Flight of the Silverbird

Silver wings were first gifted to my sire, the first guardian of life and high king. They say that the sight of an Ambronian  in flight brings hope to all that see them rise. As the patron people of the element of life, they represent all things that embody life itself. Their flight is nothing short of miraculous, a perfect union of mind, body, and soul. Silver wings are borne only by those descended from the first high king of the realm and those that carry them are destined to one day take up the mantle that he left behind as the guardian of life. The first flight of a silver king is thought to set the course for his reign. Koi, my sire, was said to have first taken wing at the dawn of time as the first living beings were woven into being. He knew of his fate even before I was conceived and predicted that when silver wings rose again they would bear on them a new age for the realm.

I didn't want to try to fly again. The first time I had opened my wings I had nearly died. My body pulled the life from my own mother to sustain itself, as I suppose a guardian's body must. The rebels begged me to learn, they trained me on alongside the dragoon and worked my wings to be strong. Still I feared the air, almost as much as  I was growing to long for it. Still, I resisted, and still the people who clung to the hope my birth had brought fought and died in my name. Dozens fallen became hundreds. They fell for me... so for them I would  rise. I took my first flight not as a broken prince standing in the shadow of his sire but as an avenger with the light of a new day blazing through his wings.

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As I mentioned in the WIP's of this piece, I was greatly inspired by the song "Flight of the Silverbird" by Two Steps From Hell.

I wanted to try a new more dynamic way of  inking my work, to include the background. The shading is a little sparse but I think anything more would have looked odd with the style of lines I chose. I went through about twelve references to get Thalion looking about right and several more for the lighting and background. Hopefully it all came together well! I'm actually very proud of the composition. ;3;

Sorry for the watermark. >: I tried to make it subtle as possible

Thalion and his story belong to me~