Courage- The Dark Heart

Part 1- Prelude

  
Far away from the splendorous city of Athrya, in the green forests, sat two on a blanket, surrounded by grass and a nearby river. One was a woman, a Halfling Healer, and the other a young girl. They sat and spoke.

"A long time ago, humans did not exist on Amagalea. The Elves came first, but they were not united. They were separated into seven different tribes and waged war on one another for millennia until the High Elf Council of Three Minds rose and ceased the conflict. The Three Minds have long since been gone, and their nation is no longer ruled by an oligarchy. It changed because of the new race that entered the continent: humans."

     "The Elves were united under the Three Minds until the discovery of these people. People whose ears were round and life short. The Three Minds demanded they take the poor creatures in, but that was when the rebirth of the seven clans began again. Some of the Elves disagreed, deeming that these new creatures having entered their world were sinful, evil. With their lack of grace and life they believed that the humans must have done something horrible. They believed they were cursed."

   "Originally, it was believed that humans were the offspring of Lesser Elves, ones who did not have the magic ability. And still no one knows if there is any truth to that statement. Not even the King of the Elves himself. Nevertheless, there was conflict. And with that conflict, bred change."

"To regale you with the entire history now would be impossible for even me. So, I will surmise it—from this conflict, from this chaos, order and change was created. A new government was established within the Elven race after a Civil War. That Civil War was the first to ever be fought on Amagalea's shores. The Elves are now ruled by a King and his council.

"Seven races existed back then. The Humans, the Elves, the Witches, the Warlocks, the Radakae, the Dragons, and the Dwarves. Now however, there are no longer Dragons or Dwarves. As far as is known anyways, and the reason why is buried in the history books."

    "The Five current races now wage war with one another, the third largest conflict in centuries. After hundreds of years of peace, chaos has asserted itself as divine ruler of Amagalea. From this chaos, change will occur again. It is impossible to say whether it will ultimately be for good or for ill."

   "Why are they fighting, Teacher?" The young girl inquired. She bore a fresh set of scars on her forearms. Burn marks, from her older brothers. Burn marks that were, albeit, less than the ones Selene herself bore, but they angered her nonetheless. If only she had magic to heal the poor girl...She did not deserve such pain or such marks that would forever mar her fair, tanned skin.

For most people, when speaking to children, they would dumb down their answers, make it all seem less than it was. But if the scars didn't give it away, her intelligence would. This princess was far from innocent. And even farther from dull. The woman, Selene, answered, "Because people of all races are blinded by sin, greed, and hate. It's ultimately a power struggle. A grasp for more resources and control."

Adekemi looked up from her current work.  She was a dark-haired girl with dusky skin. Her frame was small, hands delicate and eyes big and hazel, a mix of amber brown and darkened green. The young girl was working on a clay pot. A trivial thing to some, but according to Selene's experience, she found it rather relaxing. It taught one of patience and peace, two things she had very little of within the Palace. And things that Adekemi in particular, would soon need. Especially with her future role, and her growing strength. 

The woman who was half Elf, half human knew very well that Adekemi did not fully comprehend why there was a war going on. If she were to be honest, she didn't either, but regardless it was a fact. A fact that Adekemi needed to know, whether or not the nobles and King disagreed.