The tears of a Phoenix

Chapter 1. Isaletta pov

Grey clouds gathered at the horizon as the men set up their tents. Isaletta watched from a hill. Thousands of soldiers were setting up the camp for the night. Many of these men would never return home. She turned as someone put a hand on her shoulder. Her brother Gilardo looked at her with worried eyes. "Are you alright?". She nodded and turned away again. Her older brother would be king some day and she his protector and adviser. The ones with the gift always stayed close to the family. To the king and queen. It was their duty to protect them. She had always known what her duty would be, her place in the world, yet she had not thought it would be this hard. The magic was a blessing and a curse and only the ones before her who had wielded this magic knew it's price. Her father saw her as a weapon, her people a saviour, a protector and her fiancé saw her as his way to a higher power. She was none of these things of course. Honestly she wish she was. For the reality was much worse and soon the enemy army's would find out.

She followed her brother into the tent. Her father and war generals were already inside leaning over a table filled with maps. "The phoenixes fly in the east when we take this path we will cut them off from regrouping with the Larya fae. It will leave the Larya fae open for attack from our allies." General Heay pointed out a path on the map. Her father grumbled something she couldn't hear. "Yes, the phoenixes are powerful. But we have princess Isaletta with us at this battlefield." As all eyes fell upon her she steeled herself meeting her father's eyes. His eyes narrowed in thought. She did not avert her eyes from his. She would not show weakness now. "Very well." The king said finally. "Isaletta will fight at the front then. Gilardo, my son, you will fight at my side." Gilardo looked displeased as he interrupted his father. "You want me at your side and send your daughter to the very front?" Their father now looked at his son irritated. "Yes, because you are my heir and she has the gift of Zhoryama." Her brother took a step forward but she grabbed his arm. He looked at her and she shook her head. Fighting father was pointless now. Her father took that for his win and continued to explain his strategy of war. Placing men, generals and companies in place for the coming battle. Isaletta and her brother remained silent for the rest of the meeting. "That would be all. You are dismissed." As she and her brother made for the exit the king said. "Not you two." She sighed as she stepped aside to let the generals pass by her. Gilardo turned and walked to the king. "What now? You might want to marry us off before battle now too?" His voice was low and dark, a dare, a warning. Isaletta turned to face them too. The view surprisingly familiar. At home Gilardo and her father had many arguments. Her father king Tayllion never gave the protest of his children much heat. He made the choices and they just had to obey. And Gilardo was not the one to be ordered around. She studied them both for a while. Her father at his mid 30s, tall, broad build, blue eyes and dark blonde hair would have probably looked much like his son in his younger years. Gilardo, like his father, had blue eyes and light blonde hair. Yet he wasn't as tall as him but also well build. She herself had long blond hair and green eyes, her mothers eyes. She some times wondered how she and her younger brother Raiyen were doing at home. The war had already taken his time and she missed her family even more having a proper bath. The sudden silence snapped her attention back toward her father. Both her father and brother were silently watching her as if they expected her to say something. "What is it?" She asked. Her brother groaned as he put his hands on his hips. "Just tell him you don't want to fight at the front lines. It's madness, you could die there." She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'll die?" "That's not-" He sighed. "You know that's not what I meant..." She looked at him her eyes now hard and determent. If he thought she could not do it then she would prove him wrong. "I will fight at the front lines. And I will lead our army to victory." "There you have it." Her father then said nodding his agreement. "Isaletta will lead us to victory. Then after we defeat these beast she will wed lord Mediean's son. And then my son we will find a bride for you too." The king put a hand on his son's shoulder but he just shook him off. "You better make it out of that battle tomorrow alive sister..." His expression was dark as he passed her leaving the tent. She swallowed. She wasn't that convinced of her survival tomorrow. Her father approached her and she stiffened. A faint smile tugged on his lips. "I am proud of you my daughter. I know you will save us all tomorrow." He kissed her forehead before leaving the tent as well. Suddenly she felt cold inside. Fear clung to her. Save them all. She knew she could not. She swallowed ones, twice. The fear would stick. She grinds her teeth. Tomorrow would come no matter what she did. And tomorrow people would die for her, because of her. That night she didn't find rest.

The next day she sat upon her warhorse. A golden mare a colour so rare only the royal family had them. Gold Star she had named her. Because her fur shines like the stars at night. Behind her was a company of 100 men. She looked them over, many of those men would die very soon. Because her company was bait to lure them in. To think of this an easy win. But they would be wrong. She was the surprise, a certain death trap. She summoned her magic shifting the clouds above her. A storm was on the rise. A storm that would shake the world. For a long time they waited. Isaletta concentrated her magic on the sky. The clouds turned from white to grey to a darker grey. And then she heard them. Shrieking as they unleashed their battle cry as flaming birds in all sizes appeared at the horizon. She raised her sword. "For Toronce! For the king!"

"For Toronce, for the king, for the princess!" Her men echoed. "Archers!" She shouted. The archers drew their arrows and knocked them into their bows. She waited watching the flaming birds grow bigger. Her horses hooves nerveusly stomping the ground beneath them. Their colours were bright red, orange and gold. They could have been beautiful if they were not here to kill them all. Fear slowly grabbed her as she tried counting them. There were about 200 of them. More then she had behind her right now. But she knew her father and brother had more men that would join them soon. Yet standing here so open and bare made her feel vulnerable. Her heart pounds fast and her magic strifes within her begging for release. The cries of the phoenixes became louder and she tightened the grip on her sword. "Fire!" The archers unleashed their arrows and she summoned her magic letting the arrows fly faster and wider. Those who hit a target she pushed with extra magic, ice magic, freezing part of the birds for a while. The birds cried out in pain and struggled to melt the ice. "Again!" A second wall of arrows crossed the sky and hit targets. But now the phoenixes where close enough to use their magic too. Suddenly it became very hot and her armour, tunic and pants were suddenly to hot to wear. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she heard her men scream behind her. They were being cooked alive. She raised her hand summoning her magic again as lighting struck across the sky. The birds shrieked confused as she released her lightning upon them. Some light up bright blue when the lightning hit them for a moment. Then they fell from the sky. She closed her eyes summoning more of her power and as cold rain finally hit her face she gasped. She opened her eyes and looked around. Her men were sweating, some lay in the ground cooked in their own armour. Archers releasing more arrows and others helping the wounded up. The cry of a loud deep voice made her world stop. "Princess Isaletta!" The cry rose from their attackers side and heat welled over her as she turned to look back to the attacking horde of phoenixes. A giant bird red and golden dived for her. She summoned her magic now from her hand. Ice build around her hand and wrist as she threw it forward a blast of ice blew toward the phoenix. It leaped back dodging the attack. Some where behind her she heard her men cry out. "For the king!" She knew her father's men were joining the battle now as the first phoenixes crashed into her company. Claws grabbing and scratching people. Screams rose around her as she commanded her magic to spred and heal her men. A phoenix landed on the battle field not far from her and his magic pushes against her shields as it leaped toward her. She blasted more ice at the bird throwing the bird backwards into the battle field. It crashed on her own men but also into an other phoenix as they both screamed in pain. Her horse stomps it's hooves down restlessly turning on it's place. She tried to calm it by patting it's neck. "Easy girl." She put a hand on the horses her neck and in that moment a stray arrow pierced it. Isaletta screamed and so did her mare. The horse rears and runs off. Isaletta tried to pull the arrow out with her left hand but couldn't put up enough strength and stay in the saddle at the same time. Her mare ran through the chaos without hesitation. The battle field was a near slaughter. Men lay dead in the dirt, burned, ripped apart by claws. Some ran around still burning and still screaming. Fire birds flew all around shrieking. Somewhere she smelled burning grass. Smoke filled the air making it hard to see into the distance. Heat waves pushed against her shields and the rain damped around her. She had to do something. Grinding her teeth she threw herself with all her might on the arrow which held her captive to her mare's neck. It broke as she fell. She landed in a pool of dirt and blood between bodies. Pain clouded her vision as she pulled the arrow out of her and threw it away. Blood pored from the wound but she didn't care. Cursing beneath her breath she pulled her armour lose and threw it off too. It would only get in the way now. She rose on shaking feet as the rain washed most of the dirt and blood from her face she beheld the red golden phoenix hovering before her. "Princess Isaletta." It said to her again. She lifted her chin and looked it in the eye with fire blazing in her own eyes. "The one and only, bird face."