The Road Not Taken

In life there are many choices, and many factors that cause you to choose. But when the coil is so twisted that you have no choice but two? Either take a roundabout, tumultuous route and wind up back where you started, faithful to your roots, or try to break out of the Labyrinth set for you and risk falling...into nothing. Identity, past, and honour gone.For two of our halfblood champions, it isn't a choice at all.Prequel to FF.

This has been such a long, extenuating, and yet exciting journey. One that I would not have been able to make without the precious contributions of many people. So this is to Hewe, my amazing artist who has always gone above and beyond to be understanding and sought to improve their own work to the highest degree so that we could make a fic we both are proud of. I am forever grateful to you, and hope we get more opportunities to work together in the future. This is also to my lovely and dedicated Beta Eris, without whom I daresay I would have lost both courage and faith in my story long ago, and who's inputs have always pushed me to do better. Thank you for believing in me and my story, and for being such a good friend. My heartfelt thanks also to Rime, Grave and all of you who have participated in the Big Bang in some way. Yes, this includes the readers as well. This marvelous event wouldn't have been possible without you.With that said, let's move onto the story. This fic will have two chapters, following Aileen and Fleur respectively. I hope to present a different, more human side to their characters and choices than we got to see in rbc. There, they were side characters meant to be at Hogwarts so that Rigel would have compelling competitors. But every side character is the protagonist in their own story, and things are scarcely as simple as they seem...