Chapter 50: The New King

“Mira,” Elric nodded. She stared down her long pale nose at them before inclining her own head.
“We have been expecting you,” she replied and swept away, her long black cloaking trailing a path through the snow. Saffron and Elric exchanged a smirk before following the princess up to the castle. The castle was as cold and distant as it had been during their first visit. They were led to the drawing-room where a familiar couple sat on the settee.
August jumped up and pulled his brother into a hug, pounding his back with his fist. “It’s good to see you back to yourself. Not that your scales weren’t formidable,” he said, a giant smile on his face. Elric snorted.
“It’s good to be back. Now, let us not waste time. Do we have an army?” Elric asked, his green eyes glittering.
####
Saffron stood outside of the large black castle, watching as the snow fell lightly to the earth. She loved winter, but would hate to spend most of her days in its cold embrace. Footsteps crunching on the frozen ground behind her alerted her to someone’s presence.
“Things have certainly taken a turn,” Mira drawled, standing next to her. Saffron spared her a glance.
“They certainly have,” she replied, wondering what the princess wanted.
“I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time you were here,” she said after a moment. Saffron arched an eyebrow.
“Oh?” she replied, waiting for the princess to continue. Mira looked down at her black-gloved hands.
“Elric’s rejection stung more than I had liked. I had thought him coming here was his way of reconciling and then I saw you. And the way he looks at you. He’s never looked at me like that. The jealousy overtook me. For that, I am sorry,” Mira said quietly, her words coming out in a rush. Saffron was shocked into silence. She moved her eyes to look at Mira. Mira was staring resolutely across the frozen tundra towards the distant scrubby trees.
“Thank you for saying that. I know that it wasn’t easy,” Saffron replied softly. Mira turned her bright eyes to Saffron, slightly wide, and nodded.
“You have our army. Plus, I’ve always hated that bitch Ishild,” Mira retorted with a slight, wicked smile.
####
“We have the army?” Elric asked, excitement lacing his words. August nodded.
“We leave at dawn,” August replied, clasping his brother’s hand. Elric nodded, the thrill of battle singing through his veins.
####
The day dawned bright as the winter sun regained its strength as spring steadily approached. Saffron stared in amazement as the Udril army stretched out before them, clad in their black armor. The thousands of soldiers marched before them, darkness spreading over the white ground.
“August said that he had spoken to Wulfstan. The Runswick army, those who were able to escape, are joining us,” Elric leaned over and said to Saffron.
“Escape?” she asked, fearing the answer. He grimly nodded his head.
“Wulfstan said that Ishild…she changed the soldiers that were not able to flee in time.”
“Changed? How?” Saffron replied.
“He does not know the exact change that has taken place, but he believes them to be undead,” Elric said, fury smoldering in his eyes. Saffron gasped.
“You’ll have to fight your own men?” she ventured and reached for his hand.
“Yes. I will have to kill the men I trained with, shared meals with. But I suppose I would rather have them meet their end at the edge of the blade as opposed to Ishild’s hands.”
A loud roar sounded above them, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Saffron looked up and stared at the sight above them. The sky was nearly darkened by the swarm of dragons above them. The dragons sounded again together, their song one of thunder and war.
On their backs rode the sorceresses of the Keep, dressed in white flowing robes, their magic swirling around them as they soared through the sky. Saffron felt something deep inside of her answer their call. She felt a tingling rush up her back and down her arms. She held her fingers out in front of herself and marveled as she watched white light stream from them.
She turned her surprised face to Elric who was watching her with a smile. “Well, there’s a new trick. Shall we go kill the evil witch then?” he said with a smile.
####
Runswick looked to be an entirely different city than when they left it. The streets were barren. No candlelight flickered from the homes and no smoke rose from the chimneys. The castle looked bleak against the sky as they ventured towards it.
“What happened to the people?” Saffron whispered as they wound their way to the fortress, now covered in ice.
“Wulfstan said most of them fled. I do not want to imagine what has happened to the others,” Elric replied darkly. Saffron swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She felt something new spark along her fingers. She glanced down and saw that the air around them had begun to waver and become tinged with red. Anger. She was angry.
“We cannot let her get away with this,” Saffron hissed, the magic crackling around her.
“She will not take another breath outside of this day,” Elric vowed.
####
The army marched over the white ground, their feet a steady drum of war. Ishild watched as the thousands of black-clad Udril soldiers made their way to her castle. A large roar drew her attention to the cloud of dragons that flew towards her. She smiled watching the procession.
“Is the army ready?” She asked as she turned. Kingsley bobbed his head once, his eyes black. “Good. Let us end this today,” she said and turned back to the window, a serene smile on her cracked and peeling face.
####
The battle was unlike any Elric had before seen. There was no order, just chaos. He watched as his townspeople, his own soldiers, were propelled forward by Ishild’s dark magic. Their faces were no longer their own. Rather they were slack-jawed, their eyes black, empty pools as they clawed into the Udril soldiers. They fought as if they were animals, reduced to their most primal instincts.
Elric fought steadily through them, choosing to end them with his blade as opposed to his fire. He owed them a respectful death, so he walked through the throng, his blade singing. Saffron stayed near the back, helping to heal those who needed it most but she watched as Elric made his way towards the castle, trodding through the horror of war.
August met Elric at the door of the castle, his face set into grim resolution. “Ready?” he asked as Elric approached. Elric nodded.
“Let us end this and get you on the throne,” Elric replied and pushed open the door. The castle was surprisingly empty. A cold wind rushed through the corridor. They crept slowly, their blades drawn. No sound could be heard.
They walked up the steps towards Ishild’s chambers. The hallway was littered with corpses, their life drained from them. Elric felt his rage grow with each step towards the darkness that had swept through his kingdom. The door to Ishild’s chambers stood open.
“It is rude to linger outside. Come in,” her voice called from within. The brothers, blades still held high, walked into the room. The stench of decay was nearly obliterating.
She sat upon her throne, watching them approach. Her usually smooth skin was pockmarked with blackness. Her lips were a black and bloodied gash across her face. Kingsley stood next to her, a large black chain around his neck.
“I wondered when you would have the courage to come here,” she hissed, her black eyes roving over them.
“I should have killed you the last time I was here,” Elric said softly and twisted his wrist, his sword moving gracefully through the air. She cackled.
“Oh, as if you could. You only escaped because Kingsley here was being naughty and has a soft spot for that witch of yours,” she replied with a smile. Elric growled. She smiled wider.
“And you, you are pathetic. You’ll never sit upon this throne. Even the prophecies tell of another in your place,” she said to August, who glowered at her.
“You know of the prophecy and yet you sit there, thinking you can win?” Elric replied. She gave a shrug of her bony shoulders.
“Prophecies can come about in many ways. That is the beauty of the dark side of magic….it has no such rules,” she replied quietly and flicked a bolt of black lightning that hit August in the chest, felling him. Elric roared and rushed to his brother’s side.
He was gone, his face frozen in horror. Elric glanced towards Ishild, his body shaking with rage. He felt the scales slip over his skin and his head twist into his dragon but he was able to stop it there. It would not be enough to sink his teeth into her. He wanted to feel her death at his hands.
“I see you’ve learned a new trick,” she said and stood. Her dress hung in tatters on her decaying body as the magic consumed her from the inside out. “Come, boy, show me what else you’ve learned,” she said and cast a globe of darkness towards him.
He batted it away with his sword, his dragon’s instincts melding with his years of training as a soldier. He was able to parry away the rest of her bolts as well. She screamed in rage and with outstretched arms, cast a wave of blackness towards him. He shielded his face, Saffron’s face flashing into his mind as he prepared to meet his end.
A wave of warmth washed over him but…nothing else. Was this death? He cracked one eye open and stared at the sight before him. Saffron stood shielding his body with hers, a white globe around them, deflecting Ishild’s darkness.
Ishild screamed again and stormed towards them, the floor rising and cracking beneath her steps. “I’ve had enough!” she reached towards Saffron. Elric stood and jammed his sword into Ishild’s chest, Saffron’s hand wrapped around his own. He watched as a bolt of white light traveled down the length of the blade and punched into Ishild’s body as his blade slid into her chest.
With one last ear-shattering screech, Ishild fell. Her body crumpled into black ash onto the floor. The chains around Kingsley dropped and he coughed as he fell. Saffron rushed to help him up. He gave her a weak smile as she helped him into a chair. Elric was staring darkly where Ishild had fallen, his eyes glancing once to the body of his dead older brother.
“What do we do now?” Saffron asked, standing between him and Kingsley. “August was the rightful heir.”
“You’re king now, brother,” Kingsley wheezed and handed Elric their father’s crown.