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// The old King, and the new Queen... 
// Story: The White Stag King 
// by Cocoa Swirl 10201 
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	She lead me here to my destiny, and I am eternally great full to her. Even now, as I run eternally through the forest of fae and other creatures of olde, I can feel her carry my thundering steps with her blowing breath at my side. Here in this wood, I have ran for almost a century, but yet in the outer realm, mere minutes could of only past, or maybe a millennium. I am now a fully grown Fawn Queen, and faithful to the Stag King. Herene was his name, and he bestowed upon me a great wisdom about how one thing is never a lesser to another thing, he also told me that home is were a heart resides. This I have found to be undoubtedly true.

Here I still run with the earth's spirit song singing throughout this realm endlessly. Others would find this never ending tune maddening, but I found it as nourishment. Together me and Herene sprint through these woods, we have found other stags and does who ride with us, but they are our followers and nothing more. The stags names are River Run, Sky Sprint, and Shadow Burst. The does are named Ebony Flow, Star Chaser, and Wonder Spirit.

Soon, my time here as the Red Fawn Queen will die out, along with me. Herene will then chose another fawn queen to ride with him, and after her century she departs, and once again he will choose another queen. This cycle will be like that of life, always repeating and never ending. Even now, I can feel my ever strong legs finally start to weaken, and my breathe running out. The Red Fawn Queen, Queen Russet... My proud and gentle reign begins to end.

"Stop." I said the word with a noticeable exhaustion. Every stag and doe stops at the command, looking at me with worried expressions upon their faces. It pained me so to see this face graced upon my followers.

"Has your time come, my queen?" Herene's voice whispered. I slowly nodded my head and gently laid down in the soft undergrowth. I bow my head in respect to the earth, I told her that she was the best mother a creature could ask for. The King walks slowly towards me, he bends his head down and gives me a small blessing on the forehead.

"As the Red Fawn Queen, your gentle rule has come to an end. May you pass with serenity, and may your body's energy become one with the cosmos, and become recycled so that one day, you may be reborn again. I am not saying goodbye, because goodbyes don't exist. This is just a simple, 'see you later...' " I curled up into a slight ball, and the does came to pay their respects. Then the stags came and did the same.

Around me, my beautiful world faded to mortal colors once again, seeming black and white to the comparison of colors I had become used to. I whispered a faint goodbye as I felt my essence melt away, my body disintegrated like mist. I felt my spirit turn into a butterfly, and fly away into the sky, to be absorbed as universal energy and me being will be recycled. I was no longer alive. My body was absorbed into the earth mother. I no longer existed...

Herene raised his magnificent head to the sky, he bellowed a cry, announcing the queens death to the wood of the fae. The does grieved and the stags mourned quietly.

"The time has come for me to chose the next fawn queen." Herene's voice was very quiet. The forest was itself was quiet, no one could here the faint hummings of faeries. Not even the earth mother's lullaby. Time stood still, the universe was mourning.

"Our beloved queen has past, but I shall chose again, so that she may never be forgotten." Every stag and doe bowed a head in quick respect. He continued again, this time his voice loud and booming.

"I hereby chose, Ebony Flow! For her compassion and loyalty to others." The others looked at her and bowed, taking a graceful hoof down and resting on a knee.

"My queen, you are now... The Black Fawn Queen! Queen Ebony!"