Prologue
The whispers in the forest grew darker as shadows danced across the leaf littered paths, a swift rustling of leaves disturbed the quiet. A hooded figure, garbed in black padded softly through the trees as they whispered of promises long forgotten. The figure followed the path, barely a sound could be heard as it led to the pool, its crystalline appearance brought a soft smile to the figures face, in the center of the pool, was a raised marble structure, weathered by time and age. The structure itself was a domed pavilion of sorts, the figure stopped at the edge of the pool gazing out, the moon overhead shone a silver light onto the water, and the figure's bare feet began a slow procession down the cool stone steps that entered the shallow lake, the water rippling softly at the disturbance.
The cloak the figure wore swept out and spread with the flow of the tide, an inky blackness that flowed like the water itself as the figure continued on, as the cloak was pulled by the water it revealed a dress of the deepest blue that stuck to the bare skin of the figure now easily identified as a woman. The woman walked to the pavilion before kneeling down in reverence her pale hands reaching up pulling the hood from her head, revealing shining silvery-white hair that was decidedly short for that of a woman, her hair falling straight, just below her shoulder blades rather than a tumbling mass that fell too far down her back to be at all practical.
Despite her pure white hair, the woman's face was youthful although her emerald eyes held a wisdom her face did not show, she was fair to the eye but not in the way of the Eldar, she had a more dangerous beauty; sharp almond eyes, prominent high cheekbones. Aye she was truly beautiful, a maiden, yet she held the aura of one who had seen many years, lifetimes pass by and had been a participant in battles fought long ago, for despite her beauty she bore a scar that ran down from her hairline to below her right eye, usually covered by a section of hair that was fashioned to hide it, cut so that it fell in a hard diagonal line from the left to far below her right eye, a hardened warrior was she that much was clear. She was the Guardian. Blessed by the Valar to protect the line of mortal kings, immortal, fair, battle-hardened. She was Parendehl and she had been called, to fulfil her duty.
