Before the fire. Before the fractures. Before everything unraveled.
There was a time when the bloodline stood unbroken
when secrets remained hidden beneath polished smiles and inherited power.
But the cracks were already there, running deep beneath the surface.
These are the stories of what came before.
Of Serenity Ashmere, whose shadows run deeper than even she knows.
Of Ginerva Valtieri, the girl who traded innocence for survival—and paid the price in silence.
Of Westly Redmoor, caught between duty and desire, and haunted by what he can’t forget.
And of Grisham Ashmere, heir to a legacy he never asked for, whose choices would scorch the path ahead.
This is not the beginning.
This is the warning.
Music rang throughout the room, the volume of the speakers turned up to blasting, the bass so loud it rattled the crown molding and vibrated the floorboards of the dance studio Mom had converted for me from one of the forgotten ballrooms.
Ancient tales best forgotten. Until now.
Before legends were carved in stone, before gods earned their power, there were stories—raw, untamed, and dangerously alive.
A princess with a crown not yet claimed.
A blacksmith with fire in his blood.
Friendships forged in flame.
Dreams woven in deception.
And choices that would echo across centuries.
Welcome to the beginning.
Before kingdoms rose.
Before heroes fell.
Before the world knew what it would become.
These are the stories Thalindor tried to bury.
