Prince Birch was still shaking Lazheros' hand vigorously and had not yet let go.

The Bronze Man withdrew his hand and said, "Prince Birch of East Port, your brothers will require your skills to bolster and aid. Of which do you choose to help first? Ash and his army outside the city walls, or do you prefer to stay with Willow and the archers on the walls with the catapults and tinker gnomes?"

"That is an easy question, Lord Bronze Man," Birch beamed from ear to ear, "I shall stand by the side of my brother Ash as we ride into battle at the head of our mighty army. We shall slay many an Orc this day!"

In a wild flourish, Birch unsheathed his sword and brandished it for all to see, "OFF TO BATTLE AND GLORY!!!" Prince Birch stormed out of the room following after his brother, Crown Prince Ash.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Sunrider Elven King," Irzen apologized before he turned towards The Bronze Man, "Lazheros, you will be needed to engage the enemy once we have encircled them. When we do that, we will signal you to launch your attack. Please look for that signal! You must strafe them from the air. The success of my strategy and our very lives will depend upon it. Understand?"

"Let me rephrase what I just said, Captain Irzen, I WILL NOT engage the horde unless I have no other option left," Lazheros raised his voice slightly, "Alyson and her elementals will wait for the signal."

"And let me rephrase what I just said, Lazheros," The Swordsman replied without raising his voice as he calmly placed his hand on the Cleric's shoulder, "Perthenexio is good at what he is. You are better at what you are and you know it. Do not let your pride stand between you and the lives you could save by helping us directly in battle. And I will leave the matter at that."

"I said no and it is not pride, its experience!" The bronze man deadpanned. "When I traveled with Madeous and friends, he only knew of Celestra being a dragon and swore the next time we faced him, he'd have a dragon slayer in his arsenal. I have no intention of doing what you want when you want it!"

The Swordsman quietly walked away and began to follow after Captain Mandur and Captain Andaerean.

"Don't be too hasty asking for Lazheros to directly involve himself, Irzen," Alyson pointed a finger at the swordsman, "Not everyone here KNOWS what he is, got it? Leave the Red Dragon issue to me, you just focus on the battle with Captains Mandur and Andaerean."

Irzen stopped dead in his tracks but did not look back at Alyson, "I am not being hasty, Alyson, I am being desperate. I know the enemy we face. A lot of brave people are going to die this day. And more still will die if Lazheros fails to intervene directly. Alyson, you are good at being a Human-Dragon hybrid but Lazheros is better at being a full-blooded Dragon. I do not WANT to SEE him at his full draconic fury, I just fear that we are going to NEED him at his full draconic fury to win this day."

"Stop it! Stop telling him what to do!" Alyson snarled at the swordsman, "Just do your job and we'll do ours! You want to see a Reign of Fire, you'll get your wish when my uncle shows up with his troops, now shut up and go!"

********

Without another word, Irzen continued to follow after Captain Mandur and Captain Andaerean.

Sunrider, tenth of his line was in the middle of having his armor put on when he heard the bronze man raise his voice. Even for an elf, there was something not quite human in the way he replied to the swordsman.

"Winning a war does not come without sacrifice," The Swordsman said almost to himself as he caught up with Mandur and Andaerean, "There is a price that we are going to have to pay to win this one. I just hope Alyson and Lazheros are ready to pay it should the time come."

The Swordsman smiled towards The Elven Captain, "Andaerean, I bet that when you awoke this morning, you were not expecting to go to battle with a Drow at your side."

"No, not really but I've seen you in battle knowing you are quite capable of handling yourself either in the saddle and on the ground, Irzen. Despite what the enemy throws at us, we will prevail." Andaerean mounted his horse and turned to the rest as the horn of the cavalry sounded. "Ride now! Ride now til the Sun Rises!"

Irzen mounted Billy in a single leap and rode after Andaerean all the while hoping for the best and yet expecting all the worst.

*****

Now the elves could see the horde approach in the distance and the very size of it spanned the entire width of the southern valley itself. A blanket of death and destruction with only one goal to conquer, enslave and destroy.

Five rows of orc warriors, worg riders with pikemen in the front. Followed by a row of crude catapults dripping with fire and siege balistas set on raising up ladders against the city walls. Two rows of ogres and a phalanx of giants flanking the sides. And in the rear mounted on ancient enemy of dragon kind, a Behir the serpentine multilegged creature sat the Warlord, Gruumasht, flanked by his elite, battle hardened warriors. Along side him, was Barakas mounted on a Displacer Beast. The Drums of War and Death sounded in the valley echoing throughout and spreading despair.

***BOOM! BOOOM! BA-DA-BOOOM!***

****

The Crown Prince with his battle masters, pike men and wardens took a defensive position just outside the city walls. Captain Mandur signaled for the guardians to take the left flank next to the crown prince while the sappers and rune keepers ran along the trenches that were dug out in front of southern gate in a series of zig-zag patterns to confuse the orcs.

Prince Birch, donned in his trademark jet-black armor that won him renown on the battlefield as The Black Prince confidently strode to his brother's side. Birch bore no shield on his back. All he carried was two swords strapped to his back, two small axes strapped to his sides and two small daggers strapped to his boots.

The prince looked towards the crown prince and smiled, "Brother, mayhaps today is a good day for our enemies to die!"

"How about a ballad of Victory, Birch," Ash adjusted the buckler on his left arm and readied the short spear he favored on horseback. His metallic silver and white armor glistened signaling to his men, he was there with them bracing for the first wave that wouldn't come as intended when a series of explosions erupted from beneath the ground.

"When this war is over, brother," Prince Birch drew forth his swords, "I shall compose one ballad for each us regaling how we, the sons of King Sunrider the Tenth, fought and slew our enemies this day!"

**KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM!***

Sounds of shrieking and squealing orcs being blasted by land mines, trip wires connected to molotov cocktails set up by the tinker gnomes two last night, and sink holes created by the Juggernaut added just prior to the horde coming into the valley.

High up on the walls, the catapults started launching volleys of boulders laced with acid not fire melting any weapons, armor, and flesh of the invaders that came within two hundred yards of the army laying in wait at the base.

The giants that flanked either side of the horde countered with by throwing huge boulders, they fell short of the dwarven phalanx by one hundred feet and closing.

"I believe with all my heart that we shall emerge victorious this day, brother!" Prince Birch steeled himself for the conflict to come and gave Crown Prince Ash a warm smile, "But if we should fail, take comfort in these words:

"How can an elf die better,
Than facing fearful odds?
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?"