The Siege

A clash of armies, a castle under siege. A King, a dragon, and a princess.

A storm raged while the army crashed against the castle walls. Their siege weapons tore holes into walls as cold-iron blades ripped fey-beings to pieces. King Allister would take the castle and save the princess within. He would not fail this time. No, this time he had cold-iron. This time he had siege weapons. This time he had a way to deal with the castle's dragon. 

            Ladders began lining the walls of the castle and men swarmed in. Faeries, fauns, and treants alike fought valiantly against the army, but their defenses were undermined by the effects of the men's cold-iron. Magic reflected from their armor; blades eased through their wards. The fey were completely unprepared. They knew the King would be back after his first attack, but not like this. He was ruthless and determined. Years had passed since his first assault on the castle. A handful of knights bearing steel and leather. Trained and powerful, but no match for when Yngdra, the fierce dragon, bore his teeth. His flames instantly char leather, and cook any man in steel alive. 

 

            "My lady," said a gentle-framed red haired elf. Cassondra looked in horror out of her tower window. The scene was like a nightmare she couldn't awaken from. Screams of pain and death matched the booms of thunder. She turned to the elf, dressed in green leathers. He spoke again. "My lady, it is not safe for you to stay here. The men could be in this tower any second. You must get to safety."

            "Yngdra..." She whispered. But stopped herself. This wasn't the time for questions.

            "I'll be waiting outside your door," Yngdra bowed and left. Cassondra changed from her nightgown into some well-fitted leathers. It was leather made, and styled for horseback riding. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and stepped out of her room. 

            Yngdra held out a hand. She grabbed it, and they ran. They navigated the maze-like castle corridors. Downward they went, taking hidden doors until they reached the backside courtyard. The siege hadn't made it here yet. Yngdra pointed further down the path they were on. "You must go, the Centaurs will take you somewhere safe, to Elyssia. I vowed to keep you safe. I'll keep the king and his men at bay and then rejoin you." 

            A crack of lightning flashed over the sky. Yngdra had been her friend and mentor since she was born. She didn't want to leave, but she knew it was no longer safe. Her stomach turned. Yngdra was going to drive off the soldiers, again, but surely the knights knew of him by this point. They wouldn't have shown up without some kind of plan to deal with him. She hugged him. "Stay safe," she choked. "You're not done teaching me."

            "Don't worry, child," his voice changed. The young, youthful voice of an elf had changed to deep, and wise. His eyes had a fire burning within them. "I'll be back soon enough." He backed away from her. "Now, go."

            Cassondra took a few steps back. Yngdra turned and began to run. His limbs growing, large bat-like wings sprouted from his back. The green leather changed to green scales that covered his body. His eyes becoming large copper orbs, matching the color of his elf-form hair. And when his jowls changed to the large reptilian jaw, Yngdra roared. The roar shook the earth and blocked out the sounds of the storm. This was no diversion. He was going to put an end to this king once and for all. As he came over the castle, the rain finally resumed and a streak of lightning lit up the sky.

 

            Allister grinned as the dragon appeared over the castle. At long last he would have his princess. He would fell the beast. Yngdra swooped over his army. Arrows flew into the sky, bouncing off his scales. Dragon's fire burned men alive in their armor as he let loose a jet stream of flames lined directly to the king. Yngdra landed on the strip he made for himself, arrows continuing to bounce off his scales. Pikes and javelins did just the same. 

            Yngdra's voice boomed over the battlefield, "your cold-iron means nothing if it can't even pierce my hide, little king." 

            Allister slid his hand into a slit in his chainmail. "The cold-iron," he shouted, "is not for you, but your cretins, beast! For you, oh for you, I have something quite special." 

            Yngdra slunk down his path, batting knights and horses away the same. He rose up, his head high in the air. "Your trinket means not if you're in cinders!" He inhaled. 

            Allister slid a wand carved in jagged angles, to the likeness of a lightning bolt, from the pocket on his breast. 

            Yngdra exhaled. Flames spewed from his jowls, rain hissed and boiled.

            The king... did nothing. Flames enveloped him. The flames lasted only seconds, but to the stunned army, it felt like hours. All the clashing of iron had ceased and the only sounds hear were the roar of flames and the hissing of rain evaporating.

            The fires stopped, and the steam cleared. The king, mounted upon his horse, sat there unscathed, a faint glow coming from his crown. Yngdra roared, but the king roared back. "Now!" He raised the wand. "Bring me Cassondra or die, beast!" 

            Yngdra inhaled for another burst of dragon's fire. Before he could finish, Allister raised the wand to the sky. A bolt of lightning raced down, striking Yngdra's right wing and shoulder. Bright red blood gushed from his wounds as Yngdra recoiled back. His right arm had gone limp and his wing almost completely severed. Another bolt tore down, this time through his left leg and tail. More blood drenched the landscape. 

            Again, Yngdra tried for his breath, but again a bolt of lightning struck him. It went straight through his chest, burning a hole five feet wide. With a punctured lung, Yngdra began to choke on blood. 

           

            Cassondra ignored the advice, and went to see Yngdra. She was just to watch from the hill top and when Yngdra drove off the king, she'd run back. She watched as he circled in the sky, and then cleared a path. "What is he doing?" She asked herself. This wasn't just him running them off. He was confronting the king. Her stomach turned as she heard his voice threatening the king.

            She ran, faster than she had ever ran before. This wasn't right. The king wouldn't have made his position so easily known if it wasn't a trap. She could see Yngdra making his way towards the king. "Aero," she whispered and her speed doubled. A back wind helped carry her forward as she became as light as air.

            The first lightning bolt came down and she stopped. Her heart felt as if it had skipped a beat. She stood there stunned in silence, surrounded by the king's men, minotaur, elves, and faeries alike. Everyone was still after Yngdra's flames. Everyone stared in horror as the bolts of lightning felled the dragon.

            Cassondra screamed, running forward again. The third bolt struck and before her was the torched path, leading to Yngdra's body. Her spelled had ended as she made it just behind him. She rounded his left wing and saw King Allister standing just out of Yngdra's reach.

            "Your flames are nothing. Your castle is nothing. Your monsters are nothing." He raised the wand to the sky once more.

            "No!" Cassondra cried out. She ran in front of Yngdra's head. Her arms out as if to shield him.

            The king stopped and lowered the wand. The fury erased from his figure, and he softened his voice. "Cassondra?"

            "Stay away," she cried. "Don't you come any closer, you monster!"

            "Monster?" Allister was taken aback. A million thoughts raced through his mind. "Please, Cassondra, come back with me. Come home! He," Allister pointed at Yngdra with the wand, "they are the monsters!"

            "Home? You've destroyed my home and killed who knows how many of my friends! I'll never leave with you! You're the monster!"

            Allister's softened face turned hard and twisted with anger. "I'm the monster," he gasped under his breath, full of disbelief. What lies had these creatures been telling her? Twisted her so much she thinks they're her friends? He was her brother! They were keeping her captive, keeping her from coming home! Years had passed and she was locked away in that castle, ever since she was taken away when he was a child. She had to be under a spell or some kind of mind trick. "Cassondra-," he began, but was cut off.

            Yngdra gave a choked roar and lifted himself, grabbing Cassondra. He turned, and his tail crashed into the king's chest plate, launching Allister several yards back. Cassondra looked up at him in disbelief as he limply ran back the way Cassondra had come.

            It was several seconds before Allister came to. His head was pounding and his vision was all red. He sat up and suddenly the sounds of the pouring rain filled his ears. Yngdra was running off with Cassondra! He looked around and found the wand sticking out of the ground. He heaved himself up and leapt towards it, falling in the mud and scrambling for the wand. His fingers wrapped around it, and he lifted his arm as high as he could. 

 

            Yngdra was limping frantically away. He could feel himself slowing, his body getting heavier and heavier, but he had to get Cassondra to safety; he could see the minotaur running to meet him. The dumb girl, she should have listened. Regardless of the outcome, she should have stayed behind. But that was for another time. He had to try. He had to...

            The bolt of lightning pierced his skull, and he slammed to the ground. His momentum carrying is body forward as he flipped. Cassondra saw her world spin until his grip came loose and she was sent sprawling across the ground.

            The minotaur didn't stop their charge. They galloped with grace, not stopping as they swept her up. There was five, one grabbed her. the others had bows flinging arrows into the surrounding men. Their gallops carried them into the forest beyond the crumbling castle, faster than any man could keep up with.

 

            King Allister watched the minotaur take off with Cassondra. Still these monsters had his sister. Still they kept her captive. He couldn't save her. For all his planning, all his searching. Still, his sister would not be coming home. He had to be better, stronger. He would find her. Even if it meant war with all of fey-kind.

 

Author's Note

Any and all criticisms welcome.