- Rowan's Point of View -

After everyone's initial shock from having their leader thrown into the moat by a young adult boy/man, I thought everyone was gonna start pounding us...I never was a very good guesser.

As soon as that happened everyone started applauding and I made sure to let Callum get all the attention. Partly for selfish reasons, partly not. I never liked being in the center of attention.

Louis De Levon was put in the dungeon of his own castle and all the nobles, knights and ladies, diplomats, advisors, and Callum and me, were summoned to a meeting by the Baron of Reynold fief. I was pretty much clueless when it came to knowing what was going on, so I just sat on the steps of the castle entrance until I was summoned to the court room.

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"Attention, we are all here to discuss the matter of who will be in charge of this fief from now on." The Baron began.

"We have many officials, but I'm sorry to say that few of them are capable. We have many strong Knights, but they are war councilors, hardly suitable for a ruler. No offense." He said, nodding toward Sir Oaken.

"None taken."

"Then who?" One of the councilors asked.

That was when the Baron got a mischievous look on his face.

"Rowan Levon."

"Haha, no, no, no, no, no. I think that's a terrible idea." I said, sitting up strait.

"Why?" The Baron asked.

"Well...Uh...I'm a girl...I'm impulsive. I haven't lived around people ever since I was 7. I don't know how they act. I don't know the rules of being a...a ruler...I CLIMB CASTLE WALLS, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!"

"OH WHATEVER!" Callum spoke up, making most of us jump out of our seats.

"Excuse me?"

"Rowan, you know how to survive. You've got what it takes. You've got spunk and grit and if I were in charge I'd say put you in that big, magnificent, chair right now."

"That settles it. Rowen Levon is now the new Baroness."

"Wha...? No...I don't...I can't-"

"You are now dismissed." The Baron cut me off.

"This is all your fault." I said, pointing at the grinning face of Callum.

"You'll be thanking me in 20 years."

"If I don't kill you first."

"Ahhh, sis. You always were the violent one, weren't you?...See ya." And he left the room, leaving me in the huge palace all by myself.

My palace.

"Maybe this won't be so bad." I thought out loud.

I looked all around me at the huge room where the oak tables were lined up in front of a raised platform with a big stone chair that was cushioned with red velvet. I slowly walked up the steps to the 'thrown' and sat down, looking at all the rows of tables. Then, slowly, a smile spread across my face. I stood up and ran down the steps, bolting out the door and running down a random hall, up a couple of flights of stairs and through several rooms. I ran up and down, not missing a single room or wardrobe. I eventually came to the west wing tower, the tallest of all of them, and I ran up the steps, stopping at a heavy oak door. I looked down at the handle and slowly turned it, pushing forward as the door creaked open. Streams of light from the windows lit the whole room and I held in a gasp as I saw what was in front of me. Lined up against the wall were chests over flowing with diamonds and gold coins. Rubies, the size of my eye, and sapphires, as blue as the night sky. Paintings hung on hooks, covering the entire wall and swords with jeweled hilts lay in heaps on the floor. A stuffed bear stood strait up, it's paws raised in defense, and a stone bench was carved to look like a couple of swans. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, so big you could swing from it.

All this, and much more, lay in this one room for me to look at...But the one thing that caught my eye was a saddle. An old, warn out leather saddle. It wasn't shiny and polished and it wasn't studded with diamonds...But it brought back a flood of memories that I had almost forgotten.

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"Are you sure this is a good idea, mommy?" I asked, stepping onto the stool.  

"Don't worry honey, I'm right here. Pumpkin is as gentle as a dolphin. You'll be fine. Just swing your right leg over the saddle." She smiled.

"Haha, sissy is scared to wide a hose." Callum barely managed to say.

He was only three, but he had a pretty wide vocabulary.

"Just you wait mister. You're next."  Mom threatened.

"Hey look, this isn't so bad." I said, sitting on the old leather saddle.

"Of course it isn't. I learned to ride when I was two. You're behind young lady."

"Why didn't you show me before?" I asked her.

"Because I was busy with Callum. Now that Callum's a big boy now, I can show both of you...Now it's your turn to get on." She said, hoisting Callum up on the saddle behind me.

"Whoa, this is wiwy high." He laughed.

"Is everything okay mommy?" I asked as a tear slid down her face.

"No, everything's fine. I just got something in my eye."

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"Rowan?" Callum broke through my thoughts.

I just sat there, the saddle on my lap.

"Do you remember this?" I asked.

"I didn't think anything of it then....But she was getting us ready."

"Ready for what?" He asked, walking over and sitting down next to me.

"Ready for when we had to leave. We ran Callum. We ran away from De Levon. We ran from this place...And she never made it." I choked out, wiping a tear off my cheek.

"Well, think of it this way. She may be gone, but she's in a better place now. God does everything for a reason...If you never had left me on the steps of Castle Landly, I would never have met Em. I wouldn't have met Samantha or Joe either. You probably wouldn't even be here. We'd be slaves to our own Dad...Sure, I miss her to. But she'll always be with us, even when we can't see her."

- Alright lovelies! Here ya go. What do you guys think? Would you like to Baroness of a Castle? Would you have reacted the same way as Rowan? Thanks again for reading this far :D - Anna