"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" An equerry scrambled to reach Queen Tara's chambers only to be halted by her Leafmen guards at the door.

Dawn was just breaking and the equerry made so much noise and commotion that Queen Tara could not help but be awakened from a deep slumber.

Putting on her royal robes, she rushed to her chamber doors and opened it.

"Your Majesty," her Leafman guards greeted her still holding off the equerry.

'It's all right," The Queen began, gesturing her guards to let the equerry go.

The equerry, a native Jinn resembling that of a short stumpy forest mushroom knelt before the Queen and said: "I ran here as fast as I could, my family just barely got out of the Lake of Pods alive..."

He stopped, trying to catch his breath, still panting from all the exertion he had as he tried to relate, albeit haltingly what he saw happen in his natural habitat.

"...We heard a scream..." He paused, letting out a deep sigh, as though still struggling with air, "Then it was pandemonium..." as he went on to describe how everyone, from living beings in the air to the fishes in the Lake did all they can to flee the impending doom.

The Queen, aghast and worried at the same time, gently cupped the equerry's face as if trying to steady him. Her eyes saddened momentarily. "You did well," she answered compassionately understanding what the equerry must have gone through to get this far with his life intact.

"We have no time to lose!" The Queen turned and looked at her guards who nodded in return, already knowing what to do.

Soon, the Queen was airborne, astride her hummingbird with Ronin at her side, and her generals leading her legions of Leafmen soldiers out in the open and towards the Lake of Pods.

One of her Generals named Turkin gave the signal to stop when they reached their destination.

The sight of the catastrophic decimation of what was once a thriving eco-system brought unrestrained tears to Queen Tara's eyes. Tendrils of dying pods were floating on the once blue Lake. Scattered everywhere were bodies of the Lake's inhabitants who paid with their lives, ambushed and massacred in the night. Blackened debris of trees and plants added to the sombre picture. The brutality of Mandrake's armies brought Armageddon to the one area he confidently thought would finally spell the end of future Queens of Moonhaven. The whole place was eerily silent.

"Look for survivors!" General Turkin commanded his troops, signalling to his second-in-command Rix to take the rest of the troops to scour the area. The Queen continued her descent to the Lake, closely followed by Ronin, his close friend and comrade Finn and a platoon of the finest Leafmen guards.

Upon alighting, she knew there was truly little she can do to reverse the Lake's holocaust despite her powers. It was too late, much extensive damage has been done and she cannot bring those who have already died back to life again.

"It will take years for the Lake to regenerate..." She said softly, as if speaking more to herself, her heart breaking. It was a monumental effort for her to control her tears from flowing. And yet there was a flicker of hope for as she touched the ground, fresh new tiny green shoots made a epic effort to break free of the rotting ground as though reaching out for her. She waved her hand. More new shoots struggled to the surface but it was not enough. The Queen knew then what she must do.

"Your Majesty," the young soldier Finn returned, interrupting her thoughts and kneeling before her, "We found Mub and Grub! They're safe. We've taken them to the palace. They somehow managed to escape...this..."

"Mandrake's handiwork," Ronin appeared behind them, completing the sentence, barely concealing his anger and disgust at what he saw, his right hand tightening at his sword and his left fist clenched at his side. His Queen just need to say the word and he will gladly teach Mandrake a lesson or two.

The Queen sighed. She knew what Ronin would like to do. But that is not her way.

"Finn, Ronin, continue your search for survivors - help them."

"Your Majesty, "Ronin started, "We should march to Wrathwood..."

"And that is exactly what Mandrake will expect," Queen Tara closed the gap between them. "No, we are not here to seek revenge, but to defend and protect..." Her last words trailed as she felt she has let everybody down.

Ronin as though reading her mind, said softly, reassuring her: "...and we failed to protect them...this is not your fault, Your Majesty."

Scowling, he gazed ahead, hatred began to burn at his very core at what Mandrake has done. "Mandrake must pay for what he did! He must be brought to justice!"

"Patience, Ronin, patience, " the Queen said, resting her hand on his chest needing his support more than ever to face such calamity. "In time, you'll see, justice will prevail." She weakly smiled, as though trying to convince herself more than her love Ronin. She looked around again at the enormity of the damage caused by Mandrake and his Boggans. A glimmer of self doubt crept within her as she wondered how on earth she could really return the Lake to how it was before. She momentarily closed her eyes trying to steady herself. She set her gaze at Ronin again as if looking at him gave her the determination to see the lake restored no matter how long that would take her.

Ronin wanted to believe her. Though his heart belonged to his Queen, part of him also knew that deep down she was right. His eyes met hers. An unspoken understanding quietly passed between them.

Then suddenly, Ronin's sharp ears detected something else. Something sinister. He abruptly turned around.

"Ronin, what is it?" the Queen asked, her solemn face suddenly creased with concern.

Ronin drew out his sword and stepped in front of his Queen, deftly shielding her from an arrow aimed straight at her.

Ronin yelled: "Boggans!"

More arrows began to whiz through the air as the Queen was immediately surrounded by ground troops while the rest of her armies took to the skies, already engaged in battle.

"We must take the Queen back to Moonhaven!" barked Ronin as Finn and even more Leafmen surrounded the Queen, lifting their shields to cover her.

"No, I must stay!" Queen Tara protested.

General Tukin flew past quickly and responded earnestly: "Your Majesty, Ronin is right. You are the only Life of the Forest left now without any surviving pods! You...must...live. Now go!"

Ronin looked at his best friend in earnest, resting his hand on Finn's shoulder, imploring to him: "Finn, save the Queen! Keep her safe!"

Before the Queen can do anything, Finn quickly lifted her onto his hummingbird and with a squadron of royal bodyguards, swiftly flew the Queen back to the safety of Moonhaven, leaving Ronin, General Turkin, Commander Rix and the rest of her armies to battle the enemy on their own.

Upon her arrival, one of her stunning butterfly-like ladies-in-waiting gracefully greeted her while Finn and each of the remaining guards ensured the palace was well protected and free from any danger. They were not taking any second chances.

"Your Majesty," the lady-in-waiting said: "Mub and Grub wished for an audience with you."

"Mub, Grub? Of course, I must see to them at once!"

The Queen almost ran to reach them, with Leafman Finn close by her side and her lady-in-waiting keeping up with her.

Nothing could hide the delight of the Queen when she saw the custodians of the Lake alive and well despite what they have been through. "Oh, it's so good to see you both, "the Queen exclaimed, feeling enormous relief that they were unharmed.

Mub and Grub bowed low to their Queen equally glad to see her.

"We saw what happened to our Lake," Mub started, feeling incredibly wretched.

"I know, it was horrible," the Queen agreed, trying hard to fight back the tears that threaten to flow once more for she remembered vividly the wasted wreckage Mandrake and his cronies unleashed upon a peaceful Lake.

"How did you manage to escape?" Finn asked, curious at how a slug and a snail could have eluded the ferocious Boggans.

"It was a nightmare!" Mub started when Grub continued: "We were asleep in one of our favourite logs. Boggans were after us. The fishes somehow took us upstream. We got to a shore and hid behind leaves that camouflaged us. Luckily, it was one of your Leafmen that finally found us!"

Mub and Grub embraced each other, still shaking from their ordeal. The Queen could not stop herself as she held them both.

After a long pause, Mub gently said: "We thought you might be pleased to know that we managed to save a pod or two...we don't keep all the pods in the Lake...and we're certain Mandrake and his Boggans did not know of this that we nurse sick pods to good health before returning them to the Lake..."

Grub equally smiled, as they looked at each other then at the Queen. Both sensed the immense loss the Queen must have felt. Grub, doing his best to bolster her said finally: "All is not lost, Your Majesty, there is still hope."

This time it was the Queen who bowed her head before them. "Mub, Grub, I could not thank you enough for saving the pods, and the future of Moonhaven..."

-oOo-

Cries of pain then deafening silence followed the raging battle for the Lake of Pods. The air smelled of smoke, dust, sweat and death as chaos enveloped General Turkin, Rix, Ronin and his men. The barking of orders broke through the clanking of spears and swords as officers on both sides slowly led their men to uncertain demise. And yet the Leafmen would not give up, fuelled by their anger at the innocent lives taken from the Lake. Resolute were they when they witnessed their Queen's sorrow at what the Boggans have done, that it was enough for the Leafmen to give their all and their lives to push back the Boggan horde.

Mandrake nor his son Dagda were nowhere in sight, for both have already returned to Wrathwood, satisfied that the Lake of Pods is now in extensive ruin and celebrating what they thought was a sure fire victory. They could not care less for the Boggan soldiers they left behind for Mandrake gave strict orders for them to kill anyone who dare to step foot upon the Lake.

Yet Mandrake's over-confidence that his men could hold the Lake was his own undoing for he underestimated the ferocity of the Leafmen who by now have secured the Lake and driven the last remaining Boggan to go scurrying back to him.