THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN

The Sleeping King Series

CHAPTER 1: CONQUEST

Yellow Eyes tightened his paws against the hard surface. Claws dug in and pocked the rock overlooking the valley. The day had finally arrived for them to move out. At some point, every inch of dirt and every blade of grass that his sight touched, the pads of his feet had also touched. Man called it the Valley of the Willow for the trees. For the longest time the wolf packs had called it home, but no longer, for the Valley of the Willow weeps.

The secluded valley should had been large enough for them, but it became completely overrun. Perhaps if they had heeded his warnings it would not have come to this. Yellow Eyes growled away what could have been and instead focused on what came to be. A balance needed to exist or the land would have nothing left to give. This ravaged land pleaded for relief, it wept for it.

The time for milder actions ran out many moons ago. The wolves needed to leave and they were not going to do it on their own, so he acted. The Alpha wolves required more convincing than anticipated. They forced him to use their own weakness against them. In the end, Yellow Eyes used a single, yet powerful word to persuade them. Eyes greedily widen and fangs hungrily dripped at mention of that word.

"Conquest!"

Yellow Eyes placed the word into their minds. It echoed in their heads. They ate it up like the last mob of deer in the valley. The word had been born from human lips and for a time it only held meaning to them. That time had passed and now four-legged creatures embraced it as well. He hoped that this would have never come to pass, but to ignore it would be a fallacy.

The wolveslacked the capacity to speak so they howled their agreement. The Alphas left behind a few of their own to watch the valley as Yellow Eyes instructed. The rest marched out in great numbers. Yellow Eyes dangled the promise of more land and more meat in front of the Alphas and in turn, they pushed their warrior packs towards the land of men.

Yellow Eyes watched the throng of wolves depart the home they had known their whole lives. These extreme methods to maintain balance continued to escalate. Unless the One capable of carrying the weight of both the King's Blade and the Feral Crown stepped forth, it will just worsen.

The Uniter is whom the land required to maintain balance. A person that would unite the conflicting two forces on the island to restore balance. The lastclaimant to wield the King's Blade went mad once the Feral Crown touched his brow. He plunged the blade into the stone and plunged the hope from Yellow Eye's chest. The crown broke apart to return to the spirits of the wilderness and the blade sank deep in the rock ever since. To hand him the crown without the Quest had proven to be mistake, one never to be repeated.

Yellow Eyes fought against the sorrow as if it was death itself. If he let it take over he would be no more than the wolves he herded from the Valley of the Willow. Some of his fellows had already succumbed to the sorrow and have lost themselves.

He took one last look down the hills, hairy with grass, that lead down to the valley. He remembered walking down those same hills five hundred years ago leading a small pack of wolves. How things have changed.

#

"What do you mean…what can we do about it?" asked Merwin. His boots pounded the dirt so much so that dust puffed at his knees. Merwin paced back and forth in front of the cottage. Celia knew his anger came strong and fast, but quickly dissipated like the morning rain. She also knew that his anger mixed with worry and thought that endearing.

"She can't go her whole life as an unruly child who sneaks out at the dead of night to do…who knows what," said Merwin

"Trust me I know. Just calm yourself a little, she just wanted to see the Archer tonight and will probably be back soon," said Celia

"The Archer who is that, a boy?"

"Stop acting silly. It's a cluster of stars. You know the Archer, the Cow and Boy Who Forgot. You should know this. After all, you are supposed to be a sailor and they travel by the stars. All children learned that from school at an early age.

"We all didn't get to go to school to become learned scholars. My schooling came from polished steel, a saddle and sweat not from a room of books about stargazing."

Celia sat on a basket weaved from dried husks. It creaked when she shifted her weight. The comparisons of their upbringing always made her fidgety.

"Sorry your right." Celia got mad at herself. She should be more thoughtful of her and Merwin's dissimilar backgrounds. She grew up in a castle and him in the barracks. That had been such a long time ago. A time before Avalon had become their home.

The thought led her to recall life before the island, before their plight. She pictured her family, their rose gardens, the castle…the attack. The good memories of that time always bled into the bad. Reyna had been just born when they had to leave. When they talked, she didn't remember anything of it, perhaps for the better.

"Besides I know what the Archer is, I just thought…well you know she is starting to take an interest in boys now. I'm worried she is sneaking off to meet one," said Merwin.

Merwin's stormy movements began to ease. Celia could tell that his rain of anger had ended. "We have a little more time before those worries come to fruition. I mean you are right she is starting to show interest, but she is still very innocent."

Reyna grew older and with that came shifting interests. Celia had seen it before with her own children and now in her grandchild. However unlike her children, Reyna's change is unaided by a sheltered castle life. On Avalon, they lived humble lives away from extravagance or guarding eyes. They no longer had the benefits of wealth. Here in the middle of Greenwood forest, if a person fell, they had to pick themselves up and if they weren't careful they could tumble down a cliff.

"Innocent? I suppose she is, but even the innocent ones have a smart-mouth and a strong will."

"Well that is partially your fault. Merwin the witty isn't that what your Sergeant called you right before he made you run laps around Jostler Lake," laughed Celia.

"So he did, but on one of those runs I saw a certain noblewoman with her sisters sailing around the lake. That made me run a bit slower."

Celia's wrinkled cheeks stretched as she smiled at Merwin. She knew he loved her and she loved him as well. Their love came from different places and sailed on different winds. That subject had always been unaddressed and always made her feel guilty. After all, she owed the man her life. Either way it had always been clear they both loved Reyna like a granddaughter.

When they arrived on the shores of Avalon Reyna had been just a baby. Merwin and her planned to go into seclusion until they figured out what to do. That is when they met Nil'rem. They both were extremely suspicious of a man so willing to lend aid to strangers. His interest in Reyna had been disconcerting as well. Celia could not explain what exactly made her eventually trust the strange man. It certainly was not a kind tongue, the man knew only harsh honestly. The night he led them to this cottage twelve-years ago, right before his departure, he stared hard into Celia's eyes and said something she will never forget.

"Keep her safe. This child will save us all one day."

As the man turned his back and disappeared into the green Celia yelled back, "From what will she save us from?"

Like a fading whisper on the wind, she heard, "From ourselves."