Arlhenwe motioned the children to go and assist the cavalry riders and help with the healing process, "Serna and Caliaphy, we are returning to the princess. You may stay and help with the healers if you wish."

"I confess I'm more of a defender than a healer," Serna reluctantly admitted, "However, if you can take me back to my friends then they might have something for me to do. How about you, Caliaphy, can you do any healing?"

"Nope. I have a special power that hopefully, I won't have to use, you know," The kurori shrugged following the elves, "It's one of those In Case of an Emergency powers."

"I'll take your word for it. Let's go see if the others need us, okay?" Serna followed after the Elves as well.

There were plenty of wounded riders to attend to when they arrived near the stables. Even some of the horses needed healing also. Arlhenwe and Idrial went to check on those who needed aid the most, while the children spread out and began assisting the riders.

"Come on Serna, lets see what we can do," The kurori took her hand walking over to the captain.

"Okay!" Serna walked over the Captain Andaerean with Caliaphy.

He turned around to see them approach, "You two can help me lead the horses to their stalls."

"No problem!" Serna began to get to work, first approaching the horses calmly before she lead them to their respective stalls.

*******

The gold dragon caught the last few fleeing from the battle with a blast of fire that melted the orcs where they stood. None survived to relay the information of the battle at Westfall, she made sure of it. The loss of Mermidon and the retreat of Dragolem caused the dragon to roar so loud that it called out the other piece of the Crimson Dragon armor.

In the distance a huge red dragon emerged and the gold went to meet it in the sky far from the battle of Westfall. The clash of dragons lit up the night sky far and wide forcing the red to retreat and the gold the victor. When the gold returned to Westfall, she landed just outside the city's main gates waiting for the cavalry to mop of the rest of the horde.

The Elven cavalry continued to tear into the remaining Orc horde and whittle them down. Though it was a bloody and terrible affair amidst the screams of the dying and howls of rage, the Elves and Hill Dwarves slowly but surely began to get the upper hand against their determined foe.

The princess looked over the wall at the gold dragon, "Will you reclaim my beloved for me?"

Perthonexio walked up to the wall seeing eye to eye with the sage, "A favor for a favor, then?"

"Yes," Liliandra agreed to the terms of the gold dragon, "I will be indebted to you."

"Very well," The gold dragon moved away from the city walls and took to the air once more. Ten minutes later, the dragon returned with Prince Yew, along with Captain Mandur and his company. The dragon slowly set down Willow's brother on the wall between them, and with a flurry of his wings the dragon circled once and returned to it position outside the walls.

"CLERIC! CLERIC!" The Prince cried out in hopes that Lazheros would hear him, "I NEED A HEALER HERE NOW!!!"

The Bronze Man teleported in a flash of light examining Willow's older brother, "Bring him inside out of sight of any enemies that are still lurking about. My lady, what about the tower you took shelter in?"

"Come! Help me!" Willow took off his cloak and laid it down on the floor of the rampart as he ushered three of the Royal Guards to aid his brother. "Lift and move him onto the cloak gently, then we will carry him to the tower."

The Royal Guardsmen moved into position and took hold of Prince Yew.

"Now!"

With Willow's help they safely moved Yew onto the cloak and carried him towards the tower.

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Princess Liliandra motioned to the royal guards to help bring Prince Yew inside the tower and laid him on a nearby bench. They stationed themselves both inside and outside the tower entrance while the bronze man set about tending to the physical wounds Prince Yew endured during his capture. An hour passed when Lazheros informed by Liliandra and Willow, that Yew was healed and resting peacefully inside.

Willow breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Lazheros, I greatly appreciate all that you have done for my brother."

Lazheros merely nodded to the ranger walking past him silently. He returned to the wall surveying the battle field for any signs of trouble. This battle was a test to see what the orc captain was up against. He knew this from past experience and remained vigilant.

******

Back down on the battle field, Captain Andaerean and his company slew all the remaining orcs and one last ogre attempting to flee. The bodies were dragged, and piled up to burned while riders were sent to check with Captain Mandur's men keeping watch along the Ridge Line. Ten minutes later, they returned to report that Prince Yew and a handful of their kin had been freed by the hill dwarves, and that the gold dragon had safely delivered the prince back to West Fall.

******

Covered in blood and guts, Irzen spat upon the corpse of the fallen Ashuruk and stumbled across the battlefield nearly exhausted from the fight. Off in the distance, his Elven eyes spotted Gruumasht hiding in a tree line observing the battle and its terrible result.

With his blood-soaked sword in hand, the Swordsman pounded his blade against his chest, opened his arms in open challenge and screamed the Drow cry of victory, "WESTFALL VICTA!!!!"

++++Drow to Common Translation: "WESTFALL VICTORIOUS!"++++

Captain Andaerean rode over to Irzen nodding with approval, "One less to deal with. We've gathered our wounded and our dead. Come join us later if you will, Lord Irzen."

With a wild-eyed look, the Swordsman turned towards the mounted calvaryman, "Siyo! Siyo! Usstan orn valm dos! Udos inbal casexiggus victa nindol tangi!"

++++Drow to Common Translation: "Yes! Yes! I will join you! We have emerged victorious this day!"++++

Seizing the head of Ashuruk by a single tuff of hair on its head, Irzen marched wearily over to the wargoat, "Doer! Ori'gato udossa yutsu ulu udossta abbanen l'amith udossta ultrinnan nindol tangi."

++++Drow to Common Translation: "Come! Let us return to our allies and enjoy our victory."++++

The wargoat snorted at the stench of the dead orc's head in protest. Once Irzen mounted again, the wargoat galloped back to the city of Westfall where the gold dragon watched all of them return alive. Well most of them.

Satisfied the immediate danger had passed, Perthonexio left and returned to the gauntlets once more leaving a very tired elementalist walking through the main gate. Lazheros was already there waiting for her when she collapsed and caught her just in time. One of the handmaidens watched from the wall in silence as the bronze man brought the elementalist up and past her.

Lazheros stopped for a moment, "Is there something you, or the princess needs?"

The handmaiden said nothing backing out of the way, her hand on the hilt of her weapon. There was a nervous twitch in her eye as sweat poured down on one side.

The bronze man now faced her, his gaze bore into her mind and she resisted him, "My apologies," And he stepped past her setting the elementalist down on a bench just as she drew her jagged blade. Her strike was blindingly fast swinging to and fro but the armor that the bronze man wore deflected it.

The sounds of a weapon hitting armor drew out the ranger.

"What is going on here?" The Prince stepped toward the confrontation between The Cleric and the Hand Maiden with his hand upon the hilt of his sword.

The hand maiden's expression turned maddening and crazed now, her eyes wild and filled with an uncontrolled rage since her first target was unfazed by her killing stroke. Whirling around, Willow now faced another broken puppet of Gruumasht. Out of one sword came another identical jagged blade slashing wildly at the ranger forcing him backwards. Quick hard strokes from the assailant dropped two of the royal guards before they could intercept. Blood soaked eyes continued to rage from the handmaiden screaming uncontrollably when she charged the ranger with intent to kill him and everyone else now.

"Whoa!" Willow ducked, bobbed and weaved as best he could to avoid the slashing, jabbing and stabbing motions of the Hand Maiden's lethal attack. She was on him so quickly and so furiously that he barely had enough time to pull his blade free of his scabbard to defend himself.

Princess Liliandra came out now, she was utterly mortified at the sudden carnage, and more so as one of her most trusted handmaidens turned into a blood thirsty maddening killer. It was a scene from John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars slightly scaled down but still scary as hell with an elf consumed on killing everyone around her. Using her own magic, the princess was able to Hold the handmaiden long enough for Willow to put down the assailant before anyone else fell.

The Prince quickly ran her through with his sword and took a step back as he gasped, "Thank you, Lili! She was so fast and so quick. I barely had time to do anything."

Looking at the two fallen royal guardsmen, Willow ran over to them to check and see if they were still alive. One of them was dead yet the other was barely clinging to life. The Prince turned to his sister-in-law, "Get the Cleric! NOW!"

War Scribe merely looked on and did what she always did--record all that she saw in her tome.

****

Irzen proudly rode back into the castle, dismounted from Billy and handed the reins of the wargoat over to Caliaphy, "Plynn bwael kyon d'ukta, qunnessaa, uk uriu ussen'me uns'aa al nindol tangi."

++++Drow to Common Translation "Take good care of him, fairy, he has served me well this day."++++

Then the Dark Elf walked towards the ramparts to find Prince Willow and Princess Liliandra with the head of Ashuruk still clutched in his hands.