Chapter 2

After being in recovery for three days, Rosalyn was finally able to speak in front of the investigative committee. Her left eye still had a significant welt over it, her right arm made her wince when it moved. The lack of proper medical care her captors gave her only further enhanced her injuries. The most significant injury she had sustained however, was a broken heart. To see Chris, who should have been coordinated as Queen yesterday, her mind raped, her body not of her own will—"

"I said, would you like to begin?" Rosalyn was broken out of her depressive haze by Reannon, the head investigator's stern question. Reannon, a tall blond who favored revealing feminine clothing and, in Rosalyn's opinion, outlandish viewpoints on most things, despised both Rosalyn, thinking of her as a lowly healer not of high social or political regard, and Chris, jealous of her power and place as the next Queen.

The White Wizard named Circe, Rosalyn's mentor, was also on the investigative committee and leaned forward to her microphone. "Dear, just start from the beginning."For the first time, Rosalyn noticed the soldiers around the room. Archers, some of which she had known since she was a child, eyed her suspiciously. Knights, including a former lover from before she knew Chris, held onto their swords at their sides.

She sighed softly. Her right knee ached from landing hard during the ambush. "We were on a routine scouting mission to look for—"

Reannon interrupted her, "I'm sorry, but exactly why was the women in line for the throne out on a mission like that a few days before her coronation?" She was enjoying this. A few archers nodded to her approvingly.

Another woman on the investigative team announced, for the record, that Chris had decided to continue normal patrols, as her Holy Knight duties required despite her impending nuptials and rise to Queenhood.

Circe nodded to Rosalyn to continue. "Tamantha, Chris, Leela, Daria, and I were attacked. By men from the other tribe." The room broke out in conversation, remarks of disgust and disbelief equally filling the air. The gray haired White Wizard pounded her gavel and instructed Rosalyn to continue. "We were outnumbered, but Chris and Tamantha held their ground with Leela and I assisting."

The dark haired Mage took a deep breath. "After a few minutes, Daria turned around and clotheslined Tamantha out of nowhere. Leela and Chris were taking on a handful of the men, but got overwhelmed when Daria came up from behind and clubbed Leela with the back of her ax. The men pounced on Chris."

She stopped as tears ran down her face. "A man knocked me to the ground. I landed on the ground and slid into a large boulder, where I sustained a lot of my injuries. I was knocked pretty senseless at this point, but the last thing I saw before passing out was Leela sneaking away while the men put shackles on Chris and Tamantha." She broke down, sobbing loudly.

Rosalyn, after composing herself, bit her lip and kept speaking at the instruction of the committee. "The four of us were captured. When I woke up, I was in a cell with Tamantha. She informed me that Chris and Daria had been taken away. After we were captured, Tamantha was severely angry at our situation. it had been so long since there was contact with the separatists and this was how they reintroduce themselves?" Rosalyn paused, looking down at the floor. "Tamantha pounded on the bars of our cell and screamed for anyone who could hear how much vengeance she, and us, I guess, were going to extract for this."

Heavily, the Mage sighed. "Our situation got significantly worse from there. One of the guards came down the hall to our cell and entered it. Tamantha struck out at him, but another guard entered and subdued her. They shot her with some kind of dart, which knocked her out."

At this point, Reannon interrupted. "I'm sorry, but what were you doing at this point?"

Rosalyn took a long moment before speaking, replaying the scene in her mind. "I was taken aback by what happened in front of me. I watched Tamantha try to fight off the men, and do quite well, until she was attacked from behind and shot."

Before should could continue, Reannon interrupted again. "You are a Mage, correct? Couldn't you have used your magic?"

Rosalyn blinked a few times. What a fool. "Um, given the small area, I did not think it would have been safe to do so. While I could have fought off our enemies, I could have just as easily injured myself or Tamantha. I am a healer. I don't do that. My fighting magic is quite low level anyway."

Reannon jumped at that final statement. "Again, I have to wonder why our future Queen would bring someone like you ... someone, who, is not fully versed in fighting skills."

Rosalyn glared at this woman. Was she making a case for Chris abdicating the throne? Funny how the Mage, she thought suddenly, automatically assumed Chris would return. "Our future Queen believes that fighting should be a last resort. White Mages are there to heal, whether persons or the land. That is our job." Reannon just glared back at her. "Can I go on now? Reliving this in front of you all is just so fun." Rosalyn, normally so passive and level headed, was losing her cool. Circe glanced over, made eye contact, and gently shook her head.