Hey everyone, this is the first proper story I've ever uploaded here. I have no Beta and so I try to re-read my work, but i can't always find any mistakes.

WARNNING! This is going to be quite dark in places, thats why its rate M even though this first chapter has nothing too bad that needs a warnning. There will be blood, glore and mXm relationship, if you don't like any of that DO NOT READ! You have been warned.

Chapter One

There are many worlds in the universe. Each one beautiful and magical in its own way: each world has its own species and creatures that walk its surface and just like our own world, not everyone is friendly. Evil lives in everyone, some just hide it better then others, but its always lurking there; crime, war, death, it always follows in the footsteps of the so called ‘Light.’

The sun’s strong rays glared though tall windows, lighting up the room beyond better then any oil lights or candles ever could. No one could remember how many panes of clear glass made up the two stories tall windows, which took up the entire south facing wall of the library later turned study. Mouth-eat once red curtains hang listlessly at five different intervals, remnants of a once rich past. There were five different entrances to the large room, three on the remaining walls on the lower floor, but only two on the upper; where once a third door laid was a painting of the Three Goddess and their children. Hundreds upon thousands of priceless texts where carefully stored in the maze of tall wooden shelves; only the aged librarian knew where each section was, no one had time to fully look at the wealth of knowledge hidden away. Many years ago the upper floor was turned into the King’s Study, at the time it was most practical, but now like most of the castle it was only used by mice, mouths and dust. Under the swiping marble staircase was a small wooden table, three uncomfortable stools around it. With his bent back to the door sat an old man, the sun’s rays reflected on his glasses. Opposite him were two young boys, their red hair appearing on fire. The old mans nervous voice echoed in the empty room.

“In this world, where a centuries old war had come to an end, all thoughts of evil were put away. The people sang and danced, joyful at the thought of living in peace. All expect one man. This man had no name, both parents dying before his naming ceremony. He was raised by a dancer before being sent off to learn in one of the temples after showing his talent in battle. This boy turned into a man who thrived in battle, loving nothing more then to kill those who oppose him. His only wish was to die in battle, to obtain glory though the bloodshed. When news reached him of the peace, he was furious. In his rage he killed everyone around him; an entire town left in ruins, before something stopped him.

“No one knows what happened next, but days after the air grew heavy. The magic that resigned in people grew active, more out of control then before an apprentice started his lessons. The magic that made childbirth easy more or less disappeared, more and more women died in childbirth and even more become inferential, their magic’s disappearing altogether with no chance of returning. Those that could still carry children where hidden away to protect them. Then something worst happened.

“The monsters that lived in every child’s dream were no longer make-believe. They walked in the living plain, eating cattle and destroying villages. And the man who caused all this mayhem vanished, but not before his chilling laugh could be heard in the wind. This disaster was called The Awaking Darkness.

“Unlike most history that becomes mere myths, this knowledge did not. Every day the people are reminded of their past and the deeds of one man. Each child is repeatedly told, so they can tell their children. But like most things, the monsters didn’t stop us humans from killing each other; they only increased the fear and bloodlust.

“Over time people found a way of taming the monsters, but no one would call them pets. Those people became famous, the peoples hero. The most famous where the Dragon Knights, a small group of knights who tamed one of the most fearsome creatures that walked the surface; but not even they could fully tame such creatures. The knights belonged to the Kai’Sha army, one of the smallest armies but the strongest. The Kai’Sha kept the knowledge of how to tame dragons a secret, not even our king of the time knew how to do this feat.

“But to tame a strong dragon came at a price; not one everyone was willing to give. By using Tracking magic the people of Kai’Sha could locate weak dragons and train the knights into being loyal to our kings…

“Young princes, please pay attention to what I’m teaching you. Your father will not be please to hear of your misbehaving.” The aged scholar pleaded, knowing that he should have asked for more gold when he agreed to teach the twin princes. Pushing his thick glasses up his noise, the old man looked over the twin brothers before him before turning to look out of the tall windows. Years ago the view would have been amazing; tall trees would be visible past rows of neat orderly white stone buildings, with a mountain range only visible on a clear day. But good things never last, the old man thought, only the people from his generation could image how the kingdom of Kai’Sha could have been known for its beauty. Like a plucked flower slowly dying, the kingdom’s beauty had slowly disappeared. The trees had been cut down years ago by people who had to pass though Kai’Sha to fight in a war with one of the neighbouring kingdoms. Any that had been replaced where burned to the ground; traitors thought to have been hiding there, protected form both the elements and their former comrades. The small white stone buildings where nothing but rumble, most people had no choice but to live in the castle, the only thing that seemed to have past the trails of time. This great kingdom had lost everything over time; a powerful empire nothing more then a legend; hard to believe but small pieces of evidence could still be found. The only thing that stopped the Kai’Sha kingdom from being wiped out or overrun by invaders was the charisma of its kings. The past kings’ all had a way with words, they could talk anyone into believing them and so they made allies and deals with the four surrounding nations.

“But sir, our father will always believe us, his dear twin sons.” The sound of the younger princes’ voice brought the old man out of his thoughts of the past and back to the present. It was never a good thing to ignore the twin princes.

“My dear baby brother is right. Anyway, how can we possibly understand you when you jump from one subject to another? Are you sure you can teach us? Your not going senile in your old age, are you?” The older brother by three minutes asked, his tone mocking. When word got out that a Carrier had fallen pregnant with the kings’ child, the people were overjoyed, no one more so then the king himself. When it came to the birth of the child no one knew if it would survive or not; the pregnancy was hard with many bad omens, but the worst omen came days before the birth. That was when people started to question if the child was a devil sworn. Never before had a Carrier’s labour lasted so long or been so bloody. Never before had people heard someone scream in so much pain. Never before had a birth nearly killed a Carrier.

But when the twin boys were born everyone forgot the omens and the Carrier was treated as royalty; there hadn’t been a set of twins born in centuries.

The boys, much like their father, could win the hearts of the coldest people. Both appeared sweet and loving, caring and playful, but it was nothing but a façade; they were devils in disguise, monsters in hiding. There was no good twin or bad twin. They were the same, identical, almost as if a soul had been put in two bodies. Blood red hair and cold blue eyes, long graceful limbs and sharp minds. They walked like dancers but sat like predators, like the true creatures they are.

Maurice was the name of the older twin, born minutes before the winter solace. Being the older of the two he became the crown prince, the next in line for the throne. His sweet appearance hid his sharp tongue and malicious mind. Maurice made it crystal clear that there were few he could tolerate and even less he would listen to. Unlike his younger brother, Maurice used not only masks’ but those around him to get what he wanted.

Unlike Maurice, Kane was quicker to turn to violence to get results. Constantly being overlooked and ignored in favour of the older brother made things easier for the twins when they had something planned, but it also made him become cruel and slightly sadist. As Kane grew older the King’s advisers showed relief that he was not the crown prince, for Kane firmly believed that the best way to sort out a problem was to kill whoever caused it.

They were always planning something. The silent conversions between the two were more noticeable then when they talked, soft voices harsh. The nobles often feared for their lives in the presence of the twins. Maids went missing if they interrupted the twins, never to be seen or heard again. It was common knowledge that the twins’ sanctuary was the library or the tunnels deep below the palace, where the famed Dragon Knights roamed, looking for the valued jewels and precious stones, which were used as money because the gold, silver and copper mines had long gone dried or fell into someone else kingdom. Most people feared going down there more then the princes. While the furious beast down there where the weakest of the species, they were still powerful enough to destroy towns; but there was no need for the dragons, not with the passive kings’ of Kai’Sha, but they could find the jewels and stones much easier then a human. Kai’Sha was fast becoming a poor kingdom, most of its people left to make names for themselves in the bigger kingdoms and cities, all because of the tributes that had to be paid to the other kingdoms, their very own allies. A once prosperous kingdom with a population of over ten hundred thousand had dwindled down to just over five hundred in the small kingdom. Most working as maids or servants, few working in the last few remaining fields that still gave a crop. Life was quickly becoming hard, even the nobles who now had to live in the castle grew weary of this difficult lifestyle. Most of the food was imported from the neighbouring kingdoms, the wine that the people had daily with their meals was no longer accessible, not with the number of precious stones being found decreasing daily.

The aging man looked at the twins, this kingdom next leader and couldn’t help but sigh mournfully. He could not stop the felling that the peace their father had work so hard for was about to fall apart. Seeing the eight year old boys no longer interested in their studies he left them go. “May the Goddess be with you” he said in parting.

“Thank you, dear Scholar. I do hope you plan for tomorrow’s lesson properly, we do need to know our country’s history after all.” Maurice said mockingly, Kane bowing playfully before exiting the door. “Why do I feel as if a great disaster is about to befall us?” the old man asked sadly into the small empty room.

Stepping into the sparsely furnished warm grey stone hallway, the two boys looked over the bowing man standing opposite the door. “Come now Zev, you know you do not need to bow to us.” Maurice said; a small true smile on his heart-shaped face.

“Yea, you’re our best friend. Not to mention our guard, teacher, trainer, carer and not to forget adviser. Not some dumb servant or maid, like everyone else in this minuscule castle.” Kane whined.

“Please forgive me, I could not help it.” The giant of a man said, his accent thick as he slowly stood up. Zev came from one of the last remaining tribes; who peacefully lived together with the other inhabitants for centuries before the island was invaded when the Wars ended and the Awaking Darkness happen. Few people knew where Zev worked before being hired by the Queen to protect the princes’. Like most of his tribesmen Zev kept his dark hair short, bald during summer and spring. His entire face was covered in thick black lines, the tribal tattoo of his tribe, showing his rank among his people. He stood tall at nearly seven foot, clearly towering over the nobles. No matter how cold it was he never wore shirts or tunics, always keeping his bulging muscles on show. Two thin curved blades hanged from his waist, three sets of throwing knifes were strapped to his bulging legs but what caught peoples attention the most was the large two-handed broad sword strapped to his back. The way he carried both the weapons and himself left no doubt in the king’s mind that this man could – and with the right amount of money would - protect his only sons. “I have both, good and bad news, my princes’.” He bellowed, his voice echoed down the long empty stone corridor.

“Oh dear, what now?” asked the older twin.

“The queen asked for an audience with both of you, and your father was not pleased to see you both missing when our ‘allies’ arrived this morning.” While his face was passive, the humour was noticeable in his voice. Only years of practice stopped the grin from appearing on his face when he saw both the twins expressions turn dark. It was obvious that they weren’t please with the summon; but what they were displeased with Zev could not tell.

“Damn, I thought father wouldn’t have noticed we weren’t there.” Kane muttered his head lowered.

“It was not your father who noticed; it was the Queen. She told your father after the visiting Royals were showed their rooms. I do not think anyone else noticed.” Zev calmly told them. “And Kane, mind your language. You are a prince, not a commoner.” He turned away too quickly to see the blush appear on Kane’s face. “Come along now. You have a busy day.” That said he walked off, knowing that the twins would faithfully follow; Zev had taught them not to trust too easily but they viewed him as a mentor, especially after he had killed their assassin and saved their young lives. He still did not know who paid the man whose body was now rioting in the dungeon.

Turning his head slightly to the right, Zev looked at the reflections in the clear glass. He knew that the boys would not be happy after the meeting with their father; the Queen had planned this, telling the King, the Holy Father that it was for the good of the Kingdom. Uniting them to fully attain some form of peace, but he knew the princes had their own plans, some of which were already in action. Coming up to one of the many intersections in the castle Zev turned left, heading deeper into the stone passages away from the Throne Room and Chapel. “I hope you have not forgotten that you have lessons with the Dragon Knights today, I am sure that Sir Mao will understand.” Zev said, his way of telling them that their plans would not stop.

“Hey Zev, were we going?” Kane asked, hoping he did not have to change clothes just to meet the King and Queen, their father and stepmother.

“You are meeting with your parents and the visiting royals will be there, therefore you must dress for the occasions.” Zev simply said.

“That woman, who is unfortunately Queen, is not our mother therefore we will not call her such.” Maurice muttered darkly, speaking up for the first time since they left the library.

“Yes, our dear mother is nothing but a prostitute who carries the child of whoever pays her the most.” Kane did not try to keep his voice down, not caring about the few servants they passed.

“Kane, do not speak that way about a Carrier, they are treasured because without them our race would have died out many centuries ago.” Zev harshly resorted. “What has made you hate her so?”

“She is planning something, what I do not know, but we no longer trust her.” Maurice sated, already planning ways to make sure their birth mother would not get in their way. Zev stopped and turned to watch the silent conversation pass between the two. This exchanged always amazed him for it reminded him of two predators preparing to go for the kill.

“Don’t worry big brother, we’ll take care of whatever ‘mother’ and that annoying Queen has planned for us.”

“I know, but those interferences are starting to get troublesome. Because of those stupid lessons with the Scholar, you have less time to train with the guards and the Dragon Knights. If everything is to go as planned, you need to be ready.” The thinly veiled anger was clear to all, but it brought a smile to Kane’s face, lighting it in a way only a few people could. “You will still do your part, wont you Sir Zev?”

The use of the title the king gave him made Zev laugh. No one was happy to see what they saw as a barbarian given a title; a tribal man sitting in court was degrading to the nobles. ‘A wild man standing among civil men is ludicrous,’ was the first thing said when the King congratulated him. “Come now, the quicker we get there, the quicker we can leave the nobles to squabble among them selves.”

“Lets take our time, it’ll infuriate the Queen.” Kane muttered to himself, but still followed the duo ahead of him. It did not take much time to reach the large room the twins shared, much to their fathers concern. Like always Zev waited in the corridor to make sure neither tried to run and hide and to make sure no one entered. Like most of the castle the princes’ room left much to be desired. The walls were left bare, like in a servant’s quarter, only small curtain-less windows allowed natural light in. Dying embers from the large fireplace kept the warmth in the seeming always cold room. By the fire was a wooden desk that had seen better days, a mix of paper, scrolls and books littered the top, spilt ink had stained the wooden legs black. Two large over stuffed high back chairs had been dragged closer to the warmth of the fire. At the far end of the large drifty room stood a single battered wooden cabinet, nearly overflowing with carefully folded tunics and leggings. Boots were kept in two neat rows underneath the cabinet. But what stood out the most in the large room was the raised dais in the very centre, where a large lavish four poster bed should have been standing, but instead there were two small thin wood beds, pushed together to form a bigger bed. It was clear to see that the bed was uncomfortable, unfit for anyone of royal statuses. The cold stone dais was covered by a threadbare red rug, slowly turning pink over time. Most people could forget that this baron room belonged to the heir of the throne.

The Queen had said the best place for the princes to sleep was away from south wing; the wing used by nobles and the King and Queen themselves. She did not mind that it was surrounded by servants and had the fewer amounts of guards around.

Once the boys had passed over the threshold they went in different directions, one to the cabinet, the other headed for the bed. As Kane laid down on the wool covered sheets he watched the older part of his soul change tunics, waiting for the stern chiding. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Why must you try the Queens’ patience?” Maurice asked, changing his forest green tunic for a royal purple one.

“Why should I care about her? She means nothing to me.”

“If she gets wind of what we think of her, she could make our lives very…troublesome. I do not wish to think of what she could trick father into.” There was little else to say. Kane lied on the bed pouting, he knew Maurice spoke the truth but that did little to improve his mood. Kane waited for his twin to put on the polished black shoes required for court before he got up to strap on a carefully polished ceremonial sword, passed on to him by Sir Mao. “Come now, lets not keep our kingdoms ‘allies’ waiting.” Like always Kane followed in Maurice’s shadow.

Zev did not wait for the princes’ to exit their room, when he sensed them coming closer to the door he simply started to head towards the Throne Room, knowing that they would follow. When Maurice made up his mind about something nothing would stop him, not even his own brother. The silence seemed to starch on as the trio slowly walked back the way they came. The grey passages seemed never ending; the few remaining statues they passed were like silent sentries watching them with eyes trapped in the shadows. The eyes of the old peeling paintings of past kings seemed follow them, glaring at how their once rich kingdom had fallen into poverty in less then thirty years. The beautiful view form the large windows did nothing to cheer up the twins, both of who dreaded this coming conference but showed it in different ways. Maurice had his head up, but was deeply lost in thought, thinking and planning of what would happen. Kane had his head down, glaring at the worn floor as if it was the bane of his existence. Zev looked back at the eight year old boys and sent a prayer to the goddess, praying that they could recover from what the Queen had planned.

Before long they had reached the throne room, a large white stone room with a ceiling reaching three floors up in the very heart of the castle. White marble columns kept the roof stable while the large stained glass windows let a rainbow of colour flood the white hall. Between each window was a small waterfall, creating a soothing sound and reflecting the light even more, but no one could remember how or why the waterfalls were first created when the castle was built; it was a feat of engineering. From the oak doorframe up to the raise dais where two thrones sat was a thick carpet of vibrate red with a gold inlay. The thrones themselves where a work of art, made from a mix of sliver and white gold, covered in gems ranging from the size of a fist to the size of a child’s head, in the purest of white and milky blue. They were made to impress. Behind the thrones was a set of stairs that led up to the kings’ study and bedchambers. Lining the walls were small balconies which only showed that each passage on the second floor and up led back to this huge room.

Like seemingly always, the hall was filled with the court nobles and other people who helped keep order in the frail kingdom, a few guards standing here and there in an attempt to look menacing even though their armour was antique looking and offered no protection to the wearer. Along the west side of the large hall was a slightly raised dais holding a gold harp, both of the female the harpist and singer wore robes of the palest blue that showed more skin then covered it, the thick silver collars showed that their were former slaves. But what made this session so different were the strangely dressed men standing around two different groups of people. Compared to the guests, the prideful Kai’Sha nobles looked nothing more then simple peasants, the vibrate colours seemed dull and worn, the dresses looked antiquated and in need of repair, the hairstyles belonged in the old paintings of past queens. They looked ridiculous, like children dressed up in their parents’ clothes. Sitting tall and proud on their thrones sat the king and queen of Kai’Sha, both as different as fire and water; the red hair of the king shone like fire while the queens’ unnatural deep black hair shone blue in the suns bright rays. Both wore tunics of pale purple and blue, the house colours of the royal family and resting upon their heads sat crowns of white gold, a metal that could only be found under the castle many centuries ago when their ancestors first set foot on the large island.

The queen, Lady Selena wore a crimson clock to show what kingdom she originally came from before being married off to the desperate king. Selena seemed untroubled that her clock, robe and hair greatly clashed, unwilling to show any weakness in front of her enemies, even though she begged them to come. Selena was known for having more plans for people then ladies in waiting. Selena was a bitter woman, hating anyone better then herself or those with noble fathers; she herself was sold into slavery by her own noble father, becoming one of her kings many concubines before the King got rid of her by marrying her into the poor kingdom of Kai’Sha. Before the twin princes were born she was the most beautiful person in the castle, respected and admired by everyone, but now she was of no importance, nothing more then a figurehead. In the pecking order she was below the Carriers, those lucky women still with a purpose to fulfil, even the most lowly noble was better treated then her.

Unlike his wife, King Xander was a kind and loving man. His once full head of red hair was now stripped white from both age and stress while winkles lined his smiling face. His blue eyes seemed to be created from the same material as the stones in his crown and throne. The unbelievably white robes he wore seemed to both absorb and reflect the light making him appear to glow before everyone. The rune engraved on his left cheek showed that he was also a priest, the Holy Father of the kingdom. To Maurice and Kane his smile seemed strained until he noticed them, both the parties before him were bickering between them selves, the mix of white and yellow and white and black showed that they were from Kai’Wan and Kai’Pan, the two largest kingdoms on the large island, both witch loathed each other. Both parties fell silent once they noticed who entered the hall. A wicked smirk appeared on Lady Selena’s lips.

“My sons thank you for coming so quickly.” King Xander stated, standing to embrace his sons.

“Father, we’re sorry to miss greeting our royal guest, we got carried away in our lessons.” The smile on Maurice’s face was wicked, while silent Kane’s was sinful. Upon seeing the young princess with both parties they know what the queen was planning. Marriage was a great way to unite people.

“I understand my sons. As I’m sure you have figured out, there is something we must tell you…” the king started.

“In ten years time, on this very same day, you will both marry. Maurice you will marry Princess Rosa from Kai’Pan and you Kane will marry Princess Ino from Kai’Wan.” Selena said the princes’ names as if it was a dirty word, the distain clear in her voice. At the mention of their names the princess’s looked up, blushed and curtsied, giggles falling from their open mouths. Both girls were plain looking and could have been related to each other, and because of how open Carriers were passed between kingdoms, it could have been possible. Par their different coloured dress, both of which were of the same style, the only difference between them was that Ino had dirty blonde hair while Rosa had mousey brown. It took the watching nobles a minute to understand what the queen had just said, but once it had sank in the noise in the hall was echoing down the many corridors, their cheers and yells clearly heard no matter where you stood.

Only one thought was passed between the princes, ‘ten years isn’t that long a time.’

Thats the first chapter. Tell me what you think if you want to. It migth take a while for the next chapter to be up.