It was nighttime, and as usual, Phoenix had snuck out of her castle and mounted her large Clydesdale, it's bright, flame-colored markings brightening up when she told it to start running. She was heading into the neighboring kingdom, the Earth kingdom. The horse trotted silently through the forests as Phoenix sharpened one of her daggers boredly, her crimson hood pulled over her head, causing her face to be shadowed. She snuck out almost every night, wandering around the other five kingdoms. Her kingdom was Ignis, the fire kingdom. She was currently in Humus, the earth kingdom. The other kingdoms were Lucis, the Light kingdom. Lympha, the water kingdom. Acerbus, the kingdom of darkness and Glacias, the kingdom of Ice. Phoenix usually tried to stray away from Lympha and Acerbus, considering she didn't quite get along with the rulers. Aqua and Manya were both her younger siblings. Her and Aqua got along just fine, but he was the God of Water. She was the Goddess of Fire. Last time she checked, fire and water didn't go along to well. As for Manya, who also went by the name of Crow, hated Phoenix more than life itself. Phoenix never knew why, though. Manya had always looked up to her and adored her like she was the only thing that mattered to her. But when father died, darkness engulfed her body and she became what she was meant to be, a heartless monster of the night. Phoenix shook her head sadly at her thoughts and looked up to the starry night sky, sucking in the cold air of the winter night. Winter was the season she loved, yet despised. She always welcomed the cool snow and air to her scorching hot skin, but it made her weaker when it did. The ice is her weakness, yet she is the ice's weakness, as well. It was such an odd mix of love and hate she had for the Ice queen, Gelu. The sound of rustling leaves brought Phoenix back into focus, her eyes darting across her surroundings. She saw nothing. It must've been some kind of animal, but it sure spooked the horse, "There there, Fintan…" She cooed into the massive creature's ear, soothing back the fiery mane that only she could touch. After a few minutes of Phoenix's soothing words, Fintan began to trot again, but he seemed far more hesitant than he had when they first entered Humus. The rustling sound got louder, and Phoenix had to stop Fintan. She slowly removed her staff from her back, a dagger in her left hand. She didn't dare remove herself from Fintan, considering he could run faster than she could. Suddenly, she saw glowing eyes from inside the darkness that covered the forest. It was so quite that she could hear the unknown creature's breathing, soft and gentle, "Hello miss…" Phoenix jumped in surprise at the sudden, deep voice. Her eyes widened even more as the man—creature—thing revealed himself, slithering out of the shadows and into the faint moonlight. The light caught his dark purple scales, illuminating a soft glow. His hair was long and the color of raven feathers and his eyes were the more gorgeous silver she had ever seen. His skin was what perked her interesting, since it was a lighter shade of purple, "May I ask who you are, my lady?" He asked politely, staring down at her with a calm gaze. He was far taller than Phoenix. She was 5'6 and he was probably around seven feet tall, so she was quite intimidated. But she would not show it. Instead, she raised her staff to a defensive position and allowed fire to engulf both her hands, "My name is Phoenix. And who are ye?" She answered after a long pause, her voice hesitant,
"My name is Vassili, Miss Phoenix. If I may ask, what are you doing here so late? A lady such as yourself shouldn't be out in such dangerous places at night."
"I will have you know that I can handle myself quite well, thank you!" She growled out and gripped the golden staff tighter, fire starting to lick at the tips of her hair. A soft blush tinted Vassili's purple cheeks, causing a giggle to escape from Phoenix's lips, "I-I am terribly sorry, my lady, I did not mean to upset thee!" He stumbled with his words, bowing his head slightly. He wasn't so menacing after all,
"Aye, I know ye didn't. I apologize for snappin' at ye." Her voice was soft and warm, finally removing her hood, earning a slight gasp from the man. Ember eyes pierced silver orbs, and her lips were the color of red cherries. She had black makeup spread around her eyes, like smoke. Her hair was also the color of a wild flame, bright red hair with fading orange tips that fell in waves around her smooth face. She was gorgeous. The two seemed to stare into each other's eyes for a rather long time, enchanted. The silence was broken when Fintan snorted in impatiently, "Ah, yes…Well, to answer your question, Vassili, I take night rides every night, so no need to worry." Phoenix nodded, finally breaking eye contact,
"If you say so, my lady." He bowed to her slightly, but he still towered over her. His hair surrounded him like a veil, and it was utterly beautiful to Phoenix. The goddess smiled and nodded slightly at him, waving her hand and tugging on the reins. Fintan responded with a soft snort and began trotting off again, his flame tail flicking. Phoenix heard Vassili slither away and back into the shadows until the rustling disappeared, and she was alone yet again.