The day after…,

Tara woke up with a start. At barely 18 years of age, she was just crowned as the new Queen the day before.

What does this mean for her? She never expected herself to be picked as Queen. There were more worthy candidates than she could ever be or so she thought. When the bright scattered lights headed her way and encircled her in it, changing her and her ordinary leaf dress to a regal Queen of the Forest, she stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what just happened. She felt elated then scared at the same time.

Things became a blur after that – there were much cheering from the enormous crowd gathered at Moonhaven, her Leafmen warriors all kneeling before her, Ronin backing off from her…

Ronin…

She remembered his face of utter shock, bewilderment, then a moment of sadness before she realised that even he has dropped to his knees. She wanted him to stop kneeling like that, she wanted to tell him but already she was surrounded by colourful butterfly ladies-in-waiting, gently guiding her to meet her subjects. After that, it has been a whirl of activity for the new Queen. She was too exhausted on her first night as Queen. Now waking up in her new chambers, her first thoughts were of Ronin.

She quickly moved, leaped out of bed and dressed without waiting for anyone to be with her and ran out of her chambers with her guards at her heel. "Your Majesty!" one of the Leafmen guards said, "Where are you going?"

"To find Ronin…"she replied as she went outdoors. She was not sure exactly how she was going to do that, when she was still getting used to her new powers as Queen but she was determined all the same.

"Your Majesty, you can not be travelling alone," the guard continued, "we have to come with you."

"Then help me find him…" Queen Tara said, concentrating on how she can really find him. Suddenly, leaves from the surrounding trees were falling, nearby flowers were opening up, turning towards her direction. Tara was amazed at how Nature appears to follow her and even obey her. She took a deep breath. Being Queen of the Forest takes some getting used to, especially as the forest appears to come alive wherever she is. She knew deep down, that this was a tremendous responsibility. Something stirred within her. Then realisation dawned. She deeply felt that as Queen, she will always look after the Forest and all those who reside in it. But her heart longs for one person….

Suddenly a flock of hummingbirds surrounded her with her Leafmen warriors already at her disposal waiting for her command. The largest and most colourful of these birds landed at her feet, bent its head towards her and waited patiently. It already had a saddle ready. It was as though it knew that she would be needing transport for today.

"Your Majesty…." Her Leafman guard continued, "If this is your wish, then we will do all that we can to help you…" and with that, his hummingbird flew next to him, ready to be flown.

Queen Tara nodded with a faint smile and on her own hummingbird, surrounded by her Leafmen guards, she flew to the first place she thought she could find him…the village they both grew up in.

She remembered their days together as children. They had enormous innocent fun, and he was as playful as she was, running through the forest, gathering flowers and seeds, making art with whatever they can find. They both felt one with Nature. They were free spirits. There was no such thing as duty or responsibility then. On one sunny day, they both lay down on the grass after chasing some imaginary foes and she would naively tease him and find to her delight that he was actually ticklish. She loved seeing him smile. For her, he really had the sweetest smile.

The denizens of the village dropped to their knees as soon as Queen Tara alighted from her hummingbird. She felt she really must get used to people and all creatures dropping to their knees every time they see her. At the same time, her heartstrings pulled that although she is Queen, she is still very much one of them. What was the motto her Leafmen warriors often say? Many leaves. One tree.

Stopping by the village elder, a wise old turtle, Tara asked, "Have you seen Ronin?"

The elder turtle smiled and slowly said, "Perhaps her Majesty should visit the Leafmen barracks." The Queen hesitated. The Leafmen barracks. Of course. He had always said he wanted to become a Leafman one day….

Thanking the village elder, she rode straight to the Leafmen barracks. Word has already been sent ahead of her arrival that she was coming to visit them and guards lined up the pathway leading to large imposing doors carved out of rock with the Leafman logo endorsed on it. Queen Tara suddenly felt so small as the huge doors opened for her, and again everyone dropped to their knees. An old commander dressed up with all his finery met her. "You honour us with your presence, Your Majesty," he said, kneeling down before her.

"Please, Commander, there is no need to kneel before me," she started.

"It is protocol, Your Majesty, and tradition," the old commander gently reminded her.

"Very well. I just wanted to know if Ronin is here," the Queen asked.

"Yes, he is. He enlisted the day you were crowned Queen," the commander informed her.

It took awhile for these words to sink in. Unable to think of anything else, the Queen asked: "Please may I see him?"

"Of course, your Majesty. But may I be so bold to say that you could have simply sent for him? There was no need for you to travel…" the commander said, trying hard to find words that would not come across as too forward. The Queen can sense the turmoil in the old soldier. She gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Commander," she said, "it's all right. It was I who wanted to find him…"

Just at that moment, Ronin arrived. Tara looked at him in surprise. The old village tunic and pants have now been replaced with the usual Leafman uniform and boots. He looked different. On seeing her, Ronin also dropped to his knees. The commander, astute enough to understand that they needed this time alone, bowed his head and retreated, summoning to the rest of the Leafmen to follow his lead.

"I could not find you after the crowning ceremony," Queen Tara said, breaking the silence between them.

"I knew you would be very busy keeping up with what is required of being Queen," Ronin said, standing up to his full height and looking at her large brown eyes," I did not wish to stand in the way of that."

He has grown serious. He also looked weary, as though he has been fighting an emotional battle within himself. The usual light banter between them appeared to have gone. He has changed somewhat. The Queen inched closer to him, watching him intently. "So you've now become a Leafman…"

"Yes, but I am still a recruit. I have a long way to go yet…" Ronin replied trying hard to keep breathing normally. It's never been easy when she is this close to him.

"Does this mean I won't be seeing much of you?" Queen Tara felt a pang in her heart as the words came out. Ronin was always there for her, they literally grew up together. He was her best friend, and now she realised with sudden clarity that he was also her love. What made her try to find him in the first place? Of course, she has also fallen in love with him.

Ronin remained unmoved. He did not know what to say. For that one moment, all he thought about was holding her in his arms, and heaven forbid, even kiss her but she is Queen, not only his Queen but the Queen of all, the Life of the Forest. He must remember duty and responsibility. Their childhood days are over. His hopes of one day making her his is all but destroyed when she was chosen as the next Queen. He has been brought up to think of others first not only of his own. No, he must remain sensible…and serious even if his heart knows otherwise. So there he remained, almost cold and aloof.

The Queen thought he could no longer be with her, and suddenly the enormity of being Queen of the Forest weighed heavily on her shoulders. She bowed her head and turned away from him. As she did so, the clouds started to gather, the skies began to darken and droplets of rain fell from the skies. Ronin looked up and realised with awe that the Queen's emotions can also, to some extent, affect the weather. She is still a fledging Queen just learning about her powers. Dropping his guard and the emotional wall he built inside himself, he ran after her. "Tara!" he called, gently turning her around so that she can face him. There were tears in those brown eyes of hers. He could not bear to see her like this. "Tara," he said gently, "I need to be even better at this job being a Leafman so that I can always be with you…"

He cupped her face in his hands, reminding her softly, "You are Queen now, and the Forest needs you. And I, I need you….to be strong for our people…" His thumb slowly wiped away a tear trickling down Tara's cheek and before he knew it, Tara threw her arms around him, hugging his torso, burying her head on his chest, the way she used to do whenever she felt upset in the past. Ronin hesitated for a moment and then giving in to his emotions, he held her, cradling her head on his chest, stroking her long dark hair and letting her work through her own emotions in silence. She may be Queen but she does have some vulnerability left in her. It made him all the more determined to work hard at his training to become the best Leafman there is so that he can protect her with his life.

As they stood together in this embrace, the sun started to filter through the dark clouds, reflecting the new found resolve the Queen had in her. Yes, her priorities now are to the Forest and her people. She will be strong. Rain stopped and flowers surrounding them began to bloom. All around them were signs of new life, of new hope.

The Queen smiled. Looking up at Ronin, she saw the sweetest smile she knew he always had for her. They may have different paths now but this particular Leafman will always be there, at her side, never failing in his duty to protect her. And despite all that seriousness he has now developed, she knew he will always have that soft spot for her even if he will never admit to it openly as he did today and probably would never do while she is Queen. But for now, she was content as he was.