45- The Battle of Vardeen
The vicious growls of the snow monsters grew louder as they advanced between the trees, all of them stomping the ground and throwing jagged rocks as the surprised soldiers grabbed their muskets and sabers ready to fight.
It was a terrible view to see the camping tents ravaged by the creatures, some of the soldiers were kicked away or even crushed as the shock troops advanced and the flying rocks killed many men, but the enemy retreated and very soon all of them had recovered from the initial surprise…
"We have to surround them!" Hans ordered by screams, drawing out his sword as he charged followed by his Generals- "Slash their legs, that's their weakest point!"
Some of the soldiers distracted the snow monsters by shooting at their arms and heads, others had resorted to throwing grenades and soon the peaceful silence of the forest had transformed into a combination of explosions, growls and screams…
The monsters managed to crush, punch and kick even more soldiers, but the grenades started to cause severe damage and then they were outnumbered and surrounded.
Every monster came to fight twenty soldiers, the men would keep shooting and at the same time others tried to deliver saber slashes at the legs of the creatures, some of them losing their lives in the process.
Hans was the first to slice off the leg of a snow monster, the great creature collapsed and that was followed by another, and yet another… the heads of some monsters were blown apart by direct grenade explosions, minutes were passing and it seemed that the Southern Isles forces would be capable of repelling the attack.
"Keep fighting, keep fighting!"
Some time later it looked like the battle was won, the grenades proved devastating and after that, just as hundreds of soldiers abandoned the fight to look after their injured comrades, they discovered a new and very different sound:
It sounded like hundreds of horses were running down from the nearby hills at both sides of the forest, the ground was shaken once again, the red cloaked soldiers began to get hit by musket fire and soon the battle cries were everywhere as thousands of Arendellian soldiers charged to attack…
"What the hell is this?!" Hans screamed, witnessing in terror as the first Cavalry squadrons entered the fray- "Anna!"
Anna of Arendelle showed up riding proudly with a sword in her hand, delivering lethal slashes left and right as she stormed her way through enemy lines… the brave Guards that followed her charged like a storm as they attacked with their halberds and swords, but this was not the worst of all.
Queen Elsa herself rode between the fighters, shooting sharp icicles from her hands and freezing men to death with awful blasts of her Ice Magic…
"For Arendelle!" Elsa screamed, raising her sword high above her head- "Let's end this war once and for all!"
The red cloaks were even more afraid of the Queen than they had been of her snow monsters, awestruck as they witnessed her legendary powers with their own eyes… meanwhile the Arendellian guards and soldiers were already overwhelming the worn out forces of the Southern Isles, but the battle would not be over so fast.
Many of the riders and soldiers were brought down by the deadly grenades and musket fire, the surviving red cloaks charged with their bayonets and the armies clashed between the bloodstained trees like it had happened at the Sammel Offensive…
Queen Elsa froze a grenade that had been tossed right at her, she replied with even more icicles that pierced the chests of many men and her blasts of magic continued to wreak havoc, dozens of enemy soldiers frozen to death right where they were standing.
"Where are you, Hans?" Anna cried out in the middle of the battle, her blade now completely covered by blood- "Where are you?!"
The Arendelle Guards continued to display their sword and halberd skills with devastating effect, more than thirty snow monsters remained fighting and then Anna finally discovered the person that she was desperate to find:
Hans remained fighting between the bloodied snow and fallen men, and then Anna charged straight towards him with the sword in her hand and nothing but cold and vicious fury flowing through her veins…