The Crown Of Fire

Aria XIII

The birds didn't chirp that morning. The camp wasn't lively.

And the Earthborn and the oldest otherworlder stood around a table with the battle plans. Both were sullen, sad. Both knew from the chirp the birds brought that Omdrus, the great wolf, had died the night before.

Ghostdrum encouraged them to come up with a battle plan. He offered his help in any way, and while they agreed to make the plan, nothing happened while they stood there in silence.

Aria had enough. Her sister would win if they didn't have a good plan. She was sick and tired of the evil that had reigned in her weakness.

"Hide the calvary in the forest," she spoke. "Alexander can lead the infantry in a charge. If we can convince Seraphina that Alexander leads the entire army, she will charge. Split the cavalry in two, once her army clashes with the infantry, I will lead the cavalry and box her in."

"She'll know something is wrong if they charge first," Ghostdrum told her. "It's likely she wouldn't take the risk."

Alex shifted his weight, he was deep in his thoughts again. "Then we goad her into charging."

"How do we do that?" Fogdream inquired. "There are no words in existence that can anger her. If she can win the battle, she won't fall for petty tricks."

"Do we have tar?" the black-haired boy asked.

"Yes."

Aria connected the dots fairly fast. He had intellect, he was a strategist. She wondered if he was a battle planner in his world, but she shot the idea down. He was far too young to be planning battles. But as it stood, so was she.

"We get the griffins to drop buckets of it on her army," she surmised. "That is if we can get her to send some of her men to the front."

"And we can. Omdrus is dead now, the message said that she's gathering forces, she's going to charge. She doesn't think she can lose, and she will target every threat to that. We just need to be threatening."

Aria added to his portion of the plan. After all, he was new to this. "Omdrus made no plan for us, but he gave us an advantage nonetheless. He's set this battle at The Crown Of Fire. The lands that his own father blessed. There are only a few ways to access it. She will come from the north, and presumably, we would also have to. But, there's a canyon. We can leave a mass portion of the archers on the cliffs, and portions of the army as well. Once we get her army boxed in, we fight as many as we can and then we fall back to the canyon, there we can overrun them."

"What of Octavia and Edward?" Fogdream asked. "As High King and Queen, they have to participate in this battle."

Aria watched as Alex averted his gaze. She let out a sigh. "They will command the forces on the cliffs. At that point, there will be little danger."

"We're gonna lose," Alex spoke up suddenly, his knuckles turning white as his grip on both sides of the table tightened. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "We're going to lose because Omdrus has died, and I... I'm just a fool with a blade."

Aria rolled her eyes and slapped the back of his head. "You are a bloody fool when you talk like that." she was firm in tone. Stern. "Omdrus believed that you are worth something. And he died making sure that we could win this battle. It's an insult to his memory to think otherwise."

He rubbed the back of his head. "All I'm saying is that we're inexperienced, it would be better for people with experience to lead the world."

"You already have one, King Alexander," Ghostdrum told him. Aria let out another sigh.

"I've been fighting battles my entire life," she admitted. "Though I can't remember them, I've heard the stories they tell about me. I followed the wrong leader. But it's from this mistake that I've learned to follow the right one."

"If I die, Octavia has no one. I'm just... I'm trying to be realistic," Alex told her. She let out a breath and cursed under it.

"We need to have hope," the white-haired girl spoke. "Omdrus always had hope. And as long as there's hope, there's a chance." she paused, pursing her lips. "I told you that this was preordained. That sword didn't choose you by chance, it was by design."

Hope sparked in his eyes. "Then, let's get this over with."

She smiled. Her words ignited a fire in her soul. A fire that was long ago extinguished. This fire was her thirst for battle.

This fire was the flame that ignited her passion for vengeance.

The flame that she hoped would be Seraphina's doom.

~

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