Once upon a time . . .

There lived an ambitious boy determined to become a man before his time.

And a woman, and battered soldier who recognized the scars that marred his soul—scars which mirrored her own.

Determined to help shape the warrior within him, it was their inexplicable bond that would forever alter his heart.

And the loss of that love that would redefine his destiny.

After all, nothing has ever been fair in love and war.