Mira and the True Flame

"The true flame claimed many, and each fallen soul ferried the bonfire to a far away land. Tracking it down took an age, but that was the easy part. Mira was to follow in her ancestors' path and surrender to a trial by fire. She had prepared for this moment her entire life, but the fear she felt was like no other. She would not let her loyal companions down and sully their sacrifices with her cowardice, so into the fire she went. Mira's companions looked on, eyes wide in awe, as their princess had been reborn in the true flame. It was as if she was the flame itself.

She felt nothing, and then everything. The fire was she and she the fire, but the fire was something more. It was the power to rule. Mira turned to face her companions but was instead greeted by the macabre sight of their charred remains. She felt nothing, and then everything. And so began her lonely reign in a kingdom of ash."

I really enjoy writing these bits of story to accompany illustrations. It's good practice. I really need it, obviously.