Prologue

The day had been cold and rainy. The light in the woods surrounding him was dim. The ground was cold and wet, but he didn't care. He brushed a hand through his messy hair. He scanned the area once more, gazing through the woods to sense any sign of peculiarity. But then, the most beautiful sight he could ever imagine came before his eyes.

Through the looming cedar trees, came a young girl, about seventeen. She stepped towards him, taking one glance behind her shoulder.

"Hello," she said. Her voice was soft.

He smiled at her arrival and walked toward her. "I've missed you," he said taking her hand in his.

"I've missed you, too," she said, gazing into his eyes. He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. He gently pressed his lips onto hers, cherishing every second of her presence.

It wasn't that these two hadn't seen each other. They actually had spent the previous evening dining together. But she had been, to him at least, drawn away from him, captivated by his best friend.

He knew she didn't mean to. He knew that that was how it was supposed to be. But he couldn't let go of the past that easy. He couldn't let go of her, just yet. But he couldn't give up his place. He couldn't give up the place that had taken him so long to earn.

And so he defied all odds and became not only a loyal friend, but also a secret lover.

And thus, their relationship was confined to late night meetings, secret passageways, and abandoned broom cupboards. It had to be kept a secret to protect not only themselves, but their respected societies, as well.

Preface

It had been an ancient war, inherited generation after generation. It was commonly known as the war between good and evil. It finally began to cool down, when our story begins.

The lands were separated by the Undyl Sea. On the west side, the sun brightly lit the shorelines of Oloro. The waters were translucent blue and the sand was fine and warm. The markets were full of chattering and laughter. Not a cloud brew in the side.

Across the way, the east was covered in a thick layer of fog. The waters were murky and the shores were rocky. Thick cedar trees grew all around the premises shading the island so that even when the clouds parted and the fog thinned, thin beams of sunlight could be seen.

It was said that these rare rays of light could change a snail to a butterfly. Some said it was the sight of a vibrant color that ignited the magic. Others said it was simply an illusion. But the light nonetheless held some type of magic, different to all that known to mankind. It was a deep magic, which had been embedded into the region centuries ago.

The Black family had ruled these lands for centuries. A strong monarchy had held the land to a standstill. Usath, or the Land of Black as it was called, had been sought out for peace from its neighboring brother, Oloro. Arcturus Black, ruler of the land, was in the middle of negotiations when he was brutally murdered by a clan of trolls living on the outskirts of the territory.

The next eldest, abled male in the pedigree, was Sirius Black, a fun loving, partying , inexperienced boy at the age of nineteen. He inherited the throne, with a close group of advisors by his side.

This assassination was wonderful news once relayed across the sea. The ruler of Oloro was Rufus Scrimgeour, who won a fair majority in the election, earlier. Scrimgeour felt it would be easy to manipulate the distraught nation to a full-fledged peace agreement, and perhaps even take control of parts of the region.

Scrimgeour knew of the self-centered, newly elected King Black. "I hear the sound of the spoils coming from the east," he was quoted saying to his personnel. And he was indeed correct. Sirius had been corrupted by the Spoils System, and his new power as King. He appointed his best friend, James Potter, as his second. But he still rejected the peace offers from his neighbors in the west leaving a disgruntled and desperate Scrimgeour to seek alternative solutions to the threatening menace in the east.