Once upon a time, there was a king. His name was Kaen, and he was cruel, and unfair to his subjects. He made taxes too high, and he made more than half of the people slaves for him. He had a son with the name of Talcar who looked like his father in many ways, tall, dark haired with piercing brown eyes. That was where their similarities ended. Talcar was kind, while his father was cruel. His father hated him, yet he could not do anything, for Talcar was the heir to the throne after he died. Kaen did not want Talcar on his throne after he died, and he would do anything to keep him off of it. He sent Talcar out to some small villages, telling him, "My son, there are some men in this village that need a matter taken care of. One man has grown some hay, and have sold it to another man. The second man put the hay in his barn, only to find in the morning it all wet, and trampled. He grew furious, and is demanding a payment from the first man for his loss. The first man refuses, and says that he will not pay, for the second man paid him for the hay, and it was his own fault that the hay got ruined. I want you to go and settle this manner. It will be a test to see how fit you are to rule this kingdom."

Talcar bowed, and was soon off to the village.

Kaen planned this all out, so that he would be rid of Talcar forever. He had paid both of the men handsomely to quietly kill his son.

Talcar knew nothing of his father's plans for him. He was happy to go do this small thing for his father, because he loved him. He was accompanied by two young men like himself, his best friends Arthur, and Gideon. The young men set off on their journey early in the morning, eager to do as the great king wished. Now you must know that Gideon and Arthur knew nothing of the evil plans of King Kaen. They would gladly risk their lives for his.

When Kaen found out that Talcar had brought his friends with him on his journey, he grew furious. "They will surely protect him now, the two men won't be able to kill him!"

He yelled, throwing his goblet of wine against the wall.

"Your Majesty…perhaps all is not lost." The man who spoke

was thin, and a dirty robe covered his small frame. A long gray beard flowed out from the hood that covered the man's face. It was indeed Quinn,, the King's magician.

Kean turned to the man.

"What would you have in mind, oh wise one?"

He asked sarcastically, for he was in no mood for games.

Quinn ignored the king's tone, and continued.

"Great king, I have a few of my people who would gladly help you out of this situation."

"No! I will not let any man who knows me be involved in my son's murder. It must be done by others whom we do not know. Besides, your "men" as you say aren't even men. They're creatures. And as badly as I want my son dead, I will not let you murder him with your creatures. That would be heartless."

Quinn sighed. "If you are going to murder him, why do you care how it is done? Let me take care of all the details. You don't even need to hear about it ever again. He will be gone."

Kean was tempted. He just wanted to be rid of his son for good.

Finally, he relented. "Fine. While you're at it, take care of that Gideon and Arthur too."

"You need not worry. They shall be quietly taken care of, my king."

"That was indeed quite funny, Talcar. Though I don't think you should have been so rude about it!"

The young men were walking along a small dirt path, relaxed, but not immune to any danger that they might come across. Gideon was speaking of when Kean had hosted a ball in the castle for his son, in hopes that he would marry. It did not happen, for Talcar was set upon entering priesthood when he was of age. Talcar had been involved in the ball, but he had been fed up by the giggling girls that followed him everywhere. There had been one in particular that had driven him near mad
"Oh sweet prince, your castle is quite lovely, you must be awfully rich! Do you like those fairy cakes? Aren't they just the sweetest sugary things?"

She had insisted on dancing, and as Talcar knew it would be terribly rude to refuse, he danced with her. After the 6th time, he was quite done.

"No, my lady. I do believe I will go and mingle with some of the gentlemen. I have not seen some of them for quite some while. It has been a pleasure, but I must go."

Upon hearing this, the young lady pouted, and stamped her foot. "Oh, you mustn't! Then mother will take me home. I am getting older, now!" Talcar just shook his head and said firmly, "I must indeed be going now. Good day."

And with that, he left her. He had seen the young girl several times afterward, and every time she caught his eye, she gave him a fierce glare. Talcar simply ignored her, and continued about the room, making small conversation with others.

The young men were now laughing and talking about the matter.

"I don't think it was rude of me at all! She wouldn't quit nagging at me, and it was quite enough." Said Talcar, shaking his head. Arthur grinned, imagining it.

Quinn stood on the roof, eyes closed. He held a large medallion in his right hand. The medallion had a red diamond in the middle, with intricate designs all around the sides.

A small wind blew the old man's white hair about, but Quinn seemed to not notice.

"Come, Vwals. Come to me."

He remained that way, holding out his right hand to the skies. The clouds grew dark, and the wind grew fiercer.

Talcar and his friends grew still as the sky suddenly darkened, and a cold wind blew around them.

It was in the middle of summer, and when that cold wind blew by, each of the boys felt a deep chill. Not only because it was cold, but because there was something dark in this wind, and the clouds. Talcar had never felt anything like it before. It felt evil to him, and the looks on his friends' faces confirmed they felt the same.

"This is bad." Whispered Arthur. He was not afraid, just cautious. He was the quietest of the three, the one who had the gift of prophesy. He had a quiet but humble spirit.

Gideon was the boldest of them all. A bit arrogant at times, but as loyal as a man could be to his friends.

Talcar himself was both brave and quiet at times. He had not the gift of prophesy like his friend, but he knew what Arthur was talking about. It was a strange feeling.