PLEASE review...it needs A LOT of work and I am desperate for opinions and suggestions! I was planning to write more...this was supposed to be kind of like a preface to the main story...

Prologue

There was once a dominion that was neither the most influential nor the most impressive. It hadn't the most riches, and it hadn't conquered the most land. All this land had was a story. A story that takes place long before the time of the little girl in her red riding cape, and just a little after the time of King Arthur and his nights. Then the land had been ruled by a lord and his young bride, a woman who had been brought over from a distant land to create a more peaceful existence between the two rivaling realms. But although this alliance brought peace for the domains, the new changes this lady brought to the land quickly created distrust in the people.

Tradition, at this time, was held in the highest respect; cherished even above religion. For with tradition there would always be a way of life, unwavering rules that lightened the darkest situation. One such tradition was for the lord and lady to live amongst those they ruled. This was thought to give the people a sense of equality with their rulers, much like King Arthur's round table. And through the feeling of being considered equal to their rulers, a bond of loyalty was thought to be created.

However, after the marriage took place the lord and lady did not take residence in the village. Instead they lived in a tower high above the rest of the houses, the bricks rising up until they seemed to touch the sky. Originally this tower had been built as a gift to be presented to the young bride on their wedding day.

Rumors, now classified as legends, say that the lady had been "enchanted" with the tower simply saying she would live no where but. The lord was said to have openly protested to this untraditional idea, and yet the next morning he announced the tower as the new royal residence. This created an outrage in the people. Some were infuriated at the disrespect to the old ways, saying that before she came their lord would never dream of disobeying tradition. Others carried this thought even further, adding that they were certain that the new lady must have used some sort of magic to persuade their ruler.

When this rumor reached the lord, he was so enraged he sent out his messengers to gather all the citizens from the village around the base of the tower. Walking out to the high window of the tower he stood silently for a couple of minutes, making eye contact with many of the villagers he had helped only one day prior. Then he started to speak.

The lord of this domain was not a man known for his economic decisions. Rather than practical or logical, he was an emotional man. Instead of planning ahead and making decisions that will aid the future as well as the present, he worried only about what would make his people happy the soonest. This created many famines in his land, but his passion and emotion for his people made them love him and stay loyal to him through all the hardships. So hearing their beloved lord speaking passionately about his new bride made the people forget their qualms with the new lady, until several years later when disaster struck the land.

It was two years after their marriage and the people could not find much reason to complain. Since the marriage, decisions made concerning the people hadn't had any ill effect on the future of the land, productivity had increased and there was food on every families table. The economy of their domain had never been higher. The only thing that someone living in the village could possibly worry about was the absence of an heir.

Many months had gone by since the wedding, and still there had been no sign or announcement of a pregnancy. Several more months passed and the people had patiently waited, but still came no word of a successor. Worried whisperings had begun, debating whether or not their rulers were barren. Finally after almost two years messengers were sent by horse to announce that an heir was expected to be born sometime in the winter. The people were overjoyed and rejoiced long into the days to come. Everyone in the lord's domain was blissful; well fed, well clothed, a good roof over their head. Crops were bountiful well into the fall. It was then that the plague struck the land.

It killed countless crops and livestock, leaving farmers with such few things that they were no longer able to support their families. It invaded the homes of countless villagers, leaving the families devastated. It was a disaster that would take years of hard work to recover from. The people were weary but relieved when the plague finally started to die down after the first snowfall. It was then, through the white innocence of the snow, that word came down from the tower that their lord had been caught by the plague. The doctors were summoned to ride to the tower, but the heavy snowfall prevented them from getting any farther then a few blocks away from their homes.

A few days later Lady Eleanor looked out the high window of the tower, absently running her fingers over her swelling abdomen. She could see the messengers riding off towards the village, bearing the news of her husband's death.