Queen Sashi Valens's Story

The soft abyss of sleep had broken as the Fair Queen turned in her bed, only to find the place beside her was empty. Her hand smoothed over the sheets, finding nothing both the ghost warmth of her husband. Her eyes opened, scanning the room. Where had he gone. "Aldric?" She called, her voice a soft, little tone. He wasn't in the chambers at all. She sighed. For some odd reason, her husband never broke her rest. Despite how she insisted he wake her. How she told him she didn't need sleep the way humans did. He never does. She pulled herself from their bed and readied herself for the day.

Sporting a long gold gown, with belled sleeves and flowers embroidered down on the bodice and the gown itself, her hair done up in that strange Fae style that set her apart from most of the women in Castle Valens. She exited the bedchambers and followed the sound of the roaring crowd.

"You see what they do to us, treat us like animals. Are we animals? No, we are not! We are human, fey, castanic, we are brothers and sisters bonded in the fires of war and suffering. They think that they have made us weak as they push us back, our numbers dwindling. Some say that those with nothing to lose will fight the hardest in war, giving their all in battle. I would like to challenge that claim. It is those that have family at home, friends waiting for your return, patrons and customers that admire you; those are the people that will fight the hardest! Do we not have a home around us? Do we not have friends and family gathered here and Inae? Do not those that we have known look upon us from the heavens, willing us to avenge them? I say we do! The night always seems blackest before the dawn. Well I tell you, people of Enri, our dawn has come! No longer will we hide behind our stone walls, cowering in hopes that they will deter the force of the Demon Lord! No longer shall we bend knee to those that would treat us as slaves, kill us as cattle! No, we are free men, women! No longer! From this day forth we shall drive back the darkness! We shall bring the light forth! We are the dawn that we have been waiting for! Our cause is just, our intentions true, our morals noble. So I call to you, unite! Unite and push back this darkness! Our victory awaits us! Our time has come!"

She smiled as she heard her husband's booming voice. He was just as beautiful as the day they met. She hadn't aged much since that day, being Fae but he did and regardless, her love for him was as everlasting as she was. She smiled, clapping softly as she approached him, taking his hand. "Wonderful Speech, My love." She said, a smile never leaving her eyes as she looked out at the crowd. "They believe in you, as I do." She told him and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, his beard tickling her skin in the way she'd grown to adore. "I would have liked to hear it in it's entirety, though." She said, with the playful glint that her kind was known for. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Aldric smiled as Vyri walked in front of him on the balcony, pumping a fist in the air and pronouncing a call. A deep sense of satisfaction filled him as he scanned the courtyard, taking note of all the faces, exultant and inspired by his speech, seeing renewed hope that the inhabitants of the Moors would finally be pushed back to their original home and vanquished by the people of Enri. Vyri was a faithful guard and a good friend. Various times Aldric's life had been saved by the elf, a traveler from a distant land. Few could match his abilities and almost none could do better. Trust was an important thing to have these days but so was caution. However, there were times when caution would only inhibit and now was one of those times.

As Azuriel joined Vyri on the balcony, Aldric laughed. The man was special in a way many could not match. Leader of the Impetus Battalion, he was renowned for his brutality in combat yet that was exactly what people wanted at this moment. They wanted a man that could garner victories in the face of superior forces or inflict such casualties on an enemy force so as to cause the battle to be a Pyrrhic victory for the Demonic forces. Someone that could most certainly be relied on in the coming times. Not to mention a terrifyingly inspirational figure in battle.

In the crowd stood a girl who he did not recognize, young with flowing hair of a golden color. He knew most of the people in the safe area by sight if not by name. She must have been recently arrived from somewhere. A small pack lay slung over her shoulder and a movement seemed to come from inside. Most likely a small animal of sorts. Whoever could help would be appreciated. He would send someone to find who he was later, once other business had been dealt with.

Hearing the soft sound of clapping from behind, he turned to find his wife, Sashi Valens, Queen of Enri, standing there. His smile only grew wider, splitting his beard as lines creased along his eyes, a sparkle of joy reflecting of them.

"Wonderful Speech, my love. They believe in you, as I do. I would have liked to hear it in it's entirety, though. Why didn't you wake me?" she teased. Returning her tender kiss, he laughed and hugged her resting his head against hers, breathing in and taking in her unique smell, savoring the melody of her voice.

"Thank you, my love. What you missed was not of import, simply a recounting of how we arrived in our current. I find a repetition seems to remind people that have forgotten something despite having lived through it." Stepping out of the embrace softly, his eyes maintained their glitter. As to why I did not wake you, I wished to spare you from politicking. I promise to wake you tomorrow with me." Hadn't he made that same promise for years now and almost never upheld it? It brought a small chuckle to him. "If I remember that is."

Examining all those assembled with him, he was filled with pride at being able to call these people friends and companions through the dark times of war. Nodding to Ivy, he requested, "Let us move to the War Room for now, there is business to attend to." As he walked, a servant ran up to him with a letter. Opening it and reading as he walked, Aldric saw it was from Elijin, the leader of the Ranger Corps, announcing the readiness of his troops. As they reached the room, he wrote out a quick reply and handed it to one of the guards, commanding him to take it to Icarus and send the bird back. On the letter was written this:

Eljin, my friend. I thank you for your support during these trying times. Assemble the Rangers and make your way to the enemy forces surrounding Castle Valens. Make what trouble you can for their troops. Keep me informed of any major movements. I hope to see you when they are broken.

-Aldric Valens

He wrote a similar letter to the forces in Inae, commanding them to assemble their forces and begin gathering for a push into the Acatia region. Turning back to those with him, he looked at Azuriel. "Azuriel, my friend," he commanded, "When we begin our push, take the men you have here and forge a path to Inae and assist our men there. If possible, it would be blessed if you could make your way there now, inspire the men there and lead them to us. Do as you see fit," he commanded. Upon Azuriel's response, he turned to Vyri.

"Send someone to find Xavier, my friend. Tell him to ready his forces as soon as possible to continue improving the defenses of Castle Valens. We cannot fail now." With that command given, he turned back to Ivy.

"I do not wish to place you in such danger, but if you can, make your way into the Demon camps, hiding yourself with your magic. Find out what you can and return here as soon as possible. Do not endanger yourself, flee if discovered. I wish you luck." With the final command given, he sat down in one of the chairs around the center table, already feeling the stress of the day. He would have thought that with the new inspiration he would have more energy. Apparently not.

Vyri followed the king into the room not taking a seat but a place standing back behind him to the right. The frosty eyed elf held a stoic gaze still his left hand still resting on the hilt of the sword and his shield dangling from a leather strap. He stood waiting for the others to arrive from the various commands minus those that were now far away. The leader of the Assassins had yet to show his face which was typical of a man of the shadows. Rowan Vescis has yet to appear but he was rather ill lately and may be a time before he was up. The Rangers were ready as were the Berserkers and Ivy of course. They would do what they could for now with the other units take their time to make it down here.

"My liege. If I may speak freely." Vyri said his hand balling in a fist over his heart the other leaving his sword temporarily as he gave a slight bow before beginning to talk the man he had sworn allegiance to.

Xavier Lent


"If we take the Ballista Regiment and set them higher on the mountain, then place shield mages....no that wont work. The ballistas wont be able to puncture the enemies siege towers. Maybe if we have the mages add power onto the shots. No, that would push the mages too hard." Xavier Lent was pouring his attention over a map of Castle Valens in his room, trying to find an easy solution to the defenses of said castle. He was always here, or in the War Room, always thinking.

Today, as most days, Xavier was dressed in only the lower half of his armor. Stylized gold and steel greeves with matching boots, chainmail and padding underneath. He usually went shirtless, the warm weather when compared to his home province of Inae making it uncomfortable to wear much on his torso. Because of this his tanned skin and scarred back were almost constantly exposed,showing the marks he had earned through battle. His golden hair fell down to just above his shoulders after Xavier had untied it from its usual position where it fit in his helmet.

His remaining armor as well as his weapons and other things were laying across his bed, as inspiration for future defensive strategies to come. At the moment however, Xavier was coming up short. He hung his head in his hands and tried not to flip over the table and map out the window. Every thing he thought of,every defensive strategy he could think up would not hold the demons back, let alone allow them to push the armies back. Most of the other officers did not understand his morbid thoughts of defeat. King Valen gave the people a feeling of optimism, and Xavier wished he could feel it too, but he had no way to get past the facts, they were most likely doomed.

Just as he was about to go back to the map a runner boy came into his room and bowed low before hastily speaking. "Sir Lent, our engineers are ready for your assessment of the defenses." Sighing, Xavier stood and dressed in the remainder of his styled armor, donned a basic longsword for the time being, and motioned for the runner to lead the way.

So far Xavier had reconstructed the castles manned defenses such as catapults, ballistas, trebuches, and the like. Before the demonic hordes had even arrived at Castle Valens, Xavier had begun to retrofit the walls for magical assaults using priests and paladins to place holy barriers over and around the stone structures. So far, the horde has hesitated to attack the walls or gates which have had double the reinforcements. The only problem with the defenses were, they would not hold forever. Xavier had a lot of work ahead of him still, half of the anti siege weapons were out of action, and most of his men were lacking in combat training. This morning would be, as they say in Inae, Dipped in the Wind.

Aldric looked both at Ivy and Vyri, two trusted companions. Ivy's topic was known, but Vyri could be commenting on anything. Most likely something to do with preparations for breaking out of the stranglehold that they were currently in. With most of the messengers already gone to deliver orders, now was the time to hear any form of criticism that could be had. Any weaknesses pointed out would be lives saved later on.

"You may both speak your minds with me. If you find fault, do not hesitate to do so," he stated, keeping an eye on both to see who would go first.

Vyri lifted his bow going back to his normal resting position hand once more on his sword where he had always kept it.

"I believe we should have Commander Lent strengthening the defenses more not only to deal with any attacks yet to come but as well as being able to soften up our enemy before the troops are to attack on the ground. We have enough supplies to spare for the building of ballistas to accompany the trebuchets we already have in place. We should as well add more to the watch. The enemy will likely have heard of your rallying speech and I believe they will only wish to attack. This is all that I have to say for the time being sire." Once more Vyri bowed before he opened his mouth again to voice one more thing.

"Are we sure our troops in Inae are ready to move as well? I do not fear for the ability of the Rangers to leave at a moments notice but the larger Acer Regiment held up in Inae may take more time then we have." Vyri once more let up his bow before looking back at the king.

After Vyri spoke his piece Ivy was ready to say her. "I have a pretty good idea of how to strengthen and protect our magic users and commanders as well as even fortify the castle with a magic barrier. The answer is simple. Crystals. They hold massive amounts of energy, without us even interfering. If we enchant them to do something specific, then we have our defense. We used to do this to put up our own barriers and for protection of someone we care about. It's simple to enchant these crystals but the more complex the spell the stronger the force it has." Ivy paused for a moment, looking down at her beloved Zakia. "We harvest crystals, I can sense plenty of them right under the castle. We harvest them and for the barrier, enchant them, we bury them around the walls every 10 feet. We will have to do it stealthily and quickly, but the barrier will hold for awhile. The more energy a crystal has stored, the more powerful it will be. Same goes for the protection of our commanders, only they can wear a crystal around their neck." She then paused to take a breath and smoothe out her dress. "As for how they can help our magic users it's simple. Provide them more energy when they are weak, to provide for their spells. I have a feeling this might just change the war for us." she said then sat back down on the edge of the war table, being her true size she couldn't sit in a chair for she wouldn't be seen. She looked around the room at those she trusted most, a triumphant smile on her face. She knew she had a great idea, and she hoped they would not disregard it.

Azuriel made his way out of the war room, and into the barracks. He would need approxametely 100 men, and of course, 4 capitans. "Broznak, Lyszar, Krieg, Sauro, you're with me today. We make way to reclaim a piece of our homeland! Grab your men and get your gear, we leave now." Azuriel was more than ready for a fight, as were his men. They arrived at the gate, and quickly made their way outside. They didn't immediately meet resistance, which was odd.

"Stay on your toes, men. The road Inae will be difficult."

They walked for around twenty minutes before entering Inae. Something wasn't right, they shouldn't have been able to get into the town that easily. They were planning something, something big. This was, wrong, the whole path, seemed like a crypt. It was quiet, too quiet. The shadows seemed to move, and he felt like he was being watched.


He searched for Elsanna, but was unsuccessful. He quickly sprinted his way to his house, and grabbed a powerful, and ancient weapon, The sword of Karachi.

"Men, we have a choice now. We can return with the knights, or we can stay, and FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM!!!" Regardless, he would be sending one unit with the knights, if they chose to leave, but, knowing Elsanna, they would stay with him and his men. The mill had been overrun, and several were trapped inside. That is where he would start. He wielded both weapons, the sword in his right, and his bloddied Axe in his left. He ordered his men to fight their way to the outskirts, and circle the town. He, Kreig, and five others would be freeing the mill, then the market. They ran to the mill, encountering 10 orcs. 1 lunged at Azuriel with a warhammer, bad mistake. Azuriel ducked to the left, and shoved his sword through the orc, while swinging back and cutting a 2nd orc's head horizontally off, just below his nose. 3, 4, and 5 engaged Kreig. Kreig swung towards the left, but he missed, and recieved a battle-axe trough the top of his head. The other five soldiers he brought attempted to fight back, but they were no match for five orcs. The first attempted to stab 3, and was succesful, but, in his last dying moments, the orc grabbed his hand, broke his arm, took the bone, and shoved it into his heart. The 6th orc engaged Azuriel, swinging an longmace at him, Azuriel ducked, and managed to kick the orc's kneecap, blowing out his leg, before delivering a killing blow. Orc 4, 5 , 7, and 8 engaged to last few of Azuriels men. Azuriel's 2nd and 3rd were completely decimated, beaten to a bloddy pulp with a pair of orcish warhammers before they could even get off a swing. Azuriels' 4th managed to strike down the 4th orc with his greatsword, but was stabbed in the back with a dagger by the 5th orc. He swung back with his sword, and managed to strike the 5th orc before dying, managing to cut him in the face, rendering one of his eyes useless. His eyeball hung out of his face for a moment, before the orc ripped it out, and threw it. Azuriels' last man put up a good fight, but he was no match. He managed to injure the 7th and 8th orc, stabbing each of them in their right leg, before he recieved a longmace to his temple, killing him. Azuriel was alone, fighting 6 orcs, although, three were incapacitated. He went for them first, decapitating 7 with his sword, while 8 had his chin spit up to his nose by his axe. Five swung for Azuriels throat, but he managed to duck the swing, and stab him in the face, but not without a price. The 6th orc kicked him in the back, causing Azuriel to fall forward. The orc, however, was overconfident. He raised his warhammer high over his head, and, before he could react, Azuriel jumped up, and separated his head from his body with his axe. the 9th orc went to stab Azuriel, he rolled to the side, but recieved a medium cut to his shoulder. He parry'd the or's swing attempt, threw his axe into the face of the 10th orc, and put both hands on his sword. It began to glow, and small lightning bolts began to shoot trough the blade. He had no idea what his sword was doing, but it was none of his concern currently. He swung for the orc's torso, but he was blocked. However, some sort of energy flowed through Azuriels' sword, into the orc, killing him.

He had heard the legend, but he never believed it. The sword was said the have the power of the storm god, but he had never believed it. It was said that the one to kill the swords owner would be the new owner, and he must shed blood upon the sword to activate it. That's when he really took notice of the cut on his shoulder, and the fact that he had unknowingly bled on the hilt. This was not his main priority right now though, he had just lost 5 good men, and a captain. He would probably end up folding that unit into the remaining units. It was sad, but in his heart, he knew Kreig would die today, better to die fighting than in bed. He began adressing Elsanna's forces, unsure of whether she still lived.

"TODAY, WE FIGHT FOR OUR HOMELAND! DEATH BEFORE DEFEAT!"

Aldric listened to the positions of both quietly, analyzing their merits based on his other plans and personal thoughts. The idea of utilizing the defensive artillery during the break-out certainly could be useful. If used properly, much of the Demonic forces could be crushed before his forces arrived on the field, allowing the area to be secured that much more easily. His second statement, however, just would not do. Shaking his head slowly, Aldric looked at Vyri.

"They are larger in size yes, but they can be ready in time They must be ready. Without that, everything will be for naught. If we do not move soon, then too many of the Moors' forces will have assembled in Acatia, ensuring our demise. I am sorry, my friend, but the order stands. Inae shall march as we do, whether that means abandoning some or not. I will not suffer these lands tainted by Demons any longer," he stated firmly, brooking no argument. His decision on the matter was final and nothing would change his choice.

Turning to Ivy, he examined her up and down, taking in her form. Such surprises. Something he had not thought of that would help greatly. He had to learn to utilize all his resources if he wanted to succeed. "Your plan is sensible, Ivy Bluebell. If you would rather oversee the integration of the crystals into our current defenses, you may do so rather than scout the enemy forces. Other soldiers can accomplish that task. The choice is yours to make."

Unrolling a map that was stored in the area, he indicated the roads that cut through the forest around Castle Valens. "We must secure these areas as soon as possible. If the enemy marches to meet us on the field, we destroy them from the heights and secure the woods without much conflict. Should the enemy flee back into the woods, then we shall have to be careful in driving them back. The road to Inae is most important. Unless it is secured, we cannot effectively support the Acer regiment. Our priority is to secure the northern areas of Acatia at the moment to ensure we are only fighting on one front. Castle Valens shall serve as our defensive center in the south. Send a messenger to Xavier, have him carry out your recommendations Vyri. We need every advantage." Aldric looked around, seeing if there would be a response of some sort.

Vyri heard the more slam into the wall of the castle. It didn't shake him as much as it should of but his instincts knew better. He merely unhooked the shield from its leather cord arming with left forearm with it. He threw open the door looking at the other two Royal Guardsmen outfitted in the armor suiting their position. Vyri saw the chaos as many of the servants and various other began to run off and away out to seek shelter in the inner rooms of the castle or to fight on the walls.

"My liege I believe we should move elsewhere, unless you wish to join the fray with your men?" Vyri looked skeptical about the last part but he would not order around the man on the throne.

"But let us pray that the rangers are on their way to us now and the forces in Inae." Vyri said the other two guards taking up their halberds ready to move, with three more of the Royal Guards rounding the corner to the war room.

(Apologies for disappearing)

Planning took the rest of the day, plans formulated and discarded as all options were considered. Without any accurate information about the Demonic forces or the status of the Acer regiment in Inae much of it was guess work. They were outnumbered, surrounded, and supplies were beginning to dwindle. Holing up was not an option as eventually food would run out. Stone walls could not keep out famine. Not that it mattered. As he had said this morning their time had come.

Darkness descended over that area of the world and still Aldric worked diligently, organizing supplies, soldiers, information, all in a last bid for the survival of Enri. A rumbling sounded from outside. It must have been loud for him to have heard it in here. Puzzled, Aldric waited until a soldier came running in, panic visible in his eyes. Something was not right.

[b]"My king, my king, they're attacking the castle! There's thousands of them. Thousands! Damn it, there's millions! What are we going to do, my liege?! They're going to break in! Oh by the Divine-" The soldier's voice cut out as Aldric punched him heavily in the face, knocking the man unconscious in a single blow.

Looking at one of the Royal Guards, he commanded, "Get this man awake. We need every sword arm we can get for this battle." Turning to Sashi, he took her by the shoulders. "Sashi, go find Evalina. Take her and fifteen Royal Guards, go deep into the castle. If they break through, make your way out as quickly as possible. The kingdom must be preserved. No arguing." Kissing her quickly on the forehead, he told Vyri, "I won't hide while my men die for me. Get me my armor."

Rushing through the castle they arrived at the armor. On a stand was his own personal suit of armor, a simple breast and back-plate burnished to a bronze color. Crafted by master smiths and enchanted by Fae, it was light, durable, and beautiful in its simplicity. Donning the suit of plate, he grabbed the enchanted warhammer which had been a gift to him for helping the Fae in some distant time before the war. Leaving his crown onto his head, he strode out onto the walks behind the forward defensive line, searching for Xavier. Spying a beam of white light spring out of the darkness, Aldric immmediately rushed down to that position, finding the Garrison Commander standing tall. Walking up beside him, he asked, "Can the walls hold?"

Sashi was shocked speechless as the manic solider, came in ,so frantic that her husband had to strike him unconscious in order to keep him from his head.
An attack on the castle? How? Who was leading this army? Why did they decide to attack now?

Aldric's hands came around her shoulders. His eyes narrowed and determined.
"Sashi, go find Evalina. Take her and fifteen Royal Guards, go deep into the castle. If they break through, make your way out as quickly as possible. The kingdom must be preserved. No arguing." He said and before she had time to argue, he kissed her quickly atop her forehead and was off.

"Mother Gaia, Please protect my husband and the men that ride with him." She preyed as she ran to her daughter's room.
Her daughter was a strong one, much like their late son. She was so proud of her, as she was of him, she couldn't bare the thought of losing another child. Her heart still ached every time her thoughts fell on her son.

She entered the room without warning. "Evalina! Evalina, my child, the Keep is under attack we have to leave." She called out gathering her things and finding Evalina's favorite riding satchel and shoving the items of important inside. Sashi wasn't much for material things, all she needed she was born with, she needed no instrument for her voice was flute, she hardly needed clothes as her body was built for the elements. She needed no steel for nature was her weapon However, her daughter, only part Fae relied more on materials and that was fine with Sashi.

"Come quickly my child, your father and his men are fighting now but he wants us to leave just in case the walls are breached." She told her as she grabbed the girls bow and arrow. She didn't touch the sword, being terribly allergic due to her Fae heritage, luckily Evalina didn't acquire that allergy. 'We have to find guards as well."

Evalina Valens

~Earlier~

Having woken early to hear her father's speech Evalina had been in the courtyard, conversing with various others, far before her father even came out to speak. When the King finally made an appearance, standing above the crowd on a balcony, Evalina cut off her conversation with the soldier she had been speaking to and focused her attention on her father. About ten minutes into the speak she got a strange feeling in her gut and tensed. Looking around, she saw no one watching her and was glad she had chosen to stand on the edge of the crowd as she slipped from the courtyard unnoticed.

After that she headed to the stables, speaking quickly with her horse before saddling both her and her mothers horse. Multiple times she had a stable hand come over and try to help her but she quickly waved them away each time, knowing she’d only be satisfied if she did it herself. After each horse was saddled Evalina went to the kitchens with a saddle bag and had them fill it with dried meat, bread, and some other food. After she had put the saddlebag back in the stables, hidden in her mother’s horses stall along with four full water skins, she went to the blacksmith.

By the time she left the smith’s with the new weapons and armor she had commissioned the sun was starting to set. Heading back to her room she thought about what she would need to pack in her saddle bag. As the rumbling of the attack reached her she had just reached her room. Throwing the door open she spoke orders to her two ladies-in-waiting and their looks of worry and panic turned to their normal smiles, reassured by their ladies unchanged calm demeanor. “Freya, gather my training clothes and a few plain dresses from my chests. Make sure there are some things that would fit my mother and put this with it.” She handed her new armor to the woman before she turned to the other. “Peony, come help me get changed into my usual armor.”

Currently

As her mother burst into Evalina's room two ladies-in-waiting looked up startled from their tasks but then quickly went back to work seeing the queen. "Evalina! Evalina, my child, the Keep is under attack we have to leave." As her mother rushed in and grabbed Evalina’s favorite saddle bag Freya handed her the clothes she had gathered from Evalina's chests. As Peony finished helping her into her armor Evalina smiled at her mother's calmed panic and shook her head. Her mother was full of such contradictions and it never ceased to amuse her. "Come quickly my child, your father and his men are fighting now but he wants us to leave just in case the walls are breached." "Mother please calm down. I already made preparations earlier. Both our horses are saddled and I'm just here to change and pack... though you seem to have already packed for me..." She says with a chuckle. Walking over she took the bow from her mother and strapped it to her back with a quiver filled with arrows. She then grabbed a small leather bag she had also had the smith make her and placed her sword, extra arrows, and a few dozen daggers into it before turning to her mother. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Freya place the rest of the things she had gathered into the saddle bag in the queens hands and nodded."Good, I want both of you to use the servants passages to leave the castle. Take the gold coins I set aside in my jewelry box." She spoke quickly, to her two ladies-in-waiting, knowing they wouldn't argue, before turning to her mother with a smile.Come, let's go."