Out from the corner of my eye, a sprawling man caught my attention away from the livestock being cooked upon the fireplace. Getting up onto his feet and climbing onto the log in which he was sitting on, his voice grew loud within the nightly atmosphere.

“Men”, he groaned as he looked across the mass that surrounded him, his round figure catching the attention of quite a few others who were previously talking. “Now, what kind of feast can we have without a few toasts?” Raising his cup, he pointed it toward the sky and continued. “Without you lot, I’ve would’ve been long dead and buried, so thanks to the lot of you bastards!”

Sitting back down, the mass of surrounded men roared with mixes of appreciation and laughter, even getting a smirk out from me as I continued to sip on my drink. Another rose and copied the motions of the previous round fellow before him, “And thanks to you lot too, because with you men, I didn’t piss myself during last night’s raid!”

With even more laughter than before, he sat back down with incoherent ranting coming once again from the round fellow from before.

From behind, out of my vision, a man had already stood up and began shouting among the dying laughter, “And thanks to you lot too, for we’ll finally be able to kill that wicked Queen of the North!”

“Aye!”, I shouted, amidst just about everyone else in the crowd of shouting and excited men. The night had been as lively as ever, with the numerous amounts of men enjoying their time within the campsite. Standing up and unsheathing my battleaxe, pointing its tip to the vast sky above me, I shouted in reply, “For Snowypeak!”

The mass amount of men behind me in complete thrill, shouting and screaming to the top of their lungs to the name of their land. Beating of metal and pounding of chest plates circled the surrounding, becoming louder than anything I’ve anticipated. A man to my right unsheathed his sword and pointed it to the sky as well in a copying motion, “For Seacrest!”

“For Mirrorpool!”

“For Falconreach!”


With the crowd quieting down from the turn of events before, supper started between the four clans, dining on various captured livestock acquired from opposing town’s farmlands. The sounds of the surrounding forest returned with the dying of mass shouts and laughter, and the clouds continued to roll over toward the north within the windless atmosphere. The heat of the main campfire continued with it’s audible cracking, sending visible specks of ash into the air within the passing time. The coolness of the night had finally finished settling for the night, and the feeling of the cold only grew as moments passed within the campsite.

It was assumed by the men of Mirrorpool that it to start snowing any time within the forests, which only encouraged the fastening of our men to reach the Northern Barrier as quickly as possible, yet here we were within the forest still, thankfully though without a dent in our acquired manpower.

Breaking me from my thoughts and getting my attention from behind, one of my own men shouts out for me. Calling me over to their own smaller campfire a couple of steps away, I got up to see what he had to ask of me.

“Hail, Silvertooth,” he greeted, eating with everyone else within the small campfire as I sat next to him. With everyone else intently staring on as if something were about to happen, he continued. “You remember your tale about the time you personally met with the Queen of the North?”

I replied with an aye, “but that tale were a real long ago, I’m not even sure if I remember the details.”

“Don’t worry, laddy,” he reassured, then motioning to a man from across the fire. “Aye, Smallfoot, get us a drink, will ya’?”

The man across from the fire motioned himself up and walked toward the barrel full of water a couple yards over, while the man I’ve sat next to began pleading. “I promised my brothers that they’d hear more about the Queen, and someone as mighty as you would be sure to know something about her.”

The picture within my mind of the old tale was pretty vague, but I did have a somewhat definite idea about the entire thing. “So, what d’ya say? It don’t have to be picture perfect.”

“Here ya’ go, Bigfoot,” motioned Smallfoot, as he gave him his drink. Bigfoot took it, giving a “thanks, lil’un,” in reply. Doing the same for me, I gave a standard thanks as he went to sit back down across the campfire.

“Alright, laddies, so ya’ want to hear about the Queen?” I began once again. “It weren’t an extremely long time ago when I first met her, back when she were a lil’ girl. Back then, I were barely in me thirties and she had been a really lil’ girl. I would normally come over to visit her father, who as a rather formal diplomat back in the days when he was alive and well. Whenever I came over, she was either getting tutored or she would be playing with her sister or the prince of Mirrorpool, or just about with anyone around her age.”

The man sitting across from me continued to sip on his drink, eagerly listening on as I went. “Don’tcha remember anything about that time where you said she was usin’ magic?” he asked, waiting for my reply.

Scratching my beard and taking back another drink from my cup, I continued from the point in which I believed I recalled the most.

---

The sunny springtime had just rolled in, bringing plenty of warm air to the southern portion of the country of Snowypeak. Plenty of animals were to be seen within the wilderness around as I walked among the adventurous road toward the Northern City. It’s numerous buildings and singular castle was easy to be seen as I continued on my way past the numerous hills, with each defining district to be seen from overhead the city. It wasn’t long until I made my way forward, reaching the front gate of the city and making my path toward the main castle.

Through the entire way, my several guards had followed me closely on horses of their own. With the small amount of men I brought this time around, the king was sure to know that I was only here for my yearly visit, followed by the incoming of the springtime. The distance from me to the front gate of the castle had closed, as I and my men went on further to be greeted by the expecting men guarding the front gate. Leaving behind our horses to the guarding men, two of my best men followed me as I made my way to the front door of the huge castle that stood before us.

“Welcome, welcome!” King Asgrad stood at the castle entrance with two of his men, greeting me as I walked forward. “It’s been awhile, clan leader Silvertooth,” he motions with me as I walk for the front entrance. “Have you been well?”

The inside of the castle from the front entrance had been huge, as that was to be expected with royalty. Different types of cloths, lamps hanging from the ceiling, he even had a few statues here and there of numerous gifted armors. It hadn’t been my first time to his castle though, so I wasn’t all too surprised to see it all remain in the same spots as before. “Fine as I’ll ever be,” I replied, taking the usual route we normally take when I come to visit.

“And I take it you had a safe trip?” he asked, entering through the same door into the same hallway we always go through during these visits.

The glare from the sun had picked up with intensity as we walked past in the hallways, illuminating the hall quite well. “Had some run-in with the local bandits around the area,” I went on. The sunlight’s immense glare going into my eyes, forcing me to raise my hand to block it out. “But it’s not like they put up much of a fight.”

“Bandits?” he inquired.

“Yeah, what about ‘em?”

With a short pause after stopping us both, as if King Asgrad thought I knew what he would be talking about, he continued. “Isn’t it a bit odd that they wouldn’t know who you are?”

“I don’t know what ya’ mean.” From my perspective, I’m an old man in my thirties.

“You’re Clansman Silvertooth,” he began. “The man who fought against thirty different tribes and still lived, you’re the man who singlehandedly took out a dragon, you’ve rescued a princess, saved a small village, even—”

“Those were back in me younger days,” I cut off. At this point, remembering a past such as that is just simple flattery. “I’m nothing like what I was. Besides, the group of bandits were just a couple of young’uns. It’s not like they’d know someone with developing gray hairs.”

King Asgrad continued with the normal path that we had normally taken with these visits. “Well, I guess. Just a bit odd that someone with you wouldn’t have their recognition to rival someone as big as me.”

“I guess.” Walking down the path some more until I heard the footsteps of a guard approaching behind us, I motioned toward King Asgrad. “Anyhow, the trade?”

“Ah, yes,” the King stated, turning around to face the approaching man. “Guard?”

“We’ve fully received the shipment and it is currently within storage, sir.”

“That’s some heavy refined magic power you’re dealing with, King,” I stated, raising a hand to scratch my beard. “I hope you know what you’re doing with it.”

In full motion, the king did a bow toward me, “You don’t have to worry a bit, my good man Silvertooth. My intentions are pure.”

Turning toward the direction to the courtyard, we continued. Last man I know who uttered the words of their intentions being pure was at the receiving end of a ritual, and it wasn’t a pretty receiving end to be in either. I could trust King Asgrad, however, as for however many years I’ve known him, I can say that he’s quite an honorable man.

The glare of the sun returned, but not as immense as it was from the magnified version of the previous hallway’s glass. The courtyard of the palace was huge, with a range of plants never to be seen by me but anywhere except here. I was all familiar with the sights of the courtyard each year I visited, except it always caught me off guard with how many new species of plants he’s managed to snuggle in between my visits.

Redirecting my attention toward the small girl within the middle of the courtyard, currently sitting and doing something unknown to me, I spoke up. “Is that your lil’un?” Pointing toward the little girl for the King, I could see his face visibly go into a range of emotions, but the most shocking emotion seen from him was that of fear.

“Why, I do believe so,” he states in a somewhat monotone voice. “Elizabeth!”

The girl out in the courtyard stood up and looked toward the direction in which the voice came from, immediately picking up her pace after she saw that it was from her father. She wore a red and white dress, with an unmeasurable amount of frills added to each possible end. With a matching red bow knitted into her hair, she took a ladylike bow toward me and faced her father.

“G’day,” she spoke, her young and child-like voice being distinguishable from just about anywhere.

“Now what did I say, Elizabeth? You can’t play outside during this time. There are plenty of people who may be after us.” Though there was a slight hint of paranoia within his voice, of which I could reasonably understand, since he is a king after all.

“My apologies,” she glooms, lowering her head in an apologetic state.

“Now go back to your room.”

Raising her skirt and skipping irregularly down the hall, she roundabouts a corner and disappears from sight.

“What was that all about?” I inquire.

“I fear for my life everyday.” Raising a hand and covering his face with his palm, as if he were devastated by something bothering him. “Who knows what kinds of dangers lurk out there everyday. There could be some kind of assassin waiting in the dark, secretly plotting to point me in the direction of death within the midst of the night. There already have been tries, sadly one of them have made it as far as to succeeding. Who knows what they could be plotting, even my little girls could be one of their next targets.”

“Must be tough since you’re the king and all,” I reply. I, myself, have had nothing like this sort. In my clan, everyone treats everyone else as an equal, and the leader is chosen by the strongest warrior. I can understand him as a man for having to shoulder everything, but never have I had to fear for my life, as well as the lives of my own children.

“Oh, but it is,” he says, removing his hand from his face. “Immensely tough indeed.” Pausing before going back onto the subject, he continued to walk the path we normally take during my visits. “But never mind that, we’ve yet to discuss matters about our further trades, and sorry if I’m hastening things a bit, but I am quite on a schedule today.”

Quickening up my pace, I follow.


With the current affairs put an end with and saying my goodbyes to the king, I set off to explore the castle once more, as I normally do with my visits. It’s always nice to see how others can develop within a short time frame, even if you only get to meet them once per year.

Walking past a few hallways and making my way to the ballroom, I open the door to see a quite unusual sight that I normally don’t see during my visits. A girl with an amber colored dress sat on a stool in the middle of the ballroom, accompanied by the previous girl in a red and white dress who was in front of a large canvas, as if she were painting her. Both of them had their attention caught on me as I opened the creaking door, and both stood as I made my entrance.

“Now, I thought that you were sent to your room,” I question the girl in the red and white dress as I approached them. “What are you doin’ in the ballroom, lil’un?”

Looking toward the other girl in the amber dress, making no attempt at eye contact, I remember that the king spoke about having multiple daughters, so I assumed that she was one of his too. “And you too, shouldn’t you be doin’ the same as your sis’?”

“Our father is too strict,” the girl in the red spoke up in her very distinguishable high-pitched voice, continuing eye contact as I grew closer within the large room. “He doesn’t even think about what we have to do all day. Sitting around and doing nothing is tiresome.”

Getting into a squatting position once at a reasonable distance, lowering myself to her level, I continued to look between the two of them. “Well, that’s because he worries for you. He doesn’t want you wandering about because who knows what may get to you.”

“You’re his child, he cares deeply for ya’,” I stated.

Giving a large pause as if attempting to find some counter argument, her eyes darted off toward the floor. “I know,” she gave, mumbling off under her breath quietly for me not to hear what she was currently speaking.

Standing back up, these two have clearly come to an understanding, I think. “Well, if ya’ get the message, then maybe you two can make your way to your rooms?”

With an exasperated sigh and a slight pout, she continued to show distaste in the notion of returning back to her room. “But it’s booorrring!” she quipped. “Tell him, Abby!”

Pushing a lock of hair out of her face with her hand and only making eye contact for a brief moment, she spoke up for the first time in yet another child-like voice, yet not as distinguishable as the girl in red. “It is rather quite tiresome.”

With a loud knocking sound as if something had crashed outside, the three avert their attention toward the door of the ballroom. No one had come in, yet the very audible crash remained.

“What was that?” the girl in red questioned, a slight fear creeping into her voice.

“Stay here and hide, lil’uns,” I say, motioning to the two.

The two little girls stood there, their fear clearly showing on their faces. Their father’s paranoia clearly had made an effect on them if they’re this affected by a knock in which came from outside the room.

“Go off then, make sure you’re safe,” I reassure, shooing them off into a hiding spot from within the ballroom.

The two make off toward a hiding spot as I somewhat quietly make for the front entrance of the ballroom. Pressing my ear onto the door, nothing except silence was to be heard from the other side. Alright, I guess I’ll have to check it out myself first hand if I want to figure this one out.

Opening the door, I step out to find five armed strangers, all holding swords and standing over what appeared to be one of King Asgrad’s guard, now dead. Their outfits were of the same as the bandits who attacked me as I made my venture toward the Northern Castle. With two of the same outfits being at different places, they were probably after my head, and not after the heads of the little girls in the ballroom. However it was, though, I wasn’t liking where this was heading.

Taking my battle stance, my bag of magic powder becomes undone and ready for combat. “Who be there?” I question the five soldiers.

Speaking nothing, the first one of the soldiers charges forward, lunging his sword at me. Taking a slight step to dodge the attack, I knock him back toward the left wall with a punch. Not only were these bandits young, but they were clearly amateurs who have never even been in a real fight.

Shocked expressions going from one to another within the remaining four after I knocked one of their own down with a single punch, they all charge me at once. Quickly casting a spell with the displaced powdered magic, lightning shoots out of the palm of my hand, making it’s mark on one of the charging soldiers and taking out another after a quick recast.

The next two soldiers slash their swords in multiple successions, each attack being blocked by my battleaxe as I stepped back from their advances. Kicking away one of the soldiers after he grew too close, I quickly charged another lightning attack to easily kill him off. The last soldier, who watched him die, charged after me with a roaring scream, which was followed by a swing of his sword to be blocked by my battleaxe once again. Raising a leg and kicking his knee inward as hard as I could, it snapped completely, forcing his leg into an extremely awkward and painfully looking angle. It wasn’t long until I decapitated him, which put an end to his screaming.

Looking back, blood and corpses laid throughout the entire hallway as if someone had gone on a massacre. Correcting myself, someone had gone on a massacre. That one soldier whom I punched had still laid unconscious, so I figured he won’t be a problem anymore.

At the end of the hallway stood the little girl in the red dress, who stood wide-eyed as if she had witnessed what had happened.

“Please, don’t look,” I said, putting my battleaxe back onto it’s sheathe. “It’s not something a lady should be lookin’ at, especially a young’un.”

“That was amazing!” Raising her skirt and speedily making her way toward me, she was visibly filled with questions. “How did you shoot lightning out of your hands?”, she begs. “Please, tell me!”

It was clear that she wasn’t going to leave until she received a satisfying answer. “Lil’un, it’s just basic magic,” I said. “Now, go off to your room now before your father sees that you were roaming about and has a heart attack.”

“Will you be able to teach me?” Her eyes are filled with excitement, the same kind of excitement you’d expect when you give a gift to one of your little ones on a New Years day.

Finally caving in to her innocence, I decide to think about it. “Maybe, I’ll think about it, now go off, lil’un.”

“Yessir!” she said, running off back down the hall. Once she got to the severed head, however, she stopped and stared.

It was about several seconds until I noticed that she wasn’t continuing on and spoke up. “Pay them no mind, lil’un. And don’t forget your sis’!”

Looking back at me, she understood what I was saying and ran off into the ballroom to get her still hiding sister.

---

“And that be basically the most of it, I left soon after.”

“Now, that, is an interesting tale, Silvertooth. Not only did you meet the wicked Queen of the North, but you also saved her!” Bigfoot mentioned, giving an old slap on his knee. “Guess you may be regretting that decision, aye?”

Turning around to see the presence of an elf walking toward me, I stood up to see what he had wanted of me.

“Clansman Silvertooth,” he said, “the other tribal leaders are currently in a meeting and request your presence.”

“Aye, be right back, fellows.” I motioned away the others still at the fire and walked off with the elf.

“Tell us some more swell stories when you come back!”

Walking for the pitched tent across the entire campsite of other men, I entered to see the four clansmen sitting at a makeshift table with a map of the entire country of Snowypeak placed on top of it.

“Aye, you requested?” I said as I entered, taking my seat at the empty seat left for the table.

“Silvertooth,” Victor, the clansman of Mirrorpool greeted. “Now that we’re all here, we can begin.”

“After inspection of our supplies, my men have determined that there is not enough powdered magic to go around for the mages for the final run against the Northern Castle.” Victor motioned and pointed at a village onto the map. “Because of this, we will be raiding this village, here, in order to obtain more.”

“But that village is in the opposite direction of the Northern Barrier,” the clansman of Falconreach spoke up. “If we go there, we’ll be caught by the snow!”

Victor gave a look toward the clansman of the Falconreach and continued. “I know that you fool. If push comes to shove, we will get get past that Northern Barrier by any means necessary, snow or no snow.”

“And how do you propose we do that? Fly over? We don’t have the wings, it would be a lot wiser to simply go through now so then we won’t lose a large portion of our men.” By this time, the Falconreach clansman had started to show a bit of distaste within his voice.

“And risk losing the battle against the Northern Castle?” Victor stated. “The main assault focuses mostly on the usage of immense magic attacks, without these, we won’t get past the front gate of the town!”

“There are plenty of ways to get through, I—”

“No, there isn’t you fool!” Victor slams his hand onto the makeshift table, completely destroying it but paying little mind though. “And if you aren’t going to follow, it’d be ‘a lot wiser’ to simply go with my own men to raid the southern village myself!”

The room was filled with silence after that, as everyone stared at Victor, who only stared back at the clansman of Falconreach.

“I’m for the idea,” spoke up the clansman of Seacrest.

The silence continued between the three as I watched on. Victor, now seated, had looked left from right between the clansman of Seacrest and the clansman of Falconreach.

“Fine,” spoke up the clansman of Falconreach. “I’m in too.”

The atmosphere visibly calmed between the two of them and Victor put his attention on me.

“What about you, Clansman Silvertooth?

“I’ve been fine with it from the beginning,” I stated.

“Alright then,” said Victor, as he continued to sit. “Dismissed.”

Me, being the closest to the exit, got up and made way back to the group I was at once before.

“Aye, Silvertooth,” Bigfoot greeted as I made way toward the campfire. “What’s the report?”

“We’ll be stocking up early tomorrow to finish the last of the village raids,” I replied.

Sitting back down, I dwell once again on how the night had been getting colder as time passed. Constantly reminding me of the incoming snow, I could simply hope for the best for the days to come, and I could only hope that the Victor fellow knew what he was doing.

---

Making my way out of the forest, I couldn’t believe my eyes of what I was seeing. From the distance, I feared that what was occurring only appeared as that from the distance over the trees, but as I got closer, my heart raced faster and faster as I realized that it were really true. All around, the entire village had been engulfed in flames, completely from corner to corner. The heat coming off from it was felt even from the distance that I kept from the blazing buildings, and it was pretty clear that there would be no end to it whatsoever.

“What the bloody hell,” was all that I could muster.

Looking around and finding a group of men standing and witnessing what I had just, I ran over them and confronted the two of them. “Aye, men! Do you know the meaning of this?”

“Aye, sir,” one of them spoke up after seeing who I was. “Victor, the clansman of Mirrorpool, ordered the men of Falconreach to burn down the entire village.”

“On what basis?” I demanded from the men.

The same man spoke up once more in reply. “I don’t know, he just said to and things started to go ablaze, sir!”

Looking to the other man beside him, he replied as well.

“I don’t know anything other than him, sorry sir.”

“Do ya’ know where Victor went?” I questioned, as I waited for a response from the men.

Speaking up once he remembered, he motioned toward the city. “Aye, he went into the church, sir!”

Making no waste in time, I began running toward the church of the city. It was blazed as well, but I demanded answers to my questions now, and charged directly into the burning building.

“Victor Van Heisenburg!” I shouted, remembering his name from once he was a prince.

“So glad you could come, Clansman Silvertooth.” Victor was standing at the front of the church wielding a weirdly shaped lamp as if he had been waiting for my arrival.

“What is the meaning of this, Victor, we agreed to simply raid the village, not burn it to a crisp!”

“And have another village stand up against us once we take control of the Northern Castle?”

“That’s not the point, Victor!” I shouted. “There is no point in burning down villages, we already have what we were after!”

Drawing his sword, Victor slashes at the air, creating an instant magic effect that sliced the air in my direction. Dodging it, he charges me, putting me on the defense of his first heavy attack. With both of my hands fending off his attack, I raise my leg for a kick, but Victor jumps back as if expecting it.

“Once you’re gone for good,” Victor begins, “I’ll be able to take control of this entire fleet of men. Clansman Falconreach and Clansman Seacrest will have no choice but to fall under my command once the mighty Silvertooth has fallen.”

“You’ve gone mad, haven’t you, Victor?” I stood my place as Victor stood his within the burning building.

“Oh, and do you know what will happen once I get to killing that wicked Queen Asgrad?” asked Victor, as he began walking toward me. Not giving him a reply, he continued.

“That’ll mean I’m only one step away from controlling the entire world!”

With that, Victor vanishes within the burning building by a black mist, blending in with the already current somewhat dense smoke the fire had created. Looking around for his position, I scanned the burning room for any kinds of motion besides everything being set to blaze.

“How can ya’ say all of this, Victor?” I speak up. “Don’t ya’ know that your intentions are impure?”

“To Oblivion of pure intentions!” he shouts, the voice coming from behind. Quickly turning I block his incoming attack before he made a mark on me, forcing him to back off once more into the black mist again.

Looking around for any indication, the building was full of fire from all that I could see and hear. It wasn’t until a few moments that I heard the faint sound of him coming from the mist and turned around for an attack. In the middle of doing so, I felt the sharp pain of a sword go through my stomach. Falling to my knees from the pain, I groaned as he removed the sword and kicked me down to the ground.

“And to Oblivion to you too,” he said, as he threw the lamp he was holding off into a corner of the church, then walking out, leaving me bleeding to death.

---

It has been week, so far, since Victor Van Heisenberg’s men completely decimated my stockpiled forces located at the Northern Barrier. That man, clearly something needed to be done about that man. The entire world will be under his control if someone doesn’t put a stop to him. Racking my brains together up for some kind of last minute plan, I knew that it was surely hopeless. After everything that I’ve sent after him, he still has the gall to charge even further than anticipated.

With me being put on my last cards, it was either here or never that he would be put down to justice. That wicked man was something entirely of another world, even thinking about him boiled my blood to the state that it was at currently. May he burn in hell with the rest of them, and—

“My queen!” shouted someone ahead. Taking notice of the tapping of my feet, I stopped and fixed up my posture. Looking up, I saw one of my trustworthy knights who was currently attempting to give me a report on some of his current findings. With a sigh, I cooled down after thinking of that wicked man from before and started once again to think about the present.

“Report.”

His stiff posture within this dire situation showed that he was clearly that of a Knight, and he gave his report with a shout. “The mass of the expected three thousand men have breached the gate and have started their attack upon the town, your majesty.”

Well, there goes that to the gates.

“What is it that you wish to do, Queen?” he continued, attentively waiting for a response from me as I thought about the current possibilities that could be offered.

“Knight Asford,” I began, not breaking eye contact with the knight as I began making my demands. “Make sure all efforts are put in making sure that the men do not harm anyone. Protect the citizens in any way that you possibly can, make sure that they are safe before doing anything major.” I stood up and began stepping down from the throne room onto the level of the knight, my scarlet and black dress dragging down the stairs with me as I progressed. “Release the dragon, unleash hell upon them, simply make sure that they make no effort to harm the citizens of the town.”

“But what about you, my queen?” the knight spoke up, still stiffened as he gave questions toward me. “You surely cannot be left alone in the castle!”

My state of dread returned as I remembered that, what about me? Surely putting everything out to protect my citizens would put me into jeopardy entirely, wouldn’t it?

Dismissing those thoughts, I focused once again on the mission before me, the mission that I had so striven to finish ever since attaining queen-hood. “This is my command, Asford.” My voice hinted in the fact that I knew of my own demise, despite giving the orders.

“Yes, my queen.”

Making my way past him, I made my way to the right toward the bedchambers once more. The glistening moon’s light magnified as I walked past the mirrors of the hallway, illuminating the halls into a magnificent show of lighting. Not pausing for a moment, however, I made my way past the hall into the hall of the bedchambers, which lead to the opened doorway out into the courtyard. It wouldn’t hurt to make a simple detour, now wouldn’t it?

Staring into the vast open night sky was something I loved to do when I was younger, singing tunes and lullabies that I would hear every now and again from my mother, despite me barely even capable of remembering her clearly. Clutching onto my pendant, I closed my eyes and prayed that everything was going to be alright. I do not wish for a silent assassin waiting in the dark, secretly plotting to point me in the direction of death within the midst of the night. Clutching harder and harder, I prayed to my wishes, and wished that my prayers would be heard.

Opening my eyes once more, I stepped away from the courtyard and made my way back down the halls. It wasn’t until quite a while after that I had noticed that I’ve been crying once again. I had always been a baby in these situations. Wiping away the tears with the cusp of my dress, I made leeway toward the door and opened it. Stepping through, I heard a weak and frail voice as I entered the bedchamber.

“Elizabeth?” said the voice from within the bed.

“Hello, my dear Abby.” Stepping toward the bed located in the middle of the room.

“Sister, what is the meaning of the loud noises during tonight?” she questioned, her curiosity once again clearly showing upon her face. “Is there some kind of event?”

Sitting down onto the bed once again with Abby, I cleared the hair that had been shoved into her face with my hand, revealing her extremely pale skin and a wide burn scar that covered both of her eyes. A pang of regret had hit once again during my visits with Abby, showing the guilt that I’ve been hiding quite visibly upon my face. I grabbed Abby’s extremely soft hands and took a deep breath for what was about to come.

Staring at Abby, who was currently giving a blank stare at the ceiling, I began. “Victor’s men have arrived for the town, Abby. We’re currently at war.”

A bit surprised from the given information, Abby’s face showed her thinking about the current implication of the situation. “Oh, but surely, shouldn’t you be fighting with your men?” she questioned, her voice growing with worry.

“Now’s not the time for that, Abby.” Using my free hand, I reached for Abby’s face and gently held it within my palm, only for Abby to react with her facing my general direction, placing her own hand on top of my palm as she laid. “My life up to now has been a life of sin. It were only expected that my past sins would catch up to me sometime.”

“But your intentions are pure, Elizabeth,” whimpered Abby. “Why is it that you wish death to come?”

“It’s not that I wish death to come, but that I am only expecting the inevitable. Until that moment comes, it would be a shame if I weren’t spending it with my beloved sister whom I’ve worked so hard to protect.”

And with that line, Abby finally loses all forms of her posture. Reaching and capturing me within a hug, she pulled me close as if I were about to run away from her. Her cries were quite audible, and I reached around her the same as she continued to squeeze tightly onto me.

“Elizabeth! Elizabeth...” she moaned, never letting go of the hold that she kept onto me. Weeping and sobbing onto my dress, I didn’t mind what she was currently at with. Giving her own moment to get it out proved to work as a wondrous thing in the past, except for this time, she held on with all of her might, her grip tightening as it continued.

“Clansman Silvertooth is a good man, Abby. He will protect you, I am sure of it.” Reassuring her had not stopped the flow of tears that she was currently in, and I couldn’t come up with anything to calm her down “No harm will come upon you as he makes sure of it.”

At this time, I had begun to notice once again of the tears that were streaming down my own face, as they dripped onto the bed sheet. It was at this moment that I had realized how my only sister was about to lose the last person close to her, and the thought of that had only sped up the pace of my own tears. Gripping as hard as my sister had upon me, I quietly wept as she continued to moan through her tears.


After a while, Abby had begun to quiet down in her moans as she cried nonstop down onto my dress, the liquid running deep within the cloth until I felt it on my skin. My own tears had manifested a somewhat damp puddle onto the bed cloth. I had completely stopped and continued to stare at the floor while Abby continued to sniffle every once in awhile.

While in the middle of our moment, a largely audible crash of something hitting the ground rang from outside the bedroom, as if one of the bedchamber guards have fallen. Grabbing both the attention of Abby and me, I quickly got up off from the bed and helped Abby up. With the both of us in complete silence, I helped her lay down onto the floor and to crawl under the bed. With her tucking the feet in under, I moved onto untying the knot of my magic powder, readying myself for battle.

Crashing down, the door flew off of it’s hinges onto the floor. Magic powder flew from outside of the bag into my hand as I concentrated as hard I could, molding the shape of the powder into the form that I wanted to and using my energy to convert it into plasma. Shock waves coursed through my arm as I concentrated harder, and men started stockpiling through the door with all of them charging after me. Releasing the energy from my hand through my fingertips at full charge, a divine light shocked through my fingertips, completely electrifying the group of several men who had attempted to charge me, leaving marks of burnt scars onto their shields and through their entire body.

Taking another look onto the men who had been electrified by the lightning magic, all of them have been elves with standard elf army material, something that wouldn’t be seen from a normal clan within the country of Mirrorpool. It was no surprise though, as all of this was the plot of the Wicked Man from the East.

“Victor Van Heisenberg,” I greeted. Standing within the door frame stood the very wicked man. His sword drawn at the ready, he stood with his back against the door frame as he was waiting, expecting those incoming men to die.

“It’s been a long time, my queen.” His dark elven figure changing position, opening his arms as if he were expecting a warm welcome from someone like me. His smirk grew as he looked into my eyes, probably expecting some kind of fear to show from within. “I can assure you that I’m a prince no more.” Slowly stepping from the door frame toward me, he continued with a smirk on his face.

“Where’s Clansman Silvertooth?” I demanded, drawing more powdered magic into my hand as I prepared the next spell, concentrating hard on preparing the next lightning spell.

His steps grew closer as he gave a moment until stopping from my question. His smirk continuing to grow as time passed. “Long dead, my Queen,” he said. “I killed him myself with my own blade.”

Anger filled within me, already being fueled from my hatred toward the wicked man. There was absolutely no possibility that someone as measly as him could even stand his own against someone as powerful as Clansman Silvertooth. He was lying to me, and I only expected to get the truth out of him by beating it out of him.

Pouring lightning out of my hands, I sent a shock wave of light toward the direction of the man before me. Developing into a flurry of light, he manages to redirect the incoming lightning with a swipe of his sword, using his own magic to counter my own. Sending in a second flurry of light toward his direction, he dodged the second bolt of lightning and started charging forward toward me. Taking multiple steps back, I shot another flurry of lightning at him again and again, but it all stopped once I felt an immensely sharp pain within my stomach.

To the point of complete shutdown, I looked down and saw his sword going through me. Going in and out the other end, straight through my own organs. Nothing else was more intense than the feeling of the deep pain, as the man kicked me off of his sword to the side of where I was once standing. Falling down, grasping onto the newly created hole, my magic worked hard to closing the wound, but using magic only made the pain hurt even more. Tears started streaming down my face from the immense amounts of pain that I was feeling, as I closed my eyes and struggled to make it through.

“And where might your sister be, Elizabeth?” says the man from the edge of my consciousness, my entire focus being on the developed wound I had just taken. “This is her room, after all.”

Slipping in and out of full consciousness, my attention goes from what I was currently holding in toward what he was currently at too, my eyes averting from one to the other as I struggled to keep my life. Coming back into the attention of what he was currently doing, I witnessed him pulling my sister out from under the bed by the hair, and bringing her onto her knees has he wielded his already bloody sword.

“No!” I groan somewhat audibly, my wound preventing me from making any drastic motions or voices. Lifting myself up somewhat slightly by my extremely weakened physique, I attempt to get up to get a better view of what was happening.

Reaching outward toward the two, I formed my hand into the regular casting of my lightning magic, the spell already being cast within my hand. “Don’t!”

Receiving a sharp kick in the face knocking me back down to the ground, I was now gripping my wound as well as my face in extreme pain, my healing magic still attempting to work on my extremely huge gash.

“Die already, you bloody witch!” he says, motioning back to what he was doing before.

Raising his hand with his bloodied sword, readying to slash at Abby, it immediately fell as he groaned in pain, a throwing knife becoming embedded within the shoulder of his arm. With a roaring thunderous set of footsteps drawing nearer, a lone man shot through the door, swinging a battleaxe at the wicked man, only for him to dodge it and become at the receiving end of a punch by his other arm.

Regaining his composure, even I could see that his face was full of fear within my current state. “How the bloody hell are you still alive?” he shouted, with a long pause developing in between them.

“Answer me!” he demanded, now shouting even louder than before.

“It wasn’t hard to learn about ya’ little dark shadow trick,” Silvertooth says, revealing an oddly shaped lamp up from his hip. “Especially when ya’ drop it right next to me.”

Victor wastes no time by shooting slices of wind blade magic, with Silvertooth disappearing into a mist of dark fog, dodging both of the attacks and appearing once more.

“I have but a question, Victor,” he begins as he materializes. “What was the meaning of you falsely calling attacks made by the Northern Castle?”

“Oh, so you’ve heard about those?” Victor charges for another attack, easily blocked by Silvertooth. “How else would I have been able to start this war and gain power?”

“Now die!” Disappearing from my sight by immense speeds, conjured up by magic with no doubt, the man charged at Silvertooth, which was quickly blocked and held by Silvertooth’s battleaxe once more.

Repeating his signature move from before, Silvertooth lifted his leg, and with all of his might, kicked the man’s knee inwardly, sending an insanely loud cry of pain from him. The shouting of pain from his inversely made leg didn’t last for long though, after his head quickly rolled off of his neck.

Wasting no time with the corpse, Silvertooth made leeway for me, applying his much stronger healing magic onto me.

“You never fail to impress, Silvertooth,” I say, as I can feel the strength to make voice coming back.

“Don’t mention it,” he states, looking backward to the now collapsed girl on the floor. “Are you fine, Abby?”

“And glad,” she stated, her voice coming back into the calm state that it normally is in. “I greatly appreciate your help, Sir Silvertooth.” Reaching up by herself, she struggled to climb back onto the bed but managed on her own to lay down on the comfort of the bed sheets.

With the wound making it’s final marks in closing, the healing magic had worked quickly and efficiently. Giving off deep breaths, my energy slowly came back to me as I focused my attention on feeling better. Now with the immediate threat taken out to the trash, I could finally focus on helping my fellow men with their current affairs at hand.

Rising once again, Silvertooth reached a hand downward toward me, with an expectant look on his face for me to take it. “Now, what do you say we put a stop to this pointless war?” he asked, motioning for me to accept. Grasping his coarse hand, I raised myself back onto my feet, my scarlet and black dress rising with me as I stood tall once again. I felt as if I were a new me, and that there was nothing that could stop the two of us.