In the woods. ~The King and his Queen / Ayla~"How far more shall we go? No sign of it anywhere."Vulcan considered the rift up ahead of them closely then held Athena's face in his gaze. "It seems like we've come to a stop."Her face was glued to the front as their horses came to a stop. He traced the side of her face to the direction. He already knew what to expect,"You mean, the rift? We can't cross it?""Of course we can but it comes with greater risks."She climbed off her white horse and walked towards the rift as Vulcan took suit. There were at least fifty horsemen behind them. But the warriors knew too well to keep their space between the royal horses and theirs. "Help me understand."He caught up with her. She was standing few steps away from the rift. There was a swelling fog at the other end of the rift. And at their end of the rift, there were green patches of stic

     Several months later. ~The king and his queen~"Die! Die! Die! Die!"An echo of the chant swelled to fade as it travelled across the four corners of the circular Colosseum. A woman wounded in wild ecstasy threw both her arms in the air, a fierce movement which threw her two handful boobs out of the loose gown. A man standing next to her reached out his hand to feel the swell of the inviting mounds, but another standing across from the other side spared a quick punch, which shifted some of the tissues in the former's nose. A fight was birthed. A fight quite mediocre to the death-battle, at its peak, in the midst of the arena. "His head... his head... his head."A gladiator bathed in thick sweat and patches of drowsy darkened blood threw his gaze in the directions of the audience who kept telling him what next to do. He was standing over another, who seemed too weak to stand.After a long millisecond reverence t

      Later that day. ~The Archetype and Vulcan~"And that god left the child to the justice of the wild hunting winged bull with the head of a lion, Lamassu. But the child being the offspring of a god, a god himself, tamed and lured the monster with his innocence, until he had climbed on its back. The redhaired, neon-eyed child gave a loud shriek and the rage in him was intense and ripe enough to explode... The hot lava which had coursed from his remains burnt and melted the Lamassu. There go the story of the god who lived for three years... died with his foe... and at reincarnation, became the slave of the Lamassu who now takes the form of a Centaur, the father of the woman whom he loves."Vulcan took a deep breath as the archetype stopped talking. "That's a story stalked by grief and pain and anger."He let out finally. She chuckled and held his hand. They were standing before the Palace surrounded by strong walls - fe

   The Royal Hall. ~Royalties~"Long live Athena, and her king."The three kings bent their backs forward in a gentle bow as Athena and Vulcan walked into the royal hall. Twas a large building within the great walls of the palace and had only a single room. The room was lit up in the golden rays of the standing lamps which were arranged at the corners of the room. There was a large table in the heart of the room around which there were long benches for whoever saw it fit to sit. There were numerous jars of mead lined on the table and wooden plates of steaks and venison. Rarely steaks, more venison. "To what do we owe this visit?"Athena got to them and sat one of the two chairs at the edge of the table. The three kings sat back down, standing behind them were thirty hefty men of different stature and forms, dressed in straps and belts. Most parts of their bodies, like chests, backs and le

    The Colosseum. ~The fight~"You know what you're supposed to do when you get out there."The grim faced of the three kings called as the Gladiators halted at the wooden door which would lead them into the passage which led into  the entrance of the arena. "If we lose to the Gladiators of Vulcan, what then do we stand for? Why do we fight in the first place, if we are to lose?"One of the Gladiators queried. He was lanky, his skin toned brown, his voice thick and puffy. His eyes red and face stern. "Be mute Simian! Who told you that you could wield words of your own accord! Be gone from here dog and do that which you've been bade to."At once, the three kings turned their backs and walked in the opposite direction, while the wooden door creaked before the Gladiators and opened to the sticky passage. The large iron gate which led into the arena was pulled open by five hefty men and the G