General Ronin was hopeful that Queen Tara would find who she was looking for in such a desolate place in the far reaches of the mountains of Igneo.
For months now the Queen has been so very busy rebuilding and undoing a lot of the many rules and regulations the former ruler, Prince Bellum has set up in his Kingdom. Igneo's soldiers have since been assimilated into the Leafmen army with Queen Tara ensuring that they were given the free choice to be part of it. Almost all agreed with a few preferring to return back to being farmers in the mountains which the Queen was only too happy for them to do so.
She also ensured there was open trade between Moonhaven and Igneo and that there were no longer any restrictions and barriers between the two kingdoms. Citizens were free to come and go as they please and both kingdoms grew rich because of this.
However, the one law that the Queen immediately repelled was the forced conscription of Igneo's first-borns whether male or female into the military which Prince Bellum has set up just after he took over the Kingdom from his father. This is one thing the Queen can never tolerate for she firmly believes in free and democratic rule and the individual's right to choose.
One such child that was forcibly conscripted into Igneo's Red Army was Asmodeus's first-born and only son Amer. Queen Tara felt she owed him a debt for helping the General and herself to escape Prince Bellum in the cavern where the Prince managed to burn half of his face. Asmodeus did all he can to stall the Prince for as long as possible so that the General and the Queen managed to make it to safety. It would also explain why they were not pursued so vigorously that night the General nearly lost his life and was saved just in time by the Queen.
It took not only her Council of Elders but herself quite some time to finally track down Amer.
As the Kingdom of Igneo is not only mountainous but spanning a thousand miles it was a monumental task to spread the word to the entire Kingdom that the Prince is dead and that the new ruler is none other but Queen Tara.
It has also equally taken that long for changes for the better to come into effect.
So now, landing in such an arid almost forsaken place, General Ronin made sure the Queen was well protected by bringing along at least a whole regiment with them. Of course Queen Tara protested and felt it was so unnecessary but the General was not taking any chances. She relented at last only because she really wanted to see Amer.
There was an old dilapidated building that appeared to be hastily constructed on the side of a hill, which appeared almost abandoned. It looked like it was heavily guarded at one point judging by the artillery and weapons left behind as though they were no longer needed. The General sent reconnaissance scouts ahead.
They returned with bad news.
"Sir, I don't think Her Majesty should go in there." One of them said.
"Why?"
"It is a place of decay and death, Sir."
Queen Tara said: "I was told this is the last place Amer was seen. I must see it for myself."
Before the General can say anything, the Queen instantly went inside the building.
She nearly felt sick with what she found. It brought tears to her eyes. It was a place of torture, where Prince Bellum would send any of his own people he thought were enemies of the state. There were skeletal remains of prisoners tied with chains and shackled to the walls.
"Ronin, "The Queen implored with tears in her eyes: "Take out the dead and give them a proper burial. They were people once. They need to be treated with respect even in death."
Ronin held her briefly and then signaled to his men to start taking out those who did not make it. The rest of the soldiers started to dig graves and build funeral pyres.
The Queen had to go out. She felt queasy. How could anyone like Prince Bellum treat his own people this way? To her it did not make any sense whatsoever.
Suddenly one of the guards yelled out. "Sir, Your Majesty! In here quick!"
They both hurried to where the guard was. On the ground a good distance away from the building was a hidden well. Weak moans were heard from it.
General Ronin called out to the soldiers nearby: "Hurry! Some rope!"
Before long a rope was anchored securely outside the well as Ronin clambered below. Two more men followed him.
Time slowly passed and finally the General and his men brought up a dirt-filled young man, still very much alive who had horrendous whip marks all over him. He was emaciated and dehydrated. Soldiers quickly brought blankets for him to lie on and water for him to drink.
Queen Tara knelt beside him. There was no mistaking who he was. He had his father's eyes. With visibly teary eyes, she touched the man's forehead. He was incredibly weak. Once more white light came out from her hands, travelling through the man's head and running through the length of his body. Soon the marks on his body cleared. Despite his thinness he felt renewed.
The Queen whispered: "Amer…."
Amer stared at her. He thought he was looking at an Angel. "Am I dead?"
The Queen smiled. A teardrop of hers fell to his face instantly rejuvenating him. "No, Amer, you are very much alive. Can you stand?"
Amer tried to get up. Gradually he felt strength returning. With the help of Ronin and another soldier, he got up on his feet. He has the stature of his father too.
"How did you know my name?"
"I am the Queen Tara…."
Amer's jaw dropped. He paused for awhile before speaking once more.
"The Life of the Forest, the Queen of Moonhaven? I thought…I thought….Oh, Your Majesty!" Amer tried to drop to his knee.
"No, no…please, there is no need…" The Queen tried to keep him standing.
Amer bent his head. Tears started in his eyes. He could not stop them.
The Queen held his hands compassionately. "Tell me what happened…"
"I did not wish to join the army. I was taken away from my father. My mother died when I was young and my father brought me up. He tried so hard to hide me from Prince Bellum. He worked for him so that he can make sure he knows where he is all the time and that way he would know when he sends the soldiers out to take all first-borns from families when they reach the age of 10. He tried so hard to hide me for many years but I got found out on my 18th birthday and have been in the army since. I really did not want to be there but I had to. I was thrown here when my father Asmodeus was killed by the Prince."
He winced at the memory. He did not wish to remember it. He thought it was a miracle too that he has survived this long before being rescued.
"I wanted to be a scholar. To read, to study. I was doing just that when I got found out but I kept up my studying while in the army. It was frowned upon so much." He bent his head, not letting the Queen know of all the years of bullying he had to endure.
But the Queen knew. She closed her eyes. If there is one thing she cannot do either, it is to undo the past. No one can do that, and neither can she, not even with all her powers. Having said this, her instincts tell her that Amer is a good man, much like his father. She also believes that perhaps because of what he went through and despite it, it has made him all the more strong. It would explain much of why he is still alive.
She walked towards the pyres lit by her soldiers to honour the dead. As she had been accompanied by so many soldiers, the building was cleared in no time of all those who died. Each one was given a proper burial, just as the Queen wanted.
She raised her hands in the air once more, and huge vines cascading alongside the building came alive and gathered around it, squashing it and forcing the whole building to come crashing down on itself.
She waved her hands one more time. The vines took the whole rubble down into the earth. In its place, fresh green grass grew carpeting the whole area as though the building never stood there in the first place.
What was once barren was now teeming with new life.
The Queen turned to Amer: "I cannot always be in Igneo, Amer, son of Asmodeus. My time is most spent regenerating the Forest and I am often either there or in Moonhaven. I need a Steward to look after Igneo in my absence and liaise with my Council of Elders."
General Ronin approached her and handed her a pendant on which hang the Moonhaven crescent symbol and the Queen's royal coat of arms. The Queen smiled, took the pendant off Ronin's outstretched hand and placed it around Amer's neck. "I hereby appoint you, Amer as Steward of Igneo. You are to lead our people in my absence."
"Your Majesty, I cannot….I do not know anything about being a Steward."
"I did not know anything about being a Queen when I was chosen, Amer. But I trust that you will know what to do. You have seen how Prince Bellum treated his people, so you know what not to do. Use what you have studied to do good, to help others. Teach our people well. I will of course be visiting you and Igneo often."
Amer did not know what to say. All he could do was kneel before Queen Tara.
Queen Tara continued: "And one more thing. Don't ever stop studying or learning. I shall expect a library built in Igneo's capital upon my return." She smiled so warmly Amer nearly burst into tears again. He could only hold on to Queen Tara's hands as he knelt before her.
General Ronin sounded the salute: "All hail, Amer, Steward of Igneo!"
All the soldiers stood in attention and followed suit: "Hail to Amer!"
And thus began a very peaceful and prosperous long reign in Igneo with a scholarly Steward at its realm and Queen Tara as its ruling monarch. Asmodeus would have been proud.
Author's note: This is really the end. I just wanted to tie some loose ends….hope you enjoyed my story. I would be most grateful for any reviews.