The ensis on the council sat on their bench, mouths agape. Ensi Puzu stood and cheered, one fist in the air, and four other members joined him to support Arwia. But Ensi Adda and Ensi Mudutu remained quiet and seated with the other councilmen, observing. Perhaps they wanted someone else on the throne?

The crowd was hushed, but a man shouted in joy from the back. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I picked through the crowds to see who it was. The man jumped up and down, the set of his shoulders similar to a particular smart-mouthed friend of mine. Iltani’s father. He raised his fist and Arwia answered with one of her own.

“He has starved you! Punished you! Torn your families apart! I have come to tell you today that we are finished with torment! You will work an honest day and receive a living wage. We will help those who cannot afford food. We will protect our city with our band of warriors who are loyal to the citizens of Alu, not their own coffers.

“I promise you that I will restore your faith in this crown!” she cried, holding her hands up high overhead. “No one will suffer under my rule!”

“All hail Sarratum Arwia!” Iltani’s abum yelled hoarsely. “All hail Sarratum Arwia!”

And the crowd joined in. One after another after another. Standing in exultation. Arms overhead. Hands clasped together in prayer. Raised to the sky. The guardsmen standing in the Pit who had not been killed sank to one knee, their heads bowed.

Ensi Puzu knelt to her, too, and joined the chants of the crowd. “All hail Sarratum Arwia!” The four other ensis who supported her joined in. “All hail Sarratum Arwia!”

That made five.

As the crowds shouted and sang and called her name, Arwia held out a hand to the council members who remained silent.

“Good men! Please join me in reclaiming our city. Join me in making our citizens happy and whole! You will be rewarded for your support and will have a hand in shaping Alu into greatness.”

After a moment of consideration, Ensi Mudutu nodded, then knelt and began to chant along with Ensi Puzu, his long hair falling over his shoulders. “All hail Sarratum Arwia! All hail Sarratum Arwia!”

Six. Their support was split.

Arwia held out her hand again to the rest of the men. “Ensis! Join me, for the sake of our broken city. Help me restore it so we are not vulnerable to others who do not care about our citizens as I do!”

Please. Please. We need this. It will mean so much for her reign to take the throne with support.

The men on the council deliberated, and two of them, contempt on their faces, left the viewing box and walked away.

But finally, with a look of resignation, Ensi Adda knelt slowly, his red tunic bunching around his knees. “All hail Sarratum Arwia,” he said softly, nodding to her. Ensi Puzu elbowed him in the gut, and the man raised his fist and his voice. “All hail Sarratum Arwia!”