Hmm. Looks like we’re going to start with a prologue on this novel.
I’m not a fan of prologues.
Some writers, particularly beginning writers, seem to think that because they’re writing a fantasy their novel absolutely, positively must have a prologue, whether it needs one or not.
A common mistake is writing a prologue that really is the first chapter of the novel. If the prologue uses protagonists from the main novel (particularly point-of-view characters), and covers a period of time shortly before the rest of the novel starts then this is not a prologue, it’s part of the main story and should be treated as such.
If a prologue is used to denote a time break, then that break should be a long one, again particularly if the protagonist is a main point-of-view character.
Personally, I like the way they do in the movies in this case. Start with the beginning of the story, then pop up a line—”Four years later”—at the start of the next chapter and keep going.
Another common mistake is the “This is a fantasy. I must have a prologue” type prologue.
This one has absolutely no reason to be in the story whatsoever. You could cut it out and no-one would even know it had gone.
A prologue has to be there for a reason.
David Eddings‘ prologue at the start of THE BELGARIAD series is one that works. You must read the prologue to fully understand what the story is about. It deals with matters that happened to secondary characters hundreds of years prior. Things that were written about in another series. What happens in The Belgariad is a direct result of events triggered in the prologue. (Some people might argue that Belgarath and Polgara were not secondary characters, but I say they were. The story is Garion’s, start to finish.)