《The Elven Queen》


 Chapter 1

    Usually whenever someone takes the throne, it''s usually a more joyous occasion only for the people who enjoy a good party that comes with the coronation. Yet in order for someone to ascend the throne, the previous ruler must pass away or meet an untimely death. Alura had no aspirations to take the throne not only because there were two brothers ahead of her in the line of succession, but because she loved her father and brothers enough to never want to attain power at all. Her father would always tease his only daughter, saying that one day she might be queen if she wasn''t too careful, but Alura would always brush it off as playful pestering on the old man''s part. He had four children, three of them strong men that would make fine kings should he ever need one to take his place. Whenever she prayed before bed, the young princess would always ask the gods to give good health to her parents and her brothers. She was unwilling to even entertain the idea of taking the throne for herself, and never hesitated to let anyone who asked know how she felt about the subject.


    In another sign of rebellion to her father and the throne, Alura took up archery, and trained under one of the finest hunters in the kingdom. While she was supposed to be attending classes of etiquette and dance classes with the other young ladies of status, Alura was out in the forest hunting deer and clearing the land of wolves with her mentor. Her teacher was an old friend of the King, a childhood buddy who know that his highness would never punish him for teaching one of his kids how to use a bow, and serve the land and the kingdom in a more practical way. She always wore a cloth mask over her face whenever she left the palace to hunt, so that no one would realize she was gone, and return in time for dinner. She had paid off the instructors to lie about her absence, but it was only a matter of time before her real activities would be discovered. It happened one day when her mentor fell and hurt his leg. Even with Alura''s help, it took them twice as long to return to the palace and her absence was finally noticed.


    She had considered staying with her mentor that night, but he insisted she face the music and not risk him being charged with kidnapping a princess. She was unable to change, and was still wearing her hunter''s gear when presenting herself at the palace gates, claiming to know the location of the missing daughter of the King. The Royal guards led her to the throne room where her father and mother were worried sick about her disappearance.


    "Who is this masked person?" the king demanded, "Why is he here?"


    "This hunter," the guard replied, "Claims to know something about Alura."


    "Does he?" The king said, looking at the hunter. "What do you know, hunter?"


    "That your daughter is safe, father." Alura said, removing her mask and pulling back her hood to reveal herself to everyone in the court.


    "Alura!" The king called out when he realized who was standing before him. "What are you doing in that outfit?"


    "Hunting, your majesty." Alura answered, trying not to sound to snark about it. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I don''t understand," her mother said, slightly shocked as well. "How long has this been going on, young lady?"


    "Almost six months," Alura answered, "I''ve been doing quite well out there."


    "This is Merrick''s doing no doubt," the King said, pointing to her bow. "I recognize that bow. It used to be mine when I used to shoot with him."


    "He was following orders," Alura said, defending her mentor. "He knew that if he refused to train me, I would only find someone else to teach me. Merrick knew that if I learned from someone else of lesser skill, that could put me in danger so he took me as his apprentice."


    "That sounds like something Merrick would say," The king grumbled, "And you''ve been hunting with him outside the gates?"


    "Yes, father." She confirmed, "We''ve been gathering meats and furs for the kingdom for a while now. I''m just doing what I can to contribute to the crown."


    "Leave it to Merrick to make his deception beneficial to the crown and its people," The king said, as he knew there was nothing he could do. It wasn''t like she was being bratty and doing nothing around the castle.


    Alura was gathering food and quality furs for the people, and helping build up a good supply for the coming winter with the rest of the hunters. Their duty was to keep the people and the crown well fed when the snow came. When people learned what she was up to, many couldn''t help to see it as honorable, something similar to the respect one of her brother was given for joining the Royal Guard.


    Alura was sent to her room to give her parents time to think about what had been going on under their noses for over half a year, while the king also summoned Merrick to the palace to explain himself. The king was on the balcony, overlooking the kingdom when he old friend hobbled out there to join him.


    "Are you alright?" The king asked, noticing his wound.


    "I am, your highness," Merrick said, "But I am sure that''s not why I''m here."


    "You know why you''re here," The king replied, "Alura admitted to everything."


    "I make no excuses," Merrick said, rather defiantly. "Your daughter was determined to learn how to use a bow and the hunter''s way. If she was going to take that path regardless of what any of us had to say about it, the least I could do was make sure she was trained properly."


    "She said that too," The king informed him, "And that was probably the wisest thing to do."


    "She is very skilled with that bow, your majesty." Merrick said, "Even better than you were."


    "And what will she do if she becomes queen?" the old man asked his friend.


    "Then she''ll be a good queen," Merrick said confidently, "One who wouldn''t hesitate to pick up and bow and defend her people if she needed to."


    The king chuckled at the thought. "Even better than me?"


    "With more training she might even be better than I, your grace." Merrick informed her.


    "I see," the king said, as he had a lot to think about. "Thank you for taking care of her."


    "It was my pleasure," Merrick said with a bow, "But I think she wants to continue her training, and it would be more helpful and safer if she could do it with your blessing."


    "I''ll think about it," The King replied.


    Merrick knew his friend enough to know he wanted time alone to ponder it, so he gave the ruler a respectful bow and left the balcony. He did his best to help the young girl and now it was in the hands of the man who loved her most, and he would have to rule on it very soon.

 Chapter 2

    ALURA RETURNED TO HER QUARTERS AND changed out of her hunter gear, slipping into something more appropriate for someone residing in the palace. Since it was no longer a secret, she was able to hang up her hunter outfit in the room without having to stash it away. Being able to look at it and even play with her bow inside the castle made whatever punishment her father was going to bestow upon her worth it. Alura liked no longer having to hide what she was doing, which was something she never really liked to do to begin with since she was rather good at it too. She pouted around her room and thought about what was going through her father''s mind, but she didn''t have to wait long for that answer, as she was startled by a loud knocking on her door. She recognized that knock, as her father had been the only man to knock on her door in that particular aggression. She took a deep breath before responding.


    "Enter," she called out.


    The king normally doesn''t need permission to enter anywhere in the castle, but he respected the living quarters of his children and preferred to teach the kids their manners by example rather than just telling them what to do. He strode in before closing the door behind him and stood there for a few moments before speaking to his only daughter.


    "What you have done," her father started, as he paused trying to find the words.


    "What I have done," Alura said, stepping in, "Was use my talents to conduct an honorable service on behalf of the people, and the crown."


    "You snuck around while doing it," The king reminded her.


    "I did," Alura said, "Because I didn''t want to expose myself to potential threats, nor did I want twenty guards coming with me into the forest. Most animals we like to hunt tend to hear and often smell that many people approaching and we end up catching nothing."


    "How long have you been doing this?" The king asked.


    "I said six months, but that''s for the hunting." Alura answered, "I had been training for another six months before we ever left the castle to hunt. Merrick insisted that I be at my best before I even try to kill something."


    "Wise man," The king concurred. "He wanted to make sure you were ready for anything before you went out there. I appreciate his diligence."


    "I apologize," Alura said, sounding a little sincere. "I meant no offense and was merely trying to do something good with my time."


    "Your time is wasted going to the classes I asked you attend?" Her father asked.


    "For me, it was." Alura answered, "I am a skilled hunter, and I was doing very well out there before my master injured himself."


    "I noticed his injury," Her father said, "He is being looked over by our best doctors. You may resume your training and hunting once he recovers. Until he''s back on his feet and fit enough to go back out there, you''re grounded."


    "Define grounded?" Alura asked, hoping to not push her luck.


    "You''re confined to the palace," her father elaborated. "No wandering outside the castle walls. You will also resume your etiquette classes, and you will continue doing them even if you go back to hunting with Merrick. Is that clear, young lady?"


    "It is," Alura said, with her arms folded and looking just as menacing. "But I have a few conditions of my own."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Is that so?" Her father said, surprised to her someone making conditions of their own punishment.


    "I''ll do the classes," Alura conceded, "But I need to set aside time everyday in the courtyard to practice. I need to keep my skills sharp for when I go back out there."


    "Very well," Her father said, "You may train with the other archers, and take your turns like everyone else. No special treatment while you''re grounded."


    "Agreed," Alura said, smiling back at her dad.


    "For someone who''s grounded," her father said, "You appear too pleased."


    "I never liked hiding it," she confessed, "I prefer to be open and honest about what I''ve been doing around here."


    "I would like that too," her father agreed, "But do you honestly believe archery and hunting is appropriate for a lady that might one day be queen?"


    "Let''s be honest," Alura said, "I will not be queen. I have two brothers ahead of me and I would like you to remain in good health for a very long time. I am not going anywhere near that throne, and I''m alright with it. That''s why I started to look for something to do, a way to contribute to the people and to you."


    "Now it is my turn to apologize," her father said as he walked closer. "Had this been one of your brothers hunting and doing something this noble, I don''t think I would have responded the same way and I am ashamed that you were treated differently. Merrick says that your skills are sound and impressive, and that makes me very proud. I will now tell you what I told your brothers when they were doing something dangerous; be careful and take care of yourself."


    Alura met him halfway across the room and hugged her father.


    "Thank you, father." Alura said, squeezing him tight. "I appreciate that."


    "You have a class starting tomorrow," her father reminded her, "I suggest you rest up."


    The next day, Alura kept her word and showed up for the etiquette class her father insisted she resume. Not only did she make great efforts during class, but she also stayed afterwards to do extra work with the instructor to catch up on what she missed in previous classes. After having a late lunch, she went out to the courtyard to the area where the archers were practicing with both short and long range targets. She didn''t have time to change and was stilling wearing a rather formal dress when she showed up with her bow and quiver, and politely took her place at the back of the line. The other elves in line looked back at her and some smirked at the idea of her shooting with them.


    "Is she for real?" one of them asked.


    "I heard she''s really good," another archer replied, "Merrick is a great instructor. He wouldn''t waste his time if she didn''t have the skill."


    "That''s a good point," another concurred, "We''ll have to see for ourselves."


    "And you shall," Alura called out, "When it''s my turn."


    "Thank you, your grace," one of the archers replied, "We appreciate your respect for the line. Usually, your brothers would push us out of the way, and go first."


    "That''s not very nice," Alura agreed, "We all need to practice."


    The men all nodded and agreed as they continued to wait.


    When Alura finally stepped up to shoot, suddenly there were more eyes on her than there was when she first got there. She even noticed her mother, who was two floors above her and observing for herself. Rather than let the pressure get to her, Alura took a deep breath and stepped forward and remembered Merrick''s training as she quickly took an arrow out of her quiver and first her first shot without hesitation. Merrick always told her never to waste time on aim and flow from quiver to shot as quickly as possible. Thinking can sometimes distract someone and that''s when mistakes and errors can be made.


    The arrow flew hard into the short distance target and cracked right into the bull''s eye without any difficulty. Alura didn''t wait to get a reaction as she pulled another arrow out and fired another immediate shot at the long-range target, also hitting another bull''s eye. The other elven archers stood there in shock as the rumors were true, the princess was quite a good shot. She spent the majority of her time in the court, learning from the other archers and earning their respect.


    "I''d be proud to defend the walls with you any day," one of the archers told her one day.


    "I hope that never happens," Alura replied, "But when it does, I will not hesitate to stand on the wall and defend everything we hold dear."


    She looked up and both her father and mother were watching that time, and she made a small wave to the king and the other archers bowed to him. For a moment, they had all forgotten forgot who the young lady was that they were shooting targets with. To them she was just another archer, and she was alright with that.