The New Queen of the Forest

"No. No! Go away!" The brunette muttered, picking up her pace through the forest. "I can't hear you! Lalalala!"

'Do you think she realises how childish she sounds right now?' A squeaky voice questioned.

'Yeah, no. I don't think so.' A deeper voice replied.

'I'm finding this hilarious!' Yet another voice snickered. 'Come on, Birdy~ Speak to us!'

'Reynard!' The first voice quipped. 'Leave her alone! No wonder she's scared of us!'

Breaking into a sprint, the woman dodged through the trees. Twigs snagging in her hair and leaves smacking her in the face. The sound of something large and heavy galloping after her made her push her legs to move faster. To carry her farther away from that place. Away from the madness that was happening to her.

-----

With a yelp of surprise, the woman was sent flying to the earth as her foot caught against a rock. Whimpering in pain, she got to her knees carefully; examining her hands.

"Damn it," she whispered. "Why now?"

Her hands were now covered in dirt, scratches and grazes covering her palms. A small rock was lodged under the skin of her hand and tiny droplets of blood rose to the surface. Stumbling to her feet, the sound of running water catching her attention; slowly limping towards it. The stream was crystal clear, colourful pebbles glittering along the bed and tiny fish darted about. Stepping into the flowing water that reached just past her knees, the woman gently lowered her hands into the stream; hissing quietly at the faint stinging sensation.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" An annoyed voice snapped. "Jumping into someones stream without asking! You're going to muddy up my waters!"

Whipping her head around, the woman gasped in surprise at the girl half merged with the water. Maybe around the ages of 12. Her hair was a light shade of blue with colourful beads, reminiscent of the pebbles of the stream, tied through out. Her eyes were narrowed, bight blue irises swirling dangerously. She wore what looked to be white silk robes, but it was hard to tell as she was only seen from the shoulders up. Forming from the water itself.

"Well?" The girl asked, cocking her head to the side. "I'm waiting for an answer."

"What! How?" The brunette stuttered, falling backwards onto the riverbank. "What are you!"

"My name is Brookelle," the girl sighed, sinking up to her neck in the running water. "I'm the naiad of this stream. Now who are you?"

A large shadow was cast over the woman, causing her to look up in fear. 'Her name is Adrianna, gifted with the 'song of the wild' by Lady Verena. She's the new queen of the forest.'

The stag was huge. Its antlers were giant branches of glittering gold tipped with silver. The coat of the buck was the purest of whites. Its cloven hooves seemingly made of gold. A rusted collar of iron was fastened around its neck; the few chain links left clinking against each other. Even its eyes were unnatural; dark brown sclera with moon-like iris' with out pupils.

"Lord Danhám," the naiad of the stream said, bowing to the creature; fully emerging to stand atop the currents. "I was unaware of your presence over this side of the forest. It truely is an honour."

'It has been quite some time, has is not, Brookelle?' The stags deep resonating voice rippled smoothly though the air; bowing its head gracefully at the girl. 'I am happy to see you are still well. And you have my condolences for the passing of your twin sister.'

"Thank you, my lord." Brookelle said, cradling her hands close to her chest. "The humans cut her off from our spring. It was sadly a long and painful process to watch. But you said this.... this human! Is the new queen?"

"Hey! I want nothing to do with this madness!" Adrianna spluttered, crawling backwards in terror. "I just want to wake up from this nightmare!"

'As I said to you when you first arrived in the forest. This is no dream.' Danhám said, his eyes wondering over the woman. 'You have been selected as our new queen; we must inform you of your duties as soon as possible. Both your safety and the safety of the forest now walks the line.'

"I don't care!" The woman cried, curling into a ball and fisting her hands in her hair. "Why can't you choose a new queen? I want to my life back!"

Tossing his head back in anger as his nostrils flared, Danhám's antlers flashed sharply in the light and his eyes blazing. Stomping his front hoof against the dirt hard enough to crack it; the sky clouded over in stormy grey clouds.

'Your fear is valid, but your desire to return to your former life if greatly displeasing for me!' Danhám thundered. 'Do you not remember your final moments? Do you not remember your fall!'

Freezing in her spot, Adrianna stared at the ground with wide teary eyes. Slowly looking up at the stag, her pupils shrunk to nothing but pin points.

"Final moments?" She whispered. "Falling?"

'Yes, your majesty.' Danhám said softly now, folding a leg to bow deeply to the woman. 'There is no life back for you in the world you once knew. Not all fairy tales have a happy story.'

"What happened to me?" Adrianna asked, too shocked to even cry.

'Your partner....' the white stag said slowly, carefully choosing his word. 'They pushed you off a bridge. Lady Verena, the fairy of this forest took pity on you when she witnessed your death. So she gave you a second chance. The former queen died eons ago; the gift of the 'song of the wild' is a curse in its own right. It grants you power and wealth; but make you immortal. You are forced to stand on the side as you watch all that you have ever known fade and change before your very eyes. Our last queen has finally had enough of that life; so she fell in love. Love is the only way to remove the gift placed upon you.'

"They, pushed me, off a bridge?" Adrianna said, slowly getting to her feet.

Her eyes blazed with fury as the trees around stream suddenly ripped their roots out of the ground; their branches whipping about like clawed fingers. A crown of black thorns grew around her head as creatures of all shapes and sizes crept out from the tree line.

"They PUSHED me! Off a BRIDGE!" She roared in fury. "They will pay! They will all pay! Humans do nothing but kill and destroy for no reason! They have unbalanced the laws of nature for the last time. Now, its time for nature to take back its own."

Bowing to their new queen, all the creatures of the forest let her power and rage flow over them; so thick it was almost tangible. With a caw and a flurry of feathers; a raven flew down from the sky and landed on her shoulder, its beady eyes glittering like beetle shells.

"We has not stand for this anymore," the new queen said coldly, mounting the white stag and sitting tall. "This is my tale and I control its fate."