Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

Author's Note: Back again! Since I've planned out and written most of the story, expect most updates to be quite quick. However, the story line is still flexible and I would really like it if everyone reviewed (don't we all)... Anyways, hope you enjoy a brief glimpse into the Silver Kingdom. By the way, Thomas Gaunt's name is symbolic... if you review and correctly guess why I named my antagonist Thomas Gaunt I will PM you.

Chapter One

In Which Trouble Stirs In Paradise: A Brief Glimpse Into The Tragedies Of Dorea Kimiri, Exiled Silver Queen

The Silver Kingdom, some said, was nearly identical to the Golden Kingdom. Both were happy, prosperous, with fair and loyal rulers. Both had strong armies and were symbols of the Light. In times of War against upstart Dark Mages, they had often been allies and aided each other against their common enemies. However, both Kingdoms were also known for their dark past and bitter rivalry against each other.

Ever since King Aurum Pax V had captured the Valley of Roses, the Silvers had plotted against the Goldens. Every Kingdom had seven jewels in their crown, seven highly magical Light places in their Realm. However, the Valley of Roses was probably the Lightest of all places with a high concentration of Love. Love, the most powerful Force in the entire world, was highly coveted for. The Valley of Roses had always been fought for by both Kingdoms, yet its beautiful land was careful to be unsoiled of blood. For a death to be performed in the Valley would dampen the Love that flowed through it. The Kingdoms had long since signed the Treaty of Roses, each doing their own to ensure no blood is spilled among those beautiful blooms.

Yet ever since a mysterious Thomas Gaunt had arrived in the Silver Kingdom as a ward of the State and befriended the young Heir, the Kingdom had been in a downward spiral.

How would one begin to describe Thomas Gaunt?

Thomas Gaunt was not too tall or too short, not too fat yet not too thin. He was muscular, but not overly so. He was excellent at duelling, which earned the title of Lord of War, and some said he could move without making a sound. Rumour had it that Lord Gaunt had his own secret internal network of spies inside the Silver and Golden Kingdom, yet the rumour had never been disputed nor acknowledged. Thomas Gaunt was handsome in an aristocratic way. His high cheekbones, thin lips and nose and strong jaw along with his well defined features made ladies swoon at court. Yet none dared approach him except for the bravest of the minxes, for he had an indescribable aura of mystery and foreboding that warned all of his presence.

Thomas Gaunt was a mystery, a dark and handsome mystery.

No one knew what his true intentions were, yet he seemed to be loyal to none but the King and his Queen.

"Your Majesty, the war against the Golden Kingdom is progressing along very nicely. Our troops still top two hundred and fifty thousand, and we have just sent fifty thousand through the Silver Passage, leaving the bulk of our soldiers to defend the Palace and patrol our borders. My spies report that the Golden Palace is failing. Their lands are not producing enough food to feed their people because of the famine that inhabits their southern lands. They are getting desperate. Their troops are a fifth of ours, numbering at just above fifty thousand. The Valley will soon be ours,"

Thomas Gaunt's smooth, elegant voice whispered in the Council Room. All the Lords and Ladies close by could not help but feel an internal chill run up their spines.

"A-Are you sure your figures are correct, M-milord? M-My spies say..." the Lord of Strategy hesitantly voiced.

"Your spies say what, milord?"

The cool voice of Thomas Gaunt cut through the man's sentence, an undercurrent of danger running through his words.

"N-nothing,"

"Oh, Thomas, don't frighten everyone with your pessimistic aura! Pray, milord, do continue," the jovial voice of the King rumbled. The tension in the Council room eased slightly as the Lord of Strategy shakily bowed his head in acknowledgement. "M-my spies have reported only a little over than ten thousand troops marching to battle. Only around fifty thousand are still in their barracks,"

"Do not worry. The ten thousand first are only decoys, milord. The rest of the forty thousand that will follow form the bulk of the army. I have said before that most of our soldiers are patrolling our borders. Surely fifty thousand troops will be more than enough to protect the Palace. After all, the Golden Kingdom only has fifty thousand soldiers,"

Thomas Gaunt's cool reasoning and logic left no room for doubt in anyone. The Council was dismissed, and everyone nearly sprinted out of the room.

***

The Silver Queen shook, her beautiful face flushed. It was past midnight, and all she wore was a dressing gown as she stared at the stars. The Queen was on her balcony, overlooking the Palace, when a silky voice disrupted her worries.

"Your Majesty,"

Hot breath caressed her neck.

"T-Thomas. W-What are you doing out so late?" the Silver Queen tried to laugh.

"Have you... thought... of my proposition?"

The Queen sighed. There was no way to escape this man that haunted her every thoughts, were the substance of her every nightmare. "I have,"

"And your answer?"

"Do you swear? Do you swear to leave the Silver Kingdom, to leave Charlus alone?" demanded the Queen at last. She had meditated upon the stars every day since that fateful night he had approached her. It was near a fortnight ago that she had first received his... interesting proposition.

"I swear,"

The Queen dared not turn her head to look upon the cold but handsome features of her worst foe. "Words are said to be broken. Surely you know that,"

"I have always kept my word,"

The Silver Queen wanted to shout liar. The Queen wanted to scream, to call for her guards, for her loving husband. Her husband. Oh, how she missed him. "Why me?" "Because he loved you. Because... because I love you too,"

The Queen felt a shiver run up her spine.

"I-I... I--"

"I want your answer tonight,"

The Queen swallowed nervously. Tonight was so short. Was it worth it, though? Worth it to agree, worth it to...

"It's Charlus' life, and your precious Kingdom, on the line, Your Majesty,"

The mocking words stabbed at her.

The Silver Queen whirled around, looking at her childhood best friend, her sole companion, her lover, the nightmare of her dreams, the darkness in every shadow, her worst enemy, her boggart, her foe.

How did one begin to describe Thomas Gaunt?

"Dorea... I can be a patient man, but I have been patient," A pregnant pause reigned as the Queen studied the starry night sky, praying for any sign, or hope, or an answer she could give to delay the inevitable.

"I'll accept,"

Thomas broke into a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

"Wise choice, Your Majesty,"

One of the guards on the night patrol had arrived at the balcony by then, and had yelled, "Who's there?"

So Thomas kissed her. Kissed her as the guard's eyes widened in shock before hardening, kissed her as two stunners were shot into the night, his lips locked onto hers as they were carried before the King's feet, his dark eyes filled with malice as they stared into her very soul.

She hoped to all the Gods in the world she had chosen right, chosen the noble thing to do. Choosing the right path never meant choosing the easy path. At least this way, she had word, however much it was worth.

That night, in her cell, with his own next to hers, she heard his voice before she sank into unconsciousness.

"You won't have forever, but you've earned him seventeen years. Seventeen years to raise your precious boy, your precious James. Seventeen years without you, until I come to destroy your beloved Kingdom,"

She wept in her nightmares.

Had she chosen the right thing to do? Her sacrifice, for seventeen years? Seventeen years she hoped to the Gods her husband would use wisely?

Only time would tell.

***

The Silver Queen of Elves, Dorea Kimiri was exiled with her lover the Lord of War, Thomas Gaunt. The news shocked the Kingdom. They had all seen the lovely Queen, their beautiful Queen, and how passionate, brilliant, and so in love with the King she had been. They had seen the Silver Couple, seen their rise and fall and their fairytale wedding. Impossible. It was nothing but a rumour.

But the exiled Queen was led through every prominent town in her tattered, once beautiful dress. Her face was haggard, long and drawn, with just a hint of the fair beauty she had once been. Her eyes were expressionless, blank, and tormented. It was killing her to be mocked by her shocked subjects, mocked by the ones she loved, mocked by the ones she had done this for.

Mocked for her sacrifice.

Seventeen years wasn't a very long time.

She had tried her hardest for even a meeting with Charlus, but the King did not want to ever see her again. He precious boy, whom she had bore, was too young to understand why his beloved mother would never be seen again. Her heart had broken, shattered into pieces, when she heard him wail into the breaking dawn for his mother.

His mother.

Seventeen years wasn't a very long time.

It was part of her vow to never tell the truth to any Silver citizen. Part of her vow to be exiled forever, never to return under the law. Thomas had long since disappeared from his prison cell. No one knew how, but everyone was wary of him, and the stranger in the shadows. Thomas Gaunt had been, and always will be, a feared man.

At long last, Dorea was pushed out of the Silver Gate by pitying guards who looked at her in disbelief. A satchel of rough foods was shoved gently into her hands, and the broken young woman was led off into the distance, away from her Kingdom.

She made her decision then. She could never return to the Silver Kingdom, but she had not been made Queen for nothing. Dorea was a damn decent fighter, and a trained Battle Mage at that. All those mock duels with...

Thomas.

Thomas, her trusted friend, her closest advisor, her older brother. Older brothers weren't supposed to love their sisters in anything but a platonic way! How many secret had she told him, only to have them thrown harshly back into her face?

She would get her revenge though. She couldn't tell any Silver citizen.

No one said anything about the Golden King.

***

The War was over. The Golden King was pushed by his strong-willed wife to 'kill all the goddamn Silver soldiers before I kill You!' and he had his new brilliant darling baby daughter to think of. The Golden troops had decimated the Silver ones, and the Council had rejoiced. They had received news that the Silver King had been betrayed by his most trusted advisor, and had never known the situation on the war. The news from the Lady of Tactics and Strategy's spy confirmed that one Thomas Gaunt, ex-Lord of War and lover of the exiled Queen, had twisted all his battle reports, decimating the Silver Troops in one fell.

The Treaty of Aurum Mons was signed. The Valley of Roses was to be given to the Golden King, and another war over that magical landmark was to never happen again between the two Kingdoms as long as the current King's family ruled on the Golden Throne. Yet the war, as the Golden Couple soon discovered, was far from over. After all, it was only the beginning.

Half a year after her exile from the Silver Kingdom, the Golden Couple received a missive from the exiled Elvin maiden. Dorea Kimiri requested an audience from Their Majesties. The Council debated over this for several hours. Some claimed she was a betrayer; she had committed treason, after all. Some did not trust her. Yet others urged their companions to give the young exiled Queen a second chance, to hear her side of the story.

Finally, the Golden Queen stepped in.

"SILENCE! I will have SILENCE!"

The room died down to a murmur.

"Thank you. I have decided to receive Dorea Kimiri into the Council Room. The truth spell on the doors shall prevent her from speaking that which is not. Besides, an exiled Queen can hardly do much harm against us,"

Several of the Council scowled heavily at that, protesting their worries of the King and Queen's safety. Their pleas were met by deaf ears.

***

After being exiled ruthlessly by her husband, for elves mated for life, Dorea Kimiri had fled to the Golden Kingdom. Using her magic to disguise her appearance, she had assumed the identity of a thirty five year old Golden Forest Elf and had roamed the Enchanted Forest ever since. A month after she arrived in the fabled forest, she found a little clearing amidst the tall oak trees close to the Golden Capital City of Auraley. There, she used her skills in permanent Conjuring to create a small cottage surrounded by a vibrant flower garden.

After pawning her jewels and the beautiful dress she had run away in, she Conjured clothes for herself and made a living by becoming a Healer. Every day, she trained for the upcoming battle that would occur between her and Thomas in the near future by exercising her Battle Mage powers and her Battle Art prowess. Her Healer Mage side enabled her to gather herbs to sell and to cure sicknesses and disease among the Forest Elves and neighbouring villages. No one guessed that the humble Forest Elf Healer was actually the exiled Silver Queen in hiding.

When the war finally died down and peace was restored through the Treaty of Aurum Mons, Dorea finally sent her loyal Golden Eagle to the palace. The Elvin maiden always did have a natural gift with animals. Every royalty in the Silver and Golden Kingdoms were allowed to enter the Phoenix Hall once. If a Phoenix Egg chose them, and the hatched Phoenix bonded with them, the King or Queen would be granted their life-long companion. Unless the King or Queen turned Evil or committed Treason against the Crown, their phoenixes would not forsake them. Dorea technically did not commit Treason, and her phoenix knew of her intentions, so Diamond continued to stay with her exiled Mistress.

Royalty also never used common birds to deliver their messages, although they would never use their phoenixes as messenger birds. Instead, the usual accepted bird would be a Golden Eagle. To ensure her missive would reach the King and Queen's hands as fast as possible, Dorea had decided to send her request for an audience using her royal bird.

A few weeks after her plea was sent, to her surprise the Golden Queen replied personally saying the Council would expect her in the Council Room in two days. Dorea smiled at that. Perhaps... perhaps she could get the King and Queen to hear her story and listen to her warning. Seventeen years wasn't a very long time.

Every night her dreams were haunted by her childhood friend.

***

"Lords and Ladies, you all know what we are here for today. Dorea Kimiri, exiled Silver Queen, has requested an audience of Their Majesties," the Lord of War began. The Council doors swung open then, and the young exiled Elvin maiden walked through with her head held high, every inch of the Queen she had been born to be. "Greetings, Your Majesties and the Golden Council," Dorea swept a curtsey to everyone before taking the offered chair.

"Lady Kimiri, you have requested an audience from us," stated the Queen, "Use your time wisely,"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," replied Lady Kimiri, before taking a breath to settle herself, "Tell me, what do you know of Thomas Gaunt?"

"Not much. He is a very private man, but he is feared by all," said the Lady of Tactics and Strategy impatiently, "And he is also your lover,"

Lady Kimiri flinched slightly at that, but persisted, "Thomas was not always as dark as he is now. Nor was he as powerful. He was our childhood friend, mine and Charlus', and my surrogate older brother. When he first came to court, he was friendly to everyone and the most charming person you could meet besides Charlus. The two of them formed strong bonds of brotherhood after their first adventure, and they included me in their little group. We were all Battle Mages, you see. But this is beside the point. You should know that five years ago, Thomas left the palace to travel around the Kingdom. He returned three years later... changed... and he returned as the man you see now.

I was suspicious at first. I have always known him best. I assure you though, I think of him as nothing but my brother, and I still do now. He has never been my lover,"

The Council was shocked at that proclamation.

"Y-You... you're telling the truth!" shouted the Lord of Finance in shock.

"Yes, I am. He. Has. Never. Been. My. Lover. Nor do I carry any feelings for him that are not platonic," Lady Kimiri heavily emphasized. The Council buzzed with this new revelation.

"Silence! Lady Kimiri, then how were accused of treason?" The Golden Queen's interest had been piqued now.

"Simple. I discovered the truth about Thomas. When he left all those years ago to study other branches of Magic, he fell in with a group of Dark Elves. They practiced... blood magic, dark rituals, and dark magic of the blackest kind. Human sacrifices, and the like. The Master of their little group captured Thomas. That was all the information I could find, and I had lost ten of my spies procuring that information already.

Thomas confronted me then. You see, I never did know the true reason why he left. He just... packed his bags and left one day. He told me the reason he left was because he duelled Charlus – for me. Charlus won, being stronger than Thomas ever could be. He told me... that day... that... anyways, he made a deal with me. He wanted me to duel with him. So I accepted. Before he left, Thomas and I had been equal in power, strength, and knowledge, magic... we were equals in the battle field. When I duelled him, I quickly began to realize that he now far surpassed anyone else I had ever duelled before, including Charlus.

He told me then that he had come back to the palace for one reason and one reason only. He wanted his revenge on Charlus, and revenge on me. So... we struck a deal. I didn't want him to harm Charlus, my new born son, or my Kingdom. He wanted his revenge. So I did it. I became his... lover,"

The Ladies at that point jumped up in outrage.

"You should have died! Died rather than strike a deal with the devel!" spat one. Another just shook her sadly at Dorea in disgust.

The Queen, on the other hand, seemed to understand.

"I will have SILENCE! Ladies, back to your seats!"

The ladies grumbled before all six of them took their seats once more. "Thank you. And, Lady Kimir, I fully sympathize with you. If it had been me in that position, I believe I would do exactly what you did,"

Before the six ladies could protest, the Queen quickly continued, "Ladies, I ask of you now to think deeply. What would you do in Lady Kimiri's position. Would you accept the deal, exile yourself, with the promise that the traitor would be exiled with you and your Kingdom, husband and children be safe? Or would you call the guards, the traitor demolish your palace, most likely taking your life and the life of your husband and children with him, and waging war on your already weakened Kingdom?"

"Lady Kimiri, would you mind accompanying me to my rooms? I have a proposition for you,"

The Lady accepted.

***

"Is it refuge you want here in the Palace? After listening to your story, I will gladly give it to you," broached the Queen.

The Lady shook her head. "Your Majesty, there was a second reason I came here. Before Thomas fled from his cell, he told me that he had never meant to keep his end of the deal. He is out there now, somewhere, gathering his Dark Army. All I could get from him was that he would strike in seventeen years,"

The Queen frowned at that, pressing a hand to her forehead. "What we do not need is another war,"

"I agree, but at least... you have a head start. I have delivered my warning. Please remember, Your Majesty, that seventeen years is not a long time. If you need my services, I will be here for you,"

"Wait!" called the Queen, "Are you a Mage?"

Lady Kimiri smiled. "I am a Battle-Healer Mage. Until we meet again, Your Majesty,"

She turned once on her heel before she glowed with an inner light and burst into pieces that quickly scattered and faded away.