The rain fell down upon her as she struggled through the mud. Her body forcing her to continue so she may live to see another day. The rain had been somewhat of a blessing considering the drought had prevented any precipitation to fall at all during the last month. But this much rain wasn�t a blessing, it was murder.
She slipped and fell in to a deep pool of the black sludge on the ground. Her green nightgown covered in a sticky black paste that may never come out. She forced her self up again and to continue walking. Her blue eyes flashed up towards the sky with malice, cursing the rain as it fell.
Only once did she look back, and she saw the flames etch the sky as her home had burned. Even in the rain the flames had forced themselves upon her with a fury only matched by the creatures who had started the fire. Orcs, Orcs burned her city into a heap of rubble. They killed all elves who had tried to stop them. The princess had barely gotten away. The battle mage Razor and his knightly partner Valius had stopped the Orcs from killing her. She wondered if they still lived, if they could stop a small army from killing the only remaining child of the elven legacy.
Once more she turned to look at the burning forest, the trees, going to flame quickly in the dry conditions of earlier. She blinked her eyes and watched as three figures break away from the flaming abyss. Into the night sky, the three larger objects flew towards her. She had no way to protect herself so she waited in the increasing rainfall. Waiting for the inevitable.
Three huge birds moved towards her with amazing speed, each with a rider upon its back. The huge birds were eagles that could have easily destroyed a home with a single movement, but yet she lived.
The birds landed about a hundred feet away from her. She began to run away and slipped in the mud again and couldn�t get her footing back. Three men. No, two men and a woman. They approached her quickly.
�Leave me alone,� the princess cried out, her heart beating very fast. The fear had over taken her and she was resisting their every move to get her on her feet.
�Aprilea,� the voice was familiar,� Aprilea, its us, its Razor.� The princess looked up and saw the medallion on his neck. The twin dragons of the flame. This was Razor Strife, the Dragon Prince. There was a man next to him, his armor still shining in the rain and blood that had covered it, that was Valius Nicrima, Cleric of Sorvi, goddess of magic. And the women on his other side was Mia Nastroanas, a mage. Her silk skirt was dripping with grime and muck from the battle.
�Razor,� Aprilea leaped up and flung her arms around his neck,� Your alive.�
�For now,� Razor said in his usual grim voice,� The Orcs saw us leave, they may follow us-.�
�To late,� Valius mumbled staring behind them. Razor spun and saw the orcen army, or what was left of it at least. Not truly an army, an attack force of some kind. Just made to kill the elvish city. They had succeeded. The Orcs had begun to charge them from two hundred yards away. The pace was incredible. Their armor hadn�t slowed them at all, they just charged.
�Mia,� Razor yelled over the increasing wind,� Take Aprilea into the sky with the all three birds. Mia stared at him.
�I won�t leave you Razor,� her voice cracked. Her blue eyes shined at him from the distance. Aprilea climbed onto one of the humongous eagles and waited for Mia.
�Drisnak,� the elven word for go came from Mia�s lips and all three birds took off into the air and circled overhead. Razor glared at her through the water dripping from his head.
�If you die Mia,� Razor drew the golden longsword from it�s sheathe,� Don�t blame me.� He turned to face the army as it began to close on them.
�I�ve got you here Razor,� her eyes began to glow red with magic,� You won�t let me die.� She stretched her arms out in front of her.
�Cut the chit chat,� Valius yelled readying his shield and mace,� Lets do this.�
Razor stared at the army of two hundred Orcs. He wouldn�t live through this he thought. His sword erupted in flame, the anger of the battle mage activated the sword. The flames coursed up and down the blade with a fury unmatched by any. The Orcs were so close that they could feel their breath.
The battle had begun.