Long ago, way before Sunset Valley, Twinbrook and Bridgeport existed in the modern Sim world, there lived an unlikely queen in the Kingdom of Archolia.
Her name was Chalyela (Shal-yē-lah) Fletcher and she was considered an “unlikely” queen because she wasn’t born with royal blood like most kings and queens of that time.
In fact, her mother was from a small Sim tribe and her father was from a large village. Her father became well known across the land as a great arrow maker.
None of these disadvantages deterred Chalyela from accepting her call of duty when the good people of Archolia begged her to become their leader. It was her eloquence combined with her fairness and kindness that made her such a great leader.
People liked her and knew that she would make a dedicated monarch for this new kingdom., but Chalyela had one fatal flaw. She was born with a weak constitution; she falls ill quickly.
For many years Chalyela was able to keep knowledge of this weakness away from her subjects. She often prayed that there never came a time when this flaw caused her to fail at her duty as queen to the people of Archolia.
One fine day, Queen Chalyela approached her faithful builder. “Buildmaster Krispin, might I have a word?”
“Aye M’Lady.”
“Aye M’Lady.”
“I am very pleased with your work on my throne room. Now that our finances have stabilized a bit, I wanted to speak to you about further building up Archolia.”
“What do you have in mind M’Lady?”
“I know of an honorable physician in the town from whence I was born. I would like to see a clinic erected on the hill near the castle, and it should be accessible to all in the kingdom.”
“I see. That would help to curb the threat of plague that has been killing the citizens in nearby villages. There are certain materials that I will need.”
“I will personally see that you get all the materials you need,” Chalyela assures him.
The truth is, Chalyela hopes to bring in her childhood physician to help care for her in case she becomes ill during her rule.
Chalyela leaves her castle and sets out for the forest.
She wants to see that her lumberjacks are faithful in their task of chopping wood.
On the way to the forest, Chalyela cannot help but admire the beauty of her kingdom. She is sure that soon Archolia will draw new citizens from all around.
In the forest clearing, Chalyela takes time to stop and pick a few wildflowers. Just as she finishes collecting a bundle, a harsh voice startles her from behind, “ Give me everything you have or perish under my sword!”
Chalyela slowly stands and turns to face a forest bandit .
“How dare you threaten a queen! I challenge you to a duel and you shall bow at my feet!” Chalyela says throwing down her gauntlet.
Not everyone in Archolia accepts Chalyela as their queen, particularly the thieves of the forest. She is determined to show this bandit that she is not one to trifle with.
The bandit Eve is not used to being challenged. In fact she hesitates before accepting it.
After some consideration, she accepts Lady Chalyela’s challenge.
The queen, not a stranger to weaponry, quickly draws her sword. Bandit Eve does the same.
Lady Chalyela swiftly attacks. Surprised by the queen’s speed, Eve recoils with a blow to the shoulder.
Eve recovers with a quick slash to Lady Chalyela’s boot.
A strong blow to Eve’s chest armor leaves her lying in the grass. The queen is a lot tougher than Eve could have imagined.
Eve stands, slowed by pain at her side.
With a sudden surge of energy, Eve ferociously attacks…
…and Lady Chalyela lands on her back, staring at the clouds.
All is not lost. Driven by determination and the desire to keep her kingdom safe, Chalyela charges. Eve lands on her back once again after a blow to her stomach.
Bandit Eve is too injured to continue. She bows her head in defeat, “Your majesty, I am at your mercy.”
Chalyela is in a great position to finish Bandit Eve off. Instead she shows her mercy and kindness… for now. “You will leave my kingdom and if you ever return, you shall be thrown into the pit of the beast!”
Chalyela raises her sword. “Archolia!” She cries out, determined to keep her kingdom’s forests safe from scoundrels.
Bandit Eve grabs her injured stomach and limps away.
Lady Chalyela follows her to be sure that she leaves Archolia.
Chalyela watches until Eve has disappeared into the densest part of the forest. Right then and there, Chalyela decides to make building a barracks one of her first priorities in order to keep bandits like Eve out of Archolia’s forests.
