An evening sun set on the distant horizon, flooding the towering structures with blood red light. Tall pinnacles and spires that made up the outline of the Gothic metropolis drifted into shadows, making the town seem cold and desolate in the middle of the quiet countryside. The only beacon that stood out from the utter and slowly increasing dark was the stained glass ellipse that was inlaid in the center most  tower. It glistened radiant blues and rich reds, the cut glass shapes accentuated by the inky iron that held it all in place. A lone figure stood at the window, looking out at the town. Her pale yellow hair fell down her back, tied loosely with an ebony ribbon, matching her coal dress. Dull grey eyes slowly scanned the deserted streets far below her, and she sighed, wishing that she wasn't trapped in her prison of iron, stone and glass.

The girl turned away after a few minutes and began to walk away from the circular frame of glass. She passed magnificent statues and paintings, but none of them drew her attention-she'd grown up beside these grandeurs and after seeing them every day, their luster faded from her eyes until she saw them as no more that mere canvas and marble. After going quite a distance down the great hall, she stopped at a small, almost unnoticeable door that was hidden next to an ancient fireplace. Opening the door noiselessly, she quietly stalked in and climbed the seemingly never ending staircase that rose up before her into the dark. She knew the way very well, not needing a light to see where she was going. She finally reached the top and opened another door, this one made of iron

Slipping outside into the cool evening breeze, the girl  stood on a small platform at the very highest point in the city. She made her way to a  thin protrusion made entirely of metal, tip toeing gently along it until she got to the end, where she gracefully lowered herself. Then, once again, she took to looking at her city, taking in every detail- the streets, the squares, the churches, the shops. They were all quiet and lonely, but now that she wasn't seeing them through the colours of the glass, everything looked more gloomy, more leaden. Far off, outside the town border, she could see some wagons and horses, as well as people on foot. She stared at them for a long time and then sh felt a tear roll down her cheek. Another followed and soon she was quietly sobbing to herself.