“Sir, the Reickians and the Beldanians are escaping! Should we pursue them?” The men were frantic; for, despite their early defeat of Reicks, it was obvious the Nyekian army had been pushed aside by the shocking appearance of Beldan. The more shocking note for the General of Nyek, who had led this mission, was the arrival of the Princess. They had been told by a good source that Princess Feliciana was residing at the Reicks castle and had no previous knowledge of her being allowed to go to war, let alone head the army of Beldan. The grey haired General, Thoran, did not like being left in the dark but the question hung in the air as he stared into the distance. “Lieutenants, step forward!” his voice was gruff and brown eyes were hard, at least the one his soldiers could see that is. His right eye was closed, sealed shut by a long, jagged scar that cut from his forehead to his jaw. It was an injury he acquired long ago and it was a mark that showed just how deserving Thoran was of his title. Soon his lieutenants were gathered, four in total and each with a different background. The first, and eldest, was Lieutenant Yoaren who was a stout man with grey eyes and thinning brown hair. His Second Lieutenant was Agron, a man from the south-eastern portion of Nyek. This man had reddish blond hair, blue eyes and thick cords of muscle showing his blacksmith heritage. He was younger than the General and First Lieutenant but still older then the final two. The Third Lieutenant is a man named Icirrus who was barely past his twenty first summer and freshly married. Icirrus had full, blond hair that was seen mostly in the upper classes and this was further noted by his odd, amber colored orbs. Yes, Icirrus was a lesser noble who had joined the military for glory and honor as had many of the second and third sons of wealthy families. The final Lieutenant, yet possibly one of the best in Thoran’s eyes, was a young man by the name of Luka. Luka had no surname by which he could be identified and supposedly no family that would miss him if he died. This was the most prominent reason by which he joined the military.
Thoran looked over to Luka when he gave a two fingered salute that made the others growl at the audacity of the youngster. Luka had hair the color of raven wings and eyes the color of spring clover but his skin was that of freshly fallen snow, creating a clash between dark and light. He was skinny, horribly so but it was common considering he hailed from the western portion of Nyek. He was from one of the nomad clans that are common in that barely habitable region of Nyek. Getting food in the truly frozen areas while moving constantly was difficult and since the men from that area stubbornly refused to come across the river for work most of the time, their lives were made even more difficult. Luka was one of the few who came across the river and sought employment in the military; most likely after the loss of his entire clan. He had earned his rank in an incredibly show of wits just a few months prior to their deployment. Regardless of his malnourished form, Luka was intelligent and cruel therefore, he was trustworthy.
As Thoran assessed his top ranked men and thought over their different strengths and weaknesses, he nodded silently. “General Thoran, what do you wish us to do?” it was the ever polite and scheming Yoaren who spoke first but Thoran knew it was a question that had to be answered none the less. “Those foolish men of Reicks who stormed us in arrogance have obviously been battered by our superior force but those Beldanian curs have obviously taken the upper hand. This is of little concern though for now the river is clear and we could certainly take our line deep into Reickian territory before they could possibly regroup for a counter attack. As much as I would like to say ‘let us forget about them and head towards the castle’ I cannot. Not only do we not know how many soldiers they left to protect the castle, our reinforcements to the north have yet to enter Reicks through the Mountain Pass. We would be attempting to lay siege to their castle with only our own forces and with those horsemen nipping at our heels.”
The men nodded for Thoran was right. There was little they could do in the face of these odds but that left the question unanswered. Clearing his throat, Luka spoke up in a soft, pleasant voice that held quite authority and gentle persistence. “Sir, if you would allow it, let me take the two thousand soldiers under my direct command and follow them. Considering the fact that they also have the princess with them, it wouldn’t be about defeating them, we would just need to capture her to keep them at bay. It should be an easy enough task; she is just a child after all.” Luka crossed his arms over his chest and looked up with the same emotionless eyes as those of the corpses. Thoran stared down at the youngster even while the other three Lieutenants griped about how he was too young to go on such a mission alone. Thoran disagreed though. This boy had more than enough talent to do it and if it is what he felt was the best option, then so be it. “I am charging you to go through with this mission but…on the note of misinformation or lack thereof, call for reinforcements if things are not as you expect. We know not what is at that canyon and, where I would normally err on the side of caution by declining your suggestion, it is the best we can do right now.” Luka nodded and, though Thoran had expected the boy to show some outward sign of pleasure, the pale face didn’t even twitch. Instead, he gave a bow.
“My orders then, sir?” it was poised as a question and Thoran smirked, raising his voice for all to hear. “Lieutenant Luka, you are to take the two thousand troops under your direct command and pursue the fleeing Reickian and Beldanian armies in hopes of capturing the Beldanian Princess! If this cannot be accomplished, send a messenger back here where we will be waiting and we will send aid…” he lowered his voice, speaking directly to the young soldier. “Do try to come back in one piece; your talents will be needed later.” Luka nodded tightly and, raising to his full height, spun on his heel. Thoran watch the boy ordering his troops and preparing for the upcoming battle with ease. Yoaren looked up at the General with a disgruntled expression but it was Icirrus who spoke up. “Why send that boy on what is obviously a suicide mission? Even if he does pull it off, you left such an important mission to a child!” Thoran’s eyes hardened angrily and if he hadn’t been astride his horse, he would have backhanded the arrogant youth for his indiscretions. “You dare question my decisions, foolish man? You are right, this is a suicide mission. Which is exactly why I sent him for out of all of you, he is the only one truly willing to die. You men who wish for glory would rather run so you might live to fight another day where he, who has no ties left in this world, would die fighting. Even if he fails, he will carry heavy injuries to prove how hard he has worked or he may very well return to us on a stretcher. Regardless, that ‘child’, as you so eloquently put it; is more of a warrior than you three.”
With that, Thoran turned his angered gaze away from Icirrus and instead focused on Agron who had been listening silently throughout the course of these talks. “What say you, Lieutenant Agron? Do you think my decision foolish as well?” Agron, for his part, looked as though he truly couldn’t be bothered with the bickering of the hierarchy but shook his head ever so slightly. “No, I actually agree with your assessment, General. Though, when it comes to sending reinforcements, I think it should be my group that is sent first since we are the ones who have practice when it comes to dealing with horsemen.” Nodding in response, Thoran pondered this for a moment before agreeing. “Then so be it…other than that, Yoaren.” Said man looked up instantly, waiting for orders. “Go out to battlefield and pick up any injured. I don’t care which side of the coin they fall on; just bring them back here for treatment. Icirrus, prepare a tent to house captives and an extra for the mortally wounded but still hanging on. Let these men hear the screams of those who fought for them and you, Icirrus will be the one to sit with them until they die so that you might comprehend the meaning of war.” With those words, the General turned his horse and left the Lieutenants to set upon their work. Within a few moments, the battle cries of Luka’s men could be heard echoing across the men as they rushed after the out of sight horsemen. Thoran had studied the map, had seen the canyon the Princess had spoken of, and knew that on foot, it would take them a little over an hour to reach the feeling people. Reicks had been given a large head-start thanks to the actions of Beldan and Beldan themselves had horses so it was obvious Luka would not be able to catch up to them before the canyon. Thoran only hoped he hadn’t made a truly foolish decision by sending only two thousand men.
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Haydn looked back at his men who limped and drug themselves towards the Canyon he was leading them too. They had been walking for nearly an hour before Nathanial and Feliciana’s five hundred men appeared behind them, sweeping across the plains with finesse only those native to this land could possibly possess. What Haydn couldn’t spot was Feli on that large black stallion of hers. For a moment, he had a shock of anger tinged with fear at such a disappearance. The anger was obviously directed at Feli for not following her own orders instantly but the fear was for the spirit she held within her; for Feliks. As much anger as he held, he would never be able to forget the emotions Feliks provoked and being forced to see a near perfect lookalike while knowing the one he craved was locked within said lookalike made him angry. When the canyon came into view though, Haydn forced those thoughts from his head. This was war and, as he had all those years ago, he would forget Feliks and do what needed to be done.
Haydn slowed his beast and allowed the five men who had been charged with guarding him to catch up. Personally, he didn’t care whether they were there or not but when it came down to it, they were useful as long as they followed his orders. “One of you, find the current leader of the Beldanian army and let them know we need medics and get our men to said medics!” the five men looked at each other before one saluted him and ran towards the left side of the canyon where a sentry for the reinforcements stood. In front of the canyon, creating a funnel into it, were the men of Beldan, already mounted and waiting for them. It was obvious they had been waiting and, judging by all the carriages sitting outside, Feli had sent people ahead to inform them. About fifty paces outside the canyon, wooden railings with large, pointed spikes had been erected to hold the approaching army at bay but there was an opening so that they could easily enter the encampment. Instead of setting up deep within the canyon as Haydn had expected, the Beldanians had set up camp along the front and sides of the canyon and he suddenly realized that they had known well Reicks would be defeated therefore leaving the inner canyon open for the injured who would need protection. Gritting his teeth in anger, he looked down at the now four guards and pointed forward. “Follow me into the center of the canyon; we will await our men there!” They nodded and followed him at a brisk pace though, as he was on horseback, he was forced to keep the beast to a trot. As he breached the wall of Beldanians, Haydn could only grit his teeth and nod as they openly ignored him despite the cape signifying his rank. He waved off a woman who rushed up, obviously a medic judging by the white ribbon tied around her arm, since he was not one of the injured. He had arrived about ten minutes ahead of the rest of the Reickian army who were being ushered towards the Canyon by Feli’s troops.
As his eyes scanned the inside of the canyon, Haydn felt his heart clench. The sides were the same gentle hills he remembered with their sharp outer drops and the internal bowl made by the three walls was just as large as it had been when he was merely a child. Further in, hidden by some small juniper trees was a wooden hut and, against the rockier back wall, a large field of red spider lilies, purple bluebells and white, flowering rock cress climbed up the wall. It was what sat upon the wall that drew his attention though. For something clothed in a black cloak stood upon that cliff. At first, Haydn assumed it must be a sentry of some sort and ignored the being. As Haydn and his men reached the very center of the large valley though, the figure started a slow trek down the wall with practiced ease which left the Earth Spirit stunned.
At least, he was stunned until the man raised a hand and pulled the hooded cloak away from his body, dropping it to the ground. Standing there, in all his frozen glory, was Alexei. The young being of ice stood, half way down the hill with eyes burning like the liquid ores of a smithy and Haydn felt rage build and boil under his skin. So entrapped was he in his own rage, he didn’t even notice his men lower into protective stance nor did he notice the almost tired sigh Alexei heaved. All he could see was the very man who had incited this war and the man he blamed for all the wrongs in this world no matter how misguided these beliefs were.
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When the Beldanian men had first arrived at the Canyon, they had come across the marks of a camp that had been there merely minutes before they arrived. A search of the area brought forth a group of six men who claimed to be a group of performers traveling through the Beldanian country side and heading for Reicks. If these soldiers had been ever been to Reicks, they would have known that the supposed troop leader, with his snow white hair and eerie silver gaze, was actually the rogue Prince of Nyek. More than that title, the person that had met with the reserve army was the Spirit of Ice who had been staying in the Canyon since he had vacated Reicks. The men with him were five, surly men who served him and went along with the scheme. The men left the next morning with the soldiers being none the wiser to their true profession but in reality, Alexei had moved them into the forest a few miles away on the Reickian side of the river while he himself returned to the Canyon to observe the situation. It was a full day before he learned their true purpose. These men were waiting for a fleeing Reickian army that would be escorted by Feli. At this, the frozen Spirit was torn between joy and hesitance. Surely he wished to see the Princess but, knowing well what he had done to her, he was also disheartened by the knowledge that she may very well despise him. Alexei had lived with bias and cruelty but something about her feeling the same left a bitter taste behind.
It was on the afternoon of the second day though, as the fleeing army could be seen in the distance, that he realized just how close the war was to him. In the back of his calculating mind, he knew this situation was by no means good for him. Alexei was here to avoid the very war he had helped start and now it was being brought to his feet. He had hoped beyond all hope that this wouldn’t happen but, when Haydn reached the Canyon and entered the valley, Alexei knew that conflict wouldn’t be far behind. Assuming Feli had not given into Feliks and had freed Haydn of her own volition, Alexei needed to face her since he had told her to come back to him. If he was so far gone that he could not face her then what hope had he that she could give him redemption? With these thoughts, he stepped down the hill with ease born from long years spent climbing it in a child’s body.
He knew Haydn would not be happy to see him, the anger he saw in that black gaze was all he had anticipated but he was reluctant to show any such displays within his own molten orbs. Upon reaching the bottom of the valley, Alexei took his time picking through the flower patch with the utmost care. He was reluctant to damage the flowers he himself had planted alongside Feliks and Haydn… But maybe it was these memories that were the reason he should destroy such a garden. Alas, it had been within these very walls that he had learned what he was, associated with Haydn and met the broken boy who became the single most important thing in their lives. Feliks’ importance was different for Haydn and Alexei though. To Haydn, Feliks was born just for him, existed just for him and could belong to no other. To Alexei…Feliks was equivalent to that of a bug on his shoe. An insect meant to be squashed and worthless to society; that was Feliks in Alexei’s eyes. Originally, Alexei cared for Feliks the way he cared for most humans: they were necessary existences that he was to protect and that he tolerated. Before the war though, as Feliks became more corrupt, Alexei began to feel that maybe this one being wasn’t worth even that much. When the Earth Spirit and the Corrupt Child became so immersed in their obsession though, Alexei realized just how sorry their lives had become. That two people could choose to sacrifice a whole society simply to possess each other…it was something Alexei couldn’t comprehend. At first, Alexei had assumed it was a twisted sense of love that drove them to crave each other so badly but he soon realized there was a difference between love and obsession. When it came down to it, Alexei was left trapped between the two destructive forces and, after being destroyed by those of his own nation was abandoned by Haydn even after the death of young Feliks. Where Haydn had been given redemption and a twisted version of release through the actions of Feliks, Alexei suffered at the hands of power obsessed humans who, with their cruel shackles, twisted him until they had taken all he could give. It wasn’t until he met Feliciana that he realized it might be possible for him to earn redemption in her violent purple gaze.
With those thoughts drifting around in his mind that had been riddled with madness time and time again, Alexei gave a playful grin and folded his hands behind his back. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Haydn? I am so sorry I didn’t prepare a welcome gift after your thousand year sleep, breaking into your castle was much harder after you awoke.” Alexei broke the tense silence with pleasant words steeped in sarcasm and laced with acid. He watched as Haydn bristled and sat up straighter in the saddle. The guards, whom Alexei was content to ignore, practically bared their teeth at his tone before one finally managed to shout out words in shock and anger. “You bastard! How dare you talk like that to General Haydn!? You have no right after killing off General Bren!” The hatred that seeped into the boy’s words didn’t even make Alexei twitch as he kept his eyes fixed firmly on Haydn’s scowling visage. At least, he didn’t look towards them until, riled by the words of the first, all four decided to rush him in retribution. It seemed, with the blood of their comrade on his hands, he was a target for them all with or without the orders of their commanding officer. Haydn made no move to stop their charge, mostly because it didn’t matter either way but partly because he knew how futile it was for them to hold a grudge against the white haired male when, just like Haydn, Alexei could not be killed. All the General did was mumble under his breath about foolish individuals and watch the scene with disinterest. Alexei’s expression remained frozen, the smile fixed though it seemed more like a dog baring his teeth than an actual expression of joy. Pulling one hand from behind his back and putting it out to his side, the Ice Spirit tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes for just a moment. In that second, the large, ornate battle axe he had used in the competition materialized out of thin air. The shaft was cold in his hand, it’s ivory handle fitting comfortably and, despite the chill, it was perfect for him. When he opened his eyes and moved the axe gently to fall into a loose stance, frozen mist like the breath of winter trailed behind the weapon regardless of the warmth of the air.
As was his signature, he made no move to advance, instead waiting for them to come to him but as they maneuvered to surround him, Alexei brought his second hand to the shaft and dropped the axe down as, in four quick moves, he managed to pierce both men to his right in the chest and slash the two to his left nearly in half. There were no screams to alert the soldiers to their battle, only the gurgling sounds of the fallen guards choking on blood as death stole the lights from their eyes. Alexei dug the bottom of the axe into the ground and stared at Haydn with an expression cold enough to rival the glaciers of Nyek. “You know, despite everything, I had almost hoped you would leave well enough alone… I see though, that your obsession has not been lessened by time.” Haydn smirked at him and dismounted his horse; the beast moving away as its instincts informed it of the impending danger. “No, my obsession has not lessened; if anything it has become stronger! Don’t worry though; it will be remedied as soon as I finish breaking Feliciana’s will.” Alexei growled and lifted his axe, his left foot swept backwards and he leveled the weapon at Haydn. “I must admit…I am remiss to allow such a thing to happen to her. I am…fond of her and I am quite sure Lazirus will be very upset with us should you attempt such, Haydn.” Haydn didn’t respond to his words, instead, the Earth Spirit materialized his spear and unpinned his cape to allow for freedom before dropping into his own stance.
Alexei could only raise a brow for he knew very well that Haydn wouldn’t be able to move nearly as well as he could in the heavy armor the General wore. Alexei himself, without the cloak, was dressed in merely a pair of hide pants, buckled to his legs and over the heavy boots he wore. His shirt was merely a black, long sleeved tunic with silver accents and around his neck; he wore a silver chain with a feline’s tooth pendant. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity but were truly only a few moments before suddenly exploding into motion. From under Alexei’s feet, ice covered the grass and cracked with the force of his movements whereas the dirt under Haydn’s feet broke and trembled with his own actions. The difference was that Haydn dove for Alexei whereas the latter leaped away from the former.
Alexei knew well that if they remained in the main portion of the valley, they would attract the attention of the other soldiers which would only lead to fresh casualties. It was better for them to fight where it would be harder for someone to interrupt and that spot happened to be the top of the rear wall in Alexei’s opinion. He pushed backwards up the wall with strength born from years of war and battle. Haydn’s movements were choppy and awkward as he scrambled up the cliff with not nearly the amount of grace Alexei showed. It seemed that while the Earth Spirit had locked himself away, he had neglected his training whereas Alexei had been living off the deaths of others for years. The strain of battle and the marks of his training lingered upon his marble flesh, bring a small smile to his face as he waited for his opponent to reach the heights. When they faced each other again, as adversaries, Alexei could only heave a tired sigh. Despite the training that had been beat into his mind and body…he truly hated the moments like this. Despite their lack of mortality, it pained him to imagine the blood already on his hands and he was reluctant to add to it. He discarded his thoughts though as the image of soulless purple eyes filled his mind. The thought of that strange yet strong creature being broken, disturbed and angered him. As they took their stances, preparing to do battle, they heard the trumpets of war and took a moment to look towards the mouth of the canyon where they had a perfect view of the plains. Stretched out across the mouth of the canyon was the Beldanian army as it met and melded into its full glory except for one lone rider sweeping across the fields by themselves. Alexei watched that lone rider and felt something grip his chest that was warm and soothing while unnerving at the same time. It was Feli; it had to be Feli. Behind her, spanning the plane with a line of white was a portion of the Nyekian army that chased her to the canyon like hounds after a fox. He wanted to climb back down the cliff and order Nyek to stand down but before he could even fully entertain such an idea, Haydn rushed him in anger.
Alexei instantly turned on the defensive, raising his weapon and forcing Haydn back with brute strength. He got a sick pleasure out of hearing Haydn’s grunt of exertion as he tried to hold off Alexei’s thrust but it was futile. Alexei had not been asleep the last thousand years and the difference in their strength was astounding. Placing both hands on the shaft of his weapon, Alexei pushed forward against Haydn, forcing him back and back with his weight till finally, Haydn’s foot caught and their weapons slid against one and other. With contact broken, Alexei backed off a few paces and lowered his stance, waiting for Haydn to attack again. He wasn’t interested in attacking head on headless of the fact that it went against his usual aggressive nature. What he wasn’t expecting was the sudden spike in the energy around Haydn as he drew from the land, the ground shaking and crumbling as it died under his very feet. “So it comes to this…” Alexei’s whisper was harsh in the tense air as he was bathed in the green glow suffusing Haydn’s body. Tensing his own muscles, Alexei watched his breath freeze in the air as it chilled around his body while his eyes turned an even lighter shade of frozen silver in anger. Silvery white light emanated from his skin and there was a slight sense of weightlessness that accompanied the power surge. As their strength increased and their power swathed the land in ice and dead earth, both powerful, inhumane beings rushed each other. Never would it matter that they couldn’t die, this was not to see who could strike down whom first; this was a battle of wills that would have no winner, only bodies that would lie at their feet.