Age of Heroes
Chapter One
It began as a wind off of the sea on the west coast of Caledonia. The wind whipped up the waves cresting into the shore and the jagged, shear cliffs of the islands, then wended its way across the plains south, over the farming land, rustling the flax as it sped. It whistled through stone walls, causing fires to gutter and twist. It threaded through forests and over lake surfaces, rippling the still waters, then found itself in a lonely valley where it remained for a whole two nights, growing stronger and fiercer. Rains began to accompany the wind, then hail, howling like wolves and smashing with deafening crunches into the hollows, ponds, and thatch roofs.
The storm gathered force and the people in the valley clung to each other and prayed for the rain to stop, but the gods didn't answer their prayers until morning.
When the storm cleared, a bolt of lightning had struck a tree near one cottage. The tree was leaning crazily, split open down the middle, one sizzled branch resting on the roof of the cottage. Ice accumulated at the base of it from collected pieces of hail while the center of the tree continued to smoke from the electric fire that had rendered it, in one dazzling flash, into two parts. It was still warm to the touch.
The farmer's wife had had a child that night, with hair as white as the moon, born as the lightning hit the tree. When the village priests saw it, they knew the child must be gotten rid of. It wasn't natural to have a child born of the elements. Such children might be the children of gods themselves. Better to let the gods take care of their own.
Her parents placed her in a boat and sent it out to sea. A seagull landed on the boat as soon as they pushed it out past the waves and the sea, which had been rough, suddenly calmed. As if it were alive, the sea rocked the boat and pushed it farther and farther away, until the villagers lost sight of it. They left, one by one, knowing that the child would die or survive at the will of the gods.
Only one of them remembered to record the birth with the visiting Christians, who liked to keep records in their clean, spare hovels. When asked what had happened to the child, they replied that she had been still born.
The farmer and his wife soon had another child to care for, and for a time, everyone forgot about the white infant. Often exceptional children are born from unexceptionable circumstances and among ordinary people.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. This story is meant to be read as fantasy and is only loosely based on real/mythical events, places, and people. It is not meant to be historically accurate.
Author's Note: (See below)
Hello, all. I haven't written in a while, but this story sort of came at me while I was trying to finish those others I've promised to finish. No knowledge of early British, Irish, Welsh, or Roman history is necessary to understand it (heck, I don't have much myself, but I'm doing my best), and you don't have to know a darn thing about King Arthur to understand it either, though it does make it more fun (I guess).
Without giving too much away, here are some names that might give you trouble (many of these have more than one pronunciation, but these are the ones I prefer):
EDIT: Since some of you have requested it, I'm listing out the characters and their names for easier reading.
Bedwyr (BHED-er) - Nephrite
Naoise (NEE-sha)
Caius (KIE -us) - Kunzite
Emrys (EM-rees) - Jadeite
Luned (LIN-ed, similar to Linet or Lynette)- Makoto/Lita
Iseo (EYE -say-oh) - Ami/Amy
Gwenhwyfar (GWEN-ah-fear)- Usagi/Serena
Artemesia (Ar-teh-MEE-zha) - Rei
Artur - Mamoru/Darien
Trystan - Zoisite
Lucius - Demando/Prince Diamond
Please enjoy!