The First Trials (The Second Queen Sequel)

Chapter 29

Edward

I pull the visor of my helmet over my face. We lock our formations and unsheath our swords, men prepare their muskets. Cannons are moved into place and loaded. Pikemen stand in the front lines, followed by musket men. They pour gunpowder down the barrels of their guns, followed by musketballs. They point their guns in between the pikemen, all firing at the same time. The second row fires, as the first row reloads their guns. The Aralian army continues to march towards us, we unsheath our swords and prepare to defend. Shouts and courageous battle cries fill the air. Blades are lifted into the air by both sides, the Aralians run at us, swords and guns at the ready. Time seems to stand still as they reach the pikes. Blades clash against each other, guns are fired and hit the shields of our men. The formations break, chaos begins to form. Man against man, duels and running kills fill the beach.
Varian soldiers take torches and set fire to the trenches. The fires sputter in the harsh wind before they grow strong, smoke crawling across the sand. Swords clash against each other and the smell of blood and gunpowder mixed with seawater fill the air. Men in every uniform of every country fall to the sand, blood pouring out of their bodies.
A sword clashes with mine, the man's hidden face blending in with every other I have fought. He swings his sword, I step out of the way, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade scraping against my breast plate. I advance, thrusting my sword into his belly, I rip the blade out, passing him as he crumples to the sand, face first, his blood staining the golden sand red. My blade rips through another man's stomach, then cleaves through another's arm as he thrusts his blade towards my underbelly.
I scan the field looking for Northwood. Barton strikes at an Eldian man. The fight lasts seconds before the sword enters his stomach, just below his heart, tearing a hold in his back. The man rips the blade from Barton's body, blood darker than rubies pours freely like a waterfall. His body falls to the beach, crumpled like a doll. The Eldi man flicks the blood from his blade and moves on, fighting his way through our men. Splintered wood and planks from ships reach the shore, darkened with gunpowder. "MOVE!" Safian men shout at all of our men as cannonfire fills the air. Our men run back toward our camp as the cannonball hits the earth, sending a wave of sand flying into the air, falling onto the bodies of the dead or those who ran too late as they continue to move away. Smoke surrounds us, like a heavy fog, covering the water and the sand. The salty air is now tinged with blood, metal and gunpowder.
    Rowboats from every ship try to reach the shore. Cannons are lined up along the shoreline, men of every army try to shoot down the small ships so reinforcements cannot come to the shore. Waves from failed cannonballs rock the boats, sending untied blades into the water. Metal hits metal, men pick up fallen blades and shields. Men run everywhere, swords hanging over all of our heads. The swords begin to fall on armies heads.
Cheers fill the air as ships appear in the distance. Colored flags are raised by each ship, the reinforcements have arrived. Cannons go off, trying to destroy the Uma, and Var ships. The ships press onward, entering the fray. A loud crack rings out, a mast falls from a ship, smashing through the starboard bow of the ship. The sound of the mast hitting the opposing ship is like thunder.
A sword is brought down towards my neck, I step out of his way. His failed blow pulling him off balance. I raise my blade, striking his shoulder. I take a few steps back, grasping my shield and sword, waiting to see what he will do next. He regains his balance as he rushes at me, swiping his sword at my legs. I step to the side a second too late, a stinging pain shoots up my thigh. Metal clangs against metal as his blade hits my shield. I bring the hilt of my sword to his chin, forcing the helmet off his head. A thin layer of sand rises from its fallen place to cover the tops of our boots. My blade hits his wrist, drawing a line of blood. Out of the corners of our eyes the consumptive battle at sea catches our attention. Our heads turn to face the sea.
    Screams fill the air as a succession of cannons fire into the belly of a warship. Sailors and soldiers rush to jump off and clamor onto other ships, trying to avoid going down with the ship. Water floods the second deck, the ship tilting to the side. A small fire ship enters the fray, no visible crew on deck. Smoke plumes out of the port holes. All too late we realize, it's a hellburner. Like the loudest crack of thunder in the night the ship explodes. Fire and smoke cover the ships. The wood nearest burned the color of tar.
    My opponent regains his focus, tearing his eyes away from the explosion. He turns his blade on me. In a quick slice, his throat is opened, blood blooming from the gaping hole. I scan the beach, trying to count the living as chaos rains down like hellfire around me.
To the right of me, a musketman kneels in the sand, his fingers slick with blood as he works on reloading his gun. The Aralian general stalks him, his blade at the ready, de Aguliar bends to the earth, picking up a fallen blade, flipping over in his hand. He stalks Hashiyamal, waiting to make his move. The general's blade bites into the musketman's neck as de Aguliar raises his blade and beheads Hashiyama.

A/N: Fuck, Marry, Kill: Isabella, John, Edward?
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Had my senior pictures done today. Got eaten alive my mosquitoes.
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Thank you so much for reading! We're in the homestretch.

All my love,
M
❤️⚔️