Prelude

Hail, unicorns of the plain, who have been so kind to ask of me to sing more tales of the vale and of the unicorns that dwelled in it. There is the tale you have already known, the great lay of the Firebringer- Aljan, Dark Moon. But to repeat it again will doubtless bore you, so now I tell you of what happened after the Hallow hills were won, for the lay of unicorns does not end there. Though much has also happened in the hills, I shall sing to thee of what is closer to you free people of the plain.

When the great Aljan-with-the-moon-upon-his-brow led the Valedwelling unicorns to the Hallow hills, and the wyverns were swept from the land, some unicorns chose to remain behind in the Vale they had come to, over four hundred year, learn as their home. When these unicorns told Jan of this when they arrived at the hills, the dark unicorn complied, though he insisted to keep close touch with this sister-herd of the vale.

So it was thus that a quarter of the herd at the hills made their journey back to the vale, and lived as they once had lived. Their king was Argos, his mate and queen Lea, but those times are long past ere this tale begins. The Firebringer and his pied mate had long departed to eternity, and even their progeny, Dhattar and Aiony, were with them. Lell had, too, parted to join the great mother-of-all, and Illishar of the broken wing had joined her to finally unite with her within Alma in the way that they could have never done before. Those times were gone, and they were sung of like legends, but then, the peace was wearing out.

Without the wisdom of the magicker, Jah-lila, without the diplomatic skill of Jan, the relationships were withering- infact, gone. The Valedwellers did not even remember any time in their life when there was peace. The gryphons, once keen to ally with them, now seemed to just ignore them completely, and the pans were becoming aggressive. All that Jan had once worked for in the vale was gone. The wingcats did not bother the unicorns much, at least, for their sacred flocks of goat and deer had begun to move and dwell nearer to their mountains. It was almost a warp back in time to before the peace was about, except that the unicorns had changed. But then, at that time, like of the Firebringer, they had their own prophecy to be told.

Calydor, sire to Aljan-with-the-moon-upon-his-brow, whom many call Alm'harat's eyes, gave a prophecy days before he left to join the great mother. He left a verse with the Valedwellers, and ere our tale it was gossip, a whisper passed from ear to ear.

As though the past doth come alive

Firebrand's work of peace be gone.

Plainsdwellers renegades, pans are feared

Gryphons still hunt and charm with song.

Come Peacebringer, led by Alma's will

Her eyes watch his birth from afar.

Gray be dappled on his coat,

A gleaming star his chest bescars

War shall storm across this land,

But who shall stop it from spreading more?
Peacebringer! Peacebringer! So we call,

As the battle comes like rising storm.

He will' live to see the battle sway,

He will live to see war cast away

Peacebringer! Peacebringer! So they cry,

But who is to trust, and who is the lie?

A hundred winters they waited for the peacebringer's birth, and at last, he was born to them. They called him Jaros after his great grandsire, and he was battleprince of the unicorns. King Argos and Queen Aida showered their prophesized son with praise- Jaros, pride of all the colts, best of the generations' progeny. Their other colts and fillies gradually drifted into non-existence in their mind, and even the other unicorns in the herd told them of it, they would not admit it. It was as though Jaros were their only son, and alas he grew to be a spoilt colt.

Jaros was near half-grown, and this is where my tale begins, on the fringe of the plain and the Pan woods, where a mare scout was sent to check for signs of goatlings.