Corina Sofia Runcan is participating in the International Literary Creation Competition, 7th Edition, from Târgu Mureș, Romania and is 16 years old. We thank her for her participation and wish her success.

                                                                        ARSÓL

Arsól was a prosperous Kingdom that got along well with the Five Elven Kingdoms, especially the ones of Water, Air and Earth. Their fellow human neighbors were their best friends and they were on good terms even with the dwarves. Their only enemies were the orcs and the monsters from the Dead Forest. The Kingdom of Arsól grew richer every day, almost amounting to the wealth of Caras Esolad, that lived in harmony with their elven neighbors.

But as all good things must come to an end, an illness made its way to the streets of Arsól. The epidemic took the lives of many, and it wasn`t long until the Monarch and his family succumbed to it. The elves offered their help and, alongside Caras Esolad and Lósif Ánna, they sent provisions and medicine. 

The remaining healthy members of the Council had to select a new King. Thus, a Baron from a village to the North-West was chosen, based on the locals` confessions who, despite being so close to the Dead Forest, were safe and sound, thanks to the Baron`s mysterious strategy. He was, however, not married, despite him reaching the age of thirty-two. 

Shortly after, a northern Duke offered the hand of his daughter, Mìriel. She was well-mannered, with a settled temper and a calm mind, despite being only seventeen years old. She was a visionary and her word was heavy in her father`s fief. Her ideas placed their domain among the wealthiest, as her only care was the well-being of the land and Kingdom. She had no interest in the Baron, and only refrained from objecting because she knew her mind could save the Kingdom. The wedding took place shortly and they were crowned King and Queen of Arsól.

Mìriel soon learned that her husband became a Baron at a very early age, after his father passed away. And it showed. He blamed the elves for poisoning their food and causing the epidemic. His first order was to cease all trade with the elves and only maintained poor connections with the other two Kingdoms of men. He closed the borders, imposing great taxes even to his own people. Everyone was surprised and frightened by his orders, and even though the Queen tried talking him back to his senses, her word was not heard.

It didn`t take long and she found the answer to the greatest question that filled every street: How could the Council make such a grave mistake? It was found in the former Baron`s strategy. The truth was, because his father died when he was still a child, he never had any idea how to rule a village, not to mention an entire Kingdom. He always acted that way and the only reason the Council never realized how inexperienced he was, was because of the nature of the village itself. Most of the peasants were farmers and their fields spread over a great deal of land, so they never relied on trade. Besides, trading had always been poor in the area, therefore there wasn`t any noticeable difference. The Baron had no need to focus on leadership, aside from defending against the monsters emerging from the Dead Forest. The villagers were happy, not needing anything in addition and nobody realized what a mistake that was. 

A year had passed and Arsól fell into ruin, as the people could not live off of agriculture alone. The King foolishly loved and cared for Mìriel. She, however, began to hate him more and more, and many people joined her every day, in secret or in daylight. She knew she could save her people. She knew exactly how to rule the Kingdom, but if he would only listen to her! 

Soon, the disease vanished without a trace, along the wind and it was never heard of again. Everyone thought the exaggerated measures of the King would end, but they were unlucky and the King would not return to the former rules and friends. By that time, the Council and army were split in two, a small share siding with the King, and the other, growing in number every day, sided with Queen Mìriel. However, she was not in favor of violent measures. Instead, she kept as King and begging her husband to surrender a small share of authority to her, but she failed repeatedly. No matter how many campaigns she started, and despite the many efforts to obtain her rightful leadership, the King would not budge. 

Seeing the political ways fail, Queen Mìriel thought of a different method. She kept it a secret even from her most loyal subjects, for initially, she thought about ending the King`s life herself. As she analyzed the matter, she knew how much of a risk it imposed. She did not fear execution, for at least she would die knowing she did everything in her power. She was worried about being imprisoned and tortured until her splendid mind would fail. She realized she needed to find someone willing to risk themselves for this mission. But how could she ask that of her people? She knew it had to be someone from the outside. Mìriel spent a great deal of time searching for names and possible leads and, finally, four years after the marriage, she found the best option.

The only one she could entrust this mission to, who met all the requirements, who would treat this task as its finest, and who had no room for failure; for stories about the fearsome Nieven Tássarion were well-known even in Arsól. She kept a close eye on him for a good while and when whispers began to talk about his latest appearances in the surrounding plains, she rode in silence. Then, on a rainy night of March, she became the first and only person in history to take Nieven Tássarion by surprise. 

For anyone unfamiliar with this name, Nieven Tássarion is the most skilled assassin, terrorizing the Continent for the past three thousand years or so. His origins and magical Source were unknown. He bows before no King, and only follows his own principles. The elves see him as a traitor, taken over by darkness and despair, but to humans, he is the most fearsome being. Mothers use him as a boogeyman to threaten their children into behaving and the sheer mention of the name is enough to drive anyone mad with fear.  

She made him an offer: she did not care how many of her people he would kill, nor if he would kill her, as long as he took care of the King. She would turn a blind eye on his actions with no intention to throw him in the dungeon. She offered the last riches of Arsól, for they both knew he would succeed and she would return the Kingdom to its former glory. Thrilled to be an accomplice in such a crime, he accepted without a second thought, and spent two months observing the King from the Shadows, learning his routine. In late April, he came in contact with the Queen and told her to avoid spending too much time in the bedroom and go to sleep earlier than the King. She did exactly what was told. Then, one fearful night, before she returned from her moonlit walk, the King`s guards discovered his body in his chambers, blood flowing from the deep wound on his neck. 

Nieven Tássarion took his prize, and Queen Mìriel obtained absolute power over Arsól. She used her brilliant mind and brought back their friendships and bonds with the elves, dwarves, and men. Thus, under her rule, the Kingdom returned to its former glory, and even surpassed the wealth of Caras Esolad. The Queen added many new laws concerning the well-being of the Kingdom, but also one that had proven quite important: the immediate execution of anyone that brought any form of abuse to others, without having a clear reason.  She often expected the assassin to come for her, but he never did. Moreover, he caused less deaths in Arsól than ever before, as even he started respecting her. Many accused the Queen for the King`s death, but they quickly turned their head to Nieven Tássarion, as he was always the most plausible culprit. This may be the only recorded time the famous assassin acted for a good cause, as it was unprecedented for death to bring prosperity and a good ending. 

Mìriel never remarried, yet upon discovering a poor girl named Leonora who was being abused by her father, she had the man executed under her new law and adopted the girl as her heir.

In the end, Queen Mìriel became the most important and admirable monarch Arsól ever had, entrusting the future Kingdom to her adopted daughter, Leonora, who plans to honor her wisdom and kindness.