"Dance of the Spirit King"
The forest was brought alive with the sound of music and the warmth of a large blazing bonfire. Spirits swayed and twirled around in the flickering light, laughing and cheering with glee. Many of the dancing beings held instruments and played them beautifully as they leapt about. Among them was their king, the Lord of Espiritus. Espiri grinned a childish grin at his creations as he joined them, playing his pan pipe and skipping around with joy. The sound of his pipe was seductive, drawing in all those who heard it's call.
His heart raced with the pace of pounding drums and singing flutes. This was the way to live. Not in some huge palace in a separate world from his creations, but side by side with them, sharing drinks and indulging in the pleasures of the worlds. Of course, he mainly resided in his realm of Espiritus with the majority of his followers, but he carved out this piece of fantastic land in Ashariel for those who wanted to see what the mortal world had to offer.
Now, they were now breaking in their new home with dance and song. They had currently been going at it for three days. . .Or perhaps it had been three weeks. Regardless, he had been having a good time. Now, he saw more of his creations enter the fire's light and join the dance. They were different from the spirits, however, in both body and soul. They appeared as gorgeous mortal women, but as they came closer and allowed themselves to be overcome by the music of their brothers, their true selves were reveal. Many of them resembled animals of different kinds, some with cat-like eyes and other with serpentine tongues and razor teeth. They were hags and he was very happy with how they turned out.
Espiri smiled again as two of the newly arrived beings caught his eye. A young boy and girl, both with hair like strands of gold. They were children of Puck, who would lead the spirits in Ashariel and Margret Witchmother, strongest of her kind and the closest thing they had to a leader. The god laughed as the boy flew into the air, floating around like a falling leaf. He was so like his father and like Espiri himself. His sister, however, was so like her mother it was painful and stood on the edge of the party with her arms cross and an awkward half smile on her face. They would both be very important to the Spirit King's people one day. The boy would make a fine avatar, as he embodied everything that Espiri stood for. Fun, desire, mischief, and youth. The girl was wise and patient, quite a meticulous little witch. She'd become more powerful than any other hag in the world.
The god twirled around the fire, playing his pipes louder, it's sweet song ringing through all parts of the land and all corners of all the worlds. It served as an invitation to anyone willing to join the King in his dance. It called to the soul, the unresolved passions and the unindulged pleasures that plagued it. 'Come one. Come all. Join my dance and be merry with me.'
"Dark and Light"
Persephone fell to her knees, covered in blood and sweat. Her hands trembled and she could no longer grip her blade. Tears stung her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, the salty taste finding it's way to her lips. Carnage surrounded her. Death's touch had rotted the earth with blood and corpses. She was taught that war was a man's game, but a woman must learn to play if she wanted to survive. Her clan had been among the most skilled players in Ashariel.
Her mother Genesis, the first woman to be created by the Trinity, had been the fiercest warrior and the most nurturing woman that she had ever met. But now, she was gone. They all were. They had lived as a part of a clan of women, peaceful except when threatened. An army of men had come to conquer them, to slaughter the warrior woman and make the ones who survived their submissive trophies and pets. That hadn't exactly gone the way they planned.
They had been caught off guard by the females' ferocity in battle, but the war was not one sided. Both sides suffered extreme casualties and now Persephone was the only one left alive. Her sisters were gone. Her enemies were gone. There was no longer light or darkness. No black or white. She was alone with only shades of grey and stains of red. She continued to tremble, like a leaf about to fall from it's branch. "Mother Amara!" She cried to the goddess. "Please take my life! I no longer have anything to live for! My home is drowned in blood! My mother and sisters have left me to join the dead! Allow me to join them!"
"My daughter, I have heard your plea. But I will not grant your wish." A woman with white hair and beautiful green dress appeared before the young girl. Tears flowed freely from Persephone's eyes at the sight of her mother goddess. "Oh please Amara! Great mother! I cannot go on, my sisters are gone." Amara smiled sadly as two women appeared at her side. One with golden hair wore gleaming armor and carried a mighty axe. The other's face was covered with a black veil and she wore the garb of a widow. "Your sisters are not gone." said Hellia. "We have not forsaken you." Her voice rang like a golden bell.
Persephone looked up, confused by the goddess' statement. "What do you mean?" She asked. Hellia stepped towards her, caressing the girl's cheek. "Your sisters will live on in our realm, as our loyal warriors, as they did in life." She smiled sweetly, like a ray of sun. "Your sisters that fought honorably in the light of day will serve as my White Maids. They will be my companions in battle.
Noctre, the dark one, stepped forward. "And your sisters who preferred to kill silently in the night will become my Black Widows, agents of the dark." Amara smiled pleasantly. "And your sisters whose heart's claimed both light and dark" she spoke. "They will become my Grey Ladies, protectors of the Sacred Order of Balance." Persephone's deceased sisters appeared behind the goddesses. Her mother was among them, wearing a dress of grey and silver.
"Why am I left alive, my Goddesses?" Amara looked at her with comforting silver eyes. "Because you are meant for great things." She reached down to her daughter, gently pulling her to her feet. She lightly placed her index finger on her forehead, a rush of energy flooding into Persephone's body. "We give you the gift of sight, my daughter. For every woman, like every man, has the right to see things clearly. You will travel the land and bring together peoples of all kind. You will build a nation devoted to the balance between good and evil, dark and light."
Persephone could see images of this nation in her mind's eye. Flashes of large buildings, happy people, and many wonders. Now she understood why they saved her. "I'll do it. Lead me and I will follow."
The goddesses smiled at her and Amara nodded slowly. "You will bring about harmony, my daughter." And then they vanished.