Belle slept, and dreamed she was back in King Richard's throneroom once more. Well, what used to be his throne room. Everything was in shambles and it looked as if it had been millenia since she had last stood in this room.



The rubble of a ceiling cave-in near the steps to the throne shifted, a groan came from the pile. Belle walked to it with a hurried stride. She cleared away most of the rubble, only to uncover a familiar, but barely so, face, "Zachary! What happened? Where is everyone?"



Relief and sorrow was plain on his face, "Mistress Belle, you're back, finally. But too late, it's been several hundred years since you've been gone. In the time since you left us, Darshe has drained this planet of life, worth and power. He's moved on to somewhere else, and he's taken Fiera with him. I'm the only one left here, and the world is about to implode on itself. I'm glad you came in time for me to warn you to never try to return here."



The ground under her feet shook, the walls began to crumble around her. She looked fearful.




"Mistress, you're only here in a dream. None of this can hurt you. But, I'm about to die. You're here, for a moment, now you know your old world is gone. Where ever you are now, you are there to stay."




The world gave a mighty twist, and they were both falling inyo a deep dark crevice that opened up in the ground. She knew the moment Zachary died, because they were connected and it felt as if some small part of her died too. But she had no tears to spare for him. Her heart had been so cold for so long, she almost didn't care. Some small part of her did, though, and it wept, as all of her was covered in a comforing darkness.