Prologue

A small Levy McGarden sat silently on her father's lap as she listened intently to the story he was telling her. She had heard it over a thousand times, but couldn't get enough of it. It was the story of how her father met her mother. Her large hazel eyes gleamed excitedly at the man as he approached her favorite spot in the story.

"As I wandered into the dragon's keep, sword held at the ready, I spotted something truly amazing. There she was, small but beautiful. Her long blue hair cascaded down her back life a flowing waterfall, and her enchanting emerald eyes captured mine instantly," Levy's father spoke in a soft, nostalgic voice, "Her gaze was teeming with unguarded curiosity as she looked me over. I, however, was much too captivated with this mysterious woman to pay any attention to what was going on around me. Can you guess who that woman was Levy-pie?" Her father nuzzled his face close to hers.

"It was mommy!" The little girl giggled, tickled by her father's rough stubble against her cheek.

"That's right sweetie," he praised, "It was mommy," His deep brown eyes stared into her bright hazel ones as his story time took a serious turn.

"Levy..." He started, making sure that he had his daughter's fullest attention. "You are a growing young lady, and you need someone to guide you on the path to womanhood," Her father stated vaguely. His daughter was only 6 years old, but he knew that she understood that this was a serious matter, and was not to be treated lightly.

"But, isn't that your job Daddy?" the little girl inquired, tilting her head to the side. She wasn't quite sure what he meant by all of that, but she knew that it was his job to help and guide her.

"No sweetie," he shook his head. His shaggy brown hair fell into his eyes and the girl reached a small hand up to his face and brushed the strands away. "Thank you," he smiled, though it soon turned to a slight frown. "You need a mother to help guide you,"

Levy's face brightened, splitting into a dazzling, hopeful smile, "So does that mean Mommy's coming back?"

Her father's face fell significantly, "No sweetie," he whispered softly, not trusting his voice, "Your mother is never coming back," He had never told her, but her mother had died at the hands of a dragon, weeks after Levy had been born. When she asked, Levy's father had always told her that her mother had left to a better place. He wasn't willing to take away his daughter's innocence.

"Oh," Levy's face fell as well, but soon, curiosity rose in place of sadness. "If Mommy isn't coming back, then who will teach me?"

Her father gave her a small smile. "Her name is Lady Minerva. I met her a few years ago, and we became quite close. I am going to marry her,"

"Really?" Levy beamed, "Is she nice? Is she pretty? Is she fun?" she babbled, not letting her father get any sort of answers in.

"Yes, yes of course darling," he chuckled warmly, "Lady Minerva is an extremely kind and passionate woman. And as a matter of fact..." he trailed off, grinning at his daughter, "She even has two daughters of her own!"

"Really?" Levy squealed, bouncing around in her father's lap.

"Yes really," he laughed, "They're names are Evangeline and Antoinette,"

Levy gasped softly at their names, "They're names are so pretty,"

Her father smiled at her, "Yes, I know, but I think your name is much prettier than theirs," He bent down and blew a raspberry against the little girl's cheek.

"Daddy! Stop it!" She giggled, trying to escape her father's hold.

"Mwahaha! Never! You are mine now little girl! For I am the fierce dragon! Come to take you as my prize! Rawr!" He growled playfully, letting his daughter to escape.

Levy ran around their large living room, avoiding the fireplace where red hot flames danced merrily behind the iron gate. She squealed as she tripped over their antique rug, soaring right into her father's waiting arms.

"Grrr! I caught you!" The man growled, tickling his daughter mercilessly. The two went on like that until the late hours of the night. Levy's father did his very best to make sure that his daughter lived the most fulfilling and happy life possible. Even if it means that he has to wed Lady Minerva.

A few years passed, and Lady Minerva and her two daughters had made themselves right at home. Levy had been moved to the living room to make way for her two new sisters. Her sisters were spoiled, and made sure that they got their way. They were often taking Levy's things or teasing her about her height, but Levy didn't mind.

She had found an escape from her sisters' endless teasing: books. Levy loved her books. Every day she would learn something new by flipping through the tomes her father brought her when he came back from his journeys. Books and knowledge to her were like oxygen to everyone else.

Yes, her sisters were rude, and spoiled, and conceited, but that was nothing compared to their mother. Lady Minerva was downright cruel. It was almost as if she was the queen of her own little kingdom and Levy was her lowly servant. When Levy's father was away, Minerva would force Levy to do the dirty work around the house. Naturally, Levy always chipped in with the chores whenever she could, but whenever Lady Minerva was in charge, the amount of work she had Levy do was just ridiculous. Aside from the normal chores, Levy would be forced to do the most outrageous things, like shingle the roof, or repaint the master bedroom, she was even forced to rip out their original garden, and replenish it with the exact same fruits and veggies that were already growing there!

Levy disliked her new family, but she could never hate them. Her father had always taught her to be kind to even the most wretched of people, and that's just what she does. She puts up with them for her father's sake, and every day after her siblings had gone to bed, she is rewarded with a nighttime stroll with her father. She loved her father, and even the most horrible people couldn't change that.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

One day, while her father was away on business, Levy had been sent outside to pick some vegetables from the garden for dinner that night.

Crouched in the dirt, not caring about whether or not her musty orange dress got dirty, she picked the least bruised and rotten vegetables she could find, placing them into a basket on her elbow. She was in a brighter mood that day because that was the day her father would return home from his month long trip. She was just about to return inside to start dinner, when the sound of hooves beating against the dirt caught her attention.

Turning, she saw a thin young man with spikey orange hair riding into her yard atop a tall pale horse.

The man came to a stop before her, reaching into a bag hanging on his shoulder and pulling out a small envelope. "Are you Levy McGarden, of the McGarden estate?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me," she said, reaching up to grasp the letter in his hand.

The man nodded to her and grunted in farewell. He pulled on the reins of his horse and galloped away.

Levy maneuvered her basket so that it sat on the crook of her elbow. Carefully, she opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. Her eyes scanned the yellowish paper, growing wider at each word they passed over.

"No," she whispered, rereading the letter. She was sure she had read it wrong the first time.

"No," she spoke louder this time, her eyes brimming with tears, "No it can't be true!" she wailed, dropping to the ground.

"No! Daddy!" she sobbed, releasing the paper and forgetting her basket entirely.

"DADDY!" An anguished cry ripped through Levy's throat, "NO!"

Her father wasn't coming home.

—

AN: Hey hey! This prologue was pretty long, but I had a lot to cover. I'm sorry if it was boring but hey, every beginning is boring, there's no escaping it. I wanna thank you all who have decided to humor me and read my story. Very appreciated! Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this hella long chapter, and be sure to tell me what you think and if there's any way I can improve!

Later Taters!

~Icy