Hi guys! It's me, TMCP and I was really... empowered to write another harvest moon fic. I know, I should finish my others but Ikindasortalostabunchofocdataandchaptersformyotherstories. Sorry. BUT I GOT A NEW BEGINNING AND I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A FIC FOR A WHILE. Whilst it's not an OC submission story, It's an ANB AU with magic and my OC (along with Imagine Believe's OCs Reine and Gwen) I REALLY hope you guys like it as it is becoming a major project of mine this summer. With summer almost half over and my birthday coming up, I got my new laptop and am only now starting this project.

So yeah, lets get this started!

~A Kingdom Divided~

PROLOGUE

-Leighton's diary, Spring 1 through 7-

Day 1: Spring first

I've had this leather bound book some would call a diary for a while, but I've never paid much heed to it, nor found anything of utter importance that was absolutely necessary to write (absolutely necessary being peoples' lives at stake). Now is that time, the time I've never believed would come. Not only the time I'd write what I though would be the useless pleasantries of a life not worth remembering, but the time of a great war. Now It may not seem much to write about and probably be recorded in history everywhere, but this journal is enchanted so I can only write the truth and this may be the key to end the war.
My name is Leighton Croft and this story I am relaying to you isn't about my life, but as said before, something much much greater.
This war I speak about is absolute rubbish. No one except the head of the evils and her voodoo army (possibly not even them) have had their ears graced with the wonder of what is the cause of the biggest war this land has seen.
Some speculate the cause was over use of dark magic, which makes no sense to me at all. Why would the king or queen use dark magic? Plus the use of dark magic would leave physical evidence on the user, or even cause the user to die. I would know since I have used dark magic in the past and have seen people die from the clutches of dark magic. Not even I could come out unscathed. Mind, my purposes were not merely for evil nor for fun, but to escape from a dangerous ordeal involving 'them'. 'They' are also known by the name 'Evils', but no matter what name you decide is best to call them, they are evil and dark magic users themselves. They come as guests into towns and stay at their inns then in the middle of the night attack and kill everyone so there are no survivors to tell of an attack to thier village to a nearby town. They ransack all food items and other useful substances and burn the town to the ground. The worst part they do is use little black magic spells and plant things in peoples' homes while disguised as guests for festivals and other such things so people will think their neighbor is an evil and believe that they can't trust even their own family. It's appalling how fast people turn on each other and how vulnerable these people become.
How do I know a lot of this? Well spywork, guesses, and a lot of hunches I have had. All the things I am writing are 100% true, or at least from the eyes I have seen this war in.
As I am writing, my hometown is close to destruction as it has been since fall, but there was no visitor except for back in last spring so it couldn't have been them. It was one of our own people, working with 'them', the evils, and plotting against us the whole time, which truly sends unwanted shivers down my spine. I have prepared for attack to come soon and am ready to use my magic to be a living survivor of these evils, for if it is not I who lives, then how can my journal live on through history and bring an end to this tragic war? Therefore I expect the unexpected and know nothing is impossible for the word itself says I'm possible.

~Leighton Croft~

Day 2: Spring third

Much as I had predicted, our (I write like they are still alive) or now my town has fallen victim to the idiotic monstrosities. I feel almost guilty for actually escaping them since I knew termination was so soon in the future, while the others believed they could escape when it came. I should've warned them, yet the selfish being that is me decided to live longer and keep my journal and it's glory of the truth alive, not to get famous for keeping a record, as I suppose many people are already doing so, but more to avenge my town and keep 'them' from doing more damage.
Being the only survivor, not only from my family or town, but simply from the evils themselves comes with a lot of responsibility and a trip through what's called the wasteland. I've never travelled through there before as it is a vast area of emptiness ridden with bandits. I am on the border between the forest and the wasteland and it looks barren and dead. That's probably why it's called the wasteland, in retrospect. It's difficult to believe that my little thriving farming community could live so close to a place so... uninhabitable.
For now I cannot write much as I begin to wander into my next fate.

~Leighton Croft~

Day 3: Spring 6

I've been running through the wasteland for days, not daring to take a break in fear of the things that could happen to me. I've decided to take a quick break but I'm not going to sleep. I don't think I'll even want a rest break for nights in fear of nightmares and such visions from what happened in town a few nights back. The attack was brutal and sickening. I've probably thrown up more than 10 times just thinking about it. The way they killed the people is disgusting and inhumane. I don't think I'll ever forget that catastrophe that traumatized me. I've wasted too much time resting and writing. I must go and get to safety, sweet safety which sounds foreign to me, the sweet safety that moves further away with each passing second, minute, hour, and day, and possibly a bit faster than me, frustrating me to no extent as I try to reach my little safety.

But alas, I hear a rustling of the leaves. I must hurry and hide before they find me.

~Leighton Croft~

What is the noise Leighton is hearing?
Will she make it to the next town okay or will she have a run-in with the bandits?
Will people be paranoid with her arrival?

I know it's off to a bit of a rough confusing start but it'll all be explained in due time. Thank you for reading this chapter of A Kingdom Divided and I hope you continue to read as I update my story! Don't be shy to drop a review and tell me how good or bad I'm writing!