The forest was silent. Many called it the Forest of Shadows, as all that seemed to live there was shadows and unknown evils. However, the denizens and the village that lay almost touching its borders didn't seem to mind. They avoided the woods by all means, but they did not seem to fear it as many others did. One person, however, had no fear for the woods at all. Greg was an odd man, sarcastic and cold hearted. House was his surname, and by that he begged others call him. Unlike the other residents of Prynce, as the village was so named, House refused to believe so heavily in the supernatural. Many Healers chose dark magic as their medium, but it was not so with House. To him, that was foolish. The earth itself gave enough to heal people. Magic was false. It had been two decades if not more since magic was last seen in the village of Prynce.
The earth seemed to be sleeping that night. The village rested in darkness, a hush over the world. Only one man was awake. House sat outside his hut, staring contently at the forest. James, his good and perhaps only friend, had just left. By now he must have also been asleep. Sleep gave no peace to House. He rubbed his scarred leg. Some years ago he had been traveling with his lover at the time, and a wolf had attacked him, tearing off a decent bit of leg muscle with it. House had managed to stab the beast, just as he had barely managed to live. James, a man who had picked up enough knowledge of healing to treat such a wound, had stitched it up as best he could. Still, House was never the same man, and that lover had left him.
A chill seemed to spread out of the land, though winter was far off still. The forest seemed to taunt the man sitting in the moonlight. There had been word in the pub earlier that week of strange happenings. Some whispered of ghosts in the forest, a strange stirring. According to one brave soul, a certain Eric Foreman, a minor Healer who had just come to Prynce in hopes of learning from House, the Great Pool in the Ancient Wood had turned black. To those who were superstitious, that meant that evil was upon the world, or some trouble was about to be at hand. House was no such person. He believed in nothing but the natural, and with that he cast out superstition and magic. Who had even seen the Ancient Wood or the Great Pool other than the High Priestesses of Yar? No one had.
House gulped down another sip of ale. The village leader, an older woman named Lisa Cuddy, was demanding that House work more often and take on apprentices starting that upcoming morning. Apparently in times of trouble, there was need for people to be able to heal outside of magic. House just happened to be the best Healer, magic or no. Thus House was given three apprentices: Eric, Robert Chase, and Alyson Cameron. Out of the three, Robert Chase was the only one who had never before stepped foot in Prynce. Foreman, while having just moved back to Prynce, had actually been born and raised there. Alyson was the niece of the pub owner, though House was not familiar with her per say. House was like Robert. It was only in his older age that he migrated to the village that rested on the edge of the forest that gave so many such fear.
Finally, House told himself enough was enough. He was in need of some rest if he was to survive the next morrow. He was too solitary a man to be forced to work with others. Even the fact that he healed people was pushing his limits. Still, Cuddy owned the land, and was one step from kicking House off of it. House couldn't afford to lose his job, or his home. He was well hated by many in the land, a series of villages and towns of various sizes that governed themselves and come together under the High Priestesses of Yar. Yar was the religion that many people took, well, everyone took except for House. He took his stance with pride however, and as he returned into the confines of his own walls, that pride took over his thoughts.
As the Healer left for bed, a figure had appeared on the edge of Prynce, a tall figure with dark red hair and cutting eyes that were so dark in color they seemed almost black. She smiled, thanking the gods silently for the safe travels. Now Artemisia had reached her destination, traveling far from the east and the High Mountains where the Temple of Yar rested in solitude. She had been sent by the Council to keep watch. The Forest of Shadows was awakening from its slumber. For centuries the evil had rested, yet now it was clear it had returned. The Great Pool had born vision to that, turning as black as the night about to fall on the earth. Artemisia shuttered. She had been raised in the Temple, and now she wondered if Fate would by chance be kind enough to let her see it once more.
Now was not the time for such petty sorrows, Artemisia reminded herself. War was on the brink, and it was up to her to spread the message of its coming. The people of Prynce knew not the danger ahead. Shadows lurked in those dark trees across the way. War was on the horizon, and it chilled Artemisia to the bone. Could such a Healer who rejected the powers of magic make it in such a time? For the war to come was not of man versus man, but rather of man versus an evil that had not been seen for centuries. The waters had darkened, and it would be up to House to keep the peoples of the land alive.
A/N: Welcome to my new story! I think this will be a fun ride. I have not written an AU like this ever before, and I am so excited to see how it plays out! There will be a lot of lore and such in this. Also, if you like this type of story go to my Wattpad (same username as here) and check out my new original story, A Shadow's Call. I hope you all enjoy this short chapter in which we set our stage. Please leave a review!