tsubasa

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia had not expected him to pick her up and place her on the horse as though it were nothing. She had been expecting a boost or foothold. She looked at him in marvel, amazed by his strength but assumed it would be expected from the man who was next to lead the Royal Guard. She could not even imagine that and she was going to have to run a country. She thanked him quietly when he released her waist. She moved slightly to allow him to climb on himself, which he did so with great ease. She watched him as he looked at the other guards who had come along on his retrieval mission. Her eyes widened slightly when he mentioned that they would have to get back to the capital before sunset. The capital was easily a day's ride away, and that was if you didn't stop and rode through part of the night. That was one of the main reason, her family had never travelled there. To leave the animals for so long wouldn't do them good. And yet, Samsul was insistent on getting there by sunset when the sun was already high in the sky. She was about to reply when her spurred his horse. She yelped slightly as she reached out and grabbed onto him to prevent herself from falling off the back of the horse. She wrapped her arms around him, ensuring herself that she would not fall off. To think she had forgotten why she hated riding on the back of horses that she didn't hold the reins of.

She sighed and rested her head against his back and looked at the scenery as it passed by. To think, she had never left Fyodor and now she was to go the palace to learn to be a princess and become the queen. She looked back at Melor, who sat in the arm of one of the guards. He didn't seem too troubled, then again, he wouldn't have a country to take care of.

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia listened to him as he explained who he was. She nodded her head as she walked over to his horse, which was simple to find as it was the only one without a rider. She stopped and noticed a few people still looking, curious about what was happening, why the men were there, why she was leaving. She smiled at him when he asked her her name, "Anastasia Estella Miller... Although, I guess that isn't really my name... Since I'm not a Miller..." She looked at the door, "Well... I am... just not genetically."

She turned and looked at the horse. It was far to tall for herself but the rider was a fair bit taller than her. She attached her bag to the saddle and then took a deep breath. She knew full well how to ride and get onto a horse. Of course, she didn't know how to ride like a princess. Not to mention, she couldn't lift her leg high enough to reach his stirrup not without making herself look like a fool. She turned and face Samsul. She scratched the back of her head as she looked up at him, "Would you mind... um... Helping me up..."

She waited for him, feeling like a child needing to be helped onto a horse. She didn't even know that horses got that big.

A Bender's Story: The One Where It Began (Aerandir and Tsubasa)

Nyima ran home, barrelling into their apartment, glad to see that Rayn wasn't home yet. Matsen and her had both lost track of time while they were practicing and she was almost positive that he would not have been happy to know that she had walked home alone as the night began to fall. She had been lying through her teeth, saying that Matsen was walking her home, while she ran through the dark streets. She had learnt more about the Rogue Benders from Rayn and Matsen. Matsen seemed to think that they were doing the right thing and as much as she hated what the Airbenders were doing, she couldn't be a Rogue Bender while living with a police officer. She was slightly worried that she might say something about Matsen and blow his cover.

She heard the door open and tossed her coat into her room. She turned and looked at Rayn, seeing blood trickling from his nose. She sighed and shook her head, opening the pouch that sat on her hip. She bent the water out of the bag and walked over to him, "Sit down and stay still... It looks like it might be broken... Bones are far harder to heal...."

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia allowed the man to take Melor from her, "Careful... He doesn't like people to touch his stomach."

She watched at the man took her dog outside, surely to prepare for the ride to the capital. When the man turned to her, telling her that she needn't worry about her parents, both of whom would be allowed to see her as she wished. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief, she had been worried that her parents would not be able to come see her and she would be too busy to see them. She turned around and hugged them, "Goodbye..." she whispered to them both.

They each gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled, "We'll see you soon," Fletcher said as he released her. Anastasia smiled softly and grabbed her bag from where she left it on the ground. She walked over to the man and nodded at him, "I guess we should go," she began to walk out the door as she looked over her shoulder at him, "You know, you haven't said your name... And I think I should learn the name of the man who the Queen chose to come and take me to the palace."

The Making of a New Queen

Anita looked at her daughter and could see full and well that the girl was panicking. She placed her hand on her knee, "You'll be fine...."

She smiled at her and took her head, "Come, let's pack your things."

She helped Anastasia out of her seat and brought her to her room. Together the two of them packed a few extra dresses but her bag was mainly filled with items to remind her of home. Her mother held up one of her more comfortable dresses that she wore for travelling the few times they left the town. She wiped her eyes, "You may not be keeping much of your old clothes but... You might as well take a few... just in case. The palace is still a ride away."

Anastasia hugged her crying mother tightly, "I'll... try... I will."

Anita smiled, "I know you will. Just make sure you are clean for her highness.... Come, let's get you into this and then you can be on your merry way," Her mother helped her into the clean dress and Anastasia sighed, "I'll write to you when I can... And you'll always be my mother... No matter what my blood says."

Grabbing her bag, Anastasia grabbed her mother's hand. They walked back into the room and Fletcher stood. He hugged his departing daughter and kissed her cheek, "Visit... if you can..."

Anastasia nodded, "I'll try, Papa," there were tears in her eyes. Anastasia was never good with farewells. With the stinging feeling in her eye, she decided it was time that she leave. She looked at the man who had turned her life upside down. She adjusted her bag in her hands and looked at him, "I guess... it is time to go."

A yapping sound caught her attention and she dropped her bag. Turning, she picked up Melor, she hugged the dog tightly as he placed his chin on her shoulder. She stood and looked at the man, "Can I bring Melor? I can't leave without him..."

A Bender's Story: The One Where It Began (Aerandir and Tsubasa)

Nyima walked over to the mat and sat down. She began to stretch as she did, "I can't believe... That law enforcement allows them to do that..."

She shook her head and sighed, "I doesn't make sense. If they are terrorizing the inhabitants of the city and those outside of it, surely they would want them to stop..." She made sure to be vague about who she was talking about. There was no way she was going to side with the Airbenders, even if it was just to not look like she might do the same. She sighed and stood, walking over to the punching bag, "No wonder you want to walk with me when it is dark out, if you are going to let thugs like that roam the street," she looked over her shoulder and smiled, a teasing glint in her eye.

She began to punch the bag, practicing what Rayn had taught her the night before, "It's ridiculous."

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia looked at her father as he took the letter and opened it. He read as the young man spoke, his words and those of the letter humming the same tune. Anastasia's head began to swim when the man said that he was to bring her back to the castle for coronation. His words were followed quickly by the mention of her being a princess and was to become the Queen. She stared at him in disbelief, she wasn't a princess and she surely was not a queen. Anita and Fletcher looked at each other, they had speculated about their daughter's arrival on their doorsteps many times, thinking about who had left them their baby girl. It had not crossed either of their minds that she was possibly a princess. Fletcher looked at the young man, "You are saying... That you are going to take her away..."

Anastasia suddenly became very aware of the scuffs on her shoes, the knots in her hair, the dirt on her dress. Nothing about her said princess. She knew nothing about being a princess, she couldn't rule a country. Her fingers found her hair and she began to run them through it, trying to clean it up a bit. Her heart pounded in her chest and all she could think was that she had no choice. She couldn't disobey the Queen and she couldn't imagine what would happen if she didn't take the throne as the Queen wished. However, she could imagine what might happen if she did. The stress, the never ending threat of war, the pleas of the needy, and how her arms would never be able to cover everyone... How if anything went wrong she would be the one to blame. She looked at the man and shook her head, "I'm... not a princess... You've been mistaken."

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia looked at the man as he walked toward her. She didn't think much of it as he said that Melor's bad behavior wasn't a problem. She was about to leave when he asked to speak to her and her family. She was slightly taken back by the request, why on Earth would this man have any interest in speaking with her family. A better question was why did he need to speak with them in private. She glanced over his shoulder at the two bowing men then at the door to her home. Finally, she nodded, "I-I guess..."

She adjusted Melor in her arms and walked over to her home. Opening the door, with a small amount of difficulty, she made her way inside. She placed Melor on the ground allowing him to run off and find some place to sit. Ana placed her basket on the table then looked back at the man, "I'll grab them."

She turned and walked out of sight, "Mama? Papa?"

The older couple presented themselves shortly after. They looked at her, clearly unaware of the man that stood in the previous room. She looked at them for a moment, "We have company... The men from outside... They want to speak with us in private...."

Her mother gave her father a strange look before the two of them walked out to the front room and looked at the man. Her father smiled at him, "Hello, I'm Fletcher, this is my wife, Anita. What can we do for you today, young man?"

He took a seat in the chair as Anita joined them. She held her hand out offering the seat across the table to him. Anastasia grabbed her basket and quickly filled the vase in the center with flowers before she discarded her basket in the corner. Brushing the dirt off her hands, onto her already soiled dress, she took a seat at the table as well. She had been running theories through her head on why the man can requested to see her family and none of them seemed make sense enough to be true.

The Making of a New Queen

Anastasia sat in the fields picking flowers for the table. She watched as her small black dog bounded around in the flowers. She laughed at him appeared and disappeared in the tall greens. She filled her basket with the flowers, as her mother had asked, and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. She stood as she noticed three horses and riders trotting along the road. Ana stared at them as they went, riding into town. She saw the green and gold and wondered what they were doing. Fyodor was a small town often looked over by maps and people alike. She was curious why three men of money would ride into town. Grabbing her basket, she gathered her skirts and ran towards the town. She took a short cut through the trees, ignoring the gathering filth and dirt on her shoes and skirts. The small black dog chased after her barking as the went. She looked at him as she ran, "Shush, Melor. I don't know why they are here either."

She reached the cobble stone paths shortly after the men did and looked them over. Melor ran towards them and she quickly whistled. She was interested in their being there but she didn't need her dog bother them. Her mother poked her head out of the house and noticed Anastasia. She walked over to her and grabbed her arm, "Darling, you are a mess!"

Ana looked down at her skirts and shrugged, "It'll come out with a wash," she looked toward the men and their horses, "Do you know why they are here, mama?"

The older woman shook her head, "I haven't a thought," she started to pull Ana toward the house. Her dog followed barking. Anastasia stopped and picked him up, "Hush, Melor," she looked to the men and curtsied, "Sorry!"

The Making of a New Queen

The kingdom that we live in has recently just escaped a war that has taken a large amount of the surrounding kingdoms. One of our character's father died during this war and the mother of one of our characters sent guards to retrieve him/her.
Our land has spirits that, when a child is born, the mother of the child will receive a vision about their child's future. The queen was given a vision telling her that they had to move the child away from the kingdom to protect them. The queen did as such and sent them away.
The child is now returning to rebuild the kingdom that had recently escaped the war. Another family lived along side the kings and queens serving as royal guards. They are the royal guards because of their special and unique race that is very rare. The child that is one of the best guards is not happy about the return, seeing that the child of the queen knows nothing about ruling a land, but as time grows on the slowly start to respect each other and give the other more trust.