Inheritance

I stood still as stone; sword drawn; head high. I could feel the fire of Vision coursing through my veins like a barely contained torrent. Soft light emenated from my intricately crafted armour, dispersing the Darkness from the oval in which I stood.
The Darkness. I could feel it, just out of sight. I could sense it, the Dragon, weighing the implications my presence presented. I knew the battle would begin in earnest long before the Coward showed itself.1

I settled into my stance more firmly still, balancing myself evenly on my feet. In the odd tension before battle, my mind drifted.
I reflected on how soft and supple my boots were. A small smile touched my lips then, for I knew how strong their material was. They would never slip, never falter. They could not be destroyed, or even damaged while I wore them.
Peace, stronger than the wildest tempest, anchored me.2

It began. 3

"What are you doing, Child?" The voice wormed it's way across the blackness between us. A thought came to me, subtle in it's suggestion. 'You don't belong here.' 4

"I am here for my Inheritance." The power of Declaration shook the air like a thunderclap. Light danced down the length of my blade. 5

The Darkness quivered for a brief moment, then continued in it's condesension.
"Foolish Child. An orphan has no Inheritance. What game are you trying to play?"
In the dark fringes of my mind, it continued. ' You have stood here before, and were utterly defeated. Why do you challenge me again?'6

Images flashed past my mind's eye. I was fallen. My glorious armour torn in pieces, decrepit and useless.
Death hovered over me, gloating in my failure. Hopelessness engulfed my spirit. "You have failed." 7

My body felt like lead. My Sword arm would not stay aloft. It drooped until the tip of the magnificent blade scraped the ground. The sound was like the empty grating of a prison cell closing. 8

"You are attacked from every side!" 9

The Darkness around me began to constrict, but the Fire within me would not be denighed. 'But you are not crushed.' It thundered in my heart.
Strength returned. 10

The Darkness faltered, struggling to regain it's footing. "You are hard driven and pursued! You will not be able to find an escape!" It screamed, "You are overtaken." 11

The pressure around me was immense. It seemed as if I could do nothing else than succumb to it's power. 12

But the Fire would not be silenced. "Do not despair. You are not deserted!"
The Sword in my hand began to hum as the power within it gathered. In a barely audible wisper I spoke to the Dragon. "I am not alone."
The light of my armor intensified, pushing back the Darkness with undenighable force. The Spirit within quickened my besieged body. 13

The Dragon seethed in fury. It was mad with rage and fear. Darkness came barreling toward me, desperate to crush my defenses.
"I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN!" The Dragon cried. "YOU ARE NO ONE!"14

I was like the Shining of the Son. The Darkness shattered on the Standard of Light that surrounded me.
I laughed. It was the deep, unfettered joy of knowing I am not forsaken.
"I will not be destroyed!" I reveled in the certainty of it.15

"I am the Daughter of the Most Exhaulted King, Princess of the Kingdom of Light!" I proclaimed my identity to the beast. He would know who it was that defeated him.
"I am a Servant of the Lord of Hosts, Warrior of the Annointed One! " 16

I raised my Sword, and Light poured forth. Nothing was concealed from it's blaze.
With unwavering confidence I advanced upon the Dragon. I was a Sent One, secure in the success of my mission. 17

The Coward Beast shrank back, seaching for an escape. None existed. I towered over it, wielding the authority of my Liege with a well trained mind. 18

"I am here for my Inheritance." The Fire of Vision became an inferno within me, as I saw my victory glowing on the horizon.
"I am no Orphan." 19

The Power of Declaration split the skies.
"Who are you to stand against me?"
My sword sang as I brought the vanquishing blow down upon the neck of the Dragon.
"No One." 20

I stood still as stone. My Vision burned inside of me, an inferno of purpose and destiny. I looked out across the unveiled lands before me, thanking my Lord for victory. My Inheritance. 21