A Days End (Scarlet Shaddows)

Originally I had wanted to do a piece about her armor, and it evolved into this.  I was playing with a basic color palate and bold lines.

Gyra Blackwell entered the armor with as a boy under the name of Lorcan Blackthorn.  She had only wanted to learn how to fight, then she'd rescue her father from the invading kingdom.  But the more she learned, the more she realized that her initial plan wasn't realistic.  She made friends, she became an officer, she went to battle.  The scary thing was, she kind of liked it, the fighting.  There was something in the rush and whir of battle, the blood pumping, bodies moving in step to a lethal dance, input, output.  You don't think about the consequences in the fight, you don't think about what it means to bury your sword in the other man's flesh, for your blad to find its mark.  In the fight, there is just you and your opponent.  That is all.
It's not untill the end of the day she thinks about what the fighting means, the people she's ended with her still standing.  It's leaves her rather...drained.  

Comment's questions or critiques are greatly appreciated ^^
Characters and Story (c) AlexandeNight