Little Regals Tribute to the Queen

Chapter One

Queen Lana rode her steed happily with her seven little regals trailing around her. She had announced that she wanted to spend some quality time with her children before things got more hectic with the Queen's Tribute Ceremony nearing. She decided a picnic would be suitable so she gathered her daughters and they made their way to the Queen's favorite spot close to the brook where her daughters could safely go for a swim and there was plenty of space and shade for them to play.

Her littlest regal, Nix, rode with her securely fastened in front of her. Luisa rode with Crystal happily holding on behind her while Tracy had Angel riding with her. Jessica and Rahab rode their own smaller horses.

"For gods sake Angel, will you quit squirming? You're going to make the horse jump." Tracy complained.

Angel kicked her heels, "I want to go faster."

The horse made a sudden jerk but Tracy calmed the mare. "Stop it Angel!"

"Angel dear, it's not a race." The Queen warned.

"Not one that you would win." Jessica said galloping passed Tracy with Rahab right behind her.

Luisa then sprinted passed all of them with Crystal squealing with delight as they passed everyone too fast for any other them to catch up with their big sister. "Show off!" Rahab yelled out.

"Come on Tracy, let's get them." Angel begged.

Tracy remained very calm. "Racing isn't my thing. Besides, I don't want to leave Mama Regal behind. That's rude." She answered causing Angel to sulk.

Nix turned to her mother, "I wanna race too Mama."

"Well, then perhaps you shouldn't have been playing in the stables when I asked you not to and not hurt your knee." The Queen said sternly to her youngest daughter who had her knee bandaged and was now sulking along with Angel.

As they got to the spot where two huge oak trees met near the brook, Luisa was securing her horse and Crystal was throwing rocks into the water.

Luisa approached the Queen's horse. "Did you like my riding Mama?"

"Yes dear, very impressive, although I'd be more impressed if you help me with Nixie." The Queen joked. Luisa reached up and helped her injured little sister down.

Rahab and Jessica had already joined Crystal at the brook and Angel was anxious to join them. "Angel you're going to fall off." Tracy warned.

The Queen dismounted her steed and helped Angel come down Tracy's horse. "This is why you and Nix are always hurting yourselves." She said as she helped her eager daughter. "Don't any of you get too close to the water until we are all set up." The Queen called out to her younger daughters as Angel stormed off.

"I want to throw rocks too." Nix whined.

"Sorry dear, but the doctor said you are to stay off that leg as much as possible." The Queen reminded her.

Nix put on a pout. "Why can't you just use magic to fix it?" She complained more.

Queen Lana carried her daughter and sat her side saddle on Jessica's smaller horse. "I told you, magic cannot fix everything. Besides, I don't want my daughters depending on magic plus this might just teach to listen to your mother a little better. Now wait here while we take everything down." The Queen said causing Nix to put on a bigger pout.

"Don't worry Jelly Bean I'll get in the water with you later." Tracy promised and put a little smile on her sisters' sad face.

Luisa went up to Nix, "Here, have this candy apple while you wait." Nix smile grew wider.

Queen Lana loved to see her daughter so tender with each other. "You two spoil your sisters too much." She smiled at her eldest girls.

It didn't take long for the regal family to set up their picnic area. The Queen had allowed her daughters to go for a swim while she prepared their meal. Tracy was closely hovering over Nix and her bad knee while Jessica and Rahab had a water war with Crystal and Angel. Luisa who was afraid of the water, had elected not to go for a swim. She was simply wetting her feet as she sat on a large rock and helped watch over Nix.

"Hold on to her right Tracy, she can't swim." Luisa anxiously called out.

Tracy laughed a little, "Don't be such a big sister. I'm not going to let her go. Besides, she can always float."

"I am a big sister. I can't help it." Luisa pointed out.

"I'm okay Luisa, see?" Nix announced with a big smile on her face as Tracy pulled her along the water.

"I can't believe you don't know how to swim. Our invincible big sister can't swim? Unbelievable." Tracy teased followed by Luisa kicking some water at her. "Even the Jelly Bean can do it look." Tracy held Nix over the water for a moment then let her go as she floated.

"It's not hard see? You should try it." Nix suggested.

"What are you going to do if you end up in the water one of these days?" Tracy asked.

Angel popped her head from the water. "If you ever end up on the water just let yourself go. Don't panic. Think about happy moments and let the water lift you. But if you panic or stiffen up, you'll definitely drown." Angel advised being by far the best swimmer among the Queen's daughter.

"Well, thanks but I think I'll go help Mama Regal with lunch and don't forget I need to talk to you alone after lunch." Luisa told Tracy and started get up when the two sets of twins came out of nowhere splashing everywhere.

Luisa, now covered in water, jumped back while Tracy held on tight to Nix, "Guys, watch it with Nixie leg!" Tracy warned.

The two sets of twins didn't listen. Without realizing it the quartet of regals were causing a small water storm with their magic as they laughed. Tracy raced out of the water with Nix clinging on to her. She safely put her sister down then mimicked her mothers' twirl as she held out her forearm and creating a shield against the water for her, Nix and Luisa.

Jessica saw her challenging sisters. She turned to her twin Rahab. "Hold hands!" Rahab obeyed knowing exact what Jessica was up to.

The set of twins were holding hand in the water and managed to create a small tidal wave aimed at the trio of sisters. "Hold them, I have an idea." Tracy told Luisa who held out her forearm to continue to shield them from the shower with Nix hiding behind her big sisters.

Tracy took a queen-like stands and started to make a circle motion with her hands. Suddenly her sisters in the water started spinning in a swirl of water. At first the twins started to laugh until the water started to spin faster and faster. Luisa looked at Tracy who was smiling sinisterly as she heard her younger siblings' laughs turn into cries.

"Okay, okay that's enough Tracy." Luisa warned but Tracy continued.

Sudden a stern voice said behind them. "Tracy dear, please don't drown your sister." Queen Lana was standing behind them with her hands on her hips.

Tracy huffed, "All right." She started slowing down the water.

Moments later the twins came out of the water. As soon as they stepped on the ground, Angel and Crystal motioned to the water and threw a spring of water towards Tracy's face. Inches before the water hit her face, the water froze. "Freeze." The Queen called out with her hand held out. "I think that's enough water for today don't you?" She raised her eye brow at her youngest twins who drop their hands causing their spray of water to also drop to the ground. "Good, now dry off and come eat. Lunch is ready."

Tracy, Jessica and Rahab were helping their younger sister dry off magically as that took more magic elements to make water disappear than controlling it. Luisa was helping the Queen finish setting up the food when the younger regals joined them. However, they were taken off guard when they hear their oldest sister and their mother having a heated discussion, which they had rarely witnessed before.

"I don't understand why I can't Mama. I want to give you a tribute." Luisa was complaining.

"Then do it by participating in another event like the pastry cook-off like Jessica and Nix." The Queen answered frustrated and not looking at Luisa as they organized the place settings on the large picnic blanket.

"But the Banneret tribute is the main event." Luisa almost whined.

"That's just an old tradition that ignorant gladiators and people who think they have something to prove participate in. Is that what you want to be, an ignorant gladiator?" Luisa put her head down when the Queen realized she had said some sensitive words. She paused and pulled Luisa's chin up to look at her sincerely. "I'm sorry dear. I know you are nothing like your father was. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were." She gave her oldest daughter a little kiss on her forehead and was rewarded with a smile. "Besides, I've been trying to band that event. It might be the last year we have it. As it is, I had to forbid that any event be "to the death", but people can still get seriously hurt." The Queen continued. "Why don't you competing in sport like Angel, Jessica and Crystal?"

"Fighting is a sport." Luisa said softly causing all her little sisters to look at her with bewilderment as they took their place around their mother.

Queen Lana stopped to look at Luisa with some surprise at her daughters' insistent defiance. "What kind of tribute would it be for me to have my daughter to fall off a cliff or get eaten by something?" She asked harshly with a frown.

Nix wrapped her arms around Luisa at the thought of her getting hurt. "I don't want you to fall off a cliff." Luisa hugged her back to comfort her.

"Don't worry dear, that's not going to happen because the answer is no and that is final. Is that understood?" The Queen said in an uncompromising tone.

"I'm just saying that soldiers fight for you, why can I?" Luisa insisted.

"Soldiers fight for a cause not for entertainment." She turned to firmly look at her oldest daughters. "Let me make this very clear. I expect the two of you to stay away from the sorcery and banneret competitions." Luisa and Tracy simply looked down. "Now I do not wish to discuss this any further. I came to enjoy my children's company not to discuss putting them in harm's way." The Queen closed the discussion but noted her eldest daughter was oddly quiet the rest of the meal.

After eating the more active of the Queens daughters, Nix and Angel, fell fast asleep under the large oat tress. The Queen secured her daughters comfort but didn't stray too far as she helped Rahab and Crystal set up their gear. The Queen had promised to watch them practice for the game they were teaming up to participate in as a tribute to the Queen. The sport was a mix of tennis and volleyball. This was the perfect distraction the Queen's eldest daughters needed to have an important conversation.

"I don't know Tracy, Mama Regal sounded really mad. I had never seen them argue before. Luisa never disagrees with Mama Regal. It was weird." Jessica confessed.

"Not in the beginning, they argued a lot, so did I." Tracy answered as they reached their meeting point.

"Yeah but you still argue with Mama Regal all the time." Jessica teased. "Why did they used to argue?"

Tracy took a thoughtful sigh, "I know you were too little to remember but Luisa's really father was a gladiator and a tyrant. He forced her into the training camps when she was a very little. That's where we met. I was being forced to use my magic for darkness and she was being forced to train as a gladiator. She grew up with a lot of violence until her father was caught and Mama Regal adopted her."

"How come I've never know about this before?" Jessica wondered trying to picture her sisters go through such an ordeal.

Tracy shrugged. "I don't know. You know Luisa and I don't like to talk about that stuff."

"That's right we don't and that has nothing to do with this." Luisa startled them from behind a tree.

"Jessica is having second thoughts." Tracy warned.

"Well it's too late to back out now. Tracy has spent a month on the cloaking spells and we've all been training for months. We all agreed Mama Regal deserves for us to give her the highest possible tribute." Luisa explained.

"Yes, but Mama Regal is right. There is a very good chance you could get hurt." Jessica tried to reason with her older sister. "Besides, using magic is against the rules. You'll be disqualified."

"I'm not going to use magic to cheat in the trials. I'm only using it to cloak my identity so Mama Regal won't know who I am until I win." Luisa explained.

"What if you don't win?" Jessica asked.

"I don't have to be first in all of the trials. I think so long as I place on the top three, it will be a good tribute. Don't worry little regal. I can do it." Luisa winked at Jessica but she didn't leave very convinced.

Luisa started to follow Jessica back the picnic area but Tracy stopped her with a serious expression. "I know you are a skilled competitor. I know that probably better than anyone. But if something were to go wrong, you're telling me I am not to do anything? I'm sorry but I don't think I can do that. Could you?"

Luisa knew her sisters had very valid points. "We will think of something that we can all live with, I promise. When we get back home, we'll just sit down and come up with something okay?"

With that agreed on, the two eldest sisters made it on time to hear their mother calling out for them. The Queen had set up the tennis like net held up between two small trees. Crystal and Jessica were putting on their large gloves to use instead of a rackets. Being that the Queen was very athletic, she was putting on some gear as well. The older sisters and their mother had agreed to challenge Rahab and Crystal to a game of fastball.

Luisa and Tracy geared up along with their mother. "I still say this isn't fair." Tracy told her mother.

"Just take it easy on them dear." The Queen suggested.

But Luisa knew better. With Crystals' background in gymnastics and Rahabs' hunting instincts, the duo made a strong team for their age. The point of the game was not to let a mid size ball hit the floor and you had three hits to hit it as hard as you could over the net. If the ball hit the floor, the other team scored. To make it more challenging, you were only allowed to use the palm of your hand or a fist to hit the ball.

The match started with the Queen hitting the ball over with some force but Crystal quickly hit the ball to Rahab. With two more hits, the ball flew passed Tracy and it hit the floor. Tracy and the Queen were rather impressed. "I told you they were good." Luisa reminded them with a proud smile.

It didn't take long before the Queen's team was down by quite a bit. Queen Lana was most proud of Rahab and Crystal even if her team was losing. Close to the end of the match, Queen Lana, Luisa and Tracy were playing their best game and still the littler regals were winning. The youngest of the little regals had woken up. Jessica was changing Nix knee wrap while Angel sat under apple tree nearby and kept taunting Rahab and Crystal.

"Game point!" Crystal warned.

Rahab hit the ball over and Luisa managed to barely hit the ball to her mother. The Queen hit it to Tracy and knowing that they were going to lose anyway, Tracy used magic to send the ball shooting over the net. No one thought they would actually reach the ball.

"You'll never make it!" Angel teased.

But her sisters had enough of her teasing. Both Rahab and Crystal ran for the ball. The Queen held her breath as her two daughters were determined to prove Angel wrong. Crystal hit the speeding ball with one hand and sent it flying into the apple tree. The ball hit the tree so hard, it dropped several apples bombarding down on Angel.

"Ow!" Angel yelled out as the apple hit her head with all her sister laughing hysterically.

"Well, I guess you guys win." The Queen told Rahab and Crystal as she giggled along with her daughters.