There was a small boulder protruding out from the ground close to the top of the hill. Standing proudly on top of the boulder was Prince Albert II. He was wearing impressive, dark-grey armor with gold highlights. His form fitting armor was ornately designed with intricate engravings. His helmet had a long crested, bright red plume running down the center of it like a horse’s tail. His red cape flapped majestically in the wind. There were faint scars along his cheeks and parts of his helmet near the helmet’s T-shaped, face opening. His green eyes shined through his helmet like spotlights in the night sky. He had a grin of confidence as his pride exuded from him. However, there was also a hint of nervousness hidden underneath gritted teeth.

  His royal guards were in similar attire to him, but with dark blue crested, plumes and dark blue highlights in their armor with black capes. They waited at the base of the boulder facing forward into the plain. Sixty royal guards on horse just for the Prince stood still. Captain Jarrett was in front anxiously smoking a joint.

  Along with them, there was Eluthar. He was the army’s head magic advisor and head wizard to the Prince. He carried with him a long, white staff and a short sword strapped to his saddle. The old wizard adjusted his hood over his head and looked back at the Prince.

  Albert looked forward towards the advancing orc army with his looking glass. The horde was nearly 8 miles away from his estimation. He noticed the black flags and the horns of the Black Horde approaching. The flags had white, crescent moons paired with a jagged axes on them. Some of the orcs had a white, crescent moons painted either on their shoulder pauldrons, breast plates, shields, helmets, or faces.

  There in the center, he saw a rather tall orc with black armor on a worg with two black horns sticking out of the helmet. Albert smiled to himself. He took a long deep breath as his right gauntlet gently gripped the ancient long sword by his side. A hint of blue light shined through his fingers.

  He said to himself, “I knew we would meet again.”

  “Sire,” said a messenger on horseback. There were five other messengers with him waiting intently. “What are your orders? Formations are set, but what else is needed, sire?”

  “Sigh… Keep the reserves and medical at the top of this hill. Archers and gunners to the rear. I want them to stay in the back of everything. Arrows fire only on my command,” said the Prince as he put his looking glass away in his side pouch. “If the frontline shatters, move the archers and gunners to the top of the hill. The main force will be a good distance away from the base of this hill to give them enough space to fire and fall back. The gunners can fire at will once they reach the top and they are in their firing areas. Calvary to the flanks. Light swords to be amongst some of the heavy infantry up front just before the main infantry units.”

  “Sire? What of the enemy forces?”

  “We don’t know how many crossbows or archers they have… Send one detachment of light horse to ride out first in front of all our forces. Once they charge in, then send the men forward. Tell the other officers to hold the line at all costs. Leave two detachments of heavy infantry to the flanks as well. We have to hold them back long enough until reinforcements arrive. Understood? Everyone?”

  “M’lord? The reinforcements are many miles away if not a half days’ worth. What if we can’t hold them back before then? Some of the officers suggest we should fall back to the reinforcements.”

  “We will hold the line. Is that understood, corporal? Everyone else?”

  “M’lord,” said the messengers riding out hurriedly after they all saluted Albert.

  Albert sighed and looked down at Light Wielder. He pondered if using the full power of Light Wielder was a good idea or not. He wondered if all becomes lost, will he be forced to use the full power of this ancient weapon? What the aftermath of destruction would be? Would he survive it or will he die along with everyone if used?

  Albert did not know, but accepted the outcomes no matter what.

  Albert looked down to the wizard and said, “If it feels as if the battle is lost, then I shall use the full power of Light Wielder… Send a rider out to inform the reinforcements if that happens.”

  Eluthar sat upon a black stallion unmoving. He didn’t say anything at first. He looked at Albert the way a teacher would look at a student for being in trouble. Eluthar said back in a dignified, but gravelly voice, “Albert. You know once you use it, no one here will survive… You know fully well he also has the power to end things too. By doing so... The prophesy will be true. You mustn't use it.”

  “I know, Tom. I know… I also know him. He would only use it only if he absolutely needs to out of desperation. That’s what I’m gambling on. If that happens, then I’ll ride out to end him. He’ll become an open target. If I survive, then I will kill the evil and change fate.”

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  “You cannot gamble with or change fate, life, or the gods... Albert.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Albert I must protest…”

  “I know,” said Albert cutting off Tom as he looked over towards the rest of his army marching forward. “Tell father that if I shall fall in battle… I died with my men. That I died thinking of family and my wife to the end. Okay? You were the best teacher any prince can ask for.”

  “And you are one of the better pupils any old teacher can ask for… I promise I will tell him. I’ll be in the rear with the reserves on the hill. I will help the wounded when possible,” replied Tom as he rode off on his black stallion to the rear.

  The massive columns of infantry and cavalry went marching around the boulder and the royal guard like ants moving around a rock. Desmond noticed the old wizard riding by telling the men good luck. Johnathan thought it was weird seeing the wizard on horse and how the wizard looks exactly that the cartoons, the street art, and the newspapers show back at the capital city. Long white beard and a large pointy nose. Desmond chuckled quietly and nervously. He looked forward again seeing a the horde of Black Orcs approaching in the distance. A brooding sense of doom loomed over him. Desmond was nearly about to throw up with anxiety. He swallowed it back though, but the feeling still remained.

  In the front center of the Black Orc army, a lean, muscular, and tall orc with long, silk-like black hair peeking out the back of his horned helmet in a low pony tail. He was adorned in used, but impressive black armor with a white crescent moon painted on both his shoulder pauldrons. Scratches from arrows and other weapons were peppered throughout the black armor from head to toe. It had a more functional and intimidating look to it. His glowing blue eyes shined through the dark helmet like a light in an abandoned mine shaft.

  Vul'Goth sighed with a thin smile seeing Albert's army before him.

  There was a small group of heavily armored orcs with different colored shoulder pauldrons standing behind him waiting for orders (colors are red, yellow, green, and blue). Behind them was a group of orc bodyguards. His worg was taken by the harness and lead away from the front line as he slid off of it.

  A group of sixty Grave Guard orcs with harsh looking, black halberds stayed behind and motionless. They had similar armor to Vul'Goth in the center. However, they did not have horns on their helmets. Their eyes, mouths, and faces were covered by their black helmets with only a dark, thin line of shadow peering out of the eye slits. Black fur trim was adorned around their shoulders and upper back. They looked more like hulking gargoyles in comparison to the rest of the horde. They were silent and statue like. All of them stared forward with a dead expression in parade rest with their halberds at their sides.

  A thought rang in Vul'Goth's mind: "I have the larger army... But he has the better trained one."

  Vul’Goth also knew that reinforcements would arrive to help Albert, but it was only a matter of time. He wanted to end this battle quickly. Vul’Goth’s army was split into groups. 20,000 of the horde was with him. The rest of the orcs were coming in from raiding the southwestern human lands being led by Gorag - the Worg Master, the second in command of the horde and other orc generals. They were to eventually meet up and reinforce Vul’Goth’s horde, or so the orcs had planned.

  "They are two days away," Vul'Goth pondered. "Need to kill overwhelm them now."

  Albert thought to himself, "I have to kill him now... An orc I called my blood brother from back then... Die with honor. Please... Please don't use Earth Breaker. Don't get desperate. You and I both know of the prophesy... Please tell me you were smart enough to send a detachment to kill him before this day."

  Vul’Goth chuckled to himself, “Hmm… We meet again. To the blood, old friend. To the blood... I wish it wasn't like this, Alby... Please tell me you were smart enough to send someone to kill him before what is to come."

  An orc lieutenant walked up behind Vul’Goth. The orc was in crude, black armor mixed with some chain mail with a yellow-painted, shoulder pauldron indicating his rank. He asked gruffly, “War chief? Where do you want the bolts to be? Where do you want the pikes and the worg riders? We out number them three to one. We can overwhelm them if we charge right now.”

  “Lieutenant…”

  “Aye?”

  “Have some of the bolts be mixed in the front lines. Wait for the first enemy group to charge in and then cut them down. Once that is done move those bolts to the rear with the rest. Pikes to both flanks supported by the heavy infantry. The front must push the enemy into the center. We need to group the enemy close together.”

  “Yes.”

  “Arrows to the rear. Shoot only once they get close enough and take out the first few lines if possible. If not, then pull the arrows back. Keep them in the rear along with the reserves and worg riders. Reserves stay behind until cleanup is needed.”

  “What if you need to use…”

  “If I have to use the Fire of Niamh, I will signal to hold all back until I shoot it… Only if I have to. He will charge in eventually. We need that to happen. Once it happens, we will encircle them and kill them all… Understood?”

  The orc lieutenant beat his chest and ran off to tell the other orc leaders. The rest of the orcs behind Vul’Goth beat their chests and split off into the mass of orcs marching forward. Vul’Goth and the Grave Guard stood still. Vul’Goth looked at the human lines with a mix of coldness and bravado. The horde moved around and out of the way of Vul’Goth and the Grave Guard as they moved forward.

  The Southern army only looked like a grey glint in the sun to Vul’Goth. A sense of sadness and worry lingered in Vul’Goth as he looked forward.

  He thought to himself, “Don’t be foolish, Albert. Enough will suffer and die today. You know that I have more. You know I have Earth Breaker. I know you have Light Wielder. Don’t be a fool… Please.”