Dark clouds gathered ominously above a massive forest clearing the small border town of Resolute, warning the human and elven armies below to seek shelter—or risk being swept away by nature's wrath. Great icy gusts of wind helped to drive this point home, sending chills through the spines of many of the gathered warriors. Despite such foreboding weather, the armies remained on the field, staring each other down as they waited for the order to charge into battle.

  At the forefront of the human army sat the formidable King Virnius, head of the House of Valens and current sovereign of the Kingdom of Varson. Virnius had cold blue eyes and a thick, bushy brown beard that helped keep his face warm. Virnius had built a strong reputation as one of the strongest Kings in Varsonite history, leading the dogged defense of the Kingdom against increasingly bold elven raids. He had promised his people that he would end the war and an opportunity had arrived for him to fulfill his promise.

  As Virnius looked out at the elven army arrayed against him, a slight sense of unease filled him. He didn’t expect the elves to mobilize in the face of the Varsonite army, as a pitched battle would put the elves at a numerical disadvantage. The size of their army indicated to the King that most, if not all of the Queendom’s soldiers were here for battle. The question that remained was if the elves had some sort of trick up their sleeve…some sort of hidden reserve that he couldn’t see.

  “Father… the Wolves of Varson are hiding in wait as you commanded. All that’s left is for you to give the order and we shall sweep the elves from the field.” The neutral voice of his eldest son and the current Crown Prince of the Kingdom, Drusus snapped Virnius out of his thoughts, prompting him to turn his gaze to meet his son’s.

  Drusus was built much like his father, tall and broad with a well-kept beard and short-cropped brown hair crowning his scalp. Virnius had high hopes for Drusus, as the young man had shown great potential at every opportunity. Not only was he physically attractive, Drusus had shown keen skill as a young warrior during many of the battles with the Sonians. His sword fighting skills were superb while his ability to think flexibly enabled him to take control of unfavourable engagements and turn what would be seen as a certain defeat into a heroic victory. There was no doubt in the King’s mind that when he died, Drusus would make a fine King who would lead the Kingdom to ever higher heights. His pride in his son would have to wait, however, as for now they had a battle to win.

  “Thank you Drusus, that’s all I need. We should rally the men.”

  With that, the pair grabbed the reins and pushed their horses to walk a few steps in front of the army before spinning them around to face the troops.

  While a majority of the faces Virnius gazed upon had steel looks of determination, there was a noticeable number of soldiers who bore expressions of unease. This was something he could not blame them for as everyone in the Kingdom knew that this would potentially be the battle that decided who would gain ultimate supremacy over the land and that many men would not return alive. With the stakes of the battle clear in his mind, the king reached to clasp a bright blue crystal around his neck and spoke firmly, letting the magic within carry his voice to every man and woman in the army while Drusus sat quietly next to him.

  “Fellow brothers and sisters in arms… I am pleased to tell you that today is a day we have all been looking forward to ever since the early days of our proud Kingdom. Today is the day we finally crush the haughty Sonians who have sought to impede us and rightfully take our place as the masters of the land!”

  Virinius had to wait a few moments for the cheers to die down before he could continue.

  “The elves have taken much from us in their petty raids. Our lands…our wealth…the lives of our people. They prattle on and on about how we are a danger to the land and that they must keep us in check, and for what? Merely existing?”

  Angry murmurs rose from the men as the King scoffed.

  “But no more. I will not lie to you and say that this will be an easy victory. As you can see behind me, the elves have brought a very formidable looking army of their own. And while it may be smaller in number, only a true fool would underestimate them. Despite that, I have full faith in each and every man and woman here to complete their duty to defend our fair Kingdom against her foes. You are the famed soldiers of Varsonia! There is no beast insurmountable, no tribe undefeatable and certainly no Queendom unconquerable that can stand in your way!”

  More cheers rang out, but Virnius did not pause this time.

  “You are the current that will wash our foes from the field! You are the lightning that will smite the haughty elves from their precious high ground! You are the fire that will erase those damned knife ears and make them nothing more than the ashes of history!”

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  As the cheers grew louder, he thrust a balled fist into the air and snarled.

  “We are Varsonites! We bow to no one but our own!”

  He then turned his horse around, drew the legendary longsword artifact Fatebinder and thrust it forward in the direction of the elven army arrayed against him, prompting Drusus to also draw his weapon.

  “For the Kingdom of Varson! For Humanity! CHARGE!”

  And with the charge of the Varsonite army….the Battle of Resolute had begun.

  On the other side of the battlefield, Queen Elanil of House Sonia stood perched on a rather large rock behind the gathered Sonian Army, giving her a commanding view of the battlefield. Blessed with a tall, slender frame with flowing blonde hair and shimmering green eyes, the Queen radiated beauty that could enchant even the hardest of hearts. Today however, her beauty was slightly muted as she stood dressed in an intricately decorated set of armor made out of Valokivest?, a light yet surprisingly durable metal commonly found in the homeland of the elves. On her back rested Verdant Dawn, a magical longbow that served as the main weapon of each queen ever since the founding of the Queendom. A mastercrafted shortsword hung from her belt, completing the look of a Queen prepared for battle.

  Normally she’d be back in Erindoralos, but when Grand Commander Aywin Pafina had reported that the humans had mobilized all they had in preparation to launch a full fledged invasion, she had no choice but to act. Ordering Aywin to muster all the professional troops available, a plan had formed between them to crush the Varsonite army in one fell swoop. To not oversee the battle personally would be a great disservice to the staggering amount of her soldiers that could perish this day, not to mention potential political suicide.

  As she stared out at the rows and rows of elves that would soon meet the Varsonites in battle, a sense of deep sorrow washed over her. She didn’t want the war started by her mother Lixiss, yet she was ultimately powerless to stop it as the flames of hatred had consumed the elves from the inside out. This war had been going on far too long for Elanil to simply negotiate peace, and she knew that fact far too well.

  Nobody really knew who landed the first blows that had started the war, as first contact had been a rather peaceful, if not slightly tense, affair. After an incident where hunting parties had met and clashed over a section of the infamously ill defined border, tensions quickly skyrocketed. War declarations from both states followed as any attempts to negotiate were shot down by the respective monarchs.

  What followed was a decades long back and forth complete with raids, village burnings, and the occasional skirmish battle between the two giants. Many had died on both sides, though the Varsonites seemed to feel the pressure more as their centralized Kingdom made elvish raids particularly effective at influencing their economy. That was until Lixiss died and Elanil took to the throne, which threw the elvish army’s rhythm off just long enough for the Varsonites to gather their forces for a large-scale attack.

  A firm hand on Elanil’s shoulder shocked her out of her thoughts, and she let out a gasp as she turned to face whoever had dared to touch her. Her brief anger and shock quickly disappeared however as she found herself facing the concerned violet eyes of her personal bodyguard, Nueleth Trastina. Adorned with long silver hair tied into a ponytail, she was protected by an ornate chestplate made of Valokivest?. Nueleth had been at Elanil’s side for most of her life serving as not only Elanil’s bodyguard, but also as her greatest mentor and eventual friend as well.

  The pair stood in silence for a few moments before Elanil surged forward and wrapped her arms around her friend in a firm hug, a move that Nueleth quickly reciprocated. They remained in an embrace for a few warm moments before they separated Neuleth breaking the silence with a reassuring tone.

  “You must stand tall my Queen. Your presence is the inspiration our troops need to crush the humans, freeing this land from their vile ambitions so that we may finally know peace.”

  Nueleth’s words were harsh, but Elanil ultimately agreed with a small smile. One painful battle and the elves could finally subjugate the humans and guide them into becoming responsible inhabitants of the land.

  “Thank you Nue for not only the encouragement you have given me, but also for being here at my side through this terrible ordeal. I honestly don’t think I could stand here without you and be a beacon for my people.”

  The smile disappeared from Elanil’s face however when Nue silently pointed behind her, prompting the Queen to turn around in time to see the Varsonian Army charge.

  While she did not feel ready, Elanil had no choice but to draw her bow from her back and channel her mana through the bow, forming a shimmering green string made up of pure magical energy. Drawing it back, she formed a magic arrow, and breathed in. With this arrow she would signal the elves' entry into a battle that would either bring their triumphant victory or disastrous defeat.

  She let out a controlled exhale and jerked the bow up towards the stormy clouds above, releasing the arrow with a shout.

  “FOR PEACE!”

  The arrow was unleashed into the sky like a green bolt of lightning, causing the heavens to finally release their payload and douse the battlefield in a grand torrent of rain. The signal given, the elves all raised their weapons in unison and with one voice answered their Queen’s call.

  …For peace.

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