The screams easily permeated the entirety of the small cottage as the soon-to-be mother cried out.

�This child is a large one.� Commented the midwife. �I have attended many births in my years, but none like this.�

�My wife will be okay, will she not?� asked the child�s father.

�There is no reason to fret m�lord. She will be just fine.�

�Is it a boy or a girl?� the father asked, seemingly to himself. �It has to be boy. No girl could cause this much problem right?�

�I cannot tell yet, but we will know soon enough. It won�t be long now.�

The knight returned to the side of the bed, �Hang on dear. It will be over soon,� he said trying to sound as comforting as possible.

The homely dressed midwife stood at the end of a bed in the small bedroom then turned and headed into the kitchen, waiting for the mother-to-be to give birth. The father, a knight of the realm, switched between pacing impatiently by the bedside and leaning down to comfort his wife. She had been in labor for about half the night now and there was still no sign of any baby. Just as the knight turned to begin pacing again, his wife let out a piercing shriek that let both her husband and the midwife that something was happening.

The midwife rushed back into the room with a basin filled with water and some more clean cloths. She quickly placed the basin on the table next to the end of the bed and turned toward the business at hand.

�Here it comes now. There is the head. Just one more push now m�lady, and here comes the rest of��him.�

�Did you hear that, dear? We have a son! We have a son!�

�I am glad.� She commented weakly. �Now, I must rest.�

�Yes, m�lady you must rest and regain your strength.�

The knight reached out toward his newborn son, �Give him to me. Let me hold him.�

The midwife finished cleaning the baby and gently handed him to his expectant father. �Here you are m�lord, your strong, healthy, and big son.�

The knight held his son close to his chest, kissed the top of his head, then knelt and laid him upon the bed next to his mother.

Although this humble house was deep in the woods far away from any other townspeople, all the commotion did not go unnoticed. A shadow, lingering outside the meager abode, had seen and heard everything that had just happened. Without a sound, the shadow slipped away into the growing daylight to report all it had seen to its master. The shadow moved silently through the woods into the nearby town. No one was even aware that the shadow was there as it passed underfoot of several townsfolk. The shadow but only one thought. Return to the castle and tell its master what it had seen. The shadow slipped over rooftops, under awnings, and through houses on its straight path to the castle nearly 6 miles away.

A lonely figure sat upon a huge granite throne brooding over his conquests of the past years. Though many, his defeats were also many. For years, he had waged a war against his own blood. His own brother, Giehl. He had sworn to kill his brother and take over his kingdom as he had done with so many others. But, his brother proved to be a more worthy opponent than he had first thought him. In their years together growing up, Zager remembered his brother being quiet shy and noncombative. Not the man he met 20 years past on the day of Giehl�s coronation. The man he met that day was forceful yet reserved, strong yet humble. He seemed prepared for both the throne and war, not what Zager had expected.

Because of that underestimation, the war Zager had planned to last no more than a year had dragged itself over more than twenty. Both armies had lost many men and were on the verge of collapse. But now, the brother�s armies were in a stalemate. Neither army had the strength or the numbers to crush the other. It was a time of rebuilding armies and of rethinking strategy. And Zager felt that he was finally about to get the upper hand.

Ever since Zager was a child he was fascinated by the dark arts of magic and sorcery. He read as much as he could find and looked all over his parents� kingdom for someone who could teach him the ways of the dark. He had finally found that person only to be banished two months later. After his rise to king Zager snuck back into Lazader and retrieved his dark instructor and with his teachings perfected his incantations to the Goddess Mei, the Dark Goddess of Evil. In his many prayers to the Dark Goddess, Zager learned that from his own kingdom a child would be born that could end his war, his ambition, and ultimately destroy him. But, as with any prophecy, there was a way to fulfill it and a way keep it from coming to be.

The child born into Zager�s kingdom was to rise up against him and be the key in the destruction of Zager and his entire kingdom. Since learning of this child�s destiny, and his own, Zager called forth upon the Goddess Mei to give him a way stop the child before he had a chance to rise up. The Dark Goddess Mei sent wraith-demons to help Zager search his land for any newborn babies. Upon finding them they would report back to the evil king. Zager took the male children from their parents and trained them to be knights in his army. The female children were never heard from again. No one ever knew what became of them.

The tyrant sat at his throne, alone with his thoughts of how to ultimately bring down his brothers kingdom and make it his own, when he felt a presence enter the throne room. He felt the essence stop half way between the door and the throne. Zager lifted his armoured hand and waved the shadow forward.

The door the cottage flew open and five black knights charged trough the doorway. They spread throughout the small house in such a manner that it would have been obvious to anyone present that they were looking for something. But the small wood and thatch house was empty. The occupants of the house had fled, seemingly expecting a �visit� from someone.

The knight, his wife, his newly born son, and the midwife were running through the forest as fast as they could. Only the knight knew why they were running and the other three only did what they were told. A quarter of the way through the forest the knight�s wife called to her husband to stop running.

�Please stop! I can�t run anymore.� Pleaded the new mother. �I am in no shape to go running through the forest and I don�t even know why we are running. Please, let us rest and tell us why we had to leave our home and flee.�

�Yes m�lord, please stop your wife has just given birth.� Agreed the midwife �She absolutely should not be running through these woods, nor running at all. She should be resting, in a bed.�

�All right, we�ll rest, but only for a little while. We must make it to the next town before sunset. I have a cousin there and he can hide us until we are ready to move on.�

�Why do we need to hide? And where are we going so suddenly?� Demanded the knight�s wife. �I refuse to move another step until I know why we left our home without telling anyone.�

�I agree.� Chimed in the midwife.

�Fine. We can rest here and I�ll explain everything.�

The knight helped his wife sit down and lean against a tree. He himself sat down against a tree and took a deep breath, preparing to tell his wife why they were fleeing from their hometown of 30 years.

�Do you remember when Zager conquered our land? I fought against him in our army but we were no match for that massive invasion. When our generals conceded to surrender to Zager I was one of those few knights who vocally opposed it. The generals never returned from their meeting with Zager. Instead Zager himself rode into our meager camp. No one opposed him as he stepped over and on our wounded and dying.

�I was in my tent with the other knights who opposed the surrender when a squire ran in and told us that Zager himself was riding through our camp. We all felt that this was the one chance we needed to stop that evil tyrant once and for all. We readied for battle and set ourselves around the camp waiting to spring upon Zager and kill him. None of my comrades survived that fight.

�We waited until Zager was standing in the generals� camp and then we struck. We thought we had him, but he seemed ready for us, like he knew we were coming. We fought valiantly and bravely but we were no match for him. He defeated us easily. I was the last one left standing. He stood over me looking down like he was trying to decide whether to kill me or not. Then he did something I couldn�t believe. He asked me to join his army, to become one of his knights and fight at his side and wipe the world clean of the infection of the old order.

�I asked him what would happen if I refused his offer. He smugly told me that he would kill me without a second thought. Of course I refused his offer to join him. I would never want to be a part of that madman�s evil doings. And I told him such. He said he was �sorry that such a worthy knight and skilled swordsman had to die.� He waved two of his knights over and told them that could have the honor of killing me.

�But I wasn�t ready to die yet. I jumped up and before they knew what was happening I had grabbed a sword and run one of them through. I spun to avoid the others attack took off his head and ran toward Zager determined to run him through. But I never got close to him. He raised his hand spoke in some ancient tongue and I flew across the camp into one of the tents. When I regained my senses and stood up the two knights I had just killed were kneeling before Zager.

�He looked down at the two knights, �Burn this place to the ground.� Before he turned to go he shot me a gaze that froze my very soul and left me standing amidst the flames of the camp. I tried once again to rush him with my sword but before I had gotten within 30 feet I was thrown to the ground again. I tried to slash at the retreating army but my arm would not move.

�It was at that moment that I realized that Zager was not just another king who wanted to conquer the world. He was a tyrannical madman in league with some dark power, a power that was going to make his quest of destroying the old world and replacing it with his own possible.

�I returned home after that day and have not picked up my sword since. When I heard what he was doing to all the newborn children in the lands that he conquered I knew that once our child was born we would have to leave. I was not going to allow my daughter to die by his hands nor my son to be a part of his dark army. And to keep my son safe I am taking him to the kingdom of Lazader. There, I will implore King Giehl to take my son and train him to be a knight of his realm. A knight who, when grown, could stand against Zager�s forces and win.�

As the old knight told his story his wife listened intently. She now understood why her husband put down his sword that fateful day many years ago and became a lowly farmer. She knew why he had insisted upon keeping her pregnancy secret from all her friends, why he had brought only one midwife, and why they were now on the run for their lives.

�I understand now why you did what you did and why we are running. Please let us contin�ugh�..�

She never finished her sentence. The knight jumped up and ran to his wife. The midwife screamed and covered her face with her shaking hands. As the knight and his wife slumped to the ground she held onto the arrow that was sticking out of her chest. Her dressed grew bright red as she lay on the ground held tight by her grieving husband. The arrow had hit its mark and pierced her heart. It would not take long for her to die and the knight knew it all too well.

She raised her bloody hand to her husband�s cheek and left a streak of bright red as her hand slowly slid across his rough face then fell limp to her side. The knight let out a howl that chilled the midwife's bones to the core. He stood slowly and turned toward the bowman who stood not 50 yards away with his bow raised to send another flight of death toward the group. The bowman released the taut bowstring and the arrow leapt from the bow toward the knight. Although the knight was getting old and it had been years since his last battle, his reflexes and the forest�s cover allowed him to easily avoid the wood and steel projectile. The bowman was again preparing his bow when the knight turned toward the midwife.

�Take my child and go. Run as fast as you can from here. Take him someplace safe and when you can, try and get to him to King Giehl. Take my bag and go. NOW!!�

The midwife wasted no time in snatching up the knight�s bag and his son. She ran off into the woods as fast as her old legs could carry her.

The bowman turned to fire at the midwife but the knight left forth a battle cry that startled the bowman and sent to arrow harmlessly into air. The knight was now at a full charge sprinting toward the bowman with all that was in him. He felt the spell Zager had placed on him all those years ago begin to pull on him trying to stop him but his rage overpowered the spell binding his warrior�s spirit and before the bowman could get another arrow into the bow the knight was upon him.

The only thing the midwife heard as she ran was the old knight�s battle cry followed by the horrid scream of someone staring death in the face.

The midwife ran through the forest and came upon a clearing. In the center of the grassy hillock, stood a large boulder. A small stream trickled out from under the rock and ran out of the clearing on its way to the ocean. She limped over to the boulder and slipped to the ground. She placed the heavy bag next to her and then unwrapped the bundle on her chest. The child looked up at the midwife seemingly unaware of all that had happened. The child did not know that it had just lost his mother or that his father was most likely on his way to meet her.

The midwife was completely exhausted from running through the woods and her old legs would no longer carry her. Before she could stop herself she slipped into a deep sleep.

She awoke with a start to the sound of voices, men�s voices.

�Oh no. They�ve found me.�

She looked down to her chest to see if the baby was still asleep but found that he was no longer there. She feared the worst. She feared that Zager�s men had already found her while she was sleeping and had taken the baby. She stood up straight away and looked around for any sign of the baby or Zager�s men. If they wanted the baby they would have to kill her first. She heard the voices coming from the other side of the boulder. She ran around the rock and gasped, surprised at the scene before her.

A small fire was burning inside a little circle of rocks and a small pot of water was hanging above the flames. The baby was asleep next to the fire and sitting around the campfire were four small men. But the men were not Zager�s guards. In fact the men were not even human.

At the sound of the midwife�s gasp the four men stood and turned towards her. They all stood about waist high and were looking at her with looks of peace. One had grey hair with a long grey beard. Another had fiery red hair and no beard. The third was bald with a small mustache and beard. And the last had blonde hair with a large mustache.

The midwife wasted no time on thinking about these strange men. She ran around the men and grabbed up the baby holding it protectively and backing away from the four men.

�What have you done to this baby? I swear if you hurt him I�ll�I�ll��

�We have not injured the child.� The grey-haired dwarf said soothingly. �We only took him from you to allow him more room to sleep. We would never think to harm such a young child. Even if he wasn�t the child of prophecy.�

�Prophecy? What do you mean prophecy?

�Please, come sit here around the fire. It is cold out tonight and I feel that we will be here awhile. Please�� The grey-haired dwarf pointed to the fire and beckoned the midwife to join them. When she finally sat down with the child, the grey-haired dwarf began by introducing himself and his companions.

�My name is Noignar, and this is Fergred, Thoijyn, and Quopdu. We are dwarves and we come here every night. We have been charged with the task of finding and training the child of prophecy. It all began many years ago, before this war that rages on began. The two kings who fight in this war are brothers, twin brothers. When they were young it was decided by their parents that only one should rule the kingdom of Lazader. The good King and Queen decided that Giehl would rule and banished Zager for his evil heart. After the King and Queen�s death on the day of Giehl�s coronation as king Zager returned as he had been told to do by his father. It was that day that Zager declared a war against his brother. He swore to destroy his brother and take back the kingdom that he felt he lost. That war has raged now for more than 20 years. While it seems like this war will rage on forever, it has been prophesied that there is a way to stop this conflict.�

Fergred continued the story.

�The old writings foretold this war amongst the humans, and how it would encompass the whole of the world. To stop this war from consuming the entire world a boy-child will be born with the power to stop the evil king and restore peace to the lands. Since this war began we four have waited in this place for that foretold child. We now believe that our wait is over and that we can now begin the second part of our life�s mission.�

�You mean to say that you think this child is that foretold child that will stop this war? I cannot believe that. This is just the child of a simple lady and a valiant knight. There is nothing special about him.�

�There is something special about everyone. This child has an aura about him.�

�An aura? What do you mean?�

�I mean that he has the potential to become a great warrior. His father was a warrior was he not?�

�He was, but not anymore. He became a farmer many years ago.�

�The present does not matter. The only thing that matters now is the future. This child will change the future. His future will finally bring peace to all lands and ensure that that peace lasts.

�I can�t give you this child. His father told me to take him to Lazader to become a knight under King Giehl.�

�When the time comes he will go to Lazader to speak to the king, but for now there is nothing he can do but grow stronger and hone his warrior spirit.�

Before the midwife could say another word she slumped and fell to ground. The dwarves grabbed the child and stood ready to guard his life with their own. Five armoured knights stepped from the forest carrying torches. One of the knights held a bow and had a smirk on his face that said that he had hit his mark.

�At this rate I�ll be the best archer in King Zager�s army.�

�Tell me swine what are your names. I need to know who I�m about to kill.�

�You wont be alive long enough for it to matter, so I�m not going to waste my time telling you.� Retorted Noignar.

�Hey, did you hear that men? It sounds like they�re going to kill us. Or maybe they�re waiting for us to drop dead.�

�Something like that. Fergred.�

Fergred began chanting in the dwarven tongue holding his hands in front of him with his left balled and laying on his right open palm.

�What? Are you trying to bore us with your chanting?�

The five knights began laughing only seconds before a white-hot flame surrounded the whole of them and consumed them in a ball a flame. The only thing left of the doomed knights was a twisted pile of smoldering steel and iron.

�That was a little over dramatic, Fergred. But well done none-the-less. Let�s gather our things and get this child underground before more of these goons show up.�

The four men started to gather their bags as well as the bags that the midwife carried with her.

�Hey Noignar, there�s a broken sword in this bag. Should we keep it?� asked Thoijyn

�Yes, bring everything inside. We don�t want to leave any sign that we were here.�

�What should we do with this lady's body? We can�t leave it here.�

�Quopdu can take care of that, right?�

�It won�t be a proper burial ritual, but yes, I can do it.�

�She doesn�t need a proper dwarven burial. Just do it. Her gods would understand, I�m sure of it.�

�Okay.�

Quopdu sat crossed legged on the ground next to the midwife�s body. He began to chant quietly as he plucked some grass and sprinkled it over the body. He dug up some dirt and spread it on the midwife as well. The midwife�s body began to sink into the earth as Quopdu�s chant heightened in intensity. After he finished the midwife�s body was completely swallowed by the ground and the grass was returned to normal. The other three dwarves put their hands together and said a small prayer then returned to gathering the bags and cleaning up after themselves.

Quopdu picked up the child and carried him over to the boulder. He placed his hand on the large rock and chanted some words. The massive stone swung slowly out of its position to reveal a set a steps leading down into the depths of the earth. Noignar, Thoijyn, Fergred, and Quopdu descended the earthen staircase. After they were all in the boulder swung back into place. The hillock was left as serene as it had been hours ago when the midwife first arrived.