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Prologue

It was cold and stormy the night of October 31, 1981. The cries of owls rang through the air as a house down below stood in flames.

A figure clothed in black raced towards the house. Blasting down the front door, the figure quickly crossed the threshold. They let a wave of sorrow and remorse wash over them as they spotted the lifeless body of a certain James Potter, but brushed the feelings aside. It wasn't the time. He had to find the child and get them both out before they died of heat, or the house collapsed.

Taking the steps two at a time, the person charged into the nursery. There, next to his dead 'mother', Lily Potter, sat a crying infant. The figure quickly scooped the child up, created a copy of his dead body, and wrapped him in his cloak before running back down the stairs and out of the house. Once a safe distance away and into the small wood behind the house, the figure lowered their hood, revealing the tear-stained face of Severus Snape.

Severus stared down at the child in his arms. He was holding the Savior of the Wizarding World, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. His sister's son.

A sob was heard from behind him. Whipping around, he spotted the boy's mother, Lily. Her face was covered in ash, and sweat poured from her as she approached Severus.

"My baby boy," she wailed softly as Severus handed Harry to her. She held her son close and rocked the tears out of him.

Looking up at Severus, she smiled softly. "Thank you for getting him out, Alec. I was afraid I wasn't going to make it myself."

"Everyone thinks that you're dead," Severus replied. "I almost did myself. You did an excellent job creating your copy."

"It almost killed me to know that I would be letting James die by himself," Lily answered quietly. Severus rolled his eyes.

"When are you just going to admit that you still find him a complete prat?" he asked.

Lily's green eyes flashed dangerously. "He was my husband, Alec, and one of my best friends. Don't talk about him that way, even if you didn't like him." Severus swallowed and nodded. Lily jerked her head towards the north before she began to walk that way. Severus followed.

"So where exactly is Aden meeting us?" Severus asked after a few moments of silence.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask me?" came a voice from behind them. The two siblings spun around just in time to see a man that looked to be about 30 step out of the shadows.

Aden was tall, with wavy golden-red hair that stopped at his shoulders and sparkling crystal blue eyes. Even under his loose tunic you could see that he had a toned body.

"Anthea, my sister," he whispered, coming to kiss Lily's forehead. He turned to Severus. "And my brother, Alec." He put a hand on Severus' shoulder, to which the younger man copied.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Aden. But I'm afraid we haven't much time," Lily told him. Aden spotted Harry in her arms, and his eyes widened instantly as he nodded.

"We must get him to our father," he said before he began to lead them deeper into the forest.

The three siblings ran as fast as their legs would carry them. The farther they ran, however, the darker and denser the forest because. It didn't slow them, though, and soon the forest began to thin again.

"Only... a bit farther," Severus, or Alec, panted. As soon as he said this, a majestic iron gate appeared in front of them, so out of place from the rest of the forest.

"Anthea Komaya, daughter of the High King Eldon, seeks to enter Avalon," Lily, who's real name was Anthea, said in a powerful voice.

"Alec Komaya, son of the High King Eldon, seeks to enter Avalon," Severus ordered.

"Aden Komaya, son of the High King Eldon, seeks to enter Avalon," Aden finished. At once, the gates swung open, and the three stepped past.

Their eyes were met by the familiar sight of a white marble palace in the distance, glittering brilliantly under the luminous moon. Fields of crops and wildflowers lay between them, and the landscape was dotted with manors and little houses.

The kingdom of Avalon lay before them.

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"Father! Mother!" Lily shouted as she jumped from her unicorn, Biancha, in front of the white palace. An older man and woman appeared on the steps, their faces full of joy.

"Anthea! Alec! You have returned!" the woman called. She was Queen Giselle of Avalon, and by far none surpassed her beauty. Although in her fifties, the queen still had a long mane of silky blackish-blue hair, and a pair of almond shaped violet eyes. Her olive colored skin hardly had a wrinkle to blemish it. If you looked closely enough, you would see pointed ears upon her head.

"Mother, now is not the time," Lily said sternly. "James is dead, and I have Harry here." Alec handed Anthea her son.

Giselle looked down into her grandson's face and frowned. "What has caused this scar?"

"The Killing Curse. Voldemort was destroyed tonight when it rebounded off of Harry," Lily explained as the family climbed the steps to where the High King stood. King Eldon was not as young as he used to be, but his face still shone with a childish innocence that he would never rid himself of. A crop of blonde hair sat on his head, and large blue eyes peered at the toddler curiously. His face was tanned, and the creases around his eyes showed many years of happiness.

"My grandson?" he questioned. Lily nodded as Harry was passed onto him. The high king smiled at his grandson before looking up at Lily and nodding.

"He will be a find king some day. And his name?" Eldon asked his daughter as they entered the entrance hall. Servants shrieked with joy when they spotted Lily and Severus, rushing to them and hugging their legs, to which the siblings only laughed and commanded them to rise.

"Harry is his real name," Lily answered him. "For Avalon's sake, we shall call him Daren." She let her eyes roam the hall that she had not seen in five years. The same blue and white banners hung from the ceiling, their threads still as brightly colored as they were when she was a child.

"Daren - 'born at night'. I think it fits him perfectly," Giselle told her daughter. Lily smiled before she took Harry, now Darren, back into her arms.

"He must be hungry," she told them. "I imagine that my room is still the same?" When both of her parents nodded, she bid them both goodnight before making her way up the large staircase.

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Lily sighed contently as she sank down below the water in her bath. The room was lit only by candles, and she now sat in a large gold tub where she could soak all the grime and soot from her body. Her jeans, t-shirt, and shoes were now discarded by a maid, and draped over the chair next to her was can exquisite empire waist nightgown. It was light green, and made of the softest silk around. Tiny pearl beads were sewn onto the bodice of it, creating an intricate design of flowers. A dark green ribbon would let the skirt float around her legs, but the long sleeves would keep her warm.

It was good to be back in her homeland, where they called her "lady of the flowers" and "the white lily." It was where she belonged.

Her heart, however, suddenly ached for James. She had done nothing to deserve his love over the past two years, and yet he had loved her unconditionally. They had been married two years after graduating from Hogwarts, and a year after that, she had been found pregnant with Harry. They had lived happily enough until they had been forced into hiding.

His funeral would be soon. She and Severus would attend, of course, under a disguise. Harry would stay with Aden and her parents while they paid their respects to a loyal friend.

No. It wasn't Severus, and it wasn't Harry. It was Alec and Daren. And she wasn't Lily. She was Anthea, princess of Avalon, the Hidden Kingdom.

Anthea had been born into the royal family of Avalon. She had grown up around the various races of the world, and, being half-elf and half-faery herself, she had never had a problem with them.

But when she was eight, her father insisted that they be taken to the real world, to London, so they could interact with wizards and muggles alike. Eldon had wanted to show them that the real world wouldn't protect them the way Avalon did. She had seen the persecution that non-purebloods had gone through, and what she's always been protected against. She had wished that there was someway to help them.

When Anthea and Alec were both eleven (for they were twins), King Eldon and Queen Giselle had sent them off to receive their education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Giselle had convinced her husband that the children needed to grow up with normal children.

So they had become Lily Evans, a Muggle-born Gryffindor, and Severus Snape, a greasy-haired Slytherin. They had kept their distance and made snide remarks about each other for a few years, but once they reached fourth year, Lily had snapped. After that, they had maintained the appearance of being good friends.

Their older brother, Aden, had been next in line for the throne, but had stepped down after realizing he wanted to live a simple life with his wife, Sonora, and his two children, Faye and Edric. So naturally, it was to go to Alec, but he had refused it. Anthea knew that he didn't like to be a leader like that. And of course, Anthea, being a woman and unmarried, was out of the question. Avalon had been without an heir.

But after giving birth to Harry, now Daren, things had changed. Eldon would remain king until Daren was eighteen, when he would take a wife and take Eldon's place as High King of Avalon, and eventually, over the entire Wizarding World.

She was suddenly sad that James wouldn't be able to see his son grow up, or the new child that was growing inside of her that she hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him about. But she had known from the very beginning that he would have to die, and he understood that. Her father had foreseen the destruction of the Potter's, and it had come to pass. The only true Potter was dead.

But Anthea, Daren, and the new baby would live on. She would tell them of their true names when they grew old enough to understand it. In the meantime, Harry would remain Daren Komaya, Prince of Avalon and heir to the throne of the High King, and perhaps she would get a darling daughter out of her current pregnancy, who would be called Dalila after Anthea's great, great grandmother.

The tale of Avalon was one that Anthea had heard many times growing up. As the girls in her dorm thought it to be a myth, Anthea played on this and pretended that she loved the story, and took special delight in telling it to her dorm mates.

It is said that Merlin created Avalon to be a home for the persecuted races of the world. It contained faes, elves, veelas, sorcerers and sorceresses, and some witches and wizards too powerful to be left out in the real world. At one time, it had been open to the whole world, but when war broke out between those living there and the rest of the world for possession of the land, Merlin sealed the entrance and made the country disappear. He appointed his close friend to be ruler over his kingdom, and then never returned to the White Castle of Asters, the capital of Avalon. Once he died, however, the people looked to Avalon for help. They found only Merlin's friend ready, but not without a price.

Over time, the great kingdom of Avalon was forgotten. Those who still remembered it turned it into a legend, not wanting their children to know of their past mistake.

Every time a new High King came into rule, he met with the Minister of Magic from every country in a conference. After introductions, he would become the leader of the entire magical world.

Standing, Anthea quickly dried herself off and slipped into the silk nightgown. She squeezed the water out of her hair and patted it dry with a towel as she stepped into Daren's room and over to his cradle. His ears were already beginning to point, as hers were, and his face turning light as the magic of Avalon forced his body to revert to his normal form. Lily's hair was naturally darker than James had always seen it, but she had become quite fond of the color and kept it that way. Her eyes were the same vibrant green that they always were, with flecks of gold and silver swirling in them. Her skin would be pale by the time she woke the next morning.

Kissing Daren's forehead, she whispered softly, "Good night, my little prince. Pleasant dreams."

As she turned her back on the toddler, she didn't notice the soft gold glow that was suddenly emitting from him. If she had spotted this, she would have taken him directly to her father. But as it were, the baby slept on peacefully, unaware of what the light meant.

Fate had recognized him as the true king of Avalon.

And somewhere, a few miles off the village of St. Ottery Catchpole, in a tall and crooked house, another gold light shone. It came from a tiny baby girl, only a few months old, who slept without a worry.

Fate would allow them to meet someday in the near future.