“Elizabeth Duvark, in the name of Emperor Ludwig Arstian, Fourteenth Emperor or the Arstian line, I hereby grant you hold over one of our Empires treasured weapons, the legendary spear, Fola Laraiin. Use it to bring justice in the name of the Empire,” Emperor Ludwig proclaimed to the large crowd gathered in the throne room. Elizabeth, having been kneeling, rose and took the spear from the squire who was holding it. “I hereby accept the honor of wielding this weapon, and with it, the great naem of our Empire.” She turned to face the crowd and raised the spear. “It is now the almost the 476th summer, we march now for the North. Let the savages there know our song and fury. The Twelfth Legion, the Legion of Iron, now marches for the North.”
After her speech, the now sixteen year old Grand Paladin Elizabeth marched out of the room. Outside the throne room she was greeted by two people. One was a gather gangly but fair looking man who had short, dirty blonde hair, dark green eyes and a lazy smile upon his face. The other was a serious looking girl with violet hair and dark blue eyes. “Well Lizy, the legion is ready, we can leave whenever,” the man said to Elizabeth. “Edward, don’t speak to Lady Elizabeth so impolitely. She is a daughter of the Duvark Family and a Grand Paladin. She deserves…” Before she could finish, the man held his hand up in front of the stern girls face. “It is because you are so serious Miss Fran that no man will ever approach you. Try to relax a little more or else you will develop wrinkles while still young.” Fran was obviously starting to boil over. “Lady Lisa Fran, Lord Edward Windamir, please stop the bickering. And Edward, I don’t mind you being casual but in public settings please show at least some sense of decorum,” Elizabeth said.
Edward smiled meekly and nodded while Lisa’s gaze turned to Elizabeth, great respect, perhaps bordering on worship, showed on her face. “Both of you, lets be off. We have a long march ahead of us and I want to arrive to the North in no more than three cycles. We don’t want the locals to know what we are up to. We shall end this in one fell swoop,” Elizabeth said, leading the way down the hall. Both Lisa and Edward followed her in silence.
***
Elizabeth, Lisa and Edward all arrived at the Duvark family manor. Upon entering, they were greeted by two maids. “Lady Elizabeth, your new armor is ready. Please come with us, we shall aid you in getting ready,” one of the maids said. Elizabeth nodded and then yelled, “Blake, I know you are there, come out.” The young Blake Duvark, now twelve years old, came out from the corner, fully equipped with pitch black heavy armor and his massive sword. “Why are you dressed like that Blake,” Elizabeth asked him. The boy walked up to his sister. “You know why, I am coming with you to the North, whether you like it or not. You know I will be useful. Edward has helped me polish up my sword skills and I even learned some new necromancy at the College of Magic,” Blake said, almost begging his sister. Elizabeth sighed. “Blake, we have talked about this many times. I know you would be useful to me during this campaign but you are the next head of the Duvark Family. I can’t send you into danger while you are still so young.” Blake started to look more and more upset, tears almost forming in his eyes. Edward walked up to the boy. “Blake, you have skill and talent. Just focus on getting stronger for now. Your sister might take you on the next campaign if you are even stronger when we get back.” Patting Blakes head, Edward signalled Elizabeth to let him handle this.
Elizabeth headed to her room to put on her armor, planning to leave right away. In the room, several maids waited for her along with a magnificent suit of armor. “The armor is made from the finest Adamantite ore and the leather is made from the skin of an Elder Ogre. It also has various enchantments on it to aid you in battle such as strength and defense enhancements,” an elderly maid said. Helping Elizabeth take off her dress and undo her hair, the maids put on the unarmor made from Ogre skin on her, which a nice fitting suit of leather that covered most of her body. The armor was in sectional pieces. The leg armor and breastplate shone bright gold and silver with intricate design, yet still highly functional. Finally, she put on the her cloak, a beautiful red and gold mantle, marked with the Duvark family emblem on the back. Her golden hair was tied up into a ponytail. The armor contrasted with her pale skin to form what could only be called a Goddess of War.
Now ready for battle, she left the room, spear in hand, and went out to the front of the manor. A small group of mounted soldiers, maybe one hundred or so, stood there waiting for her. At the front of the soldiers stood her father, James Duvark. “My daughter, how you have grown,” he said. “If only your mother were here to see you know, you are the spitting image of her when she was younger. This is truly the coming of the second Iron Valkyrie,” he said. Elizabeth smiled. “I am not the Iron Valkyrie father, that was mother's title. I aim to be even greater than she was; I am Elizabeth Duvark, first daughter of the Duvarks, the Iron-Blooded Valkyrie.” Hearing her say this, James's face filled with pride. “Elizabeth, I will grant you use of some men from my Sixth Legion. These hundred here will serve as your protectors and aids. They are the most elite from the Sixth Legion. Also this man here…” He signaled one of the men to come forward. He was an older looking gentleman who wore a full set of plate armor. “My name is Warren Veltinheim, I serve in the Second Legion under your Grandfather, the Grand Marshall,” the old man said.
“This man is an old friend of the Grand Marshall and second in command of the Second Legion. He is likely the greatest swordsman in the Empire as well. Use him as you see fit during this war. If you perform well, you might just return the same rank as me, return as a High General.” Saying this, James walked back towards the manor, leaving Elizabeth with the Sixth Legion elites and Warren. She looked at the old man. “Lord Veltinheim,” she said. “I understand you might not want to follow the orders of one as young and inexperienced as I, but I ask you to follow me in this battle.” The old man bowed and turned to the Sixth Legion soldiers. “All of you, we are now a part of the twelfth Legion until we return home from this war. All who would show their loyalty to the Empire, follow your Legatus, Grand Paladin Elizabeth. NOW RIDE, RIDE TO BATTLE, RIDE TO WAR!!!” the old man screamed. With the cheer and roar of the Sixth Legion elites, Elizabeth hopped onto her horse and they all rode for the outskirts of the Capital where Edward and Lisa waited with the rest of the Twelfth Legion, all twenty thousand of them.
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“How is the training of the hunters coming along, Keldi, Pippin,” Grandfather asked the two skilled hunters. The two looked at eachother, each with a huge grin. “It’s going great Arnbiorn,” said Keldi. “Thanks to the new training methods Calder came up with, we are easily able to train large numbers of hunters all at the same time.” I had introduced the concept of group training to the tribes, a common way the militaries back in my old world used to train. By having everyone on a single, fixed training regimen, we could guarantee the largest number of successful soldiers possible. In addition, we introduced a rank system into the new, and ever growing, united army. Doing so ensured everyone obeyed orders properly and that it was clear who controlled the Pact.
Our army had been split into four major groups, or Coldmir’s, as the people of the North referred to them. The first of the Coldmir’s was the Lompróidh, lead by the Lokvan. This Coldmir was comprised of the frontline fighters and the warriors. The second Coldmir was the Seabhac, or the hunters and scouts. This group focused on sneak attacks and reconnaissance and was controlled by the Erantu. This was the group Father and Head Hunter Pippin were currently training. The third Coldmir was the Eiliminteach, a group lead by Grandfather and the Elders. This group was the smallest of the four and was purley made up of Mages. The final group was the Capall, or the logistics group. Led by the Ivartar, this was the largest group and was in charge of running orders and communications between all the four Coldmir’s. They were also in charge of providing provisions, lodging and weapons for each group.
“I have to say Calder, thanks to your idea of the Coldmir’s and the different jobs for each one is in charge of has really helped solidify this army,” Father said to me. I had been watching the Seabhac training from under a tree a few yalms out. I got up and faced Father. “While we may have a unified and organized army now, the Empire has far more experience with warfare that we do, meeting them headon would still be paramount to suicide,” I said. Pippin and Grandfather both came over to me. “Then how do you suggest we take on the enemy,” asked Pippin. “The whole point of making this army was so we could meet the Empire head-on, or was I the only one who thought that?”
I sat in silence for a moment and then picked up a stick and started drawing in the snow. “We can assume the Empire will send no less than ten-thousand soldiers, twenty-thousand if they really mean to destroy us. We can assume about a fourth of those soldiers will die just on the journey up here to the North. It’s likely they’ll take the Southern pass up the mountains, which will lead them through the Lord of the Mountain’s territory in the Forest of Torgoth. That means that we still have fifteen-thousand soldiers minimum to deal with, less perhaps if the Lord of the Mountains has some fun with the Empire. Our army, at most has seventy-five hundred men, that is if we were to arm every man and women between twelve and forty winters. We have about five thousand trained soldiers. That still means a three to one disadvantage or so. With those numbers, there’s no way to win head-on.” Father, Pippin and Grandfather all listened intently; having proved my worth and knowledge over the last three winters, I now commanded a good deal of respect amongst the tribes.
I continued on, “The two things we have over the Empire that could lead us to victory, is good knowledge over the geography of the mountains and our experience in hunting, save for the few warriors in the Lompróidh. We need to attack the Empire as we would any prey we would usually hunt. Hit them hard and fast when they least expect it. That is what we specialize in, right,” I said, looking at Father and Pippin. Father let out a small chuckle. “So you are saying this is just another, regular old hunt Calder,” he asked. “Not a regular hunt,” I said. “This is going to be the largest Grand Hunt to ever take place in these mountains.”
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“Lady Duvark, we should rest here for the night,” Warren advised her. The Iron Legion had been marching for almost ten hours straight, the men exhausted from moving through the dark and snowy Forest of Torgoth. It had been over two cyclea since the Legion set out for the North, the trip far more brutal than any could have imagined. The searing cold was far more than the natives of the Empire were used to, usually living in a year-round warm climate. The last few days in particular had been especially difficult. The Iron Legion having entered into the Great Forest of Torgoth in hopes of being able to move unseen to the natives, had been forced to deal with the beasts of the forest, who had no fear of men and attacked the army over and over, slowly draining the usually stout hearted men, both physically and mentally. “Warren, issue the order. We camp here for tonight, make sure everyone knows. Set up some fires and get the watch ready for the night. We leave at daybreak tomorrow.” Warren bowed and left to give the order.
After the order had spread, the marching stopped. The Legion, though tired, started to set up fire’s and tents in a speedy and organized fashion. Elizabeth sat next to one of the fires and started to eat a bit of meat, though she unable to stomach much. The North had gotten to her as much as to her men. The usually battle hardened maiden was now rather docial when given the chance to rest. After eating a bit, she ordered the watch to switch and went to a vacant tent trying her best to get whatever small amount of sleep she could.
***
“Lady Elizabeth, Lady Elizabeth, please wake up.” Elizabeth opened her eyes to notice it was still dark out. “What is it Lisa,” Elizabeth said, still half asleep. Lisa was in a slight panic from the looks of it. “We are under attack Lady Elizabeth,” Lisa said. Elizabeth sat up right away, now wide awake. She could hear screams and yells from outside, but something more than that. What truly scared her the most was a deafening roar, one louder than she had ever heard in her life. It was even louder than the dragons Elizabeth had raised since she was a child. She ordered Lisa to help her get her armor on, and onced armed with her spear, ran outside. The sight she saw made the girl feel an emotion she had only felt once in her life, the fear of death. Before her stood a pale, glowing bear, well over three times the height of an average man; the bear was covered in glowing runes that shone bright through the dark forest. The monster was annihilating men left and right.
“What… what is that… thing,” Elizabeth asked Lisa, shivering in terror. “It does not matter what it is Lady Elizabeth, please, we need your orders,” Lisa said in a panic. Elizabeth quickly regained her composer and started barking out orders. “Everyone, form a defensive line, slowly begin to retreat. Mages and archers, attack the creature from range. Where is Warren and Edward,” She yelled out. Edward and Warren came running to Elizabeth, both ready for orders. “Lizy, we need to get out of here fast, normal weapons don’t work on that creature. All our swords and arrows just bounce right off of it,” Edward said. Elizabeth walked towards the beast. “Lady Elizabeth, what do you think you are doing,” Warren said. “Lord Veltinheim, you are in charge of the Iron Legion until my return. I want you to order all the men deeper into the forest; go towards our destination. We must reach the site of our basecamp by the end of this cycle. I’ll catch up, don’t worry. I only plan to stall for time.”
Warren begrudgingly obeyed the orders and began to lead the retreat deeper into the woods. Elizabeth stood before the great bear and prepared to attack. Casting shielding magic on herself, she yelled at the beast. “I am Elizabeth Duvark, eldest daughter of the Duvark family, a name that does not know defeat.” She lunged at the monster and managed to pierce it with her spear. “I knew it, magic weapons work on this thing,” she thought to herself. She then ran her magic through the spear, activating its ability. Suddenly, great, red spikes emerged all over the bear, the beast howling in pain. By this time, the whole army was out of sight. Elizabeth withdrew her spear, the bear falling to the ground.
“Fola Laraiin, treasured spear of the Empire and family hairloom of the Duvark family. Anything it pierces is crucified by spikes of iron made of the vicems own blood and lifeforce. Truly this weapon is worthy of the bloody legends that precede it,” Elizabeth said to herself, looking at the spear longingly. Elizabeth turned to follow after the army, only to be struck from behind by a massive blow. Just before she blacked out, she could see the bear standing back up, seemingly uninjured. From there, she could remember no more.
***
“Where am I, have I died,” Elizabeth thought to herself. Opening her eyes, she saw a campfire next to her and could hear the sound of men chattering and the clanke of armor. She sat up, though with difficulty due to a massive pain in her side. “Finally awake Lady Elizabeth,” said the familiar voice of Warren Veltinheim. Elizabeth turned to see the old man gently smiling at her. “Warren, I… what happened,” Elizabeth asked. The old man sighed. “After ordering the army to run, I left command with Lord Edward Windamir and came back for you. Thanks to your efforts, we managed to outrun the beast. It seems you managed to hurt it a bit, though I doubt you killed it,” Warren said. Elizabeth, relieved that the crisis had passed, continued to ask more questions.
“Warren, I need you to tell me, what is the current status of the army, how many were lost in the attack,” she asked. Warren’s face grew heavy. “We lost five thousand good men to the beast Lady Elizabeth,” he said. “Please do not blame yourself for this, none of us could have predicted such a monster would make these mountains it’s home. We still have eleven thousand men, more than enough to deal with the natives.” Elizabeth was in shock. Between the constant monster attacks, the cold and the strange bear that attacked them, almost half of the Iron Legion was dead. Regaining her composer, Elizabeth rose. “Warren, we make for our basecamp. I want us there in the next ten days.” Warren stood and bowed, leaving to give the command. “It is time to start this war, lest something else takes us out,” Elizabeth said under her breath.
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It was finally the 476th Winter, the dawn of war was upon us. Scouts had reported the Empire had an estimated ten-thousand or so soldiers, perhaps a little more than that. Additional reports from the Seabhac confirmed that the original size of the Empire’s army was almost double what was currently stationed in the mountains. “Based on what we have seen in the forest, we think that your prediction of the Empire going through the Lord of the Mountains territory was correct Calder,” Pippin said. “Seems the beast took out a few thousand of them, more than we had hoped for originally.” Chief’s Arnbiorn, Leftheria and Keldi all looked rather pleased. “So the battle is now two to one instead of three to one eh,” said Leftheria. “Pity we won’t get to kill more but I suppose we will have to make do.” The three chiefs laughed.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Now is not the time to celebrate,” I said. “We still have a whole war ahead of us. The enemy has organized a basecamp for themselves and is already sending out scouts to try and get a lay of the land. We need to strike them now, while we still have the advantage.” A more serious atmosphere took ever the room. “Your right Calder,” Father said. “The Seabhac will start their night raids within the next few days; Pippin, get the hunters ready for battle,” Father said. Pippin got up and left the tent. “I suppose we should get ready as well,” said Leftheria. “I want the Lompróidh to coordinate with the Seabhac during the night raid. A volley of arrows along with a bunch of raging berserker's in the dead of night, I doubt the Empire will be able to do much against that,” he said. I nodded in agreement as Leftheria left the tent. I stood up as well, “Father, keep the night raid short. We don’t want the Empire to get a read on our numbers. Try to take a few of their soldiers alive if you can as well, we need all the information we can get.” Father nodded and followed after Leftheria and Pippin.
***
It was midday at the base camp of the Frozen Pact. I had just woken up and was heading to the Pact leader, Chief Arnbiorn’s, tent for a strategy meeting. The Lompróidh and Seabhac had returned late last night from a successful night raid and managed to kidnap a few enemy soldiers, including what appeared to be an enemy leader. I entered into the tent to see Father, Grandfather and an unfamiliar girl, perhaps about fifteen or sixteen winters old, tied to a chair, her hands were bound by sealing ice, a type of magic that sealed away the magic of the one bound. “So this is the one we managed to capture,” I asked Father. “We also managed to take a few others prisoners, just some rank and file soldiers, but she seems to be a noble of the Empire and a ranking officer at that,” Father replied. The girl sat there silently, though clearly fraught with terror.
I walked up to her and tried to get her to talk. “Would you be so kind as to tell us your name and what your role in the Empires army is,” I asked the girl. She shook her head, clearly not willing to answer, despite her fear. “I would like to do this peacefully,” I said. “I don’t wish to resort to harsher tactics than needed,” I continued. The girl still did not talk. I turned to Father and Grandfather. “Could you two leave us, I think you're scaring her,” I told them. Father and Grandfather grumbled but willingly exited the tent, leaving me and the bound girl alone. I went back to her. “Now would you please tell me who you are,” I asked again. Now alone, the girl finally opened her mouth. “I don’t care if you are just a child, I have nothing to tell you savages, do with my body as you will, but know you will never control my heart and soul.” I leaned over to the girl and cut the ropes binding her, chuckling at the cliche statement. “I won’t do anything to you, so long as you remain my prisoner, you are under my protection. None of the men will be able to do anything to you,” I said. “Now then, can we please have a civilized conversation, I am Calder Erantu, one of the leaders of the Frozen Pact, the United Army of the North. And you are?”
The girl, now slightly less fearful now that she was unbound from the ropes, started to speak a little easier. “I am Lady Lisa Fran, current head of the noble House of Fran, one of the families that serve under House Duvark. And how are you, a child, one of the leaders of this army, are you trying to mess with me,” she followed up with. I laughed at her and pulled up a chair. “I am not joking in the least,” I said. “I am heir to both the Erantu and Ivartar tribes, two of the three tribes that make up the leadership of the Pact. I was also one of the central people in forming this Pact, despite my age. I know it’s hard to believe but you will just have to trust me on it.” Lady Fran was surprised, but seemed to believe me. “So, as long as I answer your questions, nothing will happen to me… right,” Lady Fran asked me. “That’s right, so long as you cooperate, I won’t let anything befall you here,” I confirmed.
The girl leaned back in her seat. “Could I ask you to take this seal off of me,” she asked, motioning to the ice binding her hands. “I am afraid I can’t,” I said. “We have already confirmed you as a skilled mage. I don’t want to risk anything,” I said. “Now if you would please answer a few questions for me.” Lady Fran nodded. “I will answer what questions I am able, so long as you keep your promise of protection. I also won’t answer any that I am forbidden to answer by oath.” Nodding that I understood her position, I began my interrogation. “The main things I want to know are the amount of soldiers you set out with, how many you currently have, what information you have on the North and information about your armies leadership and formations.”
Lady Fran thought for a bit and then began to answer. “We set out from the capital with approximately twenty thousand soldiers. We lost two thousand during the march here, another two thousand from continuous monster attacks in the woods. Finally, we lost another five thousand to some large, bear like monster in the forest and likely another thousand during your night raid. I would say that leaves us with around ten thousand soldiers, give or take. I can’t tell you about our armies formations because we don’t really have any that can be used in this snowy environment, though our Iron Legion is comprised of calverley with some mage’s and wyvern rider’s, making our legion the most versatile of the Empire. Our army is headed by Lady Elizabeth Duvark with myself and Lord Edward Windamir as her left and right hands respectively. In addition, Lord Warren Veltinheim is our current second-in-command. He is the right-hand of the Grand Marshall and second-in-command of the Second Legion and holds the title of Strongest Swordsman in the Empire.” Hearing all this, I now had a good idea of the capabilities of our foe. They were likely a skilled and versatile force capable of any number of strategies depending on the situation, be they long-range magic battles, aerial battles or basic ground fights.
I sat there in thought. “Is that all you want to know,” Lady Fran asked me. I was startled out of my concentration. “Ahh, yes, that will be all for now,” I said. I got up and went outside the tent for a moment. Outside, Leftheria, Arnbiron and Father all stood. “I’m done with the questioning,” I said, signaling the men to come inside. Upon entering, Leftheria’s gaze went right to the woman. “Now that we have all the information we need from her, mind if the Lokvan take her, my boys will treat her right,” he said, clearly starting to lose himself in his lust, a common trait amongst the Lokvan, a trait that has made it difficult to work with them. The men of that tribe had caused plenty of trouble since the formation of the Pact, often trying to forcefully take women, as was their tribes way.
“Sorry Chief Leftheria, I’m claiming this one,” I said. “I won’t permit any to touch her without my permission.” Leftheria was clearly angry about this. “You were not even the one to capture her boy, what gives you the right…” Father and Grandfather stood between me and Leftheria, both of us clearly ready to fight one another. “That is enough Leftheria, Calder claimed the girl before you did, so let him have her. By rule of the Pact, the girl in now Calder’s property. Touch her without his permission will mean punishment, understand,” Grandfather said to Leftheria. The barbaric chief of the Lokvan was clearly upset but obeyed all the same. Even he was not foolish enough to disobey Grandfather who held the title of Pact Leader. Leftheria stormed out of the tent, cursing and yelling outside. Lady Fran seemed rather disturbed by the sudden infighting. “Calder, I won’t question you on why you have claimed this woman, but make sure to keep an eye on her. She belongs to you now so she is your responsibility, understand,” Father said. I nodded and motioned Lady Fran to get up.
“Come with me,” I ordered her came over to me, though she was clearly on guard against Father and Grandfather, having little trust in the two men. I led her out of the tent, both of us greeted by the cold, morning sun. We were met with the glances of many of the soldiers, many of them clearly looking at the girl with ulterior motives. “Let’s hurry,” I told her. She nodded and we swiftly moved to a medium sized tent that was located a few yalms from the Grandfather’s tent. The tent was rather bare, save for a pile of furs to sleep on, a small table and chair and a weapons rack in the corner. An oil-lamp hung from the ceiling, lighting the place. Fran looked around for a few moments. “This is what you live in,” She asked. “This is rather… quaint… I suppose.” This kind of environment was clearly not what a women of noble birth was used to. “It's a far cry from the residence you are likely used to staying in but it will at least keep the cold off your back. If you don’t like it, feel free to roam around the camp, though I doubt that would be safe for an enemy prisoner to do. So long as you stay in here, no one will dare touch you,” I said.
Lady Fran sat down in the chair in the room and breathed a sigh of relief. “Well then, I suppose I am your prisoner for now, do with me as you will, Calder was it,” she said. I sat on the bed of furs. “I won’t do anything to you. If I were to hurt a noble of the Empire, it would reflect badly on the people of the North. If you are unhurt, you might even serve as a useful bargaining chip with the Empire later on.” I got up and went to the tent entrance. “For now, stay here quietly, I have a few duties to attend to but will return with some food later. And remember, so long as that seal is on you, you won't be able to use your magic. I suggest you stay in the tent for your own safety. Even though I say you are under my protection, that is only so long as you are in this tent or with me.” I left the tent to go and share my findings from Lisa with the Pact leaders and begin strategizing our next moves.
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“Three overnight raids, several soldiers taken prisoner and Lisa has gone missing; what in the name of the seven gods is going on here,” Elizabeth yelled at Edward. The poor man had been on the receiving end of her verble lashings for the last few days. “I’m sorry, Lady Duvark, we are currently trying to identify our enemy. They have a far greater lay of the land than we do and seem to have little trouble moving around, even at night,” Warren said. Moral of the Empire soldiers had dropped significantly. Day after day, they had been on the receiving end of enemy attacks. The Twelfth Legion had lost about one thousand men since making base camp and were down to ten thousand soldiers. Elizabeth was starting to get incredibly annoyed by the constant hit and run tactics of the Northern tribes.
Getting up, Elizabeth went outside her tent. “Warren, based on the enemies current attack patterns, can we expect another enemy attack tonight,” she asked. “I believe so, they attack almost every night without fail, so I would not be surprised if we are struck again tonight,” he said. Elizabeth laughed a bit, a laugh so cold and cruel it would send shivers down the strongest of mens back. “Tell everyone to stay hidden for tonight, I will deal with these pests myself,” she said. Walking up to one of the soldiers, Elizabeth grabbed him by the arm. “You, I want you to get Fragrich ready for me, make sure he is fed and ready for battle.” The soldier saluted his superior and ran off in the direction of a massive, barn like structure. “Are you sure about this Elizabeth,” Edward said. “I know that together, you and Fragrich are nigh untouchable, but are you sure it is wise to try and take the enemy…” Edward was stopped by Warren. “When a Duvark says to let them handle it, you let them Edward. She is more than enough to deal with them, in fact, Lady Elizabeth might be the only one who can deal with such a tricky enemy.” Suddenly, a loud roar came from the direction of the barn. “Looks like Fragrich is ready to go,” said Elizabeth, walking towards the large building.
***
It was the middle of the night and all of the Empire soldiers had cleared out of the camp, moving a ways away to the secondary base. Several shadowy figures wandered into the now empty basecamp. The men were armed with bows and daggers, all of them skulking around, searching for enemies to attack. Suddenly, a loud roar could be heard in the dark; a large, winged beast came flying down onto the Pact hunters. “I see you’re trying your cowardly attacks again savages,” yelled Elizabeth from utop the large beast. “Why the hell is a full grown dragon here,” one of the hunters yelled. “That should matter little to you,” Elizabeth said. “Fragrach, finish this quickly,” she commanded the dragon. With the command given, the large beast let out a breath of pure fire, burning the hunters alive. Those that were spared from the flames attempted to flee, only to be speared by Elizabeth or by the dragon's claws and fangs.
It took mear moments for Elizabeth and her dragon Fragrich to dispatch of the hunters. Hopping off of the dragon, Elizabeth went to the one hunter she had spared. She grabbed the man by his hair and dragged him into one of the tents, several soldiers led by Warren were waiting there for her. “Warren, I want you to use any method you need to extract information from him. You know what to do when you are finished. Find out the enemies numbers, locations and leadership… and what became of Lisa.” Warren bowed as Elizabeth left the tent.
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“So no one returned huh,” I asked Pippin. “That's right, I was watching from a distance but I think the enemy has a full grown dragon on their side, not that I have ever seen one. That thing was at least no wyvern, that's for sure, way to big,” the Head Hunter said. I sat in thought for a moment. “Grandfather, order the camp to move. We need to flee this location right away, I would not be surprised if they took to torturing some of the hunters to figure out our location.” Arnbiorn nodded in agreement with me and left the tent to start organizing the retreat. I also left the tent to go and inform Lady Fran of what we were planning to do.
Just as I left Grandfathers tent, I began to hear screams and yells. Rushing to the source of the sound, I saw what we feared most, though far sooner than we expected. “How... how did they get here so fast,” I said to myself. Before me stood an army of thousands strong. Horsemen, wyvern riders and mages all there. At the helm stood a large dragon, covered in deep red scales, the beast more than five meters tall while still on all fours. Atop the beast was the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She had long golden hair that flowed in the cold wind, a face like that of a doll, but her eyes were that of a raging beast. She carried a spear that was as massive as a grown man and covered in intricate runes. She was clearly someone who had experienced many battles despite her young age. This woman must be… Elizabeth Duvark, leader of the Iron Legion.
“To all you savages,” Elizabeth yelled. “I command your leader to come forth. The time has come to end this war, short though it has been. Be honored that we would give savages such as you the chance to speak to one such as I.” I could almost taste the woman's arrogance on her tongue. She clearly saw us as little more than beasts, likely the common opinion of the Empire. I was about to step forward but Grandfather beat me to it, coming out of seemingly nowhere. “Calder, all non combatants have fled. Leftheria and Frestia are preparing our soldiers for battle. It’s up to me and you to try and buy them time,” he whispered to me. I nodded and the two of us stepped forward to meet the Iron Legion and their leader.
“I am Arnbiorn Ivartar, chief of the Ivartar tribe, strongest in the North. Tell me, why have you come here to the North, what have we done to provoke such an attack,” Grandfather yelled at Elizabeth. The girl got off of her dragon and walked forward to meet us. “That should be obvious old man,” she said, now standing mere meters from Grandfather. “You savages refuse the rule of the Empire, so we have come to enforce it. It is as simple as that.” Grandfather laughed at the girl. “Enforce your rule,” he yelled. “The Empire has tried over and over to conquer the North, only to fail time and time again throughout the centuries. You just can’t stand the thought of someone not obeying you, isn’t that right, snake girl.” I was worried about Grandfather angering the women.
“Enough with the back and forth insults,” Elizabeth said. “Simply vow to obey the Empire and pay what is due and we will leave peacefully.” I considered what she meant by tax. She likely meant to bleed the North dry of any and all resources. If that happened, we would have lost any chance we might have to fight back. While the current situation looked bad, I felt we still had a chance, thus I stepped forward. “Lady Elizabeth Duvark, I would ask that you allow us time to consider your offer, would that be alright,” I asked Elizabeth. “I know not who you are boy but I have no need to talk with children, begone,” she ordered. Refusing to back down, I pushed Grandfather aside, signaling him to let me handle this. I stood before Elizabeth, standing almost a head shorter than her.
“Treat me as a child if you will, I shall still have you listen to me Lady Duvark,” I said. It was obvious she was not used to being talked back to, slowly getting more angry. “If you agree to talk and negotiate, I might be willing to return Lady Fran to you, unharmed,” I followed up with. I immediately knew this was a wrong move when Elizabeth turned her back to me. “Warren, order the attack. Find Lisa and destroy these savages, all of them.” She hopped back onto her dragon and flew to the back of the Empires army. “Struggle as you might savages, know the might of the Twelfth Legion. It is time for iron and blood to flow,” yelled Warren.
The Iron Legion formed rank, preparing to rush us, though Leftheria had already prepared the soldiers and hunters. Lompróidh, Seabhac and Eiliminteach had all gathered ready to fight. I retreated quickly to the tent Lady Fran was in while our army formed rank as well. “Apologise Lady Fran, I am going to have you retreat with our noncombatants. Negotiations have broken down so returning you to your mistress is no longer an option at this point in time.” I dragged her to her feet and had two young hunters act as her escort. Lady Fran looked longingly in the direction of Elizabeth but followed the hunters with little to no resistance. I equipped my chimerich leather armor, put on my enchanted cloak and undid the leather gauntlet on my right, glowing arm. Running to the front, I stood now with Father, Grandfather, Leftheria, Frestia, Head Warrior Van and Head Hunter Pippin. Grandfather turned to the Pact army and spoke to the soldiers.
“Children of the North, now is the moment we stand and fight. Let us show the children of Iron what we, who were born in frost and forged by Winter are capable of. Let loose your arrows, let your blades ring, let your spells fly and let all the world hear our cry. TO BATTLE MY BROTHERS. TO BATTLE MY CHILDREN. LET ALL KNOW THAT WE STOOD HERE, LET ALL KNOW THAT WE FOUGHT HERE!!!” This battle cry issued the start of the grand battle. No more running, no more hiding, no more sneak tactics. Now we fought head to head. This was the type of battle I had wished to avoid, but we no longer had a choice. This was not an enemy we could retreat from. I charged with the Chiefs and Head warriors; now did we fight for our lives. I would make it out of this alive no matter what. I no longer stared at death, but at the battle that would lead the North to freedom, to peace, to unity.