Author's Notes:
1. This is my romanticized version of the Japanese OVA and eroge Darcrows. I decided to give Princess Tiarhys more spirit and spunk. Her character had promise and I didn't like how the fire was easily extinguished from her in the OVA.
2. Different sources give different spellings to the names. I followed the names as they were spelled in the game demo I saw online.
Darkness Arrives at Carnea
War has been raging between the Kingdoms of Carnea and Raven. The once allies were now locked in a deadly battle for supremacy and retribution. The two kingdoms were evenly matched; no one gaining the upper hand. The opposing forces were merciless. People who were once friends killed and slashed and slaughtered each other. It was a nightmarish landscape to behold.
The reason for this war between neighbors ran deep. It was one of injustice and betrayal. The final trigger was a marriage arrangement which Carnea reneged on.
The strain of the war wore down the king of the Carneans. He collapsed after one of the fiercer battles. King Dotor was taken ill and now was lying in deep coma. That turned the tide of the war in favor of the Kingdom of Raven. Every day, inch by inch, they were encroaching more and more into Carnean territory. The queen consort, Helene, was inexperienced in battle and governance. She was at a loss on what to do. This situation only made it worse for Carnea. A helpless queen and two clueless princesses were easy takings for the battle-hardened Raven army. The Kingdom of Carnea was hopeless and on the brink of collapse.
Then out of the darkness, it seemed a savior had arrived. In the dead of the night, a lone man was walking towards the castle. He had long hair, lean and firm physique, a rather handsome face. But he was also damaged. Half of his body was covered in bandages. He had an eyepatch over his left eye and a walking stick which honestly he didn't need. The cane was his secret weapon. This man could kill an enemy a thousand and one ways using the unassuming walking stick.
A keen observer would also notice that he was not only damaged physically. A deeper wound was in his soul. His eyes were burning with hatred and vengeance. The man reminisced about Carnea. This was his homeland; the land which gave him a lot to love and so much more to hate. Now was the perfect time to deal the deathly blow and bring Carnea to its feet. With the king effectively out of the way and the harem of women shivering with fear for their lives and their future, now was the most opportune time to exact his vengeance. He will avenge his comrades. He will avenge his betrayed heart. And he will do it where it hurt the most.
He presented himself at the gates and asked for an audience with Queen Helene. The guards at the gate were reluctant at first to let him in but he told them that he was here to help Carnea in the war. The guards let him in and another guard escorted him to the queen. He laid out his plans and the queen agreed.
Little did she know that she had just let Claude Ieitz, the "Runaway General", the serpent, in to their lives. Little did Queen Helene know that this was the start of her descend to an existence more nightmarish than any war could bring her.