Haunting Nostalgia

They stood, the light of the morning pouring through the narrow valley, funnelling through the glistening rocks, the vibrant shades of stone flooding across the sea of red. The red hairs standing above each helmet in perfect rows covering the floor like a carpet, the stone ground embroidered with gold and red. Mahon's small body is eclipsed by the massive frames around him, the glistening chest pieces surrounding him like constellations, their light bouncing through the night sky in patterns.

"It's been too long since we fought," Leonidas' voice hung in the still air. The quiet, sombre tone made the men around shake with the sheer severity and authority in his throat.

"But my lord we fight plenty, the mighty Spartans cannot be defeated."

A wave of red lined nods swept through the crowd in agreement.

"Not like this, the Persian army is not a force we can underestimate."

"Darius is long dead, the Persians cannot be compared to their former glory, but we are led by you."

"Xerxes is sneaky, he grows his armies in any way, I have heard of the mass conscription, no matter how strong we are the sheer force of numbers behind him cannot be underestimated."

The men dispersed walking back to their tents, the soldiers keeping fierce watch over the valley, the last opportunity before Persia breached into Hellas, before the massive infantry could overpower most individual states.

"When did you get so serious?" Mahon walked beside Leonidas, his face twisted gently in concern.

"I have always been serious, I always consider each outcome with perfect grace and elegance."

"Hahaha, what about when you charged at a god with your shield, was that grace and elegance?"

"Hahaha, it is different now, these are my decisions and if my men die then… well anyway, I was confident I could beat the god, Persia… less so."

"You have the most powerful warrior in history, how can we lose?"

"I wish it were as simple as that, we are protecting the lands behind us, i have heard of boats sailing around, there are thousands of secret passes, if we let our guard down then… my home, our home will be destroyed, it is much greater in stakes than simply getting mutilated by a crab."

"Hey, you got the arm back, didn't you."

Leonidas let out a sigh, his face shook with horror, "I'll never understand how you do that. Either that or you're really gross."

"You're not so bad yourself."

Through the camp there was a huge pounding of drums, the entire camp filled with life like an ant's nest scurrying soldiers darting throughout arming themselves.

Through the bright light their blooming colours spread through the sand coloured mountain sides filling the valley with life like a plant pot overgrown with beautiful flowers, the familiar array of colours spreading through the hauntingly nostalgic colour.

Under his breath in a hushed voice, his eyes sparkling in amazement.

"Babylon."