The First Battle
1093 Words
The alarms echoed across the capital.
Loud.
Relentless.
Urgent.
Every cheerful sound from the training grounds vanished.
Warriors rushed toward the city walls.
Messengers sprinted through the streets.
The kingdom transformed before my eyes.
One moment it had been a city.
The next it was a fortress preparing for war.
My stomach twisted.
This wasn't a prophecy anymore.
This wasn't a vision.
This was real.
People could die.
Because of me.
Because of the war surrounding me.
Because the First King wanted something only I possessed.
The realization settled heavily on my shoulders.
Kael noticed.
Of course he did.
"You aren't responsible for this."
I looked at him.
"Then why does it feel like I am?"
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Because there wasn't an easy answer.
The First King's army was marching because of the prophecy.
Because of the Moonborn.
Because of me.
Yet somehow, hearing Kael say it still helped.
A little.
Only a little.
---
The war council convened immediately.
A massive map covered the center table.
Generals surrounded it.
Arguing.
Planning.
Preparing.
I stood beside Kael, trying to understand everything.
Unfortunately, military strategy seemed determined to confuse me.
General Ronan pointed toward the northern border.
"The enemy captured three watchtowers."
A council member cursed.
Another looked worried.
A third looked terrified.
Reasonable reactions.
Ronan continued.
"Their main army remains two days away."
The room relaxed slightly.
Then he added—
"But advance forces have already crossed the border."
The relaxation disappeared.
Immediately.
Wonderful.
A younger officer stepped forward.
"Scouts estimate five thousand soldiers."
My eyes widened.
Five thousand?
That wasn't an advance force.
That was an army.
Kael's expression darkened.
"What about Valen?"
The room became quiet.
The officer swallowed.
"Confirmed."
Of course.
General Valen was leading the invasion.
Why make things easy?
---
Three hours later...
I stood atop the northern wall.
The wind tugged at my hair.
Below, warriors prepared for battle.
Hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
The sight was overwhelming.
These people were willing to fight.
To bleed.
To die.
For their kingdom.
For their king.
For their queen.
The title still felt strange.
A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Scared?"
I turned.
Damon.
Wonderful.
Actually...
Not entirely wonderful.
Not entirely terrible either.
Complicated.
Everything was complicated.
The Alpha leaned against the wall beside me.
His gaze fixed on the horizon.
"I remember my first battle."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Did you win?"
Damon laughed softly.
"No."
That surprised me.
Apparently he noticed.
"My father was furious."
The memory brought a small smile to his face.
"He spent two hours explaining everything I did wrong."
I found myself smiling.
Despite everything.
Damon noticed.
His expression softened.
Dangerously.
Before either of us could say more—
A deep growl echoed behind us.
I didn't need to turn around.
Kael.
Naturally.
The Lycan King approached.
Golden eyes narrowing slightly at Damon.
Damon immediately looked annoyed.
Again.
Naturally.
I sighed.
The rivalry was becoming exhausting.
"Don't."
Both men looked at me.
Good.
Because I was tired.
Very tired.
"We have a war to worry about."
Silence.
Then Kael nodded.
Damon nodded.
Neither looked happy about it.
Progress.
Tiny progress.
---
Night fell quickly.
Too quickly.
The moon hung high above the battlefield.
Silver light covered the plains.
And in the distance...
Fires appeared.
Hundreds of them.
Enemy campfires.
My stomach dropped.
They were closer than expected.
Much closer.
The army had arrived.
A horn echoed across the darkness.
Low.
Powerful.
Ancient.
The sound chilled my blood.
Warriors along the walls immediately stiffened.
Weapons were drawn.
Orders shouted.
The battle had begun.
Then something unexpected happened.
A single rider emerged from the enemy camp.
Alone.
No escort.
No soldiers.
Just one rider.
The figure approached the city gates.
Calmly.
Confidently.
Fearlessly.
The guards tensed.
Archers drew arrows.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
I squinted.
Trying to identify the rider.
Then my stomach dropped.
Blonde hair.
Crimson eyes.
Selena.
She stopped several hundred feet from the walls.
Then raised both hands.
Showing she carried no weapon.
The gesture surprised everyone.
Including me.
A guard looked toward Kael.
"What do we do?"
The Lycan King studied Selena carefully.
Then answered.
"Let her speak."
The gates remained closed.
But no arrows were fired.
Selena smiled slightly.
Then raised her voice.
"I bring a message."
The battlefield became silent.
Thousands of warriors listened.
Waiting.
Watching.
Selena's crimson eyes found mine.
Directly.
Immediately.
Then she spoke words that stunned everyone.
"The First King doesn't want war."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then laughter erupted from the walls.
Disbelieving laughter.
Mocking laughter.
Angry laughter.
I couldn't blame them.
The statement sounded ridiculous.
Selena didn't react.
She simply waited.
Eventually, the noise died down.
Then Kael spoke.
Coldly.
"What does he want?"
Selena's gaze remained fixed on me.
Not Kael.
Not the soldiers.
Me.
"The Queen."
My stomach tightened.
Of course.
The battlefield grew tense.
The answer wasn't surprising.
Yet hearing it aloud made everything feel more real.
Selena continued.
"Give him Aria."
Several warriors growled.
Others cursed.
One archer nearly fired.
Kael's expression became terrifying.
The kind of terrifying that made even experienced soldiers step backward.
Selena didn't seem impressed.
Or frightened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The blonde woman sighed.
Then added—
"And he'll withdraw his army."
The battlefield exploded into arguments.
Generals shouted.
Soldiers cursed.
Council members looked horrified.
The proposal was impossible.
Unacceptable.
Yet thousands of lives hung in the balance.
Which made it dangerous.
Kael's voice cut through the noise.
Sharp as a blade.
"No."
One word.
Absolute.
Final.
Selena looked disappointed.
Not surprised.
Just disappointed.
As though she already knew the answer.
Then she looked at me.
And for a brief moment—
The battlefield disappeared.
The noise vanished.
It felt like we were the only two people there.
Selena's expression softened.
Unexpectedly.
Genuinely.
Almost sadly.
Then she mouthed two silent words.
Don't come.
My eyes widened.
The warning lasted less than a second.
Then it was gone.
Replaced by her usual calm expression.
The realization hit me instantly.
Selena wasn't delivering a message.
She was warning me.
The question was—
Why?
Before I could think further, a second horn echoed across the battlefield.
Louder than the first.
More powerful.
More dangerous.
Every soldier froze.
Even Selena.
Then the earth began to shake.
The enemy camp parted.
And something enormous emerged from the darkness.
A creature twice the size of any werewolf.
Covered in black armor.
Eyes glowing red.
A beast built for war.
Built for destruction.
Built for slaughter.
Thousands of warriors stared in horror.
The creature roared.
And the battle officially began.
- Writer
