Disclaimer: Even though Nuada is a prominent figure in my dreams, I unfortunately do not own him. Otherwise I'd be to busy watching him jump around shirtless rather than writing this fanfic.

Note: Okay! First Hellboy story, so I humbly request no flames! And I'd love to hear some feedback!

Prologue: Two Beginnings for One End:

1255, England:

'Perhaps she's a Nymph?' Nuada mused silently, eyes narrowing at the figure dancing through the shallow stream cutting through the field. The night was young, crickets just beginning to awaken their song; fireflies and the occasional fairy weaving in and out of the trees, blinking. A cool breeze stirred the leaves, swaying branches and lifting his flaxen hair. All the while, a petite unknown continued to twirl beyond the shadows of the forest canopy, kicking up showers of sand and water.

The elf allowed him self a few seconds time to watch her innocent frivolity, enjoying the soft tinkling of her laughter when a fish nibbled her toes.

A small twinge of pain lit his heart aggrieved when he thought of how long it had been since he had last heard his Sister's laughter. Centuries had passed since he had looked upon the face of his twin, danced with her under the Harvest Moon, and chased her through the halls of their palace. He missed the spring evenings in which the walked about his fathers kingdom, simply sharing in the beauty that was Bethmora. No wars, no humans. True the connection they shared gave him insight to her feelings from great distances, but even that last nexus has begun to wane ever so slightly over the years. Shaking his head from memories of the past, he refocused on the girl.

She had shifted her trailing skirt into one hand, the other moving to free a waterfall of dark curls from the leather strap at the base of her neck.

After a few more moments watching he shrugged off the wide-eyed youth, deciding enough time had been wasted and continued on with his journey North.

But a stray thought made him pause. Nymph's were creatures of the day; spending their hours bathing in sunlight and weaving flower chains and braiding hair. He turned back to the field, bemused as to why she was out at this time of night.

He had met a few Nymph's during his self-imposed exile, all beautiful, graceful beings; true children of nature. They encompassed elegance; danced every step with an acute precision centered on temptation and flourished with praise. A loud splash pulled him out of his ruminations.

'Defiantly not a Nymph.' He resolved watching the female pick herself up out of the water, sputtering curses that would make a Goblin blush, as she rung out her dripping hair. He smirked.

'A Huldra then.' Nuada offered. No. She was to far West, that plus the fact she was wearing clothing, though now wet, the tunic like garment draped over her shoulders left little to the imagination. No, Huldra's preferred the au naturel route, finding that it was much easier to seduce potential lovers without even a stitch of cloth.

'To tall for a Dwarf, to young for a Brownie, to alive for a Vampire, to beautiful for a Ghoul, to modest for a Huldra, and to clumsy for a Nymph.'

She wasmost defiantly of supernatural birth. He could feel the ripples of power pulsating from her skin, faintly see the aura of iridescent flames hovering about her crown in the moonlight.

'A puzzle then.' Nuada considered, a ghost of a smile turning the corners of his mouth up. It had been sometime since he was presented with a challenge, perhaps his journey could wait a few moments longer.


2009, New Jersey:

One year.

One year exactly since he was forced to surrender his crown at the feet of the red monstrosity, known to his colleagues as, 'Hellboy' and to his wife, 'Pookey.'

Nuada smirked, recalling the morbid delight he felt at his enemy's flustered, fish-like gape when the fire-witch had referred to him as 'Pookey' in front the rest of the BPRD agents after a particularly grueling mission involving a migrating school of Puken's hunting along the banks of the Hudson River.

"Liz, I told you never to call me that in front of the guys!" The demon had whined churlishly.

The smirk that accompanied the memory quickly fell into a frown of self-loathing. How he had allowed himself to be defeated by one such character as Hellboy, he would never know. The self declared leader of the BPRD task force was emotionally stunted, intellectually backward, and moved with as much gladiatorial grace as a Minotaur.

But that was a year ago. The Golden Army had been laid to rest permanently; he'd been captured and sentenced to servitude through the medium of protecting the very race he had spent millennia trying to destroy. He had no idea how long his punishment would carryout, but serve it he would; for Nuada Silverlance was nothing if not honorable.

The elf often speculated as to what would have happened had he not backed down from the fight in the bowels of Bethmora. Would his sister really have taken the dagger to her own heart as she had threatened? Would she really have killed herself to save the humans from him?

He'd never know. When he saw her standing there, tears in her eyes, knife poised above her breast, he felt his world drop out beneath him. He was willing to sacrifice everything for his cause. Everything but Nuala. After a moments hesitation, Nuada had thrown down his spear, accepting the fate the Gods deemed as worthy punishment for his crimes against their will.

Nuada wiped away the beads of sweat pouring down his face with a small towel, golden eyes glancing at the clock. He had another half hour until he had to be in the library to welcome the new member of the BPRD. Not much information had been handed out about the recruit, only that she was female and had been discovered in a small insane asylum near Canada.

Another human he'd have to associate with, and lunatic at that. He sneered pulling back on his silk shirt and replacing the weapons he'd been practicing with to the shelves lining the walls. If there was one thing somewhat tolerable about being held prisoner of the Bureau, it was the training facilities.

"All Members of the BPRD Task Force please report to the Library at once."

Johann Krauss' German heavy accent echoed through the corridors, making his sensitive ears ring uncomfortably.

Nuada sighed, trudging towards the elevator already disliking the human for her unnatural punctuality.

'No time to bathe.'

As he poised impatiently waiting for the lift, an unfamiliar ripple of mystical flare, though faint, made his skin tingle anew.

'Strange.' The new sensation of magic must have been from the recruit. Maybe the lunatic wasn't human after all?

'Perhaps she's a Nymph?' Nuada mused silently.


A/N: Okay there it is, the Prologue! Wow, I'm really nervous because I know it starts of really typical of a Nuada fanfic with the way over done 'New Recruit to the BPRD Team' scenario, but I promise promise promise, it will be decidedly different! So don't get confused with the time jump in this chapter! Everything will come together as I continue onward!

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