It was midnight and the winter wind was unkind. It ripped at her clothing and hair. Made her eyes water and stabbed at her flesh with a thousand frozen needles. She looked down and could see all of Randondor from the castles balcony, her hands gripped the edges, and caused them to be almost as white as the brilliant snow that fell before her. Although Aelena's body was surrounded by snow her body was somewhere else.

In a meadow caught in the mitts of summer. The sound of the fire-tailed sparrows and the brook that cut through the meadow filled her ears, as she laid on the grass and the sun warmed her he face and abdomen. She enjoyed her moments of peace and tranquility, but then he came out of the woods. She quickly got up and ran at him, her bare feet crushing and flattening the ground bellow as her summer dress blew behind her. Aelena's hair trailed behind her like a wave of pure sunlight as she bolted through the wind. The young man saw her and grinned anticipating the events that would follow when she reached him. He braced himself ready for her impact. When she was not five feet away she lunged at him, extended her arms determine to take him down. He underestimated her strength and losing his balance fell backward, but during the brief moment while they where in air he wrapped his tan muscular arms around her torso and her arms around his neck. They fell together in a deep embrace. When they hit the ground his white shirt became stained with the green blood of the earth.

"My lady" a disembodied voice called. She suddenly was brought back into reality and spun around her long white dress twirling around her, batting at the snow. She reached for where her dagger was. "Who goes there!?" She demanded. "Your adviser! Farid!" Fear an obvious flavor in his voice. "What does thou want?" She asked. Obviously aggravated that he interrupted her thoughts. "Please come inside. You'll catch your death out here." "Very well Farid, if that's what you wish."she fallowed behind Farid as they went down hallways and corridors with only the light of his candle. They stopped at her room and the fireplace was already going. "Good night milady." he said. "Thank you, goodnight." she said tiredly.

Farid shut the door on his way out leaving Aelena to her thoughts. She took her dress off and grabbed a blanket and pillow from her oversized bed and laid it front of her fire place then laid down and exposed her front half to the flames while covering her back and sides. She laid there not wanting to sleep for the day ahead would bring much sorrow. Her mother, the Queen, had recently died of a long suffering illness. Aelena was the only heir to the throne and being only being nineteen did not want the responsibility of the throne. Her father had died when she was sixteen in a great battle and her mother was already sick then so everyone has been training her for the day she would take the throne. She loved her mother very much and even while she was on her death bed she smiled so Aelena wouldn't cry. She never wanted to be seen without bearing a smile. Once again Aelenas thoughts drifted.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon. The flowers had started to bloom and the trees regained their leaves. Aelena was ten again, with no care and no worries about her future. She wore a pink spring dress and was picking flowers in the very same meadow as always. "Come darling." Her mother called out to her. She ran to her young mother, she was wearing a dark green dress that complimented her emerald eyes. She bent over and plucked a dandelion from the ground and as she got up her short blonde hair stuck to her soft rosy cheeks. She brushed it away with her free hand and gave a sweet and genuine smile to her daughter. Her lips where small, but precious and had a smile that seemed to never go away. She never wore makeup, but was far more beautiful than anyone could hope to be no matter how much they artificially made themselfs. "Here blow off all of these little seeds and make a wish." Aelena's mother handed her the weed. She took it from he mothers gentle hands blew on it as hard as she could, but still being young only managed to blow off half of the little seeds. She frowned in disappointment, but her mother just chuckled and handed her a new one. "Keep tying and you will get it soon enough."

She looked down at the flower and when she looked up her mother had disappeared. Then the bright green grass started to frost over in a soft icy breath that made her bare feet tingle. The brook suddenly froze over and it seemed that the whole word had gone silent. The skies turned an Erie black and she cried out for her mother, but no sound came from her when she tried. Tears started to stream down her face.

Aelena woke up shrouded in a blanket of frostbite and blinded by the darkness. How long have I been sleeping? She walked toward the open window, its still dark out, she shut the window hard and then restarted the fire. Aelena draped her red plush silk blanket over her and watched the fire lick over the new logs and bring the ashes afloat.