"Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength,
that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word."
Psalm 103:20
The gruesome sight of the bloody corpses of humans that littered the most recent battlefield made Nuada cringe, the smell of the blood filled the air. The wind was a deathly cold and the sunset was a golden glow, as the bloody day came to an end.
Nuada sat at the foot of a hill and looked out at the aftermath of the Golden Army. They were truly the answer to the war with man, and soon they would be cleared from this earth like the dirt they were. He turned his gaze to the sunset, it was glorious and herald a victory for Elfland. The wind howled through the land, and Nuada thought he could hear a strange humming in the wind.
It was rich and deep, it grew louder.
Nuada looked up and a glittering pair of white wings gliding through the sky, an Angel of the heavens.
It flew lower and lower, and Nuada saw that the angel was a young woman. She glided down to the earth and land with a light thump on top of the hill into a crouch, totally ignorant of Nuada, and remained there looking out, furling her wings close to her body.
She looked, in Nuada's eyes, like a normal human, with deep brown hair that feel in gentle waves around her face and reached her shoulders. She had a child like face, round and young, with emerald eyes, like the trees of the ancient forests of old. Yet here was something powerful about her, and commanded respect. Nuada followed her gazed and saw that she was looking out at the battlefield, anger burned in her eyes. He watched her, for a long time, until she down looked at him.
They were still as statues.
The angel ruffled her wings slightly and stood to her full height, Nuada felt threatened and unconsciously retched for his sword.
"Does a son of the earth feel so threatened by my presence?" The angel sounded amused at his action. Nuada dropped his hand and slowly, "A warrior is always ready, in case he should be surprised," he answered, "In times of war, you can never be sure."
The angel looked back to the battlefield. Her great wings stretched high above her head, the tips reached for the open sky. With one powerful stroke, she was lifted from the ground and glided down closer to him.
"This is no longer a war," she said bitterly, "It is a slaughter."
Nuada was a strong warrior of Bethmoora, he was not easily intimidated, but under the angel's unwavering glare, he felt almost small. He quickly composed himself, "You pity the humans, don't you?" He said, "They are not worthy of any sentiment," The angel closed her eyes.
Nuada waited for her to answer, but grew impatient. "How is what the humans did any less compared to what the Golden Army has accomplished?" he asked angrily.
The angel's eyes snapped open and she lifted her chin, "What human's do is in their nature, the way the Lord created them, as it is in my nature to pity them. The Golden Army is abomination, an unnatural thing that feels nothing and will never stop, not until there is no life left." She said, never taking her eyes of him. "Such a force will only ever bring chaos and death to this world," her wings poised like a hawk preparing to hunt a field mouse, "If you weren't so proud you would see that," She said dangerously.
Nuada snapped and quicker than lightning, unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her, the tip just touching her neck. "You do not understand, Angel of Heaven," he hissed. The angel didn't flinch, in fact she acted like there was no blade at her throat. "I understand many things. Nuada Silverlance, prince of the Bethmoora clan." Nuada blinked.
How did this angel know his name?
"Who are you?" He lowered the tip a little, but remained still.
"I am an Archangel and the Left-hand of God, the Father of all." She said calmly, "I am Gabriel."
With one flick of her hand, Nuada was sent flying backwards by some invisible force. He landed against a rotten tree so hard it snapped in two. He groaned and struggled to pull himself up, he had never been thrown around like that before.
He glared back at the angel, who hadn't moved an inch from where she stood. She lowered her hand slowly, "You best be careful who you draw your sword on, lest it gets you killed." Her eyes were glowing.
Her whole being was glowing, brighter than the sun, brighter than anything Nuada had ever seen, power and light radiated from her from her feet to her wings.
She was the most beautiful creature Nuada had ever set eyes on.
Her outstretched wings pounded hard and she was propelled into the air. Soon she was but a speck of white in the dark sky. Nuada watched for a long time, staring after the Archangel, her words whispering through his mind.
"I am an Archangel and the Left-hand of God, the Father of all. I am Gabriel."