A New Queen Rises

Tara'li

As I stand there, a hand on mothers throne, I hear the doors behind me open wide and several footsteps enter the room. I turn around to see the entire council there, including the leader. The leader speaks. 'You have our condolences, princess Tara'li. The mage contacted us on your mothers passing.'

I nod. 'Thank you for coming. Her wish was for me to follow into her footsteps and lead the Elves, though I don't think I can be as she was.'

The two Dwarves slam their fists on their chests and kneel. The Elves follow their example. Then the leader speaks. 'The last queen was crowned by the Keeper of Magic, who is no more. If you wish I can take the task upon me.'

I shake my head. 'No. I would look like a pawn to you if I let you. I have to look strong and independent, though inside me my heart is broken. It should have been me who died instead of mom.'

The Elf of the farms gets up. 'Do not falter, queen to be. You have lead many with much success. If you hadn't been worthy the queen would not have chosen you.'

In the evening I'm still looking at the empty throne when the leader joins me in the throne room. 'You really do have pain from her death.'

I nod. The silence that follows is deafening. Then he speaks. 'When you became the queens daughter we had a council meeting. If you wish to leave the Dragon Guard you can. You can even take your squad with you and focus on leading the Elves.'

I shake my head. 'No. I will remain a Dragon Guard. Not representing the Dragon Guard as a whole, and mostly spending my times with the Elves, but I will not leave the Guard.'

The leader seems surprised. 'Then how will you balance being a queen with being a Dragon Guard?'

I kneel in front of the throne with moms sword drawn, the tip on the floor and my hand on the guard. 'By fulfilling her last wish and leading all the races to war. Not as the queen of the Elves but as the Wing Leader of all. I will unify all races. I will go to them all, bringing the news of the queens passing and the great offense that I'm working on. As a leader, and as a friend, I will call them to come with me. To throw off the yoke of the Demons for once and for all.'

The leader remains quiet for quite a while. Then the Forge Master walks up to me, apparently having heard my speech. 'Even with your friend stone convincing the King will be difficult. Getting the Orks or Minotaurs to follow you will be even more difficult.'

I get up and put the sword away. 'I will tell the king about my bloodline. About my oath to kill my blood mother. About my commitment and my passion. I will not go to him as the queen of the Elves or as a Wing Leader, but as a friend who just lost her last remaining parent and wishes to complete that parents wishes.'

The Forge Master nods. 'I wish you luck, Wing Leader Tara'li.'

Celeste

In the middle of the night the leader gathers us in a clearing some distance away from the Elven city. There we form the usual semi circle as well as possible. The leader seems troubled. 'What do you think of her?'

No one answers. After a while I decide to answer. 'She is saddened by her loss. In a state of grief. But somehow... she found her determination. She is clinging to her mothers fantasy of a great march. However her mother is the great diplomat and not even she could do that.'

The leader nods slowly. 'On one claw I fear it will never happen. However, there is one difference between her and her mother.'

One of the Elves responds. 'There is more than one difference. For example she is humble, respects the High Elves, sits on a massive, fire breathing dragon and isn't dead.'

The leader shakes his head. 'The difference I'm talking about is much larger. She decided to remain in the Dragon Guard, saying she will remain to lead her squad. Next to that she decided she will continue the war effort in her own way, acting like an individual leader but answering to us when it comes to missions given to her. She wishes to split her responsibilities.'

The two Dwarves both kneel, as do the Elves. It is my turn to respond. 'Then we cannot let her be just a Wing Commander. To let her become a queen and just have her be a Wing Commander would be full on disrespect against the Elves as a whole. What should we do...'

The leader sighs. 'We can only do one thing. The one thing we may not wish to do, but have to. You all know what I'm talking about.'

We all nod

Tara'li

The five High Elves stand on a podium in front of the small crowd. As I kneel in front of them one of them takes the crown off my head. The crown of the princess. Then another lifts up a new crown, which looks similar to my old one but with gems encrusted and carved with the royal symbol. As they lower it onto my head the five High Elves chant in one voice. 'The queen is dead. Long live the queen!'

The crowd chants the same words. Then I rise and turn to the crowd, closing my eyes and bowing my head. 'You often hear people who turn into leaders say they aren't prepared to become leaders. It is now that I realize that they speak the truth. You cannot be truly ready to lead a kingdom, or believing such means you are a fool. As it is my duty now I will lead you all to the best of my abilities, next to my task as a Wing Leader of the Dragon Guard. I will do everything in my power to keep the legacy of my mother, may her soul Rest In Peace, in full honor. In that light, I will lead my squad to fulfill her last wishes.'

I then hear a voice at the end of the room speak. 'Stop please.'

Everyone turns towards the leader, who is the one who spoke. The High Elves point towards him and call the guards, however I stop them. 'What is the matter, leader of the Covenant?'

The leader walks towards the podium until the guards raise their spears. There he stops. 'We had a gathering as the council, last night. With your choice to remain in the Dragon Guard despite your coronation we cannot let you remain a Wing Leader.'

One of the High Elves draws his sword. 'This is preposterous. You cannot choose to take away her sovereignty from her because of her coronation! To overrule her will make the coronation invalid and in response we would declare war upon the Covenant.'

The leader turns his head towards the High Elf. 'For one this old you still jump to conclusions fast. No, she cannot remain Wing Leader for this exact reason. Even as a council we could, wether it is consciously or not, give her orders which indirectly or directly impact the Elves. Therefor we have decided to make her the council member of the Dragon Guard, leader of the Dragon Guard itself.'

Thoughts spin inside my head. That means I now have two armies to lead. Two armies I have to lead without any bias to either. I then nod. 'At what term does my commission in the council start?'

The leader speaks softly. 'Starting today. The vote has been passed last night. We would like to see you in Celaris soon, queen Tara'li.'

The five High Elves are standing in front of me as I sit in the throne next to moms throne. I still feel like I'm not worthy yet. Then one speaks. 'It is outrageous that they wish for you to be a part of their leadership to. Why would they do such anyway?'

I get up and walk over to Rashter, putting a hand on his neck. 'They know that I can be stubborn and I will follow my own road. They also know they would always risk giving me an order that could get Elves killed, which would cause me to leave the Guard on less favorable terms. They did the smartest thing, which is damage control. By making me a council member, though I am responsible for the Dragon Guard itself, means only the leader stands above me and even he can't order more than what happens with the Wings below me, not my own wing.'

Rashter lifts his head up. 'You are correct. However don't make the mistake of thinking you got a lot of power inside the council. You are limited to your section of the Dragon Guard and without the support of the other council members your Guard will fall apart.'

The High Elves calm down a bit. Then I lower my head. 'In a week, after the funeral of mother, I will return to Celaris to join the official commission and their council meeting. Then I will start on mothers wishes. One thing I will not do is spend all my time in Celaris for the council meetings. My base of operations will be here in the Emerald City and when I'm not here I'll be in the field. The only time I'll spend in Celaris is when I'm there for their meetings or do the paperwork for the Wings. I cannot simply pull one in front of the other, which I'll make clear in the council meeting soon enough. There is no need to worry about that.'

Sha'iva is then at the door. 'Can I enter, your majesty?'

I gesture she can come in. 'Just call me sister or Tara'li, sister. To me you will always be my sister.'

She nods. 'Sister, why would you pursue mothers wishes for an all out assault? You could get many people killed with it.'

I turn to mothers throne. 'It is all I can do to honor her memory, as well as saving many future lives. If we don't do it now, many more will die before someone can even think about doing this attack. I'm in a position to finish this war for once and for all. I lead one race, have the backing of the dragon guard and two other races are friendly with me. I can do it, Sha'iva. Only I can't without you.'

As I outstretch my arm she grabs it. 'Then I will follow you, sister. I trust you know what you do. Just don't expect to succeed.'

'The map of the world has changed. The Elves have a new leader and soon the world will be changed again. The question we now face is how we will face this change.'

As the leader speaks I hold the sheet of moms blade on my lap. A couple of meters away from me sits the Elf in charge of the farmlands. Like me he stares at the ornate sheet and the handle of the sword inside it. Meanwhile the Forge Master speaks. 'The time has come for the Guard to prepare for war. We have been trying to hide from our responsibilities for far to long.'

Celeste chuckles. 'You've been listening to way to many of queen Tara'li's speeches.'

The leader turns to me. 'And what is your opinion on this matter, council member of the Dragon Guard?'

As I rise from my chair I hold mom's sword at my side. 'My quest is mine alone. I will not command the Wings of the Dragon Guard into war without either all of your agreements or an order to do so. I will not waste their lives in my quest. Not unless success is guaranteed.'

The council is silent. Then the leader cranes his neck toward me. 'If you can gather a considerable army, of multiple races, are you willing to command the wings? Are you willing to lead them into the flames of war to fight the Demon threat head-on?'

I lift mom's sword up. 'Only after fulfilling my oath to mom. I cannot lead so many if my task requires me to hunt down a single enemy commander. Once that task is done, then I can lead.'

The leader nods. 'Then the road ahead is clear. Forge Master. You may fire up the Master Furnace. It is time to prepare for war. Dragon Guard leader, please form a schedule to rotate out wings so the dragons can be armored up. And queen Tara'li, may I request the Elves to help forge the armors for the Elven Dragon Riders?'

I turn to him and nod. 'I'll send word to the Elven smiths to set up a trade agreement with the Trade Master for that and dragon armor. However I will not go home to give the order myself. In two days I will start my quest to unify the free people. I will go to the Lamia and the Dwarves first. After that I do not know.'

The leader nods. 'I wish you all the luck in the world, council member. May the Dwarves have mercy on you.'

The Lamia village is up ahead. After my command the entire wing goes in to land. We are greeted by the elder, who slithers forward. 'Who is it that leads such a big wing into our village?'

I undo my right arm guard and reveal the carved scar with the green glow to it. 'One who has your poison flowing in her veins. I came to talk.'

The elder squints his eyes for a moment and then moves closer. 'Are you... Shirley? The one who came here with the Mage so long ago?'

I nod softly. 'Many things have changed. I'm now called Tara'li, queen of the Elves. Do you have time?'

He gestures me to follow him. As we enter his hut I see a little crib with a small female lamia in it. Her tail is bright green and overall she is a small child. I do recognize her though. 'Is that... her? Kai'chira?'

The elder nods while smiling. 'Two moons ago she was born. When it happened we all knew it was her.'

Two moons ago. When mom died. I look down at my sword for a moment. Then the elder speaks. 'I guess there are some questions I have to answer. What happened?'

I tell the elder about the queen adopting me, the visions I had, the discovery of who my real mother is, what mom did and finally the two battles I fought. Then I share moms last words with him. When I'm done I see the Elder fall silent and doesn't speak until Kai'chira starts crying. 'Unifying all the races... your mother was ambitious. I guess you no longer are a Dragon Guard then?'

I look back at the entrance. 'Well, I am. I'm the council member of the Guard now. The council doesn't fully agree with my pursuit but I have to in my mothers honor. She believed I could do it.'

The elder picks up Kai'chira. 'I cannot commit my people to war, queen Tara'li. We are a peaceful people your majesty.'

I draw moms sword and kneel with the blades tip in the sand that makes up the floor. 'Forgive me mother. I have failed you already.'

The elder puts his hand on my shoulder. 'I may not be able to commit my people, but my people can commit themselves. During the next village meeting I will convey your words and your plans. After that I will travel to Celaris to speak with the council about the decision that is made. Do not see this as lost yet.'

After staying the night in the Lamia village and getting ashamed of my squad again when Treknal and Flashee damage a hut with their wrestling we fly to the Dwarven Hold. There we land in front of the gate and wait for one of the guards to approach us. The one who does so is the uncle of Oruk and Noruk. 'Who goes there? Who wishes entrance into the Dwarven Hold of Cher'kan?'

I grab the carved stone and hold it up. 'A friend of your king. I would like to speak with your king if possible.'

The Dwarf nods. 'Follow me, Dwarf friend. I remember you.'

With my entire squad following we are lead through the passageways to the throne room, though the Dwarf leads us through other tunnels than before. Finally reaching the throne room the Dwarf talks to the guards. In return I turn to my squad. 'Oruk, Noruk, you two will come with me. As will you, Sha'iva. The rest of you, please remain here and don't cause trouble. The conversation I'm about to have with the king will be difficult enough.'

When the guards let us enter I notice they don't follow in as before. The king then gets up from his throne. 'A familiar armor and three familiar faces, yet the armor is worn by a stranger.'

I hold up the stone for him to see. 'I may not be as strange to you as you think. It has been recent that you saw me, though many things have happened.'

The kings mouth opens. 'Shirley... Wing Commander Shirley. What has happened with ye?'

I lower my head. 'Many things. Chief amongst which is gaining and losing a mother. The queen of the Elves is dead. I'm now the new queen.'

As I lower my head the Dwarf King walks over and grabs my hand. 'Then let us celebrate her life tonight. Ye lost yer kin, but as a friend it is my task to let her live in memories.'

I nod softly. 'I'm also here to ask you as a friend to fulfill mom's last wish. It is a very long reach but... it would mean a lot to me.'

The king lets go of my hand. 'What wish would that be, Queen Shirley?'

Sha'iva puts a hand on my shoulder. I swallow the blockage in my throat as I tell the king. 'Mom dreamt of uniting all the free people and to get rid of the Demon invasion. She died fighting for that dream. I wish to fulfill her dream. I've gathered the Elven armies already and requested help from the Lamia as well. I do not know where to go after this, other than finding my mothers killer and kill her. The one who gave birth to me. Mom's sister.'

The king falls silent. 'So ye will go to war no matter what? Even if it will kill ye?'

I unsheet mom's sword and show it to him. 'This was her sword. She handed it over to me to lead the Elven Armies with. She tasked me with bringing this war to an end. And so I will. If I die, then so be it. At least I will die fighting as a hero, instead of living in shame and hiding from mom's memory.'

The king softly picks up mom's blade and studies it before handing it back to me. 'A Dwarf has helped forge this blade. It is the real blade. If yer Elves are going to full out war then me Dwarves can't be left out. You got me Warhammer, Wing Commander.'

I nod. 'I should probably tell you about the name mother gave me. She renamed me to Tara'li.'

The king walks to the side of the throne and lifts his hammer up. 'Yer name does not matter. Yer heart is a gem in the right socket. Cross yer sword with me hammer and I will stand with you, Elven queen. Tell me where yer armies are and mine will join them. Let the forges roar to life!'

Oruk and Noruk, who knelt in front of the king all this time, now get up and raise their own axe and hammer. 'Yeah! Long live the king!'

I raise mom's sword and cross it with the hammer. Both weapons seem to be surrounded in white light for a moment while the kings guards enter to check what the commotion is. Their mouths fall open as they see the scene in front of them. When both the king and I lower our weapons the guards kneel. I sheet mom's sword once more and nod to the king. 'I'll ask the Dwarves of my squad to carve this into my shield. I will remember this, King of Cher'kan. You got your heart in the right place.'

He responds by slamming his fist against his chest. 'Yer stone is strong, queen Tara'li. It is an honor to fight besides ye.'

The next day, after another Dwarven feast where somehow I didn't get drunk, I find myself standing on the bridge over the mines access road. I'm kneeling there with moms sword. 'Please mom, give me the strength to lead my people. Give me the strength to find all those races and to convince them to join the cause...'

I hear the king speak behind me. 'Speaking to the dead does not help. They don't answer. Believe me, I tried.'

I sigh. 'I know moms wishes. I know how she thinks I should lead. But I fear I don't have the strength or wisdom to do such. Sha'iva would have been so much better at this than I am.'

The king puts a hand on my shoulder. 'Yer mother chose you over yer sister because she believes ye can do it. Ye lead a wing of many and make this journey for her. Yer path has been carved out, ye only need to follow it now.'

I put the sword away. 'My path is clouded from me. I do not know where to go from here. Even with the Dwarves joining in I don't think I can bring this battle to a successful end. The Lamia may not join in the battle at all. We have no mages. Even though I have no doubt an army of Dwarves is fearsome, you are best known for your creations. That means we are mostly bound to our Elven bows and the few swords masters and spear carriers the Elven lines got. We need the Orks and Humans to take the brunt of the impact and carve a path. Neither I know where to find.'

The king smiles. 'I do not know all of them, but I know where yer humans live. Also do not count us down just yet. Me Dwarves are lethal close combat specialists. Our hammers are good for more than just forging and building, queen Tara'li.'

He beckons me to follow him. As we walk through the halls I notice he leads me to a place I was previously told to stay away from. There I see massive forges heated with some kind of liquid stone. Lines upon lines of Dwarves beating red hot metal into shape. Then as we walk further the king motions to some kind of metal and wooden tower on wheels. 'This is one way we can take the impact. Demons struggle the most when sieging a fortress. However, instead of building a fort every few steps, ye could ride the fort towards the front lines. With yer archers these should be lethal.'

I smile and put my hand on it. 'This is the start of our victory. It does not assure it yet, but if used well this can be an asset.'

The king smiles. 'Now all that has to be done is to replace the battered old shield ye carry around...'

I take the shield from my back and look at the front. 'It doesn't seem to be in to bad a condition. Some gashes, splinters and gaps in the metal band around the edges... I can probably keep on using it. This shield saved my life many times.'

The king puts his thumb on the splintering wood. 'The wood is failing, queen of the Elves. To keep on using this shield could be yer death. Please allow us to replace it with Dwarven craftsmanship ye will always remember.'

I am still doubtful. 'It was Oruk and Noruk who made my shield. I'm not sure how they would feel about their shield being discarded for something better...'

I hear Noruk behind me. 'The shield is about to break, Wing Leader. Please let the king replace it. We only made what we could, not what is best.'

As he walks over he kneels for the king and then for me. I then nod and slowly my grip on the shield falters, letting the king take it. 'Ye will not regret it, queen of the Elves. Ye will be given a masterpiece of Dwarven making worthy of a queen and friend of the Dwarves.'

The king walks away and starts yelling at a couple of Dwarves. Then I turn to Noruk, who is standing there with Oruk. I sigh. 'It feels so bad to replace your shield. It is the only thing I carry that you made fully yourself. It has been a real life saver, even though the weight slows me down.'

Oruk slams his chest. 'You always wear the armor my brother helped forge. You use the spear I forged the tip of in battle all the time. The shield has done its work. We are no shield makers. We are armor and weapon forgers. The shield was but a place holder until you could get a better one. To be gifted one from the king is amazing...'