The Draconia Chronicles: Knights of the Westfold
Chapter 13: Into the Inferno (The Battle of the River Righ Part 2)
I could see the fire in the eyes of these soldiers, knights, and dragons ready for battle. Their cheers were loud and proud. Their weapons and armor gleamed in the mid day sun. I looked over at the opposing army. I could see the look in Oscura's eyes. She was in no mood for mercy, and was planning to kill us all. That won't happen on my lands.
I saw the first detachment advance from the dragon army's ranks. The insight from the rebel dragons was proving to be valuable, "Hmm...Earth Dragons just like you said," I said looking at the three dragons. I have much to fight for. I have lost my mother and my older sister to the Queen. The only way she is getting the throne is over my corpse.
"The Queen is using them as a shield so the others can advance," Elyss said, little did Oscura know that her Earth Dragons were flying into a trap, but from the ranks of the Earth Dragons I saw something unexpected. I saw a Light Dragon that Elyss seemed to recognize right away, "What's Briella doing here? let me handle her, your highness,"
By the fact she was flying faster than the Earth Dragons, knew what Briella wanted, a challenge, "I admire your enthusiasm, your time will soon come, Lady Elyss, but it is not now," I nudged my stallion with my spurs to go into a gallop. My arm was strapped to my shield and the reigns of my stallion while my other hand had a ready battle axe.
As she was about to attack, I moved to the side and struck her with all my strength. I hit her with such a blow that I split her skull from crown to chin, and broke the haft of my axe. I could hear the army praising my name Golden-Mane, Golden-Mane, Golden-Mane. The credit should go to them. The actions of eight thousand are better than one.
I rode back to my army as Briella's corpse laid on the field of green with the head of my axe stuck in her crown, "You broke your axe," Lady Annabelle said with a chuckle in her voice. I nodded to her with a smile, "this is not a time for games My Queen, let the army fight," my little sister was right. It was time to put our battle plan into motion.
"Aye," I replied, I looked to see the archer Blodwyn from Lady Glenda's army. She had the look of a young warrior, untested but ready to prove herself. She had an arrow nocked in her longbow. I could hear the heckling of an Earth Dragon striking two stones together like a children's toy. It was time to teach her the rules of the battlefield.
The thing is there are no rules on the battlefield. If Queen Oscura will give no quarter than neither will I, "Blodwyne, quiet her," I said collectedly, unsheathing my sword for battle. Blodwyn nodded, pulled back her bow and picked her target. Though a young archer, Lady Glenda has told me she is one of the best shots in the ranks of her archers.
I heard the Earth Dragon off in the distance whom I overheard from Lady Qualin was named Saph. Blodwyn let loose an arrow, "Badgers...come out to play-yeh-!" before she could finish that god-awful racket, Blodwyn's arrow hit her in the throat from a distance of 200 yards. She was choking and gasping for her last breathes before she fell.
"UNLEASH HELL!" I roared and the archers answered with a volley of arrows which blackened the sky. The Earth Dragons shielded themselves behind their Earth Magick. I anticipated that they would fend off a frontal attack. From a Light Magick signal from Elyss, Lady Glenda's other archers and Noemi's crossbow-women attacked the flanks.
The screams of pain were silenced as arrows and crossbow bolts cut through the spring breezes, and reaped a harvest of death. I nodded to my sister to tell them that the army was ready to charge. Spears and halberds were pointed down like the spins of a crested porcupine and armor and chainmail clinked and rattled from a ready army.
The plan worked as their was chaos in the Earth Dragons' ranks. I pointed my sword at Queen Oscura in defiance, "Steady now," I said and the winding horns sounded the advance of the soldiers and knights in my Royal Guard. The archers pulled up their shields, and unsheathed their swords. Lady Noemi and Glenda rode off with their knights.
I want the Dragons to think that Lady Noemi and Lady Glenda don't have the stomach for battle, and are leaving the field. I want to give the dragons some confidence when they charge. Lady Blue and Lady Qualin created a shield of water to protect the army from the Fire Magick. I had my doubts about them, but I am glad to be proven wrong.
When they let down the shield, they formed weapons from ice. Blue was armed with a sword, and Qualin formed a morning star, "ATTACK!" I roared my loudest battlecry, and we charged the line. I have never been around so brave and bold an army ever since I took up my position as Queen. It made me feel proud to be fighting among them.
My knights and soldiers clashed into 15,000 dragons. This army and I have worked so hard, and came so far. There was no way I was going to give up or give in on them. With the first slash of my sword, I could feel the blade of my sword cleave through dragon flesh and bone. I cut down every dragon that got in my way until I was unhorsed.
I rolled on the ground, and got back on my feet. It was going to take more than that to bring me down. With sword and shield, I will show Blackwing how a real queen leads an army and fights her battles. My blade was bloodied as I grabbed it with my steel gauntlet hands, and struck a coming dragon down with the backhand crossguard strike.
I yelled as I came down on another cleaving her down the middle of her skull and cutting her in half. I looked off in the distance to see the knights of Lady Noemi and Lady Glenda attack the dragons from the rear as we had planned. Lady Blue seemed happy to see her armor-clad lover join the fray. Even Queen Oscura was taken by surprise.
Lady Noemi was pulled down from her stallion and her horse was slain, "Noemi!" Blue yelled and came to her aid, and slashed and ran her blade through two dragons. The two of them fought side by side as lovers off two different species on the same battlefield. Even Lady Elyss and Qualin were holding their own against the dragon onslaught.
When I saw Lady Elyss bring the fight to Oscura, I began to wonder if angels do exist. Lady Elyss formed a sword from pure light, and cut down any bring that cut in her way. I fought back to back with her, and even saw her slice an enemy's face clean off the skull. She also constructed spears of light like javelins and hurled them at her opponents.
A dragon then flew in and knocked me on my back. My sword was flung from my grip, so I picked up the nearest weapon I could find, a two-handed axe. I struck the dragon in the stomach with a finishing blow to the back. I struck down another dragon, a lightning dragon, to put her on her knees before I buried the blade of the axe in her chest.
Lady Glenda's axe was cutting off limbs and heads while Noemi's sword was the last thing many dragons saw. I too held my ground as Queen. The final stand-off was between Lady Blue and Lady Red. The armies made space for the two dragons, "You really disappoint me, leaving the kingdom for a pair of armored tits and a sweet ass,"
"Mind your tongue, or I'll see it removed!" replied an insulted Noemi. Lady Blue put a hand on her chest and kissed her to tell her this was her battle. Blue looked back at Red, and the fight began. Our army and what was left of the dragon army cheered them on. Lady Blue formed an ice sword, and clashed with Lady Red and her Fire Magick.
They were evenly matched in combat skill. Red swept her off the feet with a kick. I still had to watch from the sides as this was a battle of honor. Lady Blue rolled away from what could have been a finishing blow. Lady Red got inside Blue's guard and struck her with Fire Magick to her shoulder, "Tell me something, Blue, what do you fight for?"
"Whatever your reason is you are a disgrace to all dragons!" Red said kicking a grounded Blue in the stomach, "I'll end this quickly," before Red could strike the final blow, Blue turned around and stabbed Lady Red in the heart with an ice sword. She looked at her in the eyes and pushed the blade in further as she stood up from the ground.
"I'd rather live among them, than live under the thumb of a monster," Blue replied, pulling the blade out and slashing Red across the face. The tired and wounded dragon was down on her knees as Lady Noemi rushed to her aid. When Lady Red fell, so did the dragon's will to fight. Queen Oscura was escorted from the battlefield by her guards.
My comrades and I cheered for the dragons that fought by our side. The battle was over, and so was over one hundreds years of Dragon Kingdom rule in the Westfold. By the blood and steel of badgers and dragons alike, the Westfold was a free land once more with a queen on it's throne. I raised my sword to the sky, and yelled my battle cry.
The battle was won. The scribes have written under careful notes that the dragons had lost 15,000 out of an army of 20,000, our losses numbered 400 dead or wounded. The Westfold was free, but there was still many things that needed to be seen to. I have faced and defeated Queen Oscura on the battlefield, now it was time to discuss terms.