This was something I had in the works as the answer to my own challenge because hey, why not? It's fun! It's about Ephenia just like Kiri Kaitou Clover's answer to the challenge which beat me to the punch haha. I hope Kiri doesn't mind that I'm also posting something about Ephenia as well ;_; I'll take it down if so though.
Done while listening to Queen's Palace MS BGM. Fits like no tomorrow.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was an island ruled by fairies, a land ruled by peace. The forests were lush and alive with song, nature bursting with bounty, and the inhabitants coexisted in harmony.
On this island ruled two queens, majestic and fair. The queen of elves by the name Queen Mercedes ruled the forests of the west and north and the queen of fairies by the name Queen Ephenia ruled the forests of the east and south. The two queens were very good friends, united in their desire for a peaceful land.
All was tranquil and all was well for the queens loved their kingdoms and their subjects dearly as mothers loved their sons and daughters and like ever vigilant guardians, they watched over their tranquil realms. Their subjects in turn loved their queens for they were just and kind and they would follow their beloved rulers to the ends of the earth until the end of time.
And it was so for many centuries.
But one day, a dark cloud loomed over their land, chilling the kingdom with dread. The animals no longer sang and the forests no longer echoed with its former glory. It was a cloud of a most unsettling nature.
The queens grew very worried for they knew something much bigger than their kingdoms approaches from the horizon and so one day, the two troubled friends met together.
"Queen Ephenia," Queen Mercedes said, "Our kingdoms are in grave danger and it cannot continue much longer. We must fight against this new threat if we are to stop it from taking over our peaceful lands."
"But my good friend," Queen Ephenia replied, "While it is true that something lurks yonder our lands, we must not get involved lest we risk our subjects' lives. Let us wait and see what happens."
And so the two queens watched and waited but the cloud only grew bigger and darker, suffocating and oppressing their once vibrant lands into a stillness likened to death.
The two queens met once again and Queen Mercedes said to her friend, "My dear friend Ephenia, the danger looms even greater than before. We must fight now or else it swallows our kingdoms whole. The humans have sent invitations for our aid and perhaps it is wise to accept it."
But Queen Ephenia has heard about these humans from her subjects in a land called Orbis. They were wingless, selfish, and ugly brutes who held no thanks or regard for the rest of the world that provided and nurtured them; who exist only to tear what they pleased and take and take and take endlessly until there was naught but barely anything left for all the rest even when it is not needed.
Queen Ephenia disagreed and told Queen Mercedes of her worry.
"I too do not look fondly upon the humans but for the sake of protecting my beloved kingdom, our beloved land, I will fight with them."
But Queen Ephenia was not swayed. She refused to work with the selfish humans. No, there must be another way.
And so it came to pass that Queen Mercedes left the land to fight with the humans, leaving Queen Ephenia alone and distraught.
Her good friend had left her for the selfish humans, a betrayal that seized her heart so.
For many days and many nights after, Queen Ephenia sought an answer but for naught.
Then one day, humans landed on her kingdom.
Queen Ephenia was frantic.
She cannot allow them within her realm for if they were to be allowed to fester on her lands, it won't be long before her beloved kingdom would be driven into drought by their greedy hands. She must find a way to rid of them.
And so, it was in the midst of her despair that a mysterious man approached her. He said to her, "I am the Black Mage but I am not here to harm. I am here to extend my friendship to you. I see your struggles with those wretched humans and I wish to help you. Please do not fear me for I have a solution."
Queen Ephenia agreed to accept the friendship of this man to save her kingdom and her beloved subjects. She will not fight against him as her foolish friend did. She will join him so that he shall not lay harm on her kingdom like the humans will.
No, for the sake of protecting her land, the future of her kingdom, and for the happiness of her subjects she will even poison her forests if she must, if it meant keeping her land from falling into human hands. The poison will not harm the creatures or her subjects but it will make the forests unlivable for the humans.
And thus, it is like this that Queen Ephenia sheltered her kingdom from harm for a time but it is not to last.
One day, a lone human with weapon in hand entered her domain and began to brutishly slaughter her subjects one by one, little by little, leaving trails of bloodshed and violence in the wake before daring to enter her lair.
The selfishness of humans knows no bounds! Why can she not be allowed peace? Why is she denied the happiness that once filled her kingdom but has now since withered away? Will they not be satisfied until they've destroyed all that is in their way? Why must they take everything!
In rage and in grief, Queen Ephenia fought the human but alas, she was defeated and her fate sealed by the timeless and indifferent jaws of death and the human returned to camp, hailed as a hero.
-The End-
I'm aware that by the time the refugees arrived at Elin Forest, the Heroes would be battling the Black Mage at that moment but I thought that since he's so powerful, he might have sent something like a clone to Ephenia before he was sealed away.