Shining Emeralds

The crisp air of spring whipped past through the cherry trees and the tulip plants at the garden of the castle. The place aglows with the sun overhead but the heat is tolerable.

Queen Vexana carried herself like a monarch butterfly — magnificent, charming, and regal.

Her perfectly-combed verdant hair swayed with her every step. Her favorite green dress suited her slender figure and made her look even younger, and lovelier. And her emerald eyes radiate the color of the season; they are enchanting, like you want to just stare at them until your very last breath.

She went to the group of kids playing under the shade of a tree. They are gathered as if they have a special task to work on. As she goes nearer, their murmurs grow louder.

A girl noticed her and nudged her playmate beside her as though they are keeping a secret from her. She smiled nervously and greeted her, "good day, Queen Vexana!"

"Good day, Queen Vexana!" the other kids followed.

The queen sat on the bench near them and motioned them to go nearer her. She gently patted each one's head while smiling.

"Good day kids! What were you doing before I came?" she intriguingly asked, "or what were you talking about?"

"Nothing, queen Vexana."

"Demons!"

Two of them replied immediately. One accidentally voiced out the truth and covered his mouth after realizing what he said.

"Uh-huh. What about demons? And why do you all look uneasy?" The queen questioned.

"Uhm, i-it's j-just that...I heard from my father that demons are trying to kill us all," the boy replied, looking down to his feet, as though scolded by his mother.

Vexana pinched the cheek and looked into his innocent eyes. "Did your father tell you that?"

"No, he was talking to my mother that time. I just overheard it."

"It is true." The moment those words came off from her mouth, the faces of the children tuned pale and obviously scared.

"But, let us not worry. Demons are lonely creatures that are not given love. Here in our place, love is abundant, that's why they want to be here," the queen explained, trying to take away the fear from them, "and that love will protect us against them. So smile now, they can never harm us."

"Really?" A little girl who was quiet all along asked in a high-pitched voice.

"Really," she replied, "now, you can continue playing, do not talk about those things again, alright? I have to go now."

"Alright Queen, good bye!"

"Good bye, kids!" She stood up and gave the children an assuring smile before walking away.

Over several seasons of ruling, the entire clan and place had prospered tremendously. The weak tribe before is now feared by other communities and legions.

It was through the effective and forsquare authority of the present rulers that the place had been peaceful for so long and the subjects are living abundant lives.

Through their potent ways of handling the clan, people love and give high respects to King Faramis and Queen Vexana. They look up into them but what people admire about their rulers even more is how they treat them, not as lowly subjects but as friends and family. People call them Shining Emeralds — emeralds which depict growth, fertility, and unity. Indeed, they are the shining gems of the clan.

Almost everyday, the Queen strolls around the place to see and check the activities of everyone and to ask if there is any problem. As she does so, she unknowingly livens the atmosphere and encourages the people with what they are doing.

Meters away behind the castle is where the army of magic trains each day. Trainings are heightened the past weeks because of the continuous attempt of abyssal denizens to break in their barriers and spread horror to their land. These events have caused a little a fear to the people, but hope and trust to the magic legion still overpowers their minds. And besides, these attempts have had happened a multifold times; still, their race continues to subsist.

Vexana watches at a distance how each one of the defenders trains determinably and how the superiors patiently teach their aspirants. These conquerors are really treasure of the clan; they truly are committed to service and they know how to use their magics accordingly. People are proud and respect them for no ne has ever attempted to use the power against their tribemen and against the clan.

Upon seeing the queen, they motioned salute unto her and focused again on their training. The King said some words to them shortly and walked towards the Queen.

"How is my lovely queen?" asked the king, and kissed her pale soft hand with affection.

"I'm very much fine," the queen replied and showed off her captivating smile. "It seems like the new ones are already good with their magics."

"That's right. But still, there's so much to learn about," the king answered, eyes focused on his men.

"They won't stop, will they?"

The King turned his gaze to the queen who seems lost in her thoughts. He held her now cold hand to ease the agitations evident in her face and voice. "Time will come and they will stop. No one outside our land can take away eveything we have," he stated reassuringly.

How I wish..., she thought. Vexana hove a deep sigh and tightened her grasp on Faramis' hand. She put back the radiance on her face and pushed off the negativities inside her.

I must not be worrying. We have been in this place a lot of times before, the queen said to hersellf.