Angel of the Sun

Shining with the intensity of the sun, her wings were painful to look at. They were grand and beautiful and I risked my sight just to look at her. Her light enveloped the night sky with a glaring glow and she stood with her head held high. Her name was Aniela and she had flown to my aid in my darkest moment. In her right hand she held a powerful spear and with her left she lifted me up from the battlefield.

All around me lay death and destruction. I had collapsed during the battle from exhaustion and waited for death to come. Unable to lift my sword, or my shield I limped through the corpses of my fallen brothers. Aniela looked towards the enemy and said to me “your fight is not yet over”.

Aniela told me to fall to my knees to receive her blessing and I did. I watched the light draw out of her majestic wings and into her hands. She was infusing me with her sunlight. I felt a surge of power, and I felt her love, warmth and compassion. “Now rise champion, there is much to do”, she said her voice booming and loud. I rose up off my knees and lifted up my sword and shield. I had the strength to carry on the fight and I charged the enemy. I charged into the darkness and where I was once blind there was light.

The way Aniela moved was truly a sight to behold. Her wings powerful enough to knock back her opponents and protect herself. She was a true Valkyrie barreling through the enemy with her wings propelling her forward. Her spear piercing them with light and fire. Before I knew it I had rejoined the main force and was locking blades with the enemy.

Aniela continued to lead the charge; her ferocity unmatched. Her grace and agility were like watching acrobatics show. She cut down anyone in her path, and I lead my men onwards. We fought until the morning dawn and at the end of it there stood Aniela. Basking in the glow of the sun, covered in blood; she was heavenly. Thanks to her power we had won the battle, but we had lost many men.

I approached her and sat down next to her on the hill. She removed her helmet and turned to me once more to say “They will not be forgotten; their heroism and bravery will forever be etched into my soul”. She knelt to the ground and started praying. I could only stand there in awe as I watched lights glow all around me.

Glowing bright and beautifully, she called out to the souls of the dead. She promised them a home where they would know peace after death. They stood steadfast in their loyalty and gathered in her spear. She was absorbing them into her soul, her spear. It looked like a battlefield of fireflies collecting in the early dawn. I had never seen such an event and I would never again see it in my lifetime.

When she had collected all the souls, she picked up her spear and slammed it into the ground. A ring of light shock waved through those of us still alive and she was gone.

Not a single one of us could forget what we saw that night and her light was forever burned into our souls. We returned home changed men and hoped we would never have to see the battlefield again. I returned home to my farm where my wife, my light remained. Her beauty contrasting that of Aniela, her inner sun forever lighting the shadows of my own heart.

As I grew older, I would tell the tale of Aniela every chance I got, and my grandchildren loved it. Few of us survived that night, and even fewer lived as long as I had. I was the last of a generation who saw the Angel of the Sun, who was blinded by her light and ignited by her passion.

Eventually my time had come to pass on to the next life. On my deathbed I said a prayer for the fallen and asked Aniela to guide me home. She appeared to me alone that night. Her light didn’t blind me this time and it wasn’t painful to look at. It glowed softly like a fire in a hearth. I felt her warmth, and her love as she took my hand. “We meet again brave soldier; I have been waiting for you for many years”. I coughed out a laugh and said “I've been waiting for the day I could see your light once more, and now that I have, I am at peace”.

She gently touched my heart with her spear and I watched my light leave my body. I was teleported to a cozy inn, with a gentle fire burning in the center. My brothers were all there drinking, and feasting. They all turned and stopped to see me walking up. I was greeted by every single one of them and shown to my place at the table. My Angel of the Sun had finally guided me home. She stood watch over us with her gentle flame flickering and crackling. We knew peace there and we felt her love.