Kill the King •Ivar the Boneless• [ON HIATUS]

2 - Still too Young

Ironcrawlers

Death was all around her, her army was dying. She didn't know what to do, she had thought that victory was going to be seen in this war. "Victory was hiding herself, she will shine forth soon enough." She kept telling herself as she watched all her men die. She thought her plan was flawless. It was all becoming so clear, she wasn't ready, she was only seventeen. She was still too young.

Mosseus had warned her that her plan may fail, but she hadn't listened to him. She didn't think her plan could ever fail. She thought that she had perfected it. For the last three years, she had spent hours, days, of her time, finding all the faults. Yet, it didn't seem to be enough, everyone was dying. Shaking herself from her thought, she looked out to her men, screaming one last order.

"RETREAT!" she shouted, motioning for them to run, to flee the battlefield. If they were to defeat their enemy they'd have to retreat and regroup with the rest of the Ironcrawlers. Her men's wounds needed to be treated, she needed to revise her plan and consult Mosseus. Her men, some reluctant to follow, ran past her to where their camp was. Some helping their fallen, wounded comrades along the way. 

They all ran, hoping to make it back to the camp without being annihilated by the enemy. They ran harder than they ever had in their entire lives. They wanted to live, they wanted to repay the enemy for killing their brethren. 

Every step Asher took, she felt more hatred and disgust for herself. She had foolish led her army to their death. She couldn't stand that she had been so foolish as to think she could lead an army. To think that she, a teenager, was wise enough to plan an attack on her enemy. She felt stupid for not realizing how strong the enemy actually was. 

Her army couldn't hate her for what she'd done. They knew it wasn't her fault that this had happened. They knew none of their fallen brothers wouldn't blame her. They knew that she would bring them victory much sweeter than this one would have ever been. Even if she was young, she was still a strong fighter and intelligent for her age. 

Miles later and they were back at the Ironcrawler's camp. The wounded men were brought to the healers and the others gathered around, getting ready for any attacks that may come from their enemy. 

Asher, after seeing that all of her men were taken care of, headed to Mosseus's tent. As she entered, she saw her master laying in a makeshift bed, paler than normal. Mosseus had been injured fatally in one of the previous battles, it was still unbelievable that he was alive. But, he had always said that he would only die when he finally saw that his heir was ready to rule over his people.

Asher was far from ready, she was inexperienced when it came to leadership and war. This was her first battle in which she was in command. It hadn't ended well, as you can see. Mosseus knew that she would fail, he saw all the flaws of a naive child in her glorified plan. But, he wanted her to experience failure first hand, even at the cost of his men.

Now as he moved his head to look at her, he knew that she had failed and that she was finally ready to listen to what he had to say. Something in her seemed to change after she watched her helpless army be cut down. She seemed to be less like a teenager who thought they knew everything and more of an adult who was willing to be taught and learn. Mosseus, with great effort, rose from his horizontal position, turning to his heir.

"Asher," his loud, booming, attention-demanding voice filled the tent, "you have failed. You have killed my men in your childish game. How will you redeem yourself? Surely, you can't believe that I would accept you with open arms when you have taken part of my army from me?"

Asher looked down, ashamed of her actions, she knew that she shouldn't and wouldn't be forgiven. She knew that she needed to be punished, but she also knew that she needed to avenge her deceased brethren.

"Master, there is nothing that I can do that will ever be able to compensate you for all the men you've lost today," she spoke softly.

Mosseus looked at the young girl, seeing the pure emotions that passed over her face. Agony, disappointment, hatred, and vengeance all showed clearly. Mosseus knew that she wanted revenge, he knew that she was not going to give just yet. In that respect, he was proud of her, he was proud that she was not easily crushed by bad experiences. He was glad that they seemed to bring her new life and make her stronger than before. He was ready to see her conquer.

A simple smile passed over Mosseus's scarred face, "Let's think of a different strategy. Tell me what you've learned. Tell me what the enemy was like."

With that, the two spent a majority of the next week perfecting a plan and growing stronger for the next battle. They trained not only their physical body but also their minds. Asher became wiser with each passing day, showing the true leadership qualities inside of her. She was finally willing to listen to her master and do anything that he saw as right. She was going to use his years of wisdom and perfect herself into becoming a greater leader and a better warrior. So that the next battle would bring victory. Asher would have revenge. The Ironcrawler's would have revenge. Asher would be victorious and bring a new fear to the name Ironcrawler.