What if Nod had a best friend who was also a leafmen, or in this case a leafwoman. Tarina grew up along side Nod for most of her life until Nod's father was killed. They meet again when they both sign up to join the Leafmen. Tarina and Nod know each other like the back of their hand. So what happens after the events of 'Epic'?

Well we know what happens for Queen Tara and General Ronin, but what if before 'Epic' they had a child. She grows up not knowing who she really is and well, things turn her life upside down when she finds out. It's a journey of self-discovery as well as romance and hurt/comfort and family. The thing she craves the most.

I hope you enjoy the story.

Third P.O.V

"Tarina," A voice shouts out. A young boy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes was racing after a young girl. The girl, Tarina, had long dark brown hair and storm cloud color eyes. She wore a huge smile on her face and was laughing as she ran.

"Hurry up Nod, or we're going to miss it." Tarina shouts over her shoulder. She jumps up onto a leaf and then onto a low hanging branch. Only then does she stop to look over her shoulder to see where her friend was.

"Slow down will you?" Nod called out. He stood on the ground and blocked the sunlight from his eyes. Tarina just shook her head while rolling her eyes at her friend's comment.

"You're really slow aren't you?" Tarina asked raising an eyebrow. Nod looked up to his friend before jumping up towards the branch and giving his friend a light shove.

"Are you crazy? I was just giving you a head start." Nod said. Tarina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right," Tarina jumped off the branch before landing on the next, then starts running away from Nod again. As they ran along the tree branches Tarina spied a few Leafmen on their hummingbirds speeding past her and Nod. Her eyes followed the Leafmen as they lowered their birds to the landing bay right outside the Palace.

'One day, that'll be me.' Tarina thought to herself. She ran past several homes as she made her way to the lakeside beside the Palace.

"Come on, Nod." Tarina called out over her shoulder. Nod shook his head. He races after his friend once more.

Nod was sitting down on a rock, looking down at his hands. He smirked at the random memory of his best friend. Of course that was pretty much a decade ago. He had stopped seeing Tarina after his father died. That was until he saw her signing up to be a Leafmen.

"They're letting you join?" Nod questioned his friend. He looked her over from head to toe. The last time he had seen her she was just a small girl with messy hair pulled into a braid, a few teeth missing, and dirt covering her face. Now she had grown into a beautiful young woman. Nod wouldn't deny that. Tarina had cut her long hair so that it would just reach her shoulder blades, her missing teeth and grown back, and her face lacked the mud that had been there last time. Nod could now clearly see her storm cloud color eyes as they pierced his gaze. She arched an eyebrow at her old friend and offered a small smirk.

"Afraid I'll hurt your pride?" Tarina teased. Nod shrugged his shoulders before letting out a laugh. He opened his arms, waiting for Tarina to give me a hug. She rolled her eyes at his antics but accepted the price of their friendship. They stood there for a while more just talking about the changes in their lives. Nod had moved away from the Palace after his father died. Tarina had moved in with her Aunt to be closer to the Palace, so that when she was ready she could join the Leafmen.

After some time an older Jinn walked up to them. He was dressed in the Leafmen uniform adorned with a white coat, letting them know that he was the General of the Leafmen. Tarina, however, had recognized him in an instant. She had seen him around her old village plenty of times. Actually they both hailed from the same village; something Tarina secretly took pride in.

"Sir," Tarina greeted. Nod, however, rolled his eyes. He was sure that the only reason The General was here was because his mother had asked it of him. He was, after all, his dead father's best friend.

"Ronin," Nod greeted coolly. Tarina elbowed Nod in his side but Nod didn't care. He was annoyed by The General showing up at the town square. The General barely acknowledged Nod, his focus was all too drawn towards the young female Jinn that reminded him of a younger version of his Beloved; all except for the eyes.

"What's your name girl?" The General asked. Nod rolled his eyes. Tarina perked up at the question, believing that The General's attention had been towards Nod not her.

"Tarina, sir." The General nodded his head, thanked her and then left as quietly as he had come. Tarina quirked an eyebrow towards Nod. She didn't understand the interaction that had just happened, but she didn't feel the need to question it either. After a few more moments passed Tarina excused herself and left Nod standing in the town square.

"I'll see you around Nod." Tarina shouted back over her shoulder. Nod waved goodbye and they parted their ways separately. They both knew that they would be seeing each other again soon.

It was nice to see a familiar face on the first day of training. Since then Nod and Tarina had been inseparable. Three and a half years later Nod had started questioning why he joined in the first place. Tarina was more at home with the Leafmen then he ever was. He figured she was one of the only reasons why he stuck around.

Nod picked up some small rocks and started to skip them on the river's surface. The sound of the rippling river was all that filled his head. It helped block out the things he didn't want to think about.

"Nod!" A voice called out from above. Nod looked up and saw Tarina on her hummingbird.

"Where have you been? General Ronin is gonna kill you. Where's your bird?" Tarina asked. She swooped down to perch her bird before jumping off and walking over to her friend. She took of her helmet and shook loose the few strands of hair that had escaped her braid.

"I kind of lost him." Nod said with a sheepish smile. Tarina pinched the bridge of her nose while biting on her lip.

"Again?" Tarina questioned. "Why am I not surprised?" Tarina asked aloud. Nod shrugged his shoulders before going back to skipping stones.

"Because I'm me." Nod said. Tarina pressed her lips together and let out a sigh again.

"Find a bird." Tarina commanded. She tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear before placing her helmet back on her head.

"General Ronin wants to go over the plan for today's ceremony. Queen Tara is choosing her heir and General Ronin-" Nod cut his friend off.

"I don't care what Ronin has to say. I'm quitting." Nod said standing up on the rock. Tarina rolled her eyes.

"You've said that before." She muttered out. Nod whipped his head around and glared at his friend. Tarina stared back at him, daring him to challenge her. Instead he let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped.

"I'm serious this time Rina. I'm not cut out to be a Leafman." Tarina sensed the seriousness in her friend's voice. Tarina took her helmet off once more and then held it in her hands. She was looking at the symbol as her friend spoke. She didn't feel the same way as Nod did. She knew that. Being a Leafman, or in her case a Leafwoman, was all she wanted to be. She had heard the stories of General Ronin growing up as a kid from her parents. He was practically a living legend in her old village. But Nod wasn't like her. He had a different childhood, a difficult upbringing, but it wasn't too long ago that they had shared the same dream of the future. At least Tarina didn't think it had changed that much.

"Yes you are." Tarina started to protest against Nod's objections. "Even General Ronin says so. Nod-" Tarina was once again cut off by her friend.

"You don't get it. That's all he thinks I've got going for me. It's not what I want." Nod stated angrily. Tarina looked at her friend in dismay. She hated to see how much Nod had changed since their childhood. It annoyed her to no end that he would behave like a child some times but she figured that was just how all men were.

"Then what do you want Nod?" Tarina questioned him. She watched him with baited breath as she waited for answer. She could see that Nod was struggling to find the words to tell her what he wanted. He ran this fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I don't know!" Nod shouted before storming off, away from Tarina. Normally she would've gone after him but she had to report back to Moonhaven. She watched as Nod walked further and further away from her. Slipping her helmet back on she walked over to her bird but paused for a moment before mounting. Over her shoulder her friend's retreating figure becoming smaller and smaller.

Tarina was soon back with the rest of her Fighter Group at Moonhaven. They were just hours away from the Ceremony and everyone was in a frenzy. Tarina and her Fighter mates were inspecting the finer details of their uniforms and ensemble. But Tarina was pulled away from her focus when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Tarina," A familiar voice called out. Tarina turned around to the direction of the voice. It was General Ronin.

"Sir," Tarina said as she walked over to the stern General.

"Come with me." Tarina obliged. She didn't question where he was taking her. They walked down a hallway with moss walls before stopping in front of a closed fern door. General Ronin removed his helmet and Tarina followed suit.

"Queen Tara, we need to discus today's ceremony." General Ronin said once they entered. They both knelt in front of Queen Tara who was standing in the distance.

"The Boggans have crossed our boarder again." General Ronin said. Queen Tara walked up to a small purple morning glory that was closed. The flower turned towards the Queen.

"You're not getting enough sunshine." The Queen said touching the flower.

"Yes it's Ronin." The Queen said as though the flower could talk back. She looked out of the corner of her eye and continued to talk to the flower.

"Well, I think he looks silly kneeling, too, but I can't get him to stop doing it." The flower looked up at the Queen and Queen Tara just smiled. General Ronin looked up. He was trying to warn the Queen of the potential danger of today's ceremony.

"I think the Boggans are scouting our defenses." General Ronin stood up but Tarina stayed kneeling.

"You know they'd do anything to stop you from choosing an heir. But don't worry I've got a plan." General Ronin said. Tarina looked up at her commanding officer.

"When we were kids he wasn't so serious." Queen Tara said, still talking to the flower. Tarina looked back down at the ground. She hadn't been aware that General Ronin and Queen Tara had known each other as kids. But then again she was always more fascinated by stories of warriors and saviors then Queens and damsels.

"Would you like to hear my plan?" General Ronin said, slightly getting agitated with Queen Tara.

"And he had the sweetest smile." The Queen said almost pouting at the flower. General Ronin walked up to the Queen, completely forgetting about Tarina. Tarina not quiet sure what to do, stayed put and kept her head low.

"Look instead of a public ceremony, I go in with a small platoon, pretend we're stopping for a drink. We grab a pod, bring it back to you. It blooms, the life of the forest continues. We're in, we're out." General Ronin explained. Queen Tara smiled and laughed gentle at him. She shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way." She stroked the morning glory before taking a few steps away from the small bud. "I can't choose unless I'm there. It's about the feeling. I get it from the pods, I get from the forest, I get it from all of us." Queen Tara looked up at the full grown flowers and pushing them away to let the sunlight in. She walked away but looked over her shoulder.

"Don't you have feelings Ronin?" Queen Tara questioned with a playful smile on her lips. General Ronin walked after her but she was gone.

"Yes, I feel this is a bad idea." The General said looking around for the Queen. "The Boggans have never been this aggressive." General Ronin warned. What he didn't notice, but Tarina did, was a flower vine coiling around his body.

It quickly tightened around General Ronin's body, picked him up and placed him right in front of Queen Tara. Tarina couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly.

"I'm not completely helpless, you know." Queen Tara said, her back facing her General. General Ronin sighed and looked down at the vine still growing and crawling up to his face.

"I am aware." The General said looking up at the Queen. "But you're the life of the forest. Looking after you is my duty." Queen Tara had slowly turned around.

"Is that the only reason you do it?" The Queen questioned, stepping closer to her childhood friend.

"Isn't that reason enough?" The General said with a raised eyebrow.

"If that's the only reason there is." The Queen said stepping closer. General Ronin's voice was strained in his response.

"Your Majesty," The Queen had a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Yes," General Ronin had then caught onto her trick as he felt the vine brush under his ear.

"I'm not ticklish." The General said with a smirk on his face. The Queen pulled away.

"Oh," She said laughing. "You used to be!" Queen Tara had a smile on her face before she sighed. She looked over to her General.

"Very well. I understand your concern," Queen Tara said as she released her General from his constraints. "But this is the one day in a hundred years that I can to choose an heir." Queen Tara started to walk away. "If I don't do this today, there won't be a future to protect."

The General nodded his head, admitting defeat against his Beloved. Queen Tara had spun around to leave but stopped when she noticed Tarina still kneeling before her.

"Who is this?" The Queen wondered out loud. The General walked up beside Queen Tara quietly whispered in her ear.

"Tarina, Your Majesty." Tarina's voice was soft but Queen Tara could still hear the answer. Tarina was beyond nervous. She had never once been in the presence of Queen Tara since she started as a Leafman.

"Rise Tarina." The Queen ordered. She did as she was told and silently stood before The Queen. Queen Tara looked at Tarina and tears started to form in her eyes. The Queen quickly whipped them away as General Ronin dismissed her from the room. Tarina bowed out and then shut the fern doors behind her.

Tarina was left confused by what had just happened. She didn't understand what her simple presence had done to the Queen to reduce her to such a state. She tried her best to shake it off as she walked down the hall and back out to where her bird and Fighter mates were. Besides she had The Ceremony to get ready for.

"Oh Ronin, she's beautiful." Queen Tara said, the tears now freely sliding down her face. General Ronin tried keep his composer for the sake of his Queen, but bit by bit it was starting to crumble. This was the first time she had laid eyes on her daughter; their daughter.

"I know," General Ronin agreed. He placed a hand under her chin and gently forced her to look at him.

"She reminds me so much of you." General Ronin commented. The Queen chuckled at the thought. "She spends a lot of her time with Nora's kid. You remember Nod?" General Ronin asks. Queen Tara nodded her head.

Nora had been a friend of Queen Tara's before she became Queen. She also happened to be the wife of Colin, General Ronin's best friend. Unfortunately Colin was killed several years ago after a failed mission attempt. Since then General Ronin had stepped in to take care of Nod. Nora was too distraught at times over he loss over her husband, understandably, to take care of Nod.

"How is he?" Queen Tara was asking about Nod. General Ronin pressed his lips together and sighed.

"Just like his father, always getting into trouble." General Ronin said. Queen Tara let out a boisterous laugh and shook her head.

"Sounds familiar, don't you think?" The Queen teased her General. General Ronin narrowed his eyes but kept his tongue still.

"Tarina," Queen Tara whispered out once more. She loved the feeling of saying her daughter's name. It fell out of her mouth almost naturally. It was a thrilling sensation.

"They say she was named in honor of you, the new Queen." General Ronin explained. He remembered the night she was born very vividly. No one was to know about the baby's existence.

A young Captain Ronin carried a sleeping newborn babe in his arms. She was wrapped in blankets to protect her from the chill that hung in the air. It was raining that night and the Captain didn't want to take any chances of getting the baby sick. He had flown back to his home village, which was a difficult task alone in the rain but while carrying a baby it was near impossible, in hopes of having a local couple adopt the babe. He was in luck that night.

An older couple, who had no children of their own, had been praying for a child to take care of. Captain Ronin placed the newborn babe on their doorsteps and softly knocked on the door; doing his best to not wake up the child. And then as quickly and quietly as he had come, he left. Not with even so much as a backward glance.

Two years had passed before Captain Ronin, now Major Ronin, was able to visit his home village again. While he was there he asked around for news of the couple and their 'daughter'. Another local Jinn, the town gossiper from what he remembered, told him the story.

"It's a tragic story, really. The child was abandoned on their doorstep. No note or name tag, nothing. No one knows where she came from but several have said that she bares a strikingly similar resemblance to our new Queen. Don't you think Major Ronin?"

He had to admit, he could see his Beloved in the girl's face. If it wasn't her face, then it was her smile, or her laughter, or her hair. Oh how he wished he could have raised her with his Beloved. The life that he wanted was not the one that he was currently living. He could've have had a happy family, a loving wife and beautiful children. But that future that he had dreamed of was never meant to be.

Major Ronin asked what the child's name might be and he was told that she was named after the Queen; or at least some variation of The Queen's name.

General Ronin grimaced at the bittersweet memory. It was one of his least favorite memories.

"I can't wait to tell her." Queen Tara said. "How do I tell her? How do we tell her?" Queen Tara asked. General Ronin was at a loss for words. This was something that he had never been prepared for.

"I honestly have no idea." General Ronin confessed. Queen Tara smiled and shook her head. This was the moment she had been dreaming about ever since she was forced to give up her child. But now that the moment was here she was terrified. She didn't know what to do.

"I'm nervous." Queen Tara confessed. General Ronin cracked a small smile.

"So am I. Don't worry. I'm always here for you." General Ronin said. He stayed with her for a few more minutes before excusing himself. He need to go check in with his men before the ceremony started.

He walked down the hall, his mind still on his Queen and on his daughter. How was he going to break the news to Tarina? Aside from Nod, he had taken Tarina under his wing. He knew she respected him as her superior commander but would she still trust him after he told her?

Please don't forget to leave a review if you liked the beginning of the story.