Aedrik sighed as he saw the two men sitting in front of him. They were the generals he had left in charge of the eastern army as he had gone with the Fey Danan Delegation. He had chosen general Bretik to replace the man who had been in charge of the eastern army, and he had placed general Svein to help him adjust and prepare for the warring hills campaign.

Bretik was almost fifty, he had overseen Svet Cilar, and from what Aedrik had seen, he did a good job. He was the main reason why there had been so few orcs raids, and those that happened, were far from his watch. Svein on the other hand, was young, but he had been tested during the Boreal Glades campaign, he had more combat experience than the older general, but he lacked organization.

Aedrik had hoped both men could learn from the other, compliment their styles, he given himself a pat on the back when the idea occurred to him, but as his older brother Levi often said “order not supervised, order than ends messed up’ it did not sound compelling, but it had a valid point. The two generals, had discussed lengthy and finally settled for diving their assignments and their forces, that had never been his intent or what he had expected, it was not a bad result, they did try to help each other and they did addressed several problems with the eastern army, but it was far from what Aedrik expected, he was sure that if he had left either one in charge, they could have even done a better job, instead of adding the combination had limited their changes.

Aedrik had spent a day reconciling the two general ideas and rearranging several things in the easter army. There was not much he could change while they were marching, but they had still spent the entire day planning, and adjusting. They had at least train and formed properly, if divided. General Svein had taken over the infantry and General Bretik their cavalry and archers, their arrangement worked, but it was not optimal.

He did not like shouting, but he had reprimanded both generals. Svein was visibly distressed, his usual straight posture was lost, and he listened intensively to every word he said, clearly resolved to not screw up again, they knew each other well. General Bretik on the other hand was even more stoic than usual, perhaps he was used to being chewed by his superiors, but Aedrik did not like that. He felt screaming and pointing seldom accomplished much, specially when they had tried, and settled for a functional idea, it was his fault in part.

“I’ve sent for the mage commander and high advisor Pan, they will be here shortly” Aedrik said after he let out another long sigh. He was tired and for once he truly wanted to be somewhere else… “As you know the orcs will arrive in a few hours. We’ve already discussed our options and have settle for our strategy. We will make the most out of the orc situation, we will divide them, identify our enemies and procced according to our general plan. I understand some officials have doubts, I expect you to have them in line, we need everyone calm and ready, if needed send them to me, I will reassure them”

General Svein nodded immediately, he was a northerner, he understood the idea, he had seen it before. General Bretik on the other hand was hard to read, his stoic demeanor left little space for visual cues, but the man had doubts, Aedrik was sure, he would have them as well. The general had voiced his concerns yesterday, Aedrik had explained and that had been the end of it, he would not be able to convince the general until he saw his strategy happening, but he needed to sure the man would carry on his orders.

“Nord Stern” a rough voice came from outside the tent

“Let them in”

High advisor Pan entered the tent accompanied by the older mage commander. They both looked tired, they had been working with the entire magi of the eastern army. They were all inside Aedrik’s tent. It was large because he used it as his command post, a large table was at the center of it, a couple of maps were on it, the one at the center was used for their strategy. The empire had standardized the use of war pieces for commanders, it always gave a better perspective of the battlefield.

Pan gave a vague salute to all, the mage commander gave Aedrik a formal bow, and a salute to the generals, as they took a place around the table. Inside the tent the prince was looking at a map placed in front of him. He was already dressed for battle.

“I was reminding the generals, how important it is for everyone to be prepared and calm, for our strategy to function properly. I had the mage commander and high advisor Pan, prepare with the rest of the magi, what they need to do. I hope you can reassure the generals after revising your part with your men, mage commander” Aedrik knew the mage commander and general Bretik share a history, he wanted to mage commander to reassure the general.

“Certainly, your majesty. We’ve already talked with the rest of our mages, the spell you requested can, and will be done as you requested, the problem is, the eastern army lacks magical force, if it is needed our magical force would be reduce to only a quarter of our strength if it is required later” the mage commander explained preoccupied.

“Don’t worry mage commander, the orcs will play their part” the mage commander nodded, but Aedrik could see he was not relieved, neither was general Bretik.

“Orcs react to numbers, it is always expected to double their numbers if you want a safe and decisive engagement, everyone knows that as well, and whenever they are place in that position, they tent to retreat and regroup if given the chance. Our number advantage is short, engaging in direct combat with them would lead to an unacceptable number of casualties among our ranks” Aedrik saw the worried face of the mage commander even general Bretik had tense up at the idea of engaging in direct combat.

“The orc group we are facing is made up of several tribes that had for the most part been forced to join their group. They are not a cohesive force, they are not a raiding party, or an army but a mesh of tribes pulled together by force, if they are faced with a disadvantageous engagement they will relent, hence why we will use and illusion spell to make our numbers bigger”

“It is a mirage spell, prince cousin, not an illusion spell” Pan corrected Aedrik, who sighed in response.

“Once they see our numbers, they will stop, and start considering other options. That’s when we will divide them, there is no mistake several tribes are enemies of the empire, we will march on them, but there are those with whom we have no feud with”

“Are you certain they will react the way you expect?” the old general admitted.

“They will, we have seen it” general Svein answered immediately, Aedrik sighed. Their concern was honest, but there was little assurance he could give them.

“I have read every report from our scouts, general Bretik, and you have the same information at your disposition, truly there is always room for error, but in my experience the orcs will responded. The main tribe Sleeping Thunder is keeping the group marching by blood and fear, they do not command the rest of the tribes, nor have they earned their respect, we will present a chance, and the orcs will split. I know you have doubts, but you need to keep the men in line, calm and ready. I will not pass on any chance to could avoid losses in our men, or have you consider a better strategy general? Aedrik saw straight at the man, he held his eyes but only for a moment.

“I do not, your majesty”

“Then prepare your men, explain the strategy properly. Clear and simple orders, you will advance and move on my command, your men on yours, is that understood?”

“Yes sir” the other men responded to Aedrik almost at the same time.

“Get the men in position, prepare the mirage spell”

“We will do our part, try to get some rest, and say hi to Frey for me” Pan said before he left the tent with every else.

Aedrik sighed as he was left alone. He reviewed one last time the map on the table, there was truly no better strategy he could see… It was a good plan, ambitious and cunning. They could achieve several goals, but it relied solely on the orcs acting how he predicted they would.

He felt the ring on his hand and felt the gentle heartbeat of Frey coming from it. He sat at his bed, and grabbed the fey board ‘Good morning, Frey’ he wrote and waited.

“Hi, Aedrik. Did you get some rest?” He smiled as the words formed on his board. She knew he would meet the orcs in a few hours, he just wanted to talk with her.

“A little, had to see our final preparations, everything is ready. What are you doing today?”

“I was considering visiting, Mrs. Ferlin, but I was waiting… I wanted to hear from you first. You did not change your strategy?”

“No, I could not think of anything else, but rest assure, it is good, we are going to divide the orc tribes, it is an excellent chance, we could have potential allies or at least a chance of a treaty with some of them, if everything goes according to plan” Aedrik felt troubled, he had wanted to explain his strategy with details, but he had a part to play in it, but he did not wished to trouble Frey with it. He would tell her everything, he was sure she knew he was keeping something from her “But tell me, have you decided on anything else about the wedding” Aedrik sighed ‘Dammit, you are supposed to ease her, nice change of subject’.

“We actually started discussing about the menu…” Frey did not push the subject either. They wrote for almost half an hour, in spite of it all, he had enjoyed their conversation. He wanted to be with her, listen to her voice, see her beautiful freckles when she blushed and her gentle smile…

“Send my regard to Mrs. Ferlin, I’ll contact you once we have settled everything here”

“Be careful, Aedrik”

“Don’t worry Frey, you are not getting reed of me any time soon”

Aedrik placed the fey board on his bed, he gained nothing making her worry, and he needed to prepare. He wanted to keep writing to her, he sighed again. ‘Dammit, get your shit together Aedrik’ he got up, and dressed for the battle to come.

“Tell captain Ori, to come, we need to have the drums ready” Aedrik said to one of the men at guard outside his tent.

“On my way, Nord Stern”

“Are we proceeding as planned?” general Bretik’s second in command, a middle-aged short man asked, as his superior came back from the command tent.

“We are, the magi are already preparing for their part. We need to start getting the men into position” general Bretik saw a glimpse of doubt on his subordinate eyes. He tried his best smile “You are going to take the edge of the formation, move only on my mark. Don’t worry, the prince knows how to handle the orcs” his subordinate nodded after a moment and moved to start addressing their men.

“Look alive, get everyone ready, we are forming up” the second in command, said to the group of officials who were behind them, word began the spread. They were in direct command of the cavalry and the archers.

It took a few minutes to have the entire eastern army, forming up. They all knew they were going to engage the orcs in a few hours, most men were already dressed and prepared, but their training showed. The calvary was neatly arranged to the flank of the army, the archers were spread behind the infantry and placed near the cavalry flank.

The main force, the infantry had lined almost as fast as they did, the mages spread evenly among the troops, general Bretik spotted the mage commander, near the center, he was going to be part of the prince command group, that meant the mage in charge of the mirage spell would be high advisor Pan. After looking for him, the general spotted him, near the center of the archers, he was standing amid a magic circle. For what he knew of magic, the fey would link up with the rest of the mages, to fuel and sustain the spell, it was not an easy task.

The general saw, many of the men, looking at the mages and what they were doing. The officials had all been informed the strategy, the rest of the men, only part of it. They needed to know about the mirage spell, they needed them calm and ready, as the prince had said. The rest of the strategy, it was best to be kept for them.

At the center of their formation was the command post, just behind the first few row of soldiers. Everyone knew the prince took the field, he had read the report from Kozâ, but only the northern men had seen the prince, most of them were evenly spread along the infantry, all but the small group called “The icebreakers” the prince elites. They were placed directly behind the command post, and the general had also noticed, six northerners carrying large drums, spread along the infantry formation.

“They are about to cast the spell, the mage commander if heading for high advisor Pan” said the captain standing next to the general. Indeed, the mage commander went to speak with the fey, who sat at the magic circle, and you could feel the air a bit heavier as the mages link up and prepared their magic.

After a minute, the magic circle lit up, a grey smoke enveloped the entire eastern army, it was thin and odorless, after a moment, silhouettes started appearing withing the smoke, soldiers were forming as the smoke condensed on every space available.

The general saw how some men were wary of the spectral apparitions, they looked real. The eastern army had doubled its numbers, the general understood why it was called a mirage spell. After inspecting the new soldiers, he saw they were made from a reflection of their real counterpart. High advisor Pan had placed them in a different formation, only because the general knew in advance about the spell, did he notice they were reflections.

The appearance of the mirage truly made the eastern army look menacing, the men that were standing next to the fake soldiers seemed troubled, but the rest were more at ease. The size of the army was awe inspiring, even the general felt relieved about it.

“Get in formation, we need to be ready” general Bretik bellowed, and the cavalry responded, closing ranks. If he were part of the orcs, he would stop to rethink the idea if he had to engage the easter army. He saw the prince, was moving to the front of the army. The easter army went completely quiet. General Bretik hoped the prince, knew how to give speeches, they calmed the men, and get the ready for battle.

Scout Rilik had managed to keep tailing the orc group. He knew the eastern army was already waiting for the orcs to arrive. He had decided to take a vantage point, he passed the orc group, saw a raised rock formation, and decided that it was the best place to be. He had considered joining with the eastern army, but he preferred to have a way to keep tailing the orc group after the result of the battle.

He was halfway climbing the rock formation when he started hearing the drums and horns of war. The sound was numbing, for a moment, Rilik had thought it came from the orc group, but as he looked back and saw the confused look on the front lines of the orc group, he knew it was coming from the eastern army. He kept climbing, until he could spot the army.

When he had left the eastern army, their numbers were increasing, but somehow, they had managed to double their numbers, he did not know how, and he did not care. The sight of the army was incredible, the first orcs had stopped a the edge of their line of sight, as they spotted the massive army waiting for them. The drums and horns were taking over the forest, Rilik felt goosebumps as the beats of the drum began enveloping him, the orcs were slowly forming at the edge, they were visibly upset and concerned about the easter army numbers.

Rilik spotted the imperial prince at the front of the army, he was standing alone. Behind him were some of his icebreakers, that had come with him from the north. He remembered Egil’s words “if worst is to come, you will face death a smile on your face, scout Rilik. You smile at them because they will soon face retribution. The North Star is one of the empire paragons, scout Rilik, I don’t know if you understand what that means, but rest assured, death is the gift he brings for the enemies of the empire”.

The orc bulk of the orc group could already see the eastern army. They had been gaining momentum, but had stopped at the sheer numbers, and at the deafening sound of the drums and horns. Rilik could see them pointing at the lone figure at the front of the army, behind the prince was a banner, every tribe had one, the prince had brought his.

The burning shield and the crescent moon, black and silver, the colors of the Fey Danan empire, but Rilik also noted a lone single star at the top, and he smiled. The fourth imperial prince had his personal banner behind him. It dwarfed any banner the orc tribes were carrying; he saw the orcs pointing at it, a mix of anger and awe. Each tribe leader moved to the front, to see their enemies, they were all worried.

The drums slowed as another group of raiders approached the massive number of the eastern army, they had Loir’s colors on them, the empire allies had made it as well. Rilik saw fear in the orcs, they had been let into a bad spot. They were outnumbered, and they had nowhere to run. They had marched the last few days; they would not be able to outrun the army in front of them. The tribes started forming, the Sleeping Thunder, began roaring orders.

Howls and shouts, the orcs tried to calm themselves, but the drums and horns grew louder. Rilik did not know if it was magic, but he felt his heart racing, each stroke urged him, it called him, he was focused on the prince at the front, who faced the worried orcs alone at the front. The orcs had not edge, Rilik knew personally how, intimidating and menacing were the howls and screams of the orcs, they instilled fear in you, they left an impression in your heart. With each beat of the drum, he saw the orcs suffering the same, he saw a glimpse of fear, spreading among the tribes, and as if he had been waiting for it to start spreading, the prince grabbed his banner, and started walking towards the orcs, to the center of the space between them, the horns and drums matched his pace, he nailed the large banner in the ground, and shouted one word.

“EINVINGIL”

The drums and horns, stopped. The prince voice was loud enough for it to reach the orcs. Rilik saw the confusion in their eyes.

"EINVINGIL"

The prince shouted again, Rilik did not know the word, but he saw the orcs were clearly discussing something, the Sleeping Thunder tribe was eager, nervous, the leader of the tribe, was upset. He knew he was being eyed by the rest of the tribes, and the prince was certainly looking at him as well. The leader was restless.

"VIE EI AEDRIK, VEI VAREN EINVINGIL"

The prince roared again, his voice reached every one of the orcs, many of them were discussing something. Rilik saw some of the orcs looking at the prince with curiosity or awe, some had even began saying something to the Sleeping Thunder tribe, whose members were shouting back at the rest, but even they took glances at their leader, who eyes with hate at the prince. Rilik even spotted several orcs, looking all around the forest, pondering, considering… it would not matter, there were no escape routes for them.

"VIE EI URKIN, EINVINGIL NA RAFT" the leader of the Sleeping Thunder tribe had come forward and responded the prince. The orc was possible the largest on the entire group, and the meanest, he was almost 3 meters tall, his fangs curled out of his lips, and he had a blackish skin tone, he smiled wickedly at the prince “VIE RAFT UND ORK” Rilik was sure the prince smiled after the orc shouted.

"EINVINGIL, EI FUR KAIREN, VIE EI KAISEN UND ORK, VIE EI ZUR" the prince answered, and the leader of the Sleeping Thunder and his tribe howled in response, they roared and spat. Rilik only knew one of those words, ZUR, it was how the orcs called men, it meant cowards, Rilik, could not help but smile at the prince.

"VIE EI ZUR, URKIN, VEI EI AEDRIK, NORD STERN, ORKFEND UND NORD” the prince continued, and the entire eastern army shouted “NORD STERN, NORD STERN, NORD STERN”

“EI VAREN EINVINGIL, URKIN, ZUR ORK”

The orc leader roared and shouted, he grabbed a banner of the Sleeping Thunder tribe form another orc hands, and marched to the center.

The rest of the orcs began shouting, “EINVINGIL, EINVINGIL, EINVINGIL” the shouts only stopped until the orc leader had placed his banner in front of the prince.