I do not own Primal

Jen felt the familiar sensation of walkingthrough a rift gate overwhelm her. She braced herself for the cold night she knew was coming. She wasn't sure what to expect. Aquis had changed dramatically, so how much did Solum change?

Jen stepped out of the rift gate with a shock. The weather was warm! Jen looked at the sky, it was twilight. Not at all like Solum used to be. Jen's guard was held up high. This was not normal at all. Something was very wrong here.

Jen walked out slowly, looking around for something suspicious. The question was, what wasn't suspisious? She ran as fast as she could to the town before she stopped to catch her breath. She walked slowly through the hard dirt. What was really strange was this places seemed less dark than before. It made no sense. Jen looked at the run- down gate that surrounded the town. This was where her and Scree where when they first saw the Fake Devina execute a shamen of the Feri people. The memory left a sore place in her heart. What is she going to do without him?

Jen crept cautiously toward the town. There were no sounds to be heard, not even Melchi. Jen wasn't sure if she sould pass or not. It seemed deserted, but that normally means nothing.

Suddenly, Jen was on the ground. Her feet had been knocked out from under hr and she landed on her elbows, "AH!" The pain shot through her arms, burning her skin where her vambraces lay. Jen tried to stand up, but realized she was completely surrounded by a chain net!

Jen struggled, but this only caused the net to become tighter around her.

"Let me out! Or I'll make you wish you were never born you-"

"Silence!" It was definately a feri's voice. Jen stopped struggling, "Why are you doing this? You are betraying your king! How could you?"

"SILENCE! I am betraying no one."

This infuriated Jen, her inner fire sparked up from the feisty personality that she once had, "Oh yea, well then bring me to him and show him just who it is you're capturing you no good-"

"SILENCE! Do you want the whole palace to know of your arrival? This will surly bring death. Jen was scratched all over from being dragged cruely over the dirt and rocks. The Feri who captured her was walking with a heavy step. Almost as if he felt bad for something.

This made Jen feel no better.

She tried to think of a way out, but every bump made her start a whole new round of angry shouts, followed by another "Silence".

After what felt like forever, the dragging stopped. The Feri knocked five times on a heave wooden door and then three times in particular places.

"Who goes there?"

"He who has not lost hope."

The door swung open and the dragging continued for a moment. After Jen was inside, the Feri helped her out of the net, which was strange, and stupid because she was about to give it to him.

"You are certain you weren't followed?" An older- looking Feri asked her captor.

The younger Feri shook his head, "I even acted roughly so that the dark ones would believe I was taking in a prisoner."

The older Feri nodded, "Well done Horren. Kind Jarred will be pleased.

This took all the fighting will out of Jen. Her heart fell. So Jarred gave in? After all he'd been through? Jen felt betrayed and alone. She had been counting on Jarred to help her. She desperately needed it now.

The younger Feri finished releasing Jen and spoke to her with kind words, "I apolagize for the cruel travel, but I had to make sure the enemy believed I was one of them. We can't risk anyone knowing of us, and you're the only hope we have. King Jarred has prayed for your return for many moons."

Jen was confused, but felt a slight shred of hope as she followed the Feri deeper into the large building. Along the way, she noticed many Feri ill and dying. Children were coughing wildly, while their mothers tried desperately to hush them. The sight broke jen's heart.

"What happened to them?"

The Feri spoke with heavy words, "A great and terrible time young hybrid. A great and dark spirit came to Solum with great power. He alone changed the climate to this terrible warmth that is killing our people. The slightly increated light brings sick to all Feri. But he doesn't want to kill us off, you see. He just wants a controlled number."

They arrived to a large, ornate door. The Feri named Horren bowed deeply to Jen and opened the door, "Your Majesty, I have brought great news," He spoke sadly and quietly.

A harsh version of Jarred's voice snapped out, "Unless it is a change in the weather and a sudden disappearence of the dark one, I don't want to hear of it."

Horren looked at Jen with a plea, "No, my lord, but-"

"I don't want to hear it! You have a job and so do I! Now leave so we can both ger back to work. I have a small population of my people to attend to."

The harshness in Jarred's voice broke Jen's heart. He was once so strong, but watching his people die just took it out of him. He had no hope left.

"Let me talk to him, I think i can make him feel better," Jen walked past the door into the dark room, lighted only slightly by a small candle on a writing desk.

Jarred scoweled and stood up, "Are you deaf, I said-" He saw Jen and his eyes widened. His jaw dropped and he walked slowly toward her, "Could it be?"

Jen smiled sadly, "Yes, It's me. I've come to help you."

Jarred's face was still in shock, "I can't believe it. I've prayed every day for your return. The gods are in our favor," He stood beside Jen and looked out the door, "My dearest apolagies old friend."

Horren nodded and walked off to tend to the people.

Jarred walked Jen to his desk and offered her to sit.

He pulled up his own chair on the other side, "As you may have seen, these are dreadful times. My people are suffering. What few escaped prison are dying here. I am helpless to stop it. I cannot change the weather or amount of daylight," He had a deep, dark shadow over his face. Jen reached over to touch his scarred hand, noting the places that there was missing fur.

"That's what I'm here for, not tell me. What happened?"

~o~o~o~o~o Flashback o~o~o~o~o~

Jarred was exhausted. He had just finished an important meeting with a great shamen about the Necropolis. He was about to head to another meeting about the lack of game to feed his people. The life of a king was not luxurious in Solum, but it was his born duty, so he respected it. He had barely sat down for a moment's rest when a guard slammed through the door.

"King Jarred! A dark shadow is flowing over Solum! The sky has brightened and the snow is melting!"

Jarred jumped up and looked out his chamber window. He saw a dark clowd flowing quickly over the land. The sky indeed was lighter than it had been for an eternity. Fear filled the young king as he snatched up his royal staff. He flew out of the palace in a rage. He had never seen this before! The darkness stopped right in fron of him. It was a black shadow spread as far as the eye can see in all other was horrified. What was this plague?

A deep, dark voice boomed out from somewhere in the mist, "Surrender now, and I will spare your people!"

Jarred growled, "And if I don't?"

The voice boomed with laughter, "Then you will taste sunlight!"

This, Jarred knew, could not happen!

With an ache and heaviness in his heart, Jarred dropped his royal staff and kneeled in front of the deep shadow.

~o~o~o~o~o

"I had no choice. I was just a helpless king, doomed to surrender my country to the unknown. I am a failure," He pounded the desk with his fist in a rage before he rested his one- horned head on his hands.

Jen stood up and walked over to the desperate king, "You didn't fail Jarred, you did what you could in the moment. You saved many lives."

Jarred didn't look up, "And how many did I give up?"

Jen placed a hand on Jarred's shoulder, rubbing his slumped back, "You didn't give anything up Jarred. This was all the Dark Spirit's fault. You did everything you could."

Jared jumped up, flinging something off his desk, shattering it against the wall, "It was my fault! I should have done more!"

Jen sighed, it was no use, "Well, I'm here to help you regain your kingdom. We'll do this together!"

Jarred looked at her with sad eyes, a small shred of hope lighting up. He nodded, "Together!"