For the most part the following chapter takes place in the present except for any words that are italicized they take place in the past. Basically this chapter is designed to introduce the overall main villain for this story in all of his darkness.
Disclaim: I am making no profit from this story and am simply borrowing the character's and place mentioned for my own enjoyment, while they belong to their respected owners.
Prydain
Smoke and ash tinged with the stench of death, pouring into the already blackened sky that covers the land, making it impossible to tell whether it is day or night. The large castle from where the smoke continuously pours from is just as dark as sky that it stands under. Built at an angle, the structure of the building is gnarly and worn with age, as the once white marbled fixtures have turned a dark grey over time. Black mountain and thorns rise from the barren ground below, poking in and around the castle's structures and stretching far off into the distance. Their edges sharpened and stained with dried red blood. Discarded corpses also litter the moat that surrounds the castle, a warning to all who dare approach that the owner of this castle is not someone who is to be trifled with. Finally, the door of the castle stood raised the image of large Gwythaints at its center and several more of these fearsome Aves' sat along the castle's mighty torrents.
The land of Prydain for that was what it was called had once been a happy place filled with light, laughter, and good cheer, much like other worlds that are filled with magic. But, now everywhere people turned, death scoured every corner. Ever since King Arawn had come to power, many centuries ago and was within this castle that the might King himself stood one of the castle's many torrents looking over his vast Kingdom. A powerful enchanter by nature Arawn had used his magic and fear to conquer the world that he now rained over. Though his two daughters, son in law, and wife, had tried to defeat him, even they were powerless to the magic he possessed. They had only managed to rein his powers in as it were, by ripping the seeds of his power from him, the Dark One, a book, and his cauldron.
For it was Arawn who had created the first Dark One from the Darkness of his own twisted heart after throwing it into the magical cauldron, that he had made after sacrificing countless lives to do so to a dark demon. A dark demon who he had asked for the power to command the spirits of army so powerful that even the gods themselves would fear him. With the Dark One at his command and the power to raise the dead he had enslaved all of Prydain under his ruthless power. Yet that had not been enough for him, he needed more, there were other world's out there to conquer and so too would they have known his wrath, if not for the events that had occurred all those years ago.
Something was wrong Arawn could feel it as he watched his army of the living and the undead moving along the path to victory. All of Prydain was about to be in his grasp he could feel it. The feeling of power and fear from even the Gods themselves were afraid of the power he possessed, and why shouldn't they. He was about to make history, by becoming the first human being that rivaled them. But, then a tremor shook the ground opening up the world below and sucking the souls of his undead soldiers' right from under him. "No, no, no this isn't supposed to be happening to me." Arawn gripped the edge of his castle in anger, trying to command them forward. However, something was very wrong, his magic once strong was growing weaker he could feel it as though it was being taken from him, but how. Arawn dashed from his place in the balcony down into the darkest depth of the castle where he kept his black cauldron and his book of spells, which were both the keys to the source of his magic.
He ran down the halls throwing open the doors, just in time to see the Dark One collapse to the ground as a dagger took shape in his wife's hands, while his cauldron was collapsing and sinking in on itself. "Achren he" shouted even as most of his magic began seeping from his body. "What have you done" he ran forward.
"Eilonwy, Hen Wen run," Achren beckoned her two girls toward one of the three portals she had opened up, "go before it's too late."
"Doing what I should have done before Arawn stopping you" said Achren as she tossed the dagger and book into a portal and they were ripped away taking the Dark One's body with it. The cauldron before it disappeared from sight, had taken on the shape of a vault.
Taran who stood beside him gave Eilonwy a heartfelt look as if he knew this would be the last time he would see his wife, and that he would never know his unborn son, the child that she carried. "Good by Eilonwy, Hen Wen, and my little boy," he silently whispered as the portal swallowed them whole.
As the portals and the vault vanished he grabbed his wife around his neck "where did you send them Achren? Where do those portals lead you vile witch?"
"Into the future, the present, and past,
But which is which is beyond your grasp,
And as for the cauldron.
Only the horned kill will now,
For through time and all worlds shall the Dark One's vault flow.
Leaving your goal beyond your grasp,
While as for you, without your dark magic, in this world you'll be trapped."
Achren chanted before with one last shudder from her chest she closed her eyes and spoke no more. For such was the price to be paid for the magic she had invoked.
Arawn with the last of his dark magic killed Taran in a blind range.
From then on King Arawn, time and again sent several soldiers throughout many lands looking for his vault, but never did he find what he sought most, and so it was that for the present ultimate power remained beyond his grasp.
"Master, master" a voice shouted disturbing Arawn from his thoughts.
"What is it you imbecile, can't you see I'm thinking?" Arawn grabbed the poor creature by its next and began twisting the goblin with its hands.
The poor goblin made faint gasping sound as it clawed against Arawn's hands. "I have news."
"Very well," Arawn released his hold on the goblins next, "what is it Creeper."
"Well pillaging and plunging is up another 10%, another plague has come through the town of…
"Yes, yes, I know all that Creeper," cutting of the goblin's speech "I don't need to be trifled with stuff I am already aware of, and for that I should feed you to my pets," motioning to the two large Gwythaints who stared at the goblin hungrily licking their tongue's across their beaks.
"I see well, and then I suppose it wouldn't interest you to know that, the cauldron's been activated."
"Again that has happened countless time," He spoke as he walked across the torrent entering through a door that led to his throne room his pet's flying beside him. "And each time I am no closer to figuring out what my traitorous wife did with the blasted thing or which world it resides. Because every time I begin to sense were it might be, it suddenly starts to vanish, until it gone, and again once more beyond my reach. Preventing me from finding it, my book, or the Dark One, whose power's she had bound in a dagger!" Arawn huffed as he took a seat his fingers digging into the arms of his throne.
"Yes, but this time is different Master, for this time, the Horned King has been released along with it."
"The Horned King, Are you sure the Cauldron's curse had finally come to pass?"
"Yes Master our spies tell us, they saw a figure with horn's rising up out of the very depth of the ground, well that was after it killed one of them. Burnt into an ashy corpse, the poor fool didn't know what hit him. Hit him because you know the lighting." Creeper chortled with glee.
"Hilarious, do they know who it was that opened the vault?"
"The stone was destroyed before they could and you no Gwythaints, they are a little hard of understanding the human tongue, as it were."
"So you're telling me that you have discovered the Horn King the one thing that can oppose me, or free me from the blasted prison, allowing me to have complete control over ever world in existence, and you couldn't even bother to get its true name!"
"Yes" Creeper gulped.
"Imbecile, boys" he held up his finger as he pointed it at the Goblin. "Dispose…"
"Wait, master I know, where the Horned King is. He's in the land without out magic, in a town called Storybrooke, Maine." Creeper put his hands up in defense as he coward back against the fall wall.
"You can kill him now." Arawn snapped his fingers.
The sound of tearing and the slashing of talons ripping through skin as loud screams were heard before all was silence, and the Gwythaints had returned to their post.
Arawn bent down to pick up a skull in his hand, "Thank you Creeper that was most helpful," he smiled as he crushed it into dust. "Hedge!" he shouted.
"Yes sire" a timid Goblin appeared tripping over himself as he ran into the room.
"Creeper's dead, congratulation you've just been promoted as my new head Goblin."
"Why thank you sir." Hedge spoke ringing his hat between his hands. "What are your orders?"
"My orders, I want you to ready my army, tell the Huntsmen of Annuvin, they're going on a trip."
"Where should I tell them they are going, sir?" Hedge asked.
"To a town called Storybrooke, Main, oh and Hedge," Arawn turned towards the goblin as it opened the door. "Do not make the same mistake that Creeper did, in failing me."
Hedge nodded as he rushed out the door holding his hat to his head.
Arawn reached over to the side of his throne and picked up his staff in hand. "You hear that Taran and Achren," fingering the two skulls that hung from it "soon my power shall return to its fullest and then and only then will every world in existence finally be mine."
Please review and send me any questions, comments, concerns, and creative criticism you have just no flame. Also for all those who had already read my first two chapter I did make some changes to it. For starters I switched the order of the first two chapter's since I felt that plot wise the one about the legend of the Dark One's Vault flowed better as the first chapter, with the chapter containing Neal's funeral as the second chapter. I also added a whole nother scene to the first chapter which takes place after the prophecy of the Horned King is mentioned. Plot wise it is kind of important so you might want to go back and read it if you haven't already.
