He knew what was going to happen!
Keritanima stared at him as he approached her holding the crown, and two of his underpriests held the sceptre and robe. She knelt before him before she realized what she was doing, and she was only vaguely aware that the rest of the Hall had also knelt. The smell of the oil was spicy, warm in her nose as he unstoppered the vial and dabbed a bit on his fingers, then pressed it to her brow. He then placed the crown gently yet firmly on her head. "Arise, Keritanima-Chan Eram, Lady of the Heartland, Mistress of the wind, and Overlady of the Twenty Seas. Arise and hail Keritanima-Chan Eram, Queen of Wikuna."
Keritanima got to her feet as the Vendari raised their weapons as one and boomed in a combined voice that rocked the Hall, "all hail Keritanima-Chan Eram, Queen of Wikuna! Long live the Queen!"
She just had to stand there for a moment, completely stunned. She looked down at the smiling, cherubic face of Miranda, looked into her blue eyes and saw the pride exploding inside her. What reason would she have to be proud? She looked into the warm eyes of Azakar, who had his sword drawn and was saluting her, looked at the calm, ever-present presence of Binter and Sisska, looked at them hailing her with their brothers and sister. Too fast, it happened too fast! The High Priest had been ready to coronate her on the spot, much faster than she dreamed he'd be ready to do such a thing! But the hardest part was over, and for the first time since she had come back to Wikuna, she felt safe. For the moment, right now, she was the new Queen of Wikuna, and nobody would raise a hand against her. She was safe from the machinations of her father, safe from any possible second attempt against her or Miranda by Jenawalani., safe from the plots of the nobles. It was only for the moment, but that moment was like the sweetest wine for her.
She let someone drape the royal robe over her, and accepted the sceptre. Then, with the High Priest leading her, she was led to the throne. It was a large throne, made of a single piece of stone with that sun design over the back, and with deep, plush cushions to protect the royal posterior from the unyielding stone beneath it. She turned around, tucked her tail up against her side, then lowered herself into that throne, feeling the cushion give way to her, leaning back against the throne and relaxing out all the tension that had been knotting her inside.
She had won, but there were a few loose ends to tie up. And some vengeance to exact.
She stood up against and stepped to the edge of the dais. "Bring my father here," she commanded, and the Vendari holding him literally picked up the thrashing lion and carried him bodily towards the dais. The female stopped some ten feet from her and set him down, keeping on hand on his shoulder with two fingers looped around his neck, ready to kill him should he do anything foolish. Someone had tied his hands, which were before him, and the look he gave her promised a thousand slow deaths for her if he could only get free and reach her before someone stopped him.
She looked down at him, fully aware that he was totally defeated. It felt good, but it didn't feel as good as she thought it would have. She realized that the time in Wikuna had changed her, made her realize that there were more important things for her to do with her crown than torment her father. He had lost, and that was that. But he still wasn't going to get off that easy.
"I told you once before that if you ever lost your crown, you would be mine," she reminded him with a savage hiss. "And now here you are. Don't worry, father, I'm not going to kill you, because you're not in your right mind. I hereby decree that Damon Eram be isolated in a sanitarium until his madness is cured, or until he dies," she called so people could hear her. "I hereby strip Damon Eram of his title, his lands, his fortunes, and the house name. He will be known simply as Damon. I also decree that any noble found to be fraternizing or conspiring with Damon will be charged with high treason, and if found guilty by trial, will be executed." Keritanima looked down at him calmly, taking in everything about him, remembering that one moment. "Take him away."
"I'll get you for this, witch!" Damon shrieked. "I know you used your magic to make people think I was crazy! I'll prove it and I'll see you burned at the stake! This isn't over, do you hear me? Do you hear!"
Keritanima watched the Vendari drag her father out, then turned her attention to other matters. "Jenawalani! Veranika!"
Her two sisters shuffled out of the pack hesitantly and presented themselves before her, curtsying deeply to her. The terror on their faces was unmistakable. "I have a long list of grievances against the two of you," Keritanima began in a low tone, her displeasure plain on her face. "I kept a list of every slight you made against me, every little plot both of you tried to use on me, and I can list every person around me that died because of the two of you. I intend to pay you back for your long years of wonderful love and support of me and my position," she said in a voice that nearly made Veranika faint.
"Jenawalani. You are hereby stripped of your title, your lands, your fortunes, and your house name. You will now be known simply as Jenawalani, and you will be put out of the Palace with nothing more than the clothes on your back and a purse with one hundred gold crowns. Any noble found to be fraternizing or soncpiring with Jenawalani will be charged with high treason, and if found guilty by trial, will be executed." She stared down at Jenawalani's shuddering body emotionlessly. "Be lucky I don't arrest you for treason. I've given you a new chance at life, Jenawalani. What you make of it is now up to you."
"No!" Jenawalani wailed pitifully, falling to her knees, prostrating herself before the dais. "I'll be a faithful daughter of the house! I'll obey you, I'll do anything you want! Please don't put me out! I'll serve you!"
Keritanima waited a moment, waited for her shuddering sobs to ease. "I'll change my mind if you swear before the High Priest that you renounce any claim you have on the throne, and renounce any future possibility of taking the throne. Any possibility. You will no longer be a princess."
"Anything! Anything! I'll do it! I hereby swear to Kikkali that I renounce any claim on the throne of Wikuna! I won't ever be queen! I give up my title as Princess!"
"Good enough, but I could never have you in my house," Keritanima said seethingly. "I hereby grant you the barony of Wildwater, and all lands and properties it contains. You may keep your personal fortunes, but you still lose all your house titles, lands, and the house name. You are Baroness Jenawalani Wildwater now, and be very glad I'm feeling merciful today. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind."
Jenawalani was blubbering uncontrollably, and all the arrogance was gone. She was now the baroness of the most remote fief in Wikuna, all the way across the continent, a small, poor holding that would forever remove her from the hustle and grandeur of the capital city. But even that voluntary exile was better to Jenawalani than the horrific possibility of losing everything. She got to her feet quickly, curtsied so deeply that she nearly fell over, then ran crying from the Hall. Veranika watched it all in a kind of morbid fascination, then glanced at Keritanima fearfully. She couldn't bring herself to look Keritanima in the eye.
"Veranika," Keritanima began, and just saying her name made the fourteen year old fall to her knees. "Of all my treacherous sisters, you were probably the least treacherous. Your games and plots were more to annoy me than anything else, and because of that, I'm going to be a little bit more lenient on you. You will therefore be taken from here and be made to strip naked, then you will be paddled. You will be paddled once a day for ten days, receiving fifty strikes at each paddling. One spanking for each of your little plots that annoyed me. After that, you will be shipped off to the Cabottshire School, where you will learn what it takes to be a good merchant. And you will be the best in your class, Veranika," Keritanima warned dangerously. "You will make me proud, or I'll strip you of your title and name so fast you won't know what happened. After you finish school, you'll return to the house and take up your rightful place in it.