A/N; This is a story idea that just came to me earlier today and I can't help but to write it. It will be a darker story, but with a LOT of humor as it goes on. Without further ado... The prologue.

Enjoy, my delicate marionettes!

~ MrsPuppetEx

A bitter wind blew down into the small crevice that was carved out of the side of a tall mountain, blowing out the small campfire and causing the cave's single occupant to shiver uncomfortably. This was nothing new to her, however, she'd been used to living with the biting cold and- as her stomach let out a soft, rumbling growl- was far too used to going hungry most nights.

Sighing heavily, the woman curled her long legs up to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees as she stared at the last embers of the small fire she'd managed to build blink out, plunging the cave into relative darkness. It had only taken her two hours to build the fire, of course the Gods hated her enough to simply snuff it out after she'd used most of her remaining energy to construct the small flame.

Blowing a strand of raven hair out of her face, she cast her pale orange gaze around the cave she'd taken shelter in to keep out of the snow storm that had rolled in quickly. It almost seemed as though someone else had been staying there, though she couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly stay in such a chilling climate.

This made her snort at herself in derision, who was she to judge? She was doing the same thing, wasn't she? She'd been in these mountains for the better part of two months and here she was, staying in a cave to keep out of the snow while judging someone else for doing the exact thing she had been doing.

Though… She needed to do this, it was her punishment for her sins.

"Get ahold of yourself, Juliette," Her soft voice whispered in the hollow cave as a tear trekked down her tanned cheek. "You know it wasn't your fault that you lost control."

Juliette had had this same conversation with herself nearly every day since she had been a child and had been cast out from her village. It wasn't much solace to know that she didn't have a choice in what kind of magic she was given, the choice having been ripped away from her to even choose if she would practice magic in the first place. No, it really wasn't her fault for what had happened all those years ago, but that didn't stop her from worrying every time she was around other humans.

Telling herself she needed to sleep a little for the energy, Juliette laid her head down on the small leather bag she used to carry the minimal belongings she owned and closed her eyes, praying to whatever Gods that were out there that her bad luck would end soon.

No sooner had she fallen asleep than did the first brilliant rays of sunshine burst into the wide opening of the cave, hitting the black haired beauty directly in the face. She groaned in frustration, sitting up and rubbing away the bleariness in her eyes as she cursed the Gods once more, knowing they must simply have it out for her at this point. Why else would she constantly be hungry, running on little sleep, unable to even be a normal human being?

Puffing out her cheeks on a huff of breath, Juliette grabbed her bag before standing and making her way into the forest, deciding she would use the minimal money she'd earned a few days ago from helping that nice farmer and his wife to tend their fields so that she could maybe get some food. She glanced down at her worn shoes and figured she might need a new pair before long, though these would last a while longer.

Her senses were sharp as she made her way through the forest towards the town she knew lay close to where she'd been camped out for the night. It had been easy enough to memorize the topographical map that the farmer had supplied her as another gift for helping to work the fields for him. Good thing, too, because the map had later been destroyed when she had fallen into a river while walking along a makeshift bridge which had soaked her to her bones.

Juliette ran her tongue over her teeth, she would need to grab another pack of cigarettes, maybe two if she could swing it. There was a possibility she would be able to grab another simple job in this small town so she could make a bit more money and that meant she needed to be around people, which never failed to make her nervous, unfortunately.

She tugged on the cords of her hoodie as she stepped onto the dirt path that would lead into the town, her anxiety already creeping up on her the closer to civilization she became. Her eyes darted around a moment before she closed them and took in a deep breath, taking in the scents of the forest around her and the fluffy snow that was piled nearly to her knees. She was lucky she could handle cold better than most, but not enough to simply not feel it, which made her nomadic way of life even more frustrating.

If only she could control her magic…

Shaking away those thoughts, Juliette chewed her lip as she entered the town and made quick work of purchasing the things she needed before seeking out the board that posted jobs for freelance mages to make a little cash. Her orange eyes moved over the postings quickly, a small frown forming when she noted it was nearly empty with no jobs she would be able to complete without using magic- which was completely off of the table, thank you very much.

Deciding the trip into the town wasn't completely wasted as she'd managed to buy a reasonable amount of food to hold her over for a few days, Juliette sought out the road out of town, thinking she would take her chances in the slightly larger town just to the south of where this one was. It would be worth it, even if she had to deal with more people, so long as she made enough money to buy a pair of hiking boots, maybe even a thicker jacket if this snow kept up.

As she walked past an alley, Juliette gave a yelp of surprise when a hand snagged her arm and pulled her back into the shadows, her mouth quickly being covered as she attempted to cry out. Her bag was quickly pulled from her grasp and tossed aside, her assailant possibly thinking she may have had a weapon there.

Juliette's eyes went wide with fear when she saw that there were four men grinning lecherously at her, five total when she counted the one who held her trapped against his chest. She knew what was about to happen and was powerless to prevent it. Her last thought before her mind hazed over being that she truly hoped that no one would die as her magic flared around her, tinging her eyes black.

When she finally came to, Juliette's orange eyes went wide as she looked around her at the carnage she'd caused. Her gaze drifted down to her hands that were trembling at her sides and she let out a strangled sob at the sight of the crimson covered appendages.

The raven haired woman collapsed to her knees, not noticing that the motion caused fresh blood to splash up and cover what already was dry and crusted on her skin. Her eyes were wide with horror as she saw the buildings that had once been the small picturesque town now laying in rubble, no sound coming from anything in the area, her ears picking up on no heartbeats or strangled gasps for air.

What had she done?!

Juliette let out a loud wailing scream, her voice echoing through the razed town. This was exactly why she didn't like being around others. This was why she'd been cast out from her village at the young age of thirteen. She had no control over her magic and this was what happened when she was forced into using it to save herself.

She cried until she had nothing left, her breath coming in shaking hitches and her eyes staring blankly at her blood-soaked hands. Her fingers twitched slightly around a piece of burned fabric that drifted down to settle in her palm, the white stitching absorbing some of the blood from her hands as she clenched it tight before standing up on shaky legs. Juliette cast her gaze around the town once more before she swept up her bag that had remained untouched by the destruction and slung it over her shoulder.

The piece of fabric fell from between her fingers as she walked slowly away from the burning town, floating away in the breeze along with the souls of those who were living their lives a few measly hours prior before it landed on the yarn hair of a doll that lay next to the still hand of a small girl who was held in the arms of the burned shell of what would likely have been her mother, wrapped tightly around the child as if to shield her from their gruesome fates.