Disclaimer: I am not KB, nor do I own anything here but the plot. I don't have anything of value so suing me would be a huge waste of time.
AN: This takes place shortly after HKT during that next winter, but I lent my books out so if I mess up some things let me know and I will fix them. This story is AU but will end up K/Z even if I don't mention them too much. They're more in the background not the main characters. The story starts off a bit slow going day to day but it will pick up after the first few chapters.
Prologue
Grandmother sat by the small cook fire and contemplated her yarns. She was uncertain which to use this time as her spell was complex and as far as she knew had never been attempted. But then again, their need had never been so great as it was now. Stuck in the forest like a bunch of common thieves instead of the true nobles they were. Well now it would be the kings downfall when she used this spell of calling. She would call forth such an evil, the likes of which no one had ever seen, and it would destroy King Zachary and all of his precious nobles and that pesky rider too. She simply had to choose the best yarn for this task. She chose a deep red for bloodshed, a stunning blue for a far-reaching call, a warm gold for binding, and debated on the final color. Should she choose the purple or the black? In the end, she went with the black thinking of the destruction and death that this monster she called would do. Grandmother started her spell, weaving the yarn around and around the frame she had made from sticks of the forest of Blackveil. She reached for the black yarn and started to weave it with the others. What she didn't see in the flicking light was that the yarn wasn't black at all, but instead it was such a deep green that it only appeared to be black in the flickering firelight. Grandmother continued to chant and weave the yarn until it was all gone and she held a square shaped cube of woven threads. This, she threw into the flames, finishing her chant and succumbed to the blackness with a smile upon her face as the dark sky exploded with light above her.
Chapter One
The pair scrambled up the rocky hill towards the summit and a scraggly band of trees. From the top they would be able to see ahead to their next campsite and get a peak at what the weather was doing further off to the north. The dark storm clouds had been gathering for the last hour and she was sure that they would be getting wet tonight; she just hoped it would hold off until after they reached camp.
Reaching the top, she pulled her blowing horse to a halt under a pine tree and looked off to the north. The dark clouds were still heading in her direction at a fast pace and she could see the haze of rain underneath them. "Well isn't that just dandy RJ." She said patting her horse on his neck. "It looks like we are going to get wet today after all. I hope you're in the mood for a bit of a run as I want to make it under cover before that rain hits." Pushing RJ forward into a trot they quickly made it to the far side of the hill and picked their way down. By the time they reached level ground the rain had started to pour and she quickly pulled her duster around her and buttoned it closed. "Lets go buddy." She called as she kicked RJ up into a gallop and headed towards the forest ahead.
Half way to their goal, lightning started to flash and the thunder was so loud she thought she was going to go deaf. "Faster RJ." She cried pushing him even faster through what was now turning into a muddy mess of a meadow. Just then a flash of lightning hit so close that RJ skidded to a stop and tried to bolt off the other way. She barely managed to hang on as she couldn't see a dang thing after the flash of light and her rain soaked gear was slippery. "Dang it." She muttered as she hauled on one rein, pulling RJ around and letting him continue his mad dash towards the woods. She could smell the ozone and the air seemed to crackle as they rode through it. Several strides from safety there was another big flash and she felt RJ fall out from underneath her and then there was nothing but blackness.