Prologue
The Children of Njord
The perpetual thunder echoed across the emptiness of the sea. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the darkness with its vein-like bolts against the heavens. Deep within a cave in the dark cliffs, three young maidens sat in a surprisingly comfortable room.
Candles were placed in every precipice and nook that could be found, bathing the space in flickering shadows and light. The three woman, almost identical in appearance, sat across the room at their various activities. One spun wool into thread while holding a pair of scissors in her lap, another was surrounded by several looms as she worked back and forth, and the third wrapped the threads into skeins before placing them at the weaver's feet.
"Njord is coming," the one at the spinning wheel said. "He hopes to ask us of his child."
"Children, Skuld," corrected the one wrapping the yarn around her hand.
"He comes to ask only of his wife's child," Skuld snapped. "He does not know of the others."
"Let Urd be," the weaver said, not glancing up from her work. "She was not aware you spoke of his intentions."
"You are far too soft, Verdandi," Skuld replied sharply. "And you wonder why I add misfortune to your ridiculously happy futures."
"Do people not deserve to be happy?" Urd asked in surprise.
"What is life without a little sorrow?" Skuld said with a smile. "Verdandi's hope brings the people naught but misfortune. I give them reality. Life is cruel. Why should I show them differently?"
"You won't bring anguish to his children, will you?"
"I'm afraid they will face many tribulations in their futures, no matter what Skuld chooses," Verdandi said.
Skuld and Urd looked at their sister in shock, not expecting her to say something so grim.
"Whatever do you mean?" Skuld asked.
"I see them," she answered. "The children of Njord."
"What will happen to them?" Urd asked anxiously.
"Two will meet death, both go willingly. One will become queen, uniting the Realms unlike anything we have ever seen. Great change will come with the children of the sea."
"No more riddles," she begged. "Tell us what you see."
"There will come a time when all seems lost. The Nine Realms will face threats that will change the very perception of reality. War will loom in the distance as the realms fade away one by one.
"The dawning of the end shall be marked by the evanescence of the Elder Race. The heavens will weep and blood will paint the once paradise. A green-eyed serpent shall escape the shadows and change the fate of the All-Father's pride.
"When all seems lost, the daughter of the sea and Princess of peace shall fall for the sake of the Realms. A warrior with blood of fire and earth will rise in her stead, marking the rebirth of all. On an ivory throne, the halfling shall sit, ushering in an era of prosperity for every being in existence.
"The serpent and phoenix shall share the crystal kingdom, allying the realms unlike ever before. No facet of existence will remain the same. All shall greet the change that comes with Renascentia."
"A prophecy?" Skuld asked.
Verdandi nodded grimly.
"And the children of Njord play a role in it?"
"They are essential to the rebirth of the Realms. One to live by her heart, one to save or destroy the land, one to tear their bonds apart, and all shall come hand-in-hand."
"Shall we tell Njord of this?" Urd whispered.
"No," Skuld answered. "He may know the prophecy, but no more. If the Realms are to survive, he must not know of the roles his children play."
"Is there no hope for any of them?" Urd asked.
"I fear there is little I can do to brighten their fates," Verdandi answered. "Now, hush, for the King approaches. We must simply watch what the three bring upon the Realms. They must continue on with no one's aid but their own."