Prologue

It was a silent night in the kingdom of Lereia. The sky was cloaked in a cloth of indigo. Across the land, gold lights lit up the buildings of the prosperous, masking the hidden secrets in the night. 

But over in the mountains surrounding the city of Yue, was a woman. Known only as the Lady of the Lake, she was called Nimuë only by those deemed worthy of the knowledge, for her name was a special one. Her skin was as pure as snow, eyes as striking the lightning in a storm, as blue as the deepest ocean. She wore a simple dress, light blue, shimmering like the light on the water. 

But she heard a sound.

A rustling in the bushes.

Nimuë, as calm as a summer day, edged closer to the bush. As she pushed the branch away, she saw what it was. And it shocked her.

It was a child. Wrapped in a knitted blanket, the baby was restless. The Lady of the Lake reached for the baby and held it in her arms. Its hair was purely white, its eyes were shining like a shining sapphire. However, Nimuë could not take care of it. But, she knew who could.

She stood outside a blue palace. The gates opened and a woman wearing a silver nightgown came out to greet Nimuë.

"Princess Aria, I have an urgent matter. We must discuss it inside."

They went inside, and both sat on a teal couch, its edges gilded with silver. Nimuë showed her what she had been carrying. The princess was shocked beyond belief. "I need you to take care of it." The princess slowly nodded her head as tears flowed from her eyes, shining like crystals. "I will need to tell my husband." she finally said.

"Tell me what?" came a voice from a bedroom. The prince walked out of the room groggily. By now, the indigo of the sky was slowly being filled with a lilac as dawn started to arrive in Yue. The prince saw the baby and could not speak. He just nodded earnestly. Nimuë stood up to leave, placing a kiss on the baby's forehead before she left.

As she passed the gates of the blue palace, she knew the child would be cared for.