DARKSWORD: Against All Odds

'The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you'll find him;
His father's sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him....'

        They looked like a cloud of insects, their number seemingly overwhelming in size. The flatlands under the mountainside started to tremble slightly from the vibrations that all those soldiers were making from their march, all in unison. Darius knew that this wasn't going to be easy. There were no trees in the flatlands to hide behind, no brush to sneak up from. Up on the mountainside to his right on a high ridge of rock were Ranier and Chandra, bows drawn, ready for action. Directly behind him on the same ridge was Arielle, whose sword was drawn. She was also ready to summon some of the local hawks that inhabited the area for assistance, should they need it.
        Looking back at the legion of soldiers, he noticed something else, something much larger in the background. As it got closer, he made out the unmistakable form of a rather large catapult, already loaded with a small boulder. 
      "Heavy artillery." he said to himself. As minutes ticked by, the legion got closer, and closer. Darius drew his sword and leveled it at the advancing soldiers. A short time later, the vibration in the ground stopped as all the soldiers came to an abrupt halt, their weapons now raised and ready for battle.
        Suddenly, a deep but loud voice yelled out from the front of the legion. Darius surmised it must be the highest ranking leader of the large group. 
      "Surrender now," started the deep voice. "And you will live. Fight us, and you will most certainly die." 
      'Live in confinement you mean.' thought Darius, knowing that to surrender would mean the dungeon in the depths of Kinnaris Castle, a future he didn't want to be part of. He walked forward a couple of steps and then issued his own ultimatum. 
      "Perhaps it is you who should surrender," started Darius loudly. "Or would you willingly lead you and your men to certain doom?" 
       There were a few laughs before the deep voice responded again. 
      "An interesting question from those that are outnumbered five hundred to four." he started. "I must have your answer, now!" the voice exclaimed. 
      Darius grinned, knowing the soldiers couldn't see it. "Very well." he yelled back. "Here it comes!" he exclaimed, before yelling a battle cry and charging the legion. he ran full tilt into the legion, which had started to bolster their ranks once they saw the charge. 
     "Attack! Take no prisoners!" was their order as the battle began.
      Darius sliced into the mass of soldiers, swinging his sword from side to side, occasionally using a spin kick to knock out a couple more. As the legion began to swarm, soldiers suddenly began to drop, being taken out by arrows fired from the ridge, Chandra and Ranier finding their ideal range. Darius kept up his assault, catching some soldiers by surprise with his sword, while whirling around and striking more with his feet and fists in between. 
      The sheer numbers against him were starting to back him up towards the mountainside, inadvertantly giving the two archers better shots, with more soldiers being picked off by arrows and dropping to the ground.
      Suddenly, Darius noticed the catapult fire it's first boulder, the snapping sound very loud and pronounced. He watched it go over the flatland towards the ridge where the archers stood. Ranier and Chandra saw it coming, grabbed their extra quivers, and bolted to safety just before the boulder struck the ridge, destroying the small area where they had been standing, and shaking the ground noticeably. 
     Observing this firsthand from her position, Arielle closed her eyes and focused on her telepathy, summoning any and all hawks in the area to start dive-bombing the soldiers on the battlefield. It wasn't long before a dozen hawks screached from above and went on the assault, making direct runs at some of the soldiers spreading out on the battlefield.
      Darius was still fighting amongst the overwhelming force, slashing his way through some of them, beating back more. Some soldiers began to back off, trying to figure out how one man was delivering so much offence and taking down so many soldiers in their midst. As he fought his way deeper into the legion, Darius noticed that the catapult was being loaded again, and decided to fight his way to it, hopefully stopping another assault on the mountainside. Suddenly, he was knocked onto the ground and lost sight of the catapult. When he jumped back to his feet, there were more soldiers swarming him, from all directions. 
      "Damn it!" he mumbled to himself, annoyed at the numbers.
       He became so focused on the battle in front of him, that he didn't notice the catapult's second shot until the ground shook all around him. Only when he heard a shriek from behind him did he understand how dire the situation had just become. Darius whirled around to see the ridge crumble and give way, with his beloved falling to her certain doom. 
      "No!" he screamed in anger, not willing to see her perish because of all this. The scores of men were advacing on him, but Darius was already ignoring them and closing his eyes, focusing his powers as quickly as possible. His sword fell from his grasp and onto the ground with a thud, temporarily forgotten.
       Both of his arms were now raised, as wave of fire lanced out from his right hand, striking the ground under the ridge and creating a deep crater. A massive stream of water then shot out from his left hand, filling the crater to it's brim just in time to recieve Arielle, who splashed down into it, water going in all directions. She would be wet, but alive, and that was all that  mattered to him. Knowing she had survived, he turned his attention back to the soldiers, who were starting to swarm again.
      "Burn!" he screamed, before creating a wall of fire that shot out from his right hand and expanded outwards, enveloping the soldiers and taking them all down.
       The battlefield went quiet as the enemy now lay dead or unconcious on the flatland. Darius turned to the crater pond and hurried over to Arielle, who had crawled out of the water and onto dry land. When he arrived, he knelt down and took her in his strong arms and smiled at her lovingly. She coughed up some water, then managed to wipe her wet, brown hair away from her still sparkling eyes before smiling back at him. 
      "Darius." she said softly, her voice trailing off. Darius brought her closer. 
      "Shhh." he whispered in her ear. "Nothing to worry about, my beloved." he said reassuringly. Arielle leaned in as best she could and kissed him on the cheek.
      "I love you." she said, smiling. Darius grinned, and was glowing for a moment. 
      "And I you." It was then that he noticed Ranier and Chandra jogging up. He had just finished helping Arielle to his feet, when Ranier spoke. 
      "Everyone okay?" he asked. Arielle nodded with a faint smile. 
      "Good." started Ranier. "Because we have a problem." 
      "And that is...?" asked Darius, picking up his sword. 
      Ranier pointed past the damaged catapult. "Them." he said, as a new legion of soldiers began to arrive on the scene.
       "Hmm." muttered Darius, as he turned to Ranier. "How many arrows do you have left?" he asked, trying to assess the situation. Ranier frowned somewhat while looking to his two quivers. 
       "Not enough to fend them all off." he said, also noticing that Chandra only had a handfull left as well in her quiver. 
       Darius nodded, then looked to the women. "You must get to safety. On the other side of the mountain is a valley. It will be safe to set up camp there." he explained. 
       Arielle protested immediately. "No Darius, we will not leave the two of you." she said, with Chandra standing next to her, staring at the men. 
       Ranier then spoke up before Darius could reply, much to his chagrin.
       "As much as we might need you, we cannot risk putting either of you in further jeopardy, especially with dwindling supplies. Go now, and be safe. We will join you as soon as we can." 
       Darius nodded his approval before turning to face the oncoming army. Arielle walked up quietly and kissed him on his lips softly and passionately. "You are my everything.....please make it back to me." she said softly. 
       Darius smiled and nodded. "I will. You have my word, beloved." he replied. Chandra also kissed Ranier on the lips, but said nothing, as she just stared at him for a moment, looking very sad. Her expression said volumes to his soul, touching it in a way only she could.
       The two women turned finally and left, walking quickly towards the mountain before jogging and disappearing into the brush at the base of the rocky area. Ranier walked up and stopped at Darius' side, drawing his bow. Darius brought his sword to bear on the foes that lay ahead, and stood ready. 
       "Darius." said Ranier quietly. "Yes?" replied Darius. "We have no choice but to succeed." said Ranier, knowing the odds were against them. 
       Darius nodded. "Very true, old friend. I keep all of my promises." 
       Ranier stayed silent for a moment, pondering what was to come. Looking at the soldiers that were now closing, he spoke. "Let's not keep them waiting." he said. 
       Darius grinned to himself. "Victory shall be ours!" he yelled, and with that, both men broke into a run towards the legion, yelling battle cries as they entered the fray.

        The stars shined bright above in the night sky as embers from the campfire continued to float to the ground unabated, almost like they knew where they were going. Arielle was watching the embers from her bedroll, unable to sleep, worried about her beloved and his best friend. She looked to Chandra, who had managed to fall asleep a couple hours earlier. She looked to the sky and gazed at the brightest star she could find.
        "Darius...." she whispered, before a tear ran down her cheek. She started sobbing softly, unable to hold her emotions back any longer. It wasn't long before Chandra had awoken and saw her friend's despair. She got up off her bedroll and went and sat down next to Arielle, who had her face in her hands, and was still sobbing softly.
         Chandra put her arm around her reassuringly. "They will come back to us, they will." she said softly. 
         "I....I wish I knew that for sure." replied Arielle, sobbing.
         "Come on now," started Chandra. "You have told me that Darius has been in some pretty dire situations, and still managed to succeed." 
         Arielle nodded. "Yes, but he's never had to face so many before." 
        "Perhaps. But he is not alone." she said. Arielle nodded and started to calm, wiping her eyes, and pushing some of her long, brown hair out of her face.
         "They have to make it, they just have to." she said, staring at the fire. 
         Chandra managed a small grin. "They will. Now let's get some sleep." she mentioned, before letting Arielle lay down on the bedroll, before leaving for hers. She watched as Arielle closed her eyes, and within minutes, was asleep. Chandra also laid down, and closed her eyes. 
         She couldn't think about anything but Ranier, and it was his dashing smile she was picturing that helped her fall asleep for the second time. The fire continued to crackle as the two women slept, the embers still occasionally puffing out and floating to the ground. As time passed and it got closer to morning, the fire gradually extinguished itself, and for a short time there was a silence in the valley, which nothing seemingly wanted to disrupt.

         Morning was ushered in by the rising sun, it's light again bringing colour to the land below. The fire at the campsite was nothing more than charred remains of wood, blackened from the blaze. Two familiar figures stood staring at the campsite, contemplating all that had transpired since the sun last shone. Darius was exhausted, and really wanted to lay down and sleep next to his beloved. He knew however, that it would be better to spend some time with her, making sure that he was the first thing she saw when she awoke, hopefully putting her at ease. Ranier pondered Chandra and smiled to himself, happy to see that she had indeed been safe and sound, away from the fight, and getting some much needed sleep.
         Both men sat down next to their respective loves, Darius stroking Arielle's long brown hair, and Ranier planting a kiss on Chandra's forehead. He watched as she opened her eyes, laying her gaze on her love. 
        "Ranier!" she exclaimed, before wrapping her arms around him. Chandra's excitement woke up Arielle, who awoke quickly to see her beloved there, just as she had dreamt, with his arms around her. 
        "Beloved!" she exclaimed, before sitting up and pulling him into an embrace, followed by planting a kiss on his lips. After what seemed like an eternal embrace by both couples, they all got to their feet. Arielle looked her beloved up and down, not used to seeing him this ragged and dirty, an odd sight indeed.
         Darius' tunic was torn in places, his face scratched on one side. There was a gash on his chest that had already begun to heal, and his hair was a mess. Ranier didn't look much better, a cut above his right eye looked nasty, as did the condition of his own tunic, ripped open in some spots. Chandra hugged him again, just because she could, and it made her feel even better, as she was glad he came back to her. 
       "We were worried that you wouldn't make it back." she said. Ranier looked to Darius, then back to his love. 
       "If it weren't  for the Dragon powers, and Darius' fine swordsmanship, we might have not made it back." he said, with Darius looking over and grinning. Arielle softly took Darius' hands in hers and looked to him with affection, before turning her head towards Ranier. 
       "Will those soldiers still be after us?" she asked, looking back to Darius. The swordsman looked into his beloved's eyes.
       "No. It took a Regent, after two of his legions stood defeated, to show up and clear us of any charges." he explained. Arielle smiled at this news, happy that they wouldn't have to battle anyone else on this journey. Chandra was still embracing Ranier when she smiled and hugged her love tighter. 
       "Good." she started. "Because I won't let him go get roughed up anymore." she finished, happy at the thought of things being normal again. 
       "Well," started Darius. "It's not very often that one gets accused of being someone he is not, and committing crimes that he did not."
        Ranier frowned. "Perhaps it might benefit us to put finally take our leave of this area, should the Regent change his mind." he said. 
        Darius nodded. "Yes, I believe that is a fair course of action. There is nothing left for us here. Glory and victory were ours, and now we shall head for home." he said with a smile. Arielle smiled and thought about being back home in her bed, with her beloved by her side. She moved over to him and slid her hand inside his, as he looked at her lovingly. Ranier put an arm around Chandra and looked to Darius. 
       "Old friend, it has been an honour to be by your side once again." he said with a smile. Darius laughed and looked to Ranier, thinking of no one else he'd rather have by his side. 
       "No my friend, the honour is mine. We are forever brothers in arms." 
       "Indeed," started Ranier. "Let us be off. I wish to be back in time for Chandra and myself to watch the sun set over the meadows!" 
        Darius nodded and started walking, still hand in hand with his beloved. "That sounds inviting, but I would much rather sleep for a couple days. This war business gets rather tiring." he said with a grin. Ranier just nodded, while Chandra and Arielle looked to each other in amusement, happy that everything turned out the way it did. It wasn't long before the path starting to fork into two separate trails. It was time the two couples headed off for home.
       "Safe journey." said Ranier, before taking Chandra's hand in his and turning, heading down the trail that led through valley's floor. 
       "And to you as well." replied Darius before Ranier was out of range. Arielle waved at Chandra, then turned back to Darius, embracing him once again. 
       "Promise me you won't put yourself in so much danger anymore, my beloved." she said softly. Darius put his arms around her and kissed her on her head. 
       "I shall try for you, beloved." he said, before they both turned and walked off together, hand in hand as well. He thought of the battle as he walked with his beloved, thinking how close they came to defeat, but rose against all odds to overcome it an turn it into victory.
        He knew that even when things seemed downright impossible, he could count on Ranier and himself to fight on and get through even the darkest times. Darius was a strong believer in friendship and trust, and knew that these things went hand in hand, and needed to be respected if not to persevere, then to prevail. The only other factor was the power of love. In times like this one, love for Arielle was solely responsible for keeping him going. He had vowed long ago to protect her at all costs, and on this he would never waiver. He kept his promises, and made sure that he was always there for her, no matter what. The battlefield would not claim him, not now, not ever.

'"Land of Song!" said the warrior bard,
"Though all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!"'

                                                              THE END