[MillietheWarrior]

The night breeze was cool as it drifted through the study, ruffling the curtains and fluttering the papers that lined the desk. The room was quiet, save for the scratching of the pen, and the steady 'tick-tick' of the clock on the wall. There was only one occupant in the room, and she sat with her back to the window, her dark hair catching the moonlight and shimmering like blue silk. She seemed absorbed in her writing, her gaze focused as the pen scribbled across the paper once, twice, and then again. The silent spell was broken by the slamming of the door, which had been thrown open and nearly came flying off it's hinges as a harried looking courier entered the room.

[MillietheWarrior]

"Your majesty!" he shouted, dropping to one knee in a swift bow. "I bring grave news."

The woman at the desk rose, her eyes cold and steely as she regarded the messenger. "Speak," she commanded.

The courier bowed his head, his breathing sawing in and out like a bellows; it was clear he had run very far, very fast. "The border at the edge of the Fire Kingdom, your majesty...it..." He seemed at a loss for a moment, briefly pausing to gather his thoughts. "It...it is dying."

[MillietheWarrior]

The queen briefly allowed herself to look confused. "Dying? What do you mean? Explain."

"I am afraid that it is just how it sounds, your grace. Everything near the border is dying, and there is a darkness that is creeping over the land. It is heading towards the castle. We tried to stop it, but...there was nothing we could do. It felled our best soldiers at a mere touch!"

[MillietheWarrior]

The queen sat back down heavily in her chair. "Dying..."

"Your majesty, I do not mean to alarm you, but I must ask that we leave this place. Whatever is out there is coming towards the castle, and we cannot protect you. You must leave now; I'll have the royal guard summoned to-"

"No!" the queen snapped, standing back to her full height and appearing every inch the royal figure she was. "No. Send the guard to evacuate the nearby villages. Defend our people first."

[MillietheWarrior]

"But..." The courier looked torn between love for his people, and duty to his queen. "But your majesty...What will you do?"

"I?" she asked, the faintest of smiles curling over her lips. "I will go and meet this Death."
       
It was cold, and dark near the draw bridge of the castle. The queen stood alone, robed in silks of dark green and brown hues.

[MillietheWarrior]

She was the lone pillar of strength in a kingdom that was now being emptied of it's citizens, and she felt the chill of that knowledge snake through the back of her mind like a cold shiver. The sky was dark, but for the sliver of silver moon that hung in the sky, and the land seemed empty and devoid of life. She could see, not far off, a place where things had turned black, desolate, and where, no doubt, countless lives had been lost. She watched it move closer, watched it with a sense of dread and foreboding that overshadowed all else. Tonight, she knew, she would be meeting Death.

[MillietheWarrior]

The great thing moved across the land like a shadow, a dark winged creature that seemed both terrible and frightening to behold. It was nearing, growing steadily closer, and as it did so, it coalesced into the shape of a man. His skin was ashen gray, and his hair as black as the deepest of darkness, but it was the empty silver of his eyes that sent a thrill of fear through the queen.

But she did not move as he approached, and she stood like an emerald pillar in a world of shadow, her proud chin lifted defiantly. "Speak," she said at last when the man had drawn just to the edge of the dark bridge; she could feel his foul air even from where she stood. "This world is not yours. You do not belong here. So speak quickly, and tell me what it is you seek."

[MillietheWarrior]

The man gave a long, low chuckle, like the warble of a dying bird, and regarded her from beneath a fringe of dark hair. "Such a proud, proud figure you make, standing there, bold as day. Little queen, tell me your name. For I much desire to know it."

"I care not for your desires...but I am Queen Flora, ruler of the Kingdom of Earth and Spring. I ask again; what is it you seek in this world?"

[MillietheWarrior]

The man moved closer, an amused smile playing at his lips. He reached out one long, hooked finger, almost, but not quite, touching the tip of the queen's jaw.

"I am the desire of mortal men; I am the destruction that brings the earth to it's knees. I am death, and I am darkness. And I will consume. I am the Desolation."

[MillietheWarrior]

Queen Flora was afraid, but she did not show it. She stood her ground, her green eyes flashing angrily. "You have no place in this world! Not as long as the grass grows and the water is pure. You are not needed or wanted. Leave this place, and do not return."

[MillietheWarrior]

"Oh? Growing grass and pure water? And what about the air? Is that pure as well?" The shadowy man took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling with malice. "Can you not smell it? Things are changing, and the world you know will soon be lost." He disappeared then, leaving behind only a whisper of shadows.

[MillietheWarrior]

"Nothing will change," the queen spoke to the empty air. "Nothing." But even as she spoke, she could sense a shift in her world. Things were not what they had once been, and something inside of her ached, like a poison was seeping into her veins.

"Truly stubborn," the man whispered, appearing again only inches from the queen. He curled around her like a cat made of shadow, his feline grin curving over his pale lips.

[MillietheWarrior]

He held out his hand, and in it sat a small, round green stone. Queen Flora's eyes widened. "This might change your tune, perhaps?"

"The Earth Stone. How?! Return it immediately!"

"I think not, my lovely little flower. You see...for desolation to exist, everything else must...well, not. And I suppose your kingdom can be the first to go. Truly a shame; you are so very fair and vibrant. Like the earth you love. Such a pity. But I suppose nothing can last forever." And he raised his hand, holding the stone aloft, and then cast it down.

[MillietheWarrior]

Queen Flora rushed forward, her hands grasping for the stone just as he threw it to the ground. The stone hit the earth, and in a sound akin to a thousand dying voices, the stone screamed. A large crack nearly rent it in two, and it rolled to a pitiful stop at Flora's feet. Almost simultaneously, the queen fell to her knees, grasping her chest and gasping for air, her eyes wide as she gazed up into the grinning face of the one who called himself Desolation. Behind him, she could see her kingdom, once so beautiful and full of life, slowly withering away.

"One down," the man whispered, turning and gazing into the distance. "Three to go."

[MillietheWarrior]

"Remember class, your mid-term reports on Fantasy are due by the end of the week. Points will be docked for late assignments!"

Roxy blew a stray strand of hair out of her face as she gathered her books up off her desk. Her classmates filed out of the room, each chatting animatedly about what their project would be on. Personally, she hadn't even started hers; she was the best (or was it worst?) procrastinator. She liked to think she worked better under pressure, but maybe it was just her general laziness.