Ashes and Blood
The scent of blood permeated the air. The agonized cries disturbed the sky. The aura of two mighty warriors faced the haunted atmosphere.
The bleak aura of red and black light shrouded the man and women. They stood shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield, overlooking the countless soldiers, dead and alive.
Suddenly, the girl turns her head towards the man, smiling, “The war is over, my king.”
The girl, barely a woman, was dressed in red and black armor with her untied hair blowing in the pungent air. Her face free from the chemicals but splattered with blood making her look more demonically innocent. Her ruby lips stretched out in a smile. But the most alluring feature, her eyes- black, and sharp drunk off the aroma of blood.
The man blinks his eyes as though in a trance and tightens his grip on the girl’s snow-white hands.
The man in his early twenties geared in his silvery black warrior armor. His sun-kissed hands clutching the majestic Sword of Gabriel. His eyes flashed with emotion before going back to gazing at the vast canvass.
They were Keir and Ailith. The Dragon and the Phoenix who conquered the raging lands. The sole King and Queen of the mortal realm.
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This story is based on Artemisia: Woman Ruler of Halicarnassus
In history:
When Xerxes went to war against Greece (480-479 B.C.E.), he brought five ships and helped Xerxes defeat the Greeks in the naval battle of Salamis. She was named for the goddess Artemisia, but Herodotus, born during her time of rule, is the source of this story. Artemisia of Halicarnassus later erected a that was known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
