Prologue

A/N: Hi everyone :) This story will be a Roan/OC and Murphy/OC - the main events of the story will take place from Season 3 of the show onwards. This prologue takes place roughly 18 years before the events of Season 3. We hope you enjoy it, please leave a review and let us know what you think!

The weak cries of a newborn baby filled the halls, as the healer who had delivered the child left the room to clean her. The baby's mother, Nadine, slumped against the pillows, exhausted but relieved. She was very young, only sixteen years old. She sighed heavily, reaching back a weary hand to fumble over her tangled blonde hair. Her gaze latched onto the boy pacing the room – Prince Roan, only a year her senior and the baby's father. Once the door closed behind the healer he had snapped to attention.

"Roan?" She questioned. Her voice was weak from the past hours she had spent screaming in agony. Yet it had all been worth it for the sake of the child. A baby girl. Nadine forced herself into a sitting position, despite her muscles aching and urging her to lie down.

"We have to be quick." Roan crossed over to the bed, hesitating slightly. The sheets were stained with blood and gore from the messy event, but he scooped Nadine up easily, pointedly ignoring her startled yelp and wince of pain.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, her voice becoming shrill in her shock. He didn't answer, carrying her out into the corridor and through the halls. Roan knew what Nadine did not. Queen Nia, Roan's mother, had not approved of any of this. Although Nadine was the daughter of Commander Petra, Nia did not think her a worthy match for her son. When the girl had become pregnant, she had made her disdain clear. It was only through some trusted friends that Roan had discovered his mother intended to kill Nadine once she had given birth to the baby.

"Please talk to me," Nadine begged as Roan carried her out into the night. Of course it must be a shock to her – she had been in Azgeda for over a year now. Initially she had been a ward, sent to visit by Petra and to develop healthy ties between the Woods Clan and the Ice Nation. She and Roan had become fast friends, sparring partners…and then lovers. Yet once Roan had found out Nia's plan, he had contacted Nadine's father, Klaus. Petra would be too obvious, but Klaus understood the urgency and would meet Roan close by to collect his daughter and bring her home.

"You're not safe here." Roan's tone was sharp.

"What do you mean?" Nadine was starting to panic now. "Take me back. Our daughter…I want to hold my baby, Roan."

"Listen to me." Roan set her on her feet, keeping a firm grip on her. She had just given birth, so he didn't know if she would be able to stand on her own. He looked at Nadine – frightened, but defiant and passionate. "My mother wants you dead. That's all you need to know. You can't stay in Azgeda. You have to go home, to your family."

"Our baby is my family!" Nadine protested, tears welling in her blue eyes. She struggled against Roan, but she was no match for him – even if she hadn't just had a baby, she was half a foot smaller than him. "If I have to leave, let her come with me. She needs me. I'm her mother."

"No, Nadine." Roan's voice was stern, to hide the fact that his own heart was breaking. "She must stay here. You can't see her. My mother won't allow it."

Nadine started to scream, thrashing against Roan with what little strength she still possessed. He held her close, tugging her against him so her cries were muffled in his shirt. He stroked her damp hair and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to ignore how much this hurt him too. Nadine had not done anything wrong, but Nia had never needed reason to kill. She had decided Nadine was unworthy of Roan, and that was enough for her. It broke Roan's heart to know that she would not be able to see their child, that she would have to leave him. They were both young, but he knew that he loved her.

"Please, my baby," Nadine sobbed. Her knees collapsed from underneath her and Roan lifted her easily, glancing behind him at the sight of a small group emerging from the darkness. The leader was a man in his early forties who softened immediately once he saw the crying girl.

"Oh, Nadine." Klaus took his daughter from Roan, despite her attempts to struggle and evade them. "It'll be alright. You're safe, you're coming home."

"I just want to hold her," Nadine choked out, her words barely coherent. "Please, just let me hold my daughter, just once."

Roan shook his head. "It's too dangerous. I'm sorry, but you can't. Maybe it's better that way."

Nadine started to howl again, the sound of her misery echoing around them. Roan tensed, knowing that they would soon be heard with the noise she was making. Trying to keep himself together, he glanced at Klaus and nodded slowly. If he didn't remain composed, he knew he would break down just like Nadine. She was being forced to give up her child. He was being forced to give up the girl he loved. Both of them were hurting.

"You should leave now. My mother will be angry once she realises Nadine has evaded her, but even she wouldn't dare attack her in Woods Clan territory."

He hesitated, his gaze flicking to Nadine. He wanted to say goodbye. He wanted to say something meaningful, to prove he still cared for her. But he couldn't, for he knew if he tried he would crumble. So instead he turned and walked away, forcing himself to ignore her sobs. Nadine would live. That was all that mattered. Even if, in keeping her alive, Roan had broken both of their hearts.