Author's Note: Hi. I know I have like fics to finish but I really needed to get this down and start typing and get it posted. This is just the prologue, the next chapter'll be here soon. So if you end up liking the prologue, please say so. I need to know if you want me to write more. Here goes!

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A seven-year-old boy watched silently as his grandmother paced her room back and forth. His violet eyes followed her as she looked frantically for something. He had no idea as to what she could be looking for, and it made him wonder if she had forgotten that he was even there. He sat silently on her bed, small hands fiddling with his long chestnut hair, which thanks to the still frantic woman, was now held neatly in a braid. His attention was drawn down to his feet. His small white sneakers were neatly tied, another task done by his grandmother. He had yet to learn how to tie them. His mother wasn't particularly happy with him for that, but he didn't much care to learn how to tie his shoes. They weren't really that important to him. His father called him stubborn said both his mother and grandmother spoiled him. He didn't think so. If he were so spoiled, he wouldn't have been dressed up in the hideous sailor suit his mother insisted he wore. He frowned down at his clothes and then sighed. He looked back up to his grandmother, who was now going through a drawer. She gave a huff and he knew that she hadn't found what she was looking for. He decided to ask if she needed his assistance.

"Grandma, what are you looking for? Can I help you look for it?"

Looking back to her grandson, the woman sighed and closed the drawer. Straightening her slightly disheveled hair, she slowly walked to the bed and placed herself next the boy.

"It's no use, Duo.", she told him with a slight smile, "Even with your help, I wouldn't be able to find it."

"Why's that?", he asked, wide violet orbs staring up at her.

"It's no longer here.", she told him glancing around at the mess she had made, "I was only hoping that it was still here. I swear that it was."

"Well, what is it?", he pushed, eager to know anything she had to say.

His grandmother gave a soft and gentle chuckle and she cupped his face with both hands. This sweet little boy of hers; her beautiful grandchild. He was ever curious, eager to know any and everything. It would be wrong to not humor him.

"Have I ever told you the story of the Fairy King?", she asked, though she knew that she had never told him.

Vigorously shaking his head, Duo turned to face her, legs folding and ears set to listen. He loved his grandmother's stories. He wanted to hear every tale she had to tell him and he never missed the chance to learn a new one.

"What about the Fairy King?", Duo asked, hands tugging at her dress skirt.

Shooing his hands, the woman decided to climb into the bed entirely so that her back rested against the headboard. Duo scurried next to her, letting her arm drape around his shoulder as he cuddled close.

"How careless of me to not tell you the best story of them all."

"What happens!", Duo asked impatiently and his grandmother shushed him.

"Alright, calm down. Now where to start?"

"Start at the beginning.", Duo reminded her and she laughed hugging him closer.

"Yes, the beginning. Well in the beginning the world was a different place. Magic wasn't only heard of in fairy tales. It was real, very real. Animals could communicate with humans and vice versa."

"What does vice versa mean?", Duo asked her, face frowning.

"It means that the humans could talk to the animals also.", she explained.

"Oh, I get it. Go on."

"Yes, well, there were also many other species, many different creatures. Those completely different from the human race and those that were human-like but born of magic."

"Like elves and fairies?", Duo asked excitedly, his eyes shining.

"Yes, exactly so. Now fairies, elves, humans and the likes, they all lived together in peace. Though it is said that they were very cautious of each other."

"What were the creatures?", he eagerly asked her.

"Duo, you can't keep interrupting.", his grandmother warned and Duo pouted.

"But I wanna know.", he said pleadingly, eyes widening.

Knowing "the look" very well, the woman smiled, hugging the boy who then giggled.

"Alright then. There were humans, elves, dragons, fairies, giants, dwarves, goblins, and many other creatures."

"And little boys!", Duo asked with a smile, "My nanny said that little boys are the most wretched creatures that God put on this earth."

Frowning at the comment, his grandmother shook her head.

"Don't listen to such rubbish, Duo. Besides little boys fall under humans. Now where was I?"

"You were gonna tell me the rest of the story.", Duo supplied and his grandmother thanked him.

"Yes now, though they lived in peace, they kept to themselves. Not wanting to get caught on the affairs of other species. Though there was one creature who had found that a certain king had caught her eye."

"The Fairy King!", Duo asked, more yelled.

His grandmother nodded and shushed him before he could speak again.

"Yes, Duo, the Fairy King. Now the woman was a very powerful sorceress. An elf with power beyond any who held it. And she found herself deeply enraptured by this king. She wanted him and she tried her best to get him."

"Did she?", Duo asked enthralled with the story.

"No. Unfortunately, for her, he was already in love with someone else. The beautiful child of the Human King. The Fairy King had refused her advances and he ignored her threats to him. Her jealousy, however, he was very aware of and he knew that it could mean something drastic. In desperation, she tried her best to make him love her with a deal. She promised him powers beyond his wildest dreams and an endless kingdom farther than the eye could see. Complete and utter control of the entire world and its creatures that dwelled upon it. All of this; but only if he would have her as his queen."

"What did he do?", Duo asked, eyes now wide.

"Well he refused of course. He could never love her when his heart belonged to another. However, the elfin sorceress would not stand for that. In a blind rage she reached into his chest and drew out his heart. He watched her as she turned it to glass and threw it to the ground. It shattered into a hundred pieces and the sorceress called upon the Great Wind. He was ordered to scatter the shards across the world and so he did, vowing under threat to never reveal where they were. With that she turned to the Fairy King vowing that he would never love again. If she could not have his heart than no one else would. She also vowed to take away his precious human and so she did."

"What did the Fairy King do?", Duo gasped, now completely enthralled, "Was he sad?"

"Very sad. He didn't need his heart to feel emotion contrary to what the sorceress thought. He mourned the loss of his heart and his love, who the sorceress had stolen away from the humans and she made sure the child was hidden away where the Fairy King could never find it. It was said that the sorceress gave the child a shard of the king's heart, telling the young child-"

"How young?", Duo asked innocently and his grandmother stopped.

"About eighteen.", she told him, "No need to worry. There will be no pedophiles in my stories."

Satisfied with her answer, Duo snuggled against her even more, willing to hear the rest of the story.

"As I was saying, she told the child that the Fairy King was no more and with that she sent the child away for good. Never to be found."

"But the Fairy King found the kid right?", Duo asked, desperately wanting a happy ending.

His grandmother gave him a sad face and a slow sad shake of her head.

"The Fairy King never found the love of his life. However, he did nearly find all the pieces of his heart. The last piece he learned was with his human lover and he vowed to find it. Then will the two be together and his heart would be whole."

Duo looked down at his hands, not happy with the story's ending. He felt that it wasn't finished and he knew that it wasn't. Though he wasn't so sure if his grandmother knew the ending.

"Grandma Alice, what were you looking for earlier?", he asked suddenly.

The woman paused, Duo leaning his head on her shoulder and she rested her chin on top of it.

"Just something I was hoping to give to you."

"Like a present?", the young boy was excited yet again.

"No. It always belonged to you."

"What is it?", Duo asked and she looked down at him.

She wasn't able to answer. Duo's mother had poked her head in through the door and she smiled at the sight of the two snuggled close on the bed. Stepping inside she looked around at the mess.

"Mom, you can't allow Duo to do as he wants."

Gently pulling away from his grandmother, Duo stood from the bed hugging onto his mother's waist. He didn't care about the fact that his mother had just accused him of making a mess; he ignored it. He wanted to see if she was ever told the story.

"Mom, grandma just told me a story!", he shouted excitedly.

"Which story?", she asked with a laugh.

"A sad one."

"Oh. You mean the Fairy King story."

Duo nodded his head and he was picked up suddenly by his father who he hadn't seen walk in. He lifted him into the air, the boy laughing, before bringing him to sit on his shoulder.

"Alice. You spoil my son with these stories."

Waving off the comment, Alice slowly climbed out of the bed. Walking over she placed a kiss on her son in law's cheek.

"He's my grandson, Jeffery.", she told him with a smile, "I'll do with him as I please."

"Well, we came to take your grandson back home.", his mother announced.

Duo gave a groan of disappointment at the news and he was lowered from his father's shoulder. He was really hoping that he was spending the night. It would have given him a chance to help his grandmother in her search and hear more stories. Though this time he would suggest happy endings.

"He can spend the night, Grace.", Alice suggested, Duo brightening.

"I know, but we're traveling to Maine to visit Jeffery's parents."

"Mom, please?", Duo begged, pouting with all his might.

But his mother was immune to "the look" by now. She had had too many encounters with it. Not saying that it didn't tug a heartstring whenever he gave her "the look", she had just grown enough strength to not fall victim to it.

"I'm sorry, honey.", she apologized, "But we have to go. Your dad already booked the train tickets, the bags are packed . . . it's too late to change everything now."

Seeing the distress on his son's face, Jeffery decided to step in.

"How about this? When we come back you can spend the entire week before school starts with Grandma Alice."

"Really!", Duo cried happily, "You promise!"

"Cross my heart."

Latching on to his father with a hug, he was then lifted by the man and walked to the bedroom door. He waved back to his grandmother who had seated herself on the bed and she smiled back at him.

"See you when I get back grandma!", Duo called as they left, "I can't wait to hear some more stories!"

Watching her grandson disappear, Alice rose from the bed to start cleaning up her room. A glint on the floor caught her eye and she went to it. There on a string of spun silk was a small red ruby, gleaming brightly. Bending, she slowly picked it up, her hand holding it up to hang in front of her. With a smile she walked to her dresser, opening a small wooden jewelry box and placing it inside.

"Are you still searching for him?", Alice asked out loud, staring down at the still gleaming ruby.

She looked up into the mirror, which now showed the image of a young man wandering. Almost as if searching for something or someone he had lost. She smiled before closing the box, the image fading.

"Of course you are. And he's waiting for you."

T.B.C.