Once upon a time, but not too long ago, and in a country not too far away there lived a princess. One night when she was very, very young a man entered her bedchamber and watched her sleeping. He admired the half moons of the delicate lashes protecting her eyes, sat entranced listening to the quiet rhythm of her breathing and marvelled at the beautiful dark curls covering her head and pillow. One curl had strayed on to her cheek tempting him to brush it softly away. His touch was lighter than thistledown but it woke the princess. She looked up, doubtfully at first, but realised that this was the Knight of Cherry Falls who had sworn to protect and serve everyone living in her domain and so she smiled at him. He smiled back and lifted her out of her bed to hold her safe in his strong arms. She lay cradled against his chest reassured by the slow regular beat of his big strong heart and reached to take his hand. She didn't know it then but as she grasped the tip of his finger in her tiny pale hand with its perfect little pink nails she also captured the Knight's heart. In that moment he gave himself totally and without any reservation to her and knew that he would never love another woman as deeply or completely as he loved his princess, and he swore to her that whenever she needed him he would be there and to himself that he would die to protect her.

Twenty two years later the princess stood by the brave knight's grave. He had truly kept the vows he'd made that special night dying to protect her from a monster. That day, before he died, the princess learned that many years before she was born when the knight had been young and foolish he and his friends had greatly injured a woman. While he regretted his deed, his folly and the woman's anger together created a being whose sole purpose and delight was to kill but his sacrifice meant she lived and the monster was destroyed.

Weeds had grown over the headstone obscuring the words written in gold on the marble. The princess cleared them away, knelt down and laid a single red rose on the grave. She was grown now and a warrior as well as a princess. She had now taken the knight's oath to protect and serve the people of her land. She had been given her shield and arms but before starting her first quest had come to see her knight was still sleeping safely in the earth. She traced a finger across the inscription and murmured a simple message. One tear fell as she stood to leave. It landed on the stone and trickled down. She left without looking back but the words now glinted in the sun,

Brent Marken, beloved father.

Then Agent Jody Marken left Cherry Falls for her first posting in the FBI's Los Angeles' office.