The Summer Queen

The Last Day of Summer

Demerek visited the Summer Queen’s lair, the biggest bud of rose in the kingdom. He was stroking her hair because she didn’t cease in sobbing. Her tears are golden raindrops falling to the ground. Each time a tear touched the ground, a small flower grew.

            “I don’t want to be the Summer Queen,” she said. “I don’t think I’m ready to rule the Summer Kingdom. I am barely a hundred years old!”

            “It is your birthright, Adelaide,” he patted her back. “You must rule.”

            Adelaide closely observed her longest friend’s features. Demerek might be two hundred years old, but he never acted like his age with his easy smile and cheerful laughter. He trims his eyebrows and keep his golden locks short. His pale golden eyes complimented his trimmed pale golden beard.

Demerek and the new Summer Queen were oblivious of the merry celebration outside of the Summer Queen’s bud. The summer wine and hunted meat for the celebration weren’t enough to entice her appetite.

            Let them celebrate, she thought. I will grieve for my father’s death.

            She stood up and placed the bud of her father on the shelf.

Adelaide sobbed harder. “I don’t even know where to start.”

            Demerek asked the guards to close the petals around them so they could talk discreetly.

            “You could start by strengthening the portal gates,” Demerek said slowly, almost coming out like a murmur. “I’ve heard that many fairies visit the mortal realm.”

            The Summer Queen’s eyes grew bigger, her wings tingled a little. “You mean? Towards the mortal’s world where sun sets? I couldn’t imagine a sky without a sun at all! I will die! Do they know what they’re doing?”

            Demerek whispered slowly, “You wouldn’t die at all, my Queen! The sun will rise again after the reign of the moon.”

            “How do you know all this, Demerek?”

            “I have crossed the portal twice in my life,” Demerek whispered, chuckling a little. “And they do look like us but their ears are smaller! And their eyes, it’s blue, green, brown, and more but not golden unlike us!”

            “Oh, Demerek! How could you be so treacherous!” Adelaide exclaimed, chuckling heavily. “Only the Summer Army is allowed to venture into that world!”

            “I needed to accompany your father in banishing some summer fairies into the mortal world,” Demerek explained. “In there, you will die less than a hundred years old because their days and nights are longer.”

The petals opened and General Esiah rushed in, touching his wounded side near his ribs.

            “Your Majesty!” screamed the General.

            Rain started. She could hear the squeals of the summer fairies and the clashing of swords from the outside.

            The Summer Queen froze.

            “What happened, General Esiah?” Demerek asked, his voice shaking.

            “The Winter King attacked!”

            Demerek immediately stood up and assembled a sweater that is made up of leaves. “Your Majesty! You have to go!”

            Adelaide held Demerek’s hand. “Why do I have to go? I need to assemble my army. I need to protect my kingdom!”

            “Adelaide,” he placed his hand over hers. “What important is that you will be safe.”

            “No! No! I couldn’t abandon my kingdom, Demerek!” She cried again, this time remembering her father. “If my father were here, he would ask me to fight alongside my army!”

            Demerek shook his head lightly, gripping Adelaide’s hand. “If your father were here, he will want you to be safe.”

            “Demerek, please take our Queen away,” General Esiah commanded, groaning of pain.

Adelaide rushed to the General’s side. He continued speaking, “Your Majesty, listen to your friend. You need to stay safe first. If you die without an heir, the Summer Kingdom will fall and be claimed by the Winter Kingdom.”

            Adelaide sobbed lightly and then nodded her head at the General. She took a step forward and embraced him.

            The General wiped a tear and then whispered into her ear, “I will try protect the Summer Kingdom with all the strength left in me, but if I fail, please come back and rally the banished summer fairies at the mortal realm, Your Majesty.”

            “Please go! Go! Leave, Your Majesty!” He groaned of pain again, touching his wounded side. “To cross the border. Reclaim the Summer Kingdom when you’re ready!”

            She sobbed bitterly, calling her father’s name in her mind.

            Demerek lifted her up. “Adelaide! Please, listen to me!” Demerek brushed Adelaide’s golden locks away from her face. “You have to leave now before the Winter King finds you here!”

            She allowed Demerek to drape the sweater he made for her.

            “Where will I go?” she asked.

            “To the mortal realm,” he answered.  “In there, King Osmond wouldn’t dare to follow you. His winter powers will be weak. And so will yours too.”

What remains of the Summer Army ran away with them towards the forest. Some of them were hit by arrows made up of ice and fell to the ground. The Summer Queen and Demerek were flying higher and faster.

            They were a few meters away from the portal when Demerek’s wing was hit.

            He fell to the ground.

            “Go on without me!” Demerek yelled. “You’re close!”

            Adelaide rushed to Demerek’s side and helped him lift himeself from the ground. “No, I wouldn’t be leaving you! We’ll enter the portal together!”

            They could hear the squealing and the tears of the summer fairies in the background. It broke Adelaide’s heart, knowing that she wasn’t able to protect her people. She’s even running away.

            Adelaide lifted Demerek as she tried to fly carrying both of their weights. She was gradually ascending from the ground when an arrow hit her wing and the Summer Crown fell from her head.

            “Ow!” She groaned of pain, accidentally throwing the half-conscious Demerek to the ground. She followed suit and was horrified to have realized the extent of damage that the arrow pierced through her wing. Her left wing was gone. She couldn’t fly with one. She must run.

            Demerek slowly regained his consciousness and touched Adelaide’s shoulder. “Leave! Leave me please!”

            "The Summer Crown!" she yelled.

            "I'll take care of it," Demerek replied. Now go!"

            With her chest aching and her golden tears rushing through her cheeks, Adelaide pulled herself up and limped through the forest, still touching her broken wing or what’s left of it. She could hear the trampling of the Winter Army’s boots behind her.

            “Don’t let the Summer Queen get away!”

            She instinctively docked from the arrows that were released at her. She was running fast, blind to the branches that were slapping her. She’s almost at the portal. She could almost touch it until an arrow hit her leg. The pain jolted throughout her body. She collapsed to the ground again.

            “I must enter the portal!” She pulled herself up. She could feel the ice freezing half of her leg.

            She continued running and running until she fainted.