The Midnight Rebellion

Prologue: The End and the Beginning

After weeks of riding towards the border of the Umbrian Kingdom, Amora had found a small village in the countryside far far away from the capitol city. The winter had been tough on her horse and herself. She'd had a vision of her child running through green lush fields and knew what she had done was the right thing for her child. However, the further she rode, the more she knew that she might not be there to witness her child play in the fields. The winter had begun to take its toll on her vulnerable pregnant body. A sickness had crept in. The fever today almost made her fall off of her horse. Her lovely mare kept going. Even through the pouring rain, her steps never faltered. 

Hector had gifted her this mare. Had bred the foal himself. It had been the foal of his two favorite war horses. One would always recognize the horse as one of his as it was branded with the royal seal - an ornament U with a crown of laurel leaves. And as such, Hector had trained the foal as well. It had grown into a beautiful strong mare that would have made a great war horse, but Amora had fallen in love with the young mare and Hector gifted her the mare the next day saying a general's wife should also ride a strong warhorse. She'd named the mare Maybe, since that had been her answer when he'd ask if she'd ride the mare. Now, the chestnut mare was all she had left of him. And this gown which was already torn and filthy. The cloak was barely enough to keep her warm. She felt her child kick within her. Her child would be a fighter, but she'd never have to see the horrors of war. 

Amora sobbed atop her horse as she rode through the rain to a small cottage at the side of the village. It was a poor small farmers village. She doubted that any Nephilim would ever come here to this human settlement. A light shone in the window, and when she knocked on the door, a farmer's wife opened the door, took one look at her and pulled her inside.

She stayed there. Her mare hidden in the stable with the old field working horse. The sickness still racked her body, but she tried to hold on. Felt the birth of her child nearing. The farmer and his wife had told her she and the child could stay. Even though they disliked the Nephilim, they welcomed her and took care of her. She felt safe and yet she yearned to be with her Hector. Her heart was heavy with grief and she didn't know what to do. She decided to write a letter to him. To explain everything. To tell him that she still loved him dearly but she simply couldn't let her child fight on the battlefield. She'd tell him of the terrible vision she'd had of their child falling in battle. He'd understand. When the child was older, the future would have changed so much, that she might never have to endure military training. Maybe the war with the Winter Kingdom would be over by then. She would return home when the war was over. Yes, that was what she would do! She'd be with her husband once more and their family would be safe. 

Yet, she never got to write that letter to her beloved Hector. Never got the chance to explain. The sickness dragged her under with an iron fist. When the birth came, the fever still held her tightly in its grip. All she could do was utter a single word. The name of her beloved daughter that she'd never get to meet: Nyx.

The night Nyx was born, Amora took her last breath. 

~~~~~

When all hell had broken loose at the ball, Hector knew it was the right thing to do. To get Amora and their unborn child out of here and to protect his king. It had all become a wild frenzy. Part of the ballroom had been destroyed. The Winter Court had quickly taken their dead queen and flown out into the night. They had wasted no time to get back to their kingdom and were surely gathering reinforcements. 

However, when he had come home the day after, he had become instantly suspicious. Mary, the slave Amora had favored above all the others, had been frantically running around the estate searching for something. Or someone. As it turned out, Amora had arrived, but shortly after vanished without a trace. He had turned the place upside down looking for her or clues as to what might have happened. Could Winter Court soldiers have taken her?

But when he searched the stables, he saw the empty stall. The one the mare had always been in next to his warhorse. The mare was missing. Her mare. Even her saddle and bridle were gone. Someone had known which tack belonged to the mare, had saddled her and vanished. There were no hoof prints leading away from the stables. It was all very odd. Had his wife been abducted or had she willingly left? Something didn't feel right. Why would his beloved Amora ride out into the night?

Days later, he still did not have an answer. He let his personal guard ride out in search for the mare and his wife, but they didn't find anything. He then let them search the skies, but again, to no avail. It seemed hopeless. As if the very earth he stood on had swallowed the love of his life whole. Even though the King was furious about the situation and Hector knew his duty was to his king, he couldn't help his heavy grieving heart and the wish to simply hold his wife back in his arms. 

Winter had come with its cold winds and storms. A few weeks had passed and he knew Amora would be bearing the child any day now. Worry was making him sick to the stomach. He could barely think straight. Couldn't even truly focus on the war preparations. There were so many questions in his mind. Why had she left? Where was she? What had happened? Was she alright? Not even Mary knew the answer, but when he had told her about the events of the ball, Mary had leached of all color and been fully terrified, yet not surprised. It didn't shock her that war waited on their doorstep. He was sure she knew something or otherwise had been more surprised by a peace festival escalating so terribly. And that's when something popped into his mind: Amora's visions. She must have known something. Must have seen something so terrifying that she was willing to disappear. He tried talking to Mary about it, but the woman had become sick with worry and stopped talking altogether. She stared into nothingness with such sadness, that Hector didn't even know what to do to make her talk.

As the days and weeks went by, his King grew more and more inpatient with him. To Deimos, it was clear that Amora had left of her own will and now it was time to focus on his war. "Forget the girl", he had snarled at Hector's face, "Do your duty! We have a war to prepare for. I am done with your ridiculous antics about her! You will let the matter go and focus on this war or so help me!" Hector had been given no choice but to stop the official hunt of his wife. 

Nonetheless, against all sense of duty and honor that mattered most to him, he swore himself to never give up the search for his wife and child. To hold on to that sliver of hope that he'd see them again. In secret, he'd keep on searching the world, if he had to.

For now however, he readied the King's troops for battle and began to put on his armor. War had come and he was going to meet it head on. 

~~~~~~

Dear Reader, 

It is here that our story begins. With the end of a life and the beginning of two new ones. With sorrow and despair, but also hope and light. With a war raging and blood flowing. Cries of battle and cries of pain. Difficult times lie ahead, but always remember one thing:

The future is fragile.