Chapter Ten

The Battle of Turnsheim

ANNA

Things unfolded as anticipated. The Confederation members had called a dinner meeting to finalise plans for the next leg of the campaign. As Anna had rightly predicted, the Coalition broke camp at dawn.

Anna herself had somewhat gotten used to the early mornings that soldiers adopted, even though it took her months to fully adjust her body clock. She would much rather have woken up at midday, but apparently that couldn't be done on campaign.

In fact, if she was being honest, there wasn't exactly much precedence for monarchs being on the battlefield. Even if there had been, they were mostly men. Princes, kings or dukes and other noblemen. Rarely, if any at all, had there been any queens or princesses present at the heart of the campaign.

In the Coalition however, the four other representatives of the Confederation had followed closely throughout the campaign thus far. There was a reason for this, a very good one. If the Empire were to surrender or the course of the war suddenly changed drastically, none of the leaders wanted to be months away from the political decisions that needed to be made.

They all wanted to be present when the tide of war turned, or if the Empire was finally ready to negotiate. None of them desired to be left out of the political decision making which could influence the shape of the continent for the next few decades or centuries. Neither did Anna and Melody.

The two girls had determinedly joined the campaign as well, travelling with the Coalition in spite of the protests of the other Confederation members. In their eyes, women shouldn't be anywhere near the battlefield or such violence. Anna and Melody however both knew that they had seen enough in their time with the Warriors and the League of Sorcerers, and probably even more than the other Confederation members perhaps. Much to the others' chagrin, the two girls had refused to remain behind.

Anna knew that she couldn't really trust the Coalition's political powers when dominant leaders like the King of Molcorra or Marquess Horatio were present to sway the outcome of politics to their favour. Thus the best place for her was to be out in the field, together with her people. After all, she didn't feel like it was right to let her people fight and die in her name while she was thousands of miles away back in the safety of Arendelle castle. No, this is where I need to be. With the soldiers who fight for me.

The march went on as planned as well. In the morning, the three Molcorran divisions formed the Coalition's vanguard at the head of the column and led the rest of the Coalition for the day's journey while the two Arendellian Divisions brought up the rear.

They continued on the dirt track leading away from the town of Juliusson where the peace summit had been held, journeying the fourteen miles towards the hills outside the city of Turnsheim. The Coalition passed through the long stretch of fields as had been displayed on the map, and Anna was aware that her sister and the rest were shadowing the Coalition's long column from somewhere hidden in the forest.

After he'd returned from the secret rendezvous in Juliusson, Kristoff had told her the Warriors would be close by. It was torture knowing that Elsa and her friends were so near, yet she could not see them or be reunited with them. Unfortunately, she had to keep up appearances with the rest of the Confederation. It was driving her mad.

By sunset, Anna and the rest of the Coalition arrived at the designated camp, with the Molcorrans having already built their tents and settled down just as the first of the Arendellians trickled into the site. The camp was set at the base of the hill, and on the other side lay a wide field where they would do battle the next day.

Dinner was a rather tense affair. Anna, Kristoff, Melody and General Frederick had been called in to dine with the rest of the Confederation and their generals as well, where the plan would be laid out for final changes and approval from all members of the Confederation.

The tent where they had met to eat was King Uxzas'. As expected, the Molcorran King's tent was phenomenally larger than the others by a huge margin. Not just larger than his soldiers' but it was even bigger than Anna's, which she already considered to be excessive by military standards.

Uxzas' tent was meant to hold twelve people, and still had some space left over. In the centre of his tent was a large portable table. The spread was extravagant, as the food provided wasn't standard army issue. Like Anna herself, the King of Molcorra had his own servants and cooks to whip up decent tasting food during the campaign.

Rice with tender beef with some sort of thick gravy that was native to the Molcorran people, and on top of that there was a few loafs of thick crusted bread and aromatic, hot pumpkin soup. And of course there was fine, aged wine. The King of Molcorra certainly knew how to put on a good spread.

All the representatives were at the table. Anna, Kristoff and Melody were there along with General Frederick. Duke Helmsley, Marquess Horatio, Prince August commanded their own armies, so they didn't bring any of their other generals or colonels. King Uxzas however, had brought his friend and advisor Field Marshal Gregor Cicero to the table.

Anna had only met Cicero up close once or twice during the campaign, and so far she didn't exactly like what she saw. He was a hardened veteran with no compassion, as far as Anna could tell. Cicero did whatever he had to to get the job done, which in the Coalition's case meant sacrificing a great number of men in order to win battles.

At Uxzas' invitation, Cicero launched into his explanation of the next day's battle tactics. By now, Anna had learnt a bit more about how armies operated and strategy, but nowhere near enough to lead an army of her own. She would leave that to Frederick. Instead, she found herself dozing as the Field Marshal drawled on confidently about how they were going to force the Imperial Horde to retreat and abandon Turnsheim.

"Are you alright?" Kristoff asked her on the way back to their own side of the camp after dinner was finally concluded.

"Huh? Yeah, of course." Anna narrowly avoided an embarrassing trip over a rock embedded at the base of the hill.

"You seemed rather out of it."

"Just tired." Anna laughed humourlessly. "The war and never ending politics must be getting to me."

"Well you better rest up." Melody chimed in from her other side. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

"Hopefully a quick one." Anna murmured under her breath. "I don't want the battle to drag out any longer than it has to be."

###

The next morning at daybreak, the Coalition stirred and set about preparing for the battle at Turnsheim. As Cicero had informed them the night before, three faces of the city walls were being reinforced with Exonian lines, leaving only the rear of the city unguarded. However, there would be no way of circling round the city to engage the Imperial Horde's rear. There was simply not enough time once the battle begun.

Besides, more likely than not, General Hydrech knew that the Coalition vastly outnumbered the forces he had in Turnsheim. Therefore, the rear would be the Exonians' escape route once the Coalition's forces captured the city. Cicero had mentioned that there would be no point in cutting them off or giving chase, since they were only a relatively small force compared to the bulk of the Imperial Horde.

For the battle itself, Cicero had planned it such that the majority of the Coalition would remain in reserve unless absolutely necessary. It wouldn't exactly be wise sending the entire force out into the field, since that would simply provide better targets for the Imperial Horde's artillery guns. In any case, a couple of brigades would be more than sufficient, as Cicero had assured the Confederation members at dinner the night before.

The first to head the column would be two Xerflorian brigades, commanded by none other than Marquess Horatio, which would attack the right flank of the city, where the Exonian lines would be weaker than the front face. They would be followed by one Arendellian brigade and another from the Danish, both led by Frederick and Ivon respectively, and finally three Molcorran brigades led by Cicero himself.

After the Xerflorians broke off from the rest, General Frederick would lead the Arendellians and the Danish brigades to the left flank of the city, which would be not as well reinforced as well. The whole aim of sending the Xerflorians, Danish and Arendellians to attack the flanks would be to make Hydrech paranoid. In theory, Hydrech would then send more of his men from the front face of the city to reinforce the two sides, which would leave the front face vulnerable to the three Molcorran brigades that would then deploy to batter them.

All in all, everyone in the Coalition knew that the Exonians would have to retreat logically, since the Coalition had the numbers advantage. It was only a question of how long the Exonians would stubbornly hold out and how many lives would be lost in the process.

There was however, one great risk on Frederick's part, as Cicero had pointed out on the map. Right where the Arendellians and Danish were supposed to manoeuvre to deploy, there was a forest a short distance away from the edge where the Exonians' front wall and the left wall met. That meant Frederick's forces would risk being attacked while they were moving into position, and with their forces stuck in column formation, they would be extremely vulnerable to enemy musket fire and artillery. That was a risk that they would have to take.

Anna felt a little sorry for Frederick, since he had drawn the short straw on behalf of his troops this time round. However, even if he did feel that way, he didn't show it. As usual, he was calm and ready for the battle ahead.

Soon after the sun was beginning to ascend well into the sky, the Arendellians and Danish broke off from the rest of the force, just as the Xerflorians had done. Frederick commanded the skirmishing battalion, made up of Northuldra who had proven extremely adept at loose battle tactics, to forge ahead to screen the battlefield before the rest of the two brigades arrived at their spot.

"There they are." Kristoff pointed as the Exonian lines guarding the left flank of the city came into view. The Northuldra skirmishers had reported that the Exonians were there, but had not opened fire yet.

By now, the Danish brigade had filed through the gap and into the space where they would deploy, followed closely behind by the Arendellian brigade which was already halfway through the gap. They were all moving in deep, narrow columns for speed of mobility, and were just about through the most dangerous and vulnerable bit of the battle.

"Strange." Anna remarked, as she, Kristoff, Frederick and a couple of his runners with their mounts made their way up to a small ridge where they would have a good view of the battle. "They aren't firing at us yet."

"Might I again suggest that you return to the Coalition reserve at least?" Frederick said. "I honestly don't like the idea of you being this close to the battle."

"I'll be fine." Anna waved her hand dismissively, her eyes glued to the unbudging Exonian lines. "This isn't my first time on the battlefield."

"Precisely," Frederick said. "Ma'am, you know I don't approve."

"Frederick, I'm the queen. I'd like to think I can make my own decisions." Anna said, and realised that sounded a little too harsh. "Sorry. What I mean is, I can take care of myself."

"I understand, Ma'am." Frederick still looked displeased. "But it isn't safe."

"Their guns can't reach us at this range." Anna pointed out. She'd picked up a few things about war tactics and military matters over the past few months of campaign, though she was nowhere near as experienced as Melody.

The Princess of Denmark was more of a risk taker than Anna herself was. Melody was out on the field with her own people, the Danish soldiers. She was acting as commander in chief, working very closely with General Ivon and the other Danish commanders right in the thick of where the battle would be. There was no question that Melody could take care of herself. Personally, Anna admired her courage. The girl has guts.

MELODY

Melody glanced up at the ridge where Anna, Kristoff and Frederick were perched to watch the battle unfold. They were safely out of even the longest range artillery, thank goodness. She herself had opted to stay with her Danish brigade, as she strongly felt that she could do more good on the ground where the action was. There was no way she was going to be perched up high and helpless to do anything. She'd never been one to sit out of the action.

Of course, Melody knew the dangers of being on the battlefield. A stray musket ball or solid shot flying through the air and bouncing off the ground or a bayonet catching her unaware…There were threats everywhere, different from those she had faced with the League of Sorcerers and the Warriors.

Back then it had been magic and cloak and dagger stuff. Here, on the battlefield, things were vastly different. All she needed to focus on were simply surviving and shooting first, while leading her troops to victory. A welcome change of adventure, as compared to her earlier days of gallivanting with her friends. Still, a part of her missed those days when she was out with Elsa, Maui, Tracy and the rest.

And then there was the fact that Tracy, her best friend, was no longer by her side. She had become particularly close to the former sea witch turned ally, and had worked with her on countless missions and adventures over more than two years.

Now, Tracy and the rest were on the run, hunted down like animals. She wondered how Tracy and the others were doing. From the occasional meet ups between Kristoff and Janus, she was constantly being assured that they were still somewhere out there evading capture. However, Melody couldn't ignore the empty space in her head that was usually filled by Tracy's nonchalant quips. Her best friend's absence was painfully obvious and her silence deafeningly loud.

No time to think about that now. Focus. Melody glanced at General Ivon, the man she had met in the Insurgency back when Denmark was under occupation by the Exonians. He had been a retired major, but shortly after the occupation when the Coalition was being formed, he signed on again.

Promoting him was the obvious choice, since he was an extremely capable commander and artillery officer, and besides she needed someone she could trust to lead the single brigade of local Danish troops. He had been competent thus far, fitting into his new role as general of Denmark's First Division well.

"Are the men ready?" She asked.

"We've just settled into position." Ivon said, without any of the formal royal salutations. In the early days when they had worked together in the Insurgency, none of them - save for Oliver - had known that she was the Princess of Denmark. After she had revealed her true identity, it had taken a while for Melody to convince Ivon and the other Insurgency members to continue addressing her by name. She was never a fan of all the royal etiquette, and she found it maddeningly stifling.

Many of the Insurgency members had joined up with the Danish troops after the occupation, as many of them wanted to be a part of the war effort to drive the Exonians back to where they came from. Melody suspected that it was a deep seated indignation to take whatever revenge they could on the Imperial Horde for invading their homes in the first place. Regardless of the reasons, they had joined the Danish army when the Coalition was first formed.

Of course, not the entire Danish army was attached to the Coalition, but a great number of it was. In total, there were now three brigades that made up the single Danish division, working very closely with the two Arendellian divisions. Out of the three brigades, only one had been deployed for the battle here. Only one Danish brigade, and one Arendellian brigade.

"Don't sweat it."

Melody turned to see Oliver trotting up to her. The boy had been an old school friend turned Insurgency comrade. He had lost his family during the occupation, and was determined to join in the war effort. "After all", he had said to her with a shrug. "Where else can I go now that I'm alone?"

Since he was a good archer and had serious capabilities as a spy from their Insurgency days, Melody had appointed him as captain of the reconnaissance unit and co-commander of the skirmishing battalions, mostly made up of Northuldra tribesmen and Insurgency members.

She looked at him as he approached. The boy who used to wear tattered fabrics and unwashed clothes was now nearly unrecognisable. The smart brown uniform looked good on him, as did the three stripes on his shoulders which denoted his rank as captain. He had also trimmed back his hair and shaved, so now he really looked the image of a young promising officer.

The one thing that hadn't changed was his taste for alcohol. That, at least, had not faded away with the rigorous marches and battles of the campaign thus far. At present time though, the smell of alcohol wasn't on his clothes, and he was alert and ready for the battle that lay ahead.

"Piece of cake." Oliver waved a hand at the Exonian lines. "Nothing much to see, apart from their weak lines and light artillery. They don't have much to hit us with, seeing as how most of their better stuff is out at the front. This'll be a cakewalk."

"I'm not so sure." Melody frowned slightly. There was a tiny niggling feeling at the back of her mind that told her that this was too easy, that it had to be a trap of some sort. And that instinct was usually right, unfortunately. Still, she wouldn't peg herself as a pessimist, only cautious. Call it paranoia perhaps.

Melody glanced at the rear, where there was a thick forest much further back. There was that feeling again. "Did we check our rear?" She pointed at the forest, shrouded in shadows. "That forest there. Did the recon team check that out?"

"Hmmn." Oliver frowned.

So they didn't. Melody answered herself in her mind. Clearly an oversight, but one that could be forgiven in the haste in which their forces needed to deploy and manoeuvre. But still…there's something off about all this.

ANNA

"As Cicero said," Kristoff looked through the spyglass at the Exonian lines at the city's borders. "Not many artillery guns. Only three, not even a half battery. There aren't too many Exonians either, even though they're deployed in line. Call it one regiment at most, spread out thinly across the length of the wall."

Anna looked at the wall from afar. Even from where she was, she could see that the only thing standing between her soldiers and the city, apart from the Exonians, was a low wall that would be easy to scale. All they have to do is get over it.

"Shall I give the order then?" Frederick asked. There was absolutely no trace of nervousness or fear in his voice.

Kristoff glanced at Anna. "It's your call."

Anna nodded, looking at all the various battalions deployed in column, waiting for the command. The Exonians strangely hadn't opened fire yet, and she wasn't going to give them any more time to do so. "Do it."

Frederick turned to one of his runners, a boyish corporal who looked like he was still in his teens. "Tell them to advance in column and deploy into line at a hundred and fifty yards. Advance at marching pace, and don't fire until they're within a hundred yards, after which they're to charge at thirty yards. Anyone who opens fire before closing the range will answer personally to me."

"Yes Sir." The runner snapped a salute before mounting his horse and guiding it down the ridge and out to the open field where the columns were waiting for orders.

"How soon do you think they'll break?" Anna asked Frederick.

"It really depends. Hydrech will want to hold out as long as he can before retreating, to buy the Exonian locals enough time to flee. We have to hope we can force these men to fall back in one decisive stroke." Frederick said.

"Hold on." Kristoff said sharply. He lowered the spyglass from his eye and handed it to Frederick. "Look at the forest."

Frederick panned the spyglass to where Kristoff was pointing, and sighed phlegmatically. "I should have guessed."

"What? What is it?" Anna felt exasperated being left out of whatever new development was unfolding.

"Hydrech." Frederick grimaced. "He's more cunning than I gave him credit for."

Anna snatched the spyglass and looked through it. The columns of Arendellian and Danish soldiers were already in the early stages of the advance, moving towards the Exonians at a standard marching pace at the beat of the drum, even as the three Exonian eight pounder artillery guns opened fire.

She could even hear the reports of the guns as solid round shot slammed out of the barrels of the guns, booming with an emphatic reverb which echoed throughout the morning air. The Exonians were holding their positions, and weren't sending out any skirmishers to slow down their attackers.

Panning the spyglass to the rear of the columns near where the forest was, Anna could see the real problem. The real danger. Starting to emerge from the dense trees and shadows were more Exonian soldiers, their bayonets and weapons gleaming every now and then as reflections from the morning sunlight.

"No, no, no." Anna repeated like a mantra. "Didn't the reconnaissance unit check out the forest?"

Kristoff's face was dark. "Apparently not."

Anna balked. "They're going to charge and sandwich our forces between the wall defences and the forest troops!"

"We have to warn our men." Kristoff cast about for a runner.

"Too late." Frederick grimaced as the forest troops let out a loud, deafening battlecry.