Chapter 1:
The Fall of Xanadu

Young Harmony lived in such a beautiful place, known as Xanadu. She was sure nothing could go wrong. The joys of being eleven years old. As she walked through the city, singing her song, she waved and smiled to everyone she passed.
"Harmony! Harmony!" she heard a voice call, and sighed. Today was no ordinary day. Her mother, Dalia, was the Songstress, a powerful wizard who had no need of a wand, or a staff, or anything. Just her voice. But today, their most beloved Queen Khulan, who was a Great Sage, was going to perform the ceremony in which Dalia was going to pass her power down to Harmony. Harmony knew a few songs, such as Fireball and Frostbite, but many of her's were solely healing songs. Anything else, she had to use a wand.
Harmony turned around and ran back home, where her mother waited for her, wearing a white dress that poked out from under a dark blue cloak. It was a simple one, but it showed who she was. The Songstress. Dalia went over to Harmony and pulled her into their home.
"Go get changed! I couldn't bear it if Queen Khulan saw you in such a state! I'll be waiting for you there!" Harmony dashed to her small bedroom, where she donned a simple white dress that was held up by two thick straps on her shoulders and reached her knees in the front and ankles in the back. She went barefoot, but put her hair up on top of her head and had it going down her back in a tight jasmine braid. Then she ran as fast as she could down to the town square, carefully dodging any mud puddles as to not muss up her dress. When she she reached the town square, people were already gathering and Queen Khulan was up on a stage, Dalia standing next to her. Queen Khulan smiled kindly at her as she made her way over to the stage.
"Now that our descendant had arrived, we may begin." Queen Khulan called to the crowd. Then she turned to Dalia, who knelt down onto her knee, and Khulan removed the cloak, revealing Dalia wearing a dress similar to Harmony's. Then Dalia turned to Harmony. "Our Songstress shall now sing the Song of Descending!" Then Dalia went into a song that said words that meant many things. Use your power for good, never turned to evil, search for justice, not revenge, many beautiful things. As she sang, a soft green glow flowed from her body, and into young Harmony's. Just as the song was coming to an end, they heard an evil laugh. Khulan turned to the sky, where they saw the man himself.
"Shadar!" She shouted, people screamed and ran, Dalia going over to Harmony, who was terrified. Xanaduvian guards ran over to protect Khulan, but she waved them away.
"Protect my people! I am a sage! I can take care of myself! Go! Save our people! And make sure the Songstress finishes!" She ordered, handing the cloak to Dalia, who wrapped it around Harmony. The guards led Dalia and Harmony away from Khulan and Shadar, who were fighting. She could see black mist covering people, then dissolving to see them turn against each other. She turned away, pulling her hood over her head as the guards led her and her mother to where dragons were kept to take them to the ground. There were plenty of people already there, waiting to get a dragon, but they parted for the Songstress and Harmony.
"Oh no you don't!" Shadar called, then threw a spell towards them. Harmony cowered in the cloak as an Evenstar went over her head, but didn't harm her. The cloak had protected her. But not her mother! Harmony pulled her head out of the cloak and looked to Dalia, who had fallen, dying.
"Mother!" Harmony cried. Dalia looked to her.
"Harmony, you must flee! Leave Xanadu! Go to Hamelin, and ask for Raoul. He is the Emperor and a Great Sage. He will protect you." Harmony sobbed. "Harmony, go!" Dalia pushed her away, and Harmony ran to the dragons, the people around her dying or dead. She jumped onto one and flew off, but both of them were so scared, Harmony of Shadar, the dragon of the new rider, that the dragon threw her off! She fell fast, silently, looking up to see Xanadu, her home, falling from the sky, with her mother, and Khulan, and everyone she loved. Then she hit the ground hard, groaning in pain. She sang a quick song of Healing Touch, then sat up, wincing on her ankle, which was still sore. She sat back down, finding what appeared to be a cotter pin, which grew into a wooden staff that twisted around a small black stone at the top. She hoisted herself up looked around. Dark, desolate, filled with automata familiars, she was on Autumnia. She began to head for the direction of Hamelin. As she walked, she saw a boy of about her age walking away from Hamelin. When he saw her, he stopped.
"Are you alright, miss?" He asked. She nodded. "Where're you heading?"
"Hamelin." She answered. "I need to find the Great Sage Raoul. I need his help." The boy scoffed.
"He's not going to help you. He doesn't help anybody. It's the Hamelin way." Harmony crossed her arms.
"Oh really? Well Raoul happens to also be the Emperor, so how would you know that?" The boy scowled.
"Let's just say I have a very close relation to him." He muttered, then began walking again, but she used her staff and stopped him.
"How close?" He scowled at her again.
"Why do you care?" He demanded.
"Because if you're so close to the Emperor, then why are you leaving Hamelin?"
"Because I'm the Prince! Alright!" He shouted at her. She stepped back, then smirked.
"Yeah, right." He groaned.
"It's the truth! Alright?" Then he sighed. "I'm Prince Gascon. I ran away so that I could try to do something that would actually make my father proud of me." He seemed so sincere, Harmony stopped smirking and sighed. Then she held out her hand.
"I'm Harmony, the Songstress's daughter. I was on my to Hamelin, to tell the Great Sage that Xanadu has been taken down by Shadar." Gascon shook her hand.
"I'm sorry." He said. She bit her lip, trying not to cry.
"It's not your fault." She muttered.
"If you'd like, I can walk you back to Hamelin." He said. She nodded.
"I suppose that would be better than being alone." Then together, the two orphans, unknown to Gascon, walked back to the great city that was hidden under a roof. When they reached it, Harmony turned to Gascon.
"Thank you for walking me to Hamelin, Gascon. Good luck on your travels. I hope to meet you again someday soon." They shook hands again, Gascon chuckling.
"I doubt it, but it's a nice thought. Good luck with your future, Harmony." Then, he turned and headed back toward the sea, leaving Harmony to enter Hamelin alone.