I wouldn’t have believed the story had I not been there myself to be honest. So I don’t blame you if you question me. These sorts of accounts get so quickly blown out of proportion or exaggerated. But I was there and I saw it all, that’s how I know it to be true.
Before the battle they told us mercenaries that these elves fought tough, bloody hell they weren’t wrong. Not so much the brute force, but rather their agility, their speed. Many of the less equipped of us fell quickly but I was not lesser equipped. You see I knew these people, called several friend for a while but then again I’m from a place where are to people live together.
You see it’s never the man on the street that starts a war but instead the kings, the rulers, those in command. They start wars for glory, for power, for pride. So people lay ravaged by war on the battlefields of history for the pride of some fucking ruler. A ruler they had never met. Maybe if they heard the screams or watch blood flow like rivers they would swallow that pride.
But I needed money and the mistakes had been made so it was war. If I hadn’t taken the paid job then I would probably be forced into the same place for no wage. Better to be at a place on my own terms, even if they are forced.
But I knew these people so rather than drinking my sign up pay I bought armour. Good armour with two short swords. Can’t have a heavy shield when going up against the elves. They’re too fast, they’ll run rings around you then cut you down. Many a man died chocking on their own blood wearing the thickest of armours.
Earlier that day we all lined up in one big field. Next to the woods and beyond lay their capital. How can we be the defenders if we are practically at their city gates? I wondered.
With the sun rising our human army stood in front of their elven one. I looked around seeing all those people stood in orderly lines, it looked so civilized. What happened next was anything but civilized.
Their archers were good, damn good and there cavalry charged us. It looked bad but those new cannon the king had made well, you don’t argue with that. A ball will cut thought ten men all lined up and still keep going. We protected the guns while they fired again and again. It did not take long until most of their people were cut down.
But when I first saw her it was later on as we advanced towards the woods engaging them in hand to hand combat. I had felled 9 by this point and was locked in mortal conflict with my toughest opponent yet. I was covered in cuts, bruises, I ached everywhere. But I had to win.
He bounced off a rock, he must have been 10 feet in the air as he came at me trying to stab me with his sword. But that’s why I brought two swords you see. With my left I parried knocking his sword to the side then with my right I impaled him straight though the neck. I won’t forget that look of shock in his eyes as he looked at me, he lived just long enough to know I had bested him. I let him fall softly to the ground as he past.
His body soon became motionless on the battered grass and that was the moment I saw it, that was when I first saw her. She had thought off men in their twos and threes but now the elven numbers were dwindling. One of the men retreated to get more and they all attacked her at once. I had never seen such ferocity, such bravery in the face of defeat. With her powerful red hair she was like a wild fire burning though dry grass until she started to tire. They surrounded her, they overpowered her. They were fucking cowards, not men. I wouldn’t have believed she had fought so well and that it took eight men to best her unless I had seen it myself.
They put her in iron shackles to take her prisoner. Part of me wanted to free her and force those men to fight fair. She glanced at me for a second, such a beautiful creature she was. The look on her face was what got me. She was not displeased she was caught, but rather the cowardly way she had been defeated.
Little did I know I would see her again.
By that point the battle was over. Bodies lay everywhere and we had one. Watching that elf girl being taken away and seeing her peoples bodies all around me, I didn’t feel like a winner.