The sun rose as Hammilcar, son of Barca, son of Ba'al, son of Belial, rode his horse, Thunderbolt, around the property he spent nine years building. He lived in Rookridge, a mountainous region filled with rocky soil and violent weather. It was a wonder his farm had managed to grow so large. 5 acres of farmland alternated between hay and corn and wheat every year. But that wasn't the end of Hammilcar's business. He had operated a mine for the last four years, logged timber for three, and had planted apple and cherry orchards along the northern ends. Although none of these exploits had yet yielded any profit, he was confident they would.
That is, if Lucien didn't discover him first. Or, more accurately, if Lucien didn't decided to come and eliminate him first. While Lucien had little power outside of Bowerstone, he still was the only power in Albion, and therefore its king by default, although he wasn't arrogant enough to claim that title.
Hammilcar despised Lucien. He knew what Lucien was up to, knew the consequences if Lucien succeeded, but Hammilcar was not a Hero.
Only a Hero could defeat Lucien, and Hammilcar had tried to find one for years. But when he did finally find one, the results were unanticipated. He had learned that only four Hero's existed, one of Strength, one of Skill, one of Will, and one who had mastered all three. It was only the latter who could defeat Lucien, and only with a supporting cast of the other three. But this fourth Hero had disappeared into the Spire, the stronghold of Lucien's army, and the key piece of Lucien's plot. Hannah, the Hero of Strength, the one he had found, promised to tell him when Edward, the missing Hero, returned. That had been nine years ago.
As Hammilcar completed his daily round of the property, and entered his house, he was startled to find a woman in his home.
"Who are you?" he growled. The woman was wearing a red dress, trimmed in white, with a hood covering her face. She wore authority like a cloak and her bearing said she expected to be obeyed.
"I am Theresa" she said, and added "You asked for me to come."
"I've never seen you before" exclaimed Hammilcar. His sword was behind the woman, and while she was between him and it, unless he could get to his musket, over the mantle, which was left of the seated woman.
"No, but I've seen you. I was there the night you saw Rose fall from the castle window."
"I don't know what you are talking about" Hammilcar responded, although anyone who knew what to look for could tell it was a lie. His voice had changed pitch, he began to sweat, and his face carried a look of complete shock.
"All your life you wanted to be noticed by Lord Lucien," the woman began. "He gave you a box, one day, and told you if you made it disappear he would take you to live with him in the castle. When you couldn't, you gave it to a merchant, who sold it to a little girl and her brother, who she called Little Sparrow. I guess 'little' is a relative term, as they were both older than you. They made the box disappear and Lucien came for them, as he promised he would. And then he shot them. You felt guilty, you felt it should have been you. And so you've spent the last 19 years looking for a way to destroy Lucien. To avenge the kids."
Hammilcar had gotten to the mantle, retrieved the gun, and now stood behind the woman. She hadn't reacted to him taking the rifle, and he assumed she had nerves of steel. As he pulled back the hammer of the musket with his thumb, she finally reacted.
"You're not going to shoot an old, blind woman in the back, are you?"
"How do you know all this?" he asked.
"As I told you, as was there. I rescued the boy."
"Rescued is a strong word of buried."
"The boy survived the fall."
"No man could survive that fall."
"No, but that young boy was a Hero. That's why the box responded to him. It's why he and Rose where shot. He is the only one who can stop Lucien."
"Why are you here?" demanded Hammilcar. "Why are you telling me this?"
"He needs your help."
"How can I help him? Only he can stop Lucien."
"Lucien is not the real evil this world faces."
"Then what is?"
"I don't know. And you never will either."
"I don't understand." Hammilcar exclaimed.
"An heir of your combined blood lines is the only thing that can stop the coming darkness. I don't know how this will come about, nor do I know how many generations from now this final battle between light and dark will take place, but this is what I do know: After you help him defeat Lucien, he will ask to give you a reward, and you must ask to become Lord of Rookridge. Fate is placing us in the positions we must take for a final victory. Go, William and Hannah await you in Westcliff. Go!