SHE IS BORN FROM THE cries of humanity. From the screams of a man who was at the end of his rope; a man who wished to end it all. Her eyes open towards the plains of a battlefield, what once was perhaps a peaceful village was now nothing but a burning graveyard for those slain on its plains. She does not know why she is there, does not understand her purpose - not yet. The world was ablaze in her eyes, and she felt powerless to do anything, the screams of the innocent plague her mind before she finds herself weeping with them. She is sorry. There is nothing she can do. 

( she cries from dawn to dusk, cries until the screams begin to cease; cries till she is no more. )

SHE AWAKENS AND SHE DOES not know where she is. The village that had been aflame has disappeared, in its place lie the ruins of what had perhaps been a castle. She can hear shouting in the distance, screams for justice and new beginnings - among the yellings of the crowd, she swears she hears the begging of a family, what they wish for, she does not know. There is, however, a pang in her chest, and it beckons her forth, and like a foolish moth to a flame, she follows.

THERE IS A MAN ON his knees, beaten and bruised, surrounded by an angry crowd. They spit in his face and throw jeers down at his weak form; they taunt him, asking questions she has no context too. She does not understand why the man is being beaten. Doesn’t understand why so many men and women appear to be so furious - doesn’t understand why there was a woman weeping to the side, clutching two young children close to her chest. Perhaps if she were human she would have walked away, for whatever conflict befell the land had nothing to do with her. But she was created for a reason, even if she did not know it, and it was this reason that made her stay.

GENTLY, SHE HAD PUSHED THROUGH the crowd - a feat made easy due to the fact no one seemed to see her - to make her way towards the centre of the commotion; to where the beaten man had lied. When she reached him, she had knelt down with trembling hands to cup the suffering man’s face. She had pressed her head to his and then she wept. And though her cries fell on deaf ears, she did not silence, for she mourned for this man despite not knowing his tale. Mourned for his fate at the hands of these angry people; mourned for the woman and the young children she had come to see as his family. They were crying for mercy she had realised; so mercy she promised to provide. 

IN HIS LAST MOMENTS, SHE hears the man cry; ( “divinities above...why have you forsaken me? ” ) 

AND EVEN NOW, SHE WEEPS.

IT IS NOT TILL CENTURIES later that humans are able to see her, and how it filled her heart with joy to be able to walk amongst these beings. How long has she been forced to sit idly by, as those she loved suffered? And now, long last, she could do something. Now, she did not need to offer only tears, for they could see her, could finally realise that they were not alone. She was stronger now, she was no liability. 

THE FIRST MEN CALLED HER Eir, a name reminiscent of tales told to the warriors during their childhood – about a group of divine beings they called Valkyries, about the one named mercy. It was a name she easily took to stride, pride and gratefulness filling her being. For the first time it felt as if she had a purpose, and she thrived. Even the throes of war did little to deter her, and though it pained her greatly to see these humans wage destruction amongst themselves, she did everything in her power to keep them safe. 

YOU SEE, SHE WAS MERCY. And it was in the times you least expected it, that she appeared; always with a soft kind smile on her lips, with an outstretched hand and forgiving words. 

BUT EVEN THE PUREST OF angels were not safe from reality's cruel grasp. She hadn't noticed at first – how could she? She was blinded by her love, blinded by her belief that these creatures could do no wrong. It was subtle things, an absent demand for her to do more, prodding questions as to the extent of her abilities. In the beginning it was nothing, and she brushed it off as simple human curiosity and complied with their every demand. 

ALAS, SOON IT WASN'T ENOUGH. For humans were creatures of greed, desperate beings in seek of something to elevate their status in such a mortal world. And with a spirit such as Eir, who was willing to go along with anything they asked? It was all too easy for them to shower her with kind words and make her blind to their own selfish desires. 

THEY DEMANDED FOR HER TO do more than she could, cried to her, begging for her to raise the dead, to cure the incurable. When it became apparent her powers had limits, they blamed her. Screams and furious yells would echo around her. Why couldn't she do more? Why did she never help when they needed her to? Why was she so weak? So useless? Their insults cut into her flesh like knives, and though she cried in grief during times of her own solitude, she could only face the masses with a kind smile and an apology on her lips. 

IT SHOULD BE KNOWN THAT she never blamed them, never lashed out in hurt or anger. She loved them despite the cruel ways they treated her, loved them because she knew better. She's walked the Earth for millennia, knew that humans were imperfect and self-destructive. Humans sought perfection, sought the unattainable, and the inability to reach their goals made them bitter, made them oh so cruel and selfish....but Eir knew. Knew that not all were like this. Knew that despite all the cruelty at times, these creatures were capable of kindness. She's seen them suffer, seen them weep for joy when a saviour had come to save them. She has witnessed their gratitude, has received their gratitude, she's seen them through so much. It was impossible for her to hate them. 

SHE WAS MERCY, WAS SHE not? If even she could not love these humans...who would? If even mercy turned her back on humanity, what was left for these creatures? So she endures their cruel words, ever smiling because she knew they were imperfect. Knew that the humans were young and at times foolish – it wasn't their fault, so she never blamed them. She embraced humanity and saw them as her own children, continuously choosing their side despite the warnings of others. She loved them. She was happy. 

( but happiness could only last for so long. )

Quisque pretium augue a justo auctor, quis consequat lectus blandit. Donec ante lorem, viverra quis lorem laoreet, consectetur interdum leo. Etiam diam quam, commodo id tellus eu, varius fringilla nisi. Maecenas id maximus purus. Suspendisse pretium maximus orci, eu facilisis massa. Praesent at dui urna. Quisque tristique odio a venenatis sollicitudin. Quisque risus arcu, iaculis ac ullamcorper ac, fermentum ut dui. Nullam mollis, ipsum sed tempus ultricies, enim justo pharetra lorem, sit amet tristique risus purus at enim. Integer sit amet odio tristique, facilisis lacus ut, vestibulum leo.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer finibus bibendum turpis, sit amet tempor purus placerat in. Mauris tempus sodales orci, nec aliquam quam tincidunt eu. Aenean lacinia venenatis eros. Integer feugiat efficitur nibh non finibus. Praesent quis nisl auctor, lobortis diam vel, interdum lorem. Aenean dui elit, iaculis vel finibus a, semper non augue. Nulla est libero, ornare at felis eget, egestas ullamcorper metus. Vestibulum lacinia erat ante, vitae lacinia orci feugiat in.