Chapter 1 - ' Ambrosé '

A country in ruins is no country.

Lucid green eyes trailed around the emptying room. Being the Crown Prince of Xyra, he was obligated to attend the royal meeting. The resounding agreement was that one of the Crown Princesses would be chosen by 'he with no name'.

This would be the first of many compromises on either side, since the start of the Great War. Waide thought that marriage was backward thinking. Instead of making efforts to strengthen whatever was left of the Zyrian army, the King decided to submit to the whims of the Dark King. This meant the official choosing would occur two days from the present moment.

Feeling frustrated that he could not do anything. He wandered the palace halls until he grew tired. A fleeting idea entered his mind. As though led by strings, he approached his favourite area within the castle's lands.

The Northern garden held all of Zyra's beauty within it and was by far the most grand garden on the property of the castle. Held in a constant state of bloom by the magic of the nymph. The garden was truly extraordinary.

A decaying flower in the sea of greenery made him feel even more sour. Careful not to crush any flowers along the way he walked over to the plant.

"Listaro," said Waide. His voice, a mere whisper, was directed to the flower.

A small ball of green light formed in the palm of his hand. Using slow, but precise movements he distributed his magic onto the blackened petals.

Another sign of the Dark King's invasion. Plants and animals were dying without cause. Being a water Nymph, life itself was a beautiful thing in his eyes. It hurt him to see so many dead creatures and plants around him. Taking every opportunity given he revived the plants that he came across. He made his way across the garden healing the dying flowers.

Seeing one more at the base of a grand willow tree. He prepared to restore it when he paused. A pair of black, shoes came into sight. Clad in light battle armor the one person he did not expect to meet stood enjoying the late evening sunset. His long, midnight black hair cascaded down his shoulders not moving an inch out of place.

Not a sound. Not a s ... A twig snapped loudly underneath Waide's foot. The black haired beauty who seemed unaware of his presence at first, locked eyes with him. Deep, royal blue eyes which had seen some of the most unspeakable horrors, gazed upon him.

Transfixed, Waide stared at the man he was only able to catch a glimpse of before. Not wanting to appear rude, he looked away. Seeing the reason behind their chance meeting, his priorities slipped into place.

The need to fix the dying flower overwhelmed him. Stepping closer, his heart rampaged within his chest. Fingers slick with sweat, he arrived before the giant called a man. Judging eyes stared at him from less than an arm's length away.

Not breaking eye contact, Waide stooped low. Quickly drawing out his magic, he revived the dying flower. He stood up feeling better, but at the same time worse.

He's definitely glaring at me!

"If you'd excuse me," said Waide, before the Dark King.

Hearing the calls of 'My Prince'. Waide turned around with intentions to leave. Beautiful strands of oaky brown hair fluttered in the cool afternoon wind.

The long strands brushed against the Dark King's lips, taking with it the scent of the sea. Drawn back to the present, a pale hand reached out.

Having travelled through the universe and many of its solar systems. The small beauty before him was not different per say, but the memories he brought with him were. Frozen to the spot Waide could not help but focus on the cold, but soft touch.

"My Prince, we were looking for you! The sun is setting," said one of manservants who was assigned to Waide. They stopped in their tracks upon seeing the Dark King.

"Your Highness, if you could release me. It is getting dark," said Waide. His green eyes jumped fearfully between the castle and the ever distant sun. Deep blue eyes looked out to the horizon, before landing on the slender face in front of them. He knew that expression far too well.

Fear.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" said His Eminency.

The last of the sun rays were pushed away by the two moons. Lina and Eesa. The arm that trembled in his hand turned violent. Waide's tremor had less to do with the temperature around them and more to do with the looming darkness that grew around him. The condition surrounding the Dark King's element was met and the call of death was easy to hear.

Unfortunate souls to fall by his hand moaned from within the dark wisps of energy that began to whip about his body. Waide's eyes grew wide as he struggled to get free.

"Please, I can't stay outside any longer! Your Highness!" Waide's voice a trailed off into a whimper.

Warm feelings moved the Dark King's heart. Seeing that the young man before him did not intend to answer his previous question. His Eminency took action.

Creating on a much smaller scale 'the black mist'. A mist which could cause the person who inhaled it to hallucinate. He controlled the vision and hearing of the servants present. Eyes wide in horror, four words left the Crown Prince lips.

"What did you do?"

"They are fine," said His Eminency. His nonchalant manner did not sit well with Waide.

Ignoring the cries just beyond the black wall, His Eminence focused on the young Prince. A jewel the size of a baby's thumb was removed from his breast pocket. The crystal glowed with an eerie yellow light. Waide's eyes grew large. They shined in the dim light emitted.

"Persephone's flame!" said Waide. The Dark King smiled. He is knowledgeable. Manipulating the energy around him a delicate chain of fine links was made. The jewel, its main piece hung loosely in the center.

"Never fear the dark ... only what lives in it."

Reaching down to the shorter man, he placed the chain around his neck. The second it touched Waide's skin the jewel flared to life. His Eminency chuckled to himself. He is afraid of the darkness.

Persophone's flame though small in size could brighten an entire room. The light would always shine without fail once the wearer experienced any form of distress in the dark. The stone, an ingenious gift from her husband Hades. This was at the time of their marriage. The light was said to be of a comfort to the lady as she adjusted to her new life.

Of course the original flame was still in the possession of her Majesty. Since Her Eminency became a frequent user of the stone. The stone itself was then largely popularized by Persephone's good faith in it.

As one of the Crowned Kings of the Darklands, it was far too easy to gain one for himself in spite of the stone's demanding nature. The materials used to create the stone were beyond rare, and strict conditions were needed to be met in order to create the flame inside.

A lot of resources were usually wasted to create one Longlife stone. Depending on the lustre of the jewel, the value attached to it could easily cost a kingdom a year's worth of its income. With this information at hand, His Eminency looked at the young man who had saucers for eyes.

"It is yours to keep," said His Eminency. Turning away he slipped into the inbetween, a space where few magic users could go.

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Waide.

Waide looked up. No longer distracted by the pretty jewel, he searched for His Eminency. Not allowed too much time to ponder, the wall of black mist dissipated. The condition of the men was beyond what Waide could imagine. He quickly began soothing their damaged minds.

"It's alright." He muttered to the men. Caring for their every need, he used his element to help them.

Standing in the shadows two pairs of midnight blue eyes looked on at the scene with keen interest.

Using the language of their home nation, the man with the short, strawberry blonde hair spoke, saying, "Is he the one?"

"Yes." Replied the man with the long black hair.

"I guess it is true. Eros is not random, you were chosen." The man with the black hair said nothing in response and left the scene to indulge in the darkness of the night.

"My Prince!"

The cry of his manservant was ignored. Walking at a furious pace Waide stormed through the castle. He had it last night, it was there! He never took it off, and now it was ...

With more noise than what was considered polite he burst into the castle's dining hall. Waide slowed his steps. He didn't wake up that late did he? Sitting dressed in full formal attire the King and Queen of Xyra were entertaining the Dark King. All eyes turned to him.

"My King and Queen. Your Highness."

The King and Queen of Xyra were kind and loving. Though many would consider what occured to be a great offense. They were lientant and showed no ill will to their son. Asking his esteemed guest for pardon first. The King then called on his son. In a hushed voice the King was able to quickly get to the bottom of his son's woes.

Not having a definitive answer for the young man, the most obvious thing to think was 'there's a thief within the castle's walls'! Not wanting to raise any alarms Waide did his best to calm his father down. Feeling ashamed of his carelessness, Waide turned to the Dark King.

"Your Highness, if I may address you," said Waide. The Dark King waved his hand in approval. Having gotten His Eminence's approval, Waide continued saying, "You must forgive me. I seem to have misplaced the item of value that you gave to me."

The silence that fell in the room was hard not to notice. The King looked at his son who did not mention the origin of the item. His Eminency had a look of indifference plastered to his handsome face.

"Then what is that?" said His Eminency.

Waide looked at his chest in confusion. The necklace was nowhere to be seen. He passed his hand along his collarbone not feeling the metal there.

A small amount of the Dark King's aura slid under the table. It cheekily slipped along the Crown Prince's body wrapping itself around his neck. Through the watery darkness. A chain of expert craftsmanship could be seen. Waide reached up to touch it, but only felt his bare skin.

"It's here, but ... it's not," said Waide. His voice barely above a whisper.

The Dark King gazed longingly at the young man, saying, "Some things can only exist within the darkness." He called on the energy that covered the chain around the Young man's neck. The chain disappeared from sight once more.

"I'm sorry to have caused such trouble, My King and Queen. Your Highness," said Waide.

Waide angrily beat down on himself for his stupidity. Of course something made entirely out of darkness would never be visible during the daylight hours!

Due to the fact that word travels quickly within the palace, his sisters had gotten wind of his social misstep and teased him to no end about it. Praying for his own demise to arrive quickly. Waide rushed out of the study room as soon as he was done, to the place where he was most welcomed.

The large fountain that cascaded out to the sea was replenished with the magic of the nymphoid. A gift of good heart from the Water nymphs to the Woodland nymphs at the marriage of his mother to his father.

Thanking the heavenly Gods and Goddesses that this portion of the castle was enclosed by tall rose hedges. He quickly removed the layers he wore. Folding them neatly, he placed them under one of the stone benches that surrounded the fountain. The second his feet touched the blessed water, he fell apart becoming one with the magic within.

Losing track of time, the world underwater darkened and the temperature of the water slowly dropped. Seeing Lina and Eesa cross the sky, Waide's heart picked up as he sped to the surface.

A heaviness appeared on his chest. He looked down to see the black chain in all its glory, pulsing within the water. The speed he initially had slowed down considerably. A smile graced his lips. Taking his time he made it from the sea and back up to the fountain. Lean muscles on a slender body with broad shoulders broke the surface of the water.

Eyes flashing a bright shade of green, he paused upon seeing the invader of his space. Sitting in the most relaxed manner on one of the stone benches. His Eminency gazed leisurely out to the sea below.

"Your Highness," said Waide.

His skin which had a green tint from being underwater for a long period of time flushed pink. Clutching the edge of the fountain for dear life. Waide dared not lift himself from the water, least he brought more shame on himself.

"I didn't realize there was someone using the fountain. Please, forgive me," said His Eminency.

"It is me who should apologise!" The words were blurted out before Waide fully thought things through. His Eminency frowned at Waide's words.

"What I meant was..." Green eyes stared deeply in glassy navy blue ones. Losing his train of thought Waide's voice trailed off. Acting even more flustered than the first time they met. Waide was unsure of what to do with himself.

"Just ask," said His Eminency.

A sly smile crossed his lips. He knew that in order for the nymph to become one with the element they possess. They would usually rid themselves of worldly possessions. Alert navy blue eyes gazed hungrily at the teasing body before it.

Covering his lips with his hand, Waide sheepishly said, "Your Highness, could you look away please?"

Without responding his eyes turned to the side, looking at the roses beside him. The sound of the water returning to the sea was soft in the night. Standing perfectly dry, Waide quickly retrieved his clothes slipping into them as he touched the material.

"Thank you," said Waide.

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