Chapter 1

The mist swirled around Christian his eyes darting to the shadows and swirling mist. Faces appeared watching him, there deformed faces seeking to dig into his mind and pull forth his greatest fears. The boy set his jaw, his fears had already came to pass they would find no fear in his heart. The faces screamed in silent protest as the Shadow man tugged on the young princes are. Then again was he a prince anymore, he thought darkly. His kingdom was gone, thought it had never been his to begin with.

He was the last child in line to the throne and though he had been the one to pull the Kings maker sword, also called Wyrm Slayer, the giant magical two handed sword that he had strapped to his back. The blade was know by several names but in the Kingdom of Rose it had been called the Wyrm Slayer though the blade had been used to kill more than the ancient dragons of the land. Christian recalled the day he had pulled the sword. An as he did the faces around him flickered and he no longer was running threw a tunnel, but was watching a 5 year old him reaching for the sword of kings.

The young boy gripped the hilt, it had been a dare by his older brother Drak. He glared up at his middle brother and then pulled, the sword ripped free and the young man gasped, as did the rest of the room. His older brother Boaris smiled and clapped his hands pointing at Christian.

"See father, a king stands before you, a great man my brother will be." Christian looked at his father and saw rage in the old mans eyes. The gray hair swept back in a tight pony tail his cold blue eyes locking onto Christian's.

"No Boaris, your brother will not be king, you will, my first born and with magic, I will not have a mud-born as a king." With that his father swept from the hall, a rush of people followed the king, his older brother looked at him. His mouth set in a frown and he stepped to comfort the boy. Christian turned and walked away from his older brother, he did not need to be coddled. He knew what he was a mud-born, a being with out magic. He walked threw a door way to the garden and sat down, he looked up at the sun and many planets that circled their own. The golden sun made the red planet furthest from view shimmer bright red.

Then a shadow had appeared before him. He looked from the sky to a tall dark skinned man with black eyes. The man did not smile, but bowed.

"My lord, I am the Shadow man, servant to the King of Rose." The man was now on one knee and Christian looked around for Drak, this was a joke that he would play. When he did not see his middle brother he looked back to the Shadow man.

"Who are you? And why do you mock me?" The man looked up his pure black eyes falling on Christian's.

" I am the servant of the King of Rose, the drawer of the Kings Maker sword, or Wyrm Slayer as it also called, and as for mocking you my lord, I would never do such a thing." Christian looked at the man in shocked silence. He was not mocking him, this man what ever he was wanted to serve him, the King of Rose.

"But that is my brother, I'm not the King, my brother Boaris will be." The Shadow man nodded slowly, then stood, his long black robes rippling in the noon sun as if made of smoke and shadows and the sun could not shine threw them. A new voice then rang into the garden as his older brother Boaris rushed into the room sword draw looking at the Shadow man.

"Away from my brother fowl demon, you can not have him." The Shadow man did not move, only frowned at the young man.

"Wait brother, it is alright he serves me!" Christian yelled, rushing forward to block his charging brother. The young man stopped sword still out as he looked down at his younger brother.

"Are you daft? Its a blood demon, he'll eat your soul." Christian looked back at the Shadow man who looked emotionless. The young boy turned to the demon as his brother had called him.

"Is that true, will you eat my soul? Are you a demon?" The Shadow man smiled and shook his head.

"Not a demon my lord, a fairy, one of the people from the mist, and your soul is your own no demon could eat a human soul." Christian nodded and turned back to his brother.

"See all is well." Boaris narrowed his eyes and he looked at the Shadow man.

"I'll be watching you."

The world in his memory swirled the faces in the mist appearing just for a second then disappearing to be replaced by another of the young lord's memories. His father lay on his bed a blanket pulled over his face, his older brother bent over eyes red. His other brother Drak leaned in a corner the shadows hiding him, but the small smile was easy for the young Christian to see, the ten year old boy glared, he had a feeling some how his fathers death was Drak's doing. He turned his attention back to his older brother and walked forward placing a hand on the big mans shoulder. Boaris looked down and smiled gently.

"You do me proud little brother, even after how he treated you, you still shed tears for him." His eyes red from the tear spilt the night before looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"He still was my father." Boaris nodded and then lead Christian out of the room. Drak watched them go the smile widing on his face. Soon he would kill the little brat, the real ruler of the realm. He would not kill his older brother. Boaris was the only person in this palace he cared for. The middle brother left after walking to his fathers bed side and laughing lightly to himself.

"Good bye, dear father."

The mist shifted around him again and Christian could feel the heavy tears running down his face, so much pain yet of all the things to happen, why had he lost his brother Boaris. He could see the demons that fought with him. His eyes closed as another tear ran down his cheek. No, he thought, I will not cry I must be strong. Setting his jaw he let the Shadow man lead him forward the faces now returned to watch and the young boys hurt and pain where gone as he surged forward behind his friend and servant the Shadow man.

A light at the end shown, but before they reached it another memory swirled around him and he was looking at himself a hour before the fall of the Kingdom of Rose. He was sparking with the caption of the guard, Jill. Jill was a year older than his older brother, but was the best swords women in the kingdom. An it was know that his brother, Boaris was smitten by her, and she with him. The rumor was that his brother intended to ask for her hand soon and though many frowned upon it Christian was happy for both. Jill and Boaris where the only two people besides the Shadow man who he called friend, and wanted to see the two happy. She struck out at the young boy who blocked it and skipped away, she smiled.

"Good, you'll be better than me in no time, but don't get cocky. You still have a few more years before that." As if to prove her point she flipped his practice blade from his hands and place the edge of her own to his neck. A small smile played on her lips then she looked up and a small blush hinted on her face at the clapping that was coming from the door way.

"I see you are giving my young brother more bruises." She bowed.

"Your majesty." Boaris waved for her to stand and shook his head.

"There is no need for that Jill, now rise I wish to speak to my brother, well we both do." He looked over his shoulder, Christian's eyes followed and he smiled at the Shadow man who gave him a small bow.

"Of coarse my lord." Jill turned to Christian and gave him a small wink then she looked back at Boaris and a unspoken word went between the two.

"Come brother." Boaris turned and the young boy followed, the Shadow man falling in step behind the young prince as the made their way to a private study of the King. Walking in the Shadow man closed the door and stood in front of it his back to the golden wood.

"The Shadow man has told me that you have yet to say the oath of the king." Christian frowned at his brother.

"I am not king I can not say such a oath." His brother turned and looked at the young boy, his eyes soft and a small smile on his lips.

"You are king little brother, you are by magic and by blood, I am only in name, and that suits me just fine." Boaris walked forward and knelt before his younger brother.

"You will rule this land, I already know this, till then I will watch it for you, but you must say the pledge and I will hear no more of you not being king. I never wanted to be king and was happy the day you pulled to sword. You the favorite of my brothers, was to be king." He stopped and looked up at the Shadow man his eyes locking with the dark man's.

"Come we have little time to talk about this, Shadow man tell him what he must say and do." The black robed figure stepped from the door and went to his you masters side and spoke.

"Take your sword." He held out the dragon carved hilt of Wyrm Slayer, the young boy grabbed the two handed sword and pulled it free, it still surprised him how light it was for such a big sword. The Shadow man nodded and gestured for him to hold it down with the point touching the stone floor.

"Now speak after me." The young boy nodded and listened as the Shadow man began to speak.

Christian didn't remember the words just the last few.

"In fire, blood, and heart I declare myself king." The sword had then burst into flames, the golden and white fire swirling around the blade and licking at the air s if they tried to free themselves. Christian looked at the sword in aw and the Shadow man smiled softly.

"Elizabeth and Jeanetta, the flames of the pure maidens." Christian looked confused and the Shadow man answered his look.

"Long ago their was a great evil that threatened the kingdom of Rose, and a young warrior went to face it. This warrior would later become the first king of Rose. Thought he fought bravely against the evil he was losing slowly and when his sword was shattered her was cast down into the depths of the fairy mist. Left to die the young man was found by two elven maidens, they nursed him back to health and both fell in love with the young man, knowing that neither could be with him they gave themselves over to become his sword. The same sword you hold now, they live to serve the blood line of that man, the same blood that runs threw your veins." Christian shook his head slowly then a roar and a explosion broke the silence and the memory was shattered by a blinding light.

Night Shade waited and felt the presence getting closer, then she stepped back as a young boy with blond hair stumbled out. He looked around then meet her eyes, and she recoiled back, the boy was hansom, but his eyes where startling, one blue as the sky above and the other as green as the ocean depths, but this was not what threw her, no it was the look in them, the look of a boy who had seen much who had faced much and who had suffered much. Then she looked up at a tall dark skinned man and hissed, the dark eyed bald man smiled at her.

"Shadow man." She hissed and leaped back. He smiled and nodded. She looked between the two, the young man was no more than a boy of 11 years if her thinking was correct, and the Shadow man, a fairy creature was powerful, even she would not wish to try her powers on him.

"What a pleasant surprise, may I ask what a once fairy is doing in my realm." The Shadow man's expression never changed.

"Your realm, I was under the impression that this was the realm of Landover ruled by the High Lord, who we are on are way to see." She hissed at the man and stepped forward green witch fire playing over her hands.

"The fallows are my realm Shadow man, and you would do well to remember that!" She spat the last word at him as if a threat. The Shadow man held up his own hand and twisted it, dark fire twirled around each finger.

"A warning Night Shade." She stepped back and the young man who had straightened himself had now put his hand on the dark mans arm.

"That is enough Shadow man, I have no idea what is going on, but fighting is not the solution to this problem." Night Shade's eyes feel to the young man again, his mismatched eyes locked on her own.

"I am sorry to have walked into you realm with out knowing my lady, but I did not know what my friend was doing at the time." He bowed his head in apology.

"Please forgive his rudeness and grant us safe passage threw you lands." The witch was taken aback by this young man, he did not call her witch or show any fear of her, then again she noticed that he held very little to fear. The Shadow man was his to command around and the sword on his back pulsed with strong magic, as strong as the Paladins.

"Very well you have it, I see no way to stop you out right so be gone I do not wish to see you again." The young man nodded then looked to his servant for the direction they need to head. The Shadow man nodded and turned, the young man following with out a back wards glance at the witch. She smiled as they left her sight, maybe she could use those two to destroy the High Lord Ben Holiday and Strabo. She laughed softly as a plan began to form in her brain.

Raven looked out her window and frowned at the rain. What she wouldn't give to be out running around in the spring time air, but her mother had forbade her from going out in the rain.

"You might catch a cold." Her mother had told her, that of coarse was ridicules, she had never been sick once in all her life. The young girl pouted and turned from the window and skipped from the warm room, maybe Questor or Abernathy would have some thing fun to do. The young girl moved down the halls and stairs in Sterling Silver, the stones of the floor where warm to the touch of her bare feet. She stopped at Questor's study hearing an argument coming from the room in question. She smiled as the sharp voice of Abernathy barked at the wizard for messing some thing up yet again. She pushed the door open and looked at the two. The wizard was leaning against his long table that was filled with the usual beakers and experiments. Abernathy was a inch from the man growling in his face.

"You fumbling wizard, you almost killed me!" Questor held his hands up to stop the dog's ranting. The scribe a soft coat wheaten terrier was once a man.

"You where perfectly safe, and it almost worked if you hadn't moved you would most likely be a man now." Abernathy barked at the wizard in a most undignified way.

"Questor Thews, I have haft a mind to bite you." At this Raven laughed her giggle making both men stop and turn. Questor smiled wide and swept past the now blushing scribe, if dogs could blush then Abernathy fur was turning the brightest shade of pink that Raven had ever seen.

"Hello young princess, how can I be of assistance." The old man looked like a scare crow come to life with a long white beard as well as hair. She laughed at him as he smiled wide. She like her mother loved this tall old man, he was her mentor and her friend and was a second grandfather to her. She hugged him and smiled at Abernathy who was approaching.

"Hello Questor, Abernathy, I was wondering if you could teach me some more magic, or about tell me another story about brave knights of the realm." Abernathy smiled as did the aged wizard who lifted the little girl up and placed her on a high stool.

"What magic would you like to learn today." Abernathy lend back against the wall and waited for the great wizard to bumble his way into a problem again. Raven pursed her lips thinking then she smiled.

"How about you teach me some thing that I might need to know today." The wizards eyebrows knitted together as he thought.

"Raven, there is much to teach about magic and what you need to know about it, but some I can not teach you just of yet, but I guess I could teach you a hiding spell, this would allow you to win against your grandfather and Parsnip when you play hide-n-seek with them again." Raven smiled at this and nodded.

"That would help a lot, I mean I would like that." Questor smiled and then stopped as Abernathy moved away pulling the young girl with him.

"Okay wizard, now show her how to do it, well be over here for safe measure encase you blow yourself up." The wizard frowned at his friend but said nothing as he twisted his arms and pulled himself up to his full height. His finger flicking and twisting in every which way that was allowed as he mumbled under his breath. Then the wizard disappeared in a blue puff of smoke. Both Abernathy and Raven looked at the spot their eyes wide.

"He got it right?" Abernathy asked and a sharp reply came from Questor had been standing.

"Of coarse I got it right, I am the court wizard after all." Raven clapped her hands a small smile on her face.

"Now how do you reappear?" Asked Abernathy a smile on his muzzle. A shimmer of movement then Questor was standing before them once more.

"Like so. Now would you like me to teach you how to do this as well young Princess?" Raven nodded and jumped down from the stool that Abernathy had dragged her over on.

"Yes!" She yelled in excitement and so the lesson began, not even a hour later she was disappearing and reappearing as if it had been natural for her to do so. Questor commented on how strong her magic was and made the refrenace to her being just like her mother. This brought a smile to the girl who wondered if she could sneak up on her mother using this new spell.

'I have to go now, but I'll be back, I forgot I have some thing important to do." After giving them both hugs she skipped out of the room then looking around so no one could see her she used the newly taught spell and disappeared from sight. Moving slowly so as to not alert any one with his foot steps she made it to where her mother would be at this time of day. The door was open and she smiled as she found her father and grandparents sitting with her mother talking in hushed voices. She walked slowly towards them and stopped as the conversation caught her ears.

"She's back, for how long now?"Her mother asked her grandfather. The old king rubbed his eyes.

"I got a report about activity in the Deep Fallow from one of you Gohome Gnomes." Her mother nodded her head. Her father then sat forward in his chair.

'Their certain its her?" Her grandfather nodded.

"Yes, their certain, both where quiet shaken from the experience." Her mother looked worried.

"Are they alright?" His father nodded.

"Yes they are fine, they are being taken care of in a guest room, Fillip and Sot are with them." A sigh of relief left her mothers lips and she sat back.

"What do we do about Night Shade then." At the name Raven stepped back. Questor had told her about Night Shade and how she had tried to take her mother from her parents. She clinched her fist and Raven stepped out of the room her spell dieing as she made her way to her room to think, Night Shade was back and her family wasn't safe, was there any thing she could do. She hoped there was.

Shortened it a little not 12 pages long but oh well.. So I hope you all read and enjoy, I am not sure how many people know about this series it is rather old. But it is good series and the newest book in the series was good so I wanted to write about it, well use it as a stepping stone for my own idea any ways. So Read and Reveiw

-Ark-D-gun-