Throne of Roses

Chapter 11

It took them solid four hours to get ready and winnow everyone to the battle field. The Valg have chosen a rather empty field that the Summer Court was using for agriculture. The slight hills were not enough to provide advantage to either side.

The High Lords and the two High Ladies stood at the centre a few steps ahead of the front line as they were told to do by Aelin, despite winnowing her in, Feyre had no idea where in the cauldron the Queen was. Suddenly the chatter of the soldiers stoped and from what Rhys heard most of them barely dared to breath, they all made way though for... the Queen. Aelin walked in a peaceful stride towards them her golden armour shining in the summer sun, her face set in unfeeling stone and her chin held high. Any idiot could tell that she was the one commanding the armies.
Aelin took a few steps in front of the High Lords and Ladies before finally saying; 'Orcus.' Loud enough for him and a few lines of soldiers around him to hear.
The dark haired and golden eyed male that looked as pale as death took a few steps forward and smiled slightly, it wasn't a kind smile nor a smile of a male that knew he won but a calculated one that told Aelin he knew exactly who she was.
'Unless you are planning to beg for mercy and offer your bodies to the Valg I suggest we get on to the fighting.' He said sounding board.
'How about a deal? You and I fight and only the two of us. The winner, apart for getting to kill the other, gets to do what ever they want with the enemy's army.' He smiled at her again, yet this time it was a smile of a too proud male that knew he won.
'It's a deal.' He said in a cold but victorious voice.

Aelin and Orcus made their way towards each other and stopped midway. Orcus smiled wider as he made Aelin relive through all the horrors in her still short life. She was on her knees in a matter of seconds and he stepped closer. That was his mistake. Aelin anticipated him using his powers and prepared herself for it, it helped that she forgave herself for those things years ago in Wendlyn. And so when he was close enough Aelin took out her sword and with one sleek move cut his head clean off. The Valg instantly stoped their laughter.
'This is your cue to leave.' Aelin said to the Valg her voice dangerously sweet. 'Unless of course you want to be  slaughtered?'
A Valg princes stepped forward. 'Your army is at least two hundred thousand smaller than ours.' And it was true the army that was going to fight for Prythian was only three hundred thousand, the Valg could have been no smaller than half a million. A wicked smile made its way onto Aelin's face as she said 'who told you that was all of my army?'
A second later seven portals appeared one right next to Aelin, a male with silver hair and armour stepped out of it and as soon as he did it shut. The other two appeared in the air right in front of the aerial legions out of those came thousands of fae, humans and witches on flying war machines otherwise known as wyverns and Ruks, each of them holding large boulders in their talons. At the head of those was a witch with moon white hair and gold eyes and a human man with dark hair.
Another portal opened a few steps in front of the High Lords and Ladies out, out of it came a woman with black hair and eyes she seemed to be leading an army of no less than eighty thousand, all of which were well armoured.
Another one was opened about ten feet behind Aelin a woman with dark hair came out of it, she seemed to be leading about five hundred ghost leopards, how she managed to get them do what she wanted was beyond Rhys, the beasts seemed to be wild and feral.
Next one opened just behind the ghost leopard one, that one was also led by a human man, despite not wearing any armour and there being only about one thousand of them, all of the soldiers had multiple weapons on them some of which Rhys never seen before or only used for torture. The final one opened beside theirs and out stepped a woman with red hair and a slightly larger army of about one and a half thousand with similar attires to the previous ones.

'Would you like to reconsider?' Aelin asked the Valg. The prince laughed.
'Our army is still bigger.' Aelin's smile became feral as she and her mate charged at the same time that Dorian and Manon ordered their armies of beasts to fly.