Esmeralda is no longer the name of the Mage Queen. She has not gone by it since the overthrow of the palace of Imaginary and the twisted events that followed.

Esmeralda was the middle child of the royal family of seven that ruled Imaginary at the time. They lived in a magnificent castle in the center of the country, surrounded by small farms and grazing fields. They lived a sheltered life inside stone walls, unaware of the danger that lurked in the countryside.

King Leopold was an aggressive, warmongering ruler. He was constantly pushing the western border to expand his kingdom. The cost of constant war was wearing hard on the serfs and peasants of Imaginary as they struggled to produce enough for the growing army while so many of their own were on the front lines. The farms withered under aggressive heat and martial law.

A revolt was soon organized. At the head of the rebellion was Nathan White, a farmer and objector to the war. Nathan knew that he had neither the men nor the firepower to lay siege to the castle. What he did have, however, was far more effective: a farmer's knowledge of native plants.

One day, a beautiful arrangement of apples was sent to the king's receiving chambers. There was no mention of sender. Assuming the benefactor had known of the royal fondness for apples, King Leopold thought nothing of sharing the basket with his family. His wife and four of his children were glad to join him. Esmeralda dashed in only to grab an apple before heading to the stables to meet the daughter of a visiting noble for a horseback ride.

Esmeralda offered her apple to her favorite horse. The palomino snorted and tossed its head. No matter how many times she presented it, the horse refused the apple. Esmeralda tossed the tainted fruit into the straw and mounted. She and the noble's daughter rode out of the stables towards the forest. By the time they arrived back at the castle, it was too late.

The poison in the apples took only a day to claim the royal children. With the will to live gone from her, the queen soon followed. Soon only the king remained, bedridden and partially paralyzed. Esmeralda was summoned to his bedchamber to hear his final words.

The room was musty with the smell of death when Esmeralda opened the door. Doctors huddled over her father, drawing blood with leaches and wiping the sweat from his face. They took no notice of her as she approached his bedside. King Leopold waved the doctors away limply and turned to his daughter.

"They say it was oleander poison rubbed onto the apple skin," rasped the king. He heaved a sigh and continued. "You were not only blessed with great generosity in giving the fruit to your horse, but also with great luck that you were not hungry yourself."

"I should have stayed with you, Father." Tears welled in Esmeralda's eyes. "I shouldn't have been in such a hurry to meet Janine. I just... didn't know how little time I had left with you."

The king laughed weakly. "My sweet, you must not blame a bad lot in Fate's lottery on a simple trail ride. It was I that should have considered you. I should have known better than to accept such an undeserved gift without suspicion. Now you will be all alone in the world without me to protect you."

Esmeralda let out a strangled cry.

"Esmeralda, you will be the last of the Hartfordshire line. Soon, relatives that have been silent I ascended the throne will soon come riding into the castle, plotting and conniving to steal the throne that will rightfully be yours."

The thought filled Esmeralda with a breathless terror. How could she handle a day, let alone a visiting court, without her family? She knew only how to behave under directions, not to give them. How could she protect what was left of her family's legacy?

Her father seemed to read her mind. "I know it is a frightening thought, little one," said the king, "but I have had hours to ponder the situation from my sickbed. I have a plan. Crawl under the bed as you used to when you were young. Find the loose flagstone. Take out what you find."

Esmeralda did as she was told. Feeling around in the dark, she came upon a small ridge. Pulling up with her fingernails, she removed the flagstone. She felt rough cloth as she pulled the bundle from underneath the bed. It was a cloak, homespun and plain. Folded inside was a simple shirt and breeches. More rummaging brought forth wool socks, a sack of gold coins, and a small oilcloth bundle. She searched for a seam to unwrap it but was stopped by her father's pale hand.

"The country will have to fend for itself. You are too young to rule and would only be a target for another assassination. You must run away." Esmeralda tried to interrupt, but was hushed. "There's nothing to be done about your shoes. Tell whoever takes you in that you stole them from the wardrobe of a dead princess. This package will take more explaining than that, so listen carefully. Go ahead and open it."

Inside was an amulet on a heavy gold chain. A cabochon ruby glittered in its middle, surrounded by five diamonds. Even as a princess, Esmeralda was impressed by the size and shine.

"Keep this with you wherever you go," he told his daughter. "Though you may be tempted to pawn it or give it away, know that it may be useful someday. If nothing, keep it in memory of your father. I regret not having the time to tell you sooner, but I trust that you will use it for the least of evils."

Esmeralda was puzzled. She was not evil and neither was her father. What the amulet could do that was "evil" was beyond her. As she opened her mouth to ask, King Leopold's eyes went glassy and he spoke no more. She ran from the room in tears.

As her father predicted, visiting families soon swarmed the castle. The court overflowed with nobles asking for favors. Esmeralda soon became overwhelmed. Under the cover of darkness, she took her father's bundle from under the bed. She escaped through her window and out into the night.

She had never left the castle in the dark before. She was terrified of robbers on the roads or wild animals in the fields. So great was her fear that she sprinted to the nearest building, a dilapidated barn. She stayed there until morning, where the owner of the barn discovered her as he let out his horses. She pleaded with him, saying she was a poor servant named Adeline who had barely made it out of the castle before chaos took over. The farmer took pity on her, and so began her stay on the farm of Nathan White.