Story Monarchs of Tecc

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Queen Ukuri Saniyo

[/div][div class=stoneContent]Cold winds were nothing to the blaze in her soul. Ukuri's fists clenched as she stood on the high peak overlooking the mountainous valley below. She wore the ancient garb of her people, which was made of thick wool and leather armor that allowed freer movement. There was a long spear diagonally across her back, painting her as a warlike barbarian that stood against the harsh nature of the mountain pass. She was a solitary figure, almost like a goddess that sought retribution against a world that had forgotten her.

Her pale hand raised against the grey skies, a signal to the hidden warriors hidden in the rocky crags below her. Instantly, lithe shapes like wolves began to slink downward to the pass, heavy grey cloaks with a red band down the back marking them as Ukuri's royal guard. The lower portions of their faces were hidden by silken red scarves, and the shapes of weaponry could be made out against their backs. Ukuri began to climb after them, her eyes trained on the valley, and more importantly, the road below.

Breath came in short as she reached the bottom, her guards regrouping and watching with silent eyes. Ukuri was approached by a tall, black-haired man, who bowed before speaking in a hushed, airy voice.

"Our northern scouts-" His hand raised to point a bony finger toward the opposite side of the thin valley, and the queen narrowed her eyes to see several slinking shapes moving fluidly down the craggy wall of rock. Something was wrong - Ukuri's hand clenched as she counted the shapes. Four - One was missing. A sharp, eerie whistle left her lips, and her guards immediately gathered behind her, following her at a quick pace as the queen rushed across the snowy valley to intercept her scouts. Her breath caught in her throat, and something stung at the corners of her eyes. She knew who was missing, and it was killing her.

"Your majesty!" A woman from the group of scouts stumbled forward, spots of red trailing the snow behind her. Her hand was clutched around her torso, and a deep red stain between her pale fingers revealed a wound. Ukuri caught the woman as she stumbled forward, shifting to kneel with the woman's head in her lap.

"Quiet," Ukuri whispered, one of her guards positioning himself beside her to examine the scout. The woman pushed him away with a weak shove, her eyes red and cheeks marked with tear trails.

"They knew - It was hopeless." The woman's voice was shaky and raspy, as if she hadn't spoken in years. "We approached from behind, but they ambushed us. They took him-" Ukuri held back a sob, almost dropping the woman in her arms, her teeth clenched as wet poured down her face. But she forced herself to be still, to listen to the scout's words.

"You must run. Take the guards and run. We are broken." The scout's eyes turned to the other three that had been with her, and each of them were crippled in pain. Her eyes clenched as something was pulled from her wound, and her breathing came in short.

Ukuri felt helpless, but she knew she could never leave her own people behind. Instead of responding to the woman in her arms, she barked out a hushed order and shifted the woman to someone else. She stood, straightening her stiff knees, and felt a wave of dizziness overcome her. Someone was behind her, supporting her until she could stand again. She shook him off, turning to face the man that had alerted her earlier.

"No," she hissed, feet digging into the hard snow. "I know what you'll say, Takeda. But you're wrong. That son of a bitch Haran - his filthy spies - that was no caravan they saw. It was a war party."

Takeda shook his head, his face as cold as ice. "The nations must be alerted. This is no longer an issue between Kel and Hythe. If we do not escape, there will be no warning."

Ukuri's eyes snapped against her pale features. "This was not the plan - it was our venture - we were meant to rule the nations!" She knew Takeda, her trusted advisor, had never agreed to her plans, but he had never contradicted her before. She looked back over her guards, realizing they could hear the argument. She felt as though she were disappointing them - for the gods' sake, she was their queen - but she felt like that helpless child all over again. Her eyes met Takeda's, his wizened features full of both anger at their enemy and guilt for what they would have to do. And yet, he knew the right choice. Damn it, he always did. Ukuri bit her lip until she could taste blood, her hands curling and uncurling before turning back to her guards.

"We leave. Now." Her eyes razed over the scouts, who had been moved to the lee of a rock, away from the biting winds of the mountain. They knew their fate, as did the guards, but it was a noble end. Yet why did it feel so wrong? In a matter of moments, everything had been gathered, and the guard were ready to move at Ukuri's command. She hesitated, positioned at the point of the formation, looking back at the forsaken scouts. Their heads were bowed, and the meager supplies that had been left with them were piled around them. Their wounds painted the snow red as dawn.

Ukuri's whistle was deaf on her own ears as she and her guards fled down the valley pass, back to Kel and to safety. No tears came this time; her cheeks were dry and her eyes blazed like twin wildfires. No wrath would come upon Haran as swift and terrible as Queen Ukuri's.

[/div][/div][div class=stoneCredit]Coded By || StoneWolf18 [/div][/div]