Prologue – Dark Days

The funeral was a grand affair. For two days a gloomy pall hung over the town surrounding the castle, and the air was filled by the sonorous tolling of the mourning bells. When the funeral procession wound its way, long and snakelike, through the streets, the townsfolk turned out in droves to say their final farewells. Windows and people alike were cloaked in thick black fabric; each man and woman kept his or her eyes cast down upon the ground. Each wondered what would happen now.

The king and queen were dead, leaving only a single daughter as heir to the throne. And so, as the procession passed and the former rulers were laid to rest among their ancestors, all eyes turned gradually to peer through the fog at the castle. Through the clouds and rain it seemed so much more dark and ominous than it had a mere few days ago.

It was no different within the castle walls. Servants and nobles alike waited with bated breath, and for good reason: the Princess was taking counsel with the realm's oldest and wisest wizard, Zordon. They were closeted – alone – in the royal audience chamber, the doors barred and watched at all times by two armed guards. No one was allowed to interfere.

That did not stop them from trying, of course. Most of the noble families had something at stake. After all, the Princess Kimberly was seeking Zordon's counsel regarding her choice of husband. The man she chose would rule beside her as king.

Naturally, every vassal with an unmarried son of proper age wanted to push whatever advantage he could in order to put one of his own blood on the throne. None dared openly defy the will of Zordon, or the Princess, but many were brave enough to demand entrance to the audience chamber. All were rebuked. None tried a second time.

Jason Scott, a young, but distinguished knight from one of the oldest noble families in the land, watched the proceedings with no small amount of amusement. From looking at him it was impossible to tell that he was the rumor-mill's favorite candidate for the succession. He had been groomed for the role practically since birth, for all that he tended to ignore his royal obligations in favor of playing at combat in the kingdom's annual tournaments.

In the midst of all the turmoil, he projected an image of thoughtful calm. It suited his purposes to let the others remain oblivious; he was one of the few that knew the true importance of the Princess's choice. Let the other noble families think they were vying only for a marriage bed and a title. Jason knew better. He did not know everything, but he knew enough to quell his curiosity. There were powers at work beyond his understanding.

These were dark days and dangerous times, and not just because the old king and queen had died so suddenly and under such mysterious circumstances. While the other nobles played their little power games, Jason grew ever more withdrawn. While others tried in vain to gain the Princess's attention, even for a moment, Jason spent his time watching and wondering, his mood becoming darker by the day.

"How long do you think they'll be in there?" The sudden interruption startled him out of his brooding reverie; he belatedly recognized the voice as belonging to Trini, Princess Kimberly's friend and handmaiden.

Calming his frayed nerves, Jason managed a shrug. "I don't know."

Trini crossed her arms over her chest, a worried frown creeping onto her face. "I wonder what they're talking about..."

"The power transfer, I suppose. Can't leave the realm without a king."

"I thought they'd already chosen you to succeed."

"The other nobles did. Zordon might have other ideas. I know Kimberly does."

Trini smiled wryly. "I think you'd make a good king."

"I'd have to marry Kimberly," he muttered, the corners of his mouth twisting downward with distaste. "She's like a sister to me."

"Being family means sometimes you have to do things you don't like," Trini countered, her voice as sour as his. "Especially if it's for the greater good."