Battle of the Black Hills (Day 2), Year of the Guardian 993

"The Sun is here..." Remarked a Northman Scout standing on a ship. The thick mist enshrouded his face. "Can you see the valley now, Hök?"

"Ja (Yes), no sign of reinforcements from Alba. Send a sign to the boss," replied Hök. He had an ice telescope attached to the left eye. "Damn, King Heinrich is really a scoundrel. I think he'd only come if it was to steal a victory. But there’s no way that is happening..."

"Message sent, argh--" bewailed the man's partner as he released an agitated pigeon to the skies.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Stupid bird cut my finger!" Complained the Northman while he kissed the wound in his right hand.

"Impossible, I treat that thing better than my son!" The telescope holder sneered as his sights hovered over the mountains. “What did you do?”

"I don't know. It just seemed scared..."

The waters beneath the ship’s hull were turbulent. The agitation bothered the wounded Northman. He completed:

"Scared of something."

"Don't be silly--"

"C-Can you turn the sights away for just a second? Just to make sure we're safe? I don't want to die for this stupid rock."

"Is this really necessary?" Complained Hök as he pulled the telescope from his sights and gawked at his partner's fearful expression.

The Northman nodded. Hök rolled his eyes:

"Whatever stops you from feeling insecure..."

The man turned his water scopes towards the high sea.

"As I thought!” He laughed. “I'm seeing nothing! More relaxed now, man?"

"No. What exactly are you seeing?"

"Nothing, I told you!" Hök squeezed his eyes. "Just something odd," he recoiled, "there wasn't a giant wave the last time I checked--"

Water stomped the ship and knocked both Northmen out of their ship.

"Dumheter! (rubbish!)" Remarked Hök as he swam back to the surface. "We are supposed to be master sailors! This is just embarrassing!"

His partner faltered:

"Hök..."

"What now?"

"Look up..."

Hök rose his neck. Ness, a Sea Serpent, cast a shadow around the man. The creature was so enormous that its face blocked the Sun.

"Argh, get away! Fast!" Ordered Hök as he swam away with all his strength. A second scout ship floated closer to the beach.

"Think you're gonna escape?" Asked Arnaud. He stood on the backs of Ness alongside with Verano, Juan, Áine and Gavrila. "You thought wrong!" Said the boy as he prepared to pummel a fire cloud against the sails of the second ship.

"No!" Verano held Arnaud's hand. "If we destroy their way out, they'll fight to death. I’ve seen how the Northmen fight. It gets pretty ugly.”

"Oh, man! I can't have any fun!"

Gavrila glared at the boat that belonged to Hök and his partner. The ship floated empty.

"What were they doing there?" He asked.

"Sending letters! Plenty of them!" remarked Áine as she noticed a box populated with pigeons. She jumped on the abandoned ship and stumbled on papyrus. Pages of letters littered the ship's deck. "I-I think they were watching from here," she balanced herself, "and telling their leader about what they saw!"

"Bueno (good). Then," smirked Juan, "maybe we can feed these savages some false information! We use their own weapon against them! Gavrila," he gave the boy a feather, "to work!"

"Okay..." The boy reached the ship and rested the tip of his feather onto the papyrus. His eyes strayed away from the page as he wondered what to write. He narrowed his eyes at his companions, embarrassed. "I can't write the Northman language, guys. Their letters just look the same to me."

"Then gimme this!" Áine snatched the document from his hands. "Gavrila, you prepare the pigeons! Juan tells me what to write and I write!"

Verano's silence alarmed Arnaud. He noticed that his brother had a hand on his heart and eyes on the shore.

"Something wrong, bro? Are you sick?"

Verano hesitated.

"I'm just worried, tired, hurt and I want to see Marzia more than anything..." His stomach grumbled louder than thunder. "And now I'm hungry too."

Juan continued with his plot to fool Hagen, the leader of the Northmen:

"Let's buy time or something!" He suggested. "Write something abstract like reinforcements are coming from the flank so that the Northmen will have to separate forces from their main attack!"

"Hope this bluff is not empty…” Remarked Áine as her writings darkened the page. “We can barely see anything from here. I wonder where that Hagen is..."

"Look no further," said Arnaud as he pointed towards a tall red pillar of ice standing on the northeast shore of the River Tummel.

Duke Arnaud de Sforza, the boy's father, kneeled down on top of the pillar. Rings of water surrounded him like chains.

Hagen stood by the side of the pillar. His smug grin seemed frozen on his face.

"I hope you enjoy this special sit that I've built just so you can watch the end of your lineage, Duke..." Said the Northman. Duke Arnaud de Sforza could see the hill where Marzia and his forces made their last stand. Column after column of Northmen marched to attack them. "Imagine the despair and rage that must be consuming her in this very moment,” suggested Hagen, “she’s stuck on a hill that was made an island: surrounded by enemies from all sides. She is inexperienced, young and insecure. She has no chance..."

One of the man's grunts interrupted him:

"Uh, boss..."

"What is it, you dumbom (fool)?" Asked Hagen, upset. "Don't you see that you've interrupted my sadistic speech?"

"I-I just think the Duke's not listening, boss," replied the man, "t-the pillar is too tall."

"Then what are you waiting for, then?" Recoiled Hagen. "Go up there and tell him everything I've said!"

"Fine..." His subordinate rolled his eyes.

"And make it sound menacing!"

"Anything for you, boss..." The man climbed the ice pillar and whispered Hagen's words at the Duke's ears.

Yet Hagen grew impatient. He crossed his arms and stomped his feet. His subordinate seemed to be telling his life story to the Duke.

"And?" Asked Hagen with his neck raised.

"Y-You don’t want to hear his response, boss…”

“Just say it, I don’t care!”

“Well, uh—” The Northman faltered. “He called you a 300 pounds little b--"

"Fine, that’s enough! I see that his pride is still blinding him to the desperate situation of his daughter. How foolish," Hagen smirked. "I shall let the red paint on the hills speak for me. His men will fall--"

"High King!" Yet another man interrupted him.

"What is it now?" Hagen glared at his new visitor.

"I am Börn..." Replied the man as he took his helmet off. He was the Northman who was kind to Verano while the boy was in bondage. "I was one of Thyra's captains. I was chosen to represent them before you..."

"I already told them to attack."

"That's the problem, High King. The men are angry about the order. We had it far worse than anyone did yesterday. Hundreds got wiped out and most of us got injured," Börn scowled at the wounds on his vests, "and you’ve still ordered us to march at the front today. The fire arrows from the Fire Knights will just kill us all..."

Hagen rose his right hand at Börn to halt his speech.

"Then tell your men the following message," he pulled the axe from the waist, "if the men from the former Queen want to run away, they are free to do so. Yet if they exercise their right to cower and desert," Hagen simpered at the battle, "we’ll just exercise our right of slaughtering deserters."

Börn recoiled.

"What--"

Hagen's axe silenced him. The blade swung against the man's body and scared his soul away with one blow. Börn fell dead onto the floor.

“Point made.”

"B-Boss, you've killed him!" Said a Northman while he checked Börn's wounds.

"I'm tired of being disrespected! No one understands my ambition! Everyone seems one little inconvenient away from turning against me!" Snapped Hagen. "Oh, High King, everyone's gonna die!" He imitated Hagen's low voice. "To Val-Hella with complaints! This is a battle, not a fishing trip!"

"B-B-But he can't tell your message if he is dead, boss!"

"I'll tell them myself, then.” Smirked Hagen as he carried Börn's corpse on his right shoulder. His men only looked at him, aghast. "Keep the Duke entertained while I am out." He ordered.

Hagen rushed towards the hill where the Fire Knights made their last stand.

Marzia stood on a ridge from where she could see the Northmen's forces from the center. Warriors from the Empire of the Holy Flame reddened the two entrances to the hill with their mantles. They rustled prayers to the Grey Guardian while Hagen's men approached.

Two hosts of cavalry oversaw the battle from the northwest flank. Their leader was Adelhard, the son of Count Wenceslaus, the man who had died by Hagen's hands in the previous day.

"I'll avenge you, dad," the young man told himself while he waited for Marzia's fire signal.

Yet the girl stood expressionless on the ridge. Her hands trembled as she counted the enemies that her warriors had to face. They were so many that she could barely see the grass beneath their legs.

"I can't mess up, I can't mess up," Marzia told herself as columns of archers waited behind her, "I can't mess up--"

"Hi!" Said Candorra. She approached the girl by surprise.

"Not now!" Replied Marzia.

"Sorry..."

Candorra frowned while Marzia continued:

“Maybe if I tell Adelhard to attack when the enemies get too close—“

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot," Candorra interrupted her again, "Giovanni said they are close enough. We can begin firing the arrows!” She said, excited. “Sorry for taking this long to tell you, it’s that I forget things easily…”

"How could you be so airheaded, argh--” Marzia swallowed her frustration. “Grazie (Thank you), anyways…" Said Marzia as she unsheathed her sword. She took a step ahead and frowned at the wounded Northmen advancing at the front. She rose her voice at her bowmen: "Focus fire on the enemies that are closer! They're hurt already! Let's break them on the first volley, let's go!"

Her archers lifted their bows towards the Sun. Oil crawled down the tip of their arrows. Marzia rose her voice:

"Fire!"

Arrows flew. Fire Knights from Il Pugno Lombardo, the warriors from the Duchy of Sforza, rose their arms and pummeled flames to the sky. They formed a screen of fire that ignited the oil on the arrows.

Burning metal rained upon the ranks of the Northmen that once followed Thyra.

"Raise your defenses!" Yelled a Northman captain.

His men rose their shields to no effect. The flaming arrows descended from high in the sky and fell with the energy of a thousand falling hammer. Their steel pierced the protection of their victims, and their flames devoured their shields like termites. Northmen fell like leaves during a windstorm.

Volley after volley, Marzia's archers mowed down their lines. Yet they kept approaching. Thyra's former men absorbed the arrows like living shields while Hagen's men observed from behind.

"S-S-Screw this!" Resigned a warrior. He turned around to escape, and he hit his head against Hagen's chest. "H-H-H-High King?” Faltered the man.

"One more step away and you'll join him." Threatened Hagen as he threw Börn's body at the ground. The mark of his axe paraded on the man's chest for all to see.

The Northmen swallowed their complaints and narrowed their eyes towards the hill.

"He's here..." Rustled Marzia as she noticed Hagen's red hair. "This is for Verano! Raise your bows!"

Her voice echoed across the River Tummel Valley. Her bowmen followed her order.

"Not today, little girl..." Smirked Hagen, nonchalantly. He poured a drop of blood onto the grass. "The Marshal will love this.”

Marzia continued her instructions to the archers:

"Aim at the center! Fire-"

The grassland turned grey. Hagen rose both fists towards the ridge where the girl stood. An ice ramp made of red water sprung out of the ground and opened a third entrance to the hill.

"Angrepp! (Attack!)" Ordered Hagen as he crossed the ramp.

His men echoed his order:

"Attack!"

The Northmen broke their formation and invested against the three entrances to the hill. Their war chants were so loud that the ground shook.

Marzia fell on her backs, catatonic. The red ice ramp connected the ridge from where she stood to the heart of the Northmen's lines.

"I-I don’t want to die.” Tears filled her eyelids as she gathered strength to protect the hill against the advancing horde. “Please,” she rose her shield and walked towards the ramp, “I just wanted Verano back!”

The Song of the Wind carried her whispers to Verano's ears.

"S-She's calling for me," he gritted his teeth, "I know she is." His hands tightened their grasp of Ness's back.

The Sea Serpent swam towards the coast at full speed with Verano and Arnaud on its backs. Áine, Juan and Gavrila remained on the scout ships to fabricate false information.

"We're getting close to the beach,” remarked Arnaud, “but I don’t think this thing can swim as fast on the ground. This is bad!”

"I have an idea," said Verano as he embraced Ness's neck, "please don't let me down, big girl."

The creature moaned gently. Verano bended a ring of water from his canteen and formed a collar around the Sea Serpent's neck.

"Wait, you think you can use your bond?” Faltered Arnaud. He referred to Verbündnis: an alliance between a Firebender and a creature that allows the human to use the creature’s movement to empower the firebending. “Do you guys even have a bond?"

"I think we do.” Replied Verano.

“You think?”

"I'll try using Ness like a catapult. Remember when we were kids and I tried using fire to jump over that monster, Arnaud?"

"You almost killed yourself--"

"I'll do just that. But with 200 times the distance..." Remarked Verano as he grasped Ness's water collar. "At least." He swallowed dry.

"Just remember, Verano: when you did that, I was there to save your butt..."

Verano frowned, worried. He wondered what would be of Marzia and the Fire Knights if he failed. His insecurity weighed on his courageous heart that longed to see his sister.

"If I fail one more time..." faltered Verano as he glanced at his brother. He knew Arnaud would help him bear any weight. "You'll be there for me again, right?"

Arnaud chuckled. He swung his head and attempted to forget the criticisms that he often had about his brother’s ideas. He knew that he could not think of anything better.

“You’ll be there for me, right?” Verano repeated himself.

"Sempre. (Always)" Replied Arnaud. "Don't even worry about that, 'cause I got your back! Now get the hell out of here and go save Marzia, big bro!"

"Grazie (Thank you).”

Verano felt more confident. He strengthened his grasp of Ness's collar. His eyes widened as he felt the movement of every muscle in the Sea Serpent's body. Its heartbeat became one of his. Verano could feel the creature's blood flow and warm together with his. His skin reddened. Smoke left the tip of his finger.

"This is it," he remarked as a fiery aura burned around his hands. Ness growled and swam faster towards the beach. "Now, girl! Let's do this!"

Ness dove its head into the water. Its backs sprung up and catapulted Verano to the skies. The animal's movement combined with his formed a fiery sphere around the boy's body. He stretched his arms, and two colossal blazes emerged from his hands. He crossed the skies like a meteor.

He had his sights aimed at the Northmen who climbed the ramp that Hagen had built. Arrows failed to stop them. Two new warriors replaced every fallen Northman who fell against the ground.

Marzia sobbed as she rose a shield at the invading horde. Warriors from the Duchy of Sforza ran to join her, yet they were not fast enough. The girl would have to face a hundred warriors by herself.

“Verano, please…” She whispered as her reflection appeared in her enemies’ weapons. Her only urge was to for him with the childish hope that he would hear her voice. “Verano!”

Verano dove against the ramp like a hammer from the clouds. His flames broke through the ice and mauled the ground. The impact heaved the invading Northmen back to the plains. A cloud of smoke covered the crater that he had opened. All eyes narrowed themselves towards the crashing site.

Candorra walked towards the ridge. Her eyes widened as the smoke faded. She saw Verano standing in the creater.

“I-It’s him,” she arched her arm around Marzia, “it’s Verano! I don’t believe this!”

The Northmen echoed her assertion:

“I-Isn’t that the White Wolf?” Asked a man. Yet another man replied:

“Yes! He’s alive!”

Gossips roamed the valley from both sides of the battle.

Marzia fell on her knees. Her tears crawled from her face and covered the rosary of the Grey Guardian hanging beneath her neck.

“Verano…” She covered her face with the hands so that Verano would not see her crying.

“I’m so sorry for this, Marzia,” he rose his voice. “I just keep making one bad decision after the other.”

“You…” She laughed while tears surrounded her lips. A million emotions fought over her head. “Y-Y-You’ll pay for this, Verano!”

“I’m sorry--”

Hagen rose from the ground. The boy turned his head towards his foe.

“Please go on, White Wolf! I’m just part of the audience…” Said Hagen. Verano’s flames had wounded him directly. Yet the man’s Ring of Nibel rose water to heal his wounds.

Verano only stared the man. The smell of death, fire and steel filled his nose with disgust. The sight of Börn’s dead body repulsed him. His eyes flashed white for a second. He knew that he stood beneath the reason for all that suffering.

Hagen continued:

“I see that Black Teeth could not do his job, which is not surprising. At least he gives me a worthy opponent to make the battle more interesting..." He stretched his neck and shoved the dirt off his axe’s blade. Verano’s reflection gained shape on the weapon’s edge. “Today I shall find out if the Avatar bleeds.”