Chapter 1: The Prophecy
xxxxxxx
Character cross-overs
Queen Bavmorda: Raven Darkholm (Mystique)
Sorsha: Rogue
Midwife: Suzanne Chan (Sway)
more character cross-overs later on…
xxxxxxxx
Queen Raven Darkholm, a sight to behold. Her beauty was one of a kind as was her whole existence. The once good sorceress had turned to the dark side the day her childhood friend had won the heart of their gallant Militia. Now, with no one powerful enough to stop her and her army 'the Brotherhood', evil would spread across the lands and consume everyone and everything to the darkness.
The only conquest left unstained from evil was the land west of Castle Bayville. Its' pure lands and inhabitants thrived on being untainted by Queen Raven and her sinister army. 'Bah!' she thought, disgusted with the goodness that lived in those lands. How she cherished the evil and death that surrounded her.
The natural balance proved that evil could not rule forever without goodness making valiant efforts to right the wrong. It wasn't long ago Raven's trusted Seer had come to warn Raven of her vision of the one being that would end Raven's reign. Though the being was yet to be born, preparations had to be made to ensure Raven's wrath would fight the next bringer of good.
Since the Seer had foretold of this prophecy, Raven had sent her army to scout the lands, seizing all pregnant women and bringing them to Castle Bayville where they would deliver their child in the dungeons of Bayville. With each child born came the inspection for the symbol of goodness it would carry on its' left elbow, the 'X'.
When the one being was born, Raven would be ready to send it into a realm where its' powers would never threaten her again. And evil would triumph over all the lands.
~1~
It had been almost a year since her mother's Seer had foretold the threat of the child to bear. Now, appointed to inspect every birth until the child with the sign was born, Rogue was unlikely to join her troops in the field anytime soon.
Fighting in the field was the one thing Rogue loved most. She loved the hunt, the adventure. Instead she was here, in her chambers of Castle Bayville awaiting the birth of the next child. Rogue eagerly awaited the day she would return to the field and conquer the rest of the lands for her mother.
Ever since she was old enough to handle a sword she was trained by the best swordsmen and other various weapons used in battle. She was especially trained in the tactics of war.
Now, eighteen years old, Captain of her own army, she sat in wait. She brushed a white strand of her hair from her face. That cursed streak of inherited white hair had made most of her life with her mother a nightmare. Ever since she could remember her mother had cast spells to change it to match the rest of Rogue's brunette hair. But it would always grow back, white.
Raven loathed Rogue's white streak because it reminded her of her ex-lover. She hated all memories of him and the past when she trained as a good Sorcerer. And Rogue's white streak fueled Raven's hatred.
One day, Rogue had finally had enough, on her return from the field her mother was about to cast another spell but Rogue stopped her. "No! It's mah hair, not mah father's. Don't change it," Rogue had demanded. From that day forth all spells ended.
On the subject of her father, Rogue was unclear on her feelings for him. She never met the man before but her mother hated him more than anyone so she supposed she hated him as well. He was after all an enemy of Bayville.
The awareness of her current surroundings brought her back to her chambers. She thought about her duties here as each day a new child was born, after her inspection, hope filled her only to be drained as the sign was nowhere to be found.
It was a rainy day, on the tenth month of this relentless search that it had finally ended. Rogue was summoned by one of the servants' who was to alert her when a new child was born. Rogue pulled on her boots and followed the servant to the dungeon cell of the recent birth.
The familiar settings played before her; the filthy room and exhausted mother lying on a straw pallet. There, near the door, the midwife stood, cradling a child in her arms. "The inspection," Rogue demanded.
The midwife walked forward and opened the blanket that was wrapped around the child, than recovered the infant before Rogue could get a glimpse of the newborn.
"Wait," Rogue said, grabbing the arm of the midwife. Again, the older woman opened the blanket, this time she waited for Rogue to inspect the child. "There," Rogue said, pointing at the mark. "The sign, quickly, Ah must tell mah mother," Rogue said, leaving the cell to inform her mother.
"Please, Suzanne, you must take my child away from here," the mother had pleaded.
"I cannot," Suzanne said, denying her instincts knowing the mother was right.
"She will end the evil of this world. What greater cause is there?"
Suzanne closed her eyes, she dreamed of herself in the future, the wolves of Raven's kingdom finally hunting her down and catching her. Their teeth eating away at her flesh, but the child was safe and she had been a part of Queen Raven's downfall. She was right, there was no greater cause.
Quickly she wrapped the child in more blankets, than left the cell. Coming down the hall was Queen Raven. Suzanne stopped to bow her head to the Queen, blending herself in with the rest of the servants.
The Queen passed as did the rest that followed. The hall was now empty and Suzanne left the dungeon as fast as she dared. In no time she was outside and nearing the mountains towards the western realms. In all her life Suzanne never felt more certain about anything.
Back inside the dungeon cell, cradling a blanket, the mother treated it as though it were her real child. Raven snatched the blanket through cries of pleas from the mother not to kill her child. "This threat to my powers shall not live to see life for very long," Raven said eager to finally have the child of the prophecy in her possession, it was then she realized the child was gone.
"Where's the baby?" Raven demanded, discarding the blankets to the floor in a rage.
In response the mother laughed. That laughter echoed throughout the rest of the dungeon. All of the pregnant mothers were laughing, at her. Grabbing Rogue by the wrist, she pulled her daughter closer to give her instructions. "Find the baby! Take the army, use the wolves, I don't care. Bring that child back to me, alive!" she demanded. Rogue left the cell to do her mother's bidding. A smile tugging her lips, she was back in the field.
With a flick of wrist, Raven gestured towards the lot of the pregnant women. "Kill them, kill them all!" she declared to her troops. The troops dispatched to do her bidding.
xxxxxxxx
A/N
Thanks for reading and your patience! Reviews, thoughts, concerns are welcomed and appreciated!