Well here we go... I've not submitted anything for nearly three years, but I've been writing this story, mostly just for myself, so I thought I'd share it and see if anyone likes it. I've done my best regarding spelling, grammar etc, but I'm dyslexic and the computer and my brain only picks up so much. I know I could ask a beta reader to help, but I really want to get better and I don't want to have to rely on someone else. If you spot a mistake, let me know and I'll do my best to not make the same mistake again.

I promise Nuada will come into the story very soon, I'm just setting the scene at the moment.

Any feedback will be gladly received.

The lost princess

The first section is a transcript of the first part of the HellBoy II film. I take absolutely no credit for them – I've purely added them here to begin my story.


Douglas Army Base, N.M. Christmas Eve 1955

It is said that at the dawn of time, man, beast, and all magical beings lived together under Aiglin, the father tree. But man had been created with a hole in his heart, a hole that no possession, power, or knowledge could fill and in his infinite greed man dreamt of expanding his dominion over the entire earth.

Blood of many an elf, ogre, and goblin was spilled in their war with man and King Balor, the one armed king of elf land, watched the slaughter in dread and despair. But one day, the master of the goblin blacksmiths offered to build the king a golden mechanical army, seventy time seventy soldiers that would never know hunger and could not be stopped.

Prince Nuada begged his father to agree.

"Build me this army" the king said.

So a magical crown was forged that would allow those of royal blood to command the golden army if unchallenged.

"I am king Balor. Leader of the golden army. Is there anyone who disputes my right?" and in his throne room no one challenged his word.

So the world was changed and the next time the humans marched they felt the earth tremble beneath their feet and saw the sky darken with monstrous shapes. The golden army had no remorse, felt no loyalty or pain, and King Balor's heart grew heavy with regret. So he called a truce and divided the crown in three pieces, one for the humans and two for himself.

In exchange, man would keep to the cities and the magical beings would own the forests. This truce would be honoured by their sons and the sons of the sons until the end of time, but prince Nuada did not believe in promises of man and it is said he went into exile vowing to return the day his people needed him most. So the golden army lay dormant, locked inside the earth, waiting and there it is to this day, awaiting the day the crown is made whole again, silent , still, and indestructible.


Douglas Army Base, N.M. Christmas Day 1955

Hellboy lay tucked up in bed, his belly over full of eggnog and the brandy drenched Christmas cake the soldiers had made. (Father had stopped him eating it when a young soldier, his mouth crammed with cake, passed out right at Hellboy's feet.)

On the bookcase by his bed Hellboy had carefully laid the presents Santa had brought him in, and on top of, the stocking he'd carefully hung up with Father. He'd ripped of the wrapping paper in a hurry that very morning, struggling to release the toys he knew were inside. Sellotape wasn't easy to negotiate when one of your hands was made from stone and you really didn't want to damage the contents.

There'd been a rolled up comic, the cover slightly ripped in his haste to get into it, an orange, a brilliant leather cow boy hat, and best of all a very nearly real cow boy pistol. The pistol even had caps with it (used up within the first half an hour once he'd managed to get the hang of loading the fiddly things). The pistol was made from metal, painted red, with an expertly executed flame decorating each side of the barrel. The caps made it sound and almost smell like the real guns he saw the soldiers carrying around the camp.

Later that day, after Christmas lunch, Father had given him, wrapped in shiny gold paper, an amazing fossil. It was tucked under his pillow so he knew it was safe. He should have been happy, but the wind was howling around the army shack, stopping him sleeping, and worse, much worse, Father was still angry with him.

The soldiers on the base seemed to fall into three categories to Hellboy's young eyes. There were those that just pretended he didn't exist (Hellboy could cope with them), there were those that liked to stick out a foot to trip over the 'freak', and then there were those that actually seemed to like him. The latter even occasionally brought him a comic or two from their visits home and these he had come to call friends.

It was two of his friends who were on patrol earlier, whilst Hellboy was running around the base pretending to be a cowboy, his brand new cowboy hat on and his toy gun in his hand. He had come up behind them planning to surprise them when he had spied a gun in one of their hoisters. He just wanted to know what it felt like to hold a real gun, how heavy it was, whether the barrel was as smooth as it looked. Almost without thinking his tail snaked around his hips and hooked it out of the hoister and deposited it into Hellboy's greedy outreached hand. It was cold; it felt sturdy in his grasp, strong, powerful.

"Son, where did you...?"

Father came round the building, his eyes somehow taking one look and instantly calculating exactly what Hellboy was up to as only Father could.

Father's face was rigid with anger; he approached slowly, deliberately, "Put that thing down, now, carefully."

Christmas had ended after that. There were many questions and the camp sergeant barked angry words at Father about the 'monstrosity' and how if Father couldn't control it, it was going to have to be locked the cells.

Hellboy tried to snuggle a little further under his soft blankets whilst warm tears silently ran down his face.

Professor Broom was just putting everything away for the night when he spied Hellboy in his bed, through the open door, still wide awake. Shaking his head and picking up the same book as last night he walked over to the bed and pretended not to notice Hellboy drying his eyes with his blanket. He sat down and opened the book again whilst handing a clean hanky to Hellboy.

"Now," said Professor Broom. "I thought you might like to hear a little more of King Balor and his golden army for there is another legend from that time about Prince Nuada's sister, the lost princess, Princess Nuala."


In case you haven't guessed Professor Broom's story will be in my next chapter. It's already written so if you want to read it please leave me some feedback.

Thanks