The sun rose like it did every morning, but on the Eve of Winter the sun rose the color of blood and the sky turned crimson as General Veldahar rose over the horizon with an army as wide as it was long. The crimson sky went well with the contrast of there black and red flags. Veldahar smiled maliciously as he could see the towns hidden in the Ashgrown forest. From this distance up he could even see the mighty palace in Lowight where the soon to be dead Queen of Light resided.
War had come to this land and the bloody sun was a beacon to anyone who saw it… something was terribly wrong. The sky itself had turned to blood, which meant Death himself was on his way.
There would be little safety and hardly a place to hide as the sea of death flowed over the mountain, breaking into large groups, heading in different directions. General Veldahar would head straight to Hepian, then to Lowight. They would either submit to the rule of the Witch Queen or die, there was no other option for Ighten scum.
Men on warhorses formed their on small army, riding like black dragons on the wind. Demons, beasts of unimaginable size, men of unimaginable cruelty, this was the army that Ighten was now in store to either triumph over or be destroyed by.
General Veldahar rode on to what he knew was victory.
Now comes a time where even enemies must be bound together on a common cause, to live or be forever wiped from the face of Heirot. Friendships will be tested. Love won or destroyed. Death will try to be conquered and life will try to be preserved.
But, know that whichever side you choose to follow, your world will be changed forever.
This is the beginning of the Third Queens War.
Alright, if you would like to begin threads where the war is happening near your or where you are make sure that it is around the end of fall or beginning of winter... You can use some of these clues in your threads if you would like.
Have fun! And try not to get killed!!!
This is a WORLD event, that means everyone can mention or enteract with the war.
Last edited by Emora Deen on Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Well this isn't for one single thread, its for ALL the threads. There is no specified thread this will happen in. Since it is a "world" event, that means everyone will be affected by it. It will soon become another part of the history of Heirot.
I understood that, I mean that I wondered how many people will actually take part in it and add it to their threads. Like whether or not their characters would interact in the war in some way shape or form. =P
My guess is that this event will last at least a year in earth time, so hopefully several threads will come of it. Especially if we state that the collective result of those threads will determine the outcome.
Screams filled the dead of night as the fires slowly started at the edges of the old town. Hepian, the oldest of all cities in Ighten, was burning as the scourge of the black northern land sought to destroy every man, woman, and child that did not yield to their most destructive iron hand. Their general sat upon his large black warhorse, the beast snorting and stomping as it stood. His master looked on at the destruction from under his heavy helmet that resembled the most fearsome of demons. A smile came to his horrible mangled lips, his face scarred from the many, many battles he had fought.
They called him the Lord of War. Not because of how many battles he had road into and survived, but the fact that every battle he road into was won. The firelight reflected off his metallic helmet, giving it a devilishly evil look. He watched as his army cut down anyone running from them. He watched as some torched the houses, businesses.
“Is this what the Witch Queen wants?! A desolate and burned kingdom?! What good or purpose would is serve her!” A man screamed as he rushed from his house. His shoulders were broad, his clothes covered in soot. Clearly a blacksmith of some sort. He brandished a broadsword as he roared with fury. The Lord of War laughed as he saw the man run-through from behind.
“Pigs,” he muttered as he saw a guard dragging a woman back into her house. “The mighty and most powerful Queen Shea of Arken has no use for your filth and scum, nor anything that your foul hands have touched. Your kind is nothing but trash to the daughter of a GOD!” He sliced the head for the shoulders of a charging villager.
“And she is nothing but a whore!” a woman screamed as she lifted up a rock and through at him. He caught it with his hand, crushing it into dust. “And you call us filth and scum!”
“How dare you defile the name of the one true Queen of Heirot. The soon to be ruler of the entire world!” He dismounted his horse, the stead standing perfectly still. The horse, who had also seen many battles had nothing to fear at this moment. It had seen swords and spears, and he too was marked by war. Why should he flinch as people moving quickly by him. The woman, as boldly as she spoke, as quickly sleighed.
The firelight cast a golden glow around him, causing his silhouette to go a pitch black. His cloak billowing around him, the spikes on both his shoulders, and the terrifying helmet created the ghastly appearance of a demon standing in the wake of destruction.
I advise you to get your threads up to Hepian's current status, because well.... it's kinda burned down... and abandoned... and there's Arken soldiers crawling all over the area...so...yea... get cracking on getting with the current times.
...or have a Time Paradox and have a worm hole open up in Heirot!! GASP!! :O
They were ordered to slow down the assault. Ordered to back off and hide in the forest like the devils they were. None knew why they must be so secretive, or why they must hide in the shadows when they so easily could steal the kingdom out from under the Queen of Light herself. However, the Witch Queen had ordered them to halt. She said that her Father had sent a vision and that she was sending the rest of her army to the border to lie in wait on the other side of the mountain, ready at a moment’s notice to cross over into Ighten. So they waited, unknown to Ighten, hidden in the forests that protected them. The unseen enemy, which in a moment’s notice, would rise up to destroy the world of light..
They sat huddled around fires, cleaning their blades of the blood that had accumulated in the slaughter of the day. Waiting impatiently as the Queen made her move.
* * *
She walked with a heavy step, the long skirt billowing behind her. It parted with the long slits that went up each side of her leg. She wore a cloak around her shoulders as the night air was slightly cooler than it had been of late. It was autumn now for Heirot... Soon winter would come and with the death of nature there would come the death of her sister and her people.
Shea smiled as her bare feet moved across the cold filthy stone. The hall way was black with darkness. Not even the torches could fill the hall with light, only make it so you could see where your feet were landing on the floor. The arches were held up by pillars with gargoyles that clung to them for life. The stone beasts turned their heads as she passed them, the cold draft of death following behind her. A smile that was both beautiful and frightening played across the face that no man could refuse. A face that was gorgeous, cold, and a smile that dripped acid. The dull roar that had started once she entered the hall got louder the further down the corridor she went.
At the end of the corridor the guards had opened the door to the balcony and the roar grew deafening. She could see the red moon as it rested in the arms of the black unholy night. The Witch Queen glanced to her side as she past a mirror, catching a glimpse of herself. She smiled for a moment and her head turned back forward. She stepped out into the night air, the light from thousands of torches reflecting off the stone walls and her pale skin.
They hushed their noise making as she leaned over the balcony to look down at them, the wind catching her blood red hair and tossing it. She placed her hands on the railing, standing tall and strong with the never failing smirk on her face. Her gold eyes glancing around at the thousands upon thousands of soldiers that had packed the courtyard and even filled the streets around her palace.
“There have been Queen’s before me... My mother and her mother, a long line of powerful women who have ruled this kingdom for hundreds of years. We vanquished the mighty king of Ighten and in his last breath he and his sorcerers erected mountains to keep my family out... The Queen’s of the past have led you into battle before. They failed because they were weak. Because they over-estimated the enemy. They failed because they were pathetic...” Shea looked around at them as they heard her voice throughout the streets of Arroes.
“I will not fail!” she roared, raising her hands to her sides. The soldiers roared with her, raising their arms as high as they could. “I refuse too and so I send you out... My entire army to the Border that protects Ighten from the wrath of the daughter of a God. Verin himself, our lord God and my father has decreed that this army be sent to wipe away Ighten. No soldier will live, no Maiden will go undefiled, no lord or lady whole. You will slaughter their army. You will take their people as slaves. Those who protect the Queen, those closest to her, will be forced into the most brutal of tortures. Anyone wearing this mark!” She through her hands into the air and fire shot forth, forming the mark of the half-sun and half-moon... It was the Mark that the high ranking soldiers war, the mark of the Queen’s Maiden’s, the mark of Ighten’s elite. “The Queen will fall to her knees and turn the lands over because she will want to stop the suffering of her wretched condemned people. Though, do not think me barbaric,” she said and her smile grew more evil as the symbol faded away. “I will offer the Queen quarter like the fair ruler I am. Though, I think she’ll find my torture chamber less suitable than her palace of Light.” Many in the crowed laughed at her cruel joke.
“The moon will rain blood at our victory and the continent of Heirot will forever be swallowed up by darkness!” Roars so loud it shook the foundations of her palace. The earth rattled. Before her palace, at the foot of the steps leading up to the large iron doors, the ground moved and cracked. Fire rose up, licking at the stones of the steps and the statues in the courtyard. Men moved back quickly as a large hand came up and slammed down onto the earth. They moved back as a figure pulled itself from the cracked ground. The figure rose, slowly pulling itself more and more from the gaping fiery hole. The soldiers stepped back, fearful of the massive beast. It stood slowly, straighter and straighter, rising up until its head came in line with the balcony that Shea stood on... It was over a hundred feet high. From the earth came smaller versions of this demon until the courtyard was littered with them. Shea laughed softly, sultry... and soon it grew into a loud and beautiful laugh as a Siren would laugh to entice her prey. “Go, do as I and your God have commanded. If you fail, it will not be because of me... but because you were too pathetic and weak that you couldn’t even fight off the armies of men that fight for love and justice, instead of power and glory. Go with the demons of the Underworld... and take with you my darkness... she caressed the large face of the demon, a smile playing on her face as the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of soldiers roared.
Soon they were filing out of the square. She could see the light of there torches disappearing in the distance as they made their way towards the border. It would take them several weeks to get there... an army that large would move slowly. She had time... She had all the time in the world...
The icy snow did nothing to hinder the army that ascended the treacherous rocky slopes leading to the peek of the Border, only to descend into the land known as the Kingdom of Light. This army was far larger than the first that had crossed the Border, no that had been just a scouting party compared to the sea of evil that laid in wait for the Queen’s order to invade. Though frozen to the bone their hearts were a flame for the lust of the horrific deeds they would soon commit.
Clad in black armor and metallic chain-mail the warriors pushed through the blizzard that sought to delay their mission. However, when morning came and they crested the top of the Border they had proven that not even nature could stop the onslaught of cruelty. Behind them the beast Shea had sent stood in waiting, knowing it was not yet time for his duty. He knelt down, cowering into a ball in the snow. Soon the fire that lied within the cracks of his craggy rock body died and he became as still as the mountain, unmistakable as the mountain... Sleeping until his Queen arrived with orders.
“Soldiers!” a man upon a red warhorse screamed in wild fury. His face contorted in a nasty way as he screamed, jerking his head to the left.
“Huh!” they grunted as the warriors came to sudden attention in one loud metallic unison, lining the top of the mountain and flowing down behind.
“We camp here... we wait for the orders of our queen! When those orders come! We wage war!!” his face had now become inhuman, looking more monstrous the louder he screamed.
Her boot stomped into the snowy ground sinking up to the ankle. The horse neighed gently, he to a little agitated by the weather. She stood there over looking the incredibly small encampment of soldiers, her fur rimmed cloak was being tossed viciously by the wind. The icy wind licked at her skin like razor blades and the hood of the cloak did little to protect her face from the forces of nature. She wore thigh-high leather boots that were rimmed at the top with a small bit of brown fur. Her skirt was short with slits running up each leg in the front. It was made of red fabric with the emblem of her kingdom across the front. She wore tarnished chest plate armor over a red thinly strapped shirt. She had shoulder armor running down her left and braces on either arm. Daggers littered the belt at her hips as did her mother’s sword on one side and the Shogun’s gift on her back. This all tied in with the gray cloak made her seem to be a formidable opponent.
“Who is the leader here?” she called downward as she made her way down the craggy steps to the desolate encampment below.
“He is in his tent, yonder....” one of the soldiers pointed. He recognized her rank and new better than to crack jokes about a female warrior.
Tenele made her way swiftly to the tent and as soon as she had crossed the distance a man emerged from the flap, ending up face to face with her. He was older, gray, and seemed to have passed his years of service to the Queen.
“My lady... They sent word of your arrival. I had not expected you so soon...”
“We made good time in getting here. I refused to stop to rest...” Tenele glanced around.
“We heard you were injured and would be pacing yourself...” he commented, wondering why she was being so observant of the surroundings.
“You were misinformed, I am capable for battle,” she said, her voice strong.
“I see,” the general said. “That’s good, for over that slope ahead our battle lies and is approaching.”
“How many?” she asked.
“It is best if you see it yourself...”
Tenele didn’t entirely understand why the General couldn’t tell her a estaminet of the number. He led her through some narrow paths and towards a snowy slope that led to a cliff and once she reached the top she understood. There was a wall of soldiers that stretched as far as she could see... They were standing at the edge of a flat trench that stretched horizontally through where the mountains had crashed together. It dead ended to the right, but kept going onwards for as far as anyone knew to the left. They were going to make their way across and wipe out Ighten.... With numbers that big and the unprepared army that awaited them... It looked from this vantage point as if Arken would surely win this war.
“Bring out your Queen you squeamish bastards! Or is she too primped and pretty to fight a man’s battle?!” A soldier that sat upon a horse in the center of the long line roared loud enough to wear it echoed off the rocky slopes around them.
“He should shut it before he causes an avalanche,” one of the soldiers that had followed them said.
“Pray we are that lucky,” Tenele muttered.
They looked at her father funny when she turned thoughtfully to the right of them. She stared off to where the rocky cliffs surrounded the narrow arena like area that had been formed when the king’s and wizards had created the border. She stared at it long and thoughtfully and with a smile turned to walk back to the edge of the cliff to stare down at the army.
“Hold off your attack General... My Queen will be here shortly to clean up the filth...” she said, her voice echoing beautifully off the rocky walls.
“Queen’s Maiden,” muttered the Arken soldier with sour distaste.
“What are you talking about?!” General Jarange asked when they had made their way towards the camp.
“They want to meet our Queen, then let us give her to them...” Tenele smiled, the plan forming swift and sure in her mind. “Send a soldier to the town bellow. Order every blond maiden to come forward and donate her hair... We will make a wig and attach it to the inside of a helmet... The Arken soldiers know that our Queen is fair haired... We will trick them into thinking that I am her...”
“You do realize that impersonating the Queen is against the law...” one of the soldiers said, though his smile seemed more of admiration.
“Under these circumstances I think she’d be quite giddy about it...” Tenele glanced at General Jarange. “With the army of this size at our disposal there will be no way we could win meeting them head on. They clearly out number us...”
“So how is your plan supposed to help us?”
“I ride down... and at the last moment turn to head in the direction of the rock arena... Your men will flank out across the top of the rocky slopes a head of time and if we are lucky they will follow me into the ravine and the arena... What is left of the army will head up the rear when it is time. We’ll block them into a small area and attack them from above and from the side...We widdle them down until there is very little of them left.” Tenele knelt and drew her plan out in the snow. She glanced up at the General. “If we are lucky they’ll want to capture a Queen more than they will want to win a war...”
“And just how the hell do we get you out of the arena while we are raining arrows down upon them?” he asked, still a little amazed by her plan.
“I haven’t figured that part out yet... Putting a dent in this army here and now is our only hope. If we let them get passed us many more innocent people are going to die. We have to come up with a plan that works... This plan will work...”
When the soldiers walked off the General eyed Tenele for a long moment before asking, “Do you think it will actually work?”
“When I get through degrading him that Arken scum of a soldier will want nothing more than to slit my throat, Queen or not... It will work. Trust me, I’ve executed the “Degrasion” plan far more times than I have really wanted too.” Tenele moved to head towards the fire.
“And what about being trapped down there with arrows raining down... We won’t be able to get you out...” the General wondered if the woman realized the consequences of these reckless actions.
“Then don’t get me out... If I survive it will be because the Gods have favored me and if I die... they will have favored me more. See to it that the disguise is prepared immediately. Trust me, I have to live.... If I don’t there will be a certain vampire who will go to the deepest parts of the Underworld to kill me all over again....”
It sounded as if the army on the other side of the cliffs was throwing a huge party... Although there were so many people talking over there that the voices echoed off the cliffs. The noise was almost unbearable, though Tenele was in a state of meditation that not even they could break. She sat off on her own, perched upon a icy cold rock. Her green eyes stared down at the dying rose that she twirled in her finger tips. The wind blew harshly and several red petals fluttered from the stem, floating with the snow flakes. They the blood red color danced in the wind, twirling and swimming for an unnaturally long time. It was almost as if they were dancing with the help of magic. The rose petals finally fell to the ground, blood red against stark white. The rose that Vlad had given her was dying.... Though, flowers never lived very long. She sighed as she stared at the spot where it had landed.
Vlad closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Tenele's hair. He wanted to melt into it. What the hell did that mean? "I don't know," he whispered into her ear and her mind at the same time. I believe I do, but I'm not ready. Six hundred years and I'm not ready," he spoke quietly. "Promise to return to me, Maiden Girl.
"Try to come back, and I will try to become ready. Tenele."
These last were spoken into her mind only, as the vampire's tight embrace dissolved into air. Vlad didn't know how to let her go, so he hadn't. Inside on the seat of her chariot, however, was a blood-red rose.
Staying alive was going to be harder than she had expected. She had expected to arrive and immediately be faced with a small band of soldiers... Not an onslaught of massive proportion. Would Vlad understand if she didn’t live through this. Her chances were slim... Practically impossible... However, this was her duty and what she had been trained to do. There were no Queen’s Maiden’s to offer as a sacrifice to the cause. She was the only one... The other’s had been slaughtered or were far too old for battle. She was the last. Of course there with the ones who were in training, the children... They were not ready and not as prepared as she. She had been training for a 150 years and was the only one qualified...
‘Every thing must die, nothing last’s forever. I am the last...’ she thought to herself as she watched the blood color of the petals slowly disappear under the falling snow.
She was pulled from her thoughts by two men who ran to her holding a cloth sack. “M’lady, we have what you asked for,” they said in unison. She took the bag and placed her hand inside, pulling forth blond hair that had been cut from the heads of peasants. She nodded and told them what to do with it.
She glanced back to the petals and they were no where to be found, having been covered by the newly fallen snow. She looked down at the rose in her hand and with a small smile, she knelt next to the rock on which she had been seated. She placed the rose on the stone, turning as the wind tossed her cloak. Turning into the snow and the icy wind that blew it.
She saw one of the younger soldiers that had arrived with the hair and motioned for him to come over to her. He looked no older than 16, far to young to die in battle... “I need to ask something of you...”
* * *
“Hahahaha!!!!” the black-hearted warrior cackled as he looked at the crest of the slow, waiting for someone to actually come over. “I guess there Queen needed to put on her make-up before riding into battle...” He looked back at his men who laughed. Slowly the laughs stopped and their eyes were staring at the top of the hill. The leader of this pack of devil’s looked back to the top of the slope that over looked the ravine they were waiting to ride into. A glorious form sat upon a white stallion. Golden blond hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her face was concealed by an elaborately decorated helmet.
“I’ll be damned....” The statement could have been taken literal as well. The leader of the massive army was named General Lothos... and his army was only a third of the actual army that would be heading into Ighten before long. However, if he was the General who killed the Queen of Ighten he would forever be in the dept of the Queen....
The woman atop the horse kicked the side of the steed gentle and with grace came galloping down the rocky and snow covered slope.
“Alright... Let’s meet the Queen half-way...” With a roar he charged forward.... His horse slid clumsily down the cliff towards the ravine bottom. Lothos expected the woman to turn tail and run at the site of the massive army coming over the hill. He had to give her credit, she was bold... She kept come at them and when they were within ten feet of each other his thoughts range true. The woman on the steed turned quickly to the right, her horse stumbling slightly. The creature recovered and with great speed ran along side the army to head further down the ravine. The soldiers fanned out , following behind her, though they stayed a distance away. It would only be a matter of time before they caught up with her. She was going nowhere and escape was impossible at this point.
Lothos and his men followed her as she wound through the ravine’s maze heading further and further into it. He was confused by the tactic. He was unsure. Would the Queen actually be so foolish as to ride down alone. His realized suddenly that his hastiness to meet her in battle had caused him to make a rash decision... However with no army around them he figured it would fine... She probably snuck away from her guards... After all her honor had been challenged.
And so the chase continued until they entered a large pit. The pit was completely round, with high jagged clips on all sides... The only escape was the trench that they had taken to get there... the one his army was now flowing through like water. Within seconds his men had filled the arena like area and surrounded the figure atop the horse. She drew her sword and struck at the ones who tried to pull her from her horse.
Lothos was amazed she stayed on for as long as she had. She fought them off with a fierceness he was not used to seeing in a woman fighter... Though, he did not know many women who went to war. Even as they dragged her from the horse and threw her to the ground she continued to fight. They held her when they finally managed to get their hands on her and the weapon away from her. She was different than he had imagined... Though he had not seen her face just yet. It was hidden by the helmet, which had a straight line going across the front where the eyes were. Two piercing and fiery passionate eyes stared back at him as dismounted and approached her. Her figure was lean, where he imagined that it would be plump from lack of activity. Her hair was long and golden... just as they described.
Lothos grinned at his accomplishment. “I thought they said that the Queen was a magic user... Does the cold affect your ability?”
“No, but it apparently effects your judgment...” The voice that came from behind the helmet was sweet, yet strong and he knew that he had heard it before.
“Oh? I think my judgement was correct... I caught you...” His hand reached out slowly towards the helmet and the woman before him jerked quickly to get away. What was so wrong that she wished to hide her face from him. Quickly he lifted the helmet and through it to the ground, wanting to see if the beauty of the Queen of Ighten rivaled that of the Queen of Arken...
And though before him the woman was not the Queen... she was indeed a rival beauty... Long silver hair cascaded down that had been held up inside the helmet by a loose ribbon. His memory flashed back and he remembered seeing the silver haired woman announcing that the queen would come to clean their filth. He had been tricked.
“Queen’s Maiden....” he hissed angrily and before he could control his anger the back of his hand made contact with her face. She slumped slightly, clearing her thoughts. The strangest thing happened for him, the woman began to laugh.
Tenele chuckled lightly to herself, grinning as she looked back at him, straightening herself.
“What are you laughing about, bitch?”
“Assume your positions...”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked, his expression was nothing short of confused.
“Assume the position...” she repeated, though slightly different.
“What the hell does that mean?!” he barked.
Tenele smiled sweetly, leaning forward as much as the men would let her. Her face was mere inches away from Lothos. “Get on your knees. Put your head between your legs... and kiss your ugly ass good bye...”
Lothos blinked and at that moment heard the sound of whistles in the air. He had heard that sound before. It was the sound of arrows. He looked into the air and saw them as they came. Everyone looked up, including her captures. She forced her head back quickly and struck the man in the chin. He let her go and she grabbed his shield in the confusion. It was heavier than she could have imagined and larger than a shield she could carry. It was perfect. She ducked underneath while the arrows struck all around. Most didn’t have shields so they were immediate casualties. Her small form fit easily underneath the shield, while most of the men had shields that were sized to fit them comfortable... Which meant that some of there body was not protected.
“It’s a trap!!!” a voice range out among all the screams.
“That’s obvious,” muttered Tenele. She glanced up from the ground, her eyes meeting the eyes of Lothos the general... He glared at her with a hatred that she had not seen since looking into Adrian’s eyes...
When the arrows stopped falling Tenele knew she had to make a move. The man was obviously going to take his anger out on her, since this was all her fault. The arrows stopped and a rumble began. It was the sound of feet coming down the trench that had led to the arena. It was the sound of the soldiers coming to take care of the remnants of the army.
Tenele grabbed her mother’s sword that they had knocked from her hand. She rose quickly just as Lothos did and there blade’s collided. His was a powerful strike and she was knocked back a couple of feet. She swooped down with one hand and caught a hold of a smaller wooden shield that she could lift. He came at her with vicious hacking motions. She blocked with her blade and blocked with her shield and could tell by the way he moved that he was skilled. However, he relied on his size... So she decided to do the same. She was small an fast... while he was large and seemed to like to prove it. His movements were slow. He took his time whacking at her to make sure the blows were too heavy for her to hand. It made it easier to dodge them.
She spun and sliced while he walked and hacked and even then it seemed she couldn’t get a heads up.
“When I am done with you no one will recognize you mangled body...” She was a Queen’s Maiden, the most hated of all of the Queen’s soldiers and at the moment the most hated for her trickery.
“Bring it...” she said with a laugh as she dodged another of his blundering attacks. “If you think you’re bad enough...”
He roared with fury and continued to go at her. Tenele raised her shield to block an attack from the side, still she kept her eye on Lothos. It became increasingly difficult to fight him off with his fellow soldiers helping him. She was trying to watch his moments as well as the ones of the others around her. It was actually going surprisingly well.
“I hope you have a back up plan,” Tenele advised when he had forced his way at her again.
“Actually I do... but it is a last result plan...” he hissed. Tenele watched him carefully as he paused for a moment and looked around at the carnage. “How....” he growled. “How did a woman trick me!”
“Men are fools, what else is there to say!” Tenele kicked him in the gut and he doubled over. She kicked him in the face, spinning and moving to come down with her sword. He rose up quickly and slashed at her. She was unprepared for this and the tip of the sword grazed across her chest, cutting her cloak free and the strap that held her katana on her back. It fell to the ground. She had no time to recover it. He slashed at her again and she moved quickly to block it. That was the hardest hit and her bones felt it. She brought her shield up and he whacked and hacked at it until finally she had to drop it as it busted into a thousand little shards. She took hold of her mother’s sword with both hands and fought blocked his blows, which seemed to get all the more powerful the more angry he got.
Tenele noticed something even more strange... Black smoke seemed to be swirling around his feet and growing the more he hit her. Faster and faster the black smoke spiraled up and hard and hard he struck at her. His grin grew malicious and the twinkle in his eyes actually startled Tenele. There was something up his sleeve and part of her was fearful to find out. It had been going well, she should have realized a little too well. His sword clashed against hers and the strength of the hit sent her to her knees. She still held her sword.
The archers on the cliffs were still taking out Arken soldiers while the ground army kept them from leaving the make-shift arena. It was almost as if the General had eyes in the back of his head, the way he rose his shield up quickly to catch arrows that no one could possibly know was coming towards them. His pursuit of Tenele was relentless... and his hits only became more vicious. He wasn’t trying to kill her, that she could clearly see. He wanted to get the weapon away from her... from there she knew nothing of his plans. It was working, she was growing more tired, however knew that resting was not an option.
The unusual black smoke was still twining up his legs and around his body. For some reason it reminded her of being swallowed by something, though she had no idea how she could get this idea from smoke.
“Still wondering about my back-up plan?” he asked with a malicious grin, his next hit sending her stumbling backward.
Tenele suddenly felt a wave of tension in air. It grew to the point to where she could almost taste it. Something was amiss... definitely not right. She looked to the cliffs and before she could shout a warning forms moved forward and slowly began pushing the archers off the cliffs. Hundreds of soldiers fell to their deaths. Tenele turned away, screaming and stepping forward. “No!”
She watched in horror as they tumbled, ripping and sliding down the cliffs, only to come to a sickening, bone shattering end. She turned to face the General and he was no longer there. “Soldiers! Regroup towards the center!” she called as she spun.
Mass chaos had filled that jagged arena. Though, most of the soldiers that had stumbled into the trap were dead, the fighting was still underway. The once white snowy ground was stained with the blood of the dead and littered with the bodies of war. Her mind forgot the general as her eyes took in the scene. The sound of a deafening roar shook her from her thoughts... She looked up quickly, however saw nothing.
The ground began to shake as if the mountain itself was coming to life. From the pathway they had took to enter the arena soldiers flooded. Their armor was blacker than black... absorbing the light that reflected off the snow... What little light there was due to the overcast sky. They road on massive horses, and road with the air of death about them.
Tenele’s army had regrouped into the middle of the arena and the demonic soldiers filed in a circle around the small band of Ighten soldiers that was left. Time slowed for Tenele as she realized that Arken’s army was far larger than imagined. However, these soldiers were not all of Arken... Most wore the clothes of an Outer Land soldier. So Shea had paid for mercenaries... Had she known that more would await she would have resorted to another plan... No... there could have been no other plan. Meeting and army that had already been twice their size head on would have been mass suicide. If it wasn’t for the arena an army would have wiped Igthen’s defenses down completely. At least now they had bought them time too prepare... Tenele looked at the men that stood along side her. Bloodied, dirty, and tired... they stood strong.
“Slaughter them all...” a voice said. Tenele’s attention was directed t other side. There the General was standing again. His smile more aggravating than ever before. “However... bring the woman to me...”
The quick commotion of her men forming a protective barrier around her woke her from the trance she had fallen into and she grew very anger. “If you fight to protect me then your death’s will hold no honor! You will die for nothing and it will have all been meaningless. There is no escaping this, and death is now inevitable. However, I will kill more of their men today than you for a fight for something more than a woman. You have a choice. Everyday men are born into a world they do not wish to live in! Everyday men are born into situations they have no control over. This is your home! This is your kingdom. This is your fight! I fight for a kingdom! What shall you fight for?!” Tenele made sure they could hear her. Their eyes fell on her and stared for a long moment. She held the eyes of the younger boy the longest and gave him a knowing smile. She met each of their eyes and slowly they smiled as they moved back to stand side by side in a long line inside the circle of Arken soldiers. In a line that was even and equal, they stood together as one.
Lothos chuckled and clapped his hand. “Lovely speech... Well, men... you heard my orders...”
Tenele raised her sword quickly and so did the men around her. They gave a earth shaking roar. For all they had was the moment. All they had was a few more precious moments of life... With that roar they charged forward to meet the demons and with that roar they gave it all to protect a kingdom. If it had no been for their sacrifice this day... Ighten would have lost all chance of winning the war. Because of them... Ighten had a chance again...
And when was over the sword that had been Tenele’s mother’s clattered to the cold blood stained ground... When the army fled and returned back across the Border to Arken, a small soldier rose limply from the pile of bodies. He walked across the battle field carrying Tenele’s katana and mother’s sword. He was doing as they had secretly discussed. Tenele had told them that if anything were to go wrong he would fake death... and when it was over take her weapons to the Queen and give her the news of what the had found. He was doing as the brave woman had told him too... He stumbled through the snow, blood dripping from his wounded body. Still he pressed on and on until he reached one of the horses. With his mangled body he climbed on and set off in a gallop for the palace in Lowight.
