Arvanda The Plan

Arvanda looked out at the field below. Usually in spring, it was such a beautiful view. The snowdrops had grown, but they had been trampled by the orc host that sieged her city.

There were thousands of them, huge brutish things. Their siege equipment had arrived too. Ballistae and trebuchets fired at the gate. The defending elves did their best to shield it with magic, but the blue field was wearing thin as they tired.

Catapults tossed huge chunks of rock and burning wood over the walls. Most were absorbed by the hemispherical red magical shield that currently defended the city, but with the beating that had taken, holes were appearing. The shield gave the city a red glow, like looking through the eyes of a fly.

“I have just spoken with Dorazor through the crystalphone,” Belraz said. “He has just left Thaldir with cavalry reinforcements, enough to overpower the orc host.”

Just then, a hunk of rock crashed into the upper field. There was a crackle of lightning as it burst through the shield. It fell from the sky, shattering the rooftop of a house.

Arvanda gulped. It was four days’ ride from Thaldir to Goldenfel.

“The shields are giving way,” Arvanda said. “We don’t have enough time. I have another plan.”

She gulped. It had to come to this, but it was the only way. It was the only alternative to watching Goldenfel fall, and seeing her people slaughtered or taken as slaves of the orcs. Arvanda was their queen, she couldn’t have that.

“There is a scroll on the table of my drawing room,” Arvanda said. “You’ll know when the time is right. Do not read it before.”

“Yes, My Queen,” Belraz said.

Arvanda looked at herself in the mirror, building up the courage for what she was about to do.

She was the most beautiful elf around, so she’d been told. She was petite, with wavy silver hair. A few strands of hair sat in front of her pointy ears, while the rest fell to her shoulders from behind them. Her eyes had a blue glow, accentuated by the sapphires in her white-gold tiara and earrings. She wore a light blue dress, with silver leaves around the hems.

She took the bow from the corner, breathing in deep as she was about to do something completely crazy.

It had to be done though, to save her people.

She walked out onto the upper wall, attaching the roll of paper to the back of the arrow. She gave the signal to the mages to give her a gap in the shield, and she fired her arrow. Ensuring it landed short of the sieging orcs.

Her heart pounded from within. The message had been sent. It was time to see how the orcs responded.