Author's Notes: Hey all! Sorry I'm branching off once again from my already started ficlets, but this sort of came to me and I wrote it down. I'm not sure if I'll continue with it, so leave a review and tell me what you think. If people review and like it, I'll continue. If people don't like it, I'll just leave it for now.
This is the prologue sort of thing, really, I suppose. Enjoy!
Her heart beat a painful tattoo against her ribcage, making her realize just how mortal she really was.
Her feet slipped and slid in the mud as she ran down the barely visible trail.
Low hanging tree limbs and sharp-edged bushes scratched at her face and arms, tore her gown.
Tears streamed down her dirt-stained cheeks, evidence of her panic.
The sounds of pursuit were entirely too close, and her haunted gaze was frantic in its search for a hiding place.
Her breathing was labored; her muscles screamed their protest as she forced herself to run on.
A tree sprang through the mist that had settled over the forest, and a swift left on her part prevented a collision.
The trail disappeared beneath her feet, but she didn't notice.
The trees grew denser, the underbrush thicker, and she knew she was lost.
Footsteps pounded behind her in pursuit, and the rain began.
Lightning forked across the midnight sky, but she couldn't see it through the trees.
Droplets of water fell thick and fast, impairing her vision and drenching her in seconds.
She ran on.
Adrenaline flooded her veins, as a scream from behind reached her ears.
Thunder made its slow crescendo above her head, ending in a long and drawn out off-tune bass note.
Raindrops dripped from her lashes, and she blinked away both her own tears and those of the gods above.
Chancing a look behind, she was greeted with a horrific sight; the castle was burning.