Annemarialana was walking through a wasteland. The ash stirred beneath her feet, causing a cloud to rise in her passing. It seemed as if there had been a giant battle here. The landscape was burned and scarred, perhaps from two fire-breathing dragons or a fire-wielding magician. Though the cause was not entirely clear, the result was unmistakable. Nothing would grow here again.

An acrid smell filled the air and burned the elf's nose and throat. Tears burned her eyes.

There was nothing to break the monotony of the barren landscape save one skeletal tree. Once, it might have been magnificent, with limbs that were thick and strong, adorned by emerald leaves. Now they were brittle and bare. She circled the base of the ruined tree, looking outwards. The fine ash continued to billow up with each step and hover in the air as a thick haze, before settling once more to the ground. She seemed to be the only creature left in the world and this tree the only plant. A shapeless fog of grey clouds covered the sky. The clouds offered no tears.

The elf's eyes did.

Kneeling at the withered roots of the tree, Annemari brushed the ashen surface with her fingertips. A cascade of debris fell away at her gentle touch and she jerked her hand away. It trembled as it fell limp to her lap. The elf gulped back a wordless sob and shook her head in denial. She looked up at the unforgiving sky and tried to blink away her tears.

As she gazed up at the sky, it suddenly split open with a deafening crack of thunder. Her disbelieving eyes watched helplessly as an impossibly bright bolt of lightning struck the sole remaining tree. The tree shattered and she reacted instinctively, protecting her head in what could only be a futile gesture while a scream of terror escaped from her throat.

Annemari woke up screaming. Drenched in sweat, she clutched the sheets to her body. The young elf struggled to breathe and fought back her sobs. Trembling, she broke loose from the covers that had suddenly become too confining and stumbled weakly to reach a small dresser, where a chilled decanter of water awaited her. She started to lift the pitcher to pour the water into a bowl but the shaking became so intense that she dropped it. The decanter fell to the floor and shattered. Annemari yelped and jumped back, but too slowly. Near-freezing water soaked the front of her night-shift and left her teeth chattering.

Half-stumbling, half-crawling, Annemari made her way back to her bed. Still crying, she crawled back under the covers and curled up, trying to get back the warmth that had so suffocated her just moments before. After several minutes of shivering, her body finally warmed enough for her to fall into a fitful sleep.

**

The next time Annemarialana had the nightmare, she decided to run from the tree. Her un-shod feed pounded across the wasteland. The ash swirled up around her in blinding clouds and filled her mouth with the taste of death. Her tears ran freely down her cheeks, making tracks in the grime that covered her face. Despite the flat landscape, it seemed to her that she was traveling forever upwards. A great weight pushed against her, slowing her progress. Even through her tears, she saw that there was nothing ahead but the barren waste.

She collapsed, sobbing helplessly. Her chest felt ready to explode. She became as grey as the landscape when the dust settled around her. Trying to breathe, Annemari inhaled the deadly ash and she started coughing uncontrollably. Each cough resulted in another indrawn breath and there was always more ash to suffocate her. Soon it was impossible for her to continue breathing. She choked on the ash that surrounded and filled her. As she lay there helpless, she felt the ground beneath her begin to tremble. The tremor was minor at first, but it grew. A huge rumbling filled her ears and Annemari struggled desperately to get to her feet. She recovered her feet to see that fissures were appearing all over the landscape, surrounding her and closing in on her. There was no safe place to run.

As the world suddenly disappeared from under her feet, she was dimly aware that the tree was still standing, an island of tranquility in the midst of chaos. Then she was falling through the darkness.

Annemari's head jerked back painfully as she lurched awake. Her body was tense and she was clutching the sheets in her fists. She was lying curled around her pillow in a protective ball. Lacking the energy to get out of bed, she stayed there, trembling. She coughed weakly, as if the choking ash had been brought along from the dream. The rasping, rattling sound of her own breath filled the room, drowning out even the sound of the insistent crickets that usually chirped outside her window.

Terrified, Annemari stared into the darkness, too afraid to close her eyes and too weak to move from the protection of her blankets. It took her many long minutes before she relaxed enough to let go of her pillow.

**

The dream came many times, and many times Annemarialana changed her course. Each attempt to unravel the mystery was a bitter failure. She became convinced that the chilling nightmare was more than a product of her imagination. The young elf gave up her days in order to search for answers to the night. Hours were spent in the library, pouring over thick tomes of the study of dreams. Little of it was helpful. It spoke of what individual images and objects might be, but it did not speak of how to change the outcome of a dream.

Annemari was certain she had to solve the dream and change the ending, if she were to ever sleep a night of peace again.

She abandoned the histories and scholarly works, and began reading the religious tomes with interest. Within the records of the Sha'evlas were the beliefs of many elves and many gods. All that interested Annemari were texts about Zandreya; her teachings, her commands, and her priests. The religious writings were fascinating, but again, they held no answer to the dreams.

Finally, she had given up the texts and taken to wandering the Vallenwoods aimlessly, hoping the inspiration would come to her. She couldn't fathom why she couldn't find the keys to solving it, if it were an intentional message. Doubting her own resolve, Annemari began to wonder if it wasn't just the result of an over-active imagination.

Her wanderings ended when she came to the Lhedr-Eowyl pond. She knelt near the edge, staring into the depths hopefully. It was said that the reflective surface of the pond would show you the innermost secrets of your soul, if you dared to look deep enough. As magical as this solution seemed, it was not without risk; it was also said that there was danger in knowing too much of one's own soul.

Annemari was desperate; she would look as deep as required, even at the risk of going mad.

**

Annemarialana felt a great tug upon her spirit as she stared at the glassy surface of the pond. She tried to probe deeper, beyond the surface reflection, and into the very heart of the pond.. into her own heart. As she stared, a wavering form appeared in the water and Annemari leaned closer, wondering what answers it might hold.

Behind her, a noise moving through the grasses brought her lurching back to the present. Her eyes refocused on the pond and a shadowy image began to form. It took a moment of thoughtful staring before Annemari realized it was Beraal.

"What have you been doing?" Beraal asked quietly when Annemari had turned to face her.

"Just... thinking." Annemari responded slowly while she struggled to regain control of her senses.

"About what?" Beraal pressed.

For a moment, Annemari didn't respond. She was torn between pouring her heart out to Beraal and the desire to retain her self-confident demeanor. Looking up at Beraal's kind, gentle eyes, Annemari found herself unable to resist. She sighed softly, lowing her gaze. "I keep having this... dream."

"Dreams?" Beraal wondered.

"One dream, really." Annemari clarified. Pulling her legs to her chest, Annemari rested her chin on her knees.

"Oh? Care to tell me?" Beraal asked encouragingly.

"I have it every night. I has to mean something.." Annemari trailed off, thoughtful. Beraal nodded and simply waited for the young elf to continued. "I dunno where I ever am, but it looks like a whole forest has been burned down.. There's lots of ash and dead things on the ground, except there's one old tree, but it looks mostly dead too.." Annemari paused again to take a breath, "the sky is just.. like one big cloud and it's very dark. There's no color left, except the grey sky and grey ash."

At this, Beraal raised an eyebrow, perhaps in wonderment or disbelief. While Annemari stopped her narrative again, the Senator moved nearer to Annemari with a rustle of robes and took a seat in the grass, looking thoughtful and encouraging.

"So, like.. the first time in the dream I walked up to it, and then a big bolt of lightning came and hit the tree and shattered all over me.. and then I woke up. Another time, I ran away, and there was an earthquake." Beraal winced in sympathetic agony, but Annemari didn't notice. She continued: "Then once the ground just.. disappeared, and I fell until I woke up. There was a flood, and I drowned in it.. I dunno, there's been alot.. It's always different, the end part."

"Speak to the tree?" Beraal made it sound like both a suggestion and a question.

Annemari chewed on her bottom lip, a bad habit she had never given up from her childhood, while she thought. "It doesn't look very alive though." Annemari objected.

"Maybe you need to heal it."

"How? My mother would know, but..." Annemari trailed off, clearly frustrated. She looked up at Beraal, waiting for an answer.

"Tend to it as you would a seed?" Beraal said again, both asking and suggesting.

"Water it? Fertilize it?" Annemari nodded slowly, and Beraal smiled her agreement. "Thanks Berry." Annemari whispered. Beraal gathered the young elf into her warm, loving arms and hugged her gently. Returning the hug without reserve, Annemari felt truly happy for the first time for far too long.

"I wish you the best." Beraal whispered.

That night, Annemari did not feel fear or anxiety as she laid herself to rest. She crawled under the warmth of her covers with a sense of purpose. Curling up with her pillows and blanket, Annemari did not dread the coming dream. She remembered Beraal advice and was ready for what may come.

**

Annemarialana was walking through the wasteland. The ash stirred beneath her feet, causing a cloud to rise in her passing. She attempted to gentle her steps, placing each lightly, to avoid being blinded by the dust. The landscape was burned and scarred, except for one skeletal tree. Annemari walked towards it purposefully, not allowing the rest of the landscape to distract her. It had become so familiar. Too familiar.

It was time to end it.

She knelt by the tree and reached for a knife at her waist. She had no water to offer the tree, nor any fertilizer to nourish it. All she had was her tears and her blood. Annemari felt mild surprise that the knife was there, but throttled it quickly. She had to be strong and believe.

With a swift motion, Annemari drew the sharp blade across her palm before she had time to think. The knife cut deeper than she intended and the sting brought tears to her eyes. She dropped the dagger and it was lost among the ashes at the trees roots. Annemari held out her hand, facing palm upwards, and stared at the blood pooling in her palm. It was bright crimson; the only color found in this barren place.

Quickly, before she could lose any of the precious blood, Annemari pressed her palm against the trunk of the tree.

"Your blood was our blood; you sustained us. Now my blood returns to its fount; let our blood be one." She whispered, placing all her hope and faith in these words.

Nothing happened. Beginning to despair, Annemari tried to pull her hand away but found herself unable to move away from the tree. Disbelief followed by exhilaration filled her; fanning out from her hand, the tree was slowly turning back to a healthy brown. The ash fell away, revealing undamaged bark beneath. Annemari followed the path of the healing with her eyes as it traveled up to the branches. Green leaves sprouted from the branches and sent a shower of ash down over Annemari's head.

Annemari laughed aloud, the joy of the new life she helped restore infusing her.

Thunder cracked the sky and Annemari glanced up, fearing she had failed. It was nothing to fear; rain started falling on the ground. The roots of the tree shivered with new life beneath her and Annemari turned her gaze out across the landscape. The restorative power spread out as far as she could see and grass sprang up in place of the ash. Color once more filled the land.

With a jolt, Annemari felt her connection with the tree severed. She felt completely drained; all the energy had been taken from her. Collapsing against the trunk, Annemari tried to catch her breath. Despite the loss, she still felt an unspeakable joy.

All was as it should be.