"Duck" the shout makes Crystal gasps as she jumps and slides down on the ground before the ball of fire crashes into a tree and the tree goes falling down.

"That was close" the man points and Crystal turns on her back and stares up at the man flying above her fluttering his wings.

"The burns are takes a lot of time to heal" she points and the man grins.

"Well, dear Queen you need to be a lot quicker than that to dodge it" the man grins and Crystal sighs as she lies on the ground.

"I am bumped" she points and the man slowly comes down and steps on the ground.

"You have not fully turned Crystal, we need more practice" he reminds and she turns her back to him and curls on the mud filled ground.

"I do feel her, but do I have to embrace it?" she asks making the man frown.

"She is a part of you, the faster you take control of it the easier for you"

"Am I really a fairy?" she asks him and the man sits beside her so she gets up and sits while he helps her clean the dust off her clothes.

"Thousands of years ago, all of us magical beings, the fairy, the shapeshifters and witches we were not hungry for power and dominance you know. Earth was a peaceful place to live but greed and hunger of power ruined all of us, made us go against us all" the man sighs shaking his head.

"Why do people want so much power, why?" Crystal asks.

"I wish I knew answer to that" he sighs so Crystal stares far off the land.

"I would give up my title and all of my forms and stay as a normal girl"

"Well just your luck as you are sitting on a throne, right now, the most powerful place to be at and if you give up your forms it will misbalance you, now get up time for you to learn to control the portals" he points and Crystal sighs before she stands up.

********

"See you later" Crystal smiles before she opens the portal and step inside to reach her bedroom. Making her way towards the drawers she goes to pick out fresh clothes when the knock on the door stops her.

"In a minute" she calls before she pulls her clothes out and drops on the bed.

Opening the door with a smile for Marisa she asks the woman to come in.

"If it's not important would you wait, I will take the shower and be right back" Crystal states but Marisa holds her back.

"It is important" Marisa states and Crystal frowns.

"Is something wrong?" she asks Marisa who asks her to seat down and Crystal holds her breath in fear.

"What happened?" she asks Marisa as the woman starts to pace around.

"You see, it's not that..."

"Please get to the point, you are scaring me" Crystal requests.

"Antonio wants us to go back to his pack"

"What? Why? Did something happen?" she asks and Marisa shakes her head no.

"He just wants to introduce me to his pack and well, now that you have been announced the Queen, he thinks that his duty here is completed and..."

"But, this makes no sense. Why all of a sudden you all have other things to do? I mean, I understand but then I don't. Adrian has left saying something similar, have I only been a duty to all of you?"

"Crystal, no, no of course not. But, you see the throne was empty for all these years and now that you have rightfully taken it, we all think it's now our turn to return back to our own responsibilities"

"I don't get it" Crystal whispers sadden by the news.

"Antonio has a pack waiting for him, he left the status of An Alpha to show his support to this family and even Adrian stayed looking after the family and now that it is in rightful hands, their duties towards their own pack is calling their wolf"

"You can bring your pack here, I won't mind" Crystal points and Marisa smiles at her.

"Crystal" Marisa smiles as she holds Crystal's hand and squeezes it.

"If you are gone as well, I will be all alone in this place" Crystal points and Marisa sighs as she stares at their joined hands.

"If you ever need us, anytime, anywhere, we will always be by your side. And even if I do not want to leave you, it's my duty to follow my mate. And right now, his duty belongs to his own pack that has stayed without their Alpha for all this time, patiently waiting for his return"

"It seems I have been the reason for everyone's pain"

"No, no..."

"Because of me, all of you have put a pause of your own life, looking after me and..."

"Please, do not, never, please Crystal don't even think or feel so. It has been an honor to be by your side, you see you become who you are today. All of us, all of them have never once regretted or felt like we were missing or pausing our life for you or because of you...

We all served this family, served you with our own free will and we will always serve the Royals with our free will" Marisa assures her.

"So, guess this is it" Crystal sighs as she stands up and Marisa nods.

"When will you be leaving?" Crystal asks her and Marisa informs her they will be leaving in the morning.

"At least, I can have a goodbye dinner with you two" Crystal points and Marisa cups Crystal's face.

"When we settle down in the pack, we would like you to come visit us" Marisa requests.

"Of course" Crystal nods before Marisa leaves her alone.

*******

"I will send the word as soon as we are settled down, and just give us the time you would want to come stay with us" Antonio points as he stands in front of Crystal.

"It's okay, Gio I understand, you are not leaving the palace to be an Alpha but so you can have a whole place for yourself so you can seduce Marisa as if she is not already smitten by you" Crystal teases the man.

"Well that too" Giovanni winks at her before he bows his head at her but to his surprise she jumps in his arms hugging him tightly.

"I will miss you both, very much" she whispers and Antonio takes a deep breath as he holds her in his arms.

"We both will be missing you too, Crystal. Take care" he asks before she lets him go and Marisa hugs her.

"Take care of yourself" Marisa smiles as she steps away from her and Antonio helps her get on the horse.

Crystal waves her hand as she watches the couple make their way out of the palace leaving her alone to wander in the place.

With a deep sigh Crystal stares at the gate before it is closed wondering if she should get out and take a look around the village but just as that thought enters her mind she shakes it off.

"Nothing is there to look around as there is no one who awaits for you in that village" she whispers in the air before turning her back to the gates and walking inside.

********

Walking back inside the palace, Crystal makes her way towards her counsellor's room, she awaits outside of his room making him known of her presence. She nods at the man who opens the door, stepping inside she finds few of her advisors along with him.

"Am I disturbing something?" she asks wondering if they were having some sort of meeting.

"Of course not, My Queen, we were just going through some papers"

"Papers?" she asks stepping closer to the desk to find few files.

"It's nothing for you to worry about" one of the man stand to grab the file making her frown as she puts her hand out asking him for the file.

"It's just some expenses that..."

"Do you want me to command you?" she asks and the man glance around before handing her the file, opening the file Crystal frown deepens when she reads the content.

"When did I ever agreed about these taxes?" she demands to her counsellor who steps towards her.

"My Queen, as we said we were going through..."

"Those villagers do not even have enough to feed their own families" she snaps.

"Hear us out, the expenses of the castle is high, we cannot afford to feed and pay all of the guards. I mean you do realize all these guards around are not here for free"

"So you will suck from those innocent villagers? If the expenses are so high then bring me the details on which area the expenses are high...

There are ways to deal with these things without killing someone else, if the income we have is not affording to run the castle, cut your own salaries which I know is too high"

"That is absurd" one of them slams on the table and stands making Crystal narrow her eyes.

"My Queen, we did not..."

"I want the details on every staff working in this palace, all of the expenses details along with the details on each and every payments, within an hour. Think of it as an emergency meeting, you will find me in my throne waiting for you all" she demands before walking away with the file in her hand.

********

"Five hundred warriors at my beck and call? Why?" Crystal demands.

"You do understand that it's for your own protection" the minister starts.

"From whom?" Crystal asks and the man clears his throat.

"My Queen, we may never know who will turn into our enemies. You can never be so sure"

"Do these warriors belong to any pack?" she asks next.

"Some of them do"

"I would like an assembly of the warriors on the front of the palace, right now" she asks and the men looks around at each other.

"Assembly?" they frown.

"Yes, why? Am I not allowed to see the men who are here for my own protection?" she asks making the men pause before the summoning of the warriors are made.

********

Crystal steps at the front of the palace as the warriors she summoned kneels with their heads bowed to her.

"My Queen" the all greets and Crystal asks them to stand.

Standing at the top of the steps she looks over all the men around who stands staring at her way.

"I do not have to introduce myself to anyone of you as we all know I am her by the ruler of this palace, the one you are all bound to protect, your loyalty is for me, your honesty is mine...

From decades the warriors chosen for my family has always been a certain shapeshifter, a werewolf, not because we do not trust any other shapeshifters, but werewolves has known for one thing amongst all the others...

It's your ability to make any place your roots, your home. And for years long all of you have made this place your home, your turf to protect and I thank you all for this honor you gave to my family. But today, I will be asking you all to leave" her words brings wave of shock to everyone.

"My Queen" one of the advisor protests but Crystal raises her hand to stop anyone from speaking as she was not done.

"I have not finished yet" she states before eyeing the crowd in from of her.

"For years, my family has put a hold onto one part of your life and I would like to thank you as well as apologize on behalf of my ancestors, thank you for your service and sorry for stopping you from gaining your happiness...

I have learned things as I said my goodbyes to Adrian few months ago and this morning to Marisa and Giovanni. My family and I, we have been reasons for the hold in many of your lives. You all stay away from your pack, from your families, from your mates, one who you have or perhaps yet to meet, so I offer you all something...

I would like to ask those of you who wants to step out of their duties as Warriors for the Royal family, you have my full support and permission to go back to your pack or in search of your mates" she states before stopping as one of the warriors steps ahead and bows to her stopping her mid-sentence.

"My apology our Queen but I would like to get your permission to speak on few things on behalf of all of us" he asks and Crystal nods giving him the permission.

"How much do you know about us?" he asks and she frowns.

"Do you even know who or where we are from?" he asks once again and she stands quiet.

"Half of the warriors at your service is not here putting a pause in their lives for you, we all are here with our free will, we all are here because our leader lead us here...

Many of us do not have any packs to return to as we have lost it, many of us are unable to create families with our mates because we have lost them, many of us are here not because of the burden the Royal out on us but because it is something we have decided to keep on our shoulders...

We may be warriors in your eyes, but to us, we are brothers, not by blood, but through circumstances, through pain, through the bond we have created. You may see us as five hundred but we are here standing as one. This is our pack, this is our home...

And if our service is not needed, we understand but we are brothers that shall defend you as one and leave this palace as one" he finishes making Crystal understand the meaning of it.

"I apologize to you all for my words, forgive me for not being able to see what has been right in front of us all along. I won't assume that you see my family as the Alpha to this pack, but I now understand what your services to my family means...

So, I would like to put out a request to this pack of warriors, I would like to seek out your help" she asks and waits for any of their protests or words before she continues when none of them speak out.

"This castle lays beside a small village I am sure each of you are aware of and you all must be very aware of the fact that injustice is been on going to that village through me, I request you to stand and protect the village and the villagers just as you all have done same for me"

"My Queen, we are the one who are have been paying the warriors not..."

"The villagers have been the one who had been paying for each of us and so in return they will be able to get our services as gratitude for what they have been done for us so far, this is the least we can do in return...

And just as you pointed out, we have low income sources to run the castle, so I am giving you a new income sources"

"By sending all of them to the village?" one of the ministers questions.

"If they are here for my protection I think I have right to ask them protect something dear to me as well, while they are at it"

"They are humans, of course you don't mean to..."

"If me being a shapeshifter, a Queen at that a powerful being is in need of protection from five hundred Warriors don't you think someone like a mere humans are more in need of that privilege"

"You cannot just out right demand things like this, we have expenses that needs to be covered and by sending..."

"Cut off your own incomes that are higher than others, sell the jewelries my family has pawned upon for decades which none of use but they are there for show"

"You cannot sell your family jewelries, this will be an insult to the Royals, next thing we know you may demand we rent the palace to earn money" one of them points and Crystal claps her hands.

"Great idea, we do have many unused room in the palace, we can definitely rent them for newly mated couples, add services of our maids, hmm...

I am sure many Alphas and Vampires will love to have honeymoon in our palace"

"Queen Crystal" the men gasps in horror at what she was suggesting.

"No more taxes shall be asked or taken from the villagers, no more threats or harm shall occur on them. This is as much as their land as mine, as much as a home as mine...

The warriors do not have to fear any men or women while they are doing their duties to build and protect the village, they shall be guided directly through me as they are here for my protection" she finalizes.

"We do not agree"

"Of course not, because I have not asked for your sentiments. Now, let's get back in and discuss on matters that need my seeing, like how need to set meetings with the nearby Alphas and covens" she asks as she turns to walk in but the voice of the men stops her and she turns.

"Queen Crystal" the men shouts as they once again kneel and Crystal smiles before her eyes lands on the warrior who stepped and spoke on behalf of others.

"Our Queen" the man words and Crystal nods one with a smile before walking back in.