We’ve scrambled every soldier we can find into a formation that might conceivably be able to face the Magyar First Army, about thirty thousand in all... This includes the ‘soldiers’ of the SVAC, the Samnian Volunteer Army Corps, about three thousand militia who are still wearing their blue armbands and their civilian clothes. My brother takes them and about half our troops for 'flanking maneuvers'

I’m a little worried about this plan, engaging the First Army with my meager forces, withdrawing to draw the Magyars further into Samnia and distract from Antoine cutting off their supplies and then attacking them from behind. It's a strategy I have used before, but only on a small scale, and without giving up swathes of countryside to an invading force. This is a far more ambitious gambit, and one that carries a lot more risk.

... But at least I have some experience fleeing a battle, right?

I wonder if that’s why my brother put me in charge of this operation, faith in my ability to make an orderly retreat. Either way it stings, but whatever reason I was given this role I am a Pollineux, this is my job. To excel on a battlefield, even if only as bait.

Antoine’s taken most of the cavalry, but it turns out Pasche made some friends during her brief foray against the Magyars while we were attacking Medhelanon. A fair few of them chose to follow her, and since she can't be convinced to follow my brother rather than me, I have myself some cavalry to work with. Not precisely necessary for a feigned retreat but it’s nice seeing Pasche making friends... Even if she apparently made one of them by taking a bullet for him. Pasche taking wounds in my service is already infuriating, doing it for others somehow stung even worse.

Lazierte has been denied her request to follow my brother instead of me, Antoine insisting that my 'eleven-twelfths-wife' stay by my side. She instead takes the vanguard position with her 505th, seemingly trying to avoid me entirely... What’s worse is that whenever I speak to her, she smiles, she’s kind... She’s profoundly un-Lazierte, and that hurts in a way I can't name. My best attempt to describe it would be "Really terrible bad and I hate it!", which there is surely a better word for. I consider trying to dive into her heart, maybe some bravery might make her speak the words she needs to say... But I fear what she might say. Does she know?

That I had harmed Her Majesty, that I had been rejected by her? ... That I'd been hurt by Her Majesty? Does Lazierte wish to hurt me too, as Her Majesty had done?

I try to keep these thoughts out of my head... At least Xena is acting relatively normal, sticking by my side along with the cannons. And where Xena goes, Katarina goes, the two of them rather happy in my presence. It’s nice... But it’s a nice I am struggling to grapple with at the moment. No one else is so happy in so uncomplicated a fashion in my presence, someone genuinely being pleased to be with me was a distressingly foreign concept. Not one I have fully acclimatized to.

Theophania has come along as well, despite the danger. I offered to allow her to stay with Lucretia in Ravenna, where perhaps her writing skills could help with creating whatever a constitution is. Apparently it’s ‘not that kind of writing', and she doesn't want to miss a single detail of my amazing victory over the Magyars... She’s cute. I’m not certain she’s aware of our plans, she might just be disappointed to learn that we came here specifically to run away. But I can’t tell her no after that enthusiasm... I owe her something. And besides, she's even learned to ride a horse on her own, rather than traveling in the carriage all the time. She’s slowly acclimatizing to military life, she’s even tied her hair back to keep it out of her face. Her hair does look remarkable in that little bun too.

She looks like Theophania. Not Princess Theophania, not Her Highness... And not like Her Majesty. She simply looks like Theophania. And my eyes could get lost staring at a woman who looks like Theophania.

But not today. Our army is meeting the Magyars in a small valley, I want to ensure they can't easily flank us as we'll have cliff walls to each side. We can hold them off convincingly with a small force, then make an orderly retreat in exactly one direction. It seems a perfect place to run away from.

In the distance I see a flag raised by one of the 505th's scouts. They’ve spotted the Wolf's head banners in the distance. The order is given to the musicians for the troops to enter formation and prepare to receive the Magyars. Cannons are set up, lines are formed, Pasche and her cavalry... Linger behind the infantry... This location gives her and her cavalry very little room to maneuver unfortunately, and I will not allow her to charge bayonets from the front. I will tie her to her horse and ride it back to Alesia before I allow that to happen.

The Magyars are marching on us now... Their columns are a flurry of activity as they catch sight of us, preparing to face us. I give Xena a nod, figuring The Magyars are owed a little bit of confusion while they set up. We’ll see how the discipline of the famed First Army stands up to solid shot. Xena nods back, and the cannons sing. Heavy iron balls skip across the valley and tear Magyars apart. But they don't cease forming into lines. There isn't any hesitation, they maintain good order throughout. It’s too much to hope that they'd simply give up and go home after only a few dozen mutilations.

I signal for another two regiments to join Lazierte's at the front, I am not going to allow her to stand alone out there. We aren't going to be able to leave until we've suffered at least a few casualties, to really sell this as an attempt to stop them. So it looks to them like a victory and not a trap. Best to spread those out, even if Lazierte hates me now I am going to bring her safely to Her Majesty one day like she wants. The Magyars engage, the harsh symphony of muskets has begun. Now it’s just a matter of making sure we can disengage safely and withdraw before-

"Uhhh, Serena?" Theophania is pulling on my uniform jacket, looking rather concerned. "Were we expecting any reinforcements?"

"No... This is everyone we have. Antoine's a lot of things, but he wouldn't lie to me about our plans."

"Then, what are those red banners approaching our rear?"

I blink, and turn to find the Stag's head banners of Icenia, marching in from our escape route. No one mentioned anything about Icenians! This isn't part of the plan! I want to scream about how unfair everything is, but it is cut off by an epiphany.

"It must be that Delphine woman, my rival… She has the worst timing imaginable!"

And some of the best positioning. Just on sight I could tell she has at least as many troops as I do, possibly even more. And they are approaching fast behind us... We’re trapped. We can't beat the Icenians before the Magyars overrun our position, we have no hope of carving a path through the Magyars, and no one short of Katarina is going to be climbing the cliff faces. Our trap has fallen into an even stupider trap! Damn it!

The troops at the front withdraw from their positions, only to find that they are withdrawing towards an Icenian Army. The rest of the army turns to follow, only to discover that we are trapped. I don't need to be in everyone else's hearts to know the utter hopelessness that has enveloped them. It has consumed us, with no way to fight out of its stomach.

I might have collapsed to the ground in sheer despair if I didn't feel Lazierte put a hand on my shoulder. "Serena!"

I’m crying before I’ve even turned around, I can barely even see her through the tears. "Oh dear gods, Lazierte. I've killed you!"

She slaps me across the face, before grabbing my shoulders and violently shaking me. "Shut up, and don't cry. Your eyes are sharp, don't waste them by crying about things."

I snap out of it quickly, partly at the shock of the slap but mostly because she’s Lazierte again. "... My apologies, I was-"

"And don't apologize!" She looks about ready to slap me again, before sighing bitterly. "Look... The Icenians are by far the inferior force here. Their only advantage is the Magyar army behind us. Take them out of the equation, and you have a fair battle. One I think you can win."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I... I mean, theoretically I can win but how would we take the Magyar Army out of the equation? They're right there, Lazierte!"

"Look, we're in a narrow valley. It wouldn't take that big a force in the rear to hold the Magyars at bay... One regiment ought to be enough."

Lazierte is making perfect sense, enough sense that I almost don't realize the stupid thing she’s planning to do. "Lazierte, no-"

"What choice do we have?! It's this or we both die, and then Antoine dies too, and then the Republic we worked so hard for falls, and the Magyars invade Avernia and then Her Majesty dies too! Do you really want that?!"

Something caustic hits my veins as she mentions Her Majesty, if anyone should die for Her Majesty it should be the one who has no hope of living with her, surely! "It... It doesn't have to be you-"

"No other regiment would hold long enough! My 505th will give you the best opportunity you have, no one else is determined like us! No one can do this but me. And no one can kick those frigid fucks all the way back to their island but you. Serena, it has to be this way-"

"I can’t let it be this way, Lazierte!"

"... You have a life much grander than me waiting for you after this battle, Serena. I'll make sure you get to it."

My tongue gets stuck in my throat. Her Majesty said something similar, didn't she? Before she pushed me away, before she rejected me. Is this finally it? Is this Lazierte's final rejection of me? Would she really rather die than-

She leans in and kisses my cheek again... And a tear forms in one of her eyes. "I am about to die for you, how am I still such a coward?"

I try to ask her what that meant, but my voice is drowned out by solid shot landing all around us... The Magyars have set up their cannons, it’s now or never on sending someone to hold them off. And Lazierte acts now, not waiting around to give answers. I reach out a hand to stop her, but she’s gone before I can even move again…

I’m a coward too. I want to kiss her properly.

... And I will. I just have to whip these Icenians, and do it quickly enough that we can rescue Lazierte and get some answers out of her. First things first I need command of my army again, and that means getting them past their despair. And I am just angry enough to force them. I throw my power over the entire army, catching them all, making all their hearts beat as one single, murderous organism. The Icenians have just made me a monster once again.

The second thing I need is a plan, and one certainly does occur to me. One that will put me face to face with my rival and should, if all goes well, end this fight quickly and without much bloodshed. A monstrous plan, one that I would not consider under any other circumstance. I turn to Xena, this is going to take some complicated movements.

My voice is strained already, the army is large and my heart is small. "Xena, we need to concentrate our fire on the enemy center. Carve us a path that we can exploit with our cavalry, fire as fast as you are able... And do not hit the opposing general, under any circumstances."

Xena sees me wince at the pain, and it fills her with skepticism. "... Serena, what exactly are you planning-"

There’s no time to explain, and I’m not going to lie to Xena. "Something monstrous."

Xena looks displeased, but she shrugs off her concern. "I am going to trust your intentions and do as you ask. Serena."

She’s under my power as well, this is hardly a fair contrition on her part. I will apologize to her later. I will apologize to Lazierte later too. I will apologize to myself later after that.

The little stabbing pains in my heartstrings get harsher. It’s time to get moving. I relay my orders to the musicians, and the army gets moving again. I have an adjutant raise the flag for Pasche and her cavalry friends to join the center of the line. She’s going to be important to this plan.

Our soldiers engage the enemy on the flanks in column formation, smashing right into them and tying them in close combat, keeping them from acting against our cavalry in the center. The Icenians who assemble to face Pasche's horses have their formation shattered by the totality of our artillery, and the now disorganized soldiers are hacked to pieces by our cavalry... And now I have to join them, for my plan to work I have to join them. I try to mount my horse.

I slip, and scream in pain as I hit the ground, my heart being gripped by a talon. I scramble to my feet, trying to mount the horse again, gritting my teeth through the pain... And realize a hand is offering to help me up. I look down, and find Theophania having mounting my horse, helping me get into the saddle behind her.

I try to say something to make her stop, but she simply turns her head my way and smiles. Oh gods, I’ve caught her in my power too. And now she feels bold enough to charge into a warzone to get my useless self where I need to go. She’s a brave and noble knight in her own right. Entirely because of my stupid power... She’s so unlike the woman I met once, and yet, oddly enough so very like Theophania. And I can't help but lean forward and hold onto her tightly for the ride. The ride through powder smoke and corpses, dead horses and dying men.

All the way to Delphine herself.

Her mounted honor guard is fighting with Pasche's cavalry, trying to keep her away from the General. We only have a small window of time before reinforcements show up, so I’ll have to do something incredibly stupid. Theophania is still charging forward, but she doesn’t know the plan.

"Just... Ride me right at her. I need her to stop all this." My voice is weaker than I hoped it would be, but it’s loud enough.

Theophania rides straight for Delphine, completely ignoring her cavalry escort trying to stop us. One of Delphine’s riders gets close, but I manage to pull out my pistol and shoot him. I aim for the throat, knowing that a handgun isn’t guaranteed to penetrate a cuirass even at this distance. Miraculously I hit him where I aimed, killing the man instantly. It’s a clear run to Delphine from there... At least I think it's Delphine, my vision was beginning to blur...

Another horseman... No, a horsewoman is rushing to meet us, saber drawn, giving one last ditch effort to keep Theophania and I from Delphine... But she’s intercepted by Pasche, distracting the rider who must have been Mademoiselle Siobhan, giving me a moment to act.

Just long enough for me to jump.

I fling my useless body off the horse and directly at Anastasia, tackling her off her horse to the ground, grappling with her in the dirt. She is entirely unresisting. What little I can see of her with my blurred vision looks... Amused. Ecstatic almost. She’s smiling, even as I draw my sword and hold it to her throat.

"Icenians! Lay down your weapons or your commander dies!" ... I don't yell the words, I roar them.

One of the Icenian riders tries to charge at me, sword drawn, unaware or uncaring of the danger posed to Anastasia by his actions. He is quickly shot and killed by Mademoiselle Siobhan, who stares down at me with utter disgust.

"You would dare take my mistress hostage? What foul depths you Avernians are willing to sink to! We should eradicate your filth from the very surface of the world and-"

"Siobhan, let them go. They won fair and square." This is the first time I've heard Anastasia's voice, the first time I’d experienced its captivating, sing-song nature... It’s beautiful, in a way that makes me feel powerless even with a sword to her throat. "I know you could not abide me being harmed, so I won't even try to convince you to let her kill me."

Siobhan looks upon her ‘mistress’ with utter disbelief, before sighing and calling over a musician and relaying them orders in Icenian. Icenian isn't far off from Avernian as far as languages go, so I have at least some impression of what she is saying. "Call the surrender, let the Avernians leave."

After a moment of utter confusion, followed by Siobhan pointing one of her other pistols to the musician's head, they trumpeted a sudden retreat.

It takes a moment but the Icenians do withdraw, albeit rather erratically, and their forward units are a little slow to disengage from the Avernians. I breathe a sigh of relief, and then let the troops free of my magic. Theophania rides over to my side, ready to dismount, but I reach out a hand and look up at her.

"Theophania... I need you to... Tell the troops to withdraw. Stop fighting the Icenians and withdraw in good order alongside them. We... We worked something out."

Theophania stares at me in disbelief, both at the utter absurdity of what I've just said, and the fact I am holding a sword to a woman's throat while we lay together in the dirt. But she nods and rides off, and soon our Avernian troops have their own withdrawal trumpeted. Everything is going as it should... We'll escape here.

I withdrew the blade from Anastasia's throat for a moment... I see past the masses of men now preparing their escape, and notice the place where the 505th had taken their stand. The place where the 505th had stood. The place where the Magyar troops are trampling the bodies of Lazierte's troops. And Lazierte herself.

I don't see much else after that... I don't think much else after that, I don't move much after that.

I’m certain I too have died in this mountain valley.