Prologue:

I have been given many names: men call me the Black Lady, dwarves The Bringer of Sleep, the Dark Woman. The elves call me Morwen, daughter of Darkness. They all believe to know that I am evil. I come at night bringing eternal sleep to those I choose. Those who see me, seldom live to tell. They give me the dark face of an evil spirit and children are frightened by mentioning one of my many names. For I am Leara, Angel of Death, a child of god and a soul of righteousness.

I come to those who are dying. I give them comfort and sleep. I tell them that they do not have to be afraid. That there will be love and light. I relieve them from pain. And I take them in my arms, when they are gone, closing their eyes and giving them the last kiss, before I carry their soul safely away.

But sometimes, my path is a different one. That of a guardian. Sometimes I am sent out to help someone in great distress. An unfortunate soul, whose life is about to change. A change, is it not some sort of death? And at the same time the birth of a new life and fate?

There are others like me, I am not the only one. We are amongst you all the time, watching both mortals and immortals. We can touch, but we cannot feel you. And you do not sense us. Only if we choose a human form, you can see us. Some say, angels are terrible and heartless beings. That is not true. We can feel but we don’t have the powers to act upon it. We walk upon the earth since time begun and will continue for all ages, the world changing around us, but we stay the same. For death knows no change. But I know it. I know the change of heart.