Sometimes, it is what you do that matters. Sometimes, it is who you are. Usually it is just being in the proper place at the proper moment in time with the will to act.

"Corin, could you take me to the common room?"

"You still need to rest, Jams."

"They need me there. All those children are going to need us when they start waking up from this."

"Someone else can do this. Your body has been in a coma for almost a year. It has no strength, and no reserves."

"I can make you do this. . .but I won't. If you feel I really can't do this, I will wait here patiently."

Corin sighed, grinned, and picked me up. I couldn't help but beam a smile at him. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you so much."

He blushed a little bit, but his smile stayed on his face. He carried me to the common room, and set me on the couch. He moved a ping pong table against the wall, and set one of the folding chairs on the table. He picked me up and carried me to the table, "No, what are you doing, Corin."

"If you wish to be a Queen, then you will have to have a throne, my liege." His mischievous grin showed he wasn't altogether serious.

The room was almost full of people. "Corin, turn all the chairs to face me."

"Alright you lot. Off the couch. Turn it around. Ok. Everyone needs to pay attention to Queen for now."

All eyes turned to me, and suddenly I had no idea what I would do. They were looking to me to lead them, and I simply had no clue what needed to be done.

"Jim?"

I looked over at the girl who spoke, and saw Mary with a question in her eyes. "No, I'm Jamie. I look a little like Jim don't I." The girl nodded so I continued, "You still don't know what your power is, do you?"

"No, Ma'am."

"My name is Jams." We both laughed a bit at that.

"Everyone, we are going to be attacked, I assume, by the people running this place. If anyone has powers they think will help, tell me, or one of the others you see standing up here. We need your help so that all of us can get out of here alive." I had become a lot more confident after talking to Mary. It was as if I had an added strength. "We can overcome this threat."

I heard Corin whispering something to Pedant. I don't remember everything I told that group of people. I felt that some of them should be the ones in charge. They were older than me. I was only thirteen. My doubts flashed away the moment they would surface. It was as if I couldn't doubt myself in that moment.

I do remember how I finished, “I know that some of you are scared. We have been ripped from our homes, and our loved ones. We have been imprisoned. We will be free, and our jailers will understand our justice.”

I felt Underseer twitch behind me, “There is no resolution in vengeance, Corin. We can not be like those we fight against, no matter what they choose to do to us.”

At that instant there was an explosion in the direction of the entrance hall. I directed all of my will at the assembled people in front of me, “Stay here, wait quietly.” I turned to Pedant and the others, excluding Corin from this command. “Guard these innocents.” Pedant frowned at me, but nodded. I knew the next command would destroy much of the trust I had been building, but I also knew I had no time for an argument, “Take me to the entrance, Corin.”

He fought it off, his need to keep me safe warring with the strength of my command, “Milady. . .”

With effort, I raised my arm to his cheek, “I will miss what might have been, Corin.” I cried as I gave the command that would destroy us, “I command you to obey me NOW, Corin. Take me to the entrance.”

The light went out of his eyes. He picked me up and took me to the entrance. The tears in my eyes blurred much of the walk there. I couldn’t help it. I only hoped that after this there was something left of him to hate me. There was certainly nothing there to comfort me right now.

“Stand where you are!” A group of soldiers slid around the corner with guns trained on the two of us.

“Drop your weapons!” I commanded the moment they came into view.

Guess whose command was followed. That’s right, their weapons clattered to the ground.

“You, at the back, restrain the rest of them. The rest of you, allow yourselves to be restrained.”

As they were complying, I had Corin continue to the entrance.

We passed through a couple of more squads, and subdued them, on our way to the entrance. “Put the girl down and get down on the ground.”

“He’s not the one you should be worried about.” The looked at me, and the moment they began to realize who I was I continued. My anger at what I had been forced to do to Colin fuel my power. I almost commanded all self will from their heads, but they would have justice from me, not execution.

“Every single one of you will forget how to use a weapon NOW!!!!!”

I finished just before their commander yelled “FIRE!”

Two bullets were fired, but they struck the glass to either side of the soldiers responsible. The looks of confusion on the others faces were absolute.

“You will find that I am capable enough to stand off anyone in the range of my voice, and you aren’t getting out of that range in this facility.”

I saw the commander glance to my right, “Drop your weapons and come out of there with your hands up! Now, now. Don’t you think that this is getting a little comical?” I inquired this of the commander.

“What do you think you are going to do here, bitch?”

“Language. My name is Queen. One more outburst from you and I will make your use of it a command.”

“You fucking whore. . .”

“You will address me as Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever!”

“No I won’t, you Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever.” He tried to look at his own mouth as he spouted my punishment. I had never had sex, and wouldn’t even consider taking money for it. He would learn his lesson.

“You’re Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever. No, you Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever. Damn it you little Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever.” He was beginning to panic. He was definitely becoming blue in the face. It was a mouthful.

“Are you ready to apologize?”

“You can kiss my ass, Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever.”

“Language. Do I have to warn you again that I have the voice of command?”

He smirked at something off to my right again. Without looking I commanded again. “Drop your weapons. Should you touch any of these weapons again before I give you leave, you will feel the overwhelming desire to dismantle them and eat them.”

The clatter of the dropped weapons was instant. Even the people in front of me, to whom I had not even directed a thought since taking their knowledge of weapons from them, dropped their guns.

“What is your name?” I asked the man with the speech problem.

“Captain Kurtis, Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever.”

“I would like for you to get your commanding officer on the phone.”

“Ok, Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, May she live forever.”

“I permit you to shorten my name to Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie. The May she live forever part is getting old.”

The look Captain Kurtis gave me could have melted steel. He got on the radio. “Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, wants to speak to General Houston.”

“Who?”

“The girl, Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie, who seems to be in charge.”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“The little, Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie ordered me to say it and any time I talk about the Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie I have to say Your Royal and Absolute Highness, Queen Jamie.”

Laughter errupted from the speaker. When Captain Kurtis pressed the button to speak again I commanded, “You will not find humor in the misfortunes of others.”

The laughter cut off abruptly. “Shit. . .”

Captain Kurtis looked shocked, but he held the button down. “Would you please have the general meet me in the common room. I would like him to come alone. All of my people are there. I would like to resolve this as peacefully as possible.” When I finished speaking Captain Kurtis release the button, but he looked at me in awe.

“I release you from my command to you, Captain Kurtis. Please continue to treat me with respect and we won’t have any problems.” He simply nodded.

I whispered to Corin, “I need to use the facilities.” Wordlessly he took me to the closest bathroom, and set me in the stall. I turned around and vomited. I quickly purged the little in my stomach and simply dry heaved. What I had done to those men made me sick. I had played with them like puppets. I hated my power. I hated what it made me do.

“Corin, I release you completely. I command you to never again follow one of my commands. EVER!!!”

He blinked as a man coming out of a trance. I hoped I had enough time to do the next thing before I chickened out, or Corin stopped me. I crawled over to the sink and pulled myself up so that I could look into the mirror. I took a deep breath and focused on my image. I blocked Jamie out of my mind and focused on my self only. I took a deep breath and commanded. “You will never again command a living soul until Corin can forgive you and tells you he loves you, and means it.”

I felt something constrict about me. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe, but the air still went into my lungs. My arms collapsed and I fell to the ground. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I cried to myself on the floor of that bathroom. I had destroyed everything to save these people. I didn’t deserve to live. I felt those strong arms go around me and lift me from the floor and I cried harder. I had hurt him so badly. I didn’t deserve to live. “I should never have survived. Jamie should have kicked me out to die so long ago. I want to die,” I sobbed.

“You did what was needed, Jams. You saved us all.”

“But I almost destroyed you, Corin.”

“I’m a bit stronger than that, Jams. One little command is not going to ruin me.”

“You were so dead looking. Like a walking corpse. It killed me to see that.”

“That was a powerful command, Jams. It locked me inside. I could see everything that happened, but had no will of my own.”

“That is why I am not worthy of this power.”

“Your ability to throw it away is exactly why you are worthy of it.”

“I forgave you before we got to the soldiers.”

“There hasn’t been enough time for this.”

“I. . .” I put my hand to his lips. I saw what he was going to say in his eyes.

“You have to mean it for it to work.”

He looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I’m not ready for that yet, Corin. If you still feel that way about me when were done, you can release me from my command.”

He took me to the common room, and set me gently on my throne. I released my commands, which power I had left myself, and the children began to chatter. We waited for almost an hour before the general showed up. He had graying buzz cut hair. He still filled his uniform well.

“Are you the little bit that took out my first company?”

“Yes, General. . .”

“Houston. General Houston.”

“You need to train your men better, they didn’t know how to use their weapons.”

He glared at me, but quickly got himself under control. “I am here to negotiate your surrender, Queen.”

“Really? I don’t think so, General Houston.”

“You gave up your power, bitch. You have no bargaining chip!” He drew and fired in a single motion. Corin dropped.

“I. . .love. . .yo. . .”

“Oh, poor little cunt, locked her power away, and now the only key is lost forever.”

There is only one thing I wanted from this man any more. “DIE you son of a bitch!” He collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose stings had been cut. The smirk was still on his face, but his eyes no longer focused. I fell off the table and crawled over to his radio. “Every one of you stupid morons who can’t seem to formulate enough thought to pour piss out of a boot are now, and will forever be, under my direct control. You will never again think for yourselves or move for yourselves. Your lives as your own beings at this moment end.”

The others in the room looked at me in horror. I smiled at them, and they giggled nervously.

“Whomever is the next in command after this General who just stopped living, come to the common room, now. And send a medic.”

I pulled myself over to Corin. The there was blood everywhere. He didn’t breathe at all. “But, I love you.” I put my head to his chest and cried.