The air smelled fresh and clean. The light shown itself not too bright and not too dim. The sun began to dawn from the east the sun warmed Mother Earth and gave life to the world lost in turmoil. This perfect place is heaven. The angels sang to the sun's rising. The sound was divine and too beautiful for human ears. The heavenly voices brought tears to cliffs of the earth and caused them to cry waterfalls as powerful as a thunderous herd of mustangs. There, singing more beautifully than the rest, was the most gorgeous of all angels. She had sung with the gift from the Lord, that He especially gave to her. This angel was the most beautiful and kindest of all spirits. She often traveled and her heart was a free spirit; she ran with the animals of the wild. The one thing she wanted was another spirit to run with. Unexpectedly, while she flew across the place of a great battle, she found him. The battle happened between the mortals and demons of a far away land. He was a warrior, barely alive, but she being kind, rescued him. The warrior was strong and brave. He being a great leader valiantly would give up his own life for the life of his men. The warrior although greatly injured was still ready to fight. The angel then flew down to him. The angel then said to him,

"Do not be afraid, brave warrior. I will not harm you" the warrior could not see the angel's face for she was surrounded by a blinding light. She took the warrior to a meadow with tall grass that lightly brushed against them in the wind. The sun began to set in its cradle of colors. The angel comforted and healed the warrior of his wounds. She looked in his dark mysterious brown eyes and fell in love with him. She asked to see his rough hands that were stained with blood. She began to listen to his heart and to find what he was looking for. The angel began to sing to him and put his troubled mind at peace. They held each other in the frigid cold never wasting a second of the forbidden night in silence. The angel asked why he fought the demons and he told her he fought for the children and for a better life. The nigh was cold with bitter, shivering air. Angels were not allowed to fall in love, even at that a human was simply unthinkable.

He told her, "you could be sent to hell for this."

"One night with you and it would be worth it," the angel said gently.

As they hid in the night other angels gathered around and watched in curiosity. The clouds were blocking the view of the stars she spread out her majestic wings and emitted a light brighter than a thousand suns. She flew to the heavens and began to blow gently making the clouds slowly and smoothly float across the horizon. She flew back down to her love and with an elegant grace, she conducted the wind to sing a melodic breeze that caused the grass to dance a slow gentle serenade. The stars twinkled and winked and waltzed with each other. The angel sang to the warrior as he gently laid in the grass. She sang of peace and harmony and love and courage. The swaying swooshing, singing, softly played in a small ensemble of strings. The warrior rose and kneeled before the angel.

"please, let me go with you, Wherever you go I will follow you my love," he begged. The angel then smiled gently and kissed his forehead.

"my warrior, dawn is nearing, we both know, but it is not your time. I have been told that you have more battles to fight. You will bring down the tyranny of the evils that haunt this land," she said gently.

She took his sword and shield and kissed it with her full pink lips. The warrior kissed her hand and asked for her marriage. The angel ran her soft immaculate hands through the warrior's bloodied hair. She said softly:

"love will never break and no matter what I will always love you. It is not our time yet for us to join"

She gave him a forbidden kiss and whispered that their love will never be broken for as long as there is love to be shared.

"return to be in two years time in this very meadow" The warrior understood and began to run as fast as the sun dawned. The angel's wing expanded and majestically flew into the direction of the heavens. He followed her with his eyes until she disappeared in the rising god. I

In passing time, the warrior became a hero. For the long years the angel watched and guarded him without his knowing. Her divine eyes never wandered with him around.

Two years passed and the angel traveled to the meadow of serenity, where she took her love. She arrived at dawn. Growing worried she sang her song to guide her lost love. The angel waited while days turned to nights. She didn't doubt knowing her love was out there somewhere; she waited. The seasons turned while the milky moon turned into a fiery orb. She never slept watching for the hill that her love would come while riding his valiant brown steed.

Ten years passed the spring met the winter and the song of courage and love became a song of solitude and mourning. The angel began to loose hope and she slowly began to die. Her song was:

The winter sleeps

This angel weeps

The music is gone

My lover's life is done

Convinced that her love was dead she slowly let her soul slip away into emptiness. Closing her eyes; she slept. She slept in nothingness her soul lost. She awoke to the voice of the warrior yelling in anguish. She opened her eyes and the voice of the Lord spoke to her. Looking down she could see the warrior crying over the spot he knew her to be. The Lord spoke to the angel and said,

"My child long have you tried to keep your prohibited love from me. You being the most beautiful of angels, I will allow you to choose. You can either keep your immortal life of an angel and be blessed for eternity or you can choose the life of a mortal and expect your death.

" I choose the life of a mortal. I choose the life with the one I love."

"So be it," the Lord responded.

The warrior waited asking God for forgiveness, pleading for his love back. The angel took physical body and began to awake. Breathing and living for the first time she was startled. The warrior fell to his knees next to the beautiful maiden as he kissed her. The two lovers cried as they held each other.

"what took you so long my love?" the maiden asked.

The warrior began to tell her the story of him captured by demons who knew of their love He told them of how he begged them to release him for 10 years. When they asked what was so important he responded with:

"the greatest love and trust waits for me. An article of the heavens has given me the most precious gift: Peace." the demons eventually let him go.

"Why did you doubt my return my angel?"

The maiden said, "I am no longer an angel of God but a mortal of humans, I gave up immortality and years of peace to live one mortal life with you."

The warrior picked up his love and set her on his horse. The road into the sunset and lived a life of love and peace. The warrior was her king and the maiden his queen. There was never a love stronger than the forbidden love of the angel and her warrior.

-Shineese Martinez