Rain hammered down upon me as and I felt as if the weather reflected my numb annoyance to the world as I replayed the most recent events in my life.
Crashing houses, charred animals, screaming of children, and heads rolled across the ground danced in my head.
My fader, my mother, and my older brother all were among those pointless kills; my fader was set alight alive while my mother and brother, fighting for us, both were beheaded mercilessly by the Eagle.
I hid, I borrowed underneath an oak tree hoping not to be found; however, I was found and chained up with this caravan.
Then, after hours of mindless marching in the rain, the sun came out and I finally processed what had happened.
My heart physically shattered into thousands of sharp glass pieces that made my pain all too real... and I held in a wail that tore my soul apart, yet it did not stop the single stray tear that trailed down my face.
In a haze, my now living-dead body peered around and I registered.
The sun beating down upon us, a pale blue sky above, and, in a sea of chocolates and olives, I was the only apple... I was alone, and my world stood frozen in the heat of the sun.
I wipe my eyes as I find stray drops of silver leaking from my face. I am back again in the forest of rubies and ambers woven with gold treasures.
The woman in the forest with me gives me an uncharacteristically kind smile, for we both know that my time here is dwindling... like sand in an hourglass.
"Your time is not up yet, Aife, nor are you alone." Explains she while pointing to a milky pool that shows a young man tending to my wounds. "Remember them, and let those barbarians know that we are not going down without a fight."
With a wave of her hand and mists of black, I leave the world beyond and return to the one I almost left. This time, I am ready to begin anew.