War of Winter (Iron Fey Fanfiction)

Chapter 20 - The Charge & Demise

          Crystal tried in vain to steady her hands as she adjusted Blackbird's saddle. She was always nervous before battle. Well, a soldier really never knew if they would return from war or not. Blackbird nickered and nudged her wrist with his soft, velvety nose. 

      "What are we doing here, huh?" she murmured to him. He snuffed in response. She tightened his cinch and checked her saddlebags one more time for the extra weapons. She sighed and wiped her forehead. Her thoughts went back to yesterday - and the night before. 

     Thistle was an excellent male in that certain category. However, the forgetting part had become rather difficult after they finally fell asleep and Rowan haunted her dreams. She'd woken up early in the morning covered in cold sweat and slightly disoriented. 

    Thistle slept in while she had quietly rose and pulled her clothes on, wishing she could take a bath before her morning training. But, she wanted to get her mind off of the ice prince and training would certainly help. 

      She'd trained throughout the day, much like the other soldiers who were preparing for the upcoming battle. She'd completed drills on Blackbird, trying - and failing - to watch as Rowan (who was also, might we add, shirtless) as he sparred with Edgebriar in a clearing a half mile back from their camp. 

    Of course, he'd caught her looking and winked. She blushed, cursed his existence, and looked away, urging Blackbird into a hasty gallop. By the time the sun touched the horizon, Crystal was nearly spent, and Blackbird was famished, swallowing down five whole jackrabbits. 

    "Crystal, dear!" her mother's voice brought her out of her thoughts so fast that she shook her head, disoriented. 

   "What is it, Mother?" she asked, a bit snappy. She took in her mother slowly, still surprised by the fact that the Duchess wore fighting black armor with patterns like a raven's wings and a sword strapped to her hip. 

   "The Queen has requested you to be on the front lines, with Winterbrey's troops. She has heard of your complimentary skills in battle and thought it would be wise to have a skilled and seasoned soldier in the front." Her mother smiled proudly, but there was pain in her eyes. Crystal knew her mother couldn't have protested, even if she wanted to. 

    "What an honor," Crystal said flatly with a teardrop of sarcasm. She turned to mount up on Blackbird, grabbing a fistful of black mane to hoist herself into the saddle. Her black fighting leathers made it slightly more challenging. 

    The Duchess placed a gloved hand on her daughter's elbow. "Do you have the locket?" she asked, her voice low. Worry dotted her elegant face and she pressed her lips together. "Be careful, sweetheart," she whispered when Crystal nodded. "The cheetahs and lions and other big cats are placed on the front lines of Summer, so judge their moves carefully," she told her.

    Crystal nodded. "I will...." she said. She almost said 'I promise' but then held her tongue. No one knew what to expect of this battle and Crystal wasn't about to make any promises she couldn't keep. 

    Her mother let her go and Crystal swung up into the saddle. "Be careful, my Lady," she told the Duchess. Her mother nodded and placed her right fist to her left shoulder in their family salute. 

   "Always," was the last thing Crystal heard out of her mother's mouth before she urged Blackbird into a trot to join the other troops for war. 

********* 

   Silence. 

 That's the first thing you hear in the few moments before pure chaos. Silence. Crystal liked it, in a way. Her ears rung and her nose was filled with every scent and smell in the Fields, making her all the more alert. She swallowed and shortened Blackbird's reins. 

   Winterbrey looked like a king of his own army as he sat upon his warhorse, his helmet obscuring only the sides of his handsomely scarred face. Crystal opted not to wear a helmet - they were too heavy and got in the way. 

   A wind banked the hill across the Fields and Summer emerged, marching onto the field and trampling the tall grass underneath. Summer's ranks were surprisingly small. Sure enough, the front lines were composed of mostly big cats, rhinos, centaurs, and other animals. The soldiers dressed in gold and green armor were silent, unlike the Winter soldiers who were now braying like animals for Summer's demise. 

   Crystal swallowed and waited for Winterbrey's signal to draw her weapon. Blackbird snorted and pranced about, anxious to charge. "Where are all their soldiers?" Crystal wondered aloud to the fey beside her, a female with a cruel scar decorating her face. 

   "Don't know," she replied, only slightly annoyed. "Maybe Oberon kept the goodies for the last parts of the war to finish us off when we grow tired."

   "Well, we will just have to make sure we don't grow tired, then," Crystal snarled, offended that a soldier would suggest such a thing. Winterbrey called a command and drew his sword. Crystal drew hers and let the massive battle cry that had overtaken Winter envelope her, filling her veins with everything that Winter was: cold, unforgiving, brutal death. 

   Oberon, sitting atop a black stallion, gave his signal, and his ranks charged. Crystal dug her heels into Blackbird's sides and joined as Winter surged forward, picking up speed. She didn't know where the Winter Princes were, but out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Ash's horse hesitate, his nostrils flaring and his eyes going wide with fear. 

   Blackbird, on the contrary, picked up speed and it felt as if Crystal were truly flying. They were so close to making contact. But, it did seem as if the lions, cheetahs, lynx, and centaurs were easing up a bit. Fools, Crystal thought. 

    She smiled at the thought of the Summer soldiers being skewered one by one on her sword. On Winter's swords and knives and arrows. But then, her smile faded as Blackbird suddenly snorted and came to a halt so fast Crystal almost tumbled from the saddle. She grabbed onto his mane and frowned in anger and confusion as he whirled and fled in the other direction...

.....as many of the other cavalry were doing. Crystal tried in vain to rein him in and steer him around, but he grabbed the bit between his teeth and she lost complete control. She looked back in time to see one of the centaurs throw something towards Winter's ranks - toward Winterbrey's ranks, who were still charging. 

   She had to look away to see where she was going, still attempting to gain control of her horse. It was only at that moment that she understood why the horses were acting the way they were. A scream lodged in her throat as a deafening boom shook the earth behind her. 

   And then, the screams began.