The Godmother

30. recruits

In 1208, a war began. The wizarding King ruling over the area that stands as roughly Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Germany and Poland, had grown tired of the English wizarding Ministers trying to move the grounds of his lands by the Western border inwards, hence, giving him less land. In five years, the English Minister for Magic, Athernos Harmark, had pushed the King Tytus' land back by 100 kilometres. Rivalry began between the two when Athernos refused to retract his newly-made border, and King Tytus declared war.

Athernos ruled over Britain, France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, and sent his army over to recruit people from Sweden, Finland and Norway. King Tytus had Russia and the Middle-Eastern countries behind his back. And from then on, it was all-out war. The two rulers fought over the land, pushing their armies backward and forward for years, until King Tytus had finally gained a control over his land and was planning to send his snipers into Athernos' capital, burning it to the ground. But, King Tytus sudden fell ill.

His medical advisors sent him to bedrest, while his army sit idly out on the field, waiting for orders from their sick King. The war had been going on for 14 years, during which times, both King Tytus and Athernos' wives had had children. A boy and a girl, both born the same year that had been declared the year that the wizarding world went to hell, 1208. King Tytus' son, Hephestius, took control of his fathers army and decided to take 30 of the most highly-trained soldiers to kidnap Athernos' daughter, the alluring Princess Artemius. But when Hephesius entered Artemius' chambers, he fell unrequitedly and madly in love with the girl.

He kidnapped her and took her back to his castle in Italy, and kept her hostage for years until she laid children. His father, King Tytus had recovered and regained control of his army, but thought that Hephestius had killed Artemius. Hephestius forced Artemius to marry him, and kept her hidden on the highest mountain in Italy, Mount Dorlom. She had babes among babes, and eventually fell in love with her captor. Meanwhile, her father, Athernos, was still searching for her after five years. He began to grow ill with sadness. He missed his daughter too much to keep fighting, and eventually retracted his army. King Tytus grew suspicious, expecting the move to be a trap. One day, he noticed Hephestius climbing up a mountain. He wondered to himself, but decided to follow his son.

When Tytus climbed the mountain, he found Hephestius lying with Artemius, and the children that they'd created. He was angry at Hephestius for kidnapping Artemius and keeping her to himself, rather than telling his father so that they could use her to fight Athernos. He killed their children and left as his son and Artemius mourned. They cried for days over the children that Tytus had killed, but finally, after a week, Hephestius grew angry and decided to take vengeance. He was going to kill his father.

He marched down the mountain as a hailstorm of rain and thunder crossed the Italian land. He trudged through mud and tears and reached his father, and began fighting. They fought swiftly and bravely, wands in their hands and spells firing all around their ancient castle, until suddenly, outside the window, Hephestius watched the mountain where his lover and dead children resided explode. It erupted into a giant firey pit, like Hell had reached the earth from inside of it. Artemius was dead. The children that they'd created were dead. The fire rushed through the valley and ignited the castle, killing Tytus and Hephestius and the empire that they'd built. Not even the ruins remained.

When Athernos found out that his daughter had been alive but died in the night before the message had been delivered to him, he hung himself from pure sadness and shame. He didn't care about the war anymore. It had caused too much pain and sadness.

The war of Athernos and Tytus was long and unwielding. It lasted a total of 15 years and killed almost all of the wizarding population, and in the end, no one won.