AN: Just something I wrote.

Chains

It's dark, the blackness is drowning everything. There is no light, only shadow. In the midst of this darkness, a young girl sits. Chains surround her, and huge manacles bind her hands and feet. Her skin is battered and bruised, with scratches running down her body. Her hair hangs down, a tangled mess, hiding her face. She always stares at the floor. Never wanting to think about her cell, she seeks comfort from the filthy ground.

Then something changes. A small amount of light is let in, as if a window has been opened. The girl looks up and sees another person in front of her. The new girl is tall, with bright red hair. She is bright, and clean, and new. The first girl is dazzled and entranced, content in her presence.

The bright red-head sits down next to the first girl and begins to talk to her. The two speak as if they have known each other forever, even though they have just met. The more they speak, the more they tell, and the fewer words are needed to be said. As the conversation becomes louder and happier, the two are distracted from the cell and don't notice their situation.

Slowly the chains of the first girl slip away. The two walk together, and without realizing it, walk through a castle painted in silver and gold. Sunlight and moonlight shine through a thousand windows, which reveal a thousand landscapes. It is a paradise, and it welcomes them.

The two are always laughing now, the first is relaxed. She has no need to fear, not from this bright red-head. She is protected, and she will never be alone again. However, the first girl begins to remember her days in the cell. The memories had faded, become hazy, but now she remembered what she had been. The memories haunt her dreams, and hold her thoughts in her waking hours. So she makes a decision.

Hesitantly, she makes her way down to the dungeon and stands in front of the cell's door. She opens it and walks in. The first thing she sees are the chains sitting in a corner, thick and menacing, a physical reminder of a nightmare. Silently she walks towards them, picks up a manacle and fingers it, remembering.

Then a hand is on her shoulder, and another is pulling the chain away from her. The first girl looks up and sees the bright girl above her. The bright girl begins to lead her out, and the first girl follows willingly. However, before the door closes, she sees something odd, another set of chains in the opposite corner. She mentions this to the red-headed girl, who explains that the second set was hers. The first girl stops astonished. She had never seen the bright girl wear those chains, and says so. The bright girl laughs and says,

"I never saw yours either."