Prologue: Til Death

The Queen is Dead.

There is no tall mountain, no deep ocean, no lethal venom, no noble sacrifice and no hope that will redeem you to me.

Eighty-two, cool, soft and gorgeous as freshly fallen snow. She was a beacon of peace and prosperity for her people and the world around her. The old lauded her rose-colored past, one that was bright with fire, blood and ash when they were merely children.

He was holding her hand the whole way, and even when their fingers slipped, her beautiful birdsong flew to him, bridging the gaps of lifestyle, geography and age. No cloud nor squall stood in their way, and over the test of time, not even grey hair and crow's feet shrouded her rich, dark eyes, ones always filled with bittersweet love.

He knew better than to expect her to last forever, but that knowledge only fastened him closer, until only their final wedding vow remained.

You will never cross the river Styx. You will never pass the gates of Hades. You will never see the light of Heaven.

Until death, he was there, a little piece of her that would never end.

And when they laid her in the box with her frosty hair and pale lips and closed eyes and cold lily-hands crossed over her still heart, he parted, one half of his soul buried in the gentle garden behind the castle.

You will never feel the embrace of the earth.

He set off to burn the other half. He ran into the wilds. He didn't care anymore. He wanted to be with them, the ones who remembered his true name. He wanted to die.

Nothing will claim your mortal shell-not even the wild beasts shall see you fit to devour.

He went back to where it all began: the Tree of Life, his terrible curse. He journeyed to the pit of the earth and stomped and screamed for those branches to tumble down like before, but no one listened. He used up all his heart and voice to beg for forgiveness and judgment, until his hands bled bitter sap and his eyes cried pure salt.

You will be as the rocks that turn to dust, to wander the hills until they are laid flat, and come the end of time you will sit on my doorstep and wait for an invitation that will never come.

But no one listened. He lay down, exhausted, and turned to stone.

You will always hunger, always thirst, always lust and always bleed, but you will never, ever rest.

A thousand miles away, the people of Alexandria lamented. The queen is dead.

And then you will finally wish the Zero World had come to be, as if you never were.

Long Live the King.

A/N: Here comes my next bold leap into insanity. Old readers know what to expect. New readers are welcome! This is a prequel to Prince of Thieves, so expect the M rating to return: strong language, violence and sexual content ahead. Holding nothing back this time.

Anyone with lingering questions from the last fic about how Boss did such-and-so or what happened to whoever should feel free to review and ask-if possible, I'll use this fic to address them.

That said, sit back and enjoy!