He and I spent a few moments together, just in each other's company. I even got to enjoy my first kiss out of it too. It was a rather surreal experience. I had never really had much sense of a relationship with other people before. I'd dabbled in dating in high school, but that was about it really. I hadn't really been in the condition to commit to a long term relationship with another being.

And yet, this world had dropped all sorts of revelations. In the span of about 24 hours I had gone from a suspected widow to a married mare through the discovery he was still alive. I took the night as an opportunity to process what I had witnessed out there on the side of that mountain, and knew that, somehow, the direction my life was going in could always be made positive.

After all, I'd been propelled through dint of fate from a relative nobody to the leader of an incredibly powerful nation. I know the distinction was somewhat academic in that moment as that nutcase General had removed me from my throne and was running around as a King in all but name, all rather Cromwellian if I do say so myself. Kick out the existing monarch, rule as an effective monarch yourself.

I guess that's the irony of revolutions, I suppose. They tend to replace alleged tyranny with actual tyrants.

The artificial light in the chamber finally woke me from my sleep, and I yawned as I stretched my body out to free up any issues from lying on my back. I reached down to pull the zip on my sleeping bag down (noticing how it stuck to my hoof somehow- I must ask Zipp how that works), before sliding myself out of the sleeping bag.

"How was your night, dear?" Golden asked.

I sighed. "As good as one could hope for when in a sleeping bag," I replied. "I do look forward to sleeping in a proper bed again."

"Same here," Golden admitted. "Not only that, I could do with a trip to the barber. Managing this beard hasn't been easy with limited supplies."

I could only assume this was a consequence of being stuck out here. The photo that had first drawn my attention had shown him as clean shaven, but the lack of a razor out here probably hindered that process somewhat.

I shrugged and hot to my hooves. "Still, I was able to get some sleep, so there's that."

I then noticed Captain Feldsturm breathe in. Brace yourselfs...

"RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPYHEADS! WE MAKE READY TO MOVE IN ONE HOUR!"

I smiled internally. If nothing else, pegasi seem to be very good at shouting loudly. It must be something innate to us.

I began to gather up my supplies, very much aware that several days of not showering had begun to give me a rather distinct aroma. The one you get from not having washed for a while?

I sighed. I could only hope Gulfstream hadn't looted the pipes for the showers and melted them down into tank barrels or something like that.

Once we were done packing up, we got on our way, and bid farewell to the former airbase for the final time. I noticed Zippm join the formation further back. I could only assume she was just as confused as me, having so suddenly regained her other parent.

I didn't think I was at too much risk, though. Things had been oddly quiet, and the guards seemed to be a little more relaxed than before. A few even cracked jokes, which was an improvement over previous days.

Feldsturm didn't seem to approve. "Swordwind, do you hear the shit that comes out of your mouth sometimes?"

"No sir. I find it messes with my rhythm."

I suppressed a chortle- that was actually quite funny.

"Relax, Feldsturm," Golden said. "A joke every now and then never hurt anypony."

"Very well, sir."

As we wandered along, I quickly came to realise the weight on my back was a bit more than I'd expected, and I was having to exert more than I'd previously thought. "This isn't exactly what you'd call light," I said.

Golden laughed. "It is quite heavy. But such is the life of living in the mountains. It's a good thing we were able to get the running water working- without it we'd probably smell so awful Kirin would smell us long before we appeared." He paused. "But point the way and I shall gladly guide you there."

Another thought soon crossed my mind- what if Golden was another human? I seemed to have bumped into quite a few of them recently, and we all seemed to be here for a reason. And by reason I'm not alluding to the fact magic brought us here.

I meant a greater purpose. I mean, the universe didn't change me into a monarch of another species for a laugh, did it?

I then realised I had spaced out, as Golden was looking at me intently, waiting for me to reply. "In which case, we need to head towards the other lands."

Golden looked a bit surprised, but nodded regardless. "Very well."

After many hours of travel, we arrived at the bottom of the Peaks of Peril, with an open field stretching out before us. I suppressed a belch- it would be most improper, after all- and placed a hoof to my gut. "That was a solid walk," I said. "Helps to get the breakfast out. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but the ration pack was rather stodgy. I do rather like keeping my figure as it is."

I reflected on that for a second. Overall, in terms of build I was looking pretty good for a mare who had given birth twice (thank the stars I had arrived after that- pregancy on top of an alien body would have been far too much to cope with). OK, I did still have a bit of excess weight I could do with losing, but you know how it is- the media constantly report on our builds, so keeping a slim shape is pretty important.

Opwinden then chimed in. "If I may, Your Majesty, you have an exercise regime that would knock a soldier half your age flat."

Why, thank you Colonel.

Golden snorted with laughter. "Well one thing hasn't changed! But your point about the food stands. It's partly why we call them MRE- meals rarely edible."

After another brief chat, we then had hit the crunch point. The road led to the lands of the unicorns, so we had to head that way. Zipp was able to pursuade the rest of the party that we needed to head that way, and so we did.

But as we approached the border, we suddenly heard a tank column approaching. Dust was rising in the distance, and the sounds of engines and tracks soon echoed in the distance. They were approaching at speed, and we stopped. This could be a problem if they turned out to be hostile.

They came to a stop near us, and the hatch on the turret of one of them popped open. A soldier turned and looked at us, adjusting her earpieces and helmet. "As I live and breathe," she said. "Boys, it's the Royal Family!" She saluted us. "My greetings, Your Majesty and Your Royal Highnesses. What brings you here so far from Zephyr Heights?"

To our luck, this unit hadn't sided with Gulfstream during the coup. I could only imagine the carnage that would have resulted from units within the military turning on one another during that time. It must have been a frightening time for all concerned.

"We need transport to Bridlewood," I said quickly. "Can you get us there?"

The tank commander nodded. "It won't be an easy journey ma'am, but I can get you there. Those flak jackets and helmets will help you though."

Once we were all onboard, the tanks moved through a gap in the defensive wall that surrounded unicorn territory and drove deep into the forest. I doubt I could have driven one of these things through some of those gaps, but that was some skilled driving.

"Hope you got your tennis balls ready."

Later, we came to a stop, and we disembarked, before Zipp suddenly heard some noises in the distance and began to follow them.

I glanced back. "Let's follow her!"

The others nodded and began to follow. I moved as quickly as I could to keep pace with Zipp, but she had gotten a considerable head start, and I was struggling to keep up with the girl. Another reminder of my age, I guess.

I heard other sounds coming from a nearby clearing, so I made a beeline for that, rolling as I could to avoid a unicorn patrol. I slipped underneath and tried to move through, but unfortunately my tailbrace got snagged on something.

I pulled on it to get it free, and all Hell broke loose.

Author's Note

Time for some more travel. Whilst a lot of this will be familiar to readers of other stories in the series, we still have a fair bit of ground to cover.

Queen Haven briefly alludes to Oliver Cromwell, a British soldier who was instrumental in bringing the English Civil War (a conflict wages between the English King and Parliament over who had the right to rule) to an end. Cromwell pushed for the execution of the King (which he got) and then led a coup to overthrow Parliament, installing himself as an effective dictator until his death in 1658. He is notable for being the only non-King to have ruled England, instead adopting the title Lord Protector (even though he was a King in all but name).

How will the reunion go? Find out more tomorrow!