Hello, this is my first ever story so Im kinda having kittens right about now (I really hope people know what that means...)Anyway, I won't talk much theres just some stuff I should go over.

Fisrt this is a prologue to the actual story, and the reason I didn't give any of these characters names is because they will probaly never pop up again in this story.

Second Im sorry if my grammar, spelling etc, is atrocious. I'm not great at that kinda stuff, the last proper english I did was GCSE and that was a near fail.

Thirdly Ive rated this M to be safe, you probaly won't get any "Hanky Panky" in this one, and if you do it will be done tastefully.

Disclaimer: (For all chapters) I have disclaimed. ¬.¬

Once upon a time many years ago, in a land of enchanted wonders and dark magic, there lived a young girl of just thirteen summers. Her hair was similar to spun gold and her eyes a brilliant shade of chartreuse. So cherished and adored was she by the people of her village, a small bucolic commune settled between rolling hills to the North and a thick Pine Forest to the South, that it was believed she was gifted to them by angels. It was a known truth to the village that the only thing more captivating than her beauty was her heart, for she had nothing but love to give.

However, two summers pasted and the girl began to despair, because for all the love she possessed, she had not found the soul for which she could bestow her heart upon. The season after her birth had been harsh and very few children had survived Mother Earth's cold and brutal winter, leaving sorrowful fathers that had grown to be old men with stories to tell to inhabit the village, along with the still youthful boys of few summers age racing by and making mischief. The girl, being a romantic and of endless optimism would not marry for anything but love, for she would wait forever if that was her fate, and wait she did.

Another three summers gone and a great sadness had settled over the villagers, the girl was slowly loosing hope. However, she was unaware of what fate had hidden from her, until one wet and rainy day during her eighteenth year. A traveller, journeying through English countryside, with no home behind him and no destination in mind, stumbled into the little village. Handsome, was he, tall with muscles that speak of hard work in fields and tanned skin that betrays long days in the sun, murky blond hair and huge eyebrows frame kind hazel eyes. One glance at the beauty of the girl and time to know her kindness was all it took to fall in love with her, and as she learnt of his strong heart and joyful soul she fell for him in return. The village rejoiced in their union and the jovial mood lasted for many days and many nights.

So outstandingly happy was the newly bonded couple that they failed to notice that the poisonous and vile sin of envy had infected an inhabitant of the village, a young witch, though unknown to most, was harbouring those most deadly of sins. Lust and greed burned within her whilst her desire for the traveller grew, but at the same time her mind was corroded by the envy she felt towards the girl, slowly turning her heart black as thoughts of death and revenge tainted her soul. Wrath surpassed the repugnant emotion she felt towards the man as fury enveloped her thoughts. Therefore, when the unsuspecting couple announced that the girl, now a woman, was with child the sorceress felt nothing but ire and resentment towards their happiness.

Enraged the witch slipped into the young family's cottage at nightfall and hauled the expectant mother out of her home and through the Pine Forest, it was said that a man lived in the woods, a man of many sins cut off from other life. The witch knew this to be true and didn't want to alert him to her presence; therefor she used her hand to muffle the girl's useless cries, eventually she arrived at a clearing. The young woman, fearing for her life and that of her unborn child, recoiled and cowered before the maddened sorceress; for she could sense the power the woman standing above her held and she understood she was not to be trifled with. The air around the witch crackles and popped with energy as she glowered down at the trembling woman, then in one smooth motion she withdrew a small encrusted dagger and raised it above the women's swollen abdomen. The girl screamed, thinking these to be her last moments, as the witch slashed through the front of her scratchy cotton gown. Then, seizing a small lizard from the grasses below her feet and grasping it in her hands as it tried to struggle free, the sorceress turned it over in her palm as she sliced a line down its underside, scarlet blood spurted across her palm and streamed down her forearm, staining her robe the colour of death as she out held the dead reptile over the girls protruding belly. Four times the blood did fall, four small droplets of crimson liquid landed upon taught ivory skin as the witch cursed the innocent child within and the mother who gave it life.

Her words held power and malicious intent, cursing a forlorn and wretched life upon the woman's unborn baby, with no end to the child's suffering and no love to comfort in dark times, with only one small ray of hope. However the sorceress was not troubled by this, there must be light and dark, without one the other cannot exist; this is true even with sorcery. The sorceress could not wield so much darkness towards the unborn child without bestowing a small amount of light, a way to break the curse, but the chance that this child could determine how was minute and nothing to be anxious about. For the witch did not plan to tell the child, nor did she plan to leave its parents alive long enough to covey the information. Once her purpose there was complete she turned heel and left, stalking further into the forest, the lurking shadows and the wavering trees swallowing her silhouette until she was gone, leaving the girl alone.

The young mother to-be stumbled through the forest in the direction of the village, trembling and flinching at every shadow and noise in the undergrowth, finally making it back to the commune and falling straight into her frenzied husbands arms, for when he had awoken to find her gone her had gone into near hysterics. He was told of what had transpired in the woods and, naturally, was furious. Search parties were sent out to hunt down the sorceress but she had fled the village. As time went by the curse was forgotten by the couple, too caught up in the glee of expecting a child and soon the day for the cursed child to be born was upon them.

The birthing helpers scream was the first reminder of the curse for the new mother, horror stricken by the new-born child she recoiled, however the mother demanded to lay eyes on and hold her child. She was given the child by the unwilling helper and howled in despair upon seeing the child's face. The child, a boy, resembled a reptile. The mother cried for her child as her husband held her. Repulsed, but not hateful toward the child, the parents decided to raise the boy, for although his appearance was unsightly they still had room in their hearts for him. Alas the villagers thought gravely of this child, believing him to be a demon and an omen of misfortune. In response to their cruel ways the boy's parents forbade him from leaving the safety of their home, and an agreement was made, the villages still loved and cared for the couple so they would ignore the child and leave him in peace however the boy was never to be seen outside the cottage.

All was well for four summers until the boy's mother became ill, an unknown disease that took a hold of her body rapidly. On the first day she was confined to bed, fevers making her shake and sweat, the second day bile and vomit sapped her strength and left her weakened even more so and susceptible to the fever. The third day left her lips and chin red as roses, blood splattering the bed sheets and pillows. Finally on the fourth day she slept. Never too awaken. Next it was the boy's father, to deeply lost in his misery and pain to fully understand what he was leaving behind, loving her so deeply then losing her so suddenly drove him insane, so much so that a rope and a short walk to the outskirts of the forest was all he could do to cope with her leaving. The boy's father was brought back sleeping, never to wake up.

The villages, ignorant in their ways, accused the son of bring misfortune to the family. Chased was he from his home and everything he knew, into the Pine Forest, running as fast as his small little legs could carry him tears blurring his sight and fear poisoning his veins. He tripped only to force himself up again.

After running for many minuets the boy came across a small wooden cabin. The exhausted child stumbled up to the door, and pushes it open, warmth surges out and envelops him in a blanket of heat. Within the cabin is an old man of many, many summers, he sits in his chair in front of the fire and watches. He watches as the boy stubbles in, looking half delirious and collapses on the bundle of blankets in the corner of the rom, instantly falling asleep.

It was never discussed nor talked about, but there was a mutual understanding and trust that the old man would care for the young boy. Just six summers pasted, and then, one quiet morning another of the boys loved ones never woke up. So the boy, now of ten summers, digs a small grave in the forest and buries the old man, placing wild flowers on his grave and crying until no more tears remain.

He understands that he is alone now, but that is alright for he has learnt how to live by himself. He knows how to live off the land what he needs to do to survive. What he doesn't know is who will save him from his nightmares, who will wipe away his tears and who will hold him when he is sad. For the small boy has terrible nightmares, ones of a woman screaming and another woman with red hands, nightmares of darkness and light and curses. Little Arthur Kirkland knows he's different, little Arthur Kirkland knows he's a monster, little Arthur Kirkland knows he needs to change but what little Arthur Kirkland doesn't know, is how?

"A monster this child shall be from birth, Lonesome from loved ones returned to earth, To Sickness, insanity, and age they sleep, For all of time his heart shall weep, Prey to loneliness but not to time, Until two hearts of conflict entwine, To love someone ugly inside as he out, To have love returned without a doubt , For curse to be broken proof must be shown, True loves kiss shall let it be known, Monstrous form shall take heed and leave, In its stead eternity both shall receive"

Please review. If theres anything you can tell me to improve on and if you think I should finish this.

Also the whole thing won't be written like this, I was aiming for a fairytale effect for the background story bit but I think it got fairly annoying. Oppinions?

Thanks