Chapter Eight:
Now, more than ever, some semblance of order was called for. The people needed to believe the royals had the situation under control and had a plan for dealing with the assault on the empire. Maa searched for the strength she knew she needed to show. Despite her growing fear, she needed to fake the courage to continue. If she lost her composure, the city, possibly the entire empire, would descend into anarchy.
Changes needed to be made. Those under her needed to be coerced into her way of thinking. To drag her empire into modernity, Maa needed to remain in power at all costs. The ends justified anything she needed to do… But now she needed to find the courage to carry on.
The past weeks had left her shattered, with little privacy and no chance for her emotions to settle.
