Title: In Darkness, Redemption
Author: BethmooraRaven
Genre: Fantasy/Hellboy 2 crossover
Rating: Above PG13 - Adult in places
Warnings: In later chapters contains violence, some bad language and sexual content
Synopsis: My take on what could happen if Prince Nuada was resurrected after the events that took place in the Golden Army Chamber.
Credits/Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, place-names or any events previously seen in Hellboy2. All rights remain with their original owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
Extra Notes: Apologies for mistakes in costuming, 'landscaping', continuation, etc.! I'm bound to make a few!!!

Chapter One

Silence

All was still in the dimly lit chamber. Nothing moved within its vast confines. That is not to say that it was devoid of inhabitants. Indeed, there was one lone figure occupying this immense space, and he was very much alive. Yes, now, he was the only living entity in the hollow emptiness, which had only a short while before been filled to overflowing with a multitude of sounds declaring the presence of life…lives, caught up in a moment of turmoil and battle.

The gnarled, ancient Goblin was staring down upon the shattered fragments of what would appear to have been a stone statue, of such beauty that it could only have been crafted by the hands of a great artisan. To a mortal observer, the details on the fragments could suggest that it had perhaps once been the carved image of a great warrior…or perhaps a King. The Goblin knew that both of these suppositions were, in essence, correct.

It was indeed the figure of a warrior, the last true warrior of his kind, and perhaps even the greatest of them ever to have lived. But this warrior was also a Prince. His destiny had been to rule as King, though not merely a mortal king ruling over a petty human domain…this was an Elf, who would be King of the Unseen World.

This was Prince Nuada, son of King Balor.

But, the Goblin also knew that these were not fragments of a lifeless statue. They were in fact all that physically remained of the great Prince. This had been his living, breathing body, turned to stone at the moment of his death, just as had happened to his father's body only days before…when Nuada himself had plunged a sword deep in the King's chest.

The Goblin finally shifted his gaze, away from the Prince's body, and across to another figure, also lying statue-like upon the floor...another body. He had, unknown to those involved, witnessed the events which led to these two lifeless forms lying here, still shocked by what had happened, and deeply fearing the consequences that would ensue.

This other figure, body, was that of Princess Nuala, twin sister of Prince Nuada. And it had been she who had taken the life of her brother.

By some cruel twist of fate, these twins had shared a peculiar psychic link, whereby each could in essence read the other's heart and mind, without the need to be in physical contact with each other as was usual with those of their race. But crucially, when in close proximity, they also felt each other's pain…and if one was wounded, this same injury would become physically manifest on the other.

And this link was the only weakness Nuala knew existed in the Prince, this was the means by which she had taken the life of her brother…by taking her own. By piercing her heart with a dagger, a blade which also had a twin, her brother at that very moment holding the other in his hand, preparing to kill the Red Demon who had challenged him for the right to control the Golden Army.

The Demon, and the friends who had come with him, were now gone, leaving behind them a scene which could very well reflect the fate of all the inhabitants of the Unseen Realm.

The Goblin finally moved, slowly shuffling along the floor with his crooked crutches to where a glint of light had caught his eye. 'Shiny!' he said smiling to himself, as he reached down to pick up his newly-found prize, a beautifully crafted weapon, a spear with silvered pommel, grip of black woven leather and ornate shaft, surmounted by a vicious yet beautiful pointed silver blade.

'Leave it!'

The Goblin froze mid-reach, greatly surprised by the sudden arrival of another visitor, his attention shifting quickly to the owner of this new and very angry voice. As he turned, his eyes were greeted by the sight of a tall Elf, not royalty this time, though his garb denoted one of high rank none-the-less. The baleful look cast by the golden eyes of this new visitor was enough to make the Goblin jerk his hand back away from the spear, and he again stood motionless.

The Elf was very quickly joined by others, all of them entering the chamber through the door bearing the Seal of Bethmoora. This was, in fact, a party of Elves who had left the Royal Court on a quest to discover what had befallen their only remaining legitimate leader and sovereign. As the newcomers entered they each let out a gasp of disbelief and dismay as they came upon the scene, seeing the bodies of the last of the Elven royal family, the last of the bloodline who had led them through every event, good and bad, for millennia uncountable. Each came to a silent standstill, unsure as to what they should do.

At last, the silence was broken by the Elf who had admonished the Goblin.

'What…what has happened here?' he asked shakily, trying to sound calm, but failing utterly. The Goblin looked up at the Elf, unsure of what to say for fear of the reaction it would receive. But, having no choice other than to answer, he opened his mouth to speak, and the words, thankfully, found themselves.

'Battle, Sir, battle and death.' The Elf's gaze did not shift from the Goblin, his words being vastly insufficient to explain the enormity of what had befallen the Prince and Princess. 'The Red Demon and his friends were here, Sir. They were trying to stop the Prince from waking the Golden Army.' The look in the eyes of the Elf was enough to keep the Goblin's explanation on track. 'The Demon challenged the Prince for the right to command the Army. It seemed that he may have won the battle and he took the crown, but as the Prince was about to strike him down with his dagger, the Princess…stopped him. She killed herself…and the Prince died with her.'

The Elf looked to the body of the Prince, then to the Princess, and back again, his expression one of fear and sorrow combined. No-one spoke. No-one moved. No-one knew what to do, say or even think…save one.

'Do you not possess magic that can undo what has been done? Is there no way to change this, to bring them back?'

This new voice belonged to a different individual. A woman. Her words were tinged with a naivety that was rarely heard in an Elven court, especially from an adult, but all present knew why she had spoken so, as she truly had no knowledge of the full scope of their power or what feats of magic it was possible for the Elves to perform. They had not used true magic for so long, that many did not believe they would be able to perform even minor works.

At the time of the truce between the Unseen World and the humans being forged, they had been forbidden to use magic in any circumstance that may be to the detriment of the humans. This sounded reasonable, considering the truce. But the humans were able to exploit this exclusion to their advantage since that day. If the Elves used magic to keep the creatures of the forest safe, the humans would say that this would make it impossible for them to hunt, so they would starve. If they used magic to protect the trees, the humans would bleat that they needed the wood for fires and building, and without them they would freeze to death.

And so it continued, more and more restrictions on the use of magic as the human population increased. Eventually, the humans decided they had no need to ask anything of the Elves, as they knew the King would not do anything that may break the truce with them, for he had a far greater wish for peace than any human. They encroached further and further into the Elven lands, until they had finally overrun the forests and moors and meadows. King Balor would not retaliate…and they knew this.

And now, after thousands of years, they had all but forgotten the Elves and the Unseen World, and the power they once wielded.

But now King Balor was dead. Would magic be tolerated, or even possible now?

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Author's Note: Just a short one to get the ball rolling.