The Battle of Ironspine (Story)

(Inspired by "Who Wants To Live Forever" by Queen

The rain came down like one thousand needles, slicing through the freezing fog and bringing the outline of Commander Halmar Rivendare into a stark contrast with the rest of his beaten, bloody soldiers. The battle had been long, and still the tide hadn't turned in their favor. The defense of the fortress once called Ironspine Hold was going badly for the King's Defenders, they had been beaten back from the original front, 1000 yards from the gates. They had done everything right, dug the proper trenches, set the proper traps, and fought bravely. But they really had no chance, and each and every one of them knew it. Trapped between the enemy and the Ironspine Mountains that the hold took it's name from, it would be a desperate attempt at best, and each and every soldier in the company knew it. Still, they had family in that fortress. Women, children, fathers, grandfathers, everybody who could not make it out as the enemy descended on the fortress. Now every able bodied man and woman had taken up arms, when the weapons supplies ran out they were forced to turn to improvised clubs made from their very beds and doorframes, fighting desperately until the massed forces of the enemy had pushed them back into the keep. Even now they battered at the gates, even now their catapults flung liquid hellfire across the walls. The screams of the dying and the stench of the already dead filled Commander Halmar's nose like no other. The blood running down the streets and into the gutters was only icing on the proverbial cake. Morale was at an all time low, and he knew that there had to be a turnaround somewhere, or they were all lost to the enemy's fell hordes.

And what an enemy it was. Flying in on black dragon steeds, the very forces of hell were aligned against them it seemed. Demons, necromancers, dark wizards of every kith and kin harried them at every turn. Orcs, goblins, and even the skeletal revenant forces of their undead kin were battering the gates. The image of his own son raising a sword at him, with cold fire burning in his eyes, would tear open a hole in Halmar's heart for the rest of his life, however long he had left. He knew that every member of his legion was feeling the very same thing, watching mothers, fathers, and even their children rise up in arms against them, bent to the will of the very foe they had died fighting against. Heavy thoughts such as these filled his head as he stood in the Great Hall of the hold, which they'd managed to seal off. He'd gathered the shattered remains of his troops in here, and now they stood, some nursing arrow wounds, others with shattered helms and near broken weapons in hand, and some unable to stand at all. Part of the ceiling in the corner had caved in, forming a sort of ramp to the outside, and rain poured into it as well. Raindrops bounced off of his steel helm and shoulderpads, making his cloak cling to his back like a ruby curtain. He drew himself up to his full six feet of height, grabbing the hilt of his longsword for some auspice of comfort, and began speaking to his men.

"Men! Women! King's Defenders and Citizens of Ironspine Hold! Lend me your ear! Even now the Black Alliance is rallied at our gates, even now our own men, women, and children have joined them, and even some defectors from my own inner circle! But all is not lost! No! As long as there is a pulse in my veins we shall not lose this hold! It is not our own lives we defend. It is the life of our king, yes our mighty king Erethor Golddragon! His forces are across the mountains, and by his order we are to hold out against the Black Alliance for as long as our hearts beat! Some say he has sentenced us to death. I say "Who wants to live forever?". It is better to die in the glorious defence of our hearts, our homes, of the green fields of Auberdine, the great lakes of Telethas, the mountains of Kvarheim, the warm summers, the cold winters, and everything in between! We defend everything we love, everything we hold dear. It falls upon us and us alone to strike this blow against our enemies. It falls upon us to be the hammer that shatters their skulls. It falls upon us to be the blade of justice, the shield of virtue, and most of all, it falls upon us to die fighting rather than packed in like dogs. We have no choice in this manner. Even those who defected soon found out the treachery of the Black Alliance. Their corpses dot the battlefield, or line the stomachs of their dread steeds. There is only one option. We fight, we give it everything we have and keep going until there is not one of them left standing! We must press on, out of the Great Hall, into the Barracks, into the Courtyard, into the very gates of Hell if we must! We will fight, we will kill, we will be killed, but they will not break our spirits! We have nothing to lose, nothing left for them to take. We can not, and we will not, give in now. They will not kill us like snivelling children in the corner, they will not kill us like babes in a cradle, like lambs to the slaughter. They will look upon us and despair because they have never seen such ferocity, such tenacity, such valor! They may not fear us, but they will respect us, and our efforts. We, the King's Defenders, and you, the Citizens of Ironspine, have no option but to fight. And fight we will! Rally around me troops! Rally like you never have before! Fight for your freedoms! Your families! Your ideals! Who wants to live forever? Today, we die, yes. But our names will go down in history, we will not go unremembered. We will inspire the king's main forces to fight on, to win this war. Let our blood be their battlecry, let our valor be their shield. Now we charge! FOR KING ERETHOR WE FIGHT! CHARGE MEN! LET THEM SEE YOUR RAGE! FIGHT LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE!"

Halmar led the charge out of the Great Hall, and the resulting battle was like nothing ever seen before. His men fought with such ferocity that the Black Alliance had seemed to retreat, and as the King's Defenders cheered on in apparent victory, the black dragonsteeds swooped in, and burned them, and Ironspine Hold, to the ground. Yes, they died that day, but their efforts did indeed inspire King Erethor and his troops to beat the Black Alliance back, and, six years later, the war was over. King Erethor died in battle, but his forces vanquished the Black Alliance. Although the King's Defenders were destroyed that day, a new order was established. Today the Order of Rivendare is the highest honor the king can bestow upon a single soldier, and joining the King's Defenders is the aspiration of every boy and girl in the kingdom. Let the bravery of Halmar and his men inspire you in your battles, and always remember that even in the blackest night, there is still a ray of moonlight to brighten your path.

- Inscription on a plaque in the Imperial Barracks