Chapter Forty Nine

The Siege of Fort Steinfall

ANNA

Talya's words of encouragement last evening seemed to be a lot less reassuring now. As snow fell a little more heavily than usual and dark clouds blotted out the sun, Anna stared as the Einsfeltai battery lined up on the crest of a hill, elevated above the field that lay between them and the fort and giving themselves the advantage of range of fire. The Coalition's best artillery unit had been deployed to take centre stage. So had the best of the cavalry and the best of the infantry, not to mention the League of Sorcerers. Frederick had given orders to hit Fort Steinfall with everything they had. There was no time to waste. The Imperial Horde behind them were gaining ground with each passing moment, and every shot that didn't make a hole in the wall meant that they were closer to being hit from the rear by Kane and the bulk of the Imperial Horde.

Anna watched from her spot on a ridge, together with her husband, Field Marshal Frederick, Talya, the Confederation members and the senior members of the League of Sorcerers. Usually, Frederick's tactics had the sorcerers held in reserves, and he wouldn't deploy them until the later stages of a battle when the enemy was already worn and reeling so that they would act as a final blow to rout the enemy. However, today, there was no time for that. It was an all out assault on the bastion walls of Fort Steinfall.

Einsfeltai artillery teams adjusted their guns, siege mortars and high calibre siege guns alike. A battery of three twenty four pounders and three eighteen pounders stood in the first line-up. The Arendellian, Danish and Vjorman teams stood behind them with their own guns at a distance, just in case the Einsfeltai cannons were demolished by the defenders at long range. Having taken up positions on the crest of a hill, soldiers begun scrabbling at snow and soil with shovels to build earthworks, ramparts that would neutralise the cannons' recoil after firing. Others made their final adjustments and calculations as the ammunition was readied. The plan was simple: hit the walls with everything the Coalition had. It didn't matter that they would need the walls later to fend off the Imperial Horde still coming up on their rear. The priority was getting into the fort first, and then the sorcerers would protect the broken wall later. Spaced out between the infantry were mobile artillery comprised of gun crew and horse teams. They would advance together with the infantry and launch six and eight pounder round shot and then double shotted canister load into the enemy ranks.

The League of Sorcerers were either on the battlefield or on the crest of the hill with the cannoneers. Those who could only use their magic at close range were with the skirmishers and cavalry, while those who could launch long range attacks were with the artillery batteries on the hill, all prepared to fight with every ounce of their sorcery. There were no protocols or standard operating procedures they had to follow that regular soldiers had to abide by. There were no rules for the sorcerers, apart from bringing that damn wall down.

As for the infantry, every division had been summoned. No man was kept in reserve today. All ten divisions - or what was left of them anyway - were formed up in column, spaced out into three divisions abreast in the wide field and three divisions deep, with the last division behind. The battalion standards waved in the chilly morning breeze, and even from where Anna stood, she could tell where each of the armies were positioned. The Arendellians were in the first two columns side by side together with the Danish, followed by the three Molcorran divisions and then the Xerflorians and Einsfeltai. The Vjormans, who had taken the most casualties as of late, brought up the rear.

Ahead of the infantry, the best skirmishers on the continent, the Danish and the Northuldra, were spread out in a thick screen that spanned the length of the entire snow-covered field. Anna had deployed the Witch Hunter twins with the skirmishers, knowing they could do far more damage on the battlefield than by her side. Together, they would all screen the advance of the attackers and try to draw out the defenders from their ditches and earthworks in a bid to let the Coalition's cavalry do their work.

On the flanks of the infantry, Xerflorian and Vjorman cavalry lined up with the rest of the Coalition's cavalry squadrons formed up behind them, all waiting to deploy at a shouted command. The dragoons were positioned behind the cuirassiers who would lead the charge and bear the brunt of the musketry from the defenders hidden in the ditches. Their helmets and armour would hold up long enough for them to charge the defenders with their long spears and lances, and once the enemy's discipline had broken, the dragoons would whittle down the rest with their swords and carbines.

It was a truly impressive and breathtaking sight, and Anna would have felt proud of the Coalition if not for the stress that rode on the outcome of the battle. They had to seize Fort Steinfall today, all regulations of siege warfare be damned. She glanced at the fortress in the middle distance. It stood tall, no doubt crawling with the soldiers in red. Exonian batteries were sure to be all along the walls, ready to belch fire and steel into the attackers below. With the aid of a spyglass from Frederick, Anna confirmed her suspicions and also saw Exonian infantry and cavalry on the field ready to meet her own forces.

"They're ready." Frederick reported as he removed his own spyglass from his eye and turned to the Confederation members. Messengers and trumpeters stood by, quivering in anticipation for the command they knew would come.

August glanced at Anna. "It's all up to you now."

"Call it," Horatio said.

She looked at Kristoff, who gave her a reassuring nod. Sucking in a deep breath of cold air, she turned to Frederick. "Give them hell."

A loud note reverberated through the air and the next thing she knew, the Coalition had kicked into action. Three artillery pieces opened the battle with thunderous roars, sending steel ammunition hurtling through the air and falling amongst the defenders. The next three cannons adjusted their trajectories slightly upon seeing where the first three shots had fallen, and opened fire simultaneously. Another three shots of steel rocketed across the field in a graceful arc, smashing against the ravelins and glacis.

Down on the battlefield below, the skirmishers surged forward, their wide screen covering the controlled advance of the cavalry on the flanks and the synchronised march of the infantry columns. The mobile artillery units were wheeled up in sync, the gunners prepared to unlimber and fire the guns when an opportunity presented itself.

Bursts of sorcery could be seen from afar as the skirmishers and sorcerers collided with the defenders in the ditches, the soldiers raising clouds of musket smoke as the weapons' cracks filled the air and were swiftly blown away by the cold winds. Snow continued to pelt the battlefield, growing more aggressive as if it knew the siege had begun.

Xerflorian cavalry led the charge, riding in wedge formations at an angle, careful to avoid the skirmishers and sorcerers. As the latter attackers pulled back, the wedges of heavy cavalry barrelled through, slamming into the defenders outside their ditches. Many were trodden down or ridden over, with the cuirassiers roaring and swinging their lances and spears, spitting the defenders and making a straight path through.

Many of the defenders dove back into their ditches, shooting at the open targets that rode past them. Many cuirassiers fell, but the dragoons riding behind took up their places, firing their carbines into the ditches and slashing their cavalry sabres at the enemies. The dragoons and cuirassiers slammed into Exonian cavalry, where a heated exchange of carbine fire and sabre fighting ensued.

As the skirmishers and sorcerers continued to fight, the infantry deployed into line at seventy yards, advancing in steady rhythm to the beat of the regimental drums. Ranks upon ranks of soldiers spaced out in their lines marched into the smoke, muskets loaded and at the ready. At four hundred yards, the mobile artillery pieces lined up in echelon formation in the gaps behind the infantry, taking up an oblique angle to deal maximum fire to the defenders who were surging out of their ditches to defend against the swathes of Coalition infantry.

Six and eight pounder balls slammed out into the defenders in quick succession from the mobile artillery, complemented by the bass rumbles from above as the siege guns loosed more steel pieces into the bastion walls. The Exonians lined up on the walls replied with thunderous roars of their own siege weapons, balls of steel arcing wildly across the field and successfully smashing into one of the Einsfeltai twenty four pounders and sending one team of Einsfeltai gunners pinwheeling away with blood curdling screams. Immediately, a Danish team responded by dragging away the remains of metal and severed limbs, replacing the fallen team on the edge of the ridge and deploying its own siege gun in place.

The battle raged on for what felt like hours and eating into the late afternoon, with both sides seeming to be equally matched in skill and savagery. Even with the sorcerers hitting the bastion walls at close range and long range, coupled with the artillery siege unit, Fort Steinfall held steadily.

The Coalition infantry had long since dissolved from their neat ranks, having been broken by enemy cavalry. Many were formed in square, bayonets facing outwards like hedges of steel bristles to repel the Exonian dragoons. Light guns continued to slam round shot after round shot into the enemy before retreating into the safety of the squares at the last second, just as the cuirassiers and dragoons swept by, swinging their sabres and lances.

Commanded by the remaining officers, other mobile artillery pieces continued their fire-and-move tactics. One battery fired while a second advanced and unlimbered the guns. When the second battery opened fire, the first limbered and advanced. The process continued till a few of the mobile teams were near enough to the bastion walls, flanked and guarded by both sorcerers and friendly cavalry. Howitzers unleashed ammunition that curved in a sharp arc, and came falling down onto the walls with great and deadly velocity.

Sorcerers compounded the attack at close range, attacking the base of one of the walls in unison to weaken it. Some of them were shot by the defending musketeers on top of the walls, while others were slashed from behind their backs by Exonian dragoons.

It was a back and forth battle which neither seemed to be able to win. The snow continued to fall heavily, almost the magnitude of a blizzard again. Though the sun was obscured behind the thick dark clouds, Anna could tell that the sun was going to set soon and the battle would be concluded at a stalemate. They'd failed to lay siege to Fort Steinfall.

"Enough," Anna turned to Frederick who was waiting nearby with hands clasped behind his back. He gave her a solemn nod and gave a calm order to the trumpeter awaiting his command. The long note was blasted for a ceasefire and retreat.

Soon, Anna could see soldiers, horses and limbered guns streaming back the way they'd come, and she let out a heavy exhale of freezing air. Who was she kidding? How could they possibly hope to claim Steinfall in a single day without lines of circumvallation and sufficient time to besiege the fortress? And then there was the fact that they were up against a competent Exonian division. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," Kristoff gave her a hug. He'd been watching the battle by her side for most of the day, though keeping silent.

"How could we have won?" She muttered, distraught.

He didn't answer, but hugged her tighter. Evidently he knew the repercussions of their failure here today. They'd hit the Exonians with everything they had, and that wasn't enough, which meant that the next day their strength and efforts would amount to less than what they'd done here today. With one day wasted, the Imperial Horde was closing in quickly behind them. So what now?

###

"We're doomed, aren't we?" August said.

Anna glanced around the table. The two other Confederation members, along with Frederick and Kristoff were gathered in her tent. Dinner had been a subdued affair, an air of defeat hanging over their heads. After the retreat, the soldiers had collapsed back behind the safety of their own lines while the wounded were stretchered hurriedly back to the medical tents for the regimental surgeons and Holli to work on. The young witch doctor was up to her neck in wounded soldiers who were on the verge of dying, and Anna had heard from Vonco that Holli was extremely drained and herself close to passing out. The casualties had been high today, and it made Anna frustrated that it'd all been for nothing.

"No. We can still fight," Horatio insisted, pushing aside his bowl of watery soup. "We just have to push even harder."

"We gave them everything we had," Kristoff said tightly. "Everything."

"Look, let me lead the charge tomorrow morning," Horatio swelled. "I'll-"

"Stop." Anna shook her head as she stared down into her bowl of soup and floating lamb fat. "Just stop."

The tent fell back into silence for another few minutes, until Horatio spoke again. "Hell, I'll admit. They did give us the fight of our lives."

"Their tactics are familiar." Frederick said quietly. "I believe General Hydrech is in command of the fortress."

"It does make sense." Kristoff agreed. "This was supposed to be Kane's endgame. He wants us to make our last stand here. It only makes sense that he'll put his second in command in there to keep us out."

"So with Hydrech holding Steinfall and Kane coming up on our asses, we're just going to lay down and wait for them to catch us in a pincer movement, is that it?" Horatio looked indignant. "I say if we go down, we go down swinging."

"No one's going down. Not yet," Anna said firmly. "We'll…we'll think of something. There has to be something we can do."

"Like what?" August spread his hands. "What else can we do?" He stared round the table, an expression of hopelessness on his face. "We gave them our best and it wasn't enough. We don't have time to conduct a proper siege, and when Kane gets here, we can't turn and fight them. He'll outnumber us."

"Forgive my bluntness," Frederick spoke up, his face set in stone. "But I see no other way except to fight again. Either that, or we keep running."

The tent lapsed back into silence as everyone finished their meals without another word of strategy. The meeting ended on a gloomy note as they went their separate ways to return to their tents. Frederick waited till the other two Confederation members left before he looked at Anna.

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?" He asked.

"No. Not really." She sunk back into her chair, closing her eyes and leaning her head against Kristoff who was standing beside her. "I really thought we had a chance today, but I was just deluding myself." She shot a look at Frederick. "No offence intended. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright. I know what you mean," Frederick nodded. "We were fighting a losing battle."

"Do you really think this might be the end for us?" She asked quietly.

"You can't think like that." Kristoff stroked her head with a tender hand, caressing her cheek. "Remember your mantra?"

"Just do the next right thing."

"Exactly. We'll take this one step at a time, alright?" Kristoff smiled down at her encouragingly.

She gave his side a weak squeeze.

"Alright," He reluctantly pulled himself away. "I have to get back to the Command Tent. There's things that I need to work out with Frederick about tomorrow's battle. Casualty reports to look over, letters to sign…"

Anna sighed. Some of those had been her responsibilities - or at least, self imposed responsibilities. Her assistant Hayley and Kristoff had helped to take the load off her shoulders when she first started to show physical symptoms of prolonged stress. She hadn't seen Hayley very much ever since the faithful secretary began handling all of her responsibilities for her while she focused on the campaign. In a way, she felt like shit for not being able to help much ever since she'd first given the order for the Coalition to retreat.

"Please rest well," Frederick saluted. "Your Majesty."

She nodded in acknowledgement and gave Kristoff one last hug as the two men left the tent to prepare for tomorrow's battle. Deep down, she knew that it was just going to yield the same result as it did today. How could they capture the fortress? It felt hopeless.

A horrible lurch in her stomach made her gag, and she grabbed the side of the table for balance. Her gorge rose quickly, and she knew what was coming next. Anna grabbed the bowl she'd eaten out of and threw up the contents of her stomach. Groaning, she vomited a second time and felt dizzy. An array of colours crept into the corners of her vision, and she doubled over, sinking to her knees with one hand still clutching the bowl of vomit.

Her hand scrambled for purchase on something to pull herself back to her feet, but her head was spinning too violently for her to stand. And all of a sudden, the terrible feeling began to subside, till it was gone.

What the hell is going on? Anna blinked and tried to focus her eyes. The blurry vision was gone, and the flip-flops in her stomach had disappeared too. The only signs of her sickness that remained were the contents in the bowl and the acidic taste in her mouth and throat.

"Woah! Your Majesty, you alright?" Talya stopped at the entrance of the tent, watching the Arendellian queen grovel on the ground. The sentries outside must've been changing shift, otherwise they would have stopped her.

"Yeah." The word came out more like a groan. Anna spat in the bowl and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then tried to stagger to her feet.

Rushing forward, Talya grabbed Anna's arm and helped her back up. She took the bowl from Anna and helped Anna sit down. "Ugh. Nasty," The envoy scrunched up her nose and jerked a finger over her shoulder. "I'll be right back. Just let me clear this…shit." She ducked out of the tent with the bowl and Anna closed her eyes, trying to rest.

"Here."

When Anna opened her eyes again, Talya was in front of her holding a mug of water. Gratefully, she drank and set it aside.

"Thanks," Anna looked up at her. "Not to sound ungrateful but what are you doing here?"

"I uh…just came to check on you to see if you needed anything." Talya looked at her with concern in her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright? I could go get a doctor."

"No, I'm fine now."

"What was all that about?"

"I don't know." Anna admitted truthfully. "I think the stress is getting to me."

"Hmmn." Talya pursed her lips. "The battle, huh?"

Anna nodded grimly.

"Is it as bad as it looks?"

She nodded again.

"Well there has to be something we could do, right?" Talya probed almost annoyingly.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, can the sorcerers give us an edge in the siege?"

"They gave us everything," Anna said slowly, still feeling the aftertaste of vomit in her mouth. "But without my friends, we're handicapped."

"Your friends?"

"Yeah," She grimaced. Tracy could've teleported them all to the base of the walls. Maui could have easily taken down the walls with his brute force and give the Coalition an opening. Melody and Janus would lead the charge with their undying bravery and tactical prowess, and Elsa, Deirdre and Jade would have smashed through any resistance with their Elemental Sorcery.

But none of them are here right now, Anna lamented internally. Only I am. She sighed, but then something clicked in her mind. Wait.

Talya stared at her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Without a word, Anna stood hurriedly and brushed past the envoy. She burst out of her tent and looked for her horse. It was probably with one of her staff or stablehands, but there wasn't time to wait. Ignoring the fact that she'd just vomited and had one of her exhaustion spells, she set off running towards the Command Tent which was located in the centre of the encampment.

Her legs pumping the snow as hard as she could, she reached the Command Tent and didn't wait for the sentries to announce her arrival. She pushed into the tent to find Frederick and Kristoff inside, working on a battle plan for the next day.

"I know what to do!" She shouted as she burst through the tent flaps.

Startled by her entrance, they both looked up in astonishment.

"Anna." Kristoff began. "What-"

"Let me see the schematics," She demanded, briskly marching to the table. The moment Kristoff found the document, she snatched it from him and scanned it in excitement. "I got it, I got it, I got it," She chanted as her eyes lit up with glee. "I know how to save the Coalition." She announced to the two puzzled men.

"Your Majesty, what are you talking about?" Frederick asked in a calm tone.

"What's all this?" Kristoff demanded in bewilderment.

She whirled at them eagerly, a fresh glimmer of hope sparkling in her eyes. "Anyone here any good at climbing?"