The Ranger Queen

To Be A Queen

" Will, look at the arrows that pierced us. There's notes tied to the ends of them," Halt exclaimed as he inspected the enemy shaft.
Sure enough, a small roll of yellowed parchment was attached to the fletching of the foreign arrow.
Unrolling it, Halt inspected the writing inscribed.
" Toscana will reign," Halt read aloud.
He and Will glanced at each other in worry. Toscana had always been a rebel country, with many a fiend rising up from that dry, sandy desert.
" We should tell Barron Arald," Will mumbled as he attempted to sit up.
Halt pushed him back down gently, taking care of his wound.
" Will, you and I were just shot, we can't just go galavanting around saving Araluen until we've had a slight chance to heal," Halt reasoned.
" So I'm just going to lay here on the floor while Toscan assassins get away to possibly hurt another," Will grumbled, crossing his arms angrily.
" No, you'll lay in your bed, while I go get Baron Arald to send out search parties for the assassins," Halt reprimanded as he helped Will carefully off the floor.
Will leaned heavily on him, grinding his teeth in pain. Slowly but surely they made their way to his room and got him comfortable in his familiar bed.
" Come home soon," Will murmured as Halt quietly left.

Deorwynn returned home with a sour expression on her face. She'd only managed to slay two of the Toscans before they'd gotten away. She had contemplated following them further, but knew that she had to get back to her new,y inherited role as queen.
Not that she knew what being a queen was like.
" Deorwynn!" An excited voice cried happily.
" Hey Eliza," she mumbled as her sister enveloped her in a crushing hug.
The smaller, yet energetic princess was more than excited to have her older sister home safe.
" Did you find them? Did you make them pay?" Eliza asked breathlessly.
" Yeah, I found them and managed to make some pay but I had a little problem in the way and that made me a little late," Deorwynn grumbled.
Eliza led her to their hut and the two went in and sat on the fern mattress.
" A little problem?" Eliza asked curiously.
" Outsiders, they were wounded and I couldn't just leave them there," Deorwynn filled in cautiously.
Eliza's expression changed to one of absolute fear.
" You did what?! You know the outsiders would kill us on first sight! You're the queen, you're supposed to enforce this rule, not break it!" Eliza ranted, clutching her sister's arm in fear of loosing her.
" They were wounded, I couldn't leave them to die," Deorwynn growled.
" Well at least they didn't kill you! Did they see you?" Eliza asked cautiously.
" No, they were both unconscious," Deorwynn sighed as she stood up and made her way over to the small wooden chest in the corner.
The chest was carved with the symbol of her tribe, a snarling wolf. They weren't called the Lupus tribe for nothing! Opening it she stared at the clothes set inside, the gleaming armour, the shining crown, the silver helmet.
" What are you doing?" Eliza asked curiously.
With a small sigh, Deorwynn lifted the helmet that was in the shape of a wolf and put it on her head.
Through the visor she saw herself in the small mirror on the wall. She looked like a warrior. In the traditional queen's attire with the battle helmet she would finally look like a queen.
" I'm accepting my role," Deorwynn said simply, voice warbled by the terror inducing mask.