Suggestions Welcome

[bhthomas]

I did a short story where i had 6 guys that served an emperor and i called them Patriarchs. I kinda thought that was a cool title. If your planning on making the queen a kinda of  "Mother to the nation" for her title that kinda goes with it.
You could name the women Matriarch.

[Comatose]

I want them to be more student to the Queen, I even toyed for  a while with calling them disciples, what do you guys think about that by the way?  I wasn't sure about it.

[Eudaimoniac]

I would say that depends on their role in the kingdom. (and technically it would not be a KINGdom if it is ruled by a woman) If their role is mainly a relation to her, you could go with disciple, but if their role is primarily in relation to the kingdom/population i would not do so.

[Comatose]

That is correct, as disciple means Student, and I'd say they're duties are divided between her and the empire.  That was my main problem with using disciple.  Do you think since it's sort of half and half would that be OK?  I'm really not sure.  They are her followers and supporters, but the do a great deal in relation to other people of course, and she stays in isolation, so she can't realy be called a teacher.

[Eudaimoniac]

I know what you mean. Why is she isolated ? I was thinking about giving them two titles - one when with the queen and one when they are not with the queen. or a title dependent on who was speaking to them. If it was a farmer, then they would ha a title showing that they were doing the business of the empire but if it is an aristocrat addressing them it would be more in the capacity of students/advisers to the queen. Just got fond of them having two titles...

But if they have only one title, consider the history of their job. Did it start out when someone close to the queen decided that she should have some help and asked some of the bureaucracy who volunteered. or decided she herself that those positions should be filled and had interviews before deciding who she hired ?

In the end, if the title seems natural in the story, it will work. They could be disciples, student, advisers, suiters, whatever - as long as it becomes natural to call them by their title.

Hope it helps   

[Comatose]

Thanks!  The Queen is in isolation, because she is in constant pursuit of more knowledge and power so she contributes a lot of time to her studies (this makes more sense if you know about the magic systems in the story), and she spends a great deal of time watching her world. 
The Sentinels (as they are unfortunately still called) are raised from a young age, by the Queen and the people who used to hold their position, for they're job.  I think they are mostly orphans, but I haven't finished all of their backgrounds yet.

[Eudaimoniac]

You could also call them Keepers. They Keep her isolated, they Keep the Empire running, the Keep the public from interrupting the queens study. But i believe desciples would also work

[Comatose]

But if I used 'keepers,' I would keep expecting them to have feruchemical powers and say, "I think," a lot, which they definately do not.

[Miyabi]

Sentinel - (I went with priest type words) Chancellor, Flamen, Dignitary, Rector.

Queen - Matron, Amir, Kaiser, Dynast, Caliph.

[Comatose]

I'm not so sure about the priest words, they sound cool, it's just that most of them seem like solitary positions to me, and there are four of them in the story.  Dignatary would work in regards to there being four, but I'm not sure I like it very much.
As for the Queen names, Kaiser sounds too masculine to me, and I don't like matron, but Caliph and Dynast interest me, do you know the meanings?

[Necroben]

Instead of calling them all by one title: what about different names for each of them?  So that it could be a description of what they do, and thence what they are.

[Reaves]

thats a good idea and it might serve to give them more individuality. Help them stand out a bit more for the reader.

[Comatose]

No, I want them to have the same title, although they each have their own duties, they are still a team.

[Eudaimoniac]

there is nothing wrong with them having a two-part title, is there ?

There is a minister of defense. 'Minister' relating to being in a team with other ministers, and 'of defense' relating to then individual ministers area.

Rector of Administration.
Keeper of Public Affairs

and the like...

[Comatose]

Thank-you everyone for the suggestions, they did help me get going in the right direction, in the end I decided upon Arbitrators.  I think this word feels more dangerous than sentinels, and the four of them are considered dangerous.  They also pass on all the Queen's judgements in her place, so they essentially Arbitrate for her.  I decided the emphasize the student aspect in the way she talks to them.
Still don't have a word for them to call her though.