The Legend of Queen Ida

The exploits of Queen Ida of the Broken Kingdom, a fierce warrior who rose from humble beginnings to rule one of the twelve kingdoms are commonly referred to as the Legend of Queen Ida. As is often the case of historical documents more than a few hundred years old, it is difficult to decipher what is fact and what is exaggeration. As on all matters of history, the Truest King offers no clarity. Specifically of Ida, he's been known to comment "*In some ways the tales exaggerate, in some ways they fall short. The people deserve their legends of such a great woman, and I am not one to deny the people what they deserve.*"

## Queen Ida von Langcaster 1730-1797

### Early Life

While different versions of the legend disagree on Ida's early life, it is commonly agreed that she was one of the Black Brood (the illegitimate children of the Truest King), though this is often claimed of such historical figures and has been disproved in regards to some. What they agree on is that the infant was born into a family of small means and little combative renown. This lead to her being passed over initially by the Riders during her seventeenth year as she could not compete with those who had received extra training in their youth. By the age of twenty-one the girl had battled her way into the ranks of the Armored Riders, earning her knighthood by way of tournament victory during the same year.

### Knighted Rider

Ida then spent the next five years as a knighted rider mostly abroad despite having achieved her knighthood, cementing her reputation with a number of valiant deeds. The legends vary widely on the exact deeds, but they follow the typical pattern of heroic monster slaying and battles fought for righteousness. Returning home only temporarily to enter single combat at the Cathedral and earn the title of Blademistress, Ida remained relatively unknown within the Kingdom. Her final foreign battle stands out in this tale as she was said to have challenged a Goran Juggernaught to single combat. The Goran is said to have claimed to be unbeatable by any man born to a woman, referencing that it would take an Immortal to defeat him. Ida is said to have removed her great-helm and declared herself no man. The challenge took place as a contest of gluttony, each contestant taking turns eating combinations of food which the other then had to match. Most of the tales settle on the humorous ending of the contest being Ida consuming an odd mixture of buttered nuts, pickles, and iced cream which churned the Goran's stomach losing the bout. Ida later revealed her pregnancy at the time, what would have been a handicap in any other contest proving to be her strength in the one chosen.

### Mother and Champion

Returning home to raise her son, Ida settled into life as mother and Rider basing her activities out of the Castle of a High Knight. It came to pass that during this time one of the Royals had the misfortune to have been blessed with a large number of daughters following the the appointment of his only son as heir. Promising his eldest daughter's hand in marriage to the next Royal Champion to be named, the Royal had thought to begin pawning his problems off on the suitable sons of noble houses or at the least as second or third wife to very accomplished Knights. To the shock of many, the then thirty-five year old mother of two who had recently been widowed donned her armor and began competing in the tournaments again. At first it seemed her star had shined bright and dimmed, but after a year of gradually less embarrassing defeats Ida began a winning streak which lasted throughout the second year. She claimed her prize in the first month of her thirty seventh year, joining the Royal's family and cementing a life for her children she herself could have only dreamed of in her youth.

### Dishonor and a Royal Heir

By her fortieth year, now blessed with a wonderfully fertile wife and having had a third child herself Ida was back in the tournament circuit as a crowd favorite. Her re-entry into combat delayed her brother-in-law the Royal Heir's ascent to status of Royal Champion by a year due to what many considered a fluke victory. As it came to pass, the two spent the next year trading victories with each other in a contest of skill which captured even the Truest King's attention. As the next High Tournament approached, it became clear that the two would be each others' main competition for title of High Champion; with Ida the heavy favorite due to her skill in the melee combat contest as a Blademaster.

Unfortunately Ida's health in the months leading up to the High Tournament was unreliable, the woman at times falling remarkably ill despite seeming otherwise hardy in between these bouts. Many suspected that her years of dining on questionable foreign cuisine had finally come to haunt her. It comes to pass in the tale that Ida inevitably took sick again just prior to the start of the High Tournament and was unable to participate in the Jousting contest. The High Magistrate assigned her Royal Court was suspicious however and managed to catch the heir's third wife (a foreigner born of a small kingdom near the ashed) trying to dispose of a vial of poison. The woman quickly confessed to tainting Ida's health during the previous months at the behest of her husband. Unfortunately, despite a speedy recovery with the appropriate anti-toxin in play, Ida was unable to claim the title of High Champion.

Instead, during the following Council of Royals, a special contest of Blademasters was scheduled, following the execution of Ida's brother-in-law as a measure to correct the injustice of Ida being unable to demonstrate her superior skill in the High Tournament. Within one afternoon the low-born Ida found herself named not only a Royal Blademaster, but Royal Heir as well.

### Ascension and a Swing from History

The appointment as Royal Heir came none too soon, the now aged Royal seeming to have lost his fire following the dishonorable execution of his only son. In a public ceremony of final toasting, the Royal drank his final coup after lauding Ida for her accomplishments and calling her the spirit who should have been born his son. Traveling to the Cathedral for her anointment, the first action the freshly minted Queen made was to publicly issue challenge to the Truest King for a contest to become the first High Blademaster of the Kingdom's history. What followed is perhaps the most recounted duel in the lands, with the Queen leading the Truest by a score of ten to eight when the King appeared to make the most fool-hearty of all mistakes, raising his sword well overhead and eating powerful thrust from his opponent to the middle, giving Ida her eleventh strike. The only thing which stopped the point twelve from being scored was the delay in bringing her sword back up the thrusting attack had caused Ida. Even as she struck the Truest, his blade came down to her brow, knocking the Queen unconscious and ending the bout. Some true fans of Ida claim she won the bout; as when the Truest caught her falling body her sword struck him again but the blow was never counted as the blade had never been swung.

### A Noble Departure

True to form of many of the Royals, after a twenty-year reign, the aged Ida, now in her sixties, went on a final crusade. She joined a small band of young Riders bound to aid one of the independent nations against a Tallet incursion during the slow increase of hostiles which built up to the Great War. The legends all agree that Queen Ida lead a final, hopeless charge against the Tallet lines which broke them, but left the Riders and their Queen slain to a man. Her final words are recorded to have been "Tell the Black Knight I'll beat him next time."