The Element of Surprise - The First Battle

[Prince Pierre de Somerville]

I gave the order to fire, before aiming for the man the general indicated, firing after after arrow at him.

[Quinn du Paras]

My arm was useless at the moment, hanging limp at my side as the nerves fought to remember how to respond to what my brain was telling them to do. Using my other sword as a crutch, I tried to push myself to my feet, but the ground was slick with blood and I went down again, just in time to hear a crossbow bolt wiz over my head.

“Elua’s balls!” I cursed as I saw another Skaldi coming towards me, his crossbow raised as he aimed at me once more.

[Jacques de Layne]

I was overwhelmed by the situation, by sensations, by the noises and smells of battle. Unready and unable to orient myself, I'd momentarily lost sight of Reza's unit, where I'd been told Eulalie's foster father was fighting as well.

I was running, hacking as I could, and thought I'd caught sight of du Blaine once more, when a roar from a Skaldi called my attention, and I shifted, parrying his axe and interjecting my body between his blade and a disarmed soldier.

“Pick up your weapon, soldier, Elua,” I screamed. “I won't hold the beast over long!”

_{[OOC: Sending him in to help out Cateline.]}

[Alain de Mauvais (D)]

Twice more Skaldi lives were ended by my blade, their blood dripped from the steel in what seemed a living flow.

The line had moved into the village and the fighters were now forced to contend with buildings and a greater number of innocents. I had sent my mount back, trusting him to avoid the fighting in his return to camp.

A thrown rock connected with my hip and I spun around to face the assailant only to be confronted by the large eyes and blonde hair of a Skaldi boy no older than six. With an effort that shot pain through my wrists, I halted my sword in its motion and stopped the blow that would have killed him. He had another rock in his fist, but there was fear in his eyes, a terror no child should ever experience.

Before I could say anything to him, pain exploded through my side and the air burst from my lungs. The sword dropped from my hands and my right one weakly moved to feel the blade jutting from my side. My vision was starting to blur, but I turned my head far enough to see the Skaldi warrior holding the hilt of the sword. My lips parted, but instead of words a thick trickle of blood flowed from them. The Skaldi leered and twisted the sword inside me before yanking it free. The support gone, I sank to the ground.

Grabbing the boy, the Skaldi stepped over me and headed off, leaving me alone on the blood wet ground. It was a struggle to breathe at all, my lungs feeling thick and wet. I blinked, the motion taking all my strength. Over the raging battle, I heard laughter; a sweet, pure laugh I’d never thought to hear again.

Jessamine

The red clouding my vision curled into the shape of her amazing hair and over the scent of my own blood I could smell her. I felt the velvet sweetness of her lips on mine. My lips moved, and while in truth they only offered up more blood, I whispered her name. The blood, the pain, the war all washed away by her presence and there was only peace.

Forever, peace.

[Cateline de Bouclier]

I thought that I would meet my death when I saw the Skaldi's axe raise and then I saw a fellow soldier hold back the man's axe. I rose when I heard him call to me and I grabbed my sword from the ground.

I responded on instinct, stabbing the Skaldi in the stomach and pushing the blade through his abdomen, effectively releasing his organs from his body. The Skaldi dropped his axe and immediately collasped to the ground.

I turned to the soldier, "Thank you for your help." My statement was cut off as I saw another Skaldi charing towards us. I glanced at Jacque briefly before deftly dodging the Skaldi and striking him in the back with my sword as he ran past us.

[Armand de Louis]

I only had enough time to rush to meet steel with steel, and I prayed what training I had subjected myself to would be enough, that I would be able to withstand the blow so that the wounded man on the ground would be able to somehow slink away to safety, perhaps even deal a blow from below. I could hardly see, thought the sheen of blood and sweat on my eyes, how much harm he'd taken, but there was blood galore, and my boots slipped as I clashed with the Skaldi, holding him in a deadlock.

[Jacques de Layne]

The soldier was up again, and back on his feet, he rushed past a Skaldic warrior, backstabbing him. I'd have sooner faced him first – it seemed fitting, to me, that if a man must kill another, the least one could do was look him in the eye.

“Well done,” I said, and with another attack coming to from the right, I was distracted, then it was dispatched, and I resumed wading through, hoping to locate du Blaine.

[Quinn du Paras]

Before the bolt could be loosed, a man came to my aid, giving me the time to find my feet. With my good arm, I raised my sword and brought it down on the exposed side of the Skaldi. Cloth and flesh parted equally until I felt blade grind against ribs and the warrior screamed out in agony.

[Astride Schevlok]

There had been horns – and not ours, those sounded prim and singing, not the fierce howls of the hounds of war that I'd come to love hearing. Bloody D'Angeline.

As the women and children scrambled to safety, I buckled my mail back into place hopped on my ever saddled horse, sword at the ready. Well and good – it was time they retorted, and I felt the eagerness of some healthy competition boiling in my veins.

I rode to the closest hill – to count their numbers. By Odinn, they were more than a simple Cammelline force. I rode back, ready to report to Eirik - but one of the captives was fleeing, and so I angled my horse to give her chase, and to kill her if I must.

_{[OOC: Chasing after Arianna!]}

[Fálki Pórbrandr]

When the cries came there was no thought, and I'd roared my orders to my own family, the girls and younger ones to leave with the d'Angeline woman and the others, while my two older sons and I grabbed our weapons. I had my two axes in easy reach and I nearly barreled through the door to take on the enemy that dared to try and raid us. d'Angelines, more of them?! What could these pretty-faced children think to do to veterans of many raids, takers of women, horses and gold? They would fall for this outrage and we would make the stand to allow our families and prisoners to escape. If we fell there would be more to take their place.

With another roar I swung my ax, embedding it thickly in the skull of some pup who at his age should have been better prepared, but at least he died like a man, and I moved on to the next. There was blood all over the ground, the ringing of metal on metal and the screams and shouts of the fallen. In the distance I heard Eirik's commands and shouted a reply to let him know where I was, then started to clear whatever came my way as I went in that direction. There would have to be a plan or all would be lost and I would be damned to Hel if these craven people won against the mighty Skaldi.

[Armand de Louis]

Merciful Kushiel be graced – the man below hit well and true, and the Skaldi cried out, crumpling to the ground. With an efficient blow, I finished him, giving him a merciful and quick death, before I raised my buckler to shield he and I both from stray blow and arrows.

“Can you walk?” I screamed through the melee. “Or must I carry you out?”

[Guy de Mereliot (R)]

While the brunt of the battle moved directly in front of me and the archers shot torrents of arrows over our heads I bend down and picked up the shield of a fallen soldier, saying a quick prayer for both he and his family. Then it was carefully around to the side. I figured that I could beat back any others who had the same. I was impatient truly, being kept like a bird in a cage I had broken free and endeavored that I would do something of value.

A Skaldi found me on my right and his mace hit my shield. I bent my arm down and swung the other around, shattering his cheek with the pommel and my own gauntlet. It was then a quick turn of the wrist and his neck was split open from bottom to top, the way one opens up a fish. I left him there and moved on, just under a run, remembering for a brief moment my leg. A horseman was coming up close to me and I knew that I could dismount him, thus giving me an advantage.

It was then that I heard it, the sound of a woman, coming not from the battlefield but the camp. She was running into the battle field, and being pursued by a Skaldi, and it sent my mind on a mission, one that overrode any safety precautions, or even the value of my own life. I grabbed the reins of the approaching horse who bucked at me, massive, gnarled hooves flailing into my face. I ducked out of the way and plunged my sword into the chink between thigh and knee and yanked down, like pulling a lever and the burden fell from the beast’s back and I gave him a new one, myself and rushed towards the girl stopping in front of her and speaking in D’Angeline. “Hurry, get on.” I offered her my hand and gave her a kind face, though my eyes shifted two and fro, avoiding trouble with their glances.

[Arianna Corelli]

I'd been running, I didn't know or care where to, just as long as it was in the opposite direction of the Skaldic camp. Around me the battle had intensified, at the back of my mind I knew people were dying, not even a metre away, but all I could really hear was the sound of one of the men pursuing me, yelling curses.

Abruptly, my path was cut off by a great beast and for a moment I felt panic, sure that it was someone who'd take me back to that godforsaken land, but then it registered that the voice speaking was D'Angeline, and sure enough when I looked up there was that cutting beauty.

Asherat be praised, I took his hand and he pulled me up onto the horse, then clutched onto the folds of his clothes for dear life. "Thank you," I managed, my voice less than steady.

[Astride Schevlok]

One D'Angeline warrior tore through the melee, killing savagely on his way to the captive, and I cursed under my breath – they were the savages, not us. I heeled my mount, made angry now by the attack and the escape, and I pressed the horse into further franticness.

It was becoming a matter of pride, not to let them escape, not to let them get back into D'Angeline safe zones, and I sheathed my sword, stood on my stirrups, spear at the ready.

[Johanna Reyksol]

I listened to Heribert's instructions closely, nodding as he left, leaving me to a task that I did not know if I was up to: calming the fears of a clan's women and children. Many of the children were already crying and Ygritte had vomited at my feet. I sighed and asked one of the older women to clean that up as I addressed the rest of the group.

"Women of the Skaldi, do not fear. The D'angelines think to come into our homes and kill us, but our men will not let that happen! Even now, they fight for us, and soon we will sing songs of victory over the bodies of the D'angeline dead. Do not fret, any of you, for my brother will protect us as he always has." I believed it wholeheartedly, and I could hear the fervent worship in my voice for Eirik, and it was contagious.

I started a song then, a low one, to be sure, but music was like life's blood to us, and everyone stilled to listen, calm descending over the cave with every stanza I sang.

[Islief Halvdan]

The battle was well underway now, and I didn't like the odds. The D'angelines not only had surprise on their side, but they outnumbered us. We hadn't been able to send for help from the other clans, at least, none that would be coming soon. I'd sent a rider as soon as I realized what was happening, but we really did not have the time to wait. The choices were to beat them back on our own, to retreat and fight another day, or to die here on the battlefield defending our homes. I knew which one I would choose, but I could not speak for Eirik and what choices he might make.

[Quinn du Paras]

“I can walk,” I answered with a shout. I turned towards the first corpse and located the hilt of my second sword.

“My other blade,” I told him, pointing. “I need it.” slowly feeling was returning to my left arm, but I still had no control over its movements. “Can you help me move him?”

[Guy de Mereliot (R)]

Was is foolish, rash? Perhaps. However there was now a free woman where there was none before. She was clutching me and thanking me and it made me smile but only for a moment. I realised then that her back was exposed. I took my shield and offered it to her. “Put in on your back somehow, but hold on.” It was as helpful as I could be as we raced towards the D’Angeline line.

As we rode, the wind coating my hair with dust, I held out my sword, striking down Skaldi wherever I could. Maybe there was a little bit of pride in the act. It frightened me some.

Were were now quite close to the line, our own men and woman starting to surround us more than the Skaldi.

[Ansel Roux]

There was a special pride that I took in the way I fought, not wishing to kill anyone and I thanked Camael for my aim. The arrows left my quiver and were let fly from my bow with matchless speed, yet the shots all were effective to my purpose. I hit the shoulders, knees, places that would leave the soldier useless for this battle, and possibly any other.

[Heribert Reiterin]

Once I was sure that Johanna understood, I covered up the entrance of the cave with vines. I walked from the cave and looked at it, and even from 15 feet away, it was hard to tell that there was a cave there at all. I hoped it would be a secure place.

I took a alternative route back to the village, in hopes that no one would follow my trail. I made my way to the end of the village, taking in the chaos in front of me. I was going to do the best I could to keep them away from the hidden cave. Even if I had to do so with my life.

I looked for our leader, hoping to let him know the children and women were safe, or at least those that I could save. I saw a few of our women on the ground. I silently mourned their deaths, but kept my eyes open for any D'Angeline attempting to pass through.

[Arianna Corelli]

The ride was terrifying. I was trying to breathe properly and stay on the saddle, when he thrust his shield at me and told me to put it on my back. Flustered, I had to hook one arm around his waist as I half turned to secure it behind me. It was heavy, and I struggled to set it in place. In the end I awkwardly threaded my arm through it, as I saw the men do, and held it behind me. When I looked up I noticed one of the Skaldic men charging towards us with single minded determination and felt my heart sink.

"By all that is holy," fear made me revert to my mother tongue, but then I reverted to D'Angeline for the soldier's sake. "Make haste, there is one of them pursuing us."

[Astride Schevlok]

They were nearing the camp, and soon there would be no catching them. I growled under my breath, and frustrated in the extreme, I thrust my spear. The figures on the horse were protected by a shield, blast their prissy hides, and so instead, I aimed for the horses tender flesh.

Without a mount, I'd have a chance to catch them, kill the soldier, and bring the girl back. If Eirik had kept her, she might be a valuable asset – the fact that a single man would take the risk of taking her out of battle screamed of such a possibility.

[Armand de Louis]

“Aye,” I replied, and though I was still attempting a shield, I momentarily put us in plain view, shifting the buckler to my back. “Bugger it, stray arrows are just as mortal as aimed ones,” I grunted under my breath.

And that done, I reached down to move the body and retrieve the sword, which after some exertion, I was able to hand to my fellow soldier, hilt first.

[Landis de Verreuil]

The battle continued on, getting more and more heated, and I did my best to keep my eye on everyone under my command during the chaos while keeping myself alive at the same time. We were more useful alive than dead and there was always the enemy to face, to push them back and take this ground, and while the scenery was much different than the sands of Akkad the idea was the same. Evidence said that these people had poisoned Queen Sabrina and Prince Christien, that their raids had become a true threat to our land, an effort to sow fear and claim our lands. This had to be stopped. For that we had to achieve victory and live to fight another day.

I'd just run another Skaldi through with my longsword and started to pull it free, another enemy fallen of many that day, and I turned to start away, leaving him to bleed with the others on the field who were bleeding. Perhaps it was my own stupidity, or some misplaced assumption that the pain would be too much for him to manage anything but groaning his last breaths. Perhaps it was the fact that I turned too quickly to look around the field for my people, for others who needed help, that I didn't pay the attention I should have.

Whatever the reason, the effects were the same.

The sound of a shout to my side, garbled and unintelligible, drew my head to turn slightly toward the man I'd just felled- just in time to see the glint of metal. It was so quick that there was nothing else to see, only to feel, the rending of my flesh from the corner of my eye across the bridge of my nose, and the sharper agony that made me nearly scream and I raised my hand reflexively to my my eye. There was only rent flesh under my fingertips, and the agony continued. I couldn't see my own fingers, or even think of seeing them in the agony, and all I could do was stumble backward and reach for the short sword on my side. My adrenaline was pumping and I stabbed the next Skaldi who approached on instinct alone, but I couldn't do this forever. I knew that.

But I couldn't die here, though my legs wanted to buckle under me. I had try and keep going.

[Lucien de Clairmont]

The battle raged about me, and I gulped in a deep breath when I cut down my last imminent attacker. A glance around me showed my unit was not faring well, our forces in some of the thickest of fighting. Quinn had gone down, and I was about to make my way over to him when I cry of agony rent the air. It was Landis de Verreuil. Seeing someone was already aiding Quinn, I changed the direction of my charge. "Siovale," I bellowed, cutting down Landis's attacker. "Siovale to me!" I started to clear the area between Landis and Quinn, not willing to let those stinking Skaldics get either of them. We would beat them back, at least long enough to retreat.

[Guy de Mereliot (R)]

The girl urged for more speed but the horse was going as fast as it could and I dared not press it further. We were so close though--

I felt the spear hit the leg of the horse and time both sped up and slowed down. The animal began to rear and my first thought was how not to fall on my head. The second, and the one that ended up taking precedence, was protecting the girl. She was already starting to slide back and I was going with her. “Drop the shield” I told her. “And hang onto me.” The plan was to fall off to the side, or roll rather, let her fall on me and then protect her from the hooves with my body.

We slowly came off to the side, but as fate would have it my foot caught in the stirrup as we came down. I felt already weakened muscles tearing and snapping and by the time I could dislodge my foot I was already in agony. Thankfully the horse was spooked in the opposite direction and didn’t make things worse by trampling the girl or myself.

I just laid there on the field. The sounds of death and heroism around me and I knew that I had ruined it for myself. I just had to go out there one last time and they were all right. If I were lucky I’d need a cane for a long time, but most likely I’d never have the use of the leg again. Was this what I was destined for, to fail at all my hopes and dreams?

[Arianna Corelli]

It was all happening so fast, almost too fast that I couldn't process any of it. Our horse reared in agony and I began to fall backwards, the man telling me to drop the shield. Without thinking I did as he bid, holding on tight as we rolled unceremoniously to the ground. Thankfully the horse didn't trample us, but ran away.

The man seemed in pain as he lay on the ground and I felt like slapping him out of it, he couldn't do this, not now when we were so close and the Skaldic man on our heels, no, right there breathing down our necks. He was upon us now, and not likely to show mercy.

It was probably not the smartest thing to do, would probably result in his ire more than anything else, but I had to buy time. I picked up the shield and threw it at our aggressor with all the strength I had. Which was in itself quite pitiful. It seemed to surprise him though and I yelled at my saviour on the floor.

"Get up, please, get up we're so close," I screamed.

[Grace Ouilet]

Oh Elua!

The first clash of arms brought me awake with a gasping start, and I struggled through a haze of sleepiness as I glanced around Falki's hut. For a fleeting second there was no movement, but before I could think to rise, there was a sudden flurry. Marta came out, the children moved 'round with a wail, and Falki tore through, looking like death himself. I shrank back into my cot and pulled my blanket to my breasts, watching with wide, terrified eyes as he left, and my gaze went immediately to Marta.

"What is happening?" I breathed, but if she understood me, she ignored it in favor of calling all her children to her. The eldest held the youngest, and though the two elder of Falki's boys strode out on his heels, the remaining seven children scuttled to huddle around their mother. I rose myself, hastily, clad in my shift and naught else on the warm night, but I wasn't given time to dress before she was ordering me over to her. "Protect the children," she commanded, brooking no argument before disappearing out the door. It was but a moment before she was back, and immediately began hurrying them, talking in a language I didn't grasp; all I could do was follow her hand gestures, follow her movements as she ushered them out the door and into what surely was madness.

Blood, steel, horseflesh, screaming men, dying men, boys hurling stones and sticks, livestock bolting between legs, swords flashing and spears thrusting, ruined sheilds littering the ground beside bodies that looked...

I turned, vomiting noisily by a shrub I'd tended only earlier that day, and before I could think I was vomiting again. The screams echoed through my head, and I glanced around wildly before Marta grasped my hand and hauled me forcibly with her, her face set and determined while mine was wild with terror. "Cave," she said. "Children to cave. Safety."

[Emeric Deveroix]

The battle went on and on, just as faceless as any other, the noise just as easily drowned out with a little bit of concentration on your opponent and yourself without any huge distractions. Unfortunately with this many people that last one was almost impossible and while I was standing on the edge of the battle slicing the throat of the last Skaldi scum who approached I saw a man and woman on a horse- wait, a woman?! They were all supposed to be behind the lines with the healers waiting for us to come back in one piece or not. Maybe she was an escaped prisoner then, but that wasn't my concern. No, the Skaldi riding after them was far more interesting, but we had rules here.

Besides, I'd never gotten to show off this way before, so why not?

I reached where they had fallen just as the girl hurled a shield at the horseman and I watched him, sword in hand while she tried to get the man to do more than writhe and moan in pain. that leg wasn't obviously bleeding but with how old he was maybe it had broken on the way down. No way to tell though, and not my area anyway. "Get up," I said to the girl with a crooked grin probably somewhat ruined by the blood I was splattered with and my fighting stance, but then again some girls thought that was sexy. "I'll get him, lady, but if you get hurt I'll get slowed down getting both of you. Understand?"

[Arianna Corelli]

Another man stopped by us, his smile caked with blood and I almost screamed, but no, he was D'Angeline.

I hesitated for a moment. I couldn't leave the man who saved me, but the other man reassured me and I eventually nodded.

"Understood," I said, getting up, then added, "Hold on," to the man still on the ground.