Age of Kings

by A bag of plums

116 - Hel to Pay

Emerald Edge tore herself away from Agramane’s body and ran back out onto the street. A spear shot past her and snapped against the far end of the passageway, sending splinters of metal and wood flying out into the air.

“You know, if I had known we would be facing our own weaponry, I would have had design flaws built into them,” Amber Fang complained as she followed Emerald outside. “We were too naive, too self satisfied to consider the possibility,” another spear streaked past, wobbling mid flight and embedding itself into the ground a short distance away. “A potentially fatal mistake.”

Emerald privately agreed, but wasted no breath in answering aloud.

Outside, High King Magnus Rein was down on one knee, one hand to his chest and breathing hard. Sombra stood beside him, ushering him to move. They had pressed closer to the spear launcher, but now, a second one had appeared there and they were loading the spears faster than the two kings could move.

“We must take cover,” Sombra urged him, but the king would move no more.

“I cannae, King from Over the Mountain. I am afraid I have shouted my last shout.” Magnus’ face was beaded with sweat and his gray hair seemed duller than before.

Another volley was shot towards them as Emerald and Amber made their way to the pair. Magnus pushed Sombra aside and ducked as one sailed over his head. Another one came, but the king had no more power in himself. Instead, he raised Hel and blocked the spear with the axe’s side. The spear was miraculously deflected, but then Emerald saw what danger the axe was in. The magical metal that it was forged in was beginning to crack and light began to shine from the weapon.

Weapons of Star Swirl the Bearded were strong in the hands of an Equestrian, but the high king was but a human and under his palm, the weapon was strained and it would not hold much longer. She didn’t have to guess what was going to happen to the weapon now.

“We need to get the axe away.” Emerald pointed towards the kings.

“What? Why?” Amber asked. She hadn’t yet caught on.

“I cannot really explain it… but I can feel it. It will not be long before it gives out. Magnus and Sombra are in danger.”

Amber Fang nodded. “As you say. What is our next course of action, then?”

Emerald thought back to what little she knew of magic from Equestria. “If the axe breaks, there’s a high chance of there being some kind of blast or explosion. It could be harmful. We need to get the weapon away from Sombra and Magnus before that happens.”

“Aye. But what do we do about the spear launchers? We won’t be able to get close with them firing down the street at us.”

“I refuse to believe that they have unlimited ammunition,” Emerald replied. “But at the same time, we cannot simply wait for them to run out of shot.” An idea struck her. “Amber, do you have any more of your magic?”

Amber Fang pulled two glass vials out of her satchel. One was full of white liquid and the other was filled with an orange substance.

“I have these, but it is too far to throw and I do not have my crossbow on me.”

Emerald took the two phials and smiled at Amber. “Stay here. I’ll take care of this.”

After tucking the vials into her belt, Emerald leapt up and grabbed hold of the underside of the awning of the house that she had fought Agramane in. She used her momentum to flip herself up onto the roof of the house and took off running on the slanted surface towards Sombra and Magnus. The enemy knights, so focused were they on the two kings, did not see her coming from above.

Nearing the spear throwers, Emerald’s legs bent and she jumped across the street, aiming for the rooftop of the opposite facing house. As she did so, time slowed for her and she grabbed the two vials from her belt and tossed one, then the other at the spear launchers.

The first vial shattered on one of the weapons and frost coated the device, rendering the wood brittle and inflexible. The knights attempted to fire it, but the weapon could not take the strain and shattered, pulling itself apart and throwing shards of frozen wood and metal in all directions.

The second vial landed right on the firing mechanism of the second launcher and immediately burst into flames upon breaking open. Flames roared as they exploded out and began to lick away at the spear launcher. The ropes and straps holding the weapon together could not handle the heat and snapped as the fire ate away at the fibers. In only three seconds, both war machines were rendered inoperable.

Emerald landed in a crouch on her target rooftop as the blasts went off behind her. She turned and looked down at her handiwork, giving herself a satisfied nod that the spear launchers were out of commission.

Deciding that it would take a couple of moments for the enemy knights to rally, the former pegasus turned her attention to Sombra and Magnus. Even with their victory over the siege weapons, there was still a matter of dealing with Hel before it would take the lives of those around it. She needed to get in there and get it out before it was too late. Magnus wasn’t going to like this.

“Your majesty, we need to get you out of here.” Sombra tried to pry the high king from his spot, but he would not budge.

“Aye, I do not have more strength to take even… one more step…” Magnus’ voice was hoarse and ragged. He gazed at the splintering weapon in his hand and then to Sombra. “My Hel… my precious Hel, my right to rule the Frozen North…”

“I have dealt with enough magic in my recent days to know that it looks like it is going to burst. You cannot stay here.” Sombra still tried to get him to move, but Magnus was much larger and heavier than he was, and even with his shadowy powers, he could not get him to move.

“Sombra, I’m here.” Emerald dropped down beside them. “Hel, it is going to blow. We need to go.”

“He won’t go. He cannot.” Sombra let go of Magnus. “He does not have the strength to. The axe. Emerald, you need to do something. Use your magic.”

“I don’t have magic. Not in this world.” Emerald eyed the weapon as more cracks began to form across the gold and silver axehead. But Sombra was right. The axe had to be taken away from here before it ruptured catastrophically and took them with it. “I need to take it. High King Magnus, I need to get it out of here. I need you to trust me.”

“No, Hel… it is my right…” Magnus held on to the axe firmly as Emerald tried to take it. “You cannot…”

Emerald grunted as she struggled to take it from him. Even in his weakened state, he still had quite the grip.

“Your majesty, you have to let go!” Emerald strained. “The magic in the axe is going to explode out and I have to get it away from here before it blows us all to smithereens!”

“I know not what destruction will be wrought should that happen,” Sombra added as he tried to loosen Magnus’s fingers from the haft of the axe. A crossbow bolt whizzed past; the knights who had been working the spear throwers had regrouped and were now slowly approaching with their wrist crossbows to kill Emerald and the kings.

Emerald ducked as another pair of bolts shot at her. She tugged at Hel, but she still could not acquire it. Looking closely, she saw with dismay that High King Magnus’s fingers had begun to blister and burn from the energy leaking from the axe.

Sombra shouted as a crossbow bolt nicked his upper arm. The knights of Canterlot were closing in. He readied a ball of shadows, but before he could let loose with an attack, the advancing knights suddenly burst into flame, their formation broken as they tried to put out the fire.

“We have your back, Em!” Spectrum Song shouted down at them from atop a nearby wall. Next to her, Guard Streak hurled down another firebomb onto the knights, while Posey popped up behind a pillar to shoot at the burning mass of men. They were getting really good at hurling things from the wall. That had been an incredible throw, flying all the way to the knights’ position.

But they were running out of time. If she didn’t get the axe away from Magnus, they were all going to go up in smoke. She had to act fast, or they wouldn’t see the light of day.

“High King Magnus, I apologize,” Emerald said.

Without waiting for an answer, she smacked a fist into the king’s throat. He immediately let go of his weapon to grasp for his neck as he coughed and gagged, allowing Emerald to pick up the splintering weapon just as sparks began to fly from it.

As she took the axe in hand, she felt power surge through her body. A pair of translucent golden wings unfurled from Emerald’s back, and her hair grew long with a pair of pony ears popping up atop her head.

“You… you are like the valkyries of lore…” Magnus gasped as Emerald stood up, her wings sweeping aside the snow.

It felt so good to channel Equestrian magic again, but Emerald knew it would not last. Hefting the axe in hand, she took off into the night sky like a glowing comet to the cheers of the squires who were watching from atop their wall.

“Go, Emerald!” Guard Streak shouted.

Emerald flew toward the thickest mass of the Canterlot army, who were still swarming around the collapsed main gates of Nidaroats. She felt her wings catch the air as she lifted herself higher, the queen of the skies. Vikings all over the walls paused in combat to gaze upon the golden winged figure that was now hovering above them.

The ones outside the gates pulled up more spear launchers and ballistae, but she was flying too fast and too high for them to hit her. Those that came close were instantly obliterated by the magic of Hel. Though she enjoyed feeling the power of Equestria, the weapon was going to give and she had to do something about it before it took her out with it in the air.

Remembering what the king could do with Star Swirl’s axe, Emerald placed it close to her mouth and yelled at the top of her voice. The air around her shimmered and Morn’s Unified below were smashed aside by the unseen force of her shout and their siege weapons were shattered into pieces, with some knights being crushed under the wood or catapult projectiles. Satisfied with her destruction, Emerald flew herself lower, and when she deemed she would survive the fall, she raised the axe behind her head with both hands and threw it as hard as she could.

The golden weapon spun end over end like a boomerang, streaking down towards the Canterlot army like a comet before smashing into the middle of the force. There was a sound of shattering metal amplified a hundredfold, and a massive white sphere burst out from the point of impact, expanding in an instant and lighting up the night like a miniature sun. All the knights caught in the blast were either hurled away by a concussive force or disintegrated. Many of them were skewered by their own weapons or thrown into deadly hard surfaces that their armor did not protect them from. The burst of energy lasted for several heartbeats then faded back to night.

Her ears ringing from the explosion, Emerald fell down to earth before landing in a soft pile of snow in a small puff of white flakes. Her wings, long hair, and pony ears had faded and Emerald would miss them, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Climbing out of the snowdrift, she waited for the ringing sound to subside. It did, to be replaced with cheers and shouts from the city of Nidaroats. What was left of the Unified were now leaving, disappearing away into the darkness as Emerald turned to look back towards the city’s ruined outer gates. Stronghorn was the first to her position, hauling her out of the snow and dusting her down before giving her a harsh slap on the back.

“Very well done, Emerald Edge,” he laughed. “Your Morn Dread would think twice before attempting to attack the heart of the Frozen North again.”

Emerald heard something land in the snow near her and she turned to see Posey hop out of the same snowdrift that she had used to cushion her own fall. The archer had a crooked smile on her face as Gabriel landed on her shoulder.

“Very well done, Emerald,” Posey said. “I saw your flight from atop the wall; you must have taken out three quarters of the Unified. How did you get such power?”

“Turns out the High King’s axe was an artifact of Equestria,” Emerald explained. “Unfortunately, it is no more. So we are back to square one in terms of artifacts.”

“We will just have to take it that there was no artifact here.” Posey stretched a hand out as Gabriel glided down and landed on it. “Our original plan was to prevent Morn from taking more kingdoms, after all.”

“They are not completely gone,” Emerald’s back felt oddly light without her spectral wings. She sighed, suddenly feeling quite weary. “Sir Boercival remains in these regions. Until he is dealt with, we must consider our victory today temporary.”

“Gabriel says that there is now a huge crater in front of the main gates,” Posey informed Emerald and Stronghorn. “They will not be able to get siege weapons close with that in the way.”

“Not that you left them any,” Stronghorn chortled. “You have shown everyone today that the Frozen North will not bow to invaders. Now let us go back to the palace! There will be bed and board, so that our spirits will not fail.”

“We will need to discuss further plans. The Unified still have a presence in this kingdom. We will need to determine where they are holding out and we need to purge them from the lands.”

“Aye, and in due time, Raven Knight.” Stronghorn pointed his sword back towards the castle. “High King Magnus first needs our attention. I am afraid he has used much of himself to face the enemy today. We will talk more about this inside.”

Posey nodded in agreement. “I will notify the squires that the battle is over and that we are regrouping,” the archer turned her head to the east where the earliest rays of day were peeking over the horizon, and smiled. “Look, the sun is rising at last. A good sign.”

“If only it lasted.” Emerald too was glad for dawn’s first light.

---

Comments

[MoonlightRift]

Guess it makes sense why the axe wasn't mentioned in Leap of Faith or Long Way to Fall now. Shame though, it could've come in handy. They just can't catch a break with their luck, at least nobody's died.. Yet.