complaint could you possibly have?" Megara wasn't a mother, not yet anyway, she simply couldn't understand the situation, she hadn't been raised to think that way. She had been raised to be queen.

Melea was simply doing this as a test to see which woman would choose the best option for her child, it seemed the queen didn’t catch on to this and she would have to make it clear. The elderly woman stomped her staff on the hard tile, the sound of it echoing through the palace. “The child belongs to this woman.” Melea pointed towards the crying woman, using her staff to emphasize the dramatics. “A true mother weeps tears at the thought of harm coming to their child while a fake one has dry eyes.”

Her eyes moved towards the queen, narrowing them at her. The girl might be conceited and vain but she truly does care for the well-being of the kingdom and it’s people. That is why melea continues to serve the royal family, knowing that the queen might be rough around the edges but even the most beautiful rose has its thorns. The elderly woman took a deep breath before letting out a sigh, rubbing her temples and waiting for the queen to respond to the women.

The crying woman, wept, but these were no longer tears of sadness, but of joy. "Well then, give her the baby, and as for you... throw her in the dungeon." The woman contested, attempting to speak up about the situation, surely with some last ditch effort excuse, but what excuse was their for lying about the ownership of a child? "Your royal highness please, I beg-" Megara only stared as the guards came to seize her. "You can continue to beg, but your plea will not reverse the crime you have committed. Take her away." Megara waved her hand, the guards shuffling away, the woman with her baby taking her leave as well, leaving only the mentor and prodigy behind.

What had happened was almost an embarrassment to Megara, how did Melea know so much? Perhaps it was age, or maybe life had simply thrown more at her. Either way, the queen was curious, and thankful, both emotions she wouldn't show openly. "I find it reassuring, the council has hope in your hands Melea. My mother was right to appoint you its head."

“Your mother was a great queen, I know you will follow in her footsteps.” Melea placed a brittle hand on the younger woman’s shoulder for a second before removing it. “Our country is old, we were once protected by the world government but as time went on, we got less and less out of the deal the government made with our country. Piracy was one way our ancestors continued gathering riches, taking from the countries that abused their wealth and power and returning it to the homeland where our citizens would never go hungry.” Melea was often one to look back on the old days fondly.

“One day you will have a daughter and she will rule, it is up to you to teach her the ways of our people, the ways of a true queen. I’ve taught many queens and princesses but the clock on my life is ticking and by the time your daughter arrives, there is no guarantee I will still be with you physically.. Remember this ‘Echidna’, I will always be here with you even when my spirit leaves. If there is an afterlife then I will request to be reborn as a flower, so I can watch you and your offspring bloom from my resting place.” Echidna was a nickname she rarely called the queen, while it sounds strange it is actually a very affectionate name Melea has given the young woman.

"Don't remind me of the governments betrayal. Our history sickens me, how mistreated we were under their flag... I will ensure that we *never* go back." Megara spoke with a lot of passion and emotion, and her words rung true. The kingdom, if it had still been allied with the government today, would have found itself deprived of it's lavish luxuries, stripped of it's precious poisons, and robbed of anything under the sun that greedy government set it's eyes on.

That air quickly changed into something a bit more emotional, but not on Megara's part. "Do you have to be so somber, you decrepit old crone, you've lived forever, I don't even believe that death for you is a possibility." Megara seemed slightly angry at the matter, though despite this and her harsh words she did have something of a motherly relationship with Melea, a women who practically helped raise her.

Melea simply smiled, her eyes staying closed as though she was enjoying the chill breeze flowing through the castle. It was true the woman had lived over a century, being one of the oldest people currently in the surrounding islands but death was indeed a possibility for her. "Death does not discriminate. White, black, blue, young, old.. No matter how beautiful a flower is, in time it will come to wilt away and be reduced to nothing more than the shriveled petals in the wind. However, before it becomes one with the dust, it will release it's beautiful seeds to create offspring and continue its legacy." Melea had no children of her own, deciding to devote her life to the kingdom and seeing the queen as her own daughter, ever since the former queen died, melea has acted as a mother figure and acted as the best guide she could be.

"Even someone as beautiful and alluring as me will eventually be face to face with death. I hope that when I die, you will dress me in my favorite garments and put make up on me along with burying my body with the most poisonous of flowers. I want death to get an erection the size of his scythe when he sees me walking to those pearly gates." Melea may be a wise elder but she still had a bit of humor in even the darkest of times. The conversation may sound like it's going off track but this was normal for the two, talking about things of the future or even the past and not sticking to one topic for too long. "We are blessed with these amazing abilities and seen as deities but we also must not forget that we all bleed the same." This was simply Melea telling Megara that as she grew and understood the ways of her ability even more, that she must not loser herself in its enchanting powers or else she will succumb and be more than a snake haired woman, she will be 'Echidna'.

"I, more than anyone, would know that death knocks on any door. I do not need you to tell me about loss or legacy when I am the very seed of a flower withered too soon." Megara was referring to her mother and while other girls would have had teary eyes when mentioning such a topic, Meg was first and foremost a queen and big girls didn't cry.

"I'm tired of this topic. It's so weary and dreadful. Can't you talk about anything else?" Meg didn't particularly enjoy these talks, they put a bad taste in her mouth and brought to life traumatic memories she would much rather forget.