What Might Have Been (A Songs of War Fanfiction)

Prologue

Not sure how this is gonna go. I've got a lot to update here, so I'm gonna stop wasting time. Let's go.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first glance there seems to be peace in Ardonia; no trouble, no danger, no threats. The people of the land live happily, knowing nothing other than unity and prosperity. The great and dangerous powers of past conflicts have withdrawn, and there is safety amongst the Ardoni, Felinas, Magnorites, Humans, Jaggathans and all others in this world.

But looks can be deceptive.

Evils are rising, stirring from their long-winded slumber and returning from their caves and cliffs for revenge. Long-forgotten threats are making reappearances, and dangers old and new are seizing power whilst the people of Ardonia are unprepared. Nobody suspects that times may be changing, that the golden era of serenity is coming to a close.

Nobody... except one Ardoni. One who has believed for years that the wicked villains spoken of on the Walls of Time are still alive, suffering in the darkness, waiting for the time to strike. One who had authority and power amongst the Ardonians and a reputation of great heroism. One who has foreseen that dark times are coming, and is prepared to do anything to protect his country and his people.

Is he ready for this?

He knows the dangers – he fought amongst the greatest heroes of all time in the first Great War. He knows the price that must be paid by thousands for peace to reign once more. And he knows who is destined to bring about this era of peace. He knows that it is not him. Heroes can spring from unlikely places, in all shapes, sizes and species. This particular hero will not be seen as such at first. There will be much bloodshed, many lives lost, thousands of souls reaped. And he knows that he may join them.

It is a risk he is willing to take.

But, first, to warn. He may not be believed, but he does not expect to be. All he can do is warn, protect and stay true to his morals – something he has tried to do all his life. This war will be hard-fought and many new evils will arise; evils that will be stronger than anything Ardonia had ever faced before. Evils that must be destroyed, evils that may not be able to be stopped.

Peace will return.

The elders fought well in their time – he should know, he's one of them – but it's time for the next generation to take over, the kids in the dark. They'll learn that even when times are tough, they'll have to rise to the top, learn that surrender is not an option. They shall learn to be the knights of the new generation – the heroes of Ardonia.

One in particular.

Young, doubting, scarred. One who will be conflicted. One who shall feel pain beyond anything ever imagined. One who holds the blood of warring clans. One who shall master his pain and learn to control the evils of this world.

There were three.

Three that were fated to heal the rift between the Ardonians that had been left untended for centuries. It would be hard, but these three were special. They were different, he knew that much. It was their differences that gave them power, what they had been born with, not what they had been given. As he had always said, it wasn't what they wielded that gave them power – it was how they chose to wield what power they had been given. He hoped these three learned to wield their powers for a good cause, for the right cause, if they believed in it enough.

The time was coming.

What exactly would transpire in this war he didn't know, but he did know that strength in the ones fighting would prevail. Might and trust in each other, belief that they would all get to the end. Have faith, warriors, have faith in what you know, in what you believe is right. Been a long time since he had seen a battlefield, a long time since his sword had tasted enemy blood. Is everyone ready? Not all, but some – the right ones, the ones whose moves determine the fate of the entire world. The fates of everyone who lived today, the fates of everyone who would live another day. End the suffering, new heroes, and peace will return.

But were they ready for this, these new heroes?

There was only one way to find out.

It was time to begin the Second Great War.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woooooo. That was kind of tricky to write because I didn't want to give too much away. Is it super obvious who I'm talking about, this 'elder', this 'great hero'? I think it is... oopsie.

But there's really no other way to write the prologue. And I really like how it turned out in the end. Oh, and what's strange about the last big paragraph? Work it out, and you could get a bit of insight into this story. But... it probably won't make sense. Nothing I write ever does. :)