Millenium Rebirth
AN: This prologue has been sitting on computer next to forever. Maybe reviews will give me some ideas.
Disclaimer: If I actually owned anything of value, do you think I'd be posting here?
Prologue: A Tale Older Than Time
Long ago in a time remembered only in whispers, the earth was a golden utopia and legends walked upon it. Winged angels watched mankind from above and descended from the heavens to spread tidings of other worlds. Though people regarded them with mingled awe and disbelief, they spoke of a great, adored monarch in the sky who ruled wisely and well over many lands. The gentle angels carried tales of comely, ageless warrior women who could magically control the elements and fight as well as any man. They spread healing everywhere and generously shared their knowledge of many wondrous things with any seeker of learning. Under the guidance of the angels, harmony and prosperity reigned supreme over all the kingdoms. Most men saw them as gods, worthy of worship and far above their touch. Yet, one man, a prince of royal blood, met an angel and yearned for more.
Beloved by his people, the raven-haired prince was an honorable warrior and just ruler. Despite his loyal companions and subjects, he was restless and often wandered away from his royal duties. Unlike his friends, he needed to search for something he could not name, something beyond his reach. One day, he found it when he came across a singing angel girl in a moonlit glade. Oh, she was lovely beyond belief with flowing platinum blonde hair bound up in two pigtails, bottomless eyes of the rarest polished silver, delicately perfect features, a china rose complexion and a pair of snow-white, feathered wings sprouting from her back. Her slim, graceful figure was draped in robes of the purest white to match her wings. Embroidery of the palest white gold and iridescent pearls decorated her bodice. On her forehead, a silver-blue crescent moon gleamed. Her aching, shimmering soprano voice caught at the prince's soul. He saw past her stunning beauty to the pure innocence in her eyes, the sweetness of her face and the gentleness of her manner. At the sight of her, the prince knew that she alone, out of all the maidens in existence, could fill the restless emptiness in him. He was meant to love this angel princess for eternity and beyond. Naught might have come of this chance meeting but the angel girl ceased her song and looked at him, the intruder in her sad solitude.
The angel, royal heir to the heavens' most loved monarch, was much treasured by all dwelling up above but she longed for more as well. While traveling to other kingdoms, she frequently slipped away from her steadfast lady guardians. Prompted by an inner calling, the girl was compelled to look for a mysterious, inexplicable something. In the very last land in her search, the princess was in despair for nothing had calmed the need within her. And then, the angel saw him, a dark and dashing rider on a proud black stallion. His cobalt eyes blazed with passionate fire in a strong, handsome face. A thin circlet of silver crowned his wavy ebony hair. The prince's magical ebony armor gleamed with designs engraved in silver. His dark cape fluttered in the wind, haphazardly covering the great sword hanging from his waist. With his commanding, almost overwhelming presence, he was a charming, mysterious hero out of a fairy tale. Beyond his looks, she saw the kindness in his eyes, the nobility of his face and the chivalry in his bearing. Captured by the longing in his eyes, the angel girl found what she had been seeking, loneliness to match her own. All the events in her life had led her to this precious moment and to him, a kindred spirit and the other half of her soul. In his company, she was blissfully complete and finally at peace. He was and always would be her destiny.
Wordless with wonder, the earthly prince and the heavenly princess approached each other. Their hearts pounded in unison with a thousand nameless, exciting feelings. Fearing she was only a beautiful vision, the young man scarcely breathed as he raised his hand in a gentle caress and felt the warmth of her blushing face against his fingers. She was real, his dream come true in his arms. They danced a slow waltz to the love song in their hearts. The young prince lowered his head and softly, gently stole a honeyed kiss from her rose-pink lips. The angel girl sang her joy, filling them with wild, sweet gladness. The lovers held each other and spoke all the romantic nothings which men and women have said since time began. They shared secrets never told to another, their desires, their hopes and their dreams, seamlessly blending their two hearts into one. Beneath the pure light of an unblemished full moon, they plighted their troth and vowed forever love. Hours passed but seemed only a fleeting moment in an enchanted, moonlit grove. As dawn approached, they reluctantly parted with promises of future meetings.
Keeping their love secret from all, the couple met often in the moonlight. They had no need of sleep when he was ambrosia for her soul and she was the life in his very veins. The angel girl would spread her wings and fly with him, showing him the mysterious beauty of the stars in the night sky. After their flights, he would take her riding on his stallion, racing with the wind as they visited all the cherished places of his journeys. They laughed and loved and talked, making the most out of each precious moment. During the days, her steadfast guards wondered at the extra sparkle in her eyes and his loyal protectors were puzzled by the absence of his impatience and wanderlust. Consumed by curiosity, their closest friends followed them and discovered their midnight trysts. At first, her four lady guardians and his four lordly companions were stunned and appalled. Then, they were also captured by magic, not the magic of sorcery but the magic of true love. Each lady found her true knight as each knight found the lady of his heart.
The lovers could not contain their happiness, though matches between men of the earth and the angels of the heavens had not occurred in all of recorded history. Their romances were not the ordinary, ephemeral passions of men and women but the magnificent loves of souls entwined for eternity. When these unions were revealed, people in every land rejoiced. To all, the appearance of these destined couples meant the dawning of a newer, brighter age. The lovers were meant to usher in an endless time of peace and prosperity. As gifts, the beloved monarch of the skies wisely blessed the earthly knights with wings and magic powers to make them the equal of their angelic ladies. The royalty of the earth and every other land granted the lovers titles and honors beyond imagining. The couples frolicked and reveled endlessly, secure in their felicity. Seemingly, all around them were elated but there was one viper concealing envy in her breast.
Cultivating bitterness as if it were her food and drink, the witch ventured into long forgotten dark arts. In the deepest, darkest caverns of the earth, she practiced the vile, despised forbidden rituals and summoned evils that had been long banished from heaven and earth. She sowed discord and hatred throughout all the lands. Not much is known of that time, save that it was dark and terrible with destructive magic, heartbreaking betrayals and catastrophic disasters. Before the loathsome viper was done, all the kingdoms were in ruins and the golden peace had been irretrievably shattered. After slaughtering his faithful knights, the witch had imprisoned the earth prince in her dungeons. Armed with her love and her valiant lady protectors, the angel princess slipped away to rescue her betrothed. Unknown to them, the viper had already killed the prince in a fit of jealous rage when he remained true to his lady despite her dreadful spells and witchcraft. One by one, her protectors fell to the witch's dark powers. In the end, the heavenly girl stood alone against the malignant witch, bereft of lover, friends and guardians.
The sweet princess faced the hateful viper with only her love and courage to defend her. The witch battered the girl with the darkest and most harmful of enchantments. In her innocence and purity, the angel prayed for divine aid and was answered. A great, purifying light grew within her and spread until it banished all the minions of darkness far away. Sadly, the heavenly angel could not sustain both the light and her own life. Without her loved ones to give her strength, the angelic girl lacked the will to live and simply vanished into the light. When she disappeared, the stars wept silver fire and the flawless face of the moon was scarred forever with gray tears as the heavens mourned their lost princess. On the same night, perhaps at the same moment of her departure, a marble statue appeared in a garden grotto of the earth palace where the two doomed lovers had often met. The statue was of a beautiful girl with flowing hair, simple robes and a pair of feathered wings. With an expression of indescribable sorrow, she looked downward at the ground and clasped her hands to her bosom. At her feet, the rarest, loveliest flowers of gold and silver bloomed. If she resembled the princess, no one could or would say for certain but some thought that the statue was the angel's spirit calling for her lost lover.
Stories flourished around the flower-strewn statue, as it remained untouched by the ravages of time and the elements. In the light of the full moon, it was said to glow pure white while weeping silver tears. People whispered that the statue would cry until her lover and their guardians were reborn and reunited to call her back to life. As time passed and the world fell into darkness, the location of the statue was lost but tales of heavenly warriors who survived the devastation persisted. Ancient, undying guardians supposedly walked the earth in an impossible quest to find the resurrected earth prince and their companions. Rumors of three enigmatic, exquisite women with fire in their eyes, foreign tongues on their lips, knowledge beyond their years and unfathomable, frightening powers at their command were spread. Feared by the creatures of the dark, they worked to awaken the angel and restore the peace that had been broken. Yet, would the return of the princess herald the coming of paradise or the return of banished evil?