| abstract | - At the end of Rowan’s ten year period as Mayor, the Hero resigned to take up a more humble life in Oakvale with his wife. The years they spent together were full of happiness, but that didn’t mean they didn’t fight, because like every couple, they occasionally had their disagreements. At first the two of them were happy enough just to live by themselves, but they eventually felt the need to expand their family. Both of them wanted a child, and several days after Rowan’s thirtieth birthday, Avo blessed them with a beautiful baby girl. They called her Seraphina for she was their beautiful little angel. With Seraphina in their lives, Emily and Rowan believed that their family was complete. Their family was small, but perfect and they couldn’t be happier. As little Seraphina grew, it became clear that she had inherited her mother’s lushes chocolate brown hair, but kept her father’s sky blue eyes. However, she showed no sign of having inherited Rowan’s heroic blood, not that this worried the Hero. He was a very protective father and he was glad to know that his little angel wouldn’t be running off into danger any time soon. However, little did Rowan know, his happy family life was about to end. The day his happy world came crashing down started like any other. While Emily happily prepared breakfast, Rowan and Seraphina would go for their morning walk down by the water. They would collect shells and would paddle in the waves, though sometimes they ended up having a water fight, much to Emily’s dismay. It was one of these occasions that Theresa found her little brother. ‘That was graceful, Rowan!’ she laughed when Rowan tripped over and fell in the water. ‘Theresa!’ Rowan exclaimed. He hadn’t seen his sister since his wedding. ‘What are you doing here?’ ‘I need to talk to you about something in private,’ Theresa informed him, walking to the water’s edge. Seraphina moved closer to her drenched father. She didn’t know who the strange lady was. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’ Theresa added, motioning to her niece. ‘Oh yeah, I forgot that you two hadn’t met,’ said Rowan. ‘Seraphina, this is Daddy’s sister, your Aunt Theresa.’ ‘How are you, Seraphina?’ Theresa asked with a smile. ‘Good,’ Seraphina mumbled, hiding behind Rowan. ‘She’s a little shy,’ Rowan said, picking up Seraphina and leading his girls back to the house. ‘Yes, I can see that. Emily was the same. She’ll grow out of it. I take it she’s a Daddy’s Girl?’ ‘You bet she is!’ Rowan laughed. ‘She’s my little girl, who I’ve very protective of.’ ‘You’ll have to let go of her one day.’ ‘I know. When that day happens she’ll be asking the guards for a restraining order.’ Theresa snorted at that. ‘So where have you been?’ ‘Here and there,’ Theresa said with a shrug. ‘Nowhere worth noting.’ Rowan gave her a look. She was being very distant. He figured something of great importance must be on her mind. When arrived home, Emily greeted Theresa enthusiastically while Rowan and Seraphina went to get changed. They then all sat down for breakfast. Rowan noted that Theresa didn’t eat much. Once breakfast was finished, Rowan and Theresa headed back to the Oakvale docks to speak in private. ‘Something big’s happened, hasn’t it?’ Rowan asked her quietly. ‘I can tell. You’re worried about something.’ ‘Nothing has happened,’ said Theresa, ‘at least, not yet.’ ‘You had a vision?’ ‘Yes. There is an enemy coming. An enemy greater than Jack of Blades could ever dream of being.’ ‘Then we must inform the Guild –‘ ‘The Guild will no longer exist when this enemy comes,’ Theresa interrupted. ‘My vision happens many centuries from now.’ ‘Then why are you telling me this?’ ‘I – I need you to cheat death with me.’ Rowan stared at her. ‘What?’ ‘Rowan, you and I are the only ones powerful enough to defeat this upcoming enemy. If we do not cheat death, then Albion has no future and everything every Hero has done will be for nothing. If we do not do this then we might have well have let Jack kill us and ruled Albion.’ ‘It’s that serious?’ ‘Yes. Listen, Rowan, I know I ask a lot, but will you think about it?’ ‘If I say yes, how do you play on cheating death?’ Rowan asked curiously. ‘Will we go to Avo?’ ‘No, for Avo does not exist. ‘What?’ Rowan was taken back by this piece of information. ‘Avo does not exist, just like Skorm doesn’t exist. They were merely made up by a merchant who discovered two places where the Will energy was especially strong.’ ‘Then who are we asking?’ ‘Only the Shadow Court can help us.’ ‘Theresa, the shadows cannot be trusted!’ Rowan exclaimed. ‘We do not know that,’ replied Theresa. ‘You are merely judging by what people have said.’ ‘When do you need your answer by?’ Rowan asked with a sigh. ‘Tomorrow morning.’ ‘Then you will have my answer then.’ For the rest of the day Rowan thought over everything Theresa had said. This made his unfocused and distracted, which wasn’t good when you have an energetic five year old constantly wanting his attention, however, the did end up coming to a decision. ‘I’m in,’ Rowan informed Theresa the next morning as they silently watched Seraphina examining a sea creature that had washed ashore. ‘When will we be going to the Shadow Court? Tonight?’ ‘I was thinking after breakfast. We might as well get this over and done with,’ replied Theresa. Rowan glanced at her. Something in her tone told him that she wasn’t telling him everything. ‘If you say so,’ Rowan muttered, turning back to watch his daughter, before getting quickly to his feet, panicking, when she went to pick the sea creature up. He had no idea what it was and he didn’t want her to hurt herself. After breakfast, Rowan left Seraphina with Emily and followed Theresa to where the Shadow Court resided. Every step they took, made Theresa even more uneasy about something, and Rowan noticed she seemed to be fighting herself about something. ‘There is something else I need to know about, isn’t there?’ Rowan asked as they slipped unnoticeably into the Shadow Court’s structure. ‘No, there isn’t,’ Theresa replied hesitantly. ‘I have told you all you need to know at the present time.’ Rowan looked at his sister suspiciously. What wasn’t she telling him? As they walked through the building, Rowan noticed many shadows watching them. His hand automatically went to Avo’s Tear on his right hip, and held it tightly. He would be ready at a moment’s notice. He had left his bow and arrows at home. Thankfully, none of them attacked them, and before they knew it, they were standing before the actual Shadow Court. ‘Welcome children of Scarlet Robe,’ the head Shadow Judge greeted. ‘How can we help you?’ Rowan glanced at Theresa. ‘We have come to make a deal with you,’ she answered calmly. The Shadow Judges curiosity and excitement was peaked. ‘What kind of deal?’ the head Shadow Judge pretty much purred. ‘Eternal youth.’ ‘I believe we can grant you your wish, but in return you must sacrifice another’s youth once a year.’ ‘Could I please have a private word with my sister?’ Rowan asked the Shadow Judges. ‘Very well.’ Rowan led Theresa a short distance away. ‘I don’t know about this, Theresa,’ he muttered. ‘Rowan, we’re only sacrificing their youth,’ she said calmly. ‘It’s not like we are slaughtering them like lambs. We need to do this, Rowan. It is better to hurt a few, than the sentence thousands to death.’ ‘You’re right,’ Rowan sighed eventually, before walking back over to the judges. ‘Have you made your decision?’ they asked in unison. ‘We accept,’ Theresa informed them. ‘Then sign this contract, but be warned, once you have signed it there is no going back,’ the head Shadow Judge warned. ‘And if you break it, we will take your youth!’ ‘You haven’t given us any ink or a quill,’ Rowan said pointedly. ‘You do not need those utensils,’ the head Shadow Judge informed him. ‘Merely prick your fingers on Avo’s Tear and allow at least one drop of your blood to stain the parchment.’ As Rowan unsheltered his sword, he looked down at the contract that was floating in a shadowy mist before them. It looked rather plain, with only a strange patterned boarder in black ink. Sighing, he then read over the contract. It was a basic contract stating everything they had just discussed. He looked at Theresa. ‘You ready?’ he asked, holding out his sword point. Instead of replying, she calmly pricked her finger and allowed her blood to fall onto the parchment. Rowan then followed her example. The moment enough of their blood was on the contract, it vanished in a puff of black smoke. ‘The deal has been sealed,’ said one of the Shadow Judges. ‘So when do you want the first sacrifice as payment?’ asked Rowan. ‘Our subjects are already taking the payment. We expect a sacrifice next year.’ ‘And how do we do this sacrifice?’ ‘Send the chosen person to us with this seal.’ A dark looking seal appeared in front of Rowan. ‘We will do the rest.’ ‘Thank you,’ Theresa said, before putting her arm through Rowan’s and leading him away. ‘I wonder what they meant by the first payment having been paid?’ Rowan muttered to Theresa as they headed for the exit. ‘We haven’t chosen anyone to lose their youth.’ Theresa remained silent. This made Rowan suspicious. ‘You didn’t choose a sacrifice, did you?’ he asked. ‘No, I did not,’ she replied quietly. ‘They chose their sacrifices themselves.’ ‘Sacrifices?’ ‘You’ll see.’ And so he did. The moment they exited the build, in which the Shadow Court resided, screams of pain and fear met their ears. ‘What the -?’ Rowan began to draw his sword and made a move to run towards those screaming. Theresa stopped him. ‘There is nothing you can do, little brother,’ she said. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘The Shadow Court is claiming there payment.’ ‘What do you mean their taking their payment?’ Rowan’s mouth was suddenly dry. ‘They are talking every ounce of life from Oakvale and its people.’ Rowan stared at her, horrified, before running for his house; running towards his family. As he ran through the fields of Oakvale, he watched as all the crops began to die and turn to dust, and all the people he passed were aging dramatically until they were nothing more than rotten corpses. This made him run even faster, but there was nothing he could do. When he arrived at his house, and entered the kitchen, he found Emily lying on the ground, trembling. He barely recognised her as she slowly turned into a rotting corpse. ‘Rowan,’ she whispered, glancing up at his horrified face as tears began to pour from his eyes. ‘I love you.’ ‘And I will always love you, my love,’ he sobbed as she took her last breath. He sat there, holding his wife’s body close, and he cried hysterically. He was aware of the screams of all his friends and other citizens of Oakvale as their lives were destroyed. He heard the children crying as their young lives were cut short. And then there was silence. Nothing, but silence. There was no more screams or cries. There was no sound of any animals or the wind in the trees. Even Rowan had fallen silent. He started as a hand gently touched his shoulder. He knew who it was and he immediately jerked away. The shaking of his body was no longer grief, but anger. ‘You knew!’ he hissed. ‘You knew that when we made the deal this would happen, yet you never told me! You blindly led me to murder my friends and family!’ ‘If I had told you, you would never have agreed to gaining eternal youth,’ Theresa said calmly. ‘I told you only what you needed to know. It is better to sacrifice a few than the whole of Albion.’ ‘GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!’ Rowan suddenly roared, turning to face his sister. His anger vanished for the briefest of moments when he saw that she had de-aged to thirty-year old. ‘I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!’ ‘It was not I who made the choice, Rowan,’ Theresa said indifferently. ‘No, but you led me blindly forward, making me think that nothing would happen! Now get out of my sight!’ Theresa sighed and did as he asked. It would be many decades before they saw each other again. With Theresa gone, Rowan turned back to his deceased wife. ‘I am so sorry, Emily,’ he sobbed, ‘but I promise you that your forced sacrifice won’t be in vain. I will protect Albion, and once she is safe, we will be together again!’ Crying, he gently carried her body to the remains of the Oakvale Memorial Garden and buried her body. It was then that he remembered Seraphina. Horrified that he had forgotten about his little girl, he ran back to his house and looked for her. He could not find her body. He ended up running all around Oakvale, looking at kids’ bodies, but he could not find hers. None of the children were wearing the same outfit she had been wearing that morning. A sudden scream, alerted him to another living soul nearby. ‘DADDY!’ a little girl screamed. Rowan would recognise that voice anywhere. His heart leaped. Seraphina was alive. ‘SERAPHINA!’ he yelled, running towards her. ‘D-Daddy?’ the scared five year old stammered when she saw him. It was as though she had never seen him before, but when he thought about it he had probably de-aged like Theresa. His own daughter didn’t recognise him. ‘Yes, it is me, baby,’ he said, kneeling in front of her. ‘Where have you been?’ ‘I was just outside the area picking flowers for Mummy,’ she replied, flinging her arms around his neck. ‘Daddy, I’m scared. Where’s Mummy and what happened to you?’ ‘Mummy – Mummy’s gone, sweetie,’ Rowan choked out. ‘She won’t be coming back, and I’m afraid that I will have to leave you too.’ ‘What? No! You can’t!’ Seraphina began to cry, clinging tightly to her father. ‘I have too.’ Rowan was now crying again. He broke his heart to let go of her most precious treasure. ‘Daddy must go and protect Albion again.’ ‘NO!’ ‘I’m sorry, my daughter.’ Rowan pulled her away from him and removed a chain from his neck. On the end was a something that looked like broken glass. It was a small hobbe tooth Rowan had taken from the first hobbe he had ever killed. ‘Take this and keep it with you to remind yourself that I will always be with you and love you dearly.’ ‘I don’t want it!’ Seraphina cried. ‘I want you!’ ‘Some times we cannot have what we want,’ Rowan said quietly. He then looked into the distance when he heard panicked voices coming closer. ‘I love you, my daughter,’ Rowan said, before running off. ‘No! Daddy, come back!’ Seraphina screamed as she tried to run after him. ‘Daddy!’ Rowan’s heart never knew pain until he heard the desperate plea in his daughter’s voice, but he never looked back. He just kept running until he was out of Oakvale and in Darkwood. Once in Darkwood, Rowan drew his sword and went to take his anger and grief out on the evil creatures that resided there. He did not stop until his hands were drenched in blood, just like they were after he signed the Shadow Courts’ contract, metaphorically speaking, of course. Nothing eased the pain he was feeling, and the pain was only to become worse. A/N: At this point in time, I should probably point out, if you haven’t noticed already, that this story will no longer follow the canon timeline exactly. My reason for this will become clear in the next chapter.
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