She knew the Ogres would soon be upon them. It was unavoidable, written. But as long as she had any strength to breathe and run, then nothing would stop her. Not even the branches catching and ripping pieces of her fine blue silk dress with lace hanging in shreds at the hem of her flowing dress. At the moment if one was to be looking at her, they would see a lunatic who had most likely stolen clothing from the nobles and was running for her life. The baby may or may not have been hers, but with the war raging uncontrollably no one cared about each other. Some not even for their own kids. But not the queen. She had to save her daughter. It being the only way peace could flourish once more: if she were able to send her daughter to another dimension where she would be safe from harm and return to claim her elfish throne.

At last she reached the Tree where everything she hoped would happen. Looking at the daughter one last time she kissed the princess's brow: a sole tear ran down her starling silver eyes. Her eyes alone were proof of her high class in society. A rare few had the color or the ability to change that color. Her daughter being one of them. Another odd and rarely occurring thing for any elf being tears: tears were as rare as a unicorns horn. Knocking on the trunk, a door began forming. Wood pushed and shoved on each other to make room for the smoky door made out of the rarest of black diamonds.

The Ogres started closing in: perhaps less then fifty feet from her. Their footsteps shook the ground, waking the Tree. It peered down at her, its earthly eyes pitting her, knowing the outcome of this mission. And there was nothing the Tree could do to prevent it.

"Welcome daughter." The Tree said, stroking her cheek with its bony branch.

"Please let her through."

"Do you wish to travel as well?"

The Tree already knew the answer. The queen had to stay behind and encourage her soldiers, keep her peoples spirits, up and finally to give her dear husband a proper burial fit for a king.

The doors opened. Queen Janise sighed, place her only heir on the damp bark, and closed the doors, unable to see her daughters face one last time without crying out in anguish. With the Ogres less then ten feet away, the Tree bid its farewells and disappeared. Where its trunk had once slept was not nothing but a big hole on the ground.

Before the Ogres seized her, the queen had a vision: her daughter playing on a hill filled with the greenest of grasses, flowers blooming all around her, a crown of flowers resembling her Crown on top of her head. But best of all was her smile. And her happiness. A happiness the queen would not be able to provide in her late kingdom.

Giving in, she let the Ogres take her, vowing that one day, one way or another, she would place the Crown upon her daughters head and proclaim her queen of all realms and kingdoms.