Curse of Eternity

Prologue One

"Come along princess," Desma said to the still-waking little girl. The child smiled and crawled towards her aunt before being picked up and giggling once Desma planted a barrage of kisses on her cheek. "Your mother and father are waiting." As if she could understand the older woman, the child began waving her arms around and smiled wider. Desma grew a smile of her own and carried the young princess out of her room, dismissing the servants who had dressed the child as she went.

The king and queen wanted to meet with Desma for some reason and asked for her to bring baby Annastasia. She didn't receive a reason. Only the polite but very firm order.

Desma whispered and laughed while carrying Annastasia through the castle halls towards the King's chambers. Another strange thing. The King and Queen normally do their business in the throne room. For something to have to be said in the King's private quarters, it must be serious.

Just as Desma and Annastasia reached the white oak doors that lead to their destination, a tall lanky man walked out wearing black robes that smelled of ash and holding multiple large books. "Hello Duhdesma," spoke the man. Annastasia reached her arms out and began laughing almost maniacally. He spoke again, "And hello to you as well princess." The man took the child from Desma's arms with one of his own and held her close to him. She instantly began patting the man's face and reaching for his fiery hair.

Desma smiled and watched, amusement plain on her face. "Seems she still hasn't learned personal space Castor. Maybe that should be your first lesson."

"Yes. I will remember that once she is old enough to begin schooling." Castor turned his black, red cracked eyes from the child playing with his hair and smiled another greeting to Desma. "Fair warning. The love birds are on edge. Wouldn't tell me why. As if I can't keep a secret."

Desma rolled her eyes and took Annastasia back, much to the child's chagrin. The glacier blue eyed baby began tearing up and wailing but Castor came to the rescue. He raised one hand and a brilliant scarlet flame began to spiral in his hand. Almost instantaneously, Annastasia ceased crying and became awestruck by the tomekeeper's mastery over the flame. Before the baby could become anymore entranced and try to touch the plasma, Castor clenched his fist, putting out the flame and left. Annastasia began pouting and reaching after the man as if it would make him return.

"Come along. Your mother and father are waiting," Desma said to the child. Desma walked forward into the King's chambers, the massive oak doors shutting behind her and blocking out the sound to any who could be listening.

Castor placed the large books into their sections in the royal library, humming to himself as he did so. As tome keeper, it was Castor's job to organize, manage, and keep track of the royal family's literary pieces. Furthermore, he had to keep track of the Gaireceannaire family's actions which usually led to him writing another book to add to the library. It's safe to say that his job was very repetitive but it was also simple and fascinating. Just how Castor liked it.

For the tenth time in the past two hours, guards clad in light iron armor rushed past the library. Fully armed and with an urgency in their step that Castor had seen all too many times. Normally Castor wouldn't be fazed by this. Guards moving urgently through the castle was common. Even in a peaceful realm like Tir Na Nog, there were still a few disputes and there were little to go around so it usually came down to first come first serve. But what made Castor worry were the whispers from his assistants and the nobles in the library. Almost all of them spoke of some incoming threat but he wouldn't make out what. He kept hearing someone say something about mortals but that's impossible. Mortals have no place here and even if they did they stand no chance against fae. Especially not the Gaireceanna, the strongest fae bloodline in all of Tir Na Nog's history. Castor was honored to have spent the past two-hundred and nineteen years under their service.