A/N- Sorry about the semi-long wait. My friend and I have a buddy system now for updating fanfics…so maybe I'll keep all my fics on track. Well, we're working on it. Please enjoy.

Chapter 1

Seventeen Years Later…

In the deepest part of the Great Tree, Coal swaggered up to the bloodstained ebony table. Her eyes, still devoid of all coloration…forever lost in black, showed no sign of emotion. This left the smile on her lips lifeless as she mixed the dried herbs laid before her in a bowl carved of bone.

Her hair had grown waist length and was as dark as midnight. She wore black pants that held tightly to her hips and a shirt that extended just past her breasts and had no sleeves. As of this moment, her feet were unclad.

She crushed the herbs together until a stinking cloud of the densest gray smoke arose from them. Smiling to herself--again with an eerie emptiness in her eyes, she snapped her fingers sharply. The goblin Darkness had provided her with as a servant, pet, what-have-you, quickly brought to her another bowl carved of bone. This one was filled with water. Placing the water-filled bowl beside the smoking one, she lifted her hands above her head.

"Mother Night! I call upon your dark deeds and crafts! Show me the Elderborn Forest!" she cried.

Suddenly, reflected in the water, was the image of a bright, sunny forest. A field of flowers was all that separated this forest from a great white wall surrounding a kingdom. Coal moved her hands into the path of the still rising smoke and lifted, as if the smoke were solid. And the smoke gathered in her hands and followed her every whim as she brought it close to the image of the forest. The dark child took a deep breath and blew the smoke onto…and into the water. When she had blown all the smoke away from her, she leaned in over the bowl, both her hands on the table.

"Yes…yes," she muttered to herself. "Engulf Elderborn. Choke the life out of that kingdom. Destroy the King and Queen!"

…………………

At the same exact moment that Coal was performing her dark spell, Diamond sat back from the forest, playfully picking at a flower. The slight, warm breeze caught her flowing white dress and danced it about her. Her hair--platinum white in color--perfectly framed her fair face. And her eyes, devoid of color, were surprisingly warm to only reflect whiteness. Diamond took the petals from her flower and put them into a pouch that was attached to the silver rope that tied her dress closer to her tapered waist.

A foot or two from the Princess Diamond, Gump--forest elf of Elderborn Forest--stood, watching the edge of the trees attentively. Diamond never knew why, but her father--King Jack--always insisted that Gump be with her wherever she was…keeping an eye on her. For seventeen years, nothing dreadful had happened to the princess. Did he really expect something to happen now?

"Gump! Gump, come away from there! Come, sit and talk with me!" Diamond called.

Gump turned to face her, his still child-like face glittered with an unknown substance.

"Nay, Princess! I sense trouble brewing in the east!" he said.

And Diamond gasped. Gump turned. Coming fast over the forest was a great, gray, dense cloud. Diamond stood.

"What is it?" she asked.

She gasped again as the cloud came closer, and she watched as a flower choked and died on the gloom. Gump ran toward her and grabbed her arm.

"Run!" he said, pulling her back toward the city's gates.

She didn't need to be told twice. Doing fairly well in with keeping with the elf's great speed, she dared not glance back.

"What is it?" she asked again.

"An evil spell! Quickly, we must get to the palace and inform your parents!"

…………………

"Don't go! Please, Father, Mother!" Diamond begged.

She and Gump had reached the palace long before the cloud. In fact, the wicked thing had not even reached the gates yet. It was almost as if it had deliberately slowed to give them an advantage.

Gump had quickly informed the King Jack and the Queen Lili of the problem. The two had exchanged worried glances and then had made their decision. They were now mounting horses to go out and find a way to fight the cloud.

"You cannot fight smoke!" Diamond tried to reason, tugging on her father's legging, as he and her mother were already up on their horses.

"And we cannot give up," he said. Then, giving his horse a kick, he added, "Yaw!"

Diamond hesitated only a moment before running behind her parents.

"Princess, come back!" Gump shouted only once before following.

Diamond followed them all the way through the city and out the gates. However, at the threshold of the gates, Gump and two guards caught her and prevented her from going further.

However, Jack and Lili rode until they met the cloud. And when they and their horses collided with the cloud, Diamond let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The King and Queen became stone.

End Notes: Okay, so, what do you think? I hope it wasn't too rushed. Please review! Oh, and thanks for the note about Blix…that had honestly confused me for forever!