1 Introduction

It has been ten years since the fall of Remus, and I have come to think that you might be ready for a story. So here is mine. A tale of murder, betrayal and revenge. Of treachery, love and loss. And finally, redemption and acceptance.

(—from The Journal of Rowan Niron, The Black Knight)

The sun was just beginning its descent into the highlands when John Niron loped through the trees toward his destination: a small clearing at the base of an old oak tree. John was a friend, my brother. He would take me to this marvelous tree many times a week. Here he would train me to be a knight without my father knowing. My father was a well respected knight, part of the King's personal guard. Derrick Niron was extremely strict, he would not have liked me, who was eleven years old, sparring with my brother, who was nineteen, with real swords.

The oak tree had a hole near the base of it, where John would hide the swords. For ten minutes we would spar. I always lost, he was training to be a knight. Then we'd grab some berries from the bramble bush that grew in the clearing and share them. We were very close; we didn't have any other brothers or sisters, so we spent a lot of time together.

When I turned thirteen I could no longer go on these adventures. John was stationed in a nearby village, Heart Stone. Heart Stone was four miles East and too far to walk. I would spend most of my day helping out my mother, Mary. Soon enough she became pregnant with my little sister, Eve. My father was barely home, due to his duties. The same was for my brother. Father worked at the main palace, which was seven miles North.

Osetrun River was the river my village was built next to. The village was named, Osetrun Village. The river ran into the Dygon Sea three miles Southeast and ran Northwest for around twenty into the other side of the Dygon Sea, making it one of the longest rivers. It is also one of the widest, not the widest, but it is three miles. The widest river is known as the Grant River, which is five miles wide. It separates Evermoon, East, and Kralovia, West, two neighboring countries. Evermoon shared an island with Qarif. The island was called Alabaster Island. The Grant River ran into Dygon Sea to the South, and the Zoladz Ocean to the North.

My own country was Remus, ruled by King Ewald Estrin. The Great Marshland, to the West, was between Remus and Silver Marsh. On the other side of Osetrun River was an island named, Sarn. On Sarn were three smaller countries. They were, Orris, Valkenna and Nallevian. Orris was on the Northwest side. Valkenna was in between them. Nallevian was on the Southeast side. A big world full of life, water, mountains, and enemies. The relations between kingdoms were always rocky.

Now that the introduction is over, it is time to begin my tale. Starting when I was fourteen. Eve was one year old. John was twenty-one, still lived and served at Heart Stone. Father came home once a month from Remus Palace. And I was old enough to train to be a knight.