[Ok, so this is the Prologue a novel I'm writing that I haven't named yet, lol. Once I finish the first chapter, I'll post that too. Word count for just this is.... 1,121 words. He he he, anyways, here you are...]

Prologue:
A dirty black rat scampered across the stone floor of the little cell, stopping short as a flicker of movement reached its eyes. Standing on it's small hind legs, it's beady eyes blinking rapidly, it assessed the room again. As something large moved again, it quickly make the made the decision that there were other, safer cells to explore for any scraps or crumbs the hungry prisoners might not have noticed. As the rat scurried off, it heard the earlier movement maximized. First, the human hand twitched, then the eyes blinked a few times, followed by the figure slowly sitting up. Awoken by the sound of the rat making a hasty exit, the figure slowly stretched. With the limited light that entered through the small excuse for a window, we can see that the figure is a man. A old man, with a bald head and very long beard. After many sighs, the old man slowly stood up and made his way over to the window. Quietly, he whispered something under his breathe, lips moving swiftly.

Suddenly, the room seemed to come alive. Little, almost transparent creatures seemed to come out of nowhere. They almost resembled feathers, but moved as if they had no consistency and flowed through each other, floating in the air and collecting around the man. The room seemed to brighten as more and more of the creatures appeared. With the added ambient light, we can see that the man is very old with countless wrinkles covering the skin around his eyes and hands. His mouth and chin are hidden by the long and flowing beard that runs to his waist, silver and gray in color. His clothes consisted of very faded robes, but if one could have seen what they looked like in their prime, they would have been a beautiful light blue color that could make the very sky jealous. Now the robes had faded to a dirty blue tinted gray. The man's beard moved as he smiled, something you could tell he didn't often do, as he watched the little creatures dance around him and felt them rub his hands and clothes. He waited for them to calm down a bit before speaking. When he spoke, it was more like the whistling of the wind. The little creatures received it as some words, but their limited intellect could only grasp the emotions of what the man was feeling. But that was enough for them to understand most things spoken.

At first, the man only spoke a few words, "My friends, it is time." All the air elements, for that is what the small creatures were, began to fly about even more as they heard him speak, but because quickly still as he finished, their light dimming slightly. Continuing, the old man said, "Remember your agreement, so long ago?" None were moving now, all of them silently blinking and listening. "Five decades ago, you agreed that if I had not been either granted, or force my way out by now, you would find a new Master. I have not been granted freedom, nor have I asked you to give it to me. Now it is time. I'm sorry I could not have been a better Master for you." As he finished, the little like the creatures were giving, all but disappeared completely. Most of the air elements went so transparent, you could hardly see them, even if you knew what they looked liked and were trained to see them. The tears that started to trickle down the man’s face were quickly dried up by the elements as the rubbed his face comfortingly. He heard their quiet voices as they told him over and over, "We love you Master. We don't want to leave. You have always been good to us Master." One even added, "Remember the windmill? We love you." The man’s face lit up a little and he gave a raspy chuckle as he remembered the windmill incident. Many, many years ago before he had been arrested, so long it seemed like a faint and distant dream, he had come across a broken down windmill. The people who had lived in the house nearby had left the windmill to nature. So now the air and wind, when blowing through the area, were made to work the windmill uselessly. The air elements lover to work and to serve their Masters but hated to work for no purpose. When the man, much younger at that age, had seen the wind working tirelessly and uselessly, he himself had torn down the fan. That act of kindness to the air elements had earned him many of the friends he had with him now. Smiling at the memory, he looked out the window and said, "Yes, but that was many years ago, and I am old now. You must find a new Master and be free, not locked up in here like I am."

A few of the elements started to do their equivalent of human crying, blowing sharp bursts of air out making little huffing noises. One asked softly, "Is that an order Master?" The man was visibly trembling, but his voice was steady, stern, and filled with emotions and he answered, "Yes, I'm afraid so." More started crying, making the cell swirl with small bursts of air. Slowly, one by one, the elements came up to him, rubbed his cheek comfortingly, said, "Goodbye, good and loving Master," and then fled out the window. Finally, all but one had gone. The man wasn't sure how, but he recognized the one that was left as his first element friend, one he had released from a jar that had been sealed for who knew how long, as part of his Wizardry training. The element looked with it's small eyes into the eyes of the man for a long time. After several minutes, it came up close and took one of the many tears rolling down the man’s cheek, absorbing it into it's self. Then it said softly, "I will never forget you, nor stop loving you, kind Master." The old man closed his eyes briefly, attempting to hold back the flood of emotions building inside him, but then opened them to watch his oldest friend float through the window and out into the world. Turning away from the window, the man started sobbing, knowing that this was the last he would see of them, and he would spend the rest of his life in the small cell. Little did he know that something else was to come along and change that fate. But to him, the only small comfort he had was in knowing he had set his friends free.