Aiden and Selene sat around a warm fire, four days after leaving the cottage. The snow had melted, but a chill still lingered in the air. They really had no need for warmth, but the fire was still necessary to keep animals away.

They had not spoken much and it tore at Selene like a knife. She knew that whenever he did crack a joke or smile at her, there was still a part of him that hated her for leaving. She had a suspicion that he was catching onto her plans, and as soon as that happened he would do everything in his power to stop her.

She glanced over at him. He chewed on his ration of cooked venison, caught by himself a few days prior. He looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent with each passing day. It was as if he was getting sick.

Suddenly, his eyes turned up to lock on hers and she looked away as fast as she could. Her face burning in embarrassment, she pulled out her sword and whetstone a slowly began to sharpen the blade. She always did this to calm her nerves. Usually, her dagger was the victim, but she had sharpened it so much, it would soon become nothing more than a stub of metal. Not that this one needed sharpening either, but it was either this or bouncing her leg and twiddling her thumbs for hours.

It was a beautiful sword; the more she stared at it, the more she noticed.

Its hilt was similar to that of her dagger, but instead of a blue gem embedded in the handle, a dragon's eye was carved into each side. However, the craftsmanship looked similar to that of her dagger. She was no expert, but she had been in Arthur's forge long enough to be able to recognize an artist's niches.

The hilt wrapped around the sword like two claws aching to sink into an enemy. Fitting for its intended target.

The thing that intrigued Selene the most was the blade. It was not ordinary metal, Selene knew that the moment Aiden slew the Akiri when nothing else could hurt it. She did not know what it was truly made of, but it looked different as well. The material was blue. It almost looked like very thick, blue glass that could cut someone in half with ease. Down the middle of the blade were ruins that Selene couldn't decipher. Just like Cyan's sword.

This blade and her dagger were obviously made to go together, yet the sword never spoke to her as the dagger did. Its eye didn't follow her as the dagger's dragon did. Perhaps it was dormant, waiting to be woken. If only she knew how to speak the language written on it.

She cleared her throat and asked, "Did she say anything to you about this besides you had to deliver it to me?"

Aiden took another bite of his dinner before responding, "Nope."

This was how every conversation started and ended, her attempting to speak and him shutting her down with short answers.

"Besides what you've told me, do you know any other stories about Lysandria?" she asked, hoping she'd get a better answer out of him with that.

"Why?" he asked as he finished the last of his food.

"I'm just curious."

He let out a sigh and thought about it for a moment, " I know a few, but I will only tell you one."

"Why?" she asked.

He gave her an incredulous look, "Because I still haven't forgiven you for abandoning me for five months," then he smiled.

She rolled her eyes at him, but on the inside, she was grinning from ear to ear. This was the most they had talked in days. If he was willing to joke with her, then it meant the silence would not last long.

He situated himself more comfortably on the ground before beginning.

"This story was told to me when I was very young, but I still remember it well."

"Then get to it," Selene said.

He glared at her and continued, "During the time when the Angels had been cast away from this Earth and the races had been left to die, Lysandria rose to take the place as protector, as we all know. But few know of her battle with the Dwarves."

"She fought the Dwarves?'

"No, she fought with them. Against the council of six's army. They had sent out their pleas for help on large osprey for any who would listen, for they knew the army was approaching. Lysandria was the only person who answered the call. She was the only one able to. The dwarves welcomed her, but all hope was gone. For how could one warrior make a difference against such an army? But one dwarf, Uthun Frostforge, knew there was something different about her. He had heard the stories of a mighty warrior that was standing against the council of six and posing a threat. He believed it to be Lysandria.

"He approached her and asked her if the stories were true, or if he should try and evacuate while there was still time. She reassured him that no one would die that day and that they needn't evacuate. She said nothing but that. Of course, Uthun needed more assurance than this. The fate of his people depended on this woman, and trust is not something the dwarves give easily. So he asked her to prepare his army for the coming battle. To train them with the little time they had left to fight for their home. Lysandria agreed on one condition, that the dwarves open their home to all after the war ended. That they make their mountain a haven to those who needed shelter and refuge. She did this because she had seen the wrath of the council of six, and the dwarves were faring much better than the rest of the world. Where the dwarves had water, the outside world had poison. Where the dwarves had beds, the slaves had the ground. Where the dwarves had food and light, everyone else had maggots and darkness. The dwarves had been shut off from the outside for so long, they didn't even know of the Angels' banishment, in the dwarves religion the angels were called the Gods of Creation, until news of the approaching army reached them from scouts. Uthun considered this, and for a while, he was reluctant to agree. But it was their only option. Accept her terms and assure that she is truly the great warrior from legend, or perish under the boots of the Dwellers and the dark witches along with the horde of demons that traveled with them. He agreed.

"In the fifteen days before the battle, Lysandria turned Uthun's army into honed soldiers. The other war chiefs saw this and decided to ask the same of her. She gave them her terms. Some of them declined, claiming they'd rather die than see their culture and world go to ruin. Others agreed hastily, knowing there wasn't much time for her to help them. When the enemy finally arrived, Lysandria had a whole army behind her of dwarves from different clans and statuses alike. They had put aside their bickering and grudges in order to fend off the enemy that would surely destroy them and everything they stood for.

"Many would say this battle was the final battle for the peaceful world of the Angels. Lysandria and the Dwarves versus the entirety of the Council's army. The last line of defense against the impending doom of their kingdom. They were ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of their home, and Lysandria knew that. They stood at the ready upon the mountain cliffs, watching as the monsters filled the horizon, every shape and size, each more gruesome than the last. The demons salivated at the mouth as they thought of their feast, the Dwellers cackled and jested as they imagined their kills, and the dark witches were silent, the smiles upon their faces said enough. These were the only races that aligned themselves with the Council. Not even the mighty orcs wanted to help them, for they knew that they would only bring death and destruction. So the Dwellers enslaved them. Lysandria reminded the dwarves of the orcs sacrifice as they stood there waiting. She reminded them of all the sacrifices the other races had made. The humans who were almost extinct after battling fiercely against them, the dragons giving their lives to create her to aid them, even the shifters had gone into hiding after their numbers had dwindled. The trolls and giants hadn't even been heard of, assumed extinct. The Dwarves were all that was left. This made them raise their heads higher, hold their aces and axes steadier. They would win this day because they had to. For the rest of the world.

"Then Lysandria turned back to the horde, who had now come close enough to hit with arrows. She raised her hands and summoned that famous power, enough to turn the sky into a glow of blue and white mist. She looked like a beacon of hope, shining in that darkness. Her eyes radiating power and her hair whipping around in the wind she created. The dwarves were in awe at her power. She was the true warrior of legend. Some even dropped to their knees to bow to her, praying and thanking her. The war chiefs who had doubted her power and refused her deal begged for forgiveness. She merely told them to rise, to stand on their feet against the enemy. And so they did. She let her power rain down upon the army, killing thousands at a time, burning them into nothing, turning their skin into ice and ash, and watching it break apart and blow into the wind. Within seconds, the army had shrunk to half its size. The dwarves charged the remaining demons and slaughtered them where they stood weak and injured. The battle was over before it had begun. And not a single dwarf had died. They hailed Lysandria as a God and built a statue in her honor, and against her wishes. Even today, in the Dwarven capital, you can still see her statue in almost perfect condition. After that battle, they began slowly winning back land, until it was time to face the Council of Six head on. The Angels returned thanks to the light of Nótt and heard of all the work Lysandria and the Dwarves had done. Uriel bestowed upon the Dwarves an eternal forge with a flame that would never die, which is also still burning today in the Dwarven capital. They also gave a gift to Lysandria, yet there are so many rumors as to what it was, no one knows for sure. Some say it was immortality and that she still walks among us today, others say it was a kingdom of her own, others say it was nothing at all."

"What do you think it was?" asked Selene.

Aiden thought about it for a moment, "I honestly have no idea."

Selene laughed and asked why.

"What would an all-powerful warrior be given? It's obvious from the stories she didn't seem like a greedy person. I can think of nothing she would want nor need."

Selene agreed with him. It seemed unlikely for her to accept any gift, plus she died soon after that story. The thought sent chills up her spine. Her death was epic, deeming her forever etched in history as the savior of the world. And now it was Selene's turn. She didn't particularly care if her death was as well known, she just wanted to succeed.

She did recognize his story though. It very much reminded her of the vision the Priestess had given her. Of Lysandria on the cliff using her power to decimate an army. It sounded too similar to be two different battles.

Having context to put with the vision comforted her. It helped clear some of the confusion. She felt as if so much was going on in her life and she barely understood any of it. It wasn't too long ago that she was still living with the Clarke's, tending to the horses and helping Arthur in his forge. And now she was heading towards an evil king's castle to kill him, with a new magic and a year of training.

Everything had happened so quickly, she could barely keep up. She kept telling herself to focus on the goals she has set for herself, and not to look back. Because if she did, it all became too much.

Though she didn't regret what her mission was, she felt a great sadness settle in her heart. She couldn't imagine how incredible it would be to see the statue of Lysandria in the Dwarven capital. See the Dwarven people and their culture.

She thought back to Cyan and how she had offered to show her the land beyond the ocean. How kind of Selene to leave her alone and wounded in a cabin in the woods. There was a mission she had to complete. And she would sacrifice seeing the ocean, the thing Lily had so craved, in order to save it.

As it should be, she thought.

Listening to Aiden's story had assured her that what she was doing was the right thing. The total oblivion of the world as they knew it was not an option for Selene. When she had dedicated herself to her training, she was already prepared to take the burden of the victims of this evil on her shoulders. She had asked Cyan to train her with the words, make me their weapon and worthy of carrying their will.

Selene looked down at her hands, the little white scars that showed on her fingers from training staring up at her. And the long one that stretched across them all.

Selene stood from the ground and turned to walk from camp, needing a moment to herself.

"Where are you going?" Aiden called from behind her.

"Need to take a piss," she shot back.

With only the company of the crickets, Selene wandered through the darkness. She took deep breaths, attempting to calm her rising heart rate. If she failed at killing the king...

"Lest the world be engulfed and die in the flames," the prophecy had said.

Selene's mind then traveled back to her first time meeting the Priestess under the willow and what she had said and shown Selene.

We have been waiting for you for centuries, Daughter of Night.

The prophecy she had shown her, the battlefield of dead warriors, Lucius hellbent on revenge, the dragon curled around the throne, Lysandria fighting in the mountains.

She walked over to a tall pine and placed her hand on its trunk, feeling the rough bark under fingers.

"Please," she whispered into the forest, knowing that if that woman was still alive, she would hear, "I need your guidance one last time."

She waited for what felt like an eternity before a feeling came over her. The woman had answered her call.

I can hear your plea, Daughter of Night. What is it you seek?

"Tell me who I am. Why am I the Daughter of Night? And why has everyone been waiting for me?"

Something sounded behind her and she spun around, speechless at what she saw. A huge, white moose glowed in the darkness, stopping to turn its head towards her.

Selene knew that this animal was the woman. This was her form, the God of the Forest. Relief filled Selene that someone had survived the massacre, maybe others did as well.

She gazed at her with her black, sparkling, unblinkingly eyes.

You beg for answers that I cannot give. Some things must be experienced and learned through strife and pain. We've been waiting for you to awaken and fight against the dark forces of this world. The great warrior from long ago fulfilled her destiny in doing so, and now you must do the same. But know this, young wielder, you are more than your predecessor. You have the power of the Angels inside of you. You are something this world has never seen, a link between the two realms.

There were forces at work here that Selene would ever even understand, but one this was for sure: It was her destiny to fight this king, just as Lysandria had done against the council of six. She would go to his castle and use the power the angels had granted to slay him. Even if it meant she would perish as well.

The blade and dagger on her hip gave off an energy as if they also knew what she had come to realize. Selene knew that these blades must have belonged to Lysandria herself.

Finally, it all made sense. Why Arthur had been so terrified of her, why that man and his Lynx had been so drawn to her, the weapons she had been gifted. Even the events in the sprites cave, the strange story in the lights, and the sadness in the eyes of the sprite that woke her power.

She now knew why the king was so desperate to kill her.

She was the Angels' champion.

And she had been created to make sure his reign was ended.