With doubt and fear shadowing her heart, she heard the clang as the mirrored shield fell to the ground and saw the flash of light only a moment later. Her eyes and her serpent’s eyes darted to look at it. For the first time in two thousand years, she saw herself, as clearly as all the men that had stood in front of her. The young girl, full of optimism, was long gone, although there, in the depth of her irises, she saw the slightest glimmer of hope.
