His city was burning. The last of his legacy. They would have to revert to the plan his subordinates had suggested, the one he had spat at with distaste.

Are we not land-dwellers? Are we not replenished by the sheer energy of the soil beneath our feet, the power of the moonlight upon our figures? You dare suggest what you just did? This is despicable, this is outrageous- I shall hear no more of this nonsense!

He had sat with dignity at this throne, believed the city impenetrable, and yet here they were.

Mud Men.

They had ravaged, they had destroyed, and evidently he had been an old fool to believe that these monsters could've been his allies. These were the beings he had been prepared to sign peace treaties with, prepared to share the Earth with?

They hid beneath their plastic smiles and their polite words, seemingly respectful of a more advance race, yet always plotting, always planning, to overthrow them. How idiotic could he have been to believe that there was even a shred of decency in them?

The fire spread past the gates, past the almighty impenetrable city walls.

He had bragged about the strength of their forts once, looked upon their land with fierce pride. Now it was nothing but a flaming trap waiting to kill them with hellfire.

It must be hellfire, he thought, injuring a portion of the Mud Men soldiers with barely a flick of his fingers, for it rises from the fingers of demons.

No, he thought, looking at the valiant warlocks at his side, warding off enemies. Worse than these noble beings. So very, very much worse.

The soldiers fell without a struggle, crumpling to their feet in a crippling but not death-dealing blow. As soon as they fell, another group of soldiers took their place, marching as one without hesitation.

There are too many of them, he panicked. His men were skilled, and what they lacked for in numbers they made up for in agility and precision, but even the best of their warriors and mages could barely scratch the endless troops of Mud Men.

"Sir, we must leave! There are too many of them to defeat!" someone practically shrieked into his ear.

"Sir, we cannot retreat without your command!" a general shouted at his side.

"No!" he shouted. "Where is your honour, your dignity? We fight to our deaths!"

"My king!" his most trusted advisor said, the demon warlock Qwan. "There is no pride, no dignity in dying. Our men might be scarce, but if we persist they shall all be vaporised! Do not let the fallen die in vain- we demons shall stay behind, but the rest of the fairies must retreat!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, pursing his lip.

"With all due respect," Qwan said, stopping a flaming arrow with a swish of his hand. "That is my measured opinion, sir."

"Alright then," he said quietly.

"What, sir?" a general asked, leaning nearer.

"I said," he said, louder and clearer. "We shall retreat. Do as Master Qwan says."

He turned to Qwan and clasped his hand. "My friend, I wish you the best of luck. It- it has been my utmost pleasure having been of your acquaintance. It is difficult, having to part with such a dear friend."

The fairies' ranks slowly moved back, heading further and further down the pre-dug tunnel. Qwan's silhouette was dark and comforting against the backdrop of the burning flames. The warlock turned around and gave him a quick embrace.

"Let's not be too serious, my king. Our parting might not be permanent yet. Now hurry, the humans are advancing."

Standing at the mouth of the tunnel, King Frond watched sorrowfully as his friend hurried off into the night, a curse already ready at his fingertips. With a sigh, he waved his hand and whispered an ancient incantation.

The last memory imprinted into his brain before the tunnel sealed permanently were the twinkling stars, flashing in the sky yet barely visible beyond the dead carcass that once had been the glorious Taillte.

His last glimpse of the night sky.

Bet you guys had absolutely no clue who that was! Probably. Possibly. Hopefully. Am I that bad at surprises? Is it written on my face (figuratively, of course)?

Do let me know of spelling/grammatical/logical errors, I don't really have a beta.