A Battle of Frost and Blood: BaN VS F.F.S

The frosty breeze coming from the Winterfell stung the face of Lady Vhaera as she looked out over the field from the ramparts. Snowflakes danced around her, and the distant drone of the battle preparation could be heard behind her dark cloak. This wasn’t just another battle. No, the battle between BaN and FFS in the fifth round of the Siege of Winterfell season was a battle of pride, revenge and desire to win.

“Hey, you three,” I remember Ana told those who were present at the strategy session earlier this morning. Her voice was assertive, authoritative, equal to the siren’s sound one hears in the cartoons. “Three teams, three objectives: the Armory, the Hot Springs and the main building of Winterfell. Elfynox, you are the head of the Hot Springs team. Vhaera, I need you to support him. That done, proceed to consolidate Winterfell’s defenses. Timing is everything.”

Vhaera gave a curt nod. Now there could be no question or hesitation. Weeks of preparation had gone into this moment, hours of planning, of practice, of checking that all was going to be perfect. The pressure of the work rested squarely on her, but she did not mind it at all, in fact she took pride in it. She was not only struggling to win but struggling for her people.

The battlefield immediately turned into a war zone as soon as the first horns were sounded. Snow that was once white was turned into a pool of red mud and blood as metal clashed with metal. In Armory, BaN’s troops aggressively whittled through the enemy with the struggle advancing in every fight. At the same time, the atmosphere in the Hot Springs was tense. FFS had committed everything they had to try and dislodge BaN in the hope of regaining the upper hand.

“Elfy’s doing fine,” Vhaera decided, her eagle eyes noticed the man in the thick of things. Elfy, was a military genius on the battlefield, he issued his orders in an articulate manner and executed them fashionably. “Charge!” roared the man, in a tone which seemed to shake the ears of the screaming men and the thunder of the conflict.

Vhaera was right there beside him, in complete symmetry to his actions, the sword a reflection of her own mind. They didn’t swing wildly, no, every swing was calculated, every hit premeditated. Beside her soldiers were fighting with passion that was close to desperation, their voices intermingled with metal, their swords. However, the intensity of the FFS fighters was to prove too much for them no matter how hard they tried.

“We need reinforcements!” Vhaera screamed, and her voice was raw from the cold and the effort of using it. She didn’t have to wait long. When the situation was most desperate, new forces came on the scene and the atmosphere changed at once, helped by the sheer number of warriors who entered the fight. With new vigor BaN repelled FFS and took back the Hot Springs in a very close fight.

Elfynox looked at her then, his usual scowl replaced by a small smile on his face. “Winterfell’s next,” he said, and it was not a suggestion, it was more of a dare. “They’ll regroup there. You’re the best bet to hold it.”

Vhaera shook his hand and nodded, accepting this as his trust in her.. She got on her horse, her bright cloak flying like a ghost after the mountain cliffs as she rode towards Winterfell. What she saw when she got there gave her the creeps. FFS had teleported a huge force right into the fortress, their soldiers surrounding the gates like a horde of ants around a carcass. The defenders were on the edge.

“Reform the lines!” Vhaera roared and her voice rose above all the clamor. She came as the last drop to the cup that was almost full. The defenders stood up, their confusion transformed into a line. She didn’t wait for second signals, her sword was skillfully cutting around her, and she reached the frontline.

This fight was intense, Winterfell was under siege. FFS battled as if their lives depended on it, and that kind of desperation always brought out the best in them, or the worst depending on how you looked at it. But Vhaera was unyielding. The women spoke like a commander, move like a general and execute tasks with the precision of a robot. When the chance came, she took it and directed a counter strike that caused the enemy to retreat.

She had said, ‘They are fighting like the wolves in the den’ when the temperature plunged low and the morning was still dark. Mouth was not full right now, standing in the middle of the wreckage, her words seemed like foreshadowing. The banner of BaN was raised high over Winterfell but the win had been Pyrrhic. There were dead bodies lying all of over the battle field, as a sign that war is a serious business.

Ana came a little later and she looked relieved and proud at the same time. “We did it,” she said, putting a hand on Vhaera’s shoulder. “Your timing was perfect.”

Vhaera blinked, then slowly shook her head a little. “It wasn’t just me. This is why the leadership of Elfynox, the reinforcements, everything worked in unison.

Ana’s eyes were narrowed and calculating look could be seen in her face. “our enemies will be watching us even closer now. They’ll know we’re a threat.”

When the sun was setting and the field of battle became a sea of orange and red, Vhaera could afford to think. They had triumphed, but much to their dismay the worse part of the season was still a distant memory. Bigger tests were yet to come and every test was more difficult than the previous one.

“We’re ready,” she whispered, and I could barely hear her due to the force of the wind. “But the true test lies ahead” essentially indicates that the main and most challenging part of the work is yet to begin.

With her back towards the fighting, she returned to her friends. Their laughter and fellowships were soothing to the eyes and ears, given the day’s sad news stories. Tonight would be different, they would drink and dance. The next day they would make ready for whatever the morrow had in store for them.