Prologue:

Somehow, she had always believed that the sword was for her brother. The mysterious, silver-green metal had always fascinated her, yes, and the strange designs of emerald, but a sword, as she had been told so many times, was a man's tool, and not meant for the likes of her. A sword was a killing thing, after all- what need had she to kill?

She had only seen it twice, perhaps three times- but the last was the one that stayed sharpest in her memory. Her father, unrolling it from the cloth that kept it safe, hidden- she did not truly know why it was kept rolled up. Her father had been going to war. He would not take the sword with him- because, she assumed, it was too valuable. That was one thing she was curious about- how a peasant family like hers might come to have a sword that was obviously worth so much. But the night before he left, he had knelt before it, as if asking it for luck, protection… Whatever he had asked for, it had not been granted him. He did not return from the war.

Her mother, she had thought, blamed the sword for his death. She kept it hidden away someplace, and never spoke of it. And had not taken it out, until now. Lidaen assumed this had something to do with her brother. All three of them- her brother, Easad; she; and her mother were crowded into that small back-room. The only room in the house without windows, it was lit by flickering candlelight. Lidaen felt that there was a need for secrecy, though she did not know who the secret was kept from, and she felt excitement. For the first time in years, her mother had taken out the sword, and something was happening that was going to mean… change, she decided. Something was going to happen that would bring change to her family.

Now, her mother whispered softly to them both, her eyes all the while on the sword that lay in the center of the circle formed by the three of them. Lidaen again wondered at the need for secrecy. "You must know this, both of you must- I'm not sure where to begin-" This was hardly the calm, sure woman who had made her feel so secure all the years of her childhood. What would have happened that even her mother would worry? The woman reached gently for the sword, pulling it closer to her. "First you should know-" her voice was weak, frightened. "When my husband died- In the war- You know, don't you, what the war is about? I'm sure I told you…"

It was Easad who answered. "You told us. Our King is fighting a war against Ahnil, the Bandit-king of Dhren. You said- you said it for a good cause, but it was wrong that our King should force his people to fight when they did not want war. You said his armies were great enough to defeat the Bandit-king without the help of the rest of his people."

"And my husband did not want to go to war. Even though he had known the King…once…" Lidaen looked to Easad for his reaction. His face shone with curiosity.

"Did you ever meet the King?" he asked, as she had known he would.

Their mother nodded. "Yes, but that- that comes later. Now- it's about the sword. Why it had to be hidden- Why my husband wanted to hide it. Once, he and the King had been friends. But they had argued. The sword- it had been lost- hidden- for many years. It is supposed to belong to the King. But your father did not believe this was so. The sword was of his family, and he thought it belonged to him- especially after his fight with the King. So he hid it. But now it is time- we are losing the war. My husband is dead, and we cannot win without- the King must have the sword. And you must take it to him- Lidaen." Lidaen almost jumped up in shock. She had been so sure that her mother was going to say Easad… "And I was going to tell you about how I knew the King before- He- I- He is your father, Lidaen."

Author's Note: I hope you like this- please let me know, or I won't continue it… Also if there was anything wrong with the spelling or grammar, or if it was confusing, feel free to tell me, although I don't appreciate flames.