1. Prologue by Pheonixtales
Simon was a tall, strong man with a salt and pepper beard and flowing black hair. Simon came from a long line of blacksmiths. His family had worked as local blacksmiths for seven generations. Because of his hardworking nature he was hired by the benevolent Lord Malfoy to craft and develop his weapons. Simon considered himself fortunate to be chosen by Lord Malfoy himself for this privilege, as Lord Malfoy was notoriously hard to please. As reimbursement for his consistent good work Lord Malfoy paid him handsomely. As a result Simon not only gained influence in the village, he also increased his family fortune beyond anyone’s imagination. He and Sheena wanted for nothing, except that is, for a child.
Ahh, Sheena. He could clearly remember when he first met her.
He was a scrawny lad of a mere eleven years of age when he was first being trained to be a black smith by his father. The day started just like every other. He woke early, quickly ate his breakfast and ran happily to the forge where his father was already stoking the fire. Around noon a couple came in and began to talk to his father. Simon didn't think anything of it, as this was the usual. However as he was getting a drink of water his eye caught a glimpse of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He promptly went to his father to see if he needed any assistance and his father had told him that the young girl's parents had just hired him to shoe their daughter's horse. It wasn't just the beautiful girl that made Simon remember this day so well. The girl, who he later found out was named Sheena, had named her horse Salazar. The name struck him in the most unusual way. Instead of simply thinking that this was a strange name for a horse, something about the name resounded throughout his whole body, almost as if it was part of him.
Simon was forced out of his reverie by the back door slamming as Sheena came in from gathering eggs for his breakfast. Sheena was a beautiful woman. She had beautiful shimmering black hair that floated down to the middle of her back Her baby blue eyes were not as bright as they used to be. Even though his wife was extremely compassionate towards everyone she met there was a hint of the sadness of being childless in them. They lived the average life of any middle class family at the time. Sheena loved her husband very much. She often laughed as she remembered that little, bratty, boy whining about the hammer being too heavy when he was eleven. She couldn't help but be impressed by the strong, passionate man she saw before her. However, Sheena did not agree with how Simon handled those he believed to be witches while on his witch hunts.
Unlike her husband who believed everyone who practiced witchcraft should be burned at the stake was out to kill witches, Sheena believed that they should be offered a chance, to denounce magic and return to the church, but because she was a woman, she never mentioned this to anyone, except of course Simon. Sheena was loved and respected in the community just like her husband. She often walked with a joyful gait, a smile on her face, and a song on her lips. This was just her nature. Lately however, Sheena’s face seemed to glow with a new intensity. Skipping and whistling as she went about her household duties became increasingly regular, almost excessive according to the local gossips. Simon didn’t know what to make of it, but decided that whatever was making his wife so happy had to be a good thing. The two had lived a seemingly normal, perfect, and relatively happy life.
Little did they know their life of normalcy was about to come falling to pieces around them.