CHAPTER 9 - FINAL BATTLE - Part 2

After a week of fighting daily, through snow storms, the army was becoming ragged. They were running low on provisions and energy. Even the Fae were tired on running fights without proper nourishment. The hunting was poor since they were such a large group; they scared off much of the game in the area. The fire had not helped either.
Although things seemed rough, this particular army was built of passionate people that truly believed in what they were fighting for. Cullen inspired people to fight harder and work harder then ever before.
He was at the front line for every battle and seemed almost tireless himself, which propelled the others to keep struggling to move ahead, even through the heavy snowfall. The Asrai were trailbreakers, moving through the deep snow to keep ahead.
Finally, after a tenday they could see Nicu’s hill in the distance. No one had attacked for two days, but they had found a camp with good provisions and everyone had a chance to eat and rest.
Cullen stood with the others, looking down the trail towards the hill that rose above the flat landscape before them. On top he could see the buildings and smoke rising from cook fires within.
In front of the hill was a mass of men, the gathered clans that supported Nicu. With Cullen were Seawatch’s Knights, the Daoine Sidhe, the Asrai, the Dwarves, the Godsmen and the Kingsguard, all prepared to fight this last battle in order to win.
Cullen waved his Sword and the force moved forward, slowly and with discipline, forming ranks of battle ready soldiers eager to finish this fight once and for all. Cullen glanced at Idylls who marched beside him.
“Do you want me to use my magic against them?” she asked quietly enough that only he would hear.
“No, I think we can keep from being forced to do that, I would rather you didn’t resort to such black arts,” Cullen answered shaking his head.
Idylls smiled and looked forward again, pleased that Cullen wasn’t the type of leader to use her to fight his battle. If she had her way, she would never summon shadows again.
Tik marched up beside Cullen and nudged him. “You ready?” he said with a grin. “Or am I gonna have to rescue you from this upstart King?”
Cullen laughed at the absurdity of the question and he was grateful that Tik seemed to be his old self again.
“You stay near the back old friend,” he responded. “Sonia would have my heart if I lost you!”
“Yessir!” Tik laughed again, moving towards the back of the line. Cullen knew Tik would get involved in the fighting somewhere, but he hoped he would stay somewhere close to the better fighters and not put himself in danger.
It took another few hours to get close enough to make out the horde of Rathians that waited for them, but eventually they stopped and glared at their foes across the field between them.
Cullen walked to the front and waved his Sword. “I’ve come as you knew I must! Where is your King?” Cullen called, facing the Horse Lords without fear.
There was a stirring in the crowd and they parted revealing King Nicu, Hook and Hafr, all carrying the cursed weapons of the Host. All three men had the wild look in their eyes that Tik had when he attacked Cullen. Cullen shook his head and knew then there was no parley with this group. He had to try anyway.
“King Nicu! If you renounce your claim on the Realm, and swear fealty to me as High King, then I will let you rule Rath without battle!” Cullen shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
Grimm stood at his side holding his double bladed battle axe and glaring at Hook, who just grinned back at him. The Dreamweaver locked eyes with Hafr and came to the same conclusion as Cullen. These men were mad with power now.
“You think that you dictate terms to me?” Nicu yelled back. “I am High King now, by right of conquest! I killed Remus and took the Realm! You are intruders on my land and I will have your hearts!”
Cullen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Nicu, see reason! We don’t have to fight and lose lives! But I cannot allow you to take over the Realm! The High Kingdom already suffers under your rule! This cannot continue!”
Nicu looked at the two men standing with him. Then he reached back and pulled his older son to the front. He held him by the back of the neck and pointed at Cullen.
“See that man?” Nicu asked his son. “That man is trying to take away what we have worked for and earned by right! That man wants to stop us from ruling what should be ours rightfully! What should we do my son?”
The boy didn’t hesitate. His face screwed up with tension and he snarled at the army facing him.
“He should kill him father! Kill him and all who stand with him!”
Nicu laughed and clapped his hands. “That’s the answer!” he cried. “Tomorrow, at dawn, we will crush you Cullen! You have tonight to tremble in fear of us and tomorrow, our horde will bury you in the Sea of Grass!”
With that threat, Nicu turned away, fearless and walked back into the crowd of fighters. Cullen shook his head at the thought of men dying for Nicu’s pride and greed. He turned back to his men and gave commands.
The Dwarves and Kingsguard started digging trenches and placing spiked staffs all around the front of their camp. They worked for the remainder of the day and into the night, making it difficult to attack them suddenly as well as give them a hard time in the morning.
The Asrai guarded them that night and they listened to the drums and war cries of the Rathians as they celebrated the coming battle and drove themselves into a frenzy of madness.
Cullen’s army simply ate a small meal, polished their arms, got some rest and woke early to prepare. The Dwarves would be at the front, with Asrai spread out among them. The Kingsguard and Godsmen would stand behind them as the second wave of defense.
Behind the Dwarves and humans, were the Daoine Sidhe, with long bows ready and beside them were the Knights of Seawatch, led by Starlight and the Nightlands and their mounted cavalry. They would be the counter attack.
Cullen and his friends, Deep’s team, Tik, Grimm and his brothers, were in the center of the army, hundreds of men between them and the Rathians. But all of them knew they would end up fighting their counterparts eventually.
The Rathians, half drunk and drugged, came to the front astride their horse with their bows ready. Nicu was a few lines back, with Hook and Hafr beside him and his son right behind him.
Nicu raised his arm to signal the start of the battle and Cullen raised his Horn a half second before Nicu could lower his arm. The note form the Horn blew loud and clear and echoed all around the two armies.
That sound sent a sobering note through the Horse Lords and made them tremble in fear. Cullen’s army felt revitalized and they cheered behind the sound of the Horn.
Nicu dropped his hand quickly and his army raised their bows as they had for hundreds of years, thinking the rain of arrows would thin out even Cullen’s army.
But they had never seen the Daoine Sidhe fight, and every arrow that lifted into the sky was shot down by an arrow from the elves. The collected shafts were broken and fell in the space between the two armies.
The Rathians cried out at the loss, as the realized the elves had stopped their attack swiftly. Nicu screamed in anger and told them to ride down the opposing army and he kicked his horse forward.
The Horse Lords rode ahead, picking up great speed as they approached, but they had to ride around the trenches and spikes and they were slowed down as they reined in.
The Dwarves met that charge as only Dwarves can. They accepted the blows of running horse and they attacked the riders, pulling them down to the ground where their hammers and axes could be put to use. The first rush was shattered and men died screaming.
Then Nicu counter attacked, using the cursed power of the Host weapons. A sharp wind blew across the battle field and even Dwarven armor was cut and men fell. Hook blasted whole groups with lightening and Dwarves and men fell away from the power.
Anyone Hafr even grazed with his poisonous blades died a horrible death and soon men were leaping out of the Shaman’s way to avoid turning black and chocking on their own blood.
Cullen leaped to the fore front, using his Shield to push the Rathian’s back with a wall of force and spiritual pressure. Then he cut across with his Sword and men and horse floundered and fell.
Pockets of fighting broke out and it was everyman for himself, fighting whoever came close. It turned into the madness of war and men were just trying to stay alive. Random bolts of lightening would explode as Hook would get some space and attack groups of Cullen’s army.
Nicu would use wind to blow men over or cut them with sharp breezes that were aimed at throats and arms. Cullen fought his way closer, followed by Grimm and Tik. The Knights behind them rode around the battle and started attacking the edges while the Sidhe used their bows to shoot down any stray Rathian.
Cullen could hear the magical attacks, but he was in the thick of the fighting, working his way through the enemy, trying to locate the King and his two other cursed warriors. Grimm and Tik stayed near him, both of them fighting hard to find the true enemy.
Then suddenly a space opened up and Cullen barely got his Shield up in time to avoid a gust of wind and a combined lightening bolt. The magic slammed into his Shield and pushed him back.
He slashed in return with his Sword and the three foes blocked with their own weapons and the fighting moved away beyond these powerful combatants. Cullen lowered his Shield and beckoned to Nicu.
Nicu grinned, looking crazed with his eyes already glossed over with black, looking like the eyes of a shark and soulless. Nicu rushed in, using two hands to handle the large executioner’s sword he wielded.
Cullen took the first hit on the Shield and slashed back, not using any magic to fight. He hoped he could get Nicu to fight the same way so that others around them didn’t get caught in the backlash of magical energy.
He glanced to the side and saw Grimm was closing with Hook. He hoped Grimm could handle it and he lost sight of Tik, who was somewhere behind him.
Tik was focused on the Shaman and knew that those blades carried black poison and he needed to be more than careful. But Hafr wasn’t a trained fighter and Tik, even with one hand missing, was in fact well trained with a sword. He closed the distance and was grateful that Hafr didn’t have explosive power.
Cullen slashed high and Nicu blocked. They exchanged blows and then Nicu would blast him with wind, knocking him down and back. Then he would rush in and try to take Cullen’s head with mad attacks.
Cullen managed to get his Shield up in time and they went back to beating on each other. Cullen pushed with the Shield and made Nicu lose balance, but before his Sword could hit, he was back on his feet again. They clashed swords and fell away from each other again.
Grimm was one of the rare men who could use a full battle axe as quickly as another man used a sword. He was an expert at changing its direction suddenly or using the pole to attack before bringing the blade back around.
Unfortunately, Hook was using a similar weapon and he appeared to be just as quick. The long blade on the end of the Naginata came perilously close to Grimm throat more than once, and when Grimm would block it with his own weapon, Hook would send a shock up the staff to hurt Grimm more.
Grimm’s legs were getting shaky from the shocks but he kept fighting on anyway, hoping to get a lucky shot in and kill this man before he died. He swung his axe again and again, trying to cleave Hook in two, but trying to avoid clashing weapons made it more difficult.
Tik was getting good at catching the Katars on his shield, but he wasn’t coming close enough to hitting the Shaman in return. They danced around each other in a circle and kept lashing out, but Hafr was showing that he was good enough to avoid getting hit while he was also dangerous enough that Tik was being extra careful.
Then, suddenly, Hafr stood back, put his hands together and chanted. Tik’s eyes went wide and he knew it was bad. He shot forward, swinging his sword at Hafr’s neck but it was too late. Hafr spoke the words of power and a red light glowed around himself, Nicu and Hook.
Cullen didn’t hear the spell, but he saw the results. Nicu was glowing with a red haze around him and his smile got more crazed and more intense. He burst out laughing and swung his sword again, only this time it was almost too fast to see.
Cullen instinctively got his Shield up in time but the power of the blow blasted his off his feet and he went crashing into the snow behind him, rolling across the ground.
Hook, also glowing, laughed loudly just like his King and he swung a nasty attack that Grimm could barely block. When the Naginata hit, the shock was bad but the force of the blow was worse and Grimm flew off his feet and hit the ground rolling.
Tik had almost closed the gap when suddenly Hafr just wasn’t there anymore and Tik stumbled trying to stop. He turned just in time to see Hafr slashing at him and he got his shield up but the power behind the hit knocked him to the ground.
All three men realized their opponents had just gotten faster and stronger. Cullen grimaced and got to his feet. He could call on the magic of his Sword, but the others were fighting with regular weapons.
“Asrai!” Cullen shouted and he blew his Horn again in the few moments Nicu gave him. The sound made the enemy stop laughing and alerted the army that Cullen was in some trouble.
Quickly Asrai from all different areas close in to surround the three men wielding cursed weapons. Tris’tan was suddenly beside Cullen and he flashed the Bow and fired an arrow of energy before Cullen could blink.
The purple arrow streaked towards Nicu and he cut down with his sword and the arrow was gone. He laughed again and lashed out with wind, knocking everyone down again. Cullen heard a blast of lighting hit somewhere close and he looked for Tik and Grimm.
There was only one way he could think to stop this despite their powers and he needed a little time to get it right. He climbed to his feet and nodded to his brother, who started firing arrows at the three enemies, forcing them to contend with that while Cullen closed in.
Tik was quick, and fast enough to handle Hafr’s speed, but he still couldn’t get a cut in to attack. He could defend, barely and keep to his feet if he defended properly, but he was getting nowhere with attacks, even with Tris’tan firing the odd arrow or two.
Grimm was strong enough to handle the power Hook suddenly showed but the electricity and speed was too much. His was getting cut repeatedly and he had the feeling they weren’t deep because Hook was toying with him.
Cullen faced Nicu again and called on the power of his Sword. He lifted chunks of dirt and snow out of the ground around him and sent them speeding towards King Nicu. Nicu slashed them out of the air quickly.
Cullen followed up with a blast if fire, lightening and force, whipping across the space between them while he ran behind it. Nicu defended himself well enough but caught some of the fire and some of the lightening and it slowed him down.
He slashed with his Sword again and again, using the added strength of the Sword’s magic, knocking Nicu back away from himself. Cullen took a quick glanced towards the side and saw that he was in the right position.
Cullen suddenly slashed away from Nicu and sent a small, sharp wind at Hook’s legs, cutting him across the back on both legs. Then he turned and cut again, ignoring Nicu for the moment and sending another blast of wind at Hafr. The Shaman scream when his legs were slashed open.
Grimm and Tik didn’t hesitate at all. Grimm rushed in and with an overhead blow cut through the shaft of the Naginata and buried his axe in Hook’s chest, knocking the man to the ground.
Tik leaped forward and using his shield to keep the Katars away from him, he cut deftly with his sword, right through Hafr’s neck, cutting off his cry of pain before he knew what happened to him.
Cullen moved back into a defensive position and grinned when the red light around Nicu faded with the death of the Shaman. Cullen raised his weapon again and locked eyes with Nicu.
It was meaningless to try and intimidate Nicu at that point since the sword has taken total control of him. Cullen moved forward and Nicu screamed in rage and pain and rushed at Cullen.
Nicu had been pushed over the edge seeing his companions die and his attack was foolish at best. Cullen moved away from the sword and cut in return, cutting Nicu under the arm badly.
Nicu spun around and swung again, wildly trying to hit his opponent, but Cullen leaned away, let the sword pass him and then cut again, this time hitting Nicu in the chest.
He fell back and dropped the sword. Cullen rushed in and using all the power he could muster, he shattered the cursed weapon into pieces before Nicu could get back to his feet.
Cullen stepped back and looked for his friends and then heard a cry of alarm and suddenly pain flared through his back. He swung his Sword behind him to counter attack and hit his attacker in the stomach.
His eyes went wide with alarm when he realized he had hit Nicu eldest son, who now fell to his knees with blood coming from his mouth.
“You killed my father! You bastard!” he moaned as he fell to the snowy grass. Cullen was surrounded by friends who went straight to work attending the wound he had just gotten from Nicu’s son. It wasn’t deep but it hurt.
Radu, the younger son appeared near his father and he knelt down to speak with him. Cullen couldn’t hear what the King said but Radu listened for a few moments and then looked up at Cullen.
“I never wanted any of this,” he said in a lonely, quiet voice. “I will not look for revenge Sire. This was my father’s obsession, and my brother’s too, but not mine.”
Cullen looked around at the dead and dying bodies all around them, both Rathian and his own armies. The amount of destruction from Nicu greed was astounding.
“If Rath can decide on a leader, then you can have a King. Just as the other Kingdoms do, you will answer to the Realm and the High King, but I never wanted this either. There is no anger between us Radu,” Cullen said assuredly.
Radu nodded and tears ran down his face. Some Rathian men gathered up the King and his dead son. They carried the bodies away and Cullen turned to organize his army. The Kingsguard were already moving through the ranks looking for wounded and trying to help everyone they could including Rathians.
Cullen looked on with pride, knowing that the Kingsguard were already working for the good of the Realm by not harboring a grudge again the opposing army. He found Grimm and Tik and made sure they were both alright. Grimm was looking ragged but he would live and Tik was just tired.
The Dreamweaver and Idylls came from somewhere behind him and they gathered close to help guide him towards an end to the fighting. Cullen walked through the crow, stopping to check on different fighters, making sure everyone was well enough to go home.
There was no cheering like at the end of the Host War. This had been a senseless battle between man and Cullen would never feel pride in this. He was glad that Radu seemed a sensible sort and wouldn’t attempt to build another army to fight again.
Cullen looked for the leaders of the different groups and he gathered them together to figure out provisions for the long march home. Soon he was seated and there was planning to do, as he was finally High King of the Realm.

***

Three months later Cullen and Idylls were seated in the front row of the church in Vess watching the wedding of Prince Alin to Princess Nelu. Near Cullen was the other King’s, both Simon and Adrian, proud fathers looking on, with their wives, the two Queens both crying with joy.
The wedding plans had come quickly after the end of the fighting, as the other Kingdoms wanted to get back to the business of living. Cullen had, the month before gone to the ceremony of both Cosmin’s passing and Starlight becoming officially the King of Seawatch.
He had traveled to each of the other Kingdoms for those visits and was due to stop off in Dustan on the way home with Kind Adrian and his family. As High King, he had many duties now, but the older Kings had accepted him quickly after the battle, when they saw he would do this as his father had before him.
It took a while for the other King to become accustomed to Cullen’s friends, who were often with him wherever he went. His brothers were usually by his side, sometimes as elves and sometimes as wolves, which it turns out the Princesses and Prince liked very much, to their mother’s dismay.
Idylls had made herself comfortable as well, and although it took some getting used to, Cullen had told them it was s step in the right direction if they were to ever have peace with the Host one day.
Grimm stayed with Cullen and advised him on how his father had ruled the Realm, while the Dreamweaver helped him come up with new ideas on how to relate to the different Faery Kingdoms.
He had visits from King Dagda and King Garm, as well as the Selkie Queens and Cernunnous and his brother the Sea God. Court was a much livelier place with Cullen as King. He always had strange guests coming to visit and his castle was brighter for it.
Cullen also had a plan to send Kingsguard back over the mountains and start trade with the Xho and anyone else from Durza that was willing to start a relationship. Anton was making changes to the Church based on what he had learned in the other land.
And Sonia and Tik had taken the small house that Cullen had built and spent some of their time there, and some with Tik’s family, the Rom who still traveled around in their wagons with new faith that they wouldn’t be cast off knowing that Cullen was High King.
The Realm was peaceful, even Rath had seemed to gather around Radu to find a better way to live and Cullen thought he would in fact become the leader his father tried to be. Cullen looked around the church at the smiling people, happy about the marriage.
He was, in a way the man that crossed over two generations. His father had united the Realm years ago, and now he ushered it into a new age, but these young people getting married would be the next generation to rule.
Of course Cullen would probably live long enough to see their grandchildren rule, but he was happy to see the families moving ahead. He reached out and held Idylls’s hand and she looked over with a smile.
He had never imagined that a year ago his life would be this different. But he was happy and satisfied with his new life. He missed his father, but he was so busy with the Realm’s needs that he rarely had time to be sad.
It was the start of a new life for Cullen. He wondered what new adventures would come his way in the next year.