A long time ago, before the archons had shaped the world we know today, there lived a man who sought eternity. He pursued knowledge for the sake of the power it gave him, and though he was very powerful indeed, he could not stop the march of time. One day, a single drop of golden sunlight fell from the heavens and blossomed into a delicate, beautiful flower that glowed brilliantly even in daylight. The man, now older and weaker but possessing a great depth of knowledge, made a discovery concerning the flower, and he finally had that which he had long sought. His strength and youth returned to him when he sang a certain rhyme to the golden blossom, and he no longer needed to fear the relentless march of time. He carefully concealed the flower from the world and took a new name, casting aside his old identity in favor of a new one that shone as brilliantly as he felt himself to shine: Gold.
Many years passed, and Gold watched the gods rise into power, archons shaping the continents to suit their needs. He guarded carefully the secret of his flower, and like him, it never withered. His knowledge and power continued to grow, and he felt that should he want to, he could even challenge the gods. However, he contented himself with the surface of the world, taking a young princess by the name of Rhinedottir as an apprentice. He felt she had great potential to follow in his footsteps, and she took his work further than he even had, creating things he hadn’t imagined. He took delight in taking them from her and claiming the credit, but when he corrupted her greatest creation, the dragon Durin, she finally rebelled against him and left, taking with her the golden flower he hadn’t even known she knew about.
For several years Gold sought his wayward apprentice and the flower both to no avail. However, she had a duty to her crown and to her people, and eventually resurfaced in the kingdom to take her throne. Of the flower, there was no hint until rumors spread that the Queen was expecting, despite having not taken a husband or even a known lover. The child was announced and the moment Gold saw the boy, he knew. Rhinedottir had created something more that Durin ever was, a child with the power of the sun and hair as gold as the flower. Gold crept into the palace at night, silent as a shadow and deadly to any who crossed his path. He stole the sleeping prince, taking the boy to a secluded place to raise as his own. His flower had been rightfully returned to him and he had no intention of losing it again. He had no need to fear the passage of time with the child at his side, and he knew Rhinedottir for all her cunning would never find them now, for it was he who was the master and she merely an apprentice.
