( Author's note - I wrote this in a break I had at work, some of you who know we will understand what I'm talking about, but it's sort of a test for me to see if I can write something, without explaining what's going on, This is NOT in conjunction with Aetheon Dreams.)

Dampening

A crash of thunder echoed in the background of what seemed like something out of a film. The storm had only been going on for what felt like ten minutes or so, and already she was drenched from head to toe in rainwater as she sat on the walls of a ruined old palace. It had been sunny when she had first arrived and she found herself now wondering whether time was going too fast, or if the weather here was being just as unpredictable as it had been a few times in the past.

It had been years since she had revisited this exact spot. Then, she had been mourning and now she was doing likewise. This time however her father wasn't here to save her and that was her own fault. Last time her love had left her without a trace and again she found herself realising that she was here again under the same circumstances, but he was a different person altogether. Literally. His soul and hers, One.

Rain continued to beat down on her, the sound of thunder creeping in quickly overhead. The storm was provoking her thoughts. Each tiny part of her insignificant life felt like it was over and all she had left were the memories and the distant hopes of 'finding herself' again. It was no one's fault that she was lost, of course, she knew exactly where she was.

Twenty Years Ago to the day. She looks barely two years younger than in her reality, but the flashback is forcing its way into her mind, it is persistent, and she knows it will not stop until its over, so giving in she slowly let her eyes close.

She's hundreds of yards away from where she was sat now, and the area has changed drastically. There are dark clouds covering any view she has of anything but the palace ahead of her, the only thing left in the once bustling town. She's the only one here. Lightning Strikes and the clouds part, not for any sunny skies to prevail, but for the evil that is to crush the dreams the storm has dampened.

It looks just like any other cloud, breaking through the grey but it's deeper than black colour gives it away. The corruption is back to break it all to pieces once again. Suddenly the rumble of thunder sparks of the terrible deed, the noise becomes a continuous flow of sound, and lightning pours out over the palace walls, illuminating them, so that all the princess can do is watch in horror.

One by One, The thunder strikes weaken the palace walls, great power striking them hard. The crumbling brick succumbs to gravity and falls heavily down onto the lush green grass below. The land seems to groan under the strain, as soon huge blocks begin to tumble down onto it, creating craters and sending waves of dust into the air that the water fails to prevent. The palace quickly collapses completely, and the power of the evil flooding the sky envelops it in a blanket of darkness and after what feels like hours, the rain is gone, and as the skies begin to clear, it is obvious that so too is the palace.

The young one falls to her knees. Her dreams, memories and her home have vanished under the evil that has corrupted the land for hundreds of years, destroyed her father, taken her brother's heart, and now devastated her kingdom. She will not fall face flat into the ground however, clambering to her feet, unseen tears trickle down her soft cheeks and the vision ends.

The rain is still falling where she is now, and her thoughts of the palace, but the memory was not to taunt or trouble her. Alisha stood to her feet then, sliding down off the ruined wall, a newfound courage running through her body, that was the purpose of her daydream. To give it all up now would be an atrocity.

So she walks away from the old palace ruins, in search of her Twins, her Love, and Herself. They could take away her material goods, but they would never, ever take her soul.

- From The Mind Of Alisha Kreisse-Crawford, Lady of Unaveile.