Naomi walked to the bow of her ship and looked out at the sea in front of her. The smell of the salt air filled her soul, she loved it. On the water was where she felt most at home. She was ready for the day ahead. She turned to her left and met the eyes of her parents who were aboard their own vessel. They would fight beside Naomi until the Harbor was secure and then they would be leaving to meet with Enchancia's navy to attack via the river. Scarlett Turner nodded with strength at her young daughter and shot her a wink of the eye as her lips turned up into an encouraging grin. Naomi stood just a bit taller knowing that her mother believed in her. She had always dreamed of the moment that she could captain her own fleet just as her mother had before her. Now here she was, ready to go off to battle and wanted nothing more than to make her mother proud. Naomi then looked towards her father, Daniel Turner. He was lovingly staring at her, already filled with pride. "That's my Naomi" The youngest captain Turner imagined her father saying in the moment.
"Thank you" Naomi whispered, knowing it didn't matter that her parents couldn't hear her. They knew how grateful she was to them. They had raised her to be strong and independent. She feared very little and even though she had been born just a girl from the port, she walked with more confidence than most nobles. She had the spirit of her mother and the heart of her father.
"Hope you're ready for this!" Gervaso's voice sounded behind Naomi, interrupting the moment of reflection she was having.
"And what took you so long? Where have you been? You better be ready for this!" Naomi shot back, starting their usual banter.
"I had something I needed to do first" He replied taking his place by Naomi's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with his friend.
Naomi grinned and gave Gervaso a side eye "You talked to her didn't you? You told Paola how you feel!" She asked, giving him a nudge with her elbow.
Gervaso slyly grinned. "Yup" He confirmed and his expression told Naomi that it had gone well and he was thankful for her encouragement.
"Well Ok then" She said, happy for the both of them. She then turned towards her crew.
"Men! Weigh the anchors! Ready the sails!" She commanded and made her way to the wheel.
Elena stopped her horse and raised a hand for the Fuerza and Carizan soldiers behind her to do the same. Gabe, who had been riding by her side, pulled back as well when he had noticed her sudden halt. He turned his horse around and rode up close to Elena.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"This is it" Elena responded, staring straight ahead towards the road before them. "This is the Avaloran border. I'll finally be home"
Gabe saw in Elena's eyes that she was having an emotional moment and he figured he'd let her take a moment to reflect rather than pushing her to move forward.
"You ok?" He offered.
Elena shook herself back to reality and back to the task at hand.
"Yeah" She said confidently. "Let's go!" and she continued on her way, crossing the border and heightening her awareness. They had no idea where the opposing army would be stationed throughout the kingdom.
Gabe drew his sword, thinking the same thing. He wanted to be ready for anything. Elena followed suit and grabbed her scepter and held it in the ready position.
Suddenly a quick swoosh went brushing past Elena's ear and her eyes widened as she turned her head to see a single arrow pierce a tree behind her. Gabe immediately positioned himself between Elena and the direction in which the arrow came from. His eyes searched the forest around them.
"There!" He shouted as he pointed towards a man making his way deeper into the woods.
"After him!" Elena shouted. "Prepare for battle!"
"No!" Gabe interjected. "He's probably just a scout. We need to stay on the road. He's only one man, we can't let him lure us away from our path. It could be a trap"
"You're right" Elena agreed, calming herself down. "We should send a couple of soldiers ahead of us. Scouts of our own"
Gabe agreed and called forward a few of the Fuerza warriors and two of Cariza's soldiers who knew the land to ride ahead of the rest of the army. He then called six more soldiers forward and ordered them to have shields raised and take up position in front of and to the flank of Elena.
"What's that for?" Elena asked.
"That bowman had a clear shot of you. He missed by only inches. We're not taking that chance again. You can't just parade yourself around Avalor Elena. Shuriki's soldiers obviously will not hesitate to put an arrow through your head." Gabe spoke sternly to his Queen and she knew that there would be no use arguing with him.
"Ok" She agreed and the troops continued once again, keeping their eyes focused on their surroundings.
After about another uneventful hour of trudging down the dirt road towards Avalor City, commotion began in the back of the pack. Elena turned to see arrows showering down towards her army.
"Shields up! Into formation!" She shouted.
The army immediately turned themselves towards their attackers and arrows began to come from the sides as well.
"We're surrounded!" Gabe said to Elena, adrenaline building in all of them.
The men who had rode ahead came quickly riding back.
"They've surrounded us" One of the warriors said to Elena, reaffirming what they already knew.
"How bad is it?" Elena asked.
"They blocked off the road just ahead. It would take us hours to break down the barricade that they've set up and it's the only way out. They have the higher ground up in the hills and mostly archers" The warrior explained.
"We have no choice. We have to break down the barricade" Elena concluded.
"There's too many of them. By the time it's broken down, we'll have lost the battle for sure." The warrior argued.
"IF we can break it down, what are your thoughts?" Gabe asked the scout.
"If we could break it down then we could ride up into the hills on either side and surprise them from behind. They don't have much in terms of a cavalry or infantry. We'd have a good shot" The warrior confirmed.
Elena looked at Gabe, she had a plan. "Stay here and hold the outer layers of defense. I'm going to take the cavalry with me". She ordered her guard who wore a concerned look on his face. She then glanced at her scepter. "I can take down that barricade myself" She assured him.
Gabe marveled at Elena's leadership as he watched her ride away, an entire army of loyal followers behind her. He then turned towards the remaining soldiers. "You heard Queen Elena! Hold your ground! Archers! Prepare to fire! Use your arrows sparingly!" He commanded, wanting to wait until the enemy released their cavalry to use their bowman but knowing that they couldn't just sit there as target practice.
"FIRE!" Gabe shouted and the archers released their arrows into the woods on all sides in hopes that it might slow down the enemy just enough.
Elena raced down the dirt road and towards the barricade as fast as she could ride. When she arrived she found a wooden structure about two stories high and at least 100 yards long, probably longer. She dismounted her horse, placed both hands on the scepter and stared down the wall that had trapped her warriors.
"Blaze!" She shouted and a blast of blue light shot out of the jewel atop her scepter, making contact with the wall and splintering a gap dead center. She then aimed slightly to the right and again yelled "BLAZE!" Another hole was made. Then to the left. "BLAZE!" Another hole. She repeated her blasts, each time shouting with more vigor than the last until she had completely bombarded the barricade and it began to crumble. She lowered her scepter, it now feeling heavy in her hands. Her breath was labored. She felt weak. She took a few steps back towards her horse and leaned on him for support.
"Are you alright Your Majesty?" Asked the leader of the Fuerza cavalry.
"Yes" Elena replied, lying to him just a bit and also to herself. This was not the time to rest. This was do or die. "Clear the debris as quickly as you can, just enough so that the horses can get through and take your men over the hills and attack the enemy from the rear. I'll take care of the front lines." She then pulled herself up on her horse as the rest of her men got to work and headed past the barricade.
Elena took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to quickly gain back some energy. Her vitality at that moment was key to her plan. She rubbed her brow, placed her scepter in the sheath she had attached to her saddle and rode back to where the battle was. She didn't rush, she wanted to catch her breath but also give the calvalry some time to get over the hills.
When she returned, Elena joined Gabe who was busy giving orders and as he continued to analyze the battle as it waged on. Elena said nothing but looked around at her army. There were wounded and even some casualties already as the arrows continued to rain down on them.
"You need to take cover Elena!" Gabe shouted at her, growing frustrated with her lack of attention towards her own safety.
She glanced over at him and gave him a poised look, full of self assurance. She knew what she was doing and had no doubts about the success of her plan. She took her scepter back out, raised it high and it was then that Gabe realized what she was about to do.
"SHIELDS HIGH!" He shouted with urgency to his men and lifted his unarmed hand to block his own eyes from the radiance that was about to shine down on all of them.
"GLOW!" Elena shouted as she illuminated the sky with the blue light of her scepter's gem. "GLOW!" She repeated, holding strong.
Gabe looked towards Shuriki's army. The arrows had slowly ceased and he realized that Elena had blinded the enemy with her magic.
"CHARGE!" Gabe commanded and his infantry immediately took off towards the trees, quickly taking out the now defenseless archers. Gabe hung back along with the other commanding officers. The enemy arrows now only coming sporadically, made it easy for the Carizan archers to locate them and take them out. The infantry battled almost entirely in the woods which could only mean that they were making progress and moving forward. Gabe made sure to keep Elena in his sights, making sure she was still surrounded by her own men and protected. He could tell that she was growing weak but she fought hard. The sounds of hooves finally sounded up on the hill at the outskirts of the hill and Gabe looked up to see a horseman make his way towards the direction of the road. It was one of the Fuerza warriors. Gabe sighed with relief. The battle continued but he knew that they had succeeded. He jumped off his horse and ran to Elena. The glow was beginning to dim and Gabe saw her eyes rolls back inside her head. He reached her just in time to catch her as she limply slid out of her saddle. Gabe fell to his knees with his Queen in his arms.
"Elena? Elena!" Gabe shouted at her lifeless body. He fervently shook her by the shoulders, trying to bring her back. "Elena!" He repeated, this time choking back his emotions, fearing she had gone too far this time. He rested his head on her chest, looking and listening for signs of life. It was faint, but her breaths were there. He buried his face in her shoulder and pulled her in close, calming himself of his panic. She was alive. She'd be OK. He didn't look up until he felt her slightly squirm beneath his grasp. Her eyes quivered slightly as she forced them open and then rolled back into her head and her lids shut tight again.
"Elena? Talk to me. Please" Gabe begged.
Elena's chest rose high and she let out a slow audible breath.
" Gl...Glow..." She weakly whispered.
"No" Gabe told her in a gentle voice as he shook his head. "It's over. You did it. We've won. You can let go now"
At Gabe's words, Elena opened her hand and allowed her scepter to roll out of her palm, down her fingers and onto the ground. She forced her eyes open again and stared into Gabe's loving brown eyes and the corners of her mouth turned up into a satisfied smile. Gabe forced a kiss upon the top of her head and then helped her to sit up, keeping a hand on her back for support. Elena leaned forward and rested her head in her hands as she began to fight through the dizziness and allow herself to reawaken. She was slowly coming back.
"Your majesty! It's done. The enemy has been defeated, their remaining troops have surrendered" Announced a Fuerza officer who had rode up to the commanding couple.
"Good" Elena managed to say quietly, not yet finding her full voice, but finally able to keep her eyes open. "Tie up the enemy troops, Round up their horses and their weapons to take with us and get me a wounded and casualty count" Elena commanded.
Gabe stared at her with a bit of amusement but mostly in awe of her ability to lead even after she had been nearly breathless just moments ago.
"You are with out a doubt the strongest human being I have ever known" He laughed.
Elena beamed as broadly as her tired face would allow at the compliment. She planted her feet firmly into the ground and using Gabe as a crutch, pushed herself up to a standing position. She wavered slightly but Gabe was there with both hands on her waist to hold her steady. Despite being off balance, Elena reached for the saddle of her horse and placed a foot in the stirrup.
"Oh no!" Gabe told her, pulling her back down. "You weren't even supposed to use the scepter at all until we got into the city. Mateo told you to save your energy for the fight against Shuriki."
"I had no choice though!" Elena argued.
"I agree!" Gabe concurred. "And you saved our entire army. You're a hero. But that doesn't change the fact that right now you need all the rest that you can get. This battle was only the beginning. When we reach the city you need to be on top of your game. Until we get there, you'll ride with me"
Elena's shoulders sank at the thought of not even being able to ride on her own but she knew that Gabe was right. She could probably even close her eyes and get some sleep if she rode with him. The thought actually sounded good to her. She defeatedly rolled her eyes and gave Gabe a wry smile, satisfying him as he knew that it meant she wouldn't be arguing with him. At least in that moment.